Letters To The Editor

IDAHO VIEWPOINTS

Rankin’s behavior confusing

Re: “Rankin makes list of voters, checks it twice” (June 19).

I, like those in the article, had visions of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy when I read of Ron Rankin’s “list of voters.” It seems to me that refusing to listen to the opinions of people who did not vote has more to do with getting re-elected than it does with representing the people.

I became confused when I read Rankin’s quote that “Over a million people have died in the service to protect and preserve our right to vote.” I don’t exactly remember that war. I do know that the fight for the right to vote was necessary because the framers of the Constitution (which I believe Rankin would characterize as “inspired by God”) denied that right to all citizens except white males who were landowners. I remember it was in the ratification of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution that the battle for the rights of all Americans to vote was fought. I do not recall the death of a million in that fight. I do recall that fundamental civil liberties were denied to entire segments of our citizenry because of the Constitution.

Maybe it is time for Rankin to go back to school. Susan Noble Post Falls

Time for new Ponderosa trustees

So, Trustee Ed Adamchak resents criticism of the Ponderosa Parent Teacher Organization, does he? This is the same Adamchak who claimed to be free of any special interest “taint” in his election, so I suppose he cannot admit the truth even to himself.

The truth is that the Ponderosa PTO seems to exist as a fund raising and political tool under the strict, absolute control of the principal, Bob “Move on” Sloyka.

I was treasurer of the Ponderosa PTO for two semesters. We raised over $12,000 when growth had so outstripped the resources of this district that some classrooms didn’t even have science textbooks. I was one of the parents who wanted the PTO to buy science books with that money. Sloyka demanded that we turn over the money to the school without questions. He chose to buy glass-backed basketball hoops rather than textbooks. When I refused to write the check without authorization from the PTO, he threatened to disband the PTO.

The PTO was, in my experience, essentially a front for Sloyka and his coterie of sycophants. If they committed criminal acts - and it looks like they did - calling them criminal is the truth. Adamchak is just going to have to get used to that.

Adamchak won in a corrupt election helped by folks to whom law and ethics are just words to be tossed aside without thought. His inability to accept the truth calls into question his competence and honesty.

It is time for a criminal investigation. It is time for honesty. It is time for a new board of trustees. Violet Morgan Post Falls

BELIEFS

Murder just one of the shalt nots

Some people seem to have forgotten the content of the Ten Commandments. Post them and students might observe how well all of them are observed, not just the selected few (regarding disobeying, murdering, stealing and lying).

1. Do not have any gods but me - yet there is a multitude of disagreeing churches, synagogues and mosques.

2. Do not make graven images - yet Washington, D.C., is littered with statues.

3. Do not curse - no comment needed on how well students see adults observing this!

4 Keep holy the sabbath/Lord’s day - yet Sunday is nearly identical with Saturday, except that fewer stores are open.

5. Honor your parents - until you have grown up.

6. Do not murder - after the school killings, this is the one that people probably want to re-enforce.

7. Do not commit adultery - yet it seems that the most unusual sexual practice is abstinence.

8. Do not steal - yet cheating on your income tax and other taxes is nearly expected within our culture.

9. Do not lie - yet we have a culture of white lies, exaggerations and advertising.

10. Do not covet - yet this is at the very heart of keeping up with the Joneses.

Among the commandments, the prohibition of murder shows up sixth. Our culture commonly ignores the ones given pride of place at the front. If the message is murder is as wrong as having graven images, we’re in for a lot of trouble! Timothy Rolfe Spokane

DISTURBING THE PEACE

Blame rests with authorities

Let’s put this into perspective: A man lights up his tires and the outcome was three hours of sirens, 115 cops from various law enforcement agencies, 2,000 people, rubber bullets, batons, tear gas, hospitalizations and a tremendous amount of media attention.

Police no longer are keeping the peace and protecting the rights of law-abiding people. They are revenuers with badges who indiscriminately harass everybody with a broken tailight and everybody they happen to catch traveling 28 mph in a 25 mph zone. Their mission is no longer public safety. Their mission is to write citations and generate revenue.

There is a mentality among police, particularly younger officers, that is breeding resentment among the citizenry. Police are increasingly abusive and harassing. People are getting increasingly indignant. These kinds of incidents are likely to get more commonplace as innocent people resist to being treated like criminals by badge carrying revenuers who want to pave the way for the building of bigger jails with citations.

There is no excuse for this incident. A man burning rubber on a motorcycle should never become an excuse for police to use bullets, tear gas, batons in a multijurisdictional show of force. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the so-called authorities. Don Harkins Rathdrum

Those with bad attitude: Get a life

I think everyone should put themselves in law enforcement’s shoes for a few minutes.

How would it feel to be the few among a large crowd of drunken rowdies? What would you do if people threw things at you? How do you expect law enforcement to protect our community with this kind of attitude?

The people who have a bad attitude toward law enforcement are usually paranoid or breaking the law. Get a life and grow up! Yvonne Hoffman Coeur d’Alene

Police did their job

I would like to express my gratitude to all local law enforcement officials. It seems there has been a great deal of negative publicity for the men and women who strive to make our communities a safer place. It would appear the people doing most of the complaining regarding the recent riot were those who didn’t leave the area when told to do so. After over 90 minutes of demands made by law enforcement personnel to leave the area, it was time to take action. Now, our law enforcement officers are taking a great deal of criticism for doing their jobs.

Why don’t we focus on the fact that not one business in downtown Coeur d’Alene suffered any damage, and the fact that no one was seriously injured when a crowd of over 2,000 people decided to take matters into their own hands? Bottom line, the police did the job they were hired to do. They protected the citizens of Coeur d’Alene.

Let’s not forget what these men and women face everyday of their careers. How many of us have to look into the mirror every morning as we get ready for work to put on a bulletproof vest? Not to mention wondering if you will return home to your family and loved ones at the end of your shift. Thank you to all our law enforcement people, you are appreciated by many. Lynda J. Thurman Hayden Lake

Warnings could have sufficed

Every year, in Sturgis, S.D., the Sturgis Police Department faces the potential for this kind of situation times 200.

Nearly 250,000 motorcycle enthusiasts converge on Sturgis for a week of partying. The Sturgis police force seems to have developed a better way for handling a very large crowd. They do issue some citations, but in doing so, they do not talk or act disrespectfully to the recipient.

Perhaps, a call to the Sturgis Police Department by the Coeur d’ Alene Police Department might offer other alternatives to the activities of the other night that would result in a much safer venue for everyone in attendance.

It is certainly unfortunate that problems escalated to the degree reported but perhaps the entire episode could have been avoided if a warning were issued in place of the citation. I don’t believe tickets are a requirement, are they? William E. Knox Bremerton, Wash.

Show of force no way to keep peace

The Northwest is becoming a more frightening place, much like Jerusalem, Kosovo, the Pakistan-India borde. So, what better way to keep the peace than through violence?

What better way to make citizens respect and obey the law and its minions than through extreme force? Take the blatant display of awesome power and overwhelming authority of our finest onto the Car d’Alene crowd.

The “riot” was later termed a civil disturbance but the riot banner served well at the time to justify such measures, without which this exercise wouldn’t have been possible. The weapons, organization and training of our uniformed crew completely obliterated the pizza crusts and pizza boxes thrown by the inept mob onto our superior warriors clad in armor and sent to restore order at all cost.

If only one of the mob could have broken a window or somehow damaged a business, perhaps then we could have called in a tank or an air strike. The small retreat move down Fourth served well to disperse the crowd, making many think the event was over, allowing our warriors time to regroup and counterattack.

What an attack! Like Mike Tyson biting the ear off an old lady. Our warriors moved machine-like up Sherman, taking no prisoners and leaving plenty of bruises, welts and teary eyes to remind innocent citizens, their friends and families that you don’t argue with the law or even talk to them. I will feel safer in Coeur d’Alene only when we can officially call it a police state. Shawn Telford Seattle

Media’s `riot’ more like rumble

In regards to the recent so-called riot in Coeur d’ Alene, although I wasn’t there I have made these observations.

1. There weren’t any destructive fires to property or turned-over cars on fire.

2. There weren’t any minorities involved in the police ruckus.

3. There weren’t any property owners standing on the roofs of their businesses defending their property with a shotgun.

4. There weren’t any store-front windows broken.

5. Citizens were not exchanging gunfire with the police.

Sounds to me like this was a rumble, not a riot. Leave it to the media to give Coeur d’Alene another black eye. Bob Horton Hayden Lake

OFF THE NET

Editor’s note: The June 18 disturbance in Coeur d’Alene has prompted many to send comments to The Spokesman-Review’s Web site. Here are some of those comments. To see more, go to http://www.spokane.net/interact/pulse/buzz/dh.asp.

Police try for total control

It’s unfortunate that police today seem to react out of what appears to be fear in so many of these situations. I have seen similar actions at the Apple Blossom Festival in Wenatchee. I think this is happening all over our country these days.

In speaking to several people about this type of police action we all tend to agree that the law enforcement people have a need for total control at just about any cost. It just appears that this is the direction our government is choosing to go with most everything from gun control to parking with your date on Friday night.

The incident in Coeur d’Alene looks to me like it was an opportunity for the police to apply their practice training on a crowd that had done no property damage, was not looting, and was not ugly or angry. Personally, I feel that this is becoming to much of a regular practice. Wake up America, the government goal is total control, not just protection of its citizens. Bob Parsons Sandpoint

Bottom line applied that night

Police saw an obvious law violation in an atmosphere that could clearly get out of hand. If they had ignored the violation to prevent an incident, it would have encouraged the crowd to continue their disregard for the law, and make an even more difficult situation for the police. I’m not sure there are any right answers, but the bottom line is and always should be, if you break the law, you pay the price.

I keep track of the region’s news through your Web site, and was particularly interested because my wife and I had just spent three days vacationing in Coeur d’Alene the Tuesday through Thursday before the incident. It was both difficult and sad to read about an episode which clearly leaves no one with warm memories. Roger Johnson Everett

No special treatment for son

Re: “Councilman’s son among those arrested in Coeur d’Alene melee,” (June 20). As far as I’m concerned, he’s just another person who was arrested. I don’t understand why they make a big deal about him, just because he is a councilman’s son. I hope he doesn’t receive special treatment just because of who he is. He should face the same judgment as everyone else who was arrested. And yes, cops do tend to get overzealous sometimes, but in a situation like this, there must be some confusion as to who is doing what.

I used to live in Spokane, so I read The SpokesmanReview online. Andre’a Asmussen Cove, Ore.

We have police forces to be proud of

In crowds, individuals can and do lose their sense of responsibility. The police showed great restraint in the face of taunts and assaults by a bunch of jerks.

People make a living downtown and the crowd was capable of destroying downtown. Did the police provoke the crowd? What if they did? The place to settle it is in court. The councilman’s son wanted to protest by sitting on the curb. The police don’t know what his problem is and all they see is a potential problem who can suddenly come at them from behind if they pass him by. They had to police him up.

We’re blessed with very good police forces. Post Falls, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho State Police and the Kootenai County Sheriff’s departments are all first-class. This is a rural state and we could be blessed with some good-old-boy administrators. Instead, we have modern, progressive police we can be proud of and respect.

Our police didn’t get drunk, didn’t provoke anyone. If downtown had been destroyed there wouldn’t be one word said about how some individuals had maybe been mistreated. But boy, would the people have been mad because the police didn’t do enough. By the way, why aren’t city leaders out there supporting the police? Bob Hunt Post Falls