I attended the Gateway Pacific Terminal lovefest Thursday last. The keynote speech was delivered by the mayor of Ferndale. He was followed by a steady stream of GPT supporters, who generally cited the need for jobs in Ferndale, Whatcom county and Washington state. Some derided those who oppose the project. One felt the need to tell us that people under 30 will never get Social Security. Most either never mentioned the scoping process at all or briefly mentioned that the scope should be narrow to keep down the cost of the EIS.

Too bad about that, since the meeting was supposed to be a public forum where people could express concerns about what should or should not be considered in the EIS. There was little of that.

However, one speaker urged that our view should be holistic and hoped that the economic impact on Ferndale would be included in the EIS. That's fair. I might suggest, however, that we extend that courtesy beyond the city of Ferndale and think about what economic effect the GPT will have on the United States in general.

How can it have any other effect than to prolong U.S. joblessness in our factories? I have been a union member all my adult working life. I believe in standing with all American workers and I refuse to limit my support to only workers in this region.

Support for GPT can be described in many ways. My description does not include such words as patriotic or unselfish.

John Serfozo

Everson