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Snake River Dams: Not a Judge's Decision by Ryan Wright Tri-City Herald, November 8, 2005

I don't care if James Redden is a district judge. One man has no right to order state and federal agencies around, let alone take control of our rivers. The rivers belong to we, the people, and this matter should be put up for public vote -- or, at worst, decided by our elected representatives in affected states. Allowing judges who are unaccountable to the people to make this decision is unadulterated insanity and should not be tolerated!

Breaching dams will cause our electric rates to skyrocket, destroy countless farming operations and an effective shipping system, and there is still no guarantee salmon populations will recover. I'm very much in favor of protecting wildlife, but not at the expense of humans. When countless families are forced to choose between buying food or electricity, will anyone still think this was a good idea?

I ask you: If salmon are so endangered, why is commercial fishing ongoing? Why are Indian tribes allowed to sell them at roadside stands? Would we put up with sales of bald eagle carcasses if tribes demanded it?

If we want to save salmon, we should start with strict catch limits. That, at least, is guaranteed to produce results.