Letters for Dec. 5, 2023

Desperate need for LEP emergency alerts

The story entitled, “New App” that was published Nov. 9, explained communication officials work to streamline emergency alerts after the Gray and Oregon Road fires. This story caught my eye due to the work that our coalition has been doing with Spokane County.

While I was excited at the possibility of improvement in communicating emergency alerts when disasters strike, I was extremely disappointed at the failure to mention language access in the story. According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Census, it is estimated that about 40,000 people in Spokane County speak a language other than English at home. Unfortunately, most vital resources and alerts are only put out in English. It is an undeniable fact that destructive fires and other natural disasters have become the new norm, and residents of Spokane County deserve the most efficient communication officials can offer, regardless of what language they speak.

In the efforts to improve emergency alerts we must not forget residents who are Limited English Proficient. They desperately need access to these alerts just as much as those of us who are only comfortable with English. It is my hope that county officials understand that equitable access to emergency information can mean the difference between life and death. If they are serious about protecting the safety of all residents, then they will invest in better language accessibility before costly loss of life and property happens.

The demographics of our county are changing, the number of immigrants we are welcoming is going to continue growing, and it is time that the system adapts and evolves to meet their needs.

Jesus Torres

Spokane

Moral clarity must embrace complexity

Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ intensely pro-Israel guest opinion about moral clarity tells only one side of the story. Nevertheless, while she should have presented a more balanced picture, simply adding the story of Palestinian misery to that of Israeli suffering will not achieve the real goals of moral clarity – peace and prosperity. To explain the complexity of the crisis using conventional standards of morality – an eye for an eye – will never solve the decadeslong standoff in the Middle East. Both Jews and Palestinians see themselves as victims. Attempting to unravel which group is the most victimized and who is most to blame is like trying to settle a dispute between two children, each claiming to be the most aggrieved and each declaring the other started the fight.

The views of three modern thinkers provide more constructive moral guidance. Political realist Reinhold Niebuhr challenges leaders and citizens to set aside a perspective that divides the world into children of light and children of darkness. Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf argues that genuine reconciliation is based on “true memory” (read moral clarity), which acknowledges the sins of both sides. Volf explains how we must recognize that at times the wounds are so deep, and the causes are so confusing that applying an eye for an eye would lead to endless cycles of unbearable conflict. Jewish political philosopher, Hannah Arendt, holds that sometimes the only path toward peace is forgiveness. For these thinkers, moral clarity must embrace complexity. For both Israel and Palestine, that is the only way forward.

John Yoder

Spokane

Ban the use of studded tires

Editor’s note: Because of a technical error, part of this letter was omitted when it was published Friday. Here is the letter in its entirety.

Winter is coming, bringing with it that soothing sound of metal against asphalt as studded tires scrape their way across city streets and state highways, causing millions of dollars worth of damage.

Of course some people didn’t bother to take them off so that magical hum was available all summer if you had your window partially open, which I notice our Spokane Police Department patrol cars seldom do. And why are the front windows on police cruisers now heavily tinted? Questions for another time.

Minnesota, which is known to have hard winters with heavy snow, bans studded tires, and if you think Minnesota is flat, then you haven’t been there. Michigan also bans the use of studded tires, as does Texas. Overall, there are six states that ban studded tires and seven that allow conditional use, but my point is that other states have much tighter controls on this matter than Washington.

With all of the available alternative options in winter tires, studded tires just aren’t necessary. In fact they are dangerous on dry pavement, which is what we have most of the winter. It is past time for the legislature to act and ban the use of studded tires on Washington roads. We have the fifth highest gas tax in the nation, so maybe if we quit chewing up the roads they could stop raising our tax on fuel.

Larry Reisnouer

Spokane