Letters To The Editor

Wed., Sept. 17, 1997

WASHINGTON STATE

Old Colt means a lot to my family

It’s my pistol. My dad gave it to me just as his father gave it to him, just as I want to pass it on to my son. For three generations, this pistol has never been used by anyone committing a crime. Knowing my son, it never will be used that way.

It’s a veteran of four wars. In 1917, during World War I, it was issued to my granddad. It’s a Model 1911 Colt .45 semiautomatic. It was carried in the Argonne Forest and at Chateau-Therriey. It saved his life on several occasions.

The .45 was handed to my dad in 1939, when he joined the Army. Dad carried the .45 in the invasion of North Africa, and later he was in one of the first waves on Normandy’s Omaha Beach. He was saved from death by this gun. In Korea, in 1950, Dad carried it in battle against the Communists. My cousin wanted to borrow the gun when he went to Vietnam in 1965, so Dad loaned it to him and it saw service there.

My grandfather is at rest in a veteran’s grave, and dad has also passed to a hero’s reward. When I pass on, I want my son to have the pistol. If Initiative 676 passes, he may not be able to have it because of the restrictive test and provisions of the bill.

The veteran .45 lies in a drawer with other memorabilia. It’s had many parts replaced over the years, but never has or will wear a trigger lock. K.L. Osborn Spokane

Teach gun safety; Reject I-676

I’m sorry for the deaths of children by guns, but you blame everyone but yourselves. When was the first time you bought a toy gun for your child? We responsible gun owners have taught our children about guns.

To push Initiative 676 through does nothing but take away another of our constitutional rights. Maybe the people who want this should look at the bicycle-related deaths of children who have been given bikes.

Teach gun safety to kids. Show them guns arn’t toys and take the curiosity out of guns. And remember, voting for this doesn’t make a gun any safer in the hands of criminals; they won’t have safety locks on their guns. William M. Bisson Spokane

Initiative 677 invites squabbling

Initiative 677, which would protect homosexuals against job and other discrimination, has good intentions. It’s nonetheless wrong.

I have known several gays and lesbians; some became my friends. All of them are way above average professionally. Their skills and work ethics are the best guarantee of their success.

Yes, there are “special” people among us. They would discriminate against almost anybody who is different: people with an accent, of a different race, different sexual orientation. They are capable of bringing criteria into the marketplace that don’t belong there: religion, marital status, marital fidelity, etc. If those people are forced by law to exclude one group from their enemy list, would it still be a pleasure to work with them, let alone for them? And aren’t discriminating companies doomed to failure anyway?

On the other hand, this initiative is a welcome platform for losers from both sides. Homosexuals who except their different sexual orientation have nothing else to offer. Now they have a space for their never-ending whining. Their opponents are also happy. A new opportunity to talk about deviant lifestyles, family values and morality. Is the initiative really worth it? Peter C. Dolina Veradale

SPOKANE MATTERS

Support Conservation Futures

Conservation Futures is a vote on continuing a rich history of setting aside recreational and conservation lands in the Spokane area. Have you ever been to Audubon, Franklin, Lincoln or Mission parks? How about Hangman Valley, Indian Canyon or Minnehaha?

Did you know that in 1911, the citizens of Spokane approved funding for the purchase of park lands? The park system grew from less than 200 acres to several thousand at that time, when inexpensive undeveloped land was still available in a growing city. Many in 1911 thought it was pure folly to acquire all that park land.

Today, 86 years later, history has demonstrated that obtaining that land was a great idea. Consider our predecessors visionaries for leaving us pieces of public land to enjoy in a developing community.

Parks improve the quality of our lives and add greatly to the diversity of available recreational experiences for us. Open spaces can also improve air and water quality.

Eighty-six years from now will be the year 2083. What will future generations say about us? Will we leave them great neighborhood and community parks?

The annual cost of Conservation Futures to the average homeowner is equivalent to cost of a movie pass or lunch. Yet the benefits are great for both now and the future. The advisory vote on Conservation Futures is still a couple months away, but please take the time to help future generations. Randy J. Knight Spokane

Smooth way for Davenport restoration

If we had an award for tenacious, courageous, constructive investors, it certainly should go to Ronald Wai Choi Ng, owner of the Davenport Hotel.

Several years ago, when our city needed another major hotel and none of us were willing to make the commitment, Ng stepped forward to make both a personal and community investment.

As a matter of record, since the date of his purchase, he has encountered many obstacles that would have discouraged most investors. The recent announcement that construction will soon commence is certainly a victory for this entire area. I understand that Ng was primarily interested in selecting one of Spokane’s outstanding construction companies and did so (the Shea Co.) “to keep the money at home.”

I sincerely hope all local agencies make a special effort to assist the Shea Co. and Ng in making this local dream a reality.

When the Davenport is restored, which will significantly add to the downtown restoration, I am certain the people of this area will show their appreciation and support. Dave Hamer Spokane

Get Lincoln Street bridge facts

Two letters published Sept. 3 supporting early development of the Lincoln Street bridge were so well-written, I’m sorry I didn’t write them myself. Both recognized the importance of the bridge to efforts to:

Redevelop the critical tax-generating downtown core.

Improve traffic flow into and through the downtown area by creating an eventual one-way bridge combination across the river.

Because of recent news articles and letters to the editor that asked questions concerning the Lincoln Street bridge, in some cases questioning the validity of decisions made over the past several years, the Spokane Area Good Roads Association asked the bridge engineering firm CH2M Hill to respond to a list of often-asked questions. The questions and CH2M Hill’s answers have been printed in Transportation Topics, the Association’s newsletter.

Anyone who wants a copy of this edition of the newsletter may obtain one by sending a stamped, selfaddressed envelope to Spokane Area Good Roads Association, P.O. Box 2518, Spokane, WA 99220-2518.

The Lincoln Street bridge is an important, positive addition to Spokane’s future traffic-moving system. Citizens concerned about various aspects of the proposal would do well to get as much information as possible before making negative judgments. Wouldn’t you agree? Dale F. Stedman, Secretary Spokane Area Good Roads Association

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