Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

County’s behavior disappointing

I personally know no one on either side of the current Kaiser strike and am not privy to enough reliable information to make an informed choice about the strike issues and which side to support. Nonetheless, I was outraged by the story regarding the Kaiser donation to Spokane County.

It is unconscionable for Spokane County to accept private donations from Kaiser Aluminum which were clearly earmarked to help Kaiser during the current strike. This donation, along with the speedy permits for housing replacement workers, have more than the appearance of favoritism on the part of the county. While the strike is an obvious concern to the entire community, this is a private labor dispute and the county has no business interfering in the manner that it has.

If Spokane County wishes to get involved in the strike, it should do so publicly, as an impartial party, by encouraging both sides to come to the bargaining table in good faith, not by acting in a manner which allows Kaiser to attempt to break the strike through intimidation and accommodations/convenience for replacement workers. If the union were accused of these same actions, attempting to buy favoritism from the county, it would be characterized as one more stereotypical example of the inherent corruptness of unions.

I had no idea the services and resources of public servants, including the police force, were available to the highest bidder for private gain and I am more than a little disappointed and ashamed to find it so. Jody M. Cramsie Spokane

Sterk not holding his word

New Sheriff Mark Sterk’s broken promises to Spokane could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in just his first week in office.

Sterk told news media weeks before he took office he would take sheriff’s officers off Kaiser strike watch. Since Sterk is a Republican, maybe big business has his ear more than the working people of Spokane. Let’s hope our new sheriff doesn’t deceive us anymore.

Rory Gaffney Greenacres

Honesty, extra effort appreciated

Somewhere between the Main Downtown Library and Gonzaga University, I lost my checkbook with credit cards on the evening of Jan. 13. Although the Downtown Library was closed when I returned at 9:15 p.m, maintenance personnel Duane Eccles and Shaun Sager spent more than 15 minutes combing the aisles and double-checking the library’s lost and found. Frustrated and sickened by this loss, I returned home.

My answering machine had recorded two messages: the first, from a Good Samaritan named Ron Crawford, who had found my wallet and was staying as a guest at Cavanaughs Inn at the Park; the second, from Cavanaughs front desk employee, Heidi Engel, who informed me that my wallet was being held in the hotel’s safe for my retrieval. It was returned totally intact.

Thank you, Ron Crawford, for your honesty, concern and return of my wallet. And thank you Duane, Shaun and Heidi, for either leaving your regular duties or extending extra effort or assistance in my regard. Robert Artechevarria Spokane

`Oklahoma!’ more than OK

On Friday night, we had the opportunity to see Ferris High School’s production of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” What a delight!

Both of us have had the opportunity to see quite a few musicals and this version, considering its size, does justice to all of them. The orchestra, scenery, acting and direction were outstanding, but it was the quality of the singing that made the show special, especially the voices of Curly, Laurie, Aunt Eller, Will Parker, Ado Annie and the acting of Ali Hakim that sparkled. All the cast and organizers who were involved with “Oklahoma!” should be extremely proud! Bob and Kathy Draper Spokane

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Patrols could beef up bank security

Banks need to improve their security. Why can’t police patrol by banks more often? If there is a shortage of police officers, the city could hire more officers.

Banks in Mexico have better security. All banks have guards inside and out, armed with automatic assault rifles and pistols. If a robber attempted to escape with money, that person would not get out the door alive. If the robber did not halt, the guard would shoot to kill. Donald C. Smith Spokane

BUSINESS AND LABOR

Kaiser unreasonableness continues

I shook my head as I read Paul Carter’s Jan. 15 letter about lousy wages available to Coeur d’Alene-area citizens. I agree wages are lousy, along with benefits and security; all need to improve. I sat shaking my head because that’s exactly what Steelworkers are fighting for!

Approximately 300 Steelworkers live in Coeur d’ Alene and many Steelworkers from Spokane visit and spend money in Coeur d’Alene, too. Steelworkers are fighting for job security. Wages are in the fight also. While Kaiser President Ray Milchovich sits in California and gets a 22 percent wage increase (over and above his bonuses), the company cries financial ruin - although Kaiser reported a gross profit of $411 million in 1997. CEO George Haymaker collects $18,500 every week (wages as of 1995) - more in one week than a Steelworker makes in seven months.

Kaiser’s offer for a wage increase of $3.l3 per hour is spread out over five years and only applies to the highest job levels. Those in lower job classes would receive substantially less.

When Kaiser talks about “eliminating” jobs, it isn’t really eliminating most of the positions. The jobs will still be done in the plant. The company merely wants to take them away from Steelworkers. Kaiser has refused to show what jobs and how many workers would be affected.

Kaiser has proven too many times that it can’t be trusted. Kaiser says it wants a return to work, but when that was offered, Kaiser answered with a lockout.

Now, I guess we’ll wait to see what customers and stockholders think. Jerry D. Hengen Sr. Spokane

Kaiser workers do the scab thing, too

Can someone define “scab” for me? I understand it to mean a worker crossing a picket line to work. If that is correct, what do you call a striking worker who takes work from another company?

I work for a company that has lost a sizeable job to striking Kaiser workers. They came to a job we were doing, underbid our cost of labor and are being paid cash. Should we hold that against them, as they hold it against people now working at Kaiser?

I have always felt that anyone who wants to work and can find a job should be allowed to do so, without fear of retaliation or recrimination.

Also, can we find another way to show support for the strikers besides honking horns? It is distracting to listen to all day and has caused at least one accident that I know of. Wendy J. Engle Spokane

Media presence improves manners

I’d like to request that the local television stations maintain an around-the-clock vigil at the gates of the Kaiser plants.

When the media are present, the etiquette of the strikers is impeccable. While the cameras are rolling, being called “scab boy” is the worst thing that’s happened to me or any other worker crossing the picket line. But when the media are off site we’re called many obscenities.

The conduct of the hourly workers on the picket line is appalling. These ladies and gentlemen have threatened us with bodily injury/death, shot at us with pseudo guns and thrown tomatoes and rocks at our vehicles. The number of screws, nails and jack spikes in tires and on the roadway has also increased astronomically since the strike began.

One of the most disgusting acts occurred when one of the temporary workers was removed from site in an ambulance. The shouts of “Die, scab!” as the ambulance passed were truly out of line, as are the “Lose a hand!” and “Get hurt today, scab!” chants.

It’s really disgusting to see minors out there shouting profanities and threatening people alongside their parents. One day, a boy about 13 years old pulled right out in front of our bus on his bicycle. I thought we were going to hit him! The whole time he was shouting profanities and shaking his fist. I can’t believe these people are condoning, even encouraging, this type of behavior from their own children.

When the media are present, the front gate more closely resembles a prayer meeting instead of a Third World coup. Al B. Cossey Spokane

PESTICIDES

Organic produce worth the work

In the Jan. 7 Spokesman-Review, Michael Fumento describes organic produce as expensive, “ugly and shriveled-looking.”

I took a look at the organic apples and oranges in my refrigerator; they look attractive and taste great. I bought these at the Moscow Food Co-op, one of hundreds of stores throughout the land that are responding to consumers’ demands for organic produce. Sure, the prices often are higher, but many people realize that the true costs of spraying our crops are not reflected in the price we pay. These costs are to our health and the health of our waters and land.

For over a decade I was a “fruit bum;” I picked apples from Vermont to New Zealand and I pruned orchards in the winters. An orchard I helped plant now produces fine organic apples for market in Vermont. A fellow picker sells organic apples from his farm in New Hampshire and has written a book on growing organic apples. It’s not always the easy way, but it can be done with a hard-working, intelligent approach. Antone G. Holmquist Moscow, Idaho

Pesticide column a pre-emptive strike

I read with horrid fascination Michael Fumento’s op-ed piece on the wonderful value and safety of pesticides. He portrayed himself as an ally of the small farmer fighting valiantly against the big city-slicker environmentalists seeking to deprive him of his livelihood. The only thing missing was an exhortation for us all to drink a big glass of pesticide every morning for our good nutrition and health.

But as I read the piece, I grew a little suspicious. Why this valiant defense? Then I saw that he was pre-empting a soon-to-be published book detailing the danger of pesticides to farm children. I looked up the Hudson Institute. This seems to be a highly corporate-friendly, environment-unfriendly entity. Institutes of this type are often fronts for multinational corporations that could care less about the livelihood of small farmers or the concerns of the average person.

Which companies would want to propagandize about the safety of pesticides? Monsanto and Dow Chemical. Thank you, Spokesman-Review editors, for giving those corporations a free quarter-page ad. I’ll bet there are a lot of businesses in Spokane that wish they could get ad space for free. I’m sorry you will get no revenues for your gift to these multi-billion dollar corporations.

Would it be grossly unfair to ask you to check out the scientific accuracy of some of these op-ed pieces before you print them? A five-minute Internet search would do the trick. Greg Presley Spokane

IN THE PUBLIC EYE

Blackmail liability is bad business

Opening one’s self to blackmail is dangerous. Suppose a country such as China were to find out about a president’s adulterous practices. To keep his peccadilloes secret, he might do a favor for those who could expose him. Then, asking for bigger favors, the blackmailers throw in campaign contributions. Then, on the take, the president couldn’t wiggle out; he’s in too deep.

Clinton used extreme measures to keep his adultery secret. How extreme could he have gotten if he were being blackmailed? He might have been talked into hiring a representative for the foreign power to work in the White House or Commerce Department, collecting all sorts of intelligence and giving advice. He might have been talked into ignoring human rights abuses of that foreign power. Campaign contributions could make treason more palatable. Blackmail is a dirty game long ago perfected by intelligence officers to get otherwise upstanding citizens to commit treason. It usually starts small, perhaps a trivial sexual dalliance, but builds and builds until the blackmailer literally owns the person.

The Senate should recognize the danger posed by an official exposing himself to blackmail. It should send a clear message to all presidents and to Congress that breaking laws or the promises of marriage are dangerous but that covering up is the biggest danger. Emile Paull Spokane

Nobody, Republicans, is perfect

The majority of Clinton supporters are people sophisticated enough to know that nobody is perfect. Hypocrites (people who pretend to be perfect) are always worse than non-pretenders. Some of us knew this before Larry Flynt dug up the dirt on Reps. Bob Livingston, Bob Barr and many others of significance.

A large number of women who voted for Clinton were actually voting for Hillary, democracy, education, pro-choice, health care, workers’ rights and the environment. We find that we don’t get these things from the Republican Party.

Only Barr’s wife has the “right to choose,” while programs to provide family planning services to starving women around the world are cut off by Barr’s buddies.

I would think that after spending $30,000 a day of our money for six years, digging through Clinton’s garbage and personal life, Republicans would understand Clinton. Iris J. Byrne Kellogg, Idaho

IN THE PAPER

Clark, at least, came through

I’d like to start the new year by thanking Doug Clark, who was much help to me last year. I had naively thought that by properly wrapping and insuring a packing with the post office, my obligation was over. Not so.

It seems the package was stolen along the way and an empty box made it to the destination. Six months of frustration followed, with the post office claiming it didn’t know the mail order company hadn’t received the package. The mail order company felt it couldn’t refund me, as it had not received the returned merchandise, six months later.

Enter friend Clark, who took up the cause and convinced the mail order company to refund me $100, plus $11.60 for postage and insurance.

I haven’t felt the same toward the post office, with the unbelievable slowness of its bureaucracy. The local claims department helped me all it could with documents to file, etc. - all at much more expense to me. They were also shocked when, after six months, I received notice the post office had rejected my claim and asked me to re-file! Unbelievable.

And now we have a raise in postage rates! Go figure. Lois Kinyon Spokane

Cartoon an insult to brave mother

Re: “If God had wanted women to have octuplets” (cartoon, Jan. 9).

Many times in my life, I have been angered and saddened by the views expressed on the opinion pages of The Spokesman-Review. Never so much, however, as when I saw this horrible cartoon. What an insult to the brave mother who recently bore eight children and then buried one. If this was an attempt to express sympathy for the workload of the mother, it was very poorly expressed.

By the way, the cartoonist may rest assured that if God had not wanted those little ones, they never would have been.

I wonder how The Spokesman-Review editors would react to a cartoon of this nature had the dead child been one of their own? Denise Stripes Spokane