Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

Backward-looking story disappoints

Re: “Spokane blood bank looks back at its unsanitary past” (July 4):

While the article touched on primitive methods used in the 1940s, our hope in inviting the paper to interview us was for an article that would serve to thank blood donors and educate the community about the service we provide and about INBC’s main concern: safety.

Today, our community’s silent hero, the blood donor, must answer a battery of medical history questions at each donation. Each unit of donated blood (collected with a sterile, disposable needle) is tested by highly competent professionals to screen for various blood borne pathogens. These include the antibody for HIV I and II; hepatitis A,B and C; sexually transmitted disease; and liver enzyme changes that may indicate hepatitis damage.

INBC is the only blood center in Eastern Washington to supply 24 area hospitals with much-needed blood and blood products. It also provides sophisticated human leukocyte antigen typing, or tissue typing, as the primary means of determining tissue compatibility for all area organ transplant patients.

INBC is participating in stem cell collection for cancer patients in cooperation with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and has been recognized nationally regarding its efforts with the National Marrow Donor Program.

Unfortunately, The Spokesman-Review neglected to mention these things, looking instead at the past without sharing the progress INBC has made. In celebrating 50 Years of Giving … Straight from the Heart, it is inspiring to see how far we have come. Susan Ogan, public relations Inland Northwest Blood Center, Spokane

Harris brings integrity to office

The people of Spokane County finally have elected a quality person to the office of county commissioner. Phil Harris brings to this public position a sense of honesty and integrity which is a “breath of fresh air” in today’s political scene.

His willingness to listen to the problems of the citizens of this county and his implementation of “good sensible solutions” speaks well of him.

So, all you Dooms Dayers, with your malicious remarks, get on board and become part of the solution to county government problems, rather than just creating added problems. You’ll feel better and become a lot happier when you take an active part in constructively helping to solve problems, rather than simply attacking the public servants you’ve elected. George Currie Airway Heights

Courthouse changes beneficial

As a Spokane County resident since 1934, it pains me to see County Commissioners Steve Hasson and Phil Harris receiving criticism for their changes at the courthouse.

Thank God for Sheriff John Goldman and County Prosecutor Jim Sweetser. There comes a time deadwood and sacred cows have to go.

The people who were there are now gone and there’s an air of freshness in the courthouse, from the licensing department to the treasurer’s office. The planners who didn’t plan and the prosecutor who didn’t prosecute are through lining their pockets and promoting the good old boy system,. They couldn’t lead or follow, now they’re out of the way.

Instead of constantly finding fault, let’s watch our elected officials work to save taxpayers’ money while at the same time getting the necessary jobs done. Roy F. Stenson Spokane

EDUCATION

Teaching abstinence is for the best

I would like to respond to the letter, “‘Virginity’ ad devoid of virtue.”

I went through one of those so-called “balanced” sex education programs in high school. What I got out of the program was, abstinence before marriage was a great thing for our parents but is not something that people live by today. I felt as if they didn’t believe young people have self-control. Since you will be sexually active, here are the tools you will need.

It’s been six years since high school, and I am still dealing with the negative effects of that “balanced” program. I was cheated out of the truth, which is that abstinence is the best choice until marriage.

Young people need to be motivated to believe they can reach high goals, not be taught that they will fail. Linette Schmaltz Spokane

DARE educational and fun

I feel DARE is a great program for kids. It teaches us about drugs, violence and much more. Plus, it’s really fun!

When your unit is over, you even have a graduation. I think the program should extend over the entire school year.

I was really upset when county commissioners wanted to cancel the program. One of my classmates went to the city hall to give a speech to keep the DARE program going. I was so glad to hear they decided to keep it, so others can go through the program and have as much fun and learn as much as I did. Holly Hansen Valleyford, Wash.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Republicans wage war on workers

The GOP, while being driven by business and special interest groups, has taken out a contract against the American worker.

Repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act (prevailing wage) for construction workers would devastate an industry in which, for the past 15 years, there has been a steady erosion of construction worker buying power anyway. By allowing unscrupulous construction companies to gain federal contracts because of their ability to exploit the workers and their wages, the remaining contractors who do care for their workers will be forced to play by the same rules or get out of construction.

Under the guise of budget cutting and “regulatory reform,” Republicans in Congress aim to relax safety and health standards at the workplace and cut funding of Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement.

Some extremists in Congress want to repeal the minimum wage act and do away with the 40-hour work week. Since 1935, employees who worked more than 40 hour a week have been entitled to overtime pay, but now that right is in jeopardy.

Rep. George Nethercutt said during his 1994 campaign against House Speaker Tom Foley that he would be a “listener.” Well, Mr. Congressman, now that you have listened, and have apparently sided with those who stand to profit from these anti-worker repeals, don’t you think it’s about time you listen to those American workers who stand to lose. Roger Johanson Spokane

Plan puts food safety at risk

We may soon be witness to the dismantling of decades of progress in increasing the safety of the food we, our children and our grandchildren eat.

A reform measure sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, who incidentally is the GOP front-runner for president, effectively will remove many of the measures which now protect you, me and our loved ones from food-borne diseases such as E. coli.

The reform measure ostensibly reduces the burden on businesses to prove their food safe. In actuality, we will have to rely upon the food industry to police itself.

This is one of those issues that cut across all political boundaries and demands a wellspring of opposition. Newspaper columnist Diana Griego Erwin recommends Dole’s Washington office be contacted. I think our own congressman, Rep. George Nethercutt, should be informed of how we feel about it. Hosey R. Horton Spokane

Tax driving smokers to Idaho

The cigarette tax increase was supposed to benefit Washington state.

Why should I have to go to Idaho to get my cigarettes? They are too expensive in Washington. Too bad we can’t keep the money in Washington. Joel C. Rell Spokane

THE ENVIRONMENT

Salvage logging hurts forests

In his letter supporting salvage logging (“Environmentalists, chill out,” July 5), Edwin G. Davis expressed some common myths perpetuated by the timber industry.

One of these myths is that a salvage logging bill would promote the health of our federal forests. Dying timber is crucial for the survival of a forest. When a tree dies, it’s not simply wasted. Its decay supports a wide variety of insect and microbiotic life. Yes, even insects are a fundamental part of the food chain in the forest ecosystem.

Decomposing trees help to provide a soil base and return valuable nutrients to the forest floor. If all the dying trees in a forest were eliminated, in a few decades the soil’s rich nutrient base would be leached.

The salvage logging bill is so broadly written that even perfectly viable trees could be cut. By denying any citizen participation in salvage logging decisions, this “modest measure” would ensure that no pristine corner of our national forests would be exempt from harvest.

For now, we have Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole to thank for the survival of federal forest ecosystems. The moment Dole learned President Clinton would approve the salvage logging bill, he pulled it from the floor of the Senate. Apparently, Sen. Dole could not bear the thought of a Democrat taking credit for one of the largest government sellouts to corporations in the last decade. Andrew Cook Pullman

Protecting what’s left is vital

Who would have guessed, after 10,000 years of the original Americans living with salmon central to their lives, our ancestors, who feasted on the salmon, would declare them unimportant and, within 30 years, build so many dams on the Columbia and other drainages that hundreds of subspecies would become extinct.

How do we know that hydro power will even be viable 200 years from now? Did we ask our great-grandchildren for permission to deny them the possibilities the Creator gave us all?

Why is it, with less than 10 percent of the western Washington old-growth forests remaining, some folks feel cheated they didn’t get their turn at eliminating what is left?

The spotted owl was the only legal handle available to protect a legacy that the people of the Pacific Northwest should be proud of. If it hadn’t been protected, jobs and the owls would have both disappeared after a few short years of business. With the legacy protected, we will have a reminder of what a real forest is and perhaps in the future some large-tree logging can once again take place. Eliminate it and we will soon accept a 50-year-old tree as adequate.

Problems with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) can be handled through its existing provisions or through further negotiations. Extinction is forever.

Man, being the top predator on the planet, is absolutely dependent on all other species. Save the ESA and we help save ourselves. John P. Stuart Newport, Wash.

LAW AND JUSTICE

Time for quid pro quo

Staff cartoonist Milt Priggee should re-read the last quotation of his July 4 cartoon. We stand willing to defend his right of free speech even though we disagree with his opinions almost daily. Yet, he does everything possible to discredit the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

I don’t believe our freedom has yet been taken, but it could happen in short order. Once they have taken our right to keep and bear arms, how will we defend the right of free speech and press, which will surely fall next?

It seems hypocritical to me to ask our finest young men to take up arms and give their lives to secure our freedom and at the same time give up our means of protecting our rights at home to seek security at the cost of that very freedom.

I love my country and would never condone any unlawful act, but when government agents abuse our constitutional rights and abuse the power they are given, it is they who break the law and shed the protection from that law. I believe most federal agents act in good faith. But, as in all walks of life, there are those who use power as if it were a drug.

So, Mr. Priggee, I offer you an alliance of adversaries. If you swear an oath to support the Second Amendment, we will defend your First Amendment rights to the very last man. Curtis Clear Gifford, Wash.

OTHER TOPICS

Promise Keepers positive, caring

Having just spent a week at the Promise Keepers convention in Seattle, and hearing and seeing quite a bit of negative reporting on the subject - a lot from people who were only there a short time or not at all - this is what I saw.

I saw a sea of men wanting to make a difference in this world and learning that we ourselves are the ones who need the most work. I saw young and old of every race and religion. But at the end, I saw but one body in Christ, where race, age and religion made no difference.

I saw the homeless on the street being mugged with kindness by groups of men at a time. I saw men picking up after themselves and cleaning the Kingdome each night. I saw men eager to make a difference in their community.

I didn’t see swastikas, assault rifles, men storming abortion clinics or even the KKK. I didn’t see Rush, Newt or even Bill. I didn’t even see God, but I saw his actions. I saw his power and I felt his grace.

For those who are unsure, unaware or uninformed about what Promise Keepers is all about, just watch, you might like what you see. Bud McSpadden Spokane

Quit scapegoating foster homes

I am sick and tired of picking up articles telling of troubled backgrounds and reading about how children were in several foster homes while they were growing up.

Being in a foster home could be the best thing to ever happen to them during their lives.

We have been foster parents since 1960 and have had over 300 children come and go. We try to see that the children who come to our home see how a functioning family lives day to day. I feel they all leave here a better person. It isn’t any special way we live, just the normal way we live.

Please give foster parents some credit and don’t use “living in a foster home” as an excuse for a bad life. Let’s go after the dysfunctional parents and blame them. Claudene Uttke Greenacres

Unwanted publicity ‘legalized libel’

The law requires a person filing a civil lawsuit to prove his or her charges in court. When the newspaper publicizes the mere filing of a claim, sometimes in a sensational manner, thousands of readers are exposed to one party’s assertions which may be unfair, erroneous, and unexposed to the light of any legal proceedings.

At various times, dramatic charges have been made against prominent Spokane citizens. Although those familiar with these individuals know the claims in many cases could not be true, The Spokesman-Review nevertheless publishes these allegations. This is a legalized form of libel.

Even if the charges are dropped or the defendants exonerated in court, these individuals may suffer permanent damage to their reputations and embarrassment at the hands of the media.

Furthermore, there is rarely an article afterwards explaining the charges were groundless, dropped or litigated in favor of the defendant. Doesn’t fairness require respect for the rights of accused individuals until the veracity of the claims is determined? Rob Rutherford Spokane

Oppose oppression in Burma

After a day of celebrating our country’s independence from tyrannical rule over 200 years ago, I’m impressed by the Southeast Asian country of Burma’s struggle toward democracy.

Burma’s independence was to begin five years ago, when the Burmese National League for Democracy (NLD) won over 80 percent of the votes. Unfortunately, a dictatorial group of generals disregarded the elections and imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

A State Law and Order Restoration Council has created a climate of fear in Burma. Over 80,000 refugees have fled to Thailand to escape forced labor and ethnic cleansing efforts by the council. A handful of U.S. corporations operate in Burma, providing hard currency SLORC desperately needs to continue its terror campaign. Companies such as Eddie Bauer, Amoco, and Levi Straus have divested from Burma, citing egregious human rights violations.

UNOCAL, PepsiCo, and Texaco remain despite international boycotts. UNOCAL is currently involved in a pipeline project that would supply SLORC with $400 million annually.

I urge all those concerned with human rights to write their congressperson and demand support for Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s bill that would ban U.S. investment in Burma. Celebrate your freedom as an American and help the oppressed people of Burma by supporting this legislation. Timothy Landon Spokane