Letters To The Editor

Spokane matters

Sorry excuse for progress

I enjoyed the June 2 article on the proposed light rail line from downtown Spokane to Liberty Lake for the humor it gave me. Transportation officials quoted were Glenn Miles and County Commissioner Kate McCaslin, who say the preliminary study may cost $7 million before voters are asked to help fund this probable $300 million folly.

The article further states that these officials hope to pay these initial design costs with federal money (would any of this be mine?) and with state money (I am sure some of this is mine) and perhaps $1.4 million in local money (I know this means mine).

While these transportation officials have their heads in the ozone, I drive to work on the crumbling cow trails they claim are streets. I initially said this article was humorous. I now realize that it is actually sad. Ken Hills Spokane

How can a traffic light cost so much?

Excuse me but am I the only reader of The Spokesman-Review who finds the proposed traffic light at Fifth and Freya to be slightly overpriced? I mean, come-on, $200,000? You should be able to build a bridge over Freya for that amount.

Would someone on the city staff please explain how installing one traffic light could possibly cost more than building a fairly nice home? No wonder Spokane cannot afford to repair the streets. Is the work all performed by doctors and lawyers? Donald N. Fitzgerald Spokane

Lilac Association appreciative

On behalf of the board of directors of the Spokane Lilac Festival Association, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Spokane and the Inland Empire for your support of the festival this year.

Spokane welcomed more than 6,000 participants to downtown Spokane for the 62nd annual Global Credit Union Armed Forces Torchlight Parade. Through the hours and hours of volunteer time, once again Spokane had the chance to honor our youths, our military, our veterans and POWs/MIAs.

A very special thank you to the 141st Air Refueling Wing and KXLY for working together to provide a taped broadcast of the parade. To all those folks who have voiced their concerns to us we will be forwarding a copy of the tape to them as a special thank you for their interest and support.

Thanks to everyone! Denny Nichols, president Spokane Lilac Festival

Schools and education

Wilson has improved schools

I am not a resident of Riverside School District but I was for many years. I graduated from Riverside High in 1941. My wife graduated in 1942. It was a small country school, smaller than Mead, Deer Park and Newport. We got a basic high school education. The girls could major in home-ec, typing and secretarial. Boys majored in animal husbandry or farm shop. We had the basics of chemistry, history, science, geography and only one year of math - algebra. I applied to get into the Merchant Marine Academy but was not eligible due to the lack of geometry and trigonometry.

Sports were basketball or football and our athletic field was a cow pasture. You had to be careful where you stepped or fell.

In the past several years I have attended reunions where we were given tours of the facilities. Wow! I was amazed at the size of that complex. They teach many subjects. Students even repair and build computers. The graduates of Riverside graduates have no trouble getting into any college they desire. The district is now larger than Deer Park or Newport and the athletic facilities are outstanding - even better than some Spokane schools.

I still have contacts in the district and, from what I have learned, Riverside schools would not be what they are today without Jerry Wilson’s drive, energy, knowledge and leadership. He’s done an outstanding job in making what the district is today. The residents (taxpayers) teachers and students should be proud of their schools. Ira N. Holcomb Spokane

Meth menace

Children getting the worst of it

I have been reading your articles on the methamphetamine epidemic. The thing that saddens me the most is the lives of all these innocent little children affected by their parents’ irresponsibility. The parents’ rights to these children should terminated as soon as they make the choice to do these drugs. These children shouldn’t be put in foster homes and have to wait for their parents to shape up. They should immediately be placed in adoptive families where they can be fed, clothed and, most of all, loved for the rest of their lives.

It burns me up to see these children treated as possessions instead of the human beings that they are.

They need to be loved!

All of you advocates for the rights of the parents need to wake up.

My husband was adopted by two people who showed him love. In return, he has grown into a man who is a wonderful, loving father of three girls. I am sure you won’t find that in the children who are being bounced from foster home to foster home, and then back to their drugged-out parents, and back to foster care again. They are destroying these kids’ childhood, which can never be replaced. Forget parents’ rights. How about the rights of these child victims? Karen E. Rainer Colville, Wash.

People in society

This turnaround won’t come easy

Re: editor Chris Peck’s “new wealth” editorial.

I wish to pass on to Kent Adams what it may take to educate new millionaires on the importance of community. I theorize that we must confront the pervasive effects of such predominant mass marketing values of instant gratification and unrealistic expectations which drive us all away from community and family values before a serious turnaround is likely. That process may have to begin in elementary school if the current generation is mostly “lost.”

I can see, however, that it also involves having the mass media bite the mass marketing hand that feeds it. I suspect we may have to lose another generation, or more, before that ever occurs. I fervently hope not, however.

In the meantime, I wish you the best of luck with your worthwhile persuasion effort. Philip J. Mulligan Spokane

Written like a true social liberal Boston Globe columnist Diane White (IN Life, May 28), in expressing her hopes for the nonsuccess of Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s anticipated entry into the venue of televised talk shows, reveals an interesting aspect of the liberal world view, to wit:

To decline to positively affirm homosexuality; to decline to affirm never-married, fatherless childbearingrearing; and to speak less than positively about the feminist proclivity for valuing business and professional careerism above child nurturing is to be insulting and abusive. Leonard C. Johnson Troy, Idaho

Strange notions you have there

I am just flabbergasted.! The letters from Steve Dunham and Bruce Hogan (June 1) were so full of errors that one has to wonder what their source of information was.

First, just because someone states a disagreement doesn’t mean that they are attacking you or your beliefs. That’s such an inflammatory statement.

Re: Dunham’s letter, Marx was a communist, as was Lenin, Stalin and Mao. Hitler and Clinton are Christian. Oops, not a secular humanist in the bunch. The Declaration of Independence says we are endowed by our creator. It does not say God. A creator is anything that creates.

Hogan incredibly claims atheists are responsible for the lion’s share of child abuse, spousal abuse, theft , suppression of women’s rights and slavery. Excuse me while I chuckle. Doesn’t he ever read a newspaper? The truth will prove otherwise. Child abuse is rife in the Christian community. And everyone knows that Christians believe that women should be subservient. Please try to get your facts straight. Madelon C. Thomas Spokane

Other topics

Russians’ freedom comes at great cost

As the United States looks to promote capitalism and democracy around the world, one must look at the benefits and disadvantages of this advocacy. An excellent way to judge what the United States should do is to examine the former Soviet Union.

Following the breakup, the United States took a leading role in encouraging the former Soviet Republics, namely Russia, to become democratic, capitalist states. Unfortunately, the benefits to the people of Russia are far outweighed by the detriment that capitalism has been to the Russian economic system. Before the breakup, the unemployment rate in Russia was zero; everyone had a job, a home and their basic needs were met. Ethnic conflict was also suppressed by the Soviet state and people lived in relative peace.

Now, following years of the Cold War, there have been many bloody ethnic wars within former Soviet Republics and the unemployment rate hovers around 12 percent, with 27 percent of the population living below the poverty line. The annual inflation rate of Russia is 84 percent and the American dollar is worth about 23 rubles.

People who held high level positions in the Soviet state now work behind counters in empty markets, trying to earn enough undervalued rubles to buy expensive food to sustain their families. The people of Russia and the former republics are starving but now the United States looks the other way.

So what is better, to have one’s basic needs met with less freedom or to have freedom to starve on the streets? Nowell D. Bamberger, age 15 Spokane

Playboy’s in it for the money

Contrary to Fern Christenson’s editorial (“Public sanctions can be equally effective,” May 27), the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Playboy Entertainment was not about protecting our First Amendment right to free speech. It was about protecting Playboy’s economic interests.

The 1996 Telecommunications Act did not prohibit Playboy from producing and broadcasting sexually explicit cable; it merely required those images and audio to be completely scrambled for nonsubscribers until 10 p.m. I think Playboy Entertainment appealed because it saw partially scrambled pornography as a type of advertising hook for reeling in more customers.

Unfortunately, the high court appeared to be unaware or unconcerned that many busy parents can’t or won’t protect their children from pornography entering the home via telephone, TV or the Internet until after the damage is done. Fortunately, Spokane’s AT&T/TCI Cable Company installed hi-tech digital cable and dropped Playboy when they took over Cox Cable in 1997, resulting in a more protected market. (Unfortunately, AT&T is cooperating with their national office to bring an extreme hard core, pay-per-view porn channel to Spokane soon.)

Christenson is right in saying public sanctions can be effective. If our courts are going to protect the economic interests of the porn industry and our public schools and libraries are going to continue to provide unfiltered access to toxic erotica, then adults must boldly speak up and be ever vigilant because the marketplace just became a more hostile place. Penny Lancaster Coalition for Better Community Standards, Spokane