May 2021

Editor's Note: This column by Lee Robinson first appeared in the White Center News in May of 1965. We share it again, well because it still has resonance today and because we loved her.

By Lee Robinson

It would be very difficult to sell this "old-fashioned mama" on the idea of planned parenthood. The world is glutted with people and I recognize the problems that overpopulation can bring. But to me there is something very cold and matter of fact and even crass about pre-determining the exact number of offspring to be allotted per couple. It isn't cricket and it certainly isn't human. 

I recall that as each new child arrived in our little nest, the father-bird was pretty concerned about scratching up more worms for the new egg-hatch.

"What are you worried about? I'd ask. "Consider the lilies of the field and like that,"

By Patrick Robinson

There’s a sense of resignation and sadness when a small newspaper closes.The Westside Seattle newspaper (incorporating the West Seattle Herald, Highline Times and Ballard News Tribune stopped printing as of April 30). Many view it as inevitable, just changing times, and some even see it as progress. But as with many things so much of what a newspaper has done, and what it represents is either forgotten or overlooked. Let me remind you of a few things.

Small newspapers have served as the binding element for communities almost everywhere around the world. The shared stories, through a single point of presence, have meant that many can see and share the triumph and tragedy, the communal purpose and a more universal recognition of who we all are. When that is spread out across social media, apps, blogs, and emails, it loses focus and power.