In their words …
“There will be a lot of thoughts and prayers coming out of Spokane.”
– Gonzaga University basketball coach Mark Few, after it was announced that former Bulldogs star Ronny Turiaf, a second-round NBA draft choice, needs open-heart surgery.
“Too often the roofs we put over people are boxes.”
Regional Director John Meyers of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, saying a new apartment complex built by the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe with HUD funding had surpassed the usual quality of such projects.
“One of the prime reasons I was elected was because of my involvement in the community … and once I was elected, I no longer had time to do any of that.”
– Spokane Valley City Councilman Mike Flanigan, discussing his decision not to seek re-election this year.
“The more I see him, the more I realize that he is on another planet.”
– Italian bicyclist Paolo Savoldelli, speaking about teammate Lance Armstrong and his dominance of the Tour de France.
“The city’s not in the football business; the schools are.”
– Spokane Mayor Jim West, explaining why he offered to sell Joe Albi Stadium to the Spokane Public School District, which wants to keep renting the facility for high school games but can’t afford to buy it.
“I spent 17 years writing laws to tell the executive branch what to do and then eight years trying to avoid it.”
– Former Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre, speaking at last week’s 9th Circuit Judicial Conference in Spokane about going from the staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee to a post in the Clinton White House.
“If you’re affected by criticism from Congress, you’re in the wrong job.”
– Former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, talking about federal judges whose lifetime appointments protect them against congressional influence.
“The deadline is Aug. 15. I say Sept. 15. What is the difference?”
– Kurdish representative Mahmoud Othman, declaring that the committee drawing up a constitution for Iraq won’t be rushed into meeting a U.S. deadline for finishing its work.