Letters To The Editor

OUR CHILDREN, THEIR SAFETY

Protect innocents, period

I’m writing in response to a column in the June 18 paper written by Doug Clark, from an interview with Eric Warren (“State law shouldn’t let abusers live with kids”).

Three cheers for both of them!

When are our politicians and law enforcement people going to wake up and lock these perverts away, forever? Our children are our future and don’t deserve being abused in any way. Especially when it’s sexual or results in being killed.

Why don’t those morons out picketing abortion clinics devote their precious time to helping living children, instead of worrying so much about ones yet unborn that people don’t want?

I am a believer that every person who abuses a child should be locked away forever, just like a killer. Maybe all the children aren’t killed who are sexually abused, but their lives are destroyed forever. This is something no child will ever be able to forget.

I truly hope that Eric Warren can get a law passed which will lock these perverts away forever. Five years in a mental unit is not good enough. They never change. Once a sex offender, always a sex offender!

There was no reason for Rachel Carver to die. Why was the man who confessed to killing her let out after being charged with sexually abusing a teenager? Help the children, for once, instead of the pervert. Betty Hilzendeger Spokane

See to it schools have enough notifiers

I have been reading the responses to Connie Dionne’s (June 20) letter regarding Spokane school notification laxity.

I think we’re missing the point in this case. Of course it is the responsibility of all parents to notify the school when our children are going to be absent.

In this case, however, Rachel Carver’s aunt assumed her niece was at school because she was not notified that Rachel never made it there.

I understand the position taken, that the schools are too busy sometimes to call everyone or that they are low on manpower. Maybe instead of becoming defensive, the answer should be adding enough personnel to perform this task on a daily basis. Wouldn’t it be worth the effort or money to hire someone at each of the schools solely for this purpose?

The precautionary measure could possibly buy precious time for police efforts that could lead to saving a child’s life. It’s something to consider. Ginnie Dyk Spokane

LAW AND JUSTICE

Courts utterly fail the public

What would be the most appropriate charge for the citizens of Spokane County to file against the court system and the lawyers and judges we pay to administer it?

Let’s start with the most compassionate. Incompetence? No, that would be much too kind. Stupid? That’s a little better.

How about, collaborating with criminals? Now, that’s getting closer to the truth.

In the case of Rachel Carver, let’s charge the court with contributing to murder. There surely must be some law which would be applicable.

We pay taxes and we expect our courts to apply the laws and protect the public. We are not getting a fair return on our investment. Earnest A. Sprow Spokane

Our complacency paved the way

The crime apparently made possible by Jason Wickenhagen’s being free while awaiting sentencing is truly horrendous. Unfortunately, we have only ourselves to blame.

Freeing those found guilty of crimes has been going on for years. Our silence has condoned this action. We have allowed the legal system to give more rights to the criminal than to the victim.

Years ago, when a person broke the law and was sent to jail, the convict lost all rights as a member of society until released. Today, it’s color TV in every cell, cable TV, no work and anything else that makes life easy while incarcerated!

We have supposedly well-educated attorneys looking for any excuse to get a person off the hook, even when the accused confesses.

Look at the front page of today’s (June 22) paper. Assistant Public Defender Kevin Curtis is trying to say a person is not responsible for an attack on a baby because that person never had parenting classes. Come on, give us a break. Billions of people have had babies over the years and raised them just fine without a class on parenting.

We all have to stand up and tell our legislators, judges, governors and others that we have had enough. We want to be protected from those who break the law. Leave them in jail.

We can’t just blame others for the way things are. We’re all at fault and must work together to make things right. Larry Moberg Spokane

Castrate all sex offenders

I think that all sex offenders, before they are turned loose, should be castrated, even if it’s a first offense.

I can remember the days when rape was a capital offense. They have no business being out on the streets where they can hurt others again. Mary Moore Spokane

Request clemency for Peltier

June 26, 1995 marks the 20th anniversary of the shootout on Pine Ridge Reservation, S.D., during which more than 150 FBI agents, Bureau of Indian Affairs police, U.S. Marshals and government-backed local police violently confronted some 35 Indian men, women and children in what is now known as the Incident at Oglala.

Two FBI agents and an Indian man died that day. After the largest manhunt in FBI history, Leonard Peltier was illegally extradited from Canada and framed for the agents’ murder. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in 1976.

During appeal, the government admitted it has no proof the Peltier killed the agents. The court found that the alleged murder weapon was fabricated and that the judge had erred in his rulings. Yet, it denied Peltier a new trial. Since then, one of the judges, Gerald Heaney, has written the President to ask that Peltier’s sentence be commuted.

In November 1993, Peltier’s lawyers filed a petition for executive clemency with the Justice Department. It has been pending for a year and a half. Millions of signatures have been delivered to the White House demanding Peltier’s release.

Twenty years after Oglala, Leonard Peltier remains an innocent man in prison. As citizens of the most democratic nation on Earth, we must speak out against this injustice.

Make your voice heard in Washington, D.C. Call the White House (202-456-1111) today and demand clemency! Anne Sciortino, coordinator Leonard Peltier Support Group, Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

RV promotional piece misleading

I think the paper should be ashamed of itself for the article by Bill Schulz (“Want to save some cash? An RV may be the way to go,” Outdoors and Travel, June 18) pandering to the self-serving “study” by the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds and the National Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.

To compare, for example, the cost of a vacation in an RV “personal motorhome” at $590 to, say, a “personal car/hotels or motels” vacation at $1169 without including the cost of buying the motorhome or trailer is to perpetuate the absolute falsehood the associations are asserting.

Clearly, the capital, depreciation and heavy maintenance costs of buying the motorhome or trailer are significant - a crucial part of the analysis as set forth by the self-serving associations. This was not a comparison, just pure deceit! Surely, the Spokesman-Review can do better.

In my view, for the Spokesman-Review to print such an article puts its ethics and certainly intelligence into serious question. William Traum Spokane

We extend heartfelt thanks

The family of Christina Finney would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone for their generous prayers, flowers, cards, food, letters and calls during a very difficult time.

We appreciate the outpouring of kindness and support from Post Falls and surrounding communities.

Christina was a very special young woman and it makes us happy that we were able to share our daughter with so many people during her brief time on this earth.

Our prayers go out to everyone whose lives she touched, to her classmates and friends through Junior Miss and sports.

You will forever be in our thoughts and prayers.

On behalf of Christina, thank you again. Peter and Beverly Finney Post Falls

Writer worries about wrong species

Re: Julia Williams’ letter (“We need Endangered Species Act,” June 10), I believe the white male is the most endangered species. If we save every animal, insect, flower, tree, etc., in the woods or wherever, it won’t only affect logging, but every job under the sun. What is evolution? Have you ever visited a clearcut after about five years? Take a look, if you can find it. Lila Finley Moyie Springs, Idaho

Birth mother omission not right

The death of Stephen Novak and his friend was a terrible tragedy. An equal tragedy is the fact his birth mother was completely ignored in any obituary notice.

Pamela Novak is very much alive and, as a college instructor, has taught in Australia and the states for the past 14 years. Regardless of any family situation, at the time of death, a birth mother or father should be included. I sincerely pray, Pamela’s Spokane friends noted the memorial to Stephen from his mother published in The Spokesman-Review on June 18. Marie Yates Spokane

People see through demagoguery

Sen. Phil Graham, R-Texas, doesn’t give a damn about unborn children and Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kans., cares even less about moral values in protecting our kids.

In their competition for power, both men were willing to trash the reputation of a good man, Dr. Henry Foster, who clearly cares deeply about both issues.

President Clinton at least was willing to fight for one of his nominees, as he should have done on numerous previous occasions.

This relatively small issue makes clear that the politicians clucking about family values are merely playing to the zealots. They misread us voters. We are tired of demagogues making political capital out of our deepseated concerns for the wellbeing of all children here and everywhere.

Spokanites are clearly aghast at adult cruelty toward children - any children. I believe we are also tired of politicians who preach family values and enact legislation that is cruel to our most vulnerable children. Robert M. Stevenson Spokane