Letters To The Editor

Thu., April 8, 1999

FIREARMS

Clinton still no friend of gun owners

President Clinton sounds like a National Rifle Association member (“Clinton orders federal-local war on illegal guns,” March 21). For the past seven years, Clinton has waged a federal-local war on law-abiding gun owners, instead. For instance, the Clinton administration is registering all newly purchased firearms with the FBI, a blatant violation of not only the Brady law but the Firearms Owner Protection Act. Historically, gun registration has always been a prelude to gun confiscation.

Richmond, Va., has a highly successful program called Project Exile that specifically targets gun-carrying felons. The U.S. attorney’s office in Richmond claims that Project Exile has saved hundreds of lives. Yet the Clinton administration has ignored this program. Why? Clinton seems to be more interested in harassing honest gun owners than addressing the criminal misuse of firearms.

The NRA recently donated $100,000 to keep Project Exile afloat. It also runs ads in newspapers such as USA Today, asking Clinton why he has ignored Project Exile.

Now, Clinton, surrounded by a few token police officers and Attorney General Janet Reno, announces that his administration has supported Project Exile all along. But Clinton also told us that he never had relations with Monica Lewinsky.

Unlike the hypocritical Clinton administration, the NRA is doing much more than just giving lip service to the problem of gun-carrying felons. Curtis E. Stone Colville, Wash.

Amazing, where police go trolling

After reading your April 6 article regarding local law enforcement officials’ efforts to protect citizens from the criminal element attending the recent gun show, I want to congratulate those officials for proving what those attending the gun show already knew: Gun show attendees are law-abiding citizens.

The only “public’s increased perception that criminal activity occurs there” seems to be related to President Clinton’s recent unfounded demagoguery on the subject of gun shows. It is a shame the citizens can no longer attend such events without the fear of being placed under surveillance by undercover officers as they carry out legal and peaceful activities.

I would like to know how many such officers conducted similar surveillance at the recent lawn and garden show or the World Cup Wrestling Competition.

Just maybe the lack of criminal activity encountered will encourage law enforcement to address the real criminal activities in the Spokane area and allow citizens to attend such events without fear of unwarranted surveillance. Steven A. MacAskill Coeur d’Alene

Florida gets it right

The State of Florida made history recently when the governor signed into law a truly effective gun control measure. None of this feel-good, ineffective garbage that most liberal legislators and all of the anti-gun crowd advocate. Florida passed a law mandating tough new minimum prison sentences for anyone convicted of using a gun to commit a crime.

This strikes at the person who misuses the instrument, not at the instrument itself.

The 10-20-life law imposes a minimum prison sentence of 10 years for anyone convicted of using a gun to commit a crime. If the gun is fired, the minimum sentence rises to 20 years. If a bullet injures or kills anyone, the minimum sentence is 25 years and the maximum is life in prison. Additionally, the Florida Legislature will spend $500,000 on an advertising campaign to make residents aware of the new sentencing law.

Let’s all put some pressure on our legislators to enact similar legislation here as well. Finally there is somewhere that common sense prevails. Mike Scalera Spokane

LAW AND JUSTICE

Authorities free to ride roughshod

A TV news anchor matter-of-factly announced recently that the next time we get stopped, prepare to be searched. She stated the Supreme Court passed a ruling that your car, your person and anyone in it may be searched.

Beam me up, Scotty! Are we such mindless sheep that we are expected to blindly accept blatant invasions of our privacy and liberties?

I understand we the people are expected to obey the laws. But let’s not forget, we are the people. Those who govern and who enforce the law must also obey it, from police officers to the Supreme Court. “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated,” (Fourth Amendment).

“All laws which are repugnant to the Constitution are null and void,” (Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison). “Where rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rule-making or legislation which can abrogate them,” (Court ruling in Miranda v. Arizona).

The trouble with this mess is, we the people are not aware of this, so those in a position of trust can’t be trusted. Our liberties continue to be taken from us at an alarming rate, even to the point that we seemingly can do nothing about it. David Hammond Coeur d’Alene

Litigant forgets who saved her life

Re: “Mastectomy not needed, jury decides, awards woman $2.2 million” (March 27).

I’m grossly disturbed by the injustice to the surgeon who saved this patient’s life but left her with a scar. Obviously, punishment for malpractice in medical care should be based on what the doctor did compared to what the outcome would have been without that particular care.

The surgery was done in 1991 and she would be dead now without it. Furthermore, no one knows what the outcome would have been in her case if less surgery had been done. Also disturbing is the tendency to apply present-day standards of care to that of 1991.

Another point is that of considering the basis of cost per value of medical care and the value of losing an organ (its function, scar, “pain and suffering”). If the jury pegged the latter at $2.2 million, the surgeon should’ve been charging $10 million for his treatment. The latter isn’t done, but this should be a consideration in such cases.

Consistency should be followed, giving the surgeon equal justice with the patient. Medical malpractice litigation greatly increases the cost of medical care in the United States. This cost is staring us in the face daily, and we seem to try correcting it without considering the malpractice hog.

Attorneys should be paid on a time basis. Contingency lawsuits should be outlawed because they make what should be a search for truth a gamble. Professionalism should be geared at seeking justice regardless of which side an attorney represents. George Bagby Spokane

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Promises are to be kept

Rep. George Nethercutt, in a Garfield County town meeting, labeled term-limit supporters “extremists,” comparing them to groups that want to breach dams on the lower Snake River (Spokesman-Review, March 31).

Nethercutt ran for office against Speaker Tom Foley on a term-limit platform. He even went to the extreme of staging a formal contract-signing ceremony whereby he promised the voters that he would serve no more than six years in office if elected. Well, now we all get to see just how good his word is.

All of us at some time either keep a promise or demonstrate how good our word isn’t. It’s not always easy to keep a promise but now is the time for Nethercutt to put up or shut up. He should not be bellying up to his Republican supporters only to later use them as justification to break a promise made over and over again. Lura Nelson Spokane

Nethercutt turnabout no surprise

Concerning Rep. George Nethercutt’s decision, or nondecision, to run for another term in Congress, Nethercutt recently told an audience “he made a mistake in 1994 when he pledged to serve only six years” (Spokesman-Review, March 31).

He didn’t make a mistake. He’s only doing what most career politicians do. He’ll tell voters anything he thinks they want to hear to get their votes. His ethics are obviously right there with any other habitual liar. Shame on him for not living up to his word like he wants us to believe he does. However, the real shame is on us, the voters who actually believe the campaign promises.

I’m not a term-limits proponent but do believe that when someone promises to do something, he or she should make every effort to follow through. Violating his promises just because he’s found it financially to his advantage only points up his lack of integrity.

If we want to improve the way our government works for us, we need people of integrity. If enough Eastern Washington voters really want integrity and truth in our elected officials, we must act by going to the polls and voting for someone else. Nethercutt has placed himself in the same position he criticized Tom Foley for in 1994. Nethercutt should announce that he won’t run for a fourth term and show the people there truly is honor and integrity among politicians. H. Al Walker Spokane

The man changed his mind - big deal

Re: Steve Hintyesz letter (March 30), in which he states that Republican voters are making excuses and apologies for Rep. George Nethercutt.

No one needs to make excuses or apologies for Nethercutt after the wonderful job he has done for all of us. As for Tom Foley being the most gracious and influential congressman, Hintyesz has the right to his own opinion. Rep. Nethercutt maintains a home in Spokane and Tom Foley did not. He says he cringes that Nethercutt would even consider changing his mind. Have any of us never changed our minds, especially when the results are so important to all of us?

Nethercutt is for term limits, as am I, somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 years, not 30. That should make us all cringe. Eileen R. Deaton Spokane

Look who’s talking

I could not help but shake my head after reading the recent article, “GOP faithful asked to convince Nethercutt to run.”

The fact that Perot fanatic Connie Smith criticized Nethercutt’s out-of-state campaign fund-raising while serving as a shill for the Washington, D.C.,-based U.S. Term Limits organization is laughable. M. Anne Rue Spokane

Gorton can help GOP by stepping aside

During the recent impeachment trial, Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash) used his powerful influence, in concert with Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn), to hinder live witnesses at the trial. When this tactic failed and a different approach was suggested and put to a vote in the Senate, Gorton voted against having live witnesses. Gorton used his powerful influence to help produce what David Schippers called “a sham trial” and added, “the Senate cut off the legs of the House managers at the knees.”

Because of Gorton’s vote to stop live witnesses from testifying at this historic trial, he has alienated his conservative voter base. Conservatives, who in the past have supported Gorton, will remember his actions which helped to cut off the House managers at the knees. They will be unable to further support him and will either sit on their hands in that race or vote third party.

It would be in the best interest of the Republican Party if Gorton would not seek re-election in 2000. Gorton cannot win without his conservative voter base, and he has lost them.

The honorable thing for him to do at this point would be to step aside in 2000. This would let an unencumbered Republican candidate battle it out with whoever the Democrats pick as their candidate. At least this way, the Republicans would have a chance at retaining their Senate seat. Carolyn Grove Mead

IN THE PAPER

NHS judgments beg questions

There are two disturbing items in the March 27 Spokesman-Review.

One is the editorial justifying keeping two pregnant girls out of the National Honor Society. Two questions cry out to be answered:

Did the society attempt to discover the fathers in order to exclude them, too?

Is virginity a requirement for membership or is it just a matter of adeptness at using birth control?

Secondly, in the column by Mike McManus decrying the marriage penalty in our tax system, he writes, “Married people live longer, earn more and are twice as likely as single people to be very happy.” This is true only of married men; the opposite is true of married women.

McManus surely knows this and, as an ethicist, is surely opposed to lying. My guess is that he subscribes to an old and still prevalent view that men are the measure of all things and that women simply don’t count. Louise Braun Colfax

`Spirit’ series deserves award

My compliments on your “Spirit of the West” series. The articles were interesting and informative, capturing the essential issues then and now. Interesting how similar those issues are. The photos were exquisite! Surely there’s award material there. Thank you for such a powerful creation. I eagerly anticipate future installments. Randi L. Currey Post Falls

Headline performed at lower level

A headline on page A9 of the March 26 Spokesman-Review states, “Home school kids perform at higher level, study reports.” A smaller headline states, “However, findings may be misleading.”

A statement in the fourth paragraph states, “The study does not demonstrate that home schooling is superior to public or private schools.”

The headline touts home schooling. The rest of the article does not support the headline. As I scan the headlines looking for interesting things to read, I have to wonder how many other times the information in the article does not support the headline. Glen D. Jones Liberty Lake

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
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