Letters

Those who disparage the protesters are the ones who dishonor our American flag, our national anthem and the American ideal. The right to protest injustice is fundamental to our American fabric. To attack those who do is un-American.

The Sept. 21 article "East Central Community Center contract review sparks controversy" missed a few details that, as a participant in the process, I saw first-hand.

The announcement that business owners along North Monroe intend to sue the city of Spokane to stop improvements to the street is a waste of our tax dollars. My family lived off of North Monroe for decades. I've seen the best and the worst of North Monroe.

There is one large group in this country that opposes free speech for all, that supports partial-birth abortion, that supports sanctuary for convicted felons who are illegal aliens, that prefer appeasement instead of enemies and who want to turn America into a socialist country. They are called Democrats.

In response to "Developer injured, man killed in crash," Sept. 21: Why was it important for The Spokesman-Review to allow the further identification of Harley Douglass by including family and business-government controversies and disputes in an article of such a serious and personal matter? I am guessing The Spokesman just could not resist coloring the article to the darker side.

Regarding the Sept. 21 article, "Brexit architect Nigel Farage to address Spokane crowd amid planned protests":

Rightfully, there has been an outpouring of heartfelt articles in response to the terrible events at Freeman High School. Appraisals have pointed to the need for heightened security, mental health system improvements, better gun controls, etc. Except for one brief comment by Principal Lori Wyborney of Rogers High School -- "It does raise some awareness for students for them to be kinder" -- strikingly, there has been virtually no suggestions about the role of the unique subcultures of American schools, which are the context and evident target of the violence.

National health care policy is not rocket science, in spite of the tribulations of the GOP in their desperate attempts to unravel the ACA.

The "old" Medical Lake Cemetery on Thorpe Road is maintained by volunteers and member donations entirely. On Sept. 16, an annual work party was held at the cemetery to prune trees, rake pine needles, clean flower beds, weed whack, mow lawn and haul refuse away. It's a big job but made so much easier by the hard-working Medical Lake Junior ROTC.

When I became a mother, the world changed in an instant. It went from being a world full of strangers to a world full of brothers and sisters. Every parent I saw looked just like me. Whether they were at preschool or on the nightly news, if I saw a parent watching their child suffer, I suffered too.

Our belief turned out to be illusion. It did happen here: school shooting; death of one student; injuries to three more; arrest of the alleged shooter; shock and pain reaching into the Freeman community and the region.

Here we go again, another school being shot at. Listening and observing those around us is imperative. We need to be listening to what others are saying both by their words and actions.

It is time for a change to our representation in Olympia. We have an opportunity this November to replace our 7th Legislative District representative and senator. Our incumbents seem to place investors and corporations ahead of us and our neighbors.

Arctic sea ice disappearing, glaciers all but gone, ocean temperatures through the roof, solid scientific consensus, and Trump's response: exit the Paris Climate Accord and explore for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. That's what passes for U.S. leadership today, aided and abetted by the Republican House and Senate. Insane.

It is no coincidence that on the very day they announced the completion of the Sprague Road diet, an accident on the freeway caused many people's commute from Argonne to the north side to be 90 minutes long. In the 1970s, people voted to increase the number of lanes on the roads to get people home quicker so they could spend time with their family. These days making money off people during their commute is much more important apparently.

I made a mistake. On Sept. 13, I wanted to write a message to Shawn Vestal, asking him not to use the events at Freeman as an anti-gun topic. But I was busy, my daughters attend Freeman. Shawn is a decent person. I'm sure he's as horrified as the rest of Spokane. But if Shawn went to Freeman, he went as a reporter. My daughter was in the school, she heard the shots and ran for her life. I went as a parent, I felt the fear, and even as a retired soldier, I shed the tears, both of joy and sorrow.

I find it sad that Sheriff Knezovich feels a 15-year-old should not possess a handgun, but having access to "other" weapons is at parental discretion. On the one hand, he states he carried hunting rifles at high school and there was a gun in every rack of the rigs. I understand the example, even though I grew up in the city, as I also hunted with my family.

Another shooting tragedy. The sympathy for the Freeman students and their families is deep and widespread. It could have been much worse. This was an adolescent that had access to an assault rifle that fortunately jammed.

To all of the past students, all their parents, all their relatives, to all that were involved, to each of the injured and the family of the deceased and to all of the school district: