Letters To The Editor

PEOPLE IN SOCIETY

A child has been savaged; Care

I read the March 2 article regarding the child referred to as Girl X. This 9-year-old resides in Cabrini-Green in Chicago, one of the worst housing projects in the country. On Jan. 9, she was raped, strangled with her own shirt, forced to drink gasoline, kicked in the head and had gang tags scribbled on her body with a marker. She lived.

After reading this article, I tried to find someone who was as shocked as I was. But no one seemed to have read the article or wanted to talk about it. It seemed like they couldn’t find the time or sympathy for these kinds of horrible crimes any more.

That a child could be of so little value is appalling.

I don’t think it’s productive to say, Shame on you, Chicago. Rather, the thing to say is shame on all of us because this isn’t an isolated event. How did we let the connective fibers of our cities disintegrate to such base levels?

Our inaction is producing as much harm as if we actually had attacked Girl X ourselves. This child isn’t alone; there are ghastly stories of abuse in every city.

Find your anger. Reach the point where you can’t take another child’s murder being reported with nonchalance. Unless our anger gets to the point of collective action, it’s just another day, another life gone.

There will be disagreements on how to circumvent these disasters, but as a community we must agree that we will end the chaos that children are growing up in. Sharon Crandall Spokane

What we have is a feminist reich

In Jennifer James’ column, “Males subjected to conflicting messages on violence” (IN Life, March 2), James uses flawed and archaic sources to draw mostly male-bashing conclusions.

It’s true that the male animal is more aggressive in social conflicts than the female. There is an exception, however, in the animal kingdom - when the female animal’s offspring are threatened, she is a terror.

Presently, most infant males are nurtured and educated by females who several years ago were bra-burning, coat hanger -waving, Roe vs. Wade disciples. They have infused this philosophy into the young minds in the school system. These females must take responsibility for causing the violent destruction of over 40 million innocent children in their quest for “equal rights.”

The naturally “gentler sex” has become the aggressor and has killed more innocent victims than that mustached, goosestepping, swastika-wearing painter from Bavaria.

James, take credit for the achievements your sex has made in obtaining the approval of the president of the United States for this dilemma. And when you asked the question, “Look at the men and boys you love. What are you willing to do for them and for America?” I say, let them live. That’s real love. Jack Raleigh Spokane

Watchdog approach often detrimental

Some time ago, in your marriage column, I read with amusement this story: A husband confesses to adultery. His wife, backed by a professional counselor, arranges for him to carry a cellular phone and call her during the day, reporting his activities so she knows where he is and what he’s doing. This wife is upgraded to a parole officer monitoring her husband’s activities.

What does that arrangement achieve? Can carrying a cellular phone prevent somebody from engaging in extramarital sex? I don’t think so. But making a wife a de facto police officer can have big impact indeed: It creates an unbearable atmosphere, damages communication and can ultimately result in divorce.

I think something similar is happening in all the commotion about public education today. Teachers cannot work in the atmosphere of distrust that is demonstrated by the list of regulations telling them what they can and cannot do, can and cannot teach.

Proposed legislation would let parents to review all school materials. What would that be good for? Would that weed out bad teaching? Of course not.

Reviewing and understanding materials requires qualification many parents lack, so confusion may result. And, it creates an atmosphere of distrust that could keep some bright young people from becoming teachers. Peter C. Dolina Veradale

Suicides don’t outweigh Bible sanction

Re: Marion Dumoulin’s letter about gay and lesbian youths being most suicide prone. Dumoulin seems to be saying that because of the high rate of teen gay suicides, society should accept immoral behavior so they feel better about themselves.

The problem arises, however, that showing acceptance of deviant behavior encourages other young people who have been approached by other deviants to try it. It’s like giving condoms to school kids who have never tried sex. It’s saying, “Gee, it’s OK to do; my teacher gave them to me.” Once someone tries homosexual sex, it may be easier to think they must be gay than to believe they have done something immoral. It could become a lifestyle they might never have been in if society had said firmly: It is immoral.

All morals, like all basic laws, are based on the Bible. God said not to steal, murder or bear false witness. The same God also said no same-sex or sex with animals. Would we make sex with animals OK if enough people said they were born that way? God help us. Forrest R. Fichthorn Spokane

BUSINESS AND LABOR

McDonald’s deserves a break today

I felt the slam at McDonald’s in “Big Mac attack” (Business, Feb. 27) was disgusting.

The paper is full all the time of coupons from other restaurants offering “buy one, get one free” and various bargains in an effort to entice more customers. Why is it so wrong for McDonald’s to offer a 55-cent Big Mac?

In the same article, Michael Jacobson chastised McDonald’s for not encouraging its customers to eat a healthier diet. People who patronize fast food restaurants don’t care about healthy diets. If they did, they wouldn’t be there. If Jacobson had done his homework he would have found that McDonald’s sandwiches have less fat and cholesterol than those of their competitors’.

McDonald’s sales may be in a slump now, but it has a good reputation and a good product, so it will pull out of it.

Everyone should read the book, “McDonald’s, Behind the Arches” by John F. Love. It is really interesting and informative.

McDonald’s has prepared more young people to go out into the business world than any other company of its kind. Gwen Ruegsegger Otis Orchards

Regulators, look at US West

Despite my long-term dislike of Washington Water Power Co.’s attempts to influence public policy, I believe the company’s employees, hence the company as well, deserve praise for their work during the ice storm. This is especially true when one compares WWP’s response with that of US West.

We were without electric power for nine days but were never given cause to doubt the sincerity of WWP’s efforts. By contrast, we had no phone service for approximately 16 days and were never able to contact anyone locally until my wife visited US West’s so-called customer relations office. When she did, we received a prompt but very grudging response.

Why should US West receive so little attention while WWP submits to so much public scrutiny? Donald M. Barnes Spokane

Wanted: weekday movie matinees

Regarding staff writer Dan Webster’s Feb. 27 commentary, it’s great to learn that Spokane is becoming a movie town. It is therefore surprising that theater owners do not better serve the public by offering at least one midweek matinee that mirrors the weekend matinee schedule.

Surely there is a large enough audience out there from amongst retirees, homemakers, shift workers, visitors, etc., to justify a midweek matinee where one can enter and leave the theater during daylight hours. There must be plenty of folks who cannot, or prefer not to, attend the cinema at night or on weekends.

I wonder at the wisdom of constructing 24 screens for the River Park Square project. Presumably, that cinema would also offer matinees on weekends only. How, therefore, would the cinema complex contribute to rejuvenating downtown businesses?

I hope Webster is right in stating that Spokane can support a broad film selection - perhaps from as many as 80 screens in the near future. If so, the theater owners ought to encourage their potential audience by offering flexible scheduling to serve people’s varied needs. Judy Belous Spokane

WHAT’S IN A NAME

Make it Latah and open to salmon

As the photographer for the 1997 Latah Creek calendar, I would like to add to “Creek with two names” by Jim Kershner (March 4).

By using the derogatory name Hangman Creek, we continue down the well worn path of Manifest Destiny. This is just another reminder of the hate, racism and bullying that seems to occur here much too often, and at all levels. We need to remember this terrible deed; but to dwell on the negative does not encourage us to solve problems, only to repeat them. Symbols, words, names and images empower all who wish to use them.

While we have called this creek Hangman for a couple of generations, how many generations before us have referred to it as Latah?

Twenty-five years ago we held a world exposition with an environmental theme. Latah has yet to see the return of a single one of the salmon that once choked its mouth on their way to spawning beds. Lau-Taw, Lar-Too or Latah is the only name decision we need to make on this creek with two names. Then begin the most important work returning the salmon to spawn and jump once again. John S. Lewis Spokane

Name choice should be simple

Re: staff writer Jim Kershner’s IN Life feature on the controversy of Latah Creek vs. Hangman Creek. Here are a couple of questions that may help make up a reasonable person’s mind:

Should we immortalize a small group of men who hanged another man without a trial over a century ago? Or should we instead reinstate the decision of both the 1899 Washington Legislature and the 1904 federal board to make the name Latah Creek official?

Latah is the original Native American name for the beautiful, winding creek they called “jumping fish.”

How would you like to live on Hangman’s Lane instead of Latah Lane? That’s my street. (As a relative newcomer to Spokane, the answer from my out-of-state friends is unanimous.) Ruth Dixon Spokane

THE ENVIRONMENT

Don’t worry, be happy, duh

The Government Accounting Office, Sen. Larry Craig and the forestry industry have declared there is no need for further regulation of our national forests, an edict antipodal to National Geographic (March 1997) coverage of the same topic. Any person who has walked for four days in one direction can attest to forest conditions.

Local ad campaigns from timber interests are reminiscent of RJ Reynolds scientists’ logic. Timber industry experts agree that it cannot be definitively proven that logging increases deforestation.

Everyone knows just as many trees exist now as in the past. Indeed, furniture makers are amazed at the glut of fine-grained hardwood and 200-foot lengths of straightgrained lumber. As with the explorers of the 1800s, outdoorsmen are still overwhelmed with the extreme darkness and oppressive feelings our dense forestation imparts on thousands of square miles.

Forested regions take hikers and hunters weeks to emerge from, provided they can survive attack by wolves, grizzly bears, mountain lions, rivers full of migrating salmon and stampedes of caribou, moose and elk.

Undeniably Pacific Northwest forests are as healthy, diverse and substantial as ever. There’s no environmental deterioration, siltation of salmon streams, species extinction or loss to future generations.

The Forest dis-Service and bean counters in Washington, under the indirect thumb of PAC dollar peddling, have ordered rose-colored glasses, Life magazine and “Ozzie and Harriet” pabulum for public consumption. All served in pork belly sandwiches between slices of economic impact bread, pasted together with deceptions and misrepresentations. It’s fodder the foresighted are expected to willingly swallow, and future generations are forced to choke down. Robert Oeinck Spokane

Action better late than never

Idaho Division of Environmental Quality Director Wally Cory would have you believe the nasty federal government is beating up on poor little Idaho again in an effort to protect Idaho’s water quality (Spokesman-Review, Feb. 28). Nothing could be further from the truth.

Here’s just one example that directly affects the people of the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area. In 1988, EPA disapproved of Idaho’s “industrial use” designation for the South Fork Coeur d’Alene River. Approval of the designation would have meant any cleanup of heavy metals in the river would only be to a level necessary to support industrial uses. No fish, no wading.

This was a clear violation of the Clean Water Act’s goal of restoring all the waters of the nation to be fishable and swimmable.

After disapproval, the state had 90 days to reclassify the river. If the state failed to act, EPA was to issue the designation promptly. The state did nothing. EPA did nothing.

In the meantime, millions of pounds of lead and other metals continued their relentless flow into Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane River.

Last May, the Inland Empire Public Lands Council and Idaho conservation groups said enough is enough - enough children have been poisoned, enough swans have died, enough promises have been broken - and went to federal court.

Now, with court-ordered backbone, EPA will act where Idaho hasn’t and set the base line for cleaning up the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene watershed. It’s about time. Mark Solomon Inland Empire Public Lands Council, Moscow