Letters To The Editor
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Police inaction, excuse both lame
Someone must have lit a fire under the Spokane Police Department. Only now, it seems, is the department taking the abduction of Japanese students seriously, after the first incident, which occurred on Oct. 28 - two and a half weeks ago!
The official reason for not responding to that one is “language barrier.” Excuse me? Is there not one living soul in Spokane who is bilingual in Japanese and English, who could have been called in to interpret?
This failure to respond fully and appropriately until other lives were put at risk is all the more interesting because the SPD at one time collaborated on producing a video on personal safety aimed specifically at international students living in Spokane. I showed this video to my English as a second language students last summer. The video instructs students to report any suspicious activity, theft or incident to our friendly, helpful police force.
Most international students come from countries where the police have, for good or ill, zero tolerance toward common criminals. What message are we sending? What kind of image are we projecting? Julie Falanga Spokane
So, it’s open season on foreigners?
Let me see if I have this right. Police Chief Roger Bragdon said that the reason police did not investigate a kidnapping complaint by two Japanese women last month was because of the language barrier. So, if you want to commit a crime against someone choose a person for whom English is not their primary language or,better yet, a foreign tourist. Since our police chief not only won’t go through all the trouble of finding an interpreter,he won’t even investigate the complaint, so you are home free.
Am I the only one who has a problem with this? Nancy J. Nelson, director African American Education Program, EWU, Cheney
SPOKANE MATTERS
Accentuate positive for a change
I just watched the report to the City Council about the water line break on the North Side. A clear, concise report was given and City Manager Henry Miggins congratulated the departments involved on the work they did.
The only council member to speak was Steve Eugster, and of course, his comments were negative regarding the city’s performance. He even went on to give suggestions on how the work could’ve been done better. To my knowledge he is not a civil engineer or emergency management expert. Leave this work to those who know.
Maybe Eugster just likes to hear himself talk, but a kind word of encouragement would go a long way. If I were one of the people who worked so hard to prevent the problem from getting worse and had that said about me it would not help my attitude toward my job.
Is the glass half full or half empty? Half full would help. Vernon J. Nelson, M.D. Spokane
Focus brilliance on closed library
Reference your Nov. 14 article on our beloved Councilman Steve Eugster.
Since he is one who has the talent and expertise to write new legislation I suggest he put his talent to good use and find the money necessary to have the library open on Saturday. I think it is a disgrace to our city to close the library on Saturday. If and when Eugster and his cohorts ever get around to doing anything except argue and quarrel, maybe they should get a pay raise. Paul A. Martin Spokane
Policy heading for another bad turn
Re: “Wing proposed for mentally ill inmates” (Nov. 8).
Activist Ray Raschko will turn over in his grave to learn of jail commander Dick Collins and County Mental Health czar Kasey Kramer’s plan to remove beds from the cells of the incarcerated mentally ill. What is wrong with this tragic image?
Psychiatric hospitalization costs $380 per day and I suspect the costs in jail are similar, if not more. As Spokane County citizen, I am utterly outraged at this approach and would prefer that my money be spent on the prevention of incarceration and/or hospitalization. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that those psychiatrists, case managers and nurses should be paid to work in the community in order to stabilize and treat the mentally ill. Psychiatric hospitalization and jail time are both traumatic and expensive, and the new wing proposal is ludicrous at best.
Raschko spent years working for humane treatment of the mentally ill and the ultimate irony of his obituary occurring on the same day as this appalling article is sobering. Raschko and his mission seemed to have died together. Spokane Mental Health has taken some blows lately, some deserved and some not. The mental health system in Spokane has become fragmented and sometimes disturbingly ineffective. It seems Kramer wants to develop his own mental health system in jail.
By the way, Raschko resigned from Spokane Mental Health, he did not retire. He would have said there is a big difference. Sheri J. Ellis Spokane
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Official rightly followed law
Just when I thought the madness of the campaign rhetoric would be past, it got worse! I think many others are also more than dismayed.
I’m glad that the Florida judge upheld the deadline on the recount. People are so used to using the courts to bend the law or to make law that it’s refreshing to have the election official’s position upheld. She took an oath of office to uphold the law as it stands, and is bound by it. She can’t make any so-called popular decision on her own.
It’s sad to see the Chicago political machine brought into Florida to orchestrate street demonstrations. Peggy Faust Hayden
Fairness, accuracy take time
I wonder if Meredith Turney read the front page of The Spokesman-Review on the day her letter was printed (Nov. 11), “Bush campaign threatens legal action in recount war.”
I don’t understand why some people don’t accept that the recount in Florida is required by law, not because of Al Gore. And with only a lead of a few hundred votes and absentee ballots still being counted, why they think Gore should concede.
I guess it comes down to this: Do we just want to win or do we want honest elections?
If it takes a few more weeks to ensure that all Americans have been heard, then so be it. Patience is a virtue. Let’s show some. Carol A. Wold Spokane
Democrats are in selfish kid mode
The presidential election has become an example of “do what I say, not necessarily what I do.”
My votes were cast for Republicans and Democrats in our state elections because I vote on specific issues and the admirable qualities of the individuals. As parents and voting citizens, we can look at the election as an opportunity to explain to our children that the current situation (presidential limbo) is not business as usual.
We teach our children to:
1,Take the high road. Use words to resolve problems.
2,Tell the truth.
3, Play fair, don’t cheat.
4, Treat others as you would want to be treated if the situation were reversed.
5, You cannot change the rules in the middle of the game.
6, You live with the results of the game (election) because you knew what the rules were.
Democrats overseeing the presidential election seem to have ignored almost all of these commonly revered traits.
The United States has become a joke to the rest of the world because of the childish tantrums sustained. We have a growing chasm dividing the country because one party flatly refuses to live with the results of the game, which ended Nov. 7. Last week, the Gore team said, “We will not give an inch on this election.” If Gore becomes president, it stands to reason the GOP-controlled Congress “won’t give an inch” during the next two years and perhaps longer.
Every situation requires someone to be accountable, someone to be in charge. That someone is missing. It’s time to grow up! Susan Nielsen Spokane
If at first you don’t succeed …
Take a hike, Al Gore, and don’t be a sore loser. You can always run again in 2004. I’m sure Hillary Clinton will be in need of a running mate. Cliff Garrison Spokane
Litigation should not be the way
While we wait and watch the chicanery unfolding in Florida, be aware that we are also watching the unraveling of our system of government. For 200 years the power of the presidency has been passed from one administration to the next without the intervention of lawyers and the corruption they bring . But now, unfortunately for us all, Pandora’s box has been opened and things will never be the same.
If things are allowed to continue on the course they are on, we will never again see an election that’s not contested by both camps, leaving the presidency in question every four years until all the lawyers involved have made their fortune and gotten their names up in lights. And, it is not only the presidency that is in peril. If things continue, eventually every Senate seat, every seat in the House, and possibly every City Council seat across America will be fought over in the courts. How does this serve the will of the people?
The America your children will inherit is being shaped today in Florida. Will it be a republic that values higher ideals or one that values litigation above all else? Which do you want for your children?
The answers to these questions must of course be your own but I encourage you to write your legislators and let them know this election must be decided, and without the legal wrangling that has enveloped our nation for the last week. Stuart W. Hightower Spokane
Bush principles highly elastic
Let me get this straight. The presidential candidate who proclaimed long and loud how little he trusts the government and how much he trusts the people is now demanding in court that the federal government quash established local procedures and prevent the people’s votes from being accurately counted, and that his opponent (who won the popular vote and leads in the electoral count), concede the election without waiting for a vote count.
Excuse me? Robert Maurice Sandpoint
We have lots to look forward to
After an election we voters usually must wait some time to see how our new president will act in a crisis. We never know the degree or location of the crisis but we wait nervously to see if the new president will act presidential. In this election, however, we already have our answers.
Gov. George Bush is busy naming cabinet secretaries to head a country he has not yet earned the right to govern and Vice President Al Gore is busy dropping cluster bombs full of attorneys on Florida. We have seen the future and it is scary! Doug Burr Coeur d’Alene
We can easily improve balloting
No matter which candidate finally wins the Florida recount, one thing appears certain. The ambiguous results produced by the so-called butterfly ballot will become a thing of the past. In these days of high-tech solutions, we are surely capable of devising a uniformly reliable, consistent and accurate electronic ballot: A ballot that produces no mechanical anomalies (“swinging doors” or “pregnant chad”), and also confirms the choice of the voter with digital precision prior to his or her exit from the voting booth.
(“Are you sure you want Al Gore as your selection for president? If yes, press 1; if no, press 2.”) The expense of implementing this high-tech solution would be well worth the investment, considering the importance of a fair and equitable democratic process. Paul Tronvig Curlew, Wash.
IDAHO VIEWPOINTS
Library video policy ridiculous
On Nov. 13, the Post Falls Library Board voted to continue providing R-rated videos to anyone, regardless of age. If you object to this policy you can write the library and request that your young children not be provided these restricted-type films. However, if you do this, your children cannot have any type of videos! Taxpayers interested in appealing this absurd library policy should attend the next City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21 in City Hall. Pat Kilpatrick Post Falls
Many respond to emergencies
Boundary County has more than its share of emergencies and hazardous material incidents. These are reported well in the media but sometimes it sounds as though I’m the only one involved in management of the incident. I get an awful lot of credit when actually many people are involved.
The fire departments are great sources of help and quickly respond to each incident. They are well organized, have good communications and know their job. The same goes for the local ambulance service.
Sheriff Greg Sprungl has set up an efficient, effective organization in his office to handle emergencies, including early alerting of me and others, to handle the extremely delicate, tedious job of communications and logistics. His dispatchers are critical to our ability to respond properly and their performance is outstanding. We now have direct radio contact with the Canadian Mounties - an innovation that may be a national first. Sprungl serves as operations chief for our incident command organization. He’s always present and very effective.
Bonners Ferry Police Chief Dave Kramer is a most efficient county emergency services director and does a great job keeping all responders trained, organized and well informed. Kramer also serves as the incident command plans chief.
Many others participate as well, including Stan Rodrick of the sheriff’s office, Fire Chief Ron Kich and Mayor Darrell Kerby. They also deserve our thanks. Bob L. Graham Bonners Ferry
Can someone explain verdict?
In regards to Mark Briggs’ letter on Nov 9, I totally agree with what he wrote. I would like to hear from some of the jury on that trial. They let this man off with a “misdemeanor boating” and “under the influence.” His fiancee was killed and another person maimed for life. Is this justice? Please, someone, explain to me why he was let off so easily. Frank “Red” Cozzetto Hayden
OVER THE LINE
Theater arts event a good one
At the end of October, I accompanied as a chaperone Sandpoint High School’s drama teacher, Marcy Neher, and 16 of her drama students to the Inland Northwest Theater Arts Festival held at Mt. Spokane High School in Mead. I found this to be a highly organized event. Workshops were taught not only by local teachers and business professionals but also by several business people from other cities. Students experienced hands-on learning in numerous fields of interest. University brochures for furthering theater arts and technical education were provided.
It was exciting to see the tremendous support for theater arts the INTAF organizers have worked hard to achieve through education and state-of-the-art facilities. Our students showed such respect and dedication to Neher, evidenced by their thoughtful participation. The trip was very enjoyable with a fun and great group of young people.
Sandpoint High School’s drama department performs several plays throughout the school year and provides the Sandpoint area with some of the best entertainment in town. Cindy L. Steen Sagle, Idaho