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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Matter of Opinion archive for Aug. 2007

FRIDAY, AUG. 31, 2007


Senator resigns!

No, not Larry Craig. It's John Warner, a Republican from Virginia who just got back from Iraq. He's 80. Would be 88 at the end of another term.His resignation puts another Senate seat into play. The Dems currently hold a 51-49 edge. What do you…

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Letter: S-R missteps

(...) Your front-page article on Wednesday ("Behind barbed wire") tells almost everything that an enemy needs to know if they are determined to hurt our national security programs based here in Spokane. Let's see – a staff of 50-plus people, one technical equipment building that…

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THURSDAY, AUG. 30, 2007

Letters: Imagine a world with/without religion

To Ed Meadows, who wants to imagine a world without religion (Aug. 28):Here in Spokane, a world without religion would include a city without Union Gospel Mission, House of Charity, Salvation Army apartments and social services, Catholic Charities and the myriad of services it provides,…

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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 29, 2007


TUESDAY, AUG. 28, 2007

The Despair of the Closet

Over the weekend, I finished a memoir by E. Lynn Harris, an African American writer who tried to kill himself in 1990, overwhelmed by the burden of being a gay, black man in our society. He hid his homosexuality from his family and many of…

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Letter: "Sexy" allegations

Re: article by John Craig, "Attorneys wary of informer" (Aug. 19): Kidnapping and rape "are sexy allegations" according to the quote by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rice. If this is a man in a position to protect all persons and he finds these allegations "sexy,"…

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Tuesday's Loose Thread

Am I the only one who didn't know that foot-tapping in the next stall is a sign that the fella next to you wants to get busy?Don't want to talk about that? Then what is on your mind?

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MONDAY, AUG. 27, 2007

The colonel writes from Iraq

Col. Darel Maxfield posted on this blog this morning from Besmaya Range Complex east of Baghdad.Find his post here: A view from Iraq.And for earlier posts of the original column and other conversations, check out these links here and here.

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In the good ol' summertime

The calendar gives us three and a half more weeks of summer, but as the temperatures take a turn for the milder and the kids get ready to return to school, fall is clearly in the air. If that sparks any thoughts you want to…

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Letter from Sunday

A young writer piped up on Sunday's page to vouch for the maturity of adolescent readers who seek out books such as "Fallen Angels" and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."(...) I'm going into my senior year of high school and as a middle…

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FRIDAY, AUG. 24, 2007

The Chickenhawk Debate

Froma Harrop had a great syndicated column on our editorial pages today about the five Romney boys and the reasons given for not serving in the military.Mitt Romney has five strapping sons, and not one of them has ever served in the military. When asked…

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May I see your license, please?

Governments require licenses for everyone from doctors and lawyers to floristsand fortune tellers. It is time we took a closer look at the costs and benefits of licensingregulations, and why they were enacted in the first place.That comment comes from a report issued recently by…

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Friday's Loose Thread

I don't care about John Doe's opinion on mine or anyone else's work. William Faulkner.Unlike Faulkner, we care about the opinions on the minds of all John and Jane Does out there.Blog lines are open.

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THURSDAY, AUG. 23, 2007

Boy Scouts and abuse

Former S-R reporter Jonathan Martin has a shocking article in today's Seattle Times on the Boy Scouts and sexual abuse. And I don't shock easily.Excerpt:The previously private records show the Boy Scouts have ejected at least 5,100 adult leaders nationwide for sexual abuse allegations since…

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Hot Potatoes: Overcoming Clothes-Mindedness

As I've said before, most people don't look good nekkid. If you don't believe me, poke your head into a health club locker room (being careful to be gender-sensitive, of course). Clothes cover a multitude of pounds, stretch marks, scars and wrinkles. Yet, people keep…

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Speaking of Wayward Nouns....

Thanks to reader Claudine Luppi who e-mailed me to point out a typo in our front page story on obesity surgery. She wants to send it to Readers Digest. (It was a Washington Post story, not one of our own.)The quote reads:"This study for the…

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Leadership Qualities: What do you look for?

Our editorial today outlined some leadership qualities voters might look for as the general election campaigns commence.Candidates with leadership potential articulate a clear vision. They draw disparate people together and move with them toward that vision. They have evidence of what they stand for based…

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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 22, 2007

Looking for Haiku Opinions

From Gary Snyder's poem "Hitch Haiku:"They didn't hire himso he ate his lunch alone:the noon whistleThose of you up in the middle of the night and finding some distraction here at edit board blog are welcome to try a haiku opinion. Regular opinions welcome, too.

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TUESDAY, AUG. 21, 2007

The return of Crime Check

Our editorial today discussed how the demise of Crime Check was penny-wise but pound-foolish, to use a cliche that says it exactly.But the lessons learned from the dismantling of Crime Check should stay in the collective memory of city and county officials.For instance, don't mess…

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A Matter of Opinion is really a matter of three opinions – those held by the people responsible for the opinion pages of The Spokesman-Review. Check in regularly to find out what they’re up to, what they think and where they differ and to joust with them if you want.



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