Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

Chain gang? OK, we can do that

First thing you should know is that there is a class action lawsuit pending against Spokane County and others in federal court about the condition of the jail here, and treatment of the inmates. It was filed in July.

Second, we would love a chain gang here in Spokane County. This would allow more escapes. If you think it’s so easy being in here, then give us an opportunity to run and many of us will.

As it is, with the new law (three strikes you’re out), many people are saying if a cop is coming after them and they already have two strikes, they might as well kill the cop and anyone else who gets in their way. They’ve nothing to lose.

Third, as you know, many of us drink, smoke and do dope. This place would be flooded with all of the above. So we have, as inmates, no doubts the county commissioner is just blowing smoke for the people.

Fourth, if they tried chain gangs, the guards would lose so much money they would go on strike. We don’t think you’ll do a story about this or print this letter, but we had our say.

Just one more thing. All this jail is doing (by treating people so badly) is making animals out of inmates. When they get out, they will be worse than before. William Loverette Spokane

We saw that, Marlton

Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary defines a “carpetbagger” as “any person, especially a politician or promoter, who takes up residence in a place in order to seek special advantages for himself.”

By that definition, George Marlton, who is running for a county commissioner seat, is a carpetbagger.

Marlton recently moved from Medical Lake to Mayfair Street to run in District 1. He rented an apartment, almost certainly a temporary one, to bamboozle people who live in District 1 into thinking he would represent them on the commission. Residents of District 1 are entitled to vote for candidates who are bona fide residents of the district. Marlton’s move to qualify to run in the district can only be viewed as a shameful subterfuge.

We’ve had enough of politicians who take advantage of loosely written regulations to benefit themselves. If Marlton is willing to fudge on regulations, can the people expect him to make fair and impartial decisions if he is elected to a full term as a county commissioner?

We need leaders who are open and above board, not politicians who resort to subterfuges for their own financial gain. Bradley J. Weller Spokane

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Mangan not the one who’s wrong

I have followed the Ryan Evarts obscene gesture incident with Spokane Police Chief Terry Mangan from the beginning. If little Ryan can’t take what he dished out, why did he do it? He must some day realize he’s not the only pebble on the beach, and the world doesn’t revolve around him.

His ambulance-chasing, frivolous, lawsuit-happy attorney, Russell Van Camp, is the exact reason the confidence in and the integrity of the court system is in question.

Ryan and Russell, hopefully, both of you will grow up some day and realize Chief Mangan’s behavior would not be an issue if your behavior were in line.

Three wrongs do not make a right. Keep up the good work, Chief Mangan. David Young Greenacres

Mangan, police out of control

A poor example for Spokane’s finest after reading Bonnie Harris’ article. Spokane Police Chief Terry Mangan, stopping a citizen in the county with a city patrol car. Who died and left him boss? He’s not the judge. He’s not the jury. He’s an employee of the city. He is the head of a city police department that is out of control.

The young man who flipped him off, he is lucky that that’s all the chief gave him - a shakedown. He could have been shot and the chief could have said he pulled a gun on him. Jimmy Marks Spokane

Police need good people’s support

We citizens of Spokane have been blind long enough! We’ve been attacking our own police officers and questioning why they do so little to stop crime in our streets. They’ve been voted against too many times.

Their hands have been tied, and they’re not able to control gangs, because a great many gang members are minors. These “punk” gang members are aware of this and are taking full advantage! Yet, they’re committing adult crimes and should be treated accordingly.

We strongly need to support our police force and untie the officers’ hands so they can do their jobs more effectively. Please help us to help the police clean up our neighborhoods and make them safe for decent people. It’s time to stop living in fear and give the police back the respect and authority they need and deserve. If we don’t, we will only have ourselves to blame for continuing gang violence.

Are your kids safe right now? Are you? Think about it. Linda Dunham Spokane

FBI sniper should’ve known better

The Ruby Ridge-Randy Weaver incident has been in the news again. Several officials are busily engaged in damage control, which translates into saving their own butts.

Many bad things happened at Ruby Ridge. Illegal shoot-to-kill orders were given. Records were destroyed. A woman holding a baby was killed by an FBI sniper. No one admits to giving illegal orders. The sniper said he never saw Vicki Weaver, that he shot at a man running away missed him with his first shot.

The sniper must be familiar enough with firearms to know the weapon fires the bullet in the direction which it’s aimed and the bullet travels in a relatively straight line. Since Vicki Weaver was shot while standing in the cabin’s doorway, the sniper must have aimed at the cabin. He shot at a small moving target. He must’ve known that if he missed, the bullet could continue toward the cabin. Which, of course, is a much larger target and is not moving. There was a much better chance the shot would hit the cabin, not the man.

The sniper shot directly at a cabin he knew housed a woman and her children. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t see Vicki Weaver. He did see the cabin, did aim and fire in that direction.

Vicki Weaver died because her safety and the safety of her children were not important enough to the sniper to avoid shooting at or close to the cabin. Ron Norvell Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Vietnam questions ignored

RE: Normalizing relations with Vietnam:

If the Vietnamese are cooperating, why do they refuse to let U.S. investigators into Vihn Phu Province, which, according to the Vietnamese sources, contains an underground prison housing 200-300 American POWs?

Why did the U.S. POW/MIA headquarters in Hanoi refuse former congressman Billy Hendon’s offer to lead them to the underground prison? Instead, they waited until he was forced to leave the country, then went with the Vietnamese on a dog and pony show, journalists in tow, to an area of the province containing a motor pool and rice paddies. There were no mountains or POWs in this area. If there’s nothing to hide, then why not let Billy Hendon make a fool of himself?

Why has the U.S. given Vietnam the last bit of leverage we had to get the answers? That’s easy. We don’t want to know what happened to the men. God forbid any of them should ever pop up and ruin the photo ops taking place in Washington and Hanoi.

Is this a matter of not being able to forgive and move on? No, it’s an issue of not swallowing a governmentissued lie and allowing the abandonment and betrayal of those who fought and sacrificed to go unchallenged.

The Vietnamese people aren’t at fault, only their Stalinist leaders and their accomplices in Washington, D.C. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, only the truth can do that. And that’s all that’s being asked for. Thomas A. Thompson Pullman, Wash.

Dumb to honk at bicyclists

I was riding my bike the other day when a motorist came up behind me and honked her horn, presumably to warn me she was there or tell me I was in her way. I started thinking about what would happen if all motorists honked their horns every time they saw a bicyclist on the street. It would be a noisy affair to say the least.

If bicyclists should be honked at, then what about all the pedestrians, children playing on the sidewalks, cats, dogs and other pets? They should all be warned there are motorists driving on the streets.

There are probably so many things for motorists to honk at that cars should come from the factory with their horns connected to the ignition, so when the driver turns on the key, the horn would begin honking. Perhaps each different car maker could use a different note, so the noise would be harmonic.

If this were to happen, ecologists would soon complain about the noise pollution. Plus, cyclists, pedestrians and animals on the streets would be so nervous they would all need to see their psychiatrists.

Maybe the best solution to this problem would be to have motorists not honk at bikers, pedestrians or animals.

On the other hand, if motorists feel the need to honk their horns, why not honk at all the other motorists who insist on driving through red lights every day? L. Esther Park Spokane