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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Matter of Opinion archive for Sept. 2009

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30, 2009

TUESDAY, SEPT. 29, 2009

MONDAY, SEPT. 28, 2009


FRIDAY, SEPT. 25, 2009


Czar talk 

Factcheck.org weighs in on the "czar" controversy.1. The term is more of a media creation, because their real titles are cumbersome. There's always been special envoys and advisers who aren't confirmed by Congress.2. Glenn Beck's list of 33 czars is laughable. Shocking, I know.3. George…

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THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2009

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23, 2009

Aristocracy had its place 

Am I the only one who makes a connection between Joe Wilson's "You lie!" and President Obama's appearance on the David Letterman show this week?It makes me think back to LBJ lifting his shirt to show reporters his scar. That wasn't something we'd seen presidents…

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TUESDAY, SEPT. 22, 2009

Tuesday's Loose Thread 67 

I fell asleep before Letterman, so I missed the Obama interview. I did like this line by the president:"It's important to realize that I was actually black before the election. That tells you a lot, I think, about where the country is at."Thoughts on this…

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MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009

Monday's Loose Thread 22 

I'm back. Can't you just feel the excitement? So, for my daughter's ninth birthday party, I had her friends running wacky relay races in the back yard. In one of them, they had to don a pair of my pajama bottoms, run to a pile…

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 18, 2009


The Fugitive 

Phillip A. Paul remains at large after walking away from the Spokane Interstate Fair where he was one of a group of Eastern State Hospital patients on a field trip. As most people know by now, he was committed to Eastern after being found not…

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THURSDAY, SEPT. 17, 2009

Thursday's loose thread 31 

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary has died. Anyone old enough to reflect on the folk music craze of the '60s, be my guest. Me, I was a Kingston Trio man. Extra credit if you still have a set of bongos. Not bongs, bongos.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16, 2009

Wednesday's loose thread 

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich wants the county to revisit the decision of where a new jail facility or expansion would take place -- right where the existing jail is or somewhere farther from town where a lower, more horizontal design would be cheaper. One issue that…

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TUESDAY, SEPT. 15, 2009

MONDAY, SEPT. 14, 2009

Stop electing judges, O'Connor says 

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor says the way we select judges in this state is all wrong. I can see arguments both ways.1. Yes, by electing them, a lot of money pours into these races from partisan sources.2. Yes, most people have trouble…

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The Golden Goose fund 

Thoughts on this fund tapped by Spokane police over the years? Spokane police spent $5.3 million on cars, travel, gasoline, weapons, training, clothing, electronics and office equipment over two decades, using a private account operated by the department’s Special Investigations Unit – outside of public…

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SATURDAY, SEPT. 12, 2009

9/12 reflections 32 

Fridays are usually hectic on the opinion pages, mostly because we're producing three days worth of pages rather than just one. Yesterday had the added challenge of responding to a wave of phone and e-mail messages from readers who were distressed that the Sept. 11…

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 11, 2009


Indoctrination 

Signe Wilkinson has an interesting cartoon today. Students who missed out on the "Obama indoctrination" missed out on other forms, such as the Pledge of Allegiance. What other forms of indoctrination did you witness at schools? Which ones are there now? Outside of school, what…

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THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 2009

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9, 2009

TUESDAY, SEPT. 8, 2009

The official MOO poll on health care 147 

So as things stand -- and feel free to wait for Obama's speech -- what do want to happen with health care this year.A. Forget it. Try again next year.B. Pass something, even if it falls short of the goal of universality.C. Forget it. Cure…

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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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