Letters to the editor
Published 3:30 am Thursday, July 30, 2026
Pool an important resource for Homer youth
My name is Jay Bechtol and I lead the HYPE Advisory Panel. HYPE (Homer Youth Programs Everyday) is a grassroots community coalition of individuals, parents, and organizations dedicated to ensuring the youth of the greater Homer area are raised in a community which supports them.
Our goal is to increase the availability of activities for youth in our community during out of school time. This includes coordinating programs, sites, and activities to keep the youth engaged, safe, and invested in the future of our community.
Sites which are both safe and engaging are often hard to find in rural Alaska. The potential loss of a fantastic community resource like the Homer High School swimming pool is simply embarrassing.
In a larger community, it might be easier to find a private organization to step in and carry the weight. Here on the southern peninsula, we rely on our public agencies to provide that level of support.
We encourage the district, borough, and city to sit down together with the goal of keeping the pool open. The load becomes much lighter when shared between the public agencies who are tasked with making our communities, well, communities.
Please recognize the importance of this resource and take the necessary steps to ensure its survival.
Jay Bechtol on behalf of the HYPE Advisory Panel
Conspiracy gains traction
On July 16, President Trump embraced the Unhumans Conspiracy, which is also endorsed by JD Vance and Steve Bannon. This conspiracy is put forth in a 2024 book entitled: Unhumans, the Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and how to crush them) by Posobiec and Lisec. The authors claim that the American left desires a communist dictatorship and that we should be labeled ‘Unhumans’ who should lack human rights.
‘Unhumans’ is both a manifesto and a guide for action. It’s central argument is that leftists are not fellow human beings who should be accepted as part of a pluralistic society, but rather Unhumans are bent on destroying the civilized order (read whatever Trump and Stephen Miller decide). To unhuman someone means to deprive someone of their rights to life, liberty, and property.
Stopping the unhumans will require shedding commitments to democracy, free speech, reasoned debate, and tolerance of alternate points of view. Instead, the right should find its role model in Caesar, Pinochet, Francisco Franco, and various murderous anti-communist dictators of the 20th century.
Books like Unhumans attempt to convince us that all threats in fact come from immigrants and unions rather than from people like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, oligarchs who think popular self government was a mistake.
Trump hasn’t been able to alter birthright citizenship, but Stephen Miller is adamant that naturalized citizens can have their citizenships revoked and he is happy to draw those guidelines.
Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget for 2027 appears to be a war chest for more endless wars to include eliminating all citizens here in the U.S. who don’t agree with him.
Brother Asaiah encourages us to love one another with no limitations whatsoever, to renounce war in honoring each and every soul who walks alongside us in this human/spiritual journey.
We at Veterans For Peace will continue to embrace Brother’s philosophy, and we will participate in all peaceful actions to end a right wing regime that does not recognize everyone’s humanity.
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”– Mother Teresa
Michael A. LeMay
Homer Veterans For Peace
Senior center grateful for Legion support
Homer Senior Center would like to thank the Sons of the American Legion Post 16 along with the American Legion Auxiliary Unit Post 16 for their generous support of the ongoing elevator project.
Acts of generosity often happen quietly, but they deserve to be recognized. The dedication of Post 16 reflects the true spirit of service and demonstrates the continued commitment to Homer’s seniors and to the community.
On behalf of Homer Senior Center and its residents your support is sincerely appreciated.
Shirlie Gribble on behalf of the Homer Senior Center Board of Directors
Check your voter registration
The Alaska primary election is just a few weeks away, on Aug. 18. This is a very pivotal election. I would advise every voter in the State of Alaska to check their voter registration.
Here’s why — according to recent reporting, the Dunleavy administration removed 3,500 Alaskans from the state voter rolls. You may be one of those people. Also, in December 2025, Dunleavy’s administration provided the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) with a complete list of eligible registered voters in the state. What Washington D.C, and the DOJ has done, or will do, with our information, including names, dates of birth, residential addresses and driver’s license numbers or last four of your Social Security numbers, we do not know.
Now is the time to check your voter information and make any necessary changes or corrections. It’s easy to check, simply go to the Alaska Division of Elections Voter Portal; scroll down; it asks for last name, first name and mailing city. That’s it! You can do this any time, any place.
The website also provides information about your polling place.
Ann Sugrue
