Letters To The Editor

Washington state

Ahern idea shows he’s not ready

John Ahern, in his July 19 declaration he’s running for Rep. Duane Sommers’ 6th District legislative seat, states that he believes released sexual offenders should be required “to live in the community where they committed their crimes.”

Has he thought this through? Why not require the offender to live on the same block, apartment building or the same household as the victim? The last thing victims of sexual abuse want is to have to continually run into the individual who abused or sexually assaulted them.

Basically, Ahern’s telling the victims they are the ones who have to move. Perhaps he doesn’t realize that courts routinely order sexual offenders not to live near or have contact with their victims.

Luckily for us, Monty Cobb is also running for the 6th District legislative seat. As a prosecutor, he knows how to think these things through. He has experience in making decisions that affect people’s lives.

Cobb also has broad support for his campaign that’s evident in the number of individual contributions his campaign has received. The quality of his leadership is also shown by his being endorsed by the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs - and other organization that know leadership when they see it. They are too numerous to list here. Perhaps Ahern should have thought his campaign through before he loaned himself $3,000. David Stevens Spokane

Government and politics

Now, it’s what we don’t hear

The Republican National Committee now claims to support tribal self-determination. And Don Benton, chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, says he has a new resolution supporting Native American self-government.

However, based on Benton’s guest column on July 17, he either does not understand tribal sovereignty or does not accept it. In his column, he obliquely argues that non-Indians should be able to vote in tribal elections and participate in tribal government. Although he does not explicitly state that non-Indians should be able to vote in tribal elections, he is arguing exactly that.

If non-Indians vote in tribal elections, then the tribes do not have self-determination and tribal sovereignty does not exist. Everything else is just spin control.

Where the rubber meets the road is, what do elected Republican lawmakers believe?

State Reps. Cathy McMorris, Bob Sump and Sen. Bob Morton; and U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt and Sen. Slade Gorton have not specifically stated the original resolution (“terminate all such non-republican forms of government on Indian reservations”) was wrong. Their silence is deafening. Steve Gigliotti Davenport

`Liar’ not the term for Nethercutt

Contrary to popular opinion, Rep. George Nethercutt is not a liar. A liar is someone who tells you his house is red when he knows damn well it’s blue. Or, to put lying into a historical perspective, a liar is a Republican voter who told you six years ago that he supported term limits when, actually, all he wanted to to was use that issue to pry a Democrat out of office and shoehorn a Republican into it. Term limits never meant anything to that sort of liar.

For argument’s sake, let’s agree that Nethercutt is not a liar but only a politician who said one thing six years ago and changed his words later. Instead of being a liar, Nethercutt is a man whose word cannot be trusted.

A man of his word is a man who sticks to his word, no matter what, no matter how convenient it is later on to change it.

A man who honors his word won’t make a fool of the voters who supported him. George Thomas Spokane

Church and state

Constitution misinterpreted

Re: “Council prayer disputed,” (July 17). The Constitution was established not to prohibit praying before government meetings but to protect churches from being dictated to about how to worship.

The first part of the First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This is laying the burden on government to not dictate how people may worship. Notice it does not state that citizens of this country cannot worship or pray in a governmental setting and our founding fathers did not intend it to be interpreted this way.

I noticed in this article the phrase always used by people against prayer in government settings: “separation of church and state.” Nowhere in the Constitution does it mention this. This was taken from a speech Thomas Jefferson made. It was made as a plea to keep the government out of the churches, not to keep the churches out of the government.

The fact that America was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ leads to the fact that this is an overwhelmingly Christian land. That is why the majority of visiting ministers who pray are Christian. In Spokane, we have something no other major city in the state of Washington has: prayer before every council meeting. We should be proud of that fact and it should compel us to keep it going.

I urge Councilman Steve Eugster to stop pursuing removal of prayer from the council meetings. I encourage Councilwoman Roberta Greene and Mayor John Talbott in their support. Rev. Jay M. Henning Spokane

Surely, most favor divine guidance

The foundation of government in this country is government by representation. It is very possible for a vocal minority to gain enough power to project the impression that this is also how the majority feels things should happen.

I ask those who feel public prayer before council meetings should be stopped, are you open to an impartial poll on this? How many Spokane citizens really feel they should not call on God for help and wisdom in governing this city?

The Bible says that “he who trusts in himself is a fool” (Proverbs 26:28a). Isn’t this issue with public prayer dealing with an even deeper issue of trust? Those who don’t want to pray want to trust only in themselves and their own finite ability to govern, rather than in the infinite, all-powerful God who established all governments, current and past, on this Earth.

Everything visible had a beginning. Only God was here before the beginning of everything. He depends on no one for his existence. But our very existence and the life of our cities depend upon him. Only a fool would not cry out to God for his guidance to make good decisions in government and in all of life.

If I, a voting citizen, am going to be adequately represented in Spokane’s government, then I need people to serve who are wise enough to call on the one who has all wisdom and who will surely give to those who ask good counsel for good government in this city. Merilee T. Moser Spokane

Schools and education

Riverside district back on track

Proving false the portrayals of the Riverside School District as despairing and dysfunctional, the board meeting of July 18 was positive and productive.

Board President Janet Hansen announced initiation of a sign in system similar to that used in other districts, so open forum comments can be presented in a more orderly manner. Addressing the board from a podium will focus attention on the speaker and encourage respect for the speaker and the board. Insight of this kind is commendable and teaches good lessons in civic responsibility.

Based on apparent violations of the Washington State School Directors Association guidelines, the Riverside board of directors’ code of ethics and the Revised Code of Washington, patrons asked the board to investigate the activities and review public statements of board member Paula Thorngate. In the same presentation, Thorngate was asked to resign her board position.

With several disruptive issues resolved and bargaining negotiations in progress, the board can consider the findings of newly formed advisory committees, the anticipated completion of construction projects, and preparations for the coming school year. Decisions deferred due to the previous board vacancy are being handled carefully and expeditiously. Patrons appreciate the board’s diligence in resolving these issues. Cherry Tallant Chattaroy