First of all, an apology to Narcissa Whitman, who has suffered enough. After I sent out my last column I was informed right smartly by several people that the person who brought the dandelion to Seattle was in fact Catherine Maynard, second wife of "Doc" Maynard, Seattle’s first doctor.
My apologies, Mrs. Whitman, and my thanks to all of you who set me straight. I violated the first rule of writing for a paper – check your facts. I relied on my memory. Big mistake. I hope that everyone who read the wrong information here last issue is now reading the right information. I am sorry.
In other news, it may or may not have come to your attention that The Loop, yes, the rag you hold in your hand, nearly dried up and blew away a couple of weeks ago.
Why? Because current owner/publisher/editor Steven Allen had reached the end of a rope that is familiar to other owner/publisher/editors: the paper is a lot of work and trouble, and it doesn’t support itself. Steven sent an email to all contributors announcing that he was very sorry, but he was letting it go.
I don’t know what made him change his mind and decide to go on with it, but I’m glad he did, even if my first thought when I read that first email was, "Yay, no more deadlines." Yes, I am lazy. I know I am because my mother told me so every day for years. But I digress.
Why is The Loop important?
First of all, you enjoy reading it. There are a lot of people who enjoy reading The Vashon Loop, both in the printed edition and online.
Second, and this is the deep reason, The Loop is local. It is owned, written, drawn, and laid out right here on Vashon.
Almost all of the community newspapers in Western Washington, on the islands in Puget Sound, and in a few towns on the outskirts of Seattle and Tacoma, are owned and operated by Sound Publishing, which is centered in Poulsbo. Sound Publishing is a subsidiary of Black Press Group, Ltd., which is centered in Victoria, British Columbia. Black Press owns most of the community newspapers in southern British Columbia and the Gulf islands, as well as newspapers in Ohio and Hawaii. Look up the Wikipedia article on "Black Press Group" and scroll down to the list of publications owned and operated by this one publisher and you will be amazed at how many there are – all under the aegis of one corporation.
The Loop and its contributors are not subject to corporate mandates about what can and cannot be said in the paper. The Loop is an original, and it grows out of the mostly unpaid efforts of a lot of people. People can express strong opinions here, and writers can commit grievous mistakes such as giving credit to the wrong person for bringing the dandelion to Washington (Catherine Maynard brought the dandelion to Washington. Did I mention that?).
So, yeah, The Loop is local, independent, and a little First Amendment upstart, and it is a lot of work and trouble and it doesn’t pay for itself.
How can you support The Loop and keep it alive? Buy an ad, even if it’s to say happy birthday to someone. Tell advertisers that you read about them in The Loop. I’m sure there are other things that can be done, but I’m not your mother (except you, JD and Drew), and anyway, it’s late and I’m past deadline. So you think about what can be done to keep The Loop alive, will ya? Then float your ideas by Steven: editor@vashonloop.com
Thanks.
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