Letters To The Editor

THE MEDIA

Gay rights coverage one-sided

The July 21 Opinion page endorsed the idea of a full debate on the gay rights issue prior to the vote on proposed legislation in Idaho this fall. This debate would be very helpful in presenting both sides of a controversial issue.

It’s very unfortunate The Spokesman-Review isn’t willing to do this in its own pages.

Coverage of gay rights issues has been prevalent in this newspaper but outrageously one-sided. Within one week, three major opinion pieces dealt with homosexuality from the pro-gay perspective:

“A different world” (July 13), describing the problems gay teenagers had and asking for acceptance of their lifestyle.

“Discrimination against gays doesn’t make sense” (July 15), calling for acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle and asking for protective legislation.

“A world apart” (July 17), discussing problems older gay people have in finding acceptance.

Headlines also show a pro-gay slant.

Nowhere is there any in-depth discussion of why many people oppose the homosexual lifestyle. Although several articles make mention of biological factors, there has been no evaluation of research in this area, possibly because the data do not support the contentions that homosexuals make.

Support of the gay lifestyle by religious leaders is not balanced by reports of the widespread opposition within their own churches to same-sex marriages, ordination of homosexuals and other encouragement of gay practices.

Spokane County Health Department data show that the majority of AIDS cases are reported among homosexuals, even though the media try to convince us otherwise.

Is there a conspiracy? Is there bias in reporting and editorial coverage? It looks like it from here. Donald F. Calbreath Spokane

Media manipulate information flow

A couple of months ago, NBC accepted $2 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to produce a twohour piece on health care. NBC announced it had been given editorial control, but the piece seemed remarkably like the foundation’s view that the Clinton health care plan was the best thing going.

Ross Perot, who strongly disagrees with this view, offered $1 million to the Republicans to promote their side of the debate for a half-hour but he was turned down by ABC. He has been turned down repeatedly by all three networks ever since he did an anti-NAFTA program.

No big deal, right? Ross is a crank, and we don’t want to hear what he has to say. But if the networks are turning controversial people into nonpersons, how thorough can the debate be?

Noam Chomsky calls this “manufacturing consent.” He believes the media exclude dissenting viewpoints in an effort to narrow the range of debate, guaranteeing that those who own the media outlets will get their way.

This was vividly illustrated by the debate on a PBS political show in which most of the participants blandly justified ABC’s action. Only one of them said, “Is it really necessary that we be protected from hearing whatever they might have to say? This is censorship, folks, pure and simple.”

In 1984 all the networks ran pieces about how George Orwell’s famous story had not come to pass. Perhaps now ABC should come clean and rename itself BBC, “Big Brother Channel.” Art Cline Spokane

IN THE PUBLIC EYE

Police ineptitude mars city’s image

The Gestapo-esque tactics to which the visiting CBS news team was subjected on July 22 splashed a disgraceful blot on Spokane’s image.

In the past, I worked several years for UPI. My late husband spent most of his life as a newsman (the New York Times, New York Daily News, UPI, AP and the major papers in Little Rock and Los Angeles.) I do not know Peter Van Sant except by reputation, but I wholehartedly agree with his statement that “The news media is not an investigative arm of the police.” The mission of any legitimate news agent is to inform the public, but never at the expense of impeding justice. Why is it that an out-of-state news team is able to gather information that our local police force cannot?

Nine policemen to conduct a search-and-seizure of an item they allegedly never requested in the first place? Where were the nine policemen when CBS was filming? Perhaps out attempting to “save face” for some other bungled operation?

I know where they were not: They weren’t in our neighborhoods attempting to eradicate some of the continual vandalism. Their reason: “We don’t have enough manpower.”

I do not wish to criticize our local policemen/women themselves for performing their assigned duties. I do, however, feel that the administrative faction of the Spokane Police Department has long been in need of an overhaul. June Miller Spokane

Simpson will be hero no matter what

Yes, Ryan Mask, (Letters, July 31), we do need to lay out the title of hero very carefully. But we also need to be very careful how quick we are to judge a man’s innocence or guilt.

O.J. Simpson has been labeled a hero for the many, many outstanding contributions he made to bettering life for himself and those around him throughout the years that led up to this unfortunate occurrence. There is a very pronounced question of his guilt. Not only that, our whole legal and social justice system in this country is based on the premise that he is innocent until it is proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty. That has not occurred.

Mr. Mask, your concerns of what if he is convicted are very valid. But what if he is acquitted? What about all the mud-slingers like yourself? What are you going to do to restore this man’s reputation after it has been so rudely stolen from him by the media frenzy and the pandering for dirt by the American public?

O.J. Simpson will continue to be a hero regardless of the outcome of this incident because of the many other things that he did that accorded him the hero status throughout his life. He will be a tragic hero if, in fact, he is guilty. Donald Jones Spokane

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Pro NEA arguments won’t wash In his July 27 letter regarding the National Endowment of the Arts, Robert Spittal uses a rather specious argument for defending the NEA.

First, just because the majority of NEA grants go to artists and organizations and the NEA brings artists to rural areas does not justify the federal government’s involvement in entertainment. Should the government also sponsor football and basketball teams and perhaps even sponsor singing groups and dancing troupes to entertain the residents of rural areas?

As for his arguments for enhancing the quality of life by providing employment, I don’t feel that it is the responsibility of taxpayers to provide employment to artists, talented or not talented.

As for the argument for the promotion of intellectual artistic and even spiritual ideas, what about the separation of church and state?

Mr. Spittal’s statement that he spends 50 cents a day for the newspaper even though he disagrees with it fortifies the argument used by opponents of the NEA that if you want to read the newspaper then you should pay for it; if you want to see art work then you should pay for that also.

As far as the waste in other areas of government, we should start deleting some of the waste, not add to it. A good place to start is in cutting funds to NEA. John F. Weyant Priest River, Idaho

Urge senators to reject GATT All the recent media coverage of Whitewater, health care reform and the crime bill has pushed into the background a very important congressional action about to take place. I refer to the ratification of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

If ratified, GATT will give way next year to trade control by the WTO. This organization of 117 countries will be administered in Geneva, Switzerland. Tariff barriers will drop, thus permitting freer trade between countries. Without protective tariffs, manufactured goods will be produced where labor is cheapest. Goods will be sold where they can bring the best prices. If slave labor is available somewhere, it will be used.

The WTO will be able to investigate any complaints of “nontariff trade barriers” and any state laws we have in this country that might impede the import of foreign goods for any reason could be challenged. The WTO cannot demand that we change our laws but it can certainly take retaliatory action (trade sanctions) if we don’t change them.

In resolving disputes, the United States will have no special clout in the WTO. Each country will have one vote. U.S. courts will be powerless to intervene to protect our companies, our states and our citizens. We will have given up a big chunk of U.S. sovereignty.

The Senate expects to get this done before Aug. 12. If you want to preserve U.S. sovereignty and manufacturing jobs, ask Sens. Patty Murray and Slade Gorton to vote against this action. Richard T. Brown Spokane

Nethercutt provides altnerative

Hurrah for George Nethercutt. The thinking voters of the 5th Congressional District now have a choice other than an aging career politician and one of two aging career also-rans. Vote for and financially support Nethercutt on Sept. 20. Floyd Larson Pullman

High-priced officer homes a mistake

The July 29 Spokesman-Review article by Lynda V. Mapes notes that Congress will soon vote on a proposed $2 million allocation for improvements at Fairchild Air Force Base. Among the planned projects is the expenditure of $1.04 million to construct six new public housing units, albeit to be occupied by senior officers, at the base. The new homes will replace older homes which will be torn down.’

It is unconscionable for the Air Force to consider building new residences, regardless of the proposed occupants, at an average price of $173,333 (presumably without the cost of the land) while demolishing existing homes which are no more than 40 years old. The cost of these homes far exceeds the median price of a home in the Spokane area.

Each and every citizen in this country, including senior Air Force officers, should have an opportunity to live in safe and decent housing. It would appear, however, that these planned new units may exceed a reasonable standard of comfort. Andrew E. Reid, executive director Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium

OTHER TOPICS

Layrite people learned lessons well

Frank Bartel’s column of July 27, “Secret weapon,” gave much credit to the American Sales College and myself for the treatment he received at Layrite Products during his recent shopping visits. Mr. Bartel, I appreciate your compliments and confidence in the American Sales College, as always. However in this case, since the training took place at Layrite nearly six months ago, I feel the sole credit for the service you received belongs to the delightful employees at Layrite. They were a pleasure to instruct and were instructed to carry on themselves the lessons they had learned in their training.

Your column is proof that they have indeed done that. Kim Cooper, president American Sales College Nuclear critic factually wrong

Marilyn Ream had a surprising amount of misinformation in her July 3 guest column, “Plutonium use plans ill-advised, should be ended.”

Our government has 50-plus metric tons of excess plutonium in the form of missile warheads or material intended for this use. The final method of disposal will be determined by extensive scientific studies.

Ream’s statement that vitrification - encasing nuclear materials in glass - is an inevitable solution is premature and inaccurate.

Ream also is incorrect in her characterization of which plants are being proposed for plutonium disposition and by which parties.

In January, we announced our intention to explore the potential for fueling Plant 2 and WNP-1 with mixed oxide fuel (plutonium and uranium). Both plants are on the federal government’s Hanford site.

We are not proposing that WNP-3, at Elma, be considered for this mission.

Columbia Nuclear Corp. is advocating use of WNP-1 and WNP-3 for disposition of surplus weapons plutonium. The Supply System is not part of this group.

Ream repeatedly refers to Japan’s program for using mixed oxide fuel. Japan is pursuing this in an effort to develop a long-term energy source.

In contrast, the United States is considering use of mixed oxide fuel as a method for disposing of excess plutonium.

The incorporation of plutonium into mixed oxide fuel makes plutonium recovery difficult. With vitrification, the plutonium could be recovered for alternative uses, such as bombs, and therefore is not very secure.

The side benefit of using mixed oxide fuel in U.S. commercial reactors is the generation of electricity, an increasingly precious commodity as drought and competing uses for water affect our hydroelectric system. W.G. Counsil, managing director Washington Public Power Supply System, Richland

Birth control must be reliable

Regarding the upcoming United Nations population conference, the pope intimated that overpopulation could be alleviated by couples abstaining from sex during the woman’s peak fertility days.

Let’s get realistic!

The nations involved in the greatest overpopulation problem haven’t the slightest idea what abstaining from sex implies. Let’s educate them on this subject.

The pope said political leaders are overstepping their ethical bounds by seeking to deprive couples the right to determine the size of their families.

Is it ethical to bring children into a world where people can barely feed themselves and yet they keep breeding and breeding? What kind of a future will these children have to look forward to?

Is it ethical to bring unwanted babies into the world, to unwed mothers who have no means of supporting themselves, let alone these babies they keep bearing?

The list goes on.

We are overpopulated and, as the pope stated, “It is a serious and grave problem” - too serious, too grave, to rely on people abstaining from sex.

The only solution is reliable birth control. It is imperative we do something soon to reduce the population growth rate. Mildred Stevens Spokane

`Time out’ often poorly implemented

The problem with “time out,” Mr. Pye (Letters, July 27) is not the concept itself but its often ineffective execution. Far too many people use it indiscriminately, inconsistently and inappropriately - with predictably lackluster results.

Behavior management, in societal as well as family settings, requires planning, patience, persistence and perspective. Creativity is key.

Treated as a one-size-fits-all panacea, time out is no more helpful, though less painful, than the unenlightened spanking it purportedly supplants. To discipline is to teach; the process need no be punitive, only instructive.

Unfortunately, all learning takes some time. We who have become addicted to the quick-fix mentality do not give our kids, our co-workers, ourselves or our community the degree of focused but unharried attention necessary for creative - and responsible - problem solving.

What kind of a world might we create if we all spent a little more time truly communicating with each other and a little less time name-calling, mud-slinging and blaming? Cathy Willis Spokane

Chenoweth wrong about health care

I was appalled to hear recently that Helen Chenoweth is against health care reform.

Apparently she doesn’t care about the 90,000 children in Idaho who lack health insurance. I guess she’s not concerned that insurance companies can exclude anyone who has pre-existing conditions. She must not care that if you lose your job you can lose your health insurance.

It’s apparent Helen Chenoweth just doesn’t care about the health of Idahoans. Kathleen Morrow Coeur d’Alene