Adele Ferguson - Queries from Ferguson readers

“SAY, WHOEVER wound up with Helen Thomas’ old seat in the front row of the White House news conference room?” asks Sidney Pollack of Spokane. “Last I heard, there were several people and news outfits bidding for it.”

My computer news source tells me that it’s in the final throes and may be done by now. It was between Fox News and Bloomberg News. Fox claimed it had a chit from the White House Correspondents Association because it gave up its seat to CNN in 2007 and was promised the next opening. However, Al Hunt made an 11th hour plea for his employer, Bloomberg, saying it had expanded its news gathering and deserved it.

“I heard Dick Norris on the Sean Hannity show say Washington was one of the six new Senate seats he expected the Republicans to pick up in November,” writes Jean English of Centralia. “Do you think Dino Rossi can beat Patty Murray?”

DEPENDS ON WHAT people vote for. Murray’s reputation is a terrific fundraiser for herself and other Democrat senators who need help and the donor of numerous goodies in the budget to her constituents. Rossi is known for his expertise in writing a budget without raising taxes. If the people are as upset over the massive debt the Obama administration has incurred, I think they’d want Rossi. If greed supersedes concern over the future, they’ll stick with Murray.

“Is Norm Dicks in any danger of losing his seat after the publicity over his continuing to pursue earmarks after he promised as chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee, he would not approve requests for earmarks that are directed to for-profit entities?” asks Jim Williams of Port Orchard. “I think I read someplace that he has given more than $20 million since 2004 in earmarks for some outfit in his district that scans driver licenses. Wow.”

YEAH. WOW. Executives of the company, Intellicheck Mobilisa, have donated $26,000 to his campaign. He’s in the same position as Patty Murray except that her opponent is well known and has proven himself as competent while Dicks gets unknowns.

“What do you think they should do with Colton Harris-Moore, the barefoot bandit they finally caught up with in the Bahamas?” asks Semple McPherson of Ellensburg. “He didn’t hurt anybody and so far as I could see he didn’t steal from the poor. I hate to see that much ingenuity locked up behind bars.”

The first thing they should do is obtain a sizable ball and chain and fasten it to his leg so he can’t get away again, which I am sure he will be looking to do. I wouldn’t say he didn’t steal from the poor because he burglarized a lot of houses while still on Camano Island. I think it’s unusual that he and that other famous fugitive, Osama bin Laden, are 6 feet 5 inches tall, and as recognizable as that, they still managed to stay on the lam. Too bad Osama doesn’t hide out in the Bahamas. Maybe he’d get caught too.

“I have to make a flight soon but I’m still wary of flying.” says Dinah Lincoln of Ritzville. “Do you think we will ever return to the good old days of flying when all you had to worry about was having some fat person sit next to you and squeeze you in your seat?”

No. We’ve had airplane terrorist incidents for many years now, and I think the terrorists like it. I like an idea proposed by Larry Coppola, mayor of Port Orchard, who suggests the way to handle possible bombs on the plane is to have each passenger run through a room where if a detector senses any explosives on you, they blow you up.

(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69, Hansville, Wa., 98340.)