A recent article in the Federal Way Mirror stated “South King Fire reports 28 arson fires so far this year.” We also know that some of these catastrophic wildfires we have experienced this year in the western United States have also been started by arsonists.

In case that term is new to you, an arsonist is defined as someone “who intentionally sets a fire to damage or destroy something, especially a building.” In the case of wildfires, they not only destroyed the land, but peoples’ homes and the lives of people who could not escape the fire.

In other words, they were guilty of both murder and billions of dollars of property damage, which makes this crime unforgiveable.

Another cause of these wildfires that all three governors of California, Oregon and Washington (where most of the damage has occurred) have admitted is “climate change,” which is a term that is not in President Trump’s vocabulary/dictionary (unfortunately).

I have the ultimate solution to this problem, which is to come up with a major deterrent that will make arsonists think twice before committing this crime. In other words, “make the punishment fit the crime.” I have come up with two punishments that will fit this crime:

1. Deport them to Siberian “gulag” (Russian term for prison camp), lock them in a prison cell and then throw away the key; or

2. Send them to an Alaskan Air Force base, put them in the back seat of an Air Force fighter jet with no parachute, have the pilot fly to Siberia and then hit the “eject button” for the back seat. End of problem.

Gary Robertson

Federal Way