Letters To The Editor

Tue., Jan. 31, 1995

THE MEDIA

Media liberal only in myth

The people, including (editorial writer) D.F. Oliveria and (syndicated columnist) Cal Thomas, who continually harp about the “liberal media” evidently never bother to read the newspaper. The national columnists chosen by The Spokesman-Review are continually right wing. The week of Jan. 16 was a perfect example.

The Tuesday edition contained an article by someone from the extremely conservative Heritage Foundation and one of Cal Thomas’ usual rants against the “liberal media.”

Wednesday’s contained a middle-of-the-road column on taking care of the mentally ill and a column by George Will, a conservative who worked closely with Ronald Reagan.

Thursday’s contained a Horatio Alger story by Donna Britt that makes a mockery of the fact that for the last 20 years blue collar wages have been plummeting; and an attack on the Endangered Species Act.

Friday’s contained a column suggesting that if Charlton Heston likes the National Endowment for the Arts, the NEA might be conservative enough to not gut; and one of Cal Thomas’ usual rants against the “liberal media.”

Who keeps telling us the media are liberal? Rightwing politicians and the media - both of whom exclusively represent the rich; such people as multimillionaires Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Bob Dole, George Will and corporate apologist Cal Thomas. Each has a vested interest in making sure that the poor never learn that the media represent only the wealthy.

So long as The Spokesman-Review continues to spout opinions that represent only the wealthy, it will continue to be irrelevant to most of our lives. Derrick Jensen Spokane

Dumb and Dumber and childish

Priggee’s Dumb and Dumber cartoon is really cute but I think he and your newspaper, along with the Rep. David Boniors of the country, are poor losers. If you can’t throw a childlike tantrum, just draw something childish. Greg Hanks Chelan, Wash.

Did Priggee make it to first grade?

Since you liberals make such a big thing about name calling, here are a few names that apply to your newspaper in general and (Staff cartoonist) Milt Priggee specifically: How about shallow, childish, petulant, ignorant, irresponsible and uneducated?

For Priggee to label House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a man who is extremely well educated, well read and who has thought deeply about matters affecting our country, as dumb, as he did in the Jan. 28 paper, makes one wonder whether Priggee ever graduated from kindergarten. John Pilley Spokane

Add Priggee to that list

The front page of the Jan. 28 Spokesman-Review lists name callers Kathleen Gingrich, Rep. Robert Dornan (R-Calif.) and your favorite scapegoat, House Speaker Newt Gingrich. However, on the Opinion page of that same paper, (Staff cartoonist) Milt Priggee calls Rush Limbaugh “Dumb” and Newt Gingrich “Dumber.”

We noticed Priggee was absent from your front page list. Does liberal bias give exemption status to its own list of name callers? Jerry Malone Spokane

Right idea, wrong subjects

I saw Saturday morning’s paper with Milt Priggee’s cartoon and would dearly love to see him put the other side of the picture in: A picture of himself and Chris Peck in the same format. Jim Murr Spokane

Dumb-Dumber cartoon a triumph

Regarding (Staff cartoonist) Milt Priggee’s Jan. 28 cartoon:

I understand all the criticism he’s taken lately over his caricatures in the newspaper, but I must say he did an excellent job. If I’ve ever, ever seen a wonderful cartoon, it was Saturday’s, with Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich as Dumb and Dumber. I think he’s got a real gold mine there and a bumper sticker.

Keep up the good work.

By far, that’s the very best cartoon I’ve seen. You hit that right on the nose. John Cavey Jr. Spokane

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Welfare needs qualitative reform

Is welfare reform a plan to make welfare a program that assists people back onto their feet or is it just another political scam to divert people’s anger away from the high-living politicians and direct it toward the poor?

Will welfare reform:

1. Allow a welfare recipient to work in order to attempt to bring his/her family’s income up to the poverty level, without the penalties or loss of Medicaid they now incur?

2. Eliminate the 100-hour-per-month rule that disqualifies a family for any type of welfare, regardless of how little their earned income is?

Most welfare recipients want to work but don’t have the education/qualifications to go from welfare to a goodpaying job with medical benefits that can support a family in one step. That’s why they’re on welfare. Yet if they take a part-time and/or minimum wage job in order to work their way up to that good-paying job, they are immediately disqualified from any welfare assistance due to the elimination of the FIP program.

The present welfare system is a dehumanizing trap that destroys self-esteem and initiative by penalizing any attempt at self-improvement.

Thousands of Americans would be grateful for the elimination of those two punitive regulations so they could work. In just a few years most of them would be earning enough to be completely free of welfare.

If welfare reform doesn’t provide that steppingstone, the unnecessary increase in poverty and crime in this country caused by the other quick-fix changes will be enormous. D.E. Twitchell Spokane GOP critics worthless whiners

Regarding “Name calling suggests House not in order” (Jan. 28):

Again, the liberal press attacks the first Congress in modern times that has passed legislation in its first month of existence and is keeping its political pledges to the electorate. But we hear House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s mom said Hillary was a “bitch.” Does she speak for the Republican party? Better yet, was she right? See Bob Woodward’s book, “The Agenda.”

Is poor Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., a “fag,” a homosexual, a sodomite or a gay? Ask him. Did Clinton avoid the draft, demonstrate against the Vietnam War in England and in Iron Curtain countries? Ask him.

Was former speaker of the House Jim Wright dishonest? Check the records.

Are women ready for infantry duty and weeks and months in foxholes and in the mud? Do they have the same upper body strength as men? Have the academies, police and fire departments lowered their physical standards to accommodate them? Damn right. Check the records.

My mother used to say, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me - unless they are true, of course.”

She was right. No mandate, no direction, no allies in power, the elite press must now create politically correct issues and language and support the likes of the real congressional whiners, David Bonior, D-Mich, Frank and Rep. Pat Schroeder, D-Colo. Michael P. Cady Spokane

Public broadcasting undeserving

Why has the Corporation for Public Broadcasting become such a sacred, expensive cow?

With their discretionary spending, some choose to fund millionaires. Fine. But don’t force me to subsidize such programs as “Barney” and “Sesame Street,” which could easily compete in our free market system. Who’s getting the bucks from all the toys, books and trinkets?

Myth 2: Is there unbiased programming? CPB president Richard Carlson is not only biased but quite proud of it. He said that he made no effort to improve upon or make up for biased programming. Just because you support his bias, don’t pretend there is none.

Myth 3: “Uplifting,” “enriching” art. Such as “Tales of the City” and “Tongues Untied,” showing explicit views of homosexuals; pornography at its best, complete with bathhouse nudity and deep male kissing, which ran for three nights in early timeslots accessible to teens. Or, “Stop the Church,” a documentary of gay protests in St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Despite protests, CPB received a $19.36 million increase in funding by our Democratic Congress, which was heavily lobbied by the vocally rich homosexual lobby. This in-your-face homosexual agenda mocks straight America at a time when AIDS continues to destroy.

America voted for fiscal responsibility and we applaud House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s attempts to clean up the budgetary excesses of public radio and TV and their flagrant bias against decency. They are accountable to no one, as we continue to pay the bills.

With Arts and Entertainment, Discovery, the Learning Channel and C-SPAN, it’s high time CPB fought for its right to exist on the open market. Barbara Miller Colbert

GOP leaders should heed Clinton

The article, “Name-calling suggests House is not in order,” was a good reminder what the Republican leadership really stands for. In just their first month in power they’ve already reclaimed words such as “fag,” “bitch” and “traitor.”

In times such as these, when we all need to pull together, it seems that the divisive Republican leadership is incapable of bringing about unity.

The remarks make me proud of the unifying voice that President Clinton provided in his state of the union address. He reminded us that only together can we Americans meet the challenges of today.

It is too bad that the Republican leadership closed their hearts and minds to his message. Craig Peterson Spokane

Republicans big on blame shifting

Conservatives have long decried, rightfully, the victimization of America, meaning the country has become a place where no one is responsible for his own actions but places the blame elsewhere.

Now, with the new Republican Congress, they seem to have taken victimization to a new height.

When House Speaker Newt Gingrich calls the first lady a “bitch,” he’s not responsible. It’s Connie Chung’s fault.

When Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas, calls Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., a “fag,” he blames the media.

I hope the Republicans will learn to accept responsibility for their own actions soon. Because we will have them to thank for kicking thousands of people off welfare and sending them out to look for jobs where minimum wage is not a living wage. Deborah Lawrence Hale Greenacres

Low-bid approach bad for children

I am writing in support of Mary Naber’s Your Turn column of Jan. 25.

As citizens of the United States, our greatest investment is our children. Children are not commodities to be auctioned off to the lowest bidder and great care should be exercised in the placement of these children.

The state of Washington showed poor judgment in giving tax funded bids to an untested, for-profit agency lacking the facilities needed to provide adequate care for these children when many top-notch programs were turned away.

As citizens, we should support our children and let our Congress members and governor know that when it comes to children, the highest quality should prevail over the lowest bid. Adam Shipman Spokane

PEOPLE IN SOCIETY

Adoption is a good alternative

Kudos and attaboys to Paul D. Friend’s “Safety net” Perspective piece of Jan. 29. His article was wonderful, but I have to question why adoption wasn’t listed as a choice.

I, myself, was one of those young women, pregnant and facing choices, eight years ago. Although I am prochoice, abortion was not a choice for me personally. Marrying the father was not a choice as he was dating someone else at the time.

Welfare - well, that really wasn’t a choice for me because I believe children should have only the best of everything and that system only offers the bare basics and the stigma that goes along with it.

Therefore, I had the choice of adoption. Wherein obviously I could conceive children, why not give to those who could not? I have never regretted this choice. I knew my daughter would receive only the best of things and I was able to continue my own growing up and now have a wonderful husband and two beautiful children of my own.

Incidentally, there are two choices teens have to completely avoid the pregnancy issue altogether. The first is abstinence. The second is birth control. Kip Gilchrist Greenacres

Adoption option overlooked

I agree with Paul D. Friend’s assertion that becoming dependent upon the state is much too easy for unwed mothers (Perspective, Jan. 29).

However, I feel he has done a disservice to the community by ignoring adoption as a healthy alternative. I am sure that thousands of hopeful, would-be parents agree with me. Glen Cronk Spokane

Comment ill-timed, ill-conceived

Jan. 27 was the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the survivors of Auschwitz. It was also the day that letter-writer Cory Odegard declared that he would prefer Jefferson Davis over Bill Clinton for president. Jefferson Davis fought to preserve the institution of slavery to serve his own economic desires.

Despite vast information available on the horrors of slavery, despite the wisdom of the 13th and 14th amendments, there are still those out there who prefer to allow their animal nature to control them. If we are to call ourselves civilized, we must each help take care of our fellow humans. Carol May Spokane

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