Letters To The Editor

PARENTS AND CHILDREN

Climber made the wrong choice

I found the article by Kristi G. Streiffert on Sept. 17 quite disturbing. As I read about Alison Hargreaves death on K2, I was saddened. As I realized she was survived by two small children, my sadness was mixed with anger.

My understanding is that a climb of this type has a mortality rate of approximately 10 percent. What parent would take that type of risk, knowing there was reasonable chance they would deprive their children of the beautiful parent/child relationship.

Please understand this has nothing to do with gender. This fact holds true for both male and female or both mothers and fathers.

We all take risks every day and we all have dreams which need to be pursued. However, one has to balance that with the real risk of turning a small child’s world upside-down.

I really wonder what personal demons Alison Hargreaves was running from while climbing K2. Charles W. Power Spokane

Parents need their rights restored

No wonder we have teenagers running away, beating their elders, shooting each other, breaking the law. The law has stripped parents of their rights.

Recently, my daughter got involved with the “wrong crowd.” When I refused to let her “hang out” with them, she ran away. It started this vicious cycle for me and my family and has made me aware of the lack of parental rights I have.

I’ve chased her as a runaway, pulled her from drug- and alcohol-infested houses with men over 21 allowing her to stay and doing God knows what with her. I’ve dealt with parents harboring her in their homes, fully aware she’s a runaway. Even a Spokane police officer called and told me my daughter said she lived in an abusive home. He took my parental rights away for a weekend and placed her in the home of her friend, who is a chronic runaway. That police officer does not have any right placing my child!

It’s appalling to think that all a child has to do is cry wolf and the law will take their side without even an investigation.

Teenagers today have complete control and it’s time we take our rights back as parents. Be aware of the law malfunctions and write to your legislators. Laurie Arndt Spokane

Parents can stem gang problem

Regarding the Sept. 17 article “The gang life”: Gang activity probably wouldn’t be such an issue if parents showed their children love and would spend some time with them.

Their TV viewing also should be monitored. There is too much crime and violence on TV, which also effects them.

Now a ridiculous law lets them decide to drop out of school at age 16 or continue on with their education. Just where do dropouts go? It’s usually drug-pushing or joining a gang.

Furthermore, people should quit having children out of wedlock if they can’t raise their kids right. S.M. Ferrera Spokane

Children need to be high priority

About the three youths who beat up the 81-year-old man downtown:

First they call him white trash, yet they are the ones inflicting abuse. Then when questioned, one boy lied several times. I hope he understands why no one would want to believe him.

These are obviously rather angry children and there should be ways for society to deal with this, both helpful and disciplinary. Spokane needs to channel this energy into constructive behavior so these children can integrate positively into society. If they don’t like how they have been treated, then they need to be taught to affect positive changes in their lives and society so they will be treated fairly. Their present behavior encourages treatment from others that they will view as unfair.

We also need to crack down on their negative behavior with stiffer penalties and more constraints on their behavior. I have never been a proponent of government control, but many parents are neglecting their responsibilities, and if they won’t control their children then society must for our own protection. We can split an atom, yet find it difficult to positively influence people in our society.

We need to realign our priorities. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Figure that in dollars spent and we wouldn’t have a debate over the cost of our judicial and penal systems.

Please support our churches, youth groups, family-help organizations and others that strive to affect a positive influence on our children. Our children are our future and the present outlook for that future is bleak. Brad Brougher Spokane

SCIENCE CENTER

Cartoon right on target

Three cheers and hats off to Milt Priggee for his cartoon of Sept. 21 regarding the Pacific Science Center vote!

He echoed my feelings exactly as I had told friends that this city is made up primarily of “hicks from the sticks” and adamantly insist on remaining as such.

Your accurate portrayal of the citizens in Spokane was appreciated. Pat Reeder Spokane

We can have rides and center

Since the Pacific Science Center apparently lost the election, I have some advice for the organizers for the next round.

You need to be a little more organized. It looks like the carnival rides in the Pavilion are what stopped this from passing. It’s a shame that the science center lost out to chintzy carnival rides, because the science center would be quality.

Maybe they should team up with the developer who wanted to put a quality amusement park in Riverfront Park years ago and go hand in hand. We could have a science center in the Pavilion and a class A-1 amusement park on the north bank of the river.

We’re a city of over a quarter-million people and we have no amusement park for the kids to go to. When we were a little cow town, we had Nat Park. Now, we are a sophisticated city and we have nothing. We need quality, not little kiddie rides, which are falling apart, like the ones in the Pavilion now. Dick Trerise Spokane

GRASS BURNING

Give back the beautiful sky

I came from back East to live here, newly transplanted with my family in Spokane. The first thing I noticed about the West was the immense sky and how clean and blue it appears, as opposed to the dingy, gray, polluted sky I was familiar with in the eastern cities.

The sky and the mountains were views I traded in my city shoes for, and I like them. The views here are outstanding. Try looking out your window and seeing nothing but a brick wall, like many city people do. How about a day when an oil refinery has an emission that you have to close your city high-rise windows for, because the toxins are being moved by fast air currents right into your window.

The blue skies and the incredible sunsets amazed me until about September. Then, something changed. The few stubborn, selfish, people thought it was their prerogative to create an artificial haze which didn’t exist the day before. Then, in later days, huge clouds of acrid smoke appeared where once there had been beautiful blue sky.

Someone has decided to visually wreck the skyline for miles by their inconsideration. I don’t care what ignorant acts some yahoo does on his own property many miles away, provided they aren’t illegal and destructive to the environment. However, when they appear in the skies (like the writing of a sky writer) they enter the public domain. Taking away our beautiful blue sky is putting this ridiculous yahooism in my face.

Stop this stupid and unnecessary form of agriculture and use fertilizer, the smell I recognize and expect. What you have done to my sky, I cannot. Stuart Moore Veradale

Grass farmers shouldn’t be exempt

Three cheers for Doug Clark and his column, “Burning casts shadow over summer’s end.” For those of us trying to enjoy the last few days of summer, we appreciate his candor.

The grass farmers’ purposeful violation of the clean air requirements at the expense of innocent children, not to mention the wildlife, is ludicrous. And for John Cornwell to suggest that during the burn days people with breathing problems wear masks shows the selfish lack of concern for the inhabitants of the Inland Northwest.

The grass growers of Eastern Washington and North Idaho certainly must hold exceptional power over the lawmakers of these states to be able to continue to pollute our environment. How much longer must we continue to put up with smoke-filled skies, air pollution and unhealthy conditions while the grass farmers reap the benefits of our suffering? Why is it that other industries - mining, lumber, automotive, manufacturing - are required to spend millions of dollars to comply with the EPA requirements, but the grass farmers are exempt from any regulations? What can we do to stop this violation of our beautiful area? Jeannie Norton Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

City covering up Gypsy case facts

Several years ago, the city council approved more than $25,000 in cash to have an independent investigation regarding what happened on the Gypsy case: who was involved and how did everything go wrong.

Several years later, we discover that the investigation was done behind closed doors. The independent people found out what went wrong and who was involved. This was never released to the public. Public money was spent on this investigation for the city of Spokane and for the taxpayers. Once again, there was a coverup.

Isn’t it a shame that our policy-makers talk about how good they are for the city and for the taxpayers, when there’s a coverup on the Gypsy case. There’s money and jewelry missing. Why? It’s been nine years and three months, and it still goes on.

We’ve had two new mayors, two new chiefs of police, two new city managers and God knows what happened to all of Spokane’s finest who were involved. James Marks Spokane

WSU: the school of morons

After attending the Washington State vs. Montana game on Sept. 9, the only word I can find to describe my experience is repulsive. I’m not referring to the way the football team played, though I could be. I attended the game with my wife and four of our friends, most of whom hadn’t been to a WSU football game before. We’ll never go back.

After taking our seats, we began to notice the things many students around us had written on their bare chests, arms or old T-shirts. Some of the things we saw were “Stupid Drunk,” of which many of them were, “I love beer,” “Bitches dig me,” and others dealing with sexual positions, arrows pointing towards sexual anatomy, and vulgar descriptions of sex.

We were all stunned for a moment and then began to realize how despicable it was. Little kids were walking by reading the curse words and sick things, I’m sure. All I could think of was how I paid $30 for this wonderful “family” event. (At least that’s how it’s advertised, right?)

Before any of you start thinking I’m a naive, old man who hasn’t been in the “real world,” I’m 21 and I’ve been to many big university games, including those at the big university I attended. I’ve never in my life seen such a bunch of complete morons trying to act like cool college students.

If I ever hear of someone wanting to attend WSU who has any kind of concern for morality in our society, I won’t send them there. Seth James Spokane

Consider impact of farm subsidies

The Spokesman-Review seems to have done a good job researching agriculture subsidies - or so you try to make your readers believe. Perhaps there’s a little more to this subsidy thing than you know, or for that matter, than anyone knows.

(An Aug. 28 article in the Star Tribune) only touches on a few more, but it does bring out the point that the ripple effect cannot be overlooked. Ask a Minnesotan what would happen to the Twin Cities without 3-M or Honeywell.

You say Spokane does without a major industry, or at least we’re led to believe that agriculture is not worth the federal dollars we’re pumping into it. So what’s left? Oh yes, Fairchild Air Force Base.

All those government dollars flowing into its survival are very important and necessary to the economy, so you keep telling us. Spokane couldn’t survive without it!

If the government dollars we in agriculture receive is called a subsidy, then what do you call the monies it takes to keep a group of KC-135s in the air? I was led to believe it all came from the same Federal Reserve run by the same federal government and funded by the same taxpayers of which we in agriculture are also proud to be a part.

Perhaps a redefining of the word “subsidies” is in order. Dick W. Schmidt Rosalia, Wash.

Sewage lagoon plan ill-conceived

On Sept. 15, an article concerning local opposition to a proposed sewage lagoon on Derr Island, a gravel bar island in the mouth of the Clark Fork River at Lake Pend Oreille, appeared in the Idaho Handle section of The Spokesman-Review.

A large number of Spokane-area readers also will be negatively impacted by this ill-conceived project if it is approved.

Property owners and recreational users of Lake Pend Oreille and its lakeside communities should be made aware that a 2.5-million-gallon sewage lagoon and accompanying wastewater spray system will destroy the area’s clean air, water and wetlands. Derr Island lies in a floodplain between the middle and south forks of the Clark Fork River and was featured in a recent Spokesman-Review article describing the charm and beauty of canoeing and kayaking the delta area.

A public hearing is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Bonner County Courthouse in Sandpoint. Letters of opposition will be recorded if they arrive before the 28th. Send them to the Bonner County Planning Department, 127 South First Avenue, Sandpoint, Idaho, 83864. David A. Lisaius Colbert

Resources need to be balanced

In criticizing our report on the changing economy of the Columbia River Basin, the economist quoted in “Group calls for updated land policy” (Sept. 13) seems to be saying that The Wilderness Society wants to end all resource extraction in the region. This is simply not the case.

Resource extraction still plays an important role in the region’s economy, especially in some rural areas. However, for most communities, including many small towns, the engine driving the current economic boom is the region’s spectacular scenery, clean air and water, and a high quality of life. New high-tech and knowledge-based companies are flocking to big cities and small towns alike, bringing good-paying jobs with them. Today, engineering and management services like software design and electronics manufacturing firms in the Columbia River basin employ more people than all extractive industries combined. As a result, communities that traditionally relied on logging, mining and grazing for their economic well-being are thriving even as resource extraction declines in importance. Add to this an aging population (retirement income is more than twice the personal income from resources extractive industries combined) and the advancement of modern telecommunications facilities and you’ll note that for many communities the challenge is not economic growth but growth management.

The report does not call for an end to logging, mining and ranching. Rather, it recommends bringing them into balance with the rest of the community. With clear evidence that the environment is one of the region’s strongest economic assets, it makes no sense to degrade that asset either through unsustainable resource extraction. Ray Rasker, resource economist Bozeman, Mont.

Don’t let Congress ruin country

It’s becoming evident that we now have a government against the people. Today, Congress is systematically eliminating many of the programs and laws which we have fought for through the years, in the name of “trimming the fat.”

For example, the big-city teen summer job programs were cut drastically. Don’t we need them now more than ever to keep teens our of gangs?

Then there’s the attempt to strip the EPA of its regulatory power over big business pollution. Could it be that big business is behind that idea?

Then there’s the push to eliminate the 40-hour work week and overtime pay. Congress deemed this law “unnecessary.” To working-class America, it’s absolutely vital. In order to have time to be with our families and have any life outside of work, we must keep this law in effect. Clearly time with our children is crucial, now that there are no summer jobs for them.

Please don’t let Congress ruin this country and our lives. Take action, before it’s too late. Annette Barnhill Spokane