Letters To The Editor

FIREARMS

Put the blame where it belongs

The possibility of lawsuits by government officials in some U.S. cities against gun manufacturers, gun shops and distributors is the result of the victim mentality so prevalent in our nation. No one is to be held personally accountable for their actions, so blame someone else.

A firearm in the hands of anyone unaware of or not respectful of the potential danger is a firearm in the wrong hands. Gun manufacturers have never claimed guns aren’t dangerous. In the wrong hands and used improperly, guns can cause accidental injuries or death, or be used in the commission of crimes. Used lawfully, guns provide protection for one’s self, family or country in time of war. Law-abiding gun owners safely enjoy using guns for recreation. Used responsibly, guns aren’t a public threat.

City officials should direct their aggression at those who use guns illegally, punishing criminals to the fullest extent of the law.

How far will we go with this victim mentality? Automobiles are involved in fatal accidents and are used in the commission of crimes. Should automobile manufactures be responsible for every person injured or killed on our highways? If city officials who are considering lawsuits against gun manufacturers would correctly concentrate their energies on getting tough on criminals, exercising zero tolerance toward criminals who use firearms in the commission of crimes, they would see a decline in injuries and deaths due to firearm abuse and misuse.

The blame for firearm injuries and deaths belongs to those who unlawfully and improperly use guns, not to gun manufacturers. John E. Lagerquist Pullman

Lame lawsuits based on bogus premise

Re: “Amoral industry should pay plenty” by Jamie Neely (Opinion, Jan. 8) establishes a new standard in the use of a statistic to prove a big lie. This lie is that “things” make good people commit bad deeds, not the empirical truth, which is that bad people use things for bad deeds.

While 34,030 people may have died of gunshot wounds, Neely does not tell us that 50 percent of those were suicides, that 50 percent of the remainder were criminals or that 35 percent had a criminal background. We aren’t told that it is homes wherein person(s) with a criminal background reside that are 43 percent more likely to suffer a firearm death if a gun is present.

Citizens use firearms 2.5 million times a year to prevent or thwart crime against their persons or property. Violent crime indices are significantly lower where citizens have weapon-carry privileges, compared with where they do not.

Firearms manufacturers do not aggressively market their products, recklessly or otherwise. Ads, where they do appear, stress quality, reliability and responsible use.

Amoral industries? How about automobile manufacturers that stress power, acceleration, handling and speed in their ads? How about the media, which sell sexually and violently explicit videogames and videos to children? This is where they inculcate in children perverted values and encourage violent tendencies; it’s not advertisements by gun manufacturers.

These lawsuits are nuisance suits with no validity in law. The cities should aggressively countersue. Brehon K. McFarland Colville, Wash.

Things aren’t criminal; It’s criminals

Re: “Amoral industry should pay plenty” (Opinion, Jan. 8).

Again the liberal press is out to punish the manufacturer, not the abuser. Editorial writer Jamie Neely suggests (Opinion, Jan. 8), that the answer to our gun-related crime problem is to “sue gun makers.” She quotes statistics and related costs, then decides that Americans own too many guns.

How many guns should we be able to own, Neely? I really don’t think that is your decision to make.

We will never be safe from crime until we address the real cause of crime: the criminal. Criminals will always have guns. We will see a decrease in crime as soon as we start punishing the perpetrators with lengthy prison sentences for first-time offenses.

If Neely’s answer to gun-related crime is adopted, shall we employ the same philosophy to address the crime and related expenses caused by alcohol? Let’s limit the amount of alcohol that can be purchased by each adult in a given year. Let’s register every bottle purchased and sue the distiller every time we have an alcohol-related death in this country.

Litigation as the answer? Not hardly. The answer is to hold each and every person responsible for his actions. Don’t punish society and the maker. Punish the criminal. Bill Litsinger Sandpoint

REMEMBRANCE

Claypool’s contributions live on

Our community had the opportunity to learn about HIV-AIDS from Joyce Claypool. She was the first person with AIDS many of us had ever known. Girl Scouts benefited from her open, honest statements about the disease. Claypool traveled throughout the Girl Scout Inland Empire Council talking to girls of all ages and to adults about what it was like for her daughter, Kara, and her to live with AIDS, and the affect it had on their family.

Besides educating us about this devastating disease, they helped us feel comfortable being around those who are living with HIV-AIDS. Joyce Claypool will long be remembered for her contributions to our community. June Sine, president Girl Scouts Inland Empire Council, Spokane

IN THE PUBLIC EYE

Clinton’s sneaky, like a cancer

The economy is good and the people of America are happy with the job President Clinton is doing. After all, is there not plenty of food on the table and extra cash to buy material things? Do not be fooled by this false image of prosperity Clinton paints. Morally and culturally, the nation is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Character - that is, doing what is right when nobody is looking - does matter. Honesty does matter. Integrity does matter. Character is what develops trust between two human beings. You absolutely cannot be a leader without it.

I am among the Americans never considered in the polls but I do have a voice. I want Clinton removed from office. For Americans who believe otherwise, I beg you to please research the history of this man. You will discover he has a long history of shady dealings. You will discover that he has been implicated in countless scandals and criminal acts. Most importantly, you will discover that he is a man who cannot be trusted.

You may say that nothing has been proven but remember that Al Capone was found guilty only of tax evasion. Lying under oath is only the tip of the iceberg of Clinton’s true character.

Clinton is like cancer. He is sneaky and won’t show his real face until it is too late. He has to go. Dobierre G. Bassner Spokane

House Republicans got it right

Congratulations to the House members who voted to impeach President Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice. I know it was a difficult, no-win situation, but they showed courage and principle in doing the right thing.

The rule of law must be maintained in our highest offices. Otherwise, equal protection under the law will be jeopardized.

It is unfortunate that the House Democrats chose partisan politics instead. They chose to confuse the issue by attacking the process (the process used by the Republicans was modeled after the Democrat’s impeachment of Nixon) and demonizing the opposition (a typical tactic when you don’t have the law or the facts on your side).

We’re told that Republicans voted against the will of the people. Well, there’s no way a poll of 1,000 people accurately judges the mood of voters in 435 separate congressional districts. Republicans were elected to office by voters in their respective districts and states, not by national polls. I say the polls be damned; we elected our representatives to cast their votes after careful, thoughtful consideration of the issue. I expect them to lead, not to be swayed by so-called popular opinion or by Larry Flynt (porn king and Clinton ally).

Cal Thomas (Conservative Chronicles, Dec. 14) writes, “The founders established the process of impeachment because the people are not always right. They often vote their feelings, but the law stands above emotion and holds us all accountable for our mutual benefit. It’s time for him to go.” Varnel Williams Moscow, Idaho

PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

Selfish irresponsibility must end

The number of animals killed in shelters is not due to overpopulation but rather to irresponsible owners.

Overpopulation means that there are no sustaining resources available to support the population.

The problem with unwanted animals has nothing to do with having no food, water or shelter available. Misidentifying the problem is no way to address the problem. A shelter is a safe haven. These animal kill centers have nothing to do with sheltering. For the vast majority of animals that enter, death is the exit. These socalled shelters play to the irresponsible owner. Bring us your unwanted animals. The unwanted animals are killed, and the kill center operators bemoan the fact that they are doing the job that they set forth to do.

I’ve raised, trained and shown dogs for over 30 years. None of my dogs has ended up in a “shelter” to be killed. Why? Because I believe in being responsible for my animals.

The irresponsible animal owner’s mindset must be like that of the irresponsible parent who brings children into the world only to expect others to care for them through foster care, welfare and the courts, costing taxpayers so much. When so many children are tossed uncaringly away, how can we as a society expect more for animals? Cherie Graves Newport, Wash.