Letters To The Editor

Tue., Nov. 16, 1999

Over the line

In the bigger picture, fuel depot is tame

As a retired heavy-duty truck mechanic and driver, I can’t see why there’s so much fuss against Burlington Northern Sante Fe’s fuel depot. Over the years, I’ve accidentally had diesel fuel covering my clothes and in my eyes and throat many times. Diesel fuel is safer than the millions of gallons of gasoline, pesticides and other chemicals sitting over our aquifer.

Driving north of the river on Freya Street in Spokane, you’ll see huge tank farms all the way to Lincoln Road.

Plus, there’s the Pasco pipeline coming to them. Drive east in the Valley on Sharp from Fancher and you’ll see more huge tank farms that don’t have the many safety features proposed by BNSF.

Then there’s the Montana pipeline running across the aquifer to these tanks and on to Moses Lake. Sharp Avenue ends at Thierman Road, where you’ll see a huge pesticide-chemical tank. How many safeguards does it have? Also, there all the similar tanks sitting over our aquifer.

People have chemicals sprayed over their yards about every month or two that soak down to our water supply.

Would people in the depot area rather have trains with their chemicals, fuels, poisons, radioactive materials, etc., flying by at 70 mph with tired crews or have them stop to fuel up and change crews? Something more to worry about is the chemical/fuel tanker trucks and trailers crossing railroad tracks. Paul B. Dougherty Spokane

Don’t underestimate human errors

While Burlington Northern Santa Fe has done a good job on the facility design for its proposed refueling depot, there are some glaring problems that have not been adequately addressed.

Spill scenarios the railroad presents are just that - models of what might happen when a spill occurs. If their best calculations are wrong, they will have “made a mistake” but we may have lost our drinking water.

Contrary to what was referred to as an “internal problem” by BNSF President Matt Rose, the new availability policy allows the railroad to work its employees 126 hours a week. This will most definitely affect the ability of these individuals to perform their duties in a safe manner and to react clearly and properly should any unforeseen problems occur.

While we commend BNSF for improving its overall safety record, it is especially troubling that the accident rate caused by human error in the Spokane yards is much higher than the national average BNSF quotes. The FRA Website shows clearly the number of accidents reported and their causes. In Spokane yards in the past nine and a half years, about 71 percent of accidents were due to human error. The fatigue these workers experience is only going to get worse with implementation of this new availability policy that went into effect on Nov. 1. Lucy Foeller Post Falls

We simply must not risk aquifer

Officials from BNSF would have us believe that their proposed state-of-the-art refueling depot is totally safe from catastrophic disaster.

However, when we think of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and now, Japan (not to mention Hanford), there’s no doubt residents of those communities were made the same promises by officials seeking to build nuclear reactors. Unfortunately, we all know the sad and tragic ending to these stories. Also, I doubt that anyone believes the world has seen its last nuclear accident.

Mother Nature was awfully generous to this area. All we need to do is look around us. But better yet, she didn’t stop at just making this place beautiful, she put the icing on the cake with the most wonderful underground water supply that anyone could imagine.

We’re talking about the water supply that we all depend on to sustain our lives. That’s why it’s called our sole-source aquifer.

Why in the world would we even think of jeopardizing such a wonderful water supply? Franklin W. Valentine Rathdrum

Anti-railroad bias at work?

In his Nov. 10 letter to the editor, Chic Burge says that if the Burlington Northern Santa Fe fueling site were moved, “it would impact far fewer people with noise, light pollution, traffic and toxic discharges.”

Gee, isn’t that just what the newly approved gas-fired electricity plant in Rathdrum is going to do? Or how about the next 300-house, urban-sprawl subdivision in your neighborhood? These things all add to the noise, traffic and toxic discharges. The trains have been around here a long time. Are you sure you’re not just biased against the railroad? Bill Cleveland Rathdrum

Prepare to start buying water

I find it hard to believe that the Burlington Northern Santa Fe refueling station is still being debated. Come on, people, this is not rocket science. They are talking about storing a half million gallons of diesel fuel above our sole source of water. Not just the water we drink, it’s the water we give our pets and children.

Am I missing something here? Why is it even being discussed? Is there really that much money involved - and whose palms are being greased?

I sure hope somebody is getting rich on this plan and that some of the money trickles down to me because when that thing leaks, and it will leak, I’m going to need that money to buy bottled water - not just to drink and cook with, but enough to shower with every day for the rest of my life. That’s where this thing is headed. Wake up, people, and smell the fumes. Daniel E. Breeden Coeur d’Alene

Washington state

Privatize more, spend less

So Initiative 695 passed. Now state officials are acting as spoiled children who have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar and retaliation is the order of the day. Instead of cutting where it hurts people, pull your head out and start a new way to make programs self-supporting.

Why are people forced to pay for programs they don’t use, (STA, ferries, etc.)? Make those who use them pay 75 percent of the cost to run them. Police, for example. When a traffic citation is issued, a fee for the policeman’s time and all who are needed to process the citation (except for the judges) should be paid out of the cost of the ticket upon the time of conviction or forfeiture.

With 98 percent of nonprofessional drivers incapable of following basic traffic laws, this could bring in an overabundant source of revenue, especially if the judges would quit throwing all tickets out of court.

The county road maintenance department should be 80 percent abolished and the county divided into sections. Road maintenance should be contracted out. We aren’t getting our money’s worth now. A percentage of snow removal should be contracted out to the garbage company; pay it to put plows on the front of its trucks, as they do back East.

I challenge those in government to change the status quo and be leaders for once. Show the nation a new way to run the same programs with less tax money. Dan and Karen De Ruwe Otis Orchards

Hired help put in its place

I agree with the concept of representative government in that we elect folks to make our laws, levy taxes and to do all the other things we hire them to do. But when our elected representatives will not or cannot do the job to our satisfaction, it is time to remind them who really is the boss around here.

If decreasing a tax, fee or whatever makes lawmakers uncomfortable, that’s too bad. When a legislator takes the oath of office, there is no mention of him or her receiving a blank check. This whole situation can be compared to paying your kid to do the grocery shopping. If the kid comes back and has spent more than he was supposed to and can’t justify the extra expenditure, do you just say, “Oh, well,” and let him continue to shop for you with even more money next time? No. We either do the job ourselves or hire someone else.

Whether we do a better job spending and budgeting our money is really not the issue. The issue is that it is our money. The hired help in Olympia have just been reminded of that. Edward B. Hanson Airway Heights

Just cut 2 percent, across the board

I respectfully ask Gov. Gary Locke if he is so devastated that he doesn’t know what to do about Initiative 695 being passed. There is a very simple solution: send a memo to every department head and order an immediate 2 percent cut of the fat in their individual department budgets. And I think we all know there is fat in government budgets. Two percent was the amount quoted to finance the loss of the excise tax. Problem solved! Laurence Michaels Loon Lake

People in society

Equality the future of marriages

Recently, while talking with some other men, the topic of high divorce rates came up. One man said, “I think one of the main reasons of high divorce rates is that women are becoming nonsubmissive.” I have heard and seen this primitive way of thinking my entire life.

For 10 years I have been happily married to an equal soulmate, not a submissive wife. I couldn’t imagine having that type of marriage. Total equality in a marriage enhances personal growth and self-identity, which all persons seek. Therefore, the marriage will be enriched.

Hopefully, in the next century the people who believe the primitive idea will let go of their selfish egos and realize that all humans are equal regardless of sex, race, beliefs, lifestyle, etc. We’ll all be a lot better off in the next millennium. Steve D. Carpenter Spokane

Show, veterans earned my gratitude

I attended a musical salute to veterans by the Shadle Park High School Band and Choral group. My thoughts and emotions were stirred to recall my hero of the Korean War.

I have a letter written by my uncle from a foxhole in Korea. He talked of snowy battlefields, frostbitten feet, canned food rations and being plain battle weary. He was a lieutenant fighting another ill-defined war. But, like many of our vets, he spoke of the importance of his mission.

When I turned 18, I joined the Navy. What a contrast of battlefield conditions from those of my uncle. While I had a battle station as a gunner on a 30mm gun mount, firing at drones and plane-pulled sleeves, along with a monthly trip to Chinhai, Korea, while aboard the USS Jason, that was the extent of my battlefield. The warm bed (rack) and traditional Navy food, no frozen feet, no bombs falling, made my wartime experience rather benign.

In past Veterans Day celebrations I have met many veterans who, like my uncle, fought under similar horrific battlefield conditions and who were wounded or emotionally scarred. There are many more of them than many of us might think here in Spokane.

So, to my uncle and those like him, I salute you and thank you for your service. I also thank the Shadle Park High School musicians and singers for their excellent presentation of patriotic renditions that stirred my patriotism anew. Ken Van Buskirk Spokane

Beliefs

Statement’s meaning distorted

Paul Flanary’s Nov. 2 letter is a classic example of taking a verse out of its setting and making the Holy Bible appear to teach the very opposite of what it teaches: “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”

Examine carefully the entire passage (Matthew 7:1-5) and notice that it is addressed to a hypocrite (fraud) - not to those who sincerely want to discern whether a teacher or teaching is true or false to God’s Word. And instead of being a prohibition against honest judgment, it is a solemn warning against hypocritical judgment. In fact, the last statement commands sincere judgment: “Then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

Concerning certain vital matters, the Lord commands to judge. Verse 15 of Matthew 7, “Beware of false prophets” is the warning and command of our Lord. But how could we beware and how could we know they are false prophets if we did not judge? And what is the God-given standard by which we are to judge? “To the Law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them.” (Is. 8:20) Willa M. Harper Spokane

Sanctity through proximity? No way

I had to read Webb G. Long’s letter (Nov. 11) a couple of times. I shook my head, rubbed my eyes and looked again. It was still there.

Carrying a Bible under your arm no more makes you a Christian than sleeping in the garage makes you a car. I could tote Chairman Mao’s “Little Red Book” around the block but it wouldn’t make me Chinese or a communist. Being a Christian is manifest in following the tenets of Jesus in thought, word and deed. No props needed.

Yes, Long, you did serve in the Army to “protect anyone’s ignorant speech.” For your information, you were defending the First Amendment. That’s the one that allows Richard Butler’s band of so-called Christian bullies to goose-step down Sherman Avenue and for anyone’s opinions to appear on the editorial page, no matter how addle-brained they may be. J.M. James Moscow

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