Letters To The Editor

WASHINGTON STATE

Needed project meets roadblock

State Route 270 is the stretch of road between Pullman and Moscow. At one time, when the drinking age in Idaho was 18, this eight-mile stretch was called “the bloodiest highway in America.” College students would go across the state line to drink alcohol and attempt to drive home. In 1988, the drinking age was raised to 21, which helped to alleviate this problem.

The problem this road now faces is congestion. On many occasions, people have been faced with following an automobile the entire distance of the drive at 45 mph. With both towns having colleges, during football games, the congestion reaches terrible proportions. With the University of Idaho Vandals now playing home games in Martin Stadium in Pullman, the congestion during those travel times is terrible on the two-lane stretch.

I will be very happy with the expansion of this road, which will happen within the next five years. The project could be accepting bids as soon as early 2001. When completed, the road will be split into two two-lane roads that are one way. This should control a lot of the congestion that plagues drivers today.

With the passing of Initiative 695, the project will be delayed an unspecified amount of time while the Department of Transportation waits for the money to be released by the Legislature. Hopefully, for us living in the region, we can see the project start to unfold soon! Randy Schell Pullman

We’ll see if I-695 satisfies

I believe there is a saying that goes something like this: Be careful what you wish for, it might come true. I wonder if Initiative 695 might fall in that category. William J. Hiatt Spokane

Be quiet and make it work

Now that the voters of the state of Washington have spoken it’s time for our elected officials to ensure that there is a new allocation of funds. There is no need for any of the programs funded by the motor vehicle tax to be eliminated. It is the Legislature’s responsibility to do the best job it can of making sure public safety and health programs continue.

It is also time to take a serious look at reserves in public transportation. All our legislators need to take heed of this issue and understand that the people of the state have spoken. It’s now time to think and work smarter and stop crying wolf. Steve A. Deal Chewelah

This will be interesting

“These are the times that try men’s souls.” The voters have handed our politicians a lemon in the form of Initiative 695. Are they going to roll up their sleeves and make lemonade, or are they going to be spiteful? The next few months will be interesting, now that the electorate has been aroused and tasted power. Robert C. Sprint Spokane

Go ahead and pay the difference

I feel so sorry for those 567,000 people who voted no on Initiative 695. The less than 2 percent of the budget has done so much damage. Maybe those well-intentioned, well-meaning, well-heeled, concerned citizens might put there money where their mouth is and voluntarily send in their normal license fee to help stave off the damage the rest of us are supposedly going to experience. I think it would work, don’t you? Ronald L. Yapp Spokane

SPOKANE MATTERS

Eugster, your day has come

Congratulations to Steve Eugster.

For over five years, Eugster has been the center of criticism. He has been deemed as an extremist and served as a scapegoat for a not-so-friendly group of critics composed of both City Council members and private citizens. Individuals have written about him in a discourteous manner on more occasions than one would like to count, calling him a nuisance and a pain. He fought an environmentally destructive and excessively expensive Lincoln Street bridge only to be criticized further.

When Eugster set out on a strong mayor campaign, the city turned him down claiming he had not acquired enough petition signatures, only to delay his efforts while the council looked after its own best interests. Meanwhile, the initiative he fought so diligently for in the wake of protest and criticism has now passed.

Never before has an individual worked so hard to better something, never giving up despite all the discouragement, only to receive so little in return. Now, after years of ongoing protests and put-downs, his day has come. He is a good man, a good father and a great neighbor.

Today is your day, Eugster. Congratulations and keep up the good work. Jordan T. Steed Spokane

Parking meter people terrific

Who says meter readers are heartless?

One recent morning, I parked on west First Avenue. When I went to put money in the meter, a dime was stuck, making the meter inoperable. Since no other spaces were nearby, I left an envelope on my windshield describing the problem and put four quarters in it in case the meter patrol came.

One hour later, I checked on my car. The envelope and the money were still there. But the meter was repaired and had been paid up to two hours!

Not only had the patrol accepted my answer to the problem but they had gone the extra mile because of the problem. Hurray to Spokane parking enforcement! Kathryn S. Jessen Spokane

OVER THE LINE

There is a better fuel depot site

It was determined at the last hearing that the hearing examiner felt that the proposed location of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad refueling depot is inappropriate.

There is a better location to be considered, on that would allow BNSF to build state-of-the-art facility that meets all its criteria and doesn’t threaten the drinking water of thousands of people.

At Chilco, Henry Magnuson owns property that would be ideal for BNSF to build on. The property is underlaid in clay and the chance of any diesel or other contaminants permeating this clay layer is exceptionally small. This site would cause less harm to the environment. It would impact far fewer people with noise, light pollution, traffic and toxic discharges.

The Spokesman-Review reported the railroad as saying that if it’s not permitted to build at Hauser-Rathdrum, it wouldn’t be the end of the world for the company.

Kootenai County residents, please contact Kootenai County Commissioners Ron Rankin, Dick Panabaker and Dick Compton today and plan on attending the public hearing at Lake City High School, 6101 Ramsey Road in Coeur d’Alene on Nov. 15. Let your voice be heard. The meeting is can be continued to the 16th and 17th if enough people turn out. Chic Burge Post Falls

BNSF’s safety record top-notch

Re: Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s proposed refueling facility at Hauser, Idaho.

I reject the loose statements I have read and heard about BNSF’s “poor track record.” Those statements are utterly unfounded, false and no doubt made either out of ignorance or for self-serving purposes.

Over a period of nearly 20 years I was privileged to work and travel over the railroad system, from Paducah, Ky., to Vancouver, B.C.; from Chicago to Beiber, Calif., and from Houston to Whitefish, Mont., while employed as an operating officer or supervisor of safety and rules. Our primary responsibility was to make sure Burlington Northern operated in compliance with all federal regulations and to train employees in safe operating practices. We all worked very hard at our jobs and the results were a matter of personal pride.

Rail equipment accidents are based on a ratio involving tons carried per mile. Personal injuries are based on a ratio using man-hours worked. BNSF’s accident and injury ratios are among the best in the industry. They are a matter of public record.

Anyone who wants the facts can check the record at the federal Railroad Administration office in the Federal Building in downtown Spokane. Bernard C. Bidwell Colbert

PROTEST

Don’t blight our campus

Here is why Washington State University and the University of Idaho are so worked up about the recent visit of the Genocide Awareness Project. It is actually quite simple: Some of us think that we should be able to walk to class without having to see 10-foot-tall pictures of dismembered babies lying in pools of their own blood. Not to mention the gory pictures of brutal lynchings and Holocaust victims. Any questions?

Now, I’d like to address the way that D. F. Oliveria presented the issue in his Oct. 28 Hot Potatoes column. Call me crazy, but I wonder exactly what “typical slasher shows” Oliveria has seen lately. The ones I’ve been to certainly don’t compare to the pictures that the Genocide Awareness Project presented. Not only has Oliveria obviously not seen the pictures (had he been subjected to the display on his way to lunch, I am certain his article would have carried a different tune), but I wonder whether or not he has exercised his right to “routinely see - and enjoy - gore” lately.

I suggest that the next time one of your interactive editors prints information about an issue, they research it first. Perhaps Oliveria should see those movies he mentioned before commenting on their content. He is sadly mistaken if he thinks that scenes from “The Matrix” compare in any way to the pictures presented by the Genocide Awareness Project. Bonnie D. Brubaker University of Idaho student

Editor’s note: D.F. Oliveria says he’s “seen and enjoyed `The Matrix’ three times” and has seen photos of aborted fetuses, as everyone, pro-life and pro-choice, should.

Disgust shouldn’t facilitate abortions

The main objection I have to the anti-abortion rallies staged at Planned Parenthood and in Coeur d’Alene recently is that these tactics may have had a negative effect (although surely you can see images much worse than aborted fetuses on TV and the movies.)

Some may object to disturbing pictures but does that justify the nearly 2,000 abortions that the Spokane Planned Parenthood clinic admitted performing last year? This figure represents nearly 2,000 humans who were sacrificed because they were “unwanted.” Sadly, they were very much wanted by the thousands of couples who cannot find babies to adopt.

Turn your eyes away from the dead babies if you wish but please don’t support the abortionists. Susan J. Morrison Hayden, Idaho

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Monitor planes more extensively

Regarding plane crashes, picture this: Perfect information.

Why don’t they have video eyes at many strategic areas on each airplane? A video eye on the wing tips, viewing the plane; on the tail, viewing the whole plane; in the cargo bay; in the passenger compartment; in the cockpit; all places of interest. With eyes on board, we answer the whys. That’s wise.

Blindly searching for truth finds questions and at a terrific expense. The information could be put in a red box, one central box with a crash beeper and a separate box for each eye.

With a total view of all aspects, truth will more likely be swift, accurate, time saving, money saving and provide more total information. Fewer lives will be lost.

Seeing and hearing everything in every way makes sense, saves cents. Gas stations, hospitals, stores, businesses, homeowners and many others use video eyes.

If you can’t see what I mean, try describing a rainbow to a blind person. Lester L. Smith Spokane

IDAHO VIEWPOINTS

`I deeply and remorsefully apologize’

To the public and citizens of Sandpoint:

I, Thomas E. Boone, hereby regretfully and remorsefully apologize to my nice fellow citizens and friends. I apologize for my conduct. I apologize to my family, which I deeply love. A story in the newspaper reported that I molested (a young male relative), that is simply not true.

I also wish to say that I was going into debt and that I could not get a good job that paid well. I need a lot of help. Myself, I could no longer support my family. I would like and pray that I get counseling and rehabilitation so that I may return to society as a reformed man.

I apologize, Sandpoint. I apologize to my family. I am terribly sorry, Carol, my wife. I am sorry, my friends. If you all have God in your heart, please be merciful and forgive me.

Please help my family while I am incarcerated. They, too, will need counseling and moral support. Someone, please give Carol Boone a good job to support our children as they mature and grow to adults. As for me, I am at your mercy. I ask God for forgiveness and I ask you to forgive. I deeply and remorsefully apologize. Thomas E. Boone Sandpoint

We’ll see who was sincere

To those who voted for the community center, thank you. To those who voted against, shame on you.

To those who organized the campaign against the community center: Congratulations, you won. Now you have responsibilities. You must produce your alternative plan - design it, figure out what it will cost and how to pay for it. You must rally support for it. You must prove you were not lying when you said we needed a community center. You have a difficult job. Eric Atkins Coeur d’Alene

KZZU broadcast crude, offensive

Monday night while doing homework and listening to KZZU-FM, the song “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys came on, except it was re-written to say “Which Backstreet Boy’s Gay?” What followed was a two-minute string of slurs and derogatory remarks made toward people with homosexual tendencies. No one should have to face public ridicule such as that.

When I heard this song, it made me sick with disgust. Did anyone at that radio station ever hear of Matthew Shepard? Do we want to see more injustices like this occur? As a member of the Human Rights Club at Coeur d’Alene High School, I’m not going to just think: “Ha ha, it’s just a joke.” Well, it isn’t a joke and it certainly is not funny. We are all human beings and are entitled to the same rights. If the tables were turned, I am sure that much more public outcry would be heard.

I attempted to call the radio station for two hours with no success, just busy signals and endless songs. If I owned a business, I would have pulled my advertising on the spot. If the people at KZZU think they can get away with a travesty such as this, they might as well call themselves “KZZU: We’re prejudiced and proud of it.” KZZU, you owe a public apology to all of the people you offended. Lara Bergen Senior, Coeur d’Alene High School

Store worker’s help gratifying

Recently, a young Albertsons employee at the store on Ironwood in Coeur d’Alene made my day.

It was a hectic, chore-filled day for me. Pushing my full grocery cart to the parking lot, I unloaded everything into my car, then, stilling holding keys in one hand, I returned the cart to its pick-up corner. My purse was riding in the baby seat.

I was home, unloading my groceries, when I realized my purse - catch-all for check book, credit cards, cash, driver’s license, eye glasses - a good chunk of my identity - was still in the cart in the parking lot at Albertsons. I’d had a “senior moment” of significant consequence.

I made a second trip to the store pretty sure it was a futile gesture and that my bag was long gone.

That’s when this Earth angel made my day. She found my purse, checked inside for ID, then left a message on my answering machine telling me it was safe. She refused any reward and told me it wasn’t the first time she’d returned lost goods. I thank her again, not just for returning my stuff but for giving me new hope in the goodness and honesty that must abide in all of us. Faith P. Langstaff Coeur d’Alene