Letters To The Editor

ICE STORM ‘96

Bite the bullet and bury power lines

Now into the seventh straight day (Nov. 26) with no power at my residence and business, I am totally frustrated by the endless media stories regarding the heroic efforts of the power companies to restore power. My frustration is not aimed at the unfortunate workers who are doing an excellent job under appalling conditions. My frustration is simply that no one has raised the issue that all this nonsense is totally avoidable.

It does not require a rocket scientist to observe that the mish-mash, cobble-up of power cables strung through the trees is something out of the Dark Ages. Folks, we must be the only industrialized nation without benefit of a national health service and underground power lines.

How much longer do we have to put up with this nonsense? How much longer are we to tolerate the millions of dollars lost in property damages and lost production, not to mention deaths and injuries caused directly by above-ground power lines? Year after year it is one disaster after another - fire storm, ice storm, wind storm, rain storm, snow storm, ad infinitum.

The power companies, despite their horrendous repair and legal liability costs, will not volunteer to invest money in underground service. Clearly, local government has to step in here. There is no reason why, starting Jan. 1, all new construction code should not call for underground power lines and all existing above-ground cables be mandated to be buried by the last day of this century. Roger Slater Mica

Buried lines too expensive - not

Ice Storm ‘96, Fire Storm ‘91, the big freeze of 1989 - by now I trust we are all skeptics, convinced that God and Paul Redmond cannot, or will not, save us from the disasters just mentioned.

Milt Priggee’s cartoon of WWP under a fallen tree, and now the call from certain officials for the need to get the lines underground, is right on.

In the last decade of my broadcast career I brought up the subject many times and was buried by the stuff I used to spread on the back 40 as a farm boy. In summary: too expensive.

I think most of us now say, Damn the expense, let’s get on with the job! In the meantime, there ought to be a hard sell, perhaps a requirement, that every household have auxiliary heating and light. Being forced from the home has to be the most traumatic outcome of all.

With our wood stove, Coleman lantern, candles and jugs of water, we monitored our battery-powered radios, kept comfortable and felt very sorry for the less fortunate. We were inconvenienced but not devastated. Ross Woodward Spokane

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Foresters’ claim rings hollow

I was stunned and deeply saddened to learn that Rick Moon, who I’ve known for 36 years, his wife and two friends were killed in a recent mudslide near Roseburg, Ore. Foresters in the Umpqua area are saying there’s no link to clearcutting in this tragedy.

Wake up, foresters. Allowing tree harvesting on steep, unstable soils can destroy property and kill people. Linda L. Lambert Spokane

Better living through toxicity?

Ray Archer’s column (Nov. 28), “Tons of food needed to reach toxicity,” sounded like a rehash of the argument that because there are toxins in foods already, it can’t hurt to add more.

People’s tolerance of toxins varies. My tolerance is painfully low. The more toxins I breathe, eat, absorb through my skin, etc., the lower my tolerance.

Keep in mind that I avoid exposures, that I must avoid exposures because I, like most people, was only marginally concerned and unaware of the proliferation of toxins in our lives until I got whacked hard a few times. Like most of my fellow chemically injured compadres, I have found that my experience is discounted.

No one is really keeping track of the massive overuse of hazardous chemicals and the effects they are having on the population. The effects themselves are listed in government and other publications. It is shocking.

There are also variations in toxins. Some, like hydrogen peroxide, are helpful when diluted, in some circumstances. Some toxins are simply toxic. Considering that it is possible and beneficial to grow foods and lovely yards without adding manmade toxins, it seems absurd to poison the foods, air, ground and water.

The chemical industry has done a wonderful job of marketing and disseminating propaganda. Most of the year a normal child not only eats pesticide- and additive-contaminated foods at every meal, but also plays in many chemically treated areas, as do we all. Peggy Winkel Spokane

Wood stove proved its great worth

Before the memory of Ice Storm ‘96 disappears, it would be wise to pause and think about the most dangerous loss residents encountered when they lost their electricity.

Except those who need electricity to run medical-related equipment, the most serious loss was that of being able to heat one’s home. Had this storm occurred in January, when daytime highs often reach only to the teens, we might have experienced many more storm-related deaths.

I, like many others, found my good old, stand-alone wood stove the most important appliance in my home. It provided my family and neighbors a source of comfort and a place to cook.

When the clean air police murmur the words “emissions from wood stoves” when talking about field burning and automobile emissions, let us not forget where we live and the kinds of dangers the next power outage might bring. Bernie Rihn Spokane

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Get dairy hype out of classrooms

Many thanks to staff writer Julie Titone for her story on business interests in the public school classroom.

Kris P. Carrot cannot get into Spokane Public Schools with his “controversial” message of vegetarianism, while members of the dairy industry have open doors. Why should the region’s dairy farmers be allowed to lobby grade school students while the vegetarian message is suppressed?

Dairy’s share of the disputed food pyramid is shrinking as fast as the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables is growing. Like the financially ailing but politically mighty beef industry, dairy’s portion of the American food dollar is shrinking proportionately.

To bolster its wobbly bottom line, dairy industry associations are resorting to classroom propaganda. Do you want your children drinking milk enhanced by growth hormones and laced with antibiotics?

America has a surplus of milk, most of it produced by a few huge corporations, while most smaller producers have been driven out of business.

Get the cows out of the classrooms - or give the vegetarian message equal time. Paul Lindholdt, P.h.D. Spokane

GIVING THANKS

Help meant our survival

I thank my wonderful friends and neighbors, Gordon and Mary Grassi.

I awoke on Thursday at 4 a.m. feeling very ill, dazed and I lost consciousness briefly. I knew I needed help and called on them. They rushed over to my home, opened the doors, looked for my two girls and knew immediately to call 911.

My daughter, Ashley, and I were taken to Sacred Heart and later transferred to Fairchild Air Force Base for carbon monoxide treatment in the hyperbaric chamber. The staff at both Sacred Heart and Fairchild were wonderful. And thank you to my wonderful brother, Les Swank, for taking care of my home and making sure it was safe to return to. Donna and Ashley Saffle Spokane

Offers and help meant so much

We had family and friends offer us a warm place to stay and thank them for their offers. We especially thank Connie Sheppard and Chuck Matthews for their hospitality, because our stubborness finally wore off on the fourth day.

We also thank the Washington Water Power Co. , Hawkeye Construction, Paradise Power of B.C., the company we saw from Woodinville, Wash., and all the others that worked so hard to get Spokane’s power on. It brought tears of relief to my eyes when I saw that outside help arrive.

Our hearts go out to all the hard workers and to those still without power. Kim Thorson and Tom Degrood Spokane

S-R made a difference

I thank all of you at the newspaper. You made cold days warmer with your amazing personal and informative coverage. Without your trusty delivery, my days without power would have been empty.

Your newspaper has always made my days. Where did you find all those wonderful journalists?

I am heaping blessings to each of you. Randee Milleville Greenacres