Bagpipes Unable To Tune In Readers This Week
Yikes! Bagpipes struck out on Tuesday. Three topics for reader discussion brought only resounding silence. For instance: Earlier this month Spokane police shot and killed a suspect who lunged at them with a shard of glass. It was the department’s fifth use of deadly force in such situations in the past two years.
Readers were asked to share their opinions, but … nothing. Strike one!
OK, any thoughts about paying property owners, at taxpayers’ expense, when regulations restrict the profitability of their land?
Strike two!
Finally, it’s been proposed that illegal aliens who break the law get shorter sentences so they can leave the crowded prison system and be deported sooner. That attracted one taker - and she proposed mutilating prisoners to discourage their return.
Strike three!
Maybe it’s a sign.
Somebody up there is saying, “Hey, Bagpipes is still a new concept. You need to explain it again.”
So, here goes: Bagpipes is an interactive feature. Two or three news items are mentioned here on Tuesdays, and you are asked to submit your views. (The box below explains how.) Responses appear Thursdays.
Ideally, those responses are thoughtful and constructive. The more perspectives brought to the dialogue, the deeper the understanding of difficult public issues, and the more likely the community will find positive resolutions.
Using the story of the police shooting, the following replies might have been faxed or phoned in. They weren’t, but they might have been.
“Officers would endanger themselves and other innocent bystanders if they tried to get cute in an emergency and, say, shoot the weapon out of a suspect’s hand,” said Bertha deBleuse of Chattaroy. In the name of public safety they have to control a volatile situation, and quickly.”
“I sympathize with the police,” said Justin Case of Spokane. “They have a thankless job. But I hope the department reviews this situation and has some way short of lethal force to handle it next time.”
Added Shirley Knaught of Cheney: “The police did what they had to do in those circumstances. But since this suspect had a history of mental problems, maybe we need to examine our mental health system.”
Join me Tuesday for a fresh selection of topics.
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