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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Letters To The Editor

LAW ENFORCEMENT

WSP plays ‘politics at its best’

“DWI politics nabs trooper” (Nov. 16) is one of the most disgusting articles I’ve ever read. The state trooper who arrested 137 drunk drivers in 1995 and 103 in 1996 received commendation from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, yet he is told he cannot arrest anyone on the Indian reservation even though he no doubt has saved many lives.

I wonder if the tribal leaders or members of their families have been arrested at any time? I note they did not return repeated phone calls. Your article neglected to state how many DWI citations have been issued by the Spokane Tribe Police Department in the same period. It could prove interesting.

Washington State Patrol Sgt. David McMillan’s transfer from Colville to Bremerton is politics at its best. The whole affair is politically motivated and I agree with Trooper David Fenn. I also have lost a great deal of respect for WSP and its management. Marie E. Yates Spokane

Tell legislators about WSP decision

Re: the Nov. 16 article about the state trooper and his supervisor being relocated from the Colville area for writing too many DWI tickets.

If one looks at the facts you will see that many accidents are caused by alcohol. With this in mind, DWI tickets are needed to let people know they have had too much to drink. These officers should be commended rather than disciplined.

We urge all who agree to write to their state senators, representatives, the governor and the chief of the Washington State Patrol. The people of the community should be involved in these issues. Lloyd and Beverly Henry Colville, Wash.

Need is for stronger enforcement

Several recent letters concerned the placement of three or four cameras at various intersections in Spokane to discourage red light running - a characteristic Spokane seems to be famous for.

In the Nov. 16 Spokesman-Review there was a story about a couple of state troopers who were reassigned because one was writing too many tickets on or near the Spokane Reservation.

There shouldn’t be three or four cameras - there should be 300 or 400. You run a light, you get a ticket. Period.

For the personal safety of the officers, I am glad they were moved. For the safety of the residents of south Stevens County, I have some fear that enforcement may not be as good as it could be because of this incident.

Violation of traffic laws, especially red light running and driving while intoxicated, are very life-threatening. This is not a game. Residents of the reservation don’t have to worry about getting traffic tickets if they obey the law. Spokane residents and visitors needn’t worry about the cameras if they stop at intersections when they are supposed to. John P. May Chewelah, Wash.

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

It’s clear writer has much to learn

As parents of a fifth-grader at Sunnyside School here in Pullman, we are very angry at the distorted view of our school system presented in Parade Magazine’s recent article, “What’s it like in fifth grade?” (included in your Oct. 26 issue).

Two negative points were emphasized.

First, the author described an instructional aide as a “guard” assigned to watch over a student who had exhibited violent behavior in the past. Perhaps Ms. Kammen hasn’t yet noticed that most public schools - unlike her “favorite” charter school - serve all of the students in a community. Would she prefer that special-needs children be locked up? Or that the schools take no action, therefore putting the other children at risk?

Second, she was annoyed that the students tried to turn her “lesson” about the Continental Congress into a discussion of personal injustices they have encountered. Well, bully for our kids! They haven’t given up on the notion that what is discussed in school is supposed to be relevant to their own lives. A good teacher would know how to guide that interest and energy.

Overall, Kammen’s criterion for a good classroom seems to be one in which kids sit down, shut up and are passively stuffed full of facts. Thank goodness she seems to have quit teaching! Mary Ann Hughes and Will Jarvis Pullman

Honesty means more than winning

With interest, I read the articles concerning Reardan School District’s move from B to A status in sports. The subheadline that read it was a “No-win for kids” is a really sad comment. Instead, the lesson of honesty by the new superintendent, Rob Clark, should have been emphasized.

Our children need to realize that we need to be fair and honest in all of our dealings - off and on the playing fields. Dawn Kuchenmeister Republic, Wash.

SCHOOLS, TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY

Bus driver rightly put safety first

I applaud the actions of bus driver Jeff Belknap, a man who makes safety a priority.

For five years I rode on “trouble buses” as a monitor for a large school district. I left that job with a lot of respect for these drivers and a knowledge of how hard a job it is. I wish these parents would take time to do a little role reversal. They should picture themselves driving a bus full of children, with no other adult on the bus.

The requirements put on these drivers are huge. They must watch the road and the children at the same time. If any child gets hurt, insulted or does damage, the parents and schools demand that the driver have witnessed the action before anything is done about it. If the driver doesn’t actually see what happens, then they aren’t doing their job. Bus drivers need not only eyes in the back of their head, they need them on both sides, too.

Parents should direct their anger at making sure each bus has a monitor.

Belknap, who should have been fully supported by Laidlaw Transportation and the school, did everything by the book. He kept these children safe and was using his authority to ensure safety for the rest of the year.

This is a good time for parents to stress to their children how important good behavior on the bus is. Accidents often happen when a driver is distracted. Discipline is not evil but a necessity for children if they are to learn proper behavior. Margaret McCleary Spokane

‘Some parents don’t have a clue’

As a bus driver myself, I have pulled my bus off to the side of the road many times. Some parents don’t have a clue about the safety problems these kids can cause. It takes supportive parents to teach their kids about bus riding safety.

The lady who stormed onto the bus just proved why these kids are the way they are. They see mom and dad acting irrationally so they follow suit.

Taking this driver off his route only made the matter worse. He did what he had to do to keep safety on the bus.

What would the lady who stormed the bus say and do if the driver was involved in an accident because of discipline problems on the bus? She would probably be the first one to sue and complain that the driver didn’t have control. The only way to get control is to pull over, get help or return to school and have the kids removed.

It is also necessary to have parental support.

To the 99.9 percent of parents in our district, I’d like to say thank you for your support. Your kids are living proof of the respect you show others and teach them because that is the way they are on most of our buses. Karen De Ruwe Otis Orchards

Driver deserves everyone’s thanks

Hooray for Jeff Belknap! (News, Nov. 13) He follows the rules of the bus company. He identifies unacceptable behavior problems and seeks a nonviolent solution. He pulls safely over onto the side of the road, avoiding physical danger for all riders. He models for younger students that swearing and disrespect are not acceptable. How fortunate for all of us in the community that we should have such a champion!

Thanks, Belknap. Peggy W. Burt Cheney

Driver alone caused youth’s death

When a tragedy occurs, society looks somewhere - anywhere - to place blame, justified or not.

In the case of Nick Scherling, fingers have been pointed at the city of Post Falls, the Post Falls School District and the voters.

Obviously, if there’s blame to be placed, it should rest solely on the shoulders of the responsible party. Period. Let’s be clear about who the real culprits in our community are. Maureen R. Smith Post Falls

BUSINESS AND LABOR

Employers, bypass personnel agencies

Kudos to the young women who brought to light the problems with personnel employment agencies.

Employers, these problems do exist. Honest and qualified job seekers are drawn through the doors of these agencies in response to one of their advertisements in the paper only to never be sent on an interview for their opening of interest.

One agency in town advertised for a position that paid more than the average position in Spokane. Qualified, I applied. After three hours of successful testing, I was informed the company was still working on securing that particular job order. The company didn’t have the job at all but was deliberately misleading individuals into believing the job existed.

This same agency advertised for a position in the newspaper as a blind box only to secure the responses to add to their customer base.

Employers, if you are looking for a well-qualified individual to fill a vacancy, do the advertising yourself. More likely than not you will be inundated with candidates who are all willing and eager to do a good job for you. Why not save yourself added expense? Go directly to the source. I will bet you will be much happier and probably end up with a lot more pennies in your pocket. W.J. Crawford Veradale

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Left wing atheists have said enough

Whoa! What’s with all this Christian bashing over Deja Vu?

You appear to be a horde of mind-numbed, left-wing, agnostic, socialistic, secular humanist infidels. Some of you may have gotten your guts from the Freedom From Religion Foundation or their tabloid newspaper, Freethought Today, which champions church-state separation and atheism. The Internet must be busy.

Hey people, this country was founded on biblical principles, not on the Treaty of Tripoli of 1797. Try reading the Supreme Court decision in 1892, Holy Trinity Church vs. U.S. I could list 50 examples of what this nation was founded on and it’s not atheism.

Biblical principles are not so harsh. If you study other beliefs and how some of them handle their infidels, you would find men getting their hands cut off and women being stoned to death, among other things.

I am fed up with being labeled for having some principles and common sense. I am not stupid and I am a Christian. Alice J. McWillliams Spokane

Ivins, mail order is about convenience

Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins gives me a pain. If I order my kids’ jeans from the Penney’s catalog, does that make me elitist? I shop by mail to save time, not to avoid paying sales tax.

Anyway, if the government has discovered a new way to raise taxes, it will happen, whether we complain about it or not. Jill Bray Deer Park

My vote requires no apologies

Please, Karen Silva-Sanborn, don’t ever apologize for me, on any subject (“People of ill will carried the day,” Letters, Nov. 16). My thoughts and my vote are my own, not subject to censorship yet. Besides, Miss Manners says it is bad manners.

Nor can anyone really have any understanding of another’s background - what education or ancestry goes into his opinions and decisions. How can I possibly think that slavery is good? Two of my grandfathers fought with the Union forces and died a few years later with TB.

How can I possibly think that Hitler was on to something? I joined the Women’s Army Air Corps in 1942 and served for three and one-half years. My husband and three brothers-in-law served that long and more. Nor can I be prejudiced against either blacks or Indians when the blood of both runs in our family.

I can, however, be annoyed when a gay is given preference, because of his lifestyle, over a man who lost an eye in the service of his country. What is fair about this when both have equal job qualifications?

Again, don’t apologize for me. M. Hackley Springer Spokane

Self-defense item ‘must’ reading

Many, many kudos to The Spokesman-Review for printing Andrea Brunais’ article, “Self-defense efficacy fails PC test” (Opinion, Nov. 16). This article should be required reading for everyone in America.

People who read a great deal have known of Gary Kleck’s work for many years. No one with an open mind should ignore his academic works, which span over 20 years.

In my 70-plus years of reading anything I could get my hands on, he has impressed me, whereas the saga of Sarah Brady’s financial interests goes unresearched. I wonder if the IRS ever considered an audit of her income, or if she contributes to the Democratic National Committee heavily.

Please keep the articles coming. If this had been printed three weeks ago, the Washington state initiative on gun control would have gone down to a greater defeat. James A. Blake Sandpoint

IN THE PAPER

Bridge image a distortion, misleading

I am appalled at your inclusion of Bob Perron’s sketch of the proposed Lincoln Street bridge on page 1 of the Nov. 19 Spokesman-Review.

The painting shows a charming, see-through bridge that is nearly invisible against the backdrop of the Washington Water Power Co. building and the upper falls, in a “view from the Monroe Street Bridge,” as your caption puts it.

In reality, that sketch is notoriously, and probably deliberately, inaccurate, as any engineer or architect with access to a CAD program could show you. The sketch was used two years ago to persuade the City Council that no visual harm would be done by building the bridge, although it was pointed out at the time that the sketch seriously distorted the actual visual impact of the bridge.

It’s hard to believe that no one at The Spokesman-Review has ever spotted the distortion, and that the paper continues to use it as a true representation of the bridge’s impact.

Certainly, you owe it to your readers to provide a more accurate image of what the bridge would actually look like, whether seen from Monroe Street or anywhere else. Robert A. Glatzer Spokane

A thought on expectorating

“A rose is a rose by any name …” for spit, the same.

Call it expectoration, saliva, sputum or spittle, it’s still just germ-filled drool and drivel. So, while columnist Jim Kershner may muse on “The manly art of spitting,” burger-flippers better swallow (“Three fired in hamburger spat”) or suffer punishment most fitting. Greg G. Wilkinson Spokane