Letters To The Editor

CITIZENSHIP

It’s important for you to vote

If you do not vote, you have no right to complain. Beyond that, however, there is a more concerning consequence to not mobilizing yourself to cast a ballot.

We are privileged to live in a democratic republic and under the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights are entitled to privileges of citizenship and of electing our public officials unknown in many societies. When a citizen neglects these privileges, he or she not only chooses to not express his or her opinion, but also allows others to select public officials and to decide the course of future policies and expenditures.

Although it can be frustrating to be unable to find a perfect match to one’s opinion among candidates and issues, not voting at all allows what might be a majority opinion to be overridden by a minority opinion with better recruitment of voters willing to act and allows oligarchy, a government in which a small group exercises control, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes.

Regardless of how passionately and thoughtfully you support or oppose any given issue or candidate, your opinions are meaningless until you actually participate in the election. By not voting, you may cause greater harm than if you had completed a ballot. Cherry Tallant Chattaroy

Thank our veterans by voting

A thank you to the veterans who served in the armed forces could best be accomplished by exercising your right to vote in the coming election. Preservation of this right is what we fought for! Gerald Druffel Uniontown, Wash.

Show the flag properly, with respect

People need to be reminded about some particulars relating to the display of the American flag.

Although there’s no law governing the manner of display, there exists a flag code initially adopted in 1923 and amended and revised by Congress several times since. It states: “It is the universal custom to display the flag from sunrise to sunset. … However, when a patriotic effect is desired the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.” Our compliments to Perkins Restaurants for such a manner of display.

Weather is no longer the factor it was before the advent of water-resistant materials. Instead of soaking up the water, it now runs off the material. Recent medal winners in the Olympics celebrated victory by draping the flag around their necks and shoulders. That did not show proper respect to our flag.

The code states: “The flag should never be used as clothing, bedding or as a drapery of any sort whatsoever, never festooned, drawn back or up in folds, but always allowed to fall free.” Helen Reed American Legion Auxiliary, Spokane

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Do police red-line neighborhoods?

After letters to the editor complaining of a drug house on Ermina, the Spokane police raided the house. I am hoping for an equally clear response.

My complaints of activities in Grant Park have twice resulted in police officers telling me, “You live in a low-end neighborhood. Move out.” Will the police chief tell me if Spokane’s “low-end neighborhoods” are defined by a red line on a police station map, what areas of Spokane are included and what the response protocol is in those areas?

The community has been told fliers are left at homes within a three-block radius of residences into which convicted sex offenders move. I never received such a notice when a level sex offender who targets 9-year-olds moved into a house on Ninth, a block from Grant School and behind the Vanessa Behan Crisis Center. Why not? Though The Spokesman-Review ran his name and picture, the Spokane Police Department has informed me it is not aware of him. How come?

Recently my wife, a Latina who is learning English, was riding a bus that was involved in a traffic accident. While questioning potential witnesses, a policewoman asked my wife a series of questions which constituted racial profiling and were clearly directed at her immigration status, not the possible traffic crime being investigated. My call to the city’s human rights office about this was met with a distinctly uninterested response. How often do such interrogations occur Spokane? David A. Brookbank, Jr. Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Campbell’s insight will live on

It has not been long since our community felt the sad departure of our friend and brother, Peter Campbell. I met him only two years ago and on our initial meeting he, to my reluctance at the time, educated me on the significance of our river, which he loved dearly.

I walked away from that conversation confused and angry; confused because these were new truths to me and angry because the truth hurts. As I rewound and replayed that conversation in my head for weeks to follow, I knew he was right. Our river has a monumental significance and yes, I am here by permission of our creator and our native people.

I thank God he put Campbell here to impact my life by revealing a new way of thinking and appreciating where I live and work. I did not know him long but his lesson will be in my memory and the memory of my family for generations.

Often I am sure he asked himself, “Have I made a difference?” Yes, Peter, in my life, you did. Vince Lemus Spokane

Too bad local zoo did not get praise

I found editor Chris Peck’s Oct. 8 column praising Cat Tales quite ironic, in light of the demise of the Walk in the Wild Zoo, which never received the slightest word of praise from The Spokesman-Review.

I used to visit Walk in the Wild regularly with my children. Unlike Cat Tales, where the big cats are kept in ridiculously small cages, the larger animals at Walk in the Wild had large areas of natural terrain to roam. Even the smaller animals had generous pens, appropriate for their size. Over the years I saw steady improvement of the facilities, the animal enclosures and the walkways, none of which were noted by your paper, which actually found every excuse to berate a real jewel in our community that only needed a bit of polishing to really shine.

I often spoke to the keepers, and I knew how dedicated the were to their animals, many of which, like Cat Tales, could have no other home. Like Cat Tales, it also relied only on donations, which as far I could see were very well utilized.

I just think it’s tragic that Walk in the Wild, which resided on the scenic Mirabeau property, was never given the praise and support so often lavished on Cat Tales. If it had been, we might still have a real zoo that could have attained national recognition for its many fine qualities. Sunni W. Mace Spokane

Adopting new language is difficult

Jean Staben’s Oct. 26 letter, “Learning English is a responsibility,” reflects a widespread lack of understanding of the difficulties faced by most immigrants over the age of 20 in acquiring English as a second language.

Young children learn the languages used around them by the people who interact with them. The ability to acquire any language and other languages with ease begins to diminish as a person enters puberty and for most people shuts down by the time they have reached early adulthood.

The usual pattern for an immigrating family is for grandparents to have little ability to learn the new language, parents struggling to get by with partial understanding, teenagers learning the language to varying degrees, usually marked by accent, and grade school and younger children picking up the language with ease and without accent.

This is why grade school kids often serve as family interpreters. This is why immigrants tend to cluster with other speakers of their native language for support. This is why assimilation is usually a second generation accomplishment.

Immigration into a different culture and language environment is not easy under the best of circumstances. This calls for patience and compassion, rather than irritation and accusations of irresponsibility or ingratitude. Richard S. Trombley Spokane

Male bashing has gone far enough

Why do men and women have to fight and struggle for power? Male bashing is common now and it’s clear many females hate males.

It’s fine to stand up for your rights as a person but when you say men are inferior, stupid and don’t fit into your plans, you are out of line. I call on decent males to stand up and not tolerate the harassment going on everywhere against us. Write TV stations and Hollywood studios and demand they withdraw the demeaning, nasty mentality many females are pushing. Try watching an evening of TV and count all the insults on the air. It’s everywhere and it’s not going away. Many females want their rights at the expense of males’. Mike J. Guimond Coeur d’Alene