Letters To The Editor

HEALTH CARE

Moves have fatal consequences

In the 1993 legislative session, because of a recommendation by Gov. Mike Lowry, a bill was passed to close Interlake School, a state institution for the mentally retarded.

Early in 1994, Interlake residents - some of the most profoundly retarded and medically fragile in the state - were beginning to be moved into the care of private vendors or into other state institutions. These moves were to save the state money but did not. And, they had unintended consequences.

There is a phenomenon that physicians observed in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the wholesale closure of institutions for the retarded. They gave the name “transfer trauma syndrome” to the inordinate number of deaths without any observable reason among residents who were moved either into the “community” or to other institutions.

From 1990 to 1993 there was an average of 16 deaths per year in state institutions for the retarded. In 1994, after the closure of Interlake, the year’s total jumped to 26.

The Division of Developmental Disabilities cannot account for this large increase in deaths.

I think the displacement of Interlake residents and the moving of other institutional residents from one institution to another, even to a different cottage within the institution, was the cause. Don Zalesky Connell, Wash.

We rate Group Health tops

We’ve noticed some disparaging material recently about HMOs in general and Group Health in particular.

My husband and I have always received excellent care from Group Health. The center where we receive care is staffed with knowledgeable health care workers, physicians and nurses. It does not resemble an assembly line.

The friendly office staff members have on several occasions gone out of their way to schedule appointments and medical tests on short notice. The specialists to which we have been referred have been conscientious and professional. Angela and Brian Lalonde Veradale

HIGHEST REGARDS

Honor our farmers and ranchers

This is National Agriculture Week. When you say grace before your meals this week, take time to say a prayer for the farmers and ranchers who produced the food for your table.

The average farmer today provides food and fiber for 129 people; 97 in the United States and 32 abroad. Agriculture employs about 18.5 percent of the U.S. labor force in getting the food from the farm to your table.

Just remember, food does not grow on grocery store shelves. It takes a lot of people involved in agriculture to keep this country going, and farmers play the key role.

So to all the farmers who provide for all my needs, from the orange juice and cereal at breakfast to the cotton sheets I crawl into at bedtime: Thank you for supplying abundant, safe and wholesome food, improving technology, contributing to this country’s economic growth and preserving the environment for our children. I pray you will not become another endangered species. Kathleen Carstens Greenacres

Mack served the people well

The death of Allan Mack, a Stevens County commissioner for nearly eight years, has brought sadness and fond memories to every county courthouse in Washington.

Mack volunteered to work and worked well with others as part of a team. His thinking was positive and clear. He spoke gently but with great authority, did what he said he would do and did not fear stepping forward to lead.

For these reasons and for his humanity - a genuine warmth and interest in others wrapped in a layer of limitless generosity and energy - the people of Stevens County elected him to lead.

In addition, Mack was an officer in the Eastern District of the Association of Counties and was vice president of the Washington State Association of Counties. He was an early initiator and co-chairman of the Martin Hall Consortium, a group of Eastern Washington counties determined to convert a state-owned building at Medical Lake into a multi-county juvenile detention center.

Legislation to move the Martin Hall project ahead has just passed the Legislature and serves as yet another tribute to our late friend and leader.

Mack’s overcoming of barriers, reaching out, resolving issues and solving problems shows a path that all persons in public life could benefit by following. He was particularly disappointed by the anger and lack of civility that diminish public service and people’s respect for their institutions and elected leaders.

This wonderful man lit candles; he never cursed the dark. Gary Lowe, executive director Washington State Association of Counties, Olympia

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Intolerance makes for bad education

Re: “Anti-gay rule gags teachers, spurs lawsuit” (March 4):

School is where kids are supposed to be exposed to the world. An educated person makes independent decisions and is aware of the world and those who make it go around. It’s our job as teachers to expose these kids to worlds outside their own, to see places they can’t afford to go and to help them sort out the world they live in. It is our job to educate them.

Gays play a large part in today’s creative world. We listen to their music, read their prose, see their art. To deny kids these things because of the intolerance of someone on the school board is to blind them to a necessary part of our world.

A school’s position should be one of neutrality on political and social issues. It’s our job to present information from the middle and let the children decide what they believe. To prohibit information regarding homosexuality teaches intolerance. It’s not the school’s job to say whether homosexuality is an acceptable way of life or not.

It upsets me to know that intolerant people such as Chris Ager are making rules in our schools. I try to teach equality among all humans. Although I remain neutral in my classroom, I see nothing wrong with homosexuals.

I would not work for a school board that would pass such a measure. I certainly wouldn’t let my kids attend school in a district that has such a policy.

When education is being sacrificed because of someone’s intolerant views, it doesn’t surprise me that kids are growing apathetic. Deborah L. Silver Moses Lake

Cautionary tale worth knowing

I just read Muriel Tingley’s letter about taking away the book “The Giver” from schools.

This fiction book is about a community where the people don’t have choices. Interestingly, this society has no books. A few people make choices for the whole community.

In this perfect community there is no crime, hunger or pain. They lack colors and feelings. This is why they are able to kill some newborns and the elderly.

This book is like what Tingley wants to do. She wants to make choices for everyone, like taking away one of my favorite books.

I’m 11 years old and this book is suitable for me and my 9-year-old brother and my 8-year-old sister. It’s actually a book about hope and courage. Please don’t limit our choices by removing the book “The Giver.” Arielle Ring Spokane

THE MEDIA

Let unidentified be just that

In a March 15 article covering the death of a woman on the South Hill it was stated that police wouldn’t reveal the woman’s identity. Immediately following, the woman’s address, description and place of employment were given in the story. Her family hadn’t been informed yet.

When a person is to remain anonymous, let them be. D.E. Krell Spokane

Cartoonist’s slam a low blow

This is in response to the March 3 Milt Priggee cartoon blaming the timber industry for last month’s flooding.

I can’t help but think that maybe all the families in Kingston, Cataldo and St. Maries who are supported by timber dollars should reconsider before paying next month’s subscription to The Spokesman-Review. Perhaps this would make your cartoonist think twice before bashing an industry that is the livelihood of so many people in this area.

By the way, Priggee, do you think the fact that it rained for four days straight and that temperatures climbed near 50 degrees on top of 12 to 18 inches of snow in the mountains could have had anything to do with the flooding? Kevin Jones Kingston, Idaho

Forget general quarters; just laugh

Regarding the March 15 letter, “Error sign of leftist-pacifist cabal”:

Duncan Palmatier, as a U.S. Navy veteran, I, too, was initially elated to see that our endeared battleships were in service again, only to read further and discover the slightly annoying, yet humorous, press blunder.

Of course, not everyone in the world can distinguish between “battleship” (the class; one word there) and the generic “warship,” as I’m certain very few can distinguish between “hemidemisemiquaver” and “note.” Thus, I assure you, the error in journalism had nothing to do with a “left-wing, peacemongering, liberal media cabal” or any conspiracy thereof. So why not just kick back, chuckle quietly and be proud that you, and a limited few, can tell the difference?

Besides, you could always subscribe exclusively to the Navy Times and allow us humans to make an occasional mistake, liberal or not. S.M. Kelly Spokane

Would-be censors distorting truth

In her March 13 commentary, “Let’s crack down on Internet barbarism,” columnist Arianna Huffington states that she would “sacrifice the rights of millions of Americans to have easy Internet access.”

How does this differ from burning books? Aren’t many such things done to protect our children?

Huffington believes that the “red-light districts” of the Internet can “invade our homes and our children’s minds.” This is simply not true. There is no invasion.

The Internet is structured in such a way that information is not forced upon the user. There are software packages, many of them free, that enable parents to impose restrictions on the types of information accessed using the Internet. This is an ideal opportunity for parents and children to spend valuable time together. Dave Gray Idaho Falls, Idaho

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Franke needs course in parenting

Our illustrious student body president, Justin Franke, claims that child care subsides to students who are parents at Eastern Washington University is just a handout, and that the money could be put to better use for clubs and campus events.

Wake up, Franke. Child care in our nation is an issue that continues to haunt us.

How many people do you think live on welfare because it is more cost-effective to stay home and watch their children themselves, rather than go to school or get a job? When someone has the ambition to pursue an education they should be supported, not punished, for having children.

I am currently a junior at EWU. I am also the proud parent of three children. Balancing the duties of parent and student is difficult enough without having to choose between child care and a campus concert.

I already pay $40 per quarter for health insurance that I don’t need but was not given a choice to refuse, thanks to our innovative student body. I would much rather donate my money to a more worthy cause, such as the child care program. It is something that would give more people the opportunity to get an education - which would cut the cost of the welfare program.

Maybe as an elective our student body president should take a course in parenting. This would allow him to see some of the issues that students who are parents face in this very real world.

Be a part of the solution, not the problem. David Ganas Spokane

Dormitory not pork project

Your March 11 article regarding the $8.2 million dormitory at Fairchild Air Force Base gives unwarranted attention and undeserved credibility to the so-called “pork list.”

First, the new dormitory for unaccompanied, junior enlisted members is specifically designed to meet new quality of life standards established by the secretary of defense following congressional hearings.

Second, renovation of the old dormitories was not economically feasible due to costs associated with energy efficiency, seismic compliance, etc.

Third, this construction item was part of the budget, previously authorized and brought forward into the current budget to hasten compliance with administration quality of life standards.

Fourth, these dormitories are modest by any standards: a private sleeping area with shared kitchen and bath. These are necessary amenities in these days of an all-volunteer military with its recruiting and retention challenges.

Finally, the “local or special interest” served is the provision of suitable housing, in keeping with the need to maintain a global reach and national security by our neighbors at Fairchild AFB.

Your article would have been more balanced and informative if the writer noted that “pork criteria” leave few if any projects outside the pig pen. Instead, you merely took your usual, thoughtless tack - a cheap shot at Rep. George Nethercutt. And in the process, insulted the young enlisted people at Fairchild AFB. Give us a break! Jim McDevitt Spokane

WILDLIFE

Snare use barbaric, indefensible

Behind every inhumane wildlife control method is someone who failed to act responsibly. That includes The Nature Conservancy’s use of cruel wire snares to kill animals (“Pig control drives group hog wild,” Feb. 18).

Animals caught in snares take days to die. Their flesh rots while they are still alive. They await death unable to obtain food or water or to seek shelter. They die of starvation or dehydration or the infection caused by the deep gash the snare’s wire cuts as the animal struggles to escape.

An eyewitness wrote that a wild pig discovered alive in a Nature Conservancy snare in Hawaii suffered as maggots that bred in the wound covered the animal’s face and entered her eyes, mouth and nostrils. Pregnant, she aborted her litter when put out of her misery by a bullet. Is avoidable misery what people want when they support conservation? I don’t think so.

The deputy director for Hawaii of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Damage Control wrote to The Nature Conservancy: “Suitable alternative methods are … available (and) they need to be implemented by competent professionals … and wildlife biologists trained in animal damage control.” He’s right, and The Nature Conservancy knows it, because under pressure the group claims to be removing its snares, though too slowly to ensure an end to the suffering. David J. Cantor, senior researcher People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Washington, D.C.