Letters To The Editor

Sat., April 15, 1995

COMBATING UGLINESS

No room for bigotry here

I am a white, female freshman at Gonzaga University who is sickened by what I see around me. The hate letters recently delivered to four black law students here at GU turn my stomach.

As I read the second letter these white supremacists wrote, my hands began to shake, my eyes watered and I felt ready to lead a crusade against the perpetrators.

I realize hating is a vicious cycle and that hating those who wrote the letters continues the cycle. However, I want the authors and recipients of this continuing hate mail to know that as strongly as those white supremacists feel about intolerance toward blacks, I feel more strongly about intolerance of the supremacists’ hate. I and many others who attend GU do not want bigotry controlling our campus.

I ask The Spokesman-Review and the citizens of Spokane to make it known to these bigots that we do not have room for their hatred. Please do not let these dehumanizing acts continue in our city. Monica Ely Spokane

Pro-hate message backfires

Events of the past few days with racist hate mail being sent to law school students at Gonzaga University are indeed a cause of great sorrow for the entire community.

The fact that such feelings of hate and prejudice still exist points to the need for yet more work to be done on our planet so that we human beings can learn to be more loving and accepting of one another.

What shall I do as an individual about this situation? My response is to renew my personal commitment to genuinely try to understand even more the hurts and concerns of all those who have suffered throughout history. I think of women, gays and lesbians, minority races, the handicapped and those whose religion differs from that of the majority in their particular culture. All of these have been on the receiving end of insensitivity as well as physical or psychological assault in many cases. I want learn how to listen better and to love more. Tom Durst Spokane

Source of hate is ignorance

Regarding “GU looks for source of hate mail” (April 11), actually, the source of all hate - whether through mail or otherwise - is ignorance. And in the abovementioned case, ignorance reeking with racism.

When we hate our fellow men, whom God created in the likeness of his own image, we place ourselves in the category of those errant people who hate God himself.

We must remember that God created only one race of people on this earth: the human race. An artist who really comprehends the blending of colors will tell you that any human being who possesses the skin color of genuine white, black, red or yellow has an acute case of some dreadful disease or malady.

So, let each and every one of us look into a mirror and quote this little verse: “I’m not black, I’m not red, I’m not yellow nor am I white; I’m just the way God made me, and he thinks it’s just right!”

Gonzaga University is a top-rated house of learning, but apparently, some of the students there are not learning much of anything. Major E. Dunne Spokane

IN THE PUBLIC EYE

Mother of slain boy was misled

I am writing in defense of Sara Erb against allegations she knew of Ken Galloway’s criminal past. I have been a close friend of Sara’s for several years. I remember when Sara first met Ken. I asked Sara what Ken had been in prison for and she told me it was for assaulting a man in a bar fight. That is what Sara had been told by Ken and believed until she was informed of the truth the morning after Devin’s death.

I also remember something told to me a few months ago regarding the death of Ken’s son. Sara told me, “Ken has something in common with you. He also had a son who died of SIDS.”

Anyone who knows Sara would tell you that had she known of Ken’s true past, she never would have become involved with him.

Sara was as perfect as a mother could be. Devin was the joy and light of her life. She never would have let Ken near Devin if she had known the truth.

For corrections officials to put blame on a grieving mother is pathetic. They should use this tragedy to take steps so it never happens again.

Devin Michael Erb was a beautiful little boy. He brought joy to everyone who met him. Please let his mother grieve without having to defend herself. The only person who needs to defend himself is Ken Galloway. Stacie Archer Spokane

YOUTH AND EDUCATION

Here’s good news about teens

Wake up, Spokane! We need to hear some positive feedback regarding our schools and young people - particularly Chase Middle School.

While everyone is dwelling on the negative, four brilliant young people went unrecognized for their academic achievements.

These four young people from Chase Middle School competed as a team and as individuals in the “Eastern Regional Math Counts” competition with various other Eastern Washington schools at Rogers High School on Feb. 18, 1995.

Not only did they place second in the eastern region competition, but in the individual competition, two of their standings were 10th and 11th.

These four young people were then invited to the state competition held in Tacoma on March 18, where they again placed high in the standings for the state out of 150 participating students.

Why do we never see any recognition in the news for the positive as well as the academic achievements of our young people? The academic achievements of our young people should be as newsworthy, or more so, than anything else.

We in Spokane, and particularly at Chase Middle School, need all the positive feedback we can get from our city. Our young people will one day lead this city. Show recognition where recognition is due. Quite dwelling on all of the negatives of this town. Sally Mumaw Spokane

at basis is a paper tiger

While reading the quartet of letters (April 9) in support of the Youth for Environmental Sanity () visit to local schools, I was amazed to find myself partially in agreement with the authors. They did have a point in asking why anyone should care that a pro-environmental group spoke to school kids.

Truth be told, kids get a far more effective indoctrination message from a half hour of MTV. There is no real harm from these “whole earth” hucksters. Just examine the inanities they preach.

Vegetarianism and corporate boycotts will hardly avert the environmental disasters they see around every corner. As with most liberal causes, their solutions require no real effort beyond showing that they care. Joining a boycott against Mitsubishi requires about as much strain as walking to the refrigerator for a carrot stick.

When a left-wing group comes to school and urges the children to join the debate team so they can learn both sides of an issue and more effectively argue their beliefs, we can start worrying. When they encourage students to excel in English so they may better express their views in writing, we can start worrying. Those skills, coupled with a liberal agenda, create a formidable opponent in the arena of ideas.

Thankfully, that scenario is unlikely. More students like Ms. Fullmer will continue to sign petitions and feel that they “accomplished more than ever before in trying to help our environment.” Dean Lutz Spokane

Young writers demonstrate good sense

Aaron Williamson and Wendy Pickett (Letters, April 13), you are proof positive that young people are capable of thinking analytically and logically - something the education reformers keep telling us is lacking in our young people. They would claim the same of you also because you are not “politically correct,” you aren’t showing enough empathy.

In today’s society we must make excuses for the druggy or the child that cuts up in class, makes fun of others, abuses other children, taunts, torments, harasses. It’s always someone else’s fault - parents’, society’s. Never should the responsibility be the child’s.

To that end, we must help the child “get in touch” with his/her feelings. We must explain to them why their behavior isn’t acceptable because they just don’t know. Under no circumstances should we demand responsibility as doing that would hurt their self-esteem.

Your voices are a breath of fresh air. You are living proof that children are quite intelligent and capable of using higher-order thinking skills. You’re also quite right. Children don’t need to get in touch with their feelings; they need to get in touch with reality. That doesn’t happen when adults make excuses for their behavior and fail to appropriately discipline unacceptable behavior.

Undoubtedly, if you don’t escape the Nine Mile Falls School District before full implementation of education reform, you will be assessed and remediated to ensure that you demonstrate mastery of the politically correct attitude as enumerated in the district exit outcomes and defined by the politically correct thought police. Lynn M. Stuter Nine Mile Falls

FARM SUBSIDIES

Cuts, yes, but across the board

Your article on farm subsidies (April 9) was fine, but let’s carry it one step further. Let’s cut all the other kooky programs dollar for dollar - foreign aid, welfare, etc. Why should we bite the hand that feeds us?

The government programs put too much interference on the farmer. Sensible programs through the Soil Conservation Service should not be eliminated but dealt with in a professional manner.

After all, where will we raise our food if all the topsoil washes away, like it has been doing this wet spring? Herbert Smith Colbert

Farmers not selfish spongers

Your April 9 article regarding farm subsidies left me feeling like a hated welfare recipient. A lifelong farmer, I’ve defended government subsidies for years. Most farmers would prefer to support themselves without government assistance but this sometimes isn’t possible. Farms are critical to the well-being of the whole nation. Subsidies are designed to strengthen the nation.

However, like any government program, farm subsidies can and have been mismanaged. Farmers themselves have looked to decrease and control subsidies. When we attempt to take a moderate position on the support of our brethren, we often find resistance.

Notice the votes of senators concerning the balanced budget amendment. Of particular interest are North Dakota Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle. These Democrats changed their vote from the amendment presented in 1994 and voted no, under the guise of concern for the lack of an exemption for the Social Security Trust Fund.

It’s interesting that these liberal spenders represent states that receive an excessively large amount of government farm subsidies and money from other government programs. For every $1 they pay in taxes, they receive $4 from the federal budget - funds likely cut under the balanced budget amendment. The Dakotas often take the position for higher government support.

Balancing the budget is in the best interest of the entire nation. We all must sacrifice to cure the deficit problem. Farmers are certainly willing to relinquish subsidies as long as everyone understands the effects, and as long as everyone is willing to make like sacrifices. Kenny Foulkes Spokane