Letters To The Editor

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Training not an adequate defense

The Feb. 21 editorial, “Immunizations not best response” (Opinion), regarding the spread and control of hepatitis A, requires some deeper thought.

There is no question that consistently good personal and environmental hygiene, including hand washing, will help prevent the spread of most infectious diseases.

John Kafentzis’ statement concluded that instead of asking for $900,000 from the state for hepatitis A vaccine to help vaccinate our community, including children and the elderly, “How about an all-out education campaign? If people can be trained to wear seat belts, they can certainly learn good personal and kitchen hygiene.”

If we accept his premise, the real question is, how many people consistently wear seat belts or secure their dependent children or frail elderly in their automobiles? Daily reports of injuries and deaths in motor vehicles refute any notion that the response to our concerted seat belt “training” has produced complete compliance.

Complete compliance is an issue. How would compliance and the effects of our training for hygiene be measured or audited? Perhaps by crossing our fingers and hoping for no acceleration of the problem.

Medical literature states that the hepatitis A vaccine offers 97 percent immunity between two and four weeks following the first vaccination, and 100 percent immunity after the second and last injection in six months. Several of our community food handling services deeply considered this public health issue and subsequently offered reliable immunizing protection to their employees and patrons, disregarding their costs. And, the Spokane County Health District has petitioned our governor for funds to assist in vaccinating our citizens, including our children and vulnerable elderly.

They should be publicly commended for their concern, efforts and their loyalty to our community. Edie M. Fruit, R.N. Spokane

Food handlers not the only vectors

Thank you for your insightful update to the hepatitis issue. As a food handler working in the restaurant industry, I am glad to finally have someone confirm what we all know already: We are not the main problem. We do believe in cleanliness, as your article points out.

According to your numbers, we account for only .049 percent of all individuals reported. Who are the rest and what are they doing. Are their livelihoods being attacked in the news media as those in the restaurant industry are? Donae Thornburg Spokane

IN THE PAPER

McNaughton’s passing is news

I read in the Seattle paper on Jan. 20 that Pemco Financial Center CEO Stanley O. McNaughton had passed away Jan. 19. When I called and asked The Spokesman-Review if it was also going to report this as news, I was told that since McNaughton was not born in or had not lived in Spokane, doing so is against the rules.

Mr. McNaughton touched many hands and hearts throughout the state of Washington. I do not think there are many companies in this state that give a percentage of their pre-tax profits back to the community in the form of scholarships, junior achievements and donating to organizations that help physically and mentally disadvantaged children, and to many more who just need help. This help was given throughout the state, including the Spokane area. Many citizens involved in public and private education in the Eastern Washington area knew him personally.

On Feb. 18, McNaughton was to have received the Washington State Medal of Merit award. This is the highest award bestowed on a citizen of the state of Washington.

McNaughton’s family received this award in his behalf. I had certainly hoped this newspaper would consider reporting on the details of this ceremony and award, even though McNaughton did not live on this side of the state. It would seem the least this newspaper could do for a very honored citizen. Marjorie Winkler-Schultz Spokane

‘Coppelia’ story most welcome

Kudos to staff writer Susan English for the Feb. 19 article and picture regarding the two performances of “Coppelia” at The Met on Feb. 21. Dance Theatre Northwest truly deserves that kind of publicity for this major undertaking.

The community should know that this full-length classical ballet has been entirely produced, directed, costumed and danced by local talent.

Hopefully, attendance will be spurred by your news coverage, and Dance Theatre Northwest can continue to bring quality productions of classical works to Spokane. Nancy and Bob Lochmiller Spokane

TV Week much improved

The Spokesman-Review’s recent changes to its television guide booklet are wonderful. I immediately noticed and took a complete liking to this newly formatted guide. The old version was cumbersome by comparison. I will never want to buy any other guide. Cindy J. Greever Spokane

PEOPLE IN SOCIETY

For us, family comes first

Re: Karen D. Peck’s letter of Feb. 23, “Rosemond still doesn’t get it.”

I, too, feel that syndicated columnist John Rosemond is often way off base and I question the intent of the Promise Keepers. However, I also have to question the wisdom of Peck’s approach to child rearing.

In a two-parent family with children at home, the family comes first - not the husband, the wife or children. I believe that parents must nurture their relationship first in order to be there to nurture their children as best they possibly can.

My children know they mean everything to their father and me. They also know we mean everything to each other. They are aware that we, as parents, adults and husband and wife, need time alone with each other to keep our marriage strong. They know their father is every bit as much of a parent as I am and is perfectly capable of making reasonable, well-thought-out decisions on their behalf.

My husband doesn’t need Promise Keepers because he knows how to keep a promise. He’s not head of the family and neither am I. We make decisions together when possible and separately when necessary, with neither of us having a superior vote. The family welfare comes first, which means we take into consideration how all decisions affect each child and each adult and the family as a whole. Deborah Lawrence Hale Greenacres

Plight of disabled made clear

Re: Amy Warren’s “Your Turn” about disabled people.

What a well-written column. She brought up some valid points. I can empathize with her situation.

I witnessed a disabled person being harassed. I went over to where a man was yelling at a woman in handicapped parking. The man was yelling that she couldn’t park there without a placard. The woman was explaining she had a plate. She was visibly shaken. I saw her disabled plate myself and showed it to him. I turned to leave, thinking everything was fine and he yelled at her again. This time, he claimed it was probably her grandmother’s car. I just left. Now, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t do more.

After I read Warren’s column, I realized I should have handled this differently. I could have told them to call the police. I could have helped the woman into the store or asked the manager to help her.

I’ve never thought about the different challenges a disabled person encounters. Not only do they have physical obstacles to overcome but also society’s stereotypes of what a disabled person looks like.

Thanks to Warren for her insightful and educating letter. She sounds like a courageous woman who can overcome any challenge. Russ Mitchell Spokane

Guess who’s coming to dinner?

After inaugurating its program of welfare reform, the state of Idaho Department of Health and Welfare conducted a survey and found that half of those formerly on the welfare rolls in that state have found jobs.

To the remaining 50 percent I say, welcome to Washington. Mary R. McDonnell Chewelah, Wash.

CREATION VS. EVOLUTION

Myth should not prevail over science

So, the Post Falls School District is considering again the teaching of creationism in the classroom.

I wonder which creation myth will be taught: the Judeo-Christian myth of Adam and Eve? The Aztec myth of the Lord and Lady Pair? The Five Sisters of the Thompson People of British Columbia? The Adroa creator of Zaire? The Maheo of our own Cheyenne? What about Pirusha and Virac in India?

There is no reason whatsoever to believe our creation story is any more valid than anyone else’s. The school district, and all others tending toward creationism, should realize that while the myths all vary, scientific explanations are virtually the same worldwide.

We have as many creation myths as we do cultures that created them. Primitive peoples used myth and fable to explain the unknown, but we know much more about the universe today.

Science blows away the misty fog, replacing it with developing theory and accumulated facts. The beauty, poetry and sweep of primitive myths are inspiring stories, but are best left as a legacy of literature, not science.

Much progressive Christian teaching perceives no difficulty at all with reconciling faith with the march of science. Children deserve better than to have those in charge of their education collapse under the attack of dying superstition. Fred Glienna Coeur d’Alene

Keep clear what is faith, science

It appears that the seemingly eternal debate between the teachings of evolution and creationism has surfaced again in North Idaho.

At any one time, this issue is on the front burner somewhere in the country. The arguments never change. Creationism proponents are again disingenuously claiming their belief is “scientific.” This belief is no more scientific than the ancient Greeks’ belief that Atlas supported the weight of the world on his mighty shoulders.

To hide behind the mantel of science is doing a great disservice to the religious faiths they supposedly adhere to. But religion cannot be taught in schools, so they disguise their faith in an effort to fool the masses.

Steven Taylor is quoted as saying that both evolution and creationism are “equally testable and equally falsifiable.” This is one of the bedrocks of what constitutes a viable scientific theory. It must have the capacity of being found false.

Many aspects of evolution have changed over the years since Darwin and Wallace first codified its principles. No proponent of evolution would blanch if a more viable theory were to come along. That is the way of scientific theory and fact.

Teacher Steve Taylor, what in creationism is falsifiable? If evolution were proven beyond a shadow of a doubt (which it has been), would you admit creationism has been disproved and thus cross the barrier that separates science from religion?

I am in no way attacking anyone’s faith. But keep it out of the scientific debate, where it becomes vulnerable. Larry O. Henderson Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Schools only shun Christian religion

It’s interesting that Washington law prohibits the teaching of religion in public schools, yet my sixth-grader at Riverside Middle School has studied Mohammed and the Muslim religion, as well as mind control and hypnosis. They have studied the Big Bang and other theories as well. It seems that only Christian theories and history cannot be taught. Yet all other religions have a hands-on approach. What a disgusting dichotomy. Karen E. Nelli Colbert

Pornography foe tortures logic

In her most recent letter to the editor, Penny Lancaster tried to prove that there is a direct connection between pornography and crime.

Unfortunately for her case, she did this by such an egregious example of bad logic that it is worthwhile pointing it out, since she frequently uses the same type of logic in letters to the editor and in her many appearances before local legislators.

She says, in essence, that because a criminal has admitted enjoying pornography, then it has caused him to commit his crime. If the investigator had asked several criminals if they enjoyed chocolate ice cream, and they said yes, then by an exact analogy to her logic, we could safely conclude that eating chocolate ice cream causes people to commit crimes.

Now, I am not defending pornography as something powerfully ennobling to human culture. But if, as Lancaster claims, Americans spend more than $8 billion annually on pornography, there are a heck of a lot more people looking at it than there are criminals. It is outrageous of her to try to portray pornography as the root cause of most personal crimes in America - an insult to people who understand common sense and logic.

We need to reconsider her attempts to get local legislators to rewrite statutes to satisfy her personal moral code, especially if she is getting them to make those changes on the basis of this poor excuse for logical thinking. Greg M. Presley Spokane

Rivers shows professionalism

Congratulations to the one responsible for hiring staff writer Robin Rivers. At last, a newsperson who is dedicated to reporting the news, rather than attempting to shape public opinion.

On KSPS’ “Spokane This Week,” Feb. 30, Rivers was on a panel of newspaper, TV and radio newspeople. Unlike her co-panelists, she refused to express personal opinions regarding several stories currently dominating the local news.

My hat is off to this personable young woman who conducted herself like a reporter, rather than a media celebrity. Things are really looking up in Spokane when, on a week’s news-in-review program, a viewer may watch objective news reporting from the likes of Rivers and Paul Deanno of KREM TV, rather than the usual politically motivated bilge usually offered up. Gene K. Ealy Coeur d’ Alene

Clinton should behave morally

Re: Darren E. Reed’s Feb. 14 letter, “Clinton’s doing a good job.” I’m deeply aggrieved that people in our country and community are more concerned about finances than family and value money over morals.

President Clinton is a leader who has chosen to put his private life on display by pursuing public office. He has the responsibility to set an example for younger generations, not just to provide for their economic future. When Queen Elizabeth I executed a relative, it was a totally different situation in a very different country and time. If the queen of England arranged the execution of a relative today, I doubt she would continue to rule, capably or not, or that anyone would say her private life should be separate from her public or professional performance. Marchauna Rodgers Edwall, Wash.

Defending the indefensible

Do you suppose letter writers Al Mangan and Rod Stackelberg want to wait until Saddam Hussein kills a million Kuwaitis and a million Israelis, and scatters his insanity across America, before they think we should have attacked in 1998? Saddam has violated his agreement with the United Nations. Isn’t that reason enough to know he is completely unreliable? How dare anyone trust this man? C.F. Brenton Spokane