Opinion

With Veterans Day upon us, it is a good time to salute local military heroes, starting with Ensign John Monaghan. In 1899 he was killed during a hard-fought battle with Samoan rebels. When his body was recovered, it was found brutally beheaded. Monaghan had gone to the aid of a fellow Navy officer and did this in the face of almost certain death. We should be proud that this person came from Spokane.

They sound attractive. They really do. Especially for those of us who live 15 or more miles from a gas station. And especially after arriving home and only then noticing the gas gauge is on E for empty. We have fuel stored in the garage for just such a contingency, but how much more convenient to simply plug in the car?

This time last year, Gov. Inslee and his wife implored Washingtonians to “rethink” plans to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, even birthdays. “It doesn’t matter what you’re doing,” she said, “these gatherings in your homes are dangerous.” Just a few days later — “to save lives,” remember? — he again unilaterally restricted access to your business and threatened your congregation with criminal penalties if you dared go caroling.

It’s concerning that a local minor-league sports team owner would want to use our upcoming stadium to bring a farm team to Spokane ("Brett Sports hopes to put MLS farm team in Spokane," Nov. 5).

The long wait to be seen at your local emergency department may have less to do with the pandemic than what’s happening as a result of the pandemic – a behavioral health crisis. Long before COVID-19 came to our shores, our nation’s emergency departments were filled with patients seeking psychiatric care.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (HR 3684) will provide infrastructure improvements and badly needed broadband access for all the citizens of our area.

We modern humans, increasingly living in bubbles of technology, are becoming disconnected from nature. Our manipulation of time -- daylight saving time to standard time and back to daylight saving time, ad nauseam -- is one example.

We taxpayers are always questioning the way our taxes are being used. My recent tour of the newly remodeled Shadle Library brought a great deal of pride in the use of my taxes. Spaciousness, areas to accommodate various ages, reading preferences and a central area for librarians helping patrons.

The anti-vaxxers and herd immunity prophets have got one thing right: COVID-19 is relatively benign. Historical outbreaks such as the Black Death (bacteria-caused bubonic plague) have frequently killed 30 to 60 percent of the human population in some regions, and in some instances up to 90%.

It's really a shame the way the "Downtown Partnership" bullied the school district to change the will and vote of the people to ramrod the stadium to downtown. To heck with the Northside businesses that would have prospered by the building at the Albi site. And to heck with the vote of the people. Oh, now Brett Sports is involved? Good for downtown, NOT!

My observations on the "State of the State" and the "State of the Union":

In watching Ozzie Knezovich's hysterical rage on TV (my opinion) against our local and national media and journalism over a missing "G" in his campaign ads for deputies in New York, I felt a deep concern. A few days before in this recent election, I saw Knezovich's smearing campaign ads against Zack Zappone hundreds of times. For me, they represent bottom of a septic tank, five-star fecal rating in terms of media filth. Only Cathy McMorris Rodgers rates higher in that skill. I can also add KHQ and The Spokesman-Review for the despicable (Republican?) meanness of their treatment of Gonzaga's coach Mark Few.

By Rob McCann and Bob Lutz

From Christian Robinson ("Bodycam footage from fatal shooting of 21-year-old shows harrowing new details on first day of trial," The Spokesman-Review, Oct. 26) locally to Kyle Rittenhouse nationally, we have this perverse notion that one can bring a gun to a fist fight (that they instigated), take a life, and cry self-defense.

"The Left want to define traditional masculinity as toxic. They want to define the traditional masculine virtues — things like courage and independence and assertiveness — as a danger to society,” says Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri.