Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

More than a car was taken

My mother is 48 years old and barely lives off her minimum-wage income. There is no money to spare for a vehicle or anything else, for that matter.

My mother had been taking the bus to and from work and was often late getting there. When my uncle found out about her circumstances he was appalled. In fact, he found a car to purchase, a 1987 maroon Honda Civic, and spent months rebuilding it. He then drove it from his home in California, all the way to Spokane. I couldn’t begin to express the feelings of joy my mother felt at the moment my uncle handed her the keys, for words just wouldn’t be enough.

My mother could drive to work and now felt good about herself.

Unfortunately, all that changed on the morning of Nov. 16, for when my mother went to warm her car up for work it wasn’t there. My mother’s car had been stolen sometime during the night from her North Side home.

I keep asking myself, why do bad things happen to good people? My mother is devastated and there is nothing we can do but pray the car is found. Chelsa R. Gardner Spokane

Humane Society needs support

The Spokane Humane Society is again without a director. All that means is that the shelter is temporarily without a director. The shelter still does what it has always done - takes in and cares for abandoned animals while trying to find them permanent homes.

This situation is frustrating. However, the people who do the daily hands-on work and care for the animals are still there, and they are still doing an excellent job. They are what keeps the shelter open and they enable it to fulfill its mission of caring for thousands of animals which end up there through no fault of their own.

What is extremely important is that we, as members, volunteers or adopters, continue to support the Spokane Humane Society. Their daily operations cost them just like they do us - except that they depend on our donations to pay their bills.

If you feel you could make a difference at the Spokane Humane Society, get more involved - donate time and, if possible, money.

The bottom line is, losing a director will not affect what the Spokane Humane Society does or what it is - an organization dedicated to the care of animals which, without it, could end up wandering the streets and dying alone in a ditch or alongside a road. For the sake of the animals, please continue to support the Spokane Humane Society. Herb Coburn Spokane

Shelter staff careful and caring

My staff at the Spokane County Animal Shelter is a group of hard-working professionals who are also animal lovers. They care deeply about the animals and are champions of animal welfare.

The Spokane area has a tremendous pet overpopulation problem. Our shelter alone will handle close to 6,000 animals this year. Shelter workers are faced daily with difficult decisions - determining which animal shall live and which shall die. There are just not enough homes for them all. New cages are needed every day for animals coming into the facility.

Our policy is to not take adoption deposits for animals at our facility. Over the years we have found that most people who leave deposits do not wind up adopting the animal, for reasons unknown to us. Animals have lost a chance for adoption because a deposit has been left. In October we took in 353 cats (100 more than October last year). Out of these cats, 10 were reunited with their owners and 80 were adopted.

Euthanasia as a form of pet overpopulation control must end. If you are a pet owner make sure that your pet is sterilized and identified with a license. If you are looking for a pet, please adopt a shelter animal. Everyone can educate their friends and neighbors on responsible pet ownership and make their pets a lifetime commitment. Maybe with the help of the community, someday we won’t have to decide. Nancy Hill animal control director, Spokane County Animal Control

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Obviously, Bush is not ready

The Bush camp does not cease to amaze me! What is he afraid of ? If he is so darn sure of his position as winner of this election why is he so opposed to the recounts?

The winner, the way I understand it, has the most votes! So what’s he afraid of ? His camp’s reaction is beginning to show the Republicans’ true colors - bully everybody and maybe they will relent! They tried it with Whitewater, then they tried again with the Lewinsky thing.

I pity the poor man if he wins by this U.S.Supreme Court ruling. He will get no respect as president at all. He and the Republicans are so transparent.

George W. Bush, go home and grow up. Maybe in four years you will have matured enough to become president. Jim Franey Spokane

Don’t move - more not to come

When all the dust settles in the U.S. election mess, the Libertarians may be the ones who come out ahead. Congress is split and whichever party is not in the White House is going to have a major grudge against the party that is in the White House. If we thought we’ve seen gridlock, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Timothy J. Rolfe Spokane

Poor example being set

It has been well documented that the late Sen. Albert Gore groomed his son from an early age to be president. I believe this is why Vice President Al Gore is having such a hard time admitting defeat.

Contrary to the speeches he has made about wanting “the will of the people to be heard,” Gore obviously has one thing in mind: his presidency. He might’ve had an opportunity to bow out gracefully two weeks ago and preserve his future political chances. That, I’m sure he realizes, went out the window when the military vote issue came to national attention.

There is no way to defend the actions of his party’s henchmen who went to Florida counties in waves with the expressed purpose of denying military votes. Anyone with Internet capabilities is able to confirm the absolute wrath our military is now unleashing toward Gore, Sen. Bob Kerrey and the Democratic machine. And rightly so. One 18-year-old soldier is worth 50 lawyers sent to deny military members’ votes.

I have been an athlete and coach all my life. Some of the fundamentals of competition should be adhered to in Florida. Fair play, follow the rules set forth before the contest (changing chad rules, count points scored following rules) and win or lose with dignity.

This is indeed a sad time for our country but the saddest thing is that our people are getting used to poor sportsmanship. Ted Farr Spokane

This is our dark and stormy night

Hand counting in Florida? The phrases “mining for votes,” “divining voter intent,” “ ballot-tampering” and ultimately, “stealing an election” more accurately describe the debacle.

Sinister winds of tyranny are howling as our protective rule of law is being slaughtered. And the mainstream media’s silence is deafening.

May God have mercy on us. Sharon Gurley Spokane

This is no time for hotheads, hatred

The last sentence of “Right wing rage reaches fever pitch” is a quote from David Tell, author of an editorial criticizing Vice President Al Gore in the Weekly Standard. He asks rhetorically, “Why are the peasants not in the streets with torches?”

We the people of these United States are not peasants.

I think that is precisely the problem with the Republican Party’s right wing. Those in it perceive us as peasants. Anyone who disagrees with their narrow view of what is right must be lacking in morality, intelligence and common sense.

The people of Florida must be heard. Let the recount continue. The nasty, inflammatory rhetoric coming from the conservative Republicans is frightening.

A friend recently told me he would like to see Vice President Al Gore dead. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing until I saw nearly the same thing in newspaper articles and television coverage of the news.

Let’s calm down! No one is stealing the election. Our republic will survive this election and the next.

Cooler heads must prevail. Andrea Fendrick Wallace, Idaho

IN THE PAPER

S-R overreacted to bogus headline

I read Chris Peck’s (Nov. 19) explanation of the false headline about Father Robert Spitzer with interest. I hardly think that this event is worthy of all of this flagellation of the newspaper and the staff. A mistake was made but how many people do you think really took this headline seriously? I would venture a guess that those who did are those who are always looking for the worst in any event and that the vast majority of readers did not.

A young copy editor lost her job, even though you admit that there were others who should have caught the mistake. Was she fired to assuage the embarrassment of those in charge or because of the mistake? You need to examine your motive in this. It’s not right to fire her because of your pride.

The aggrieved party, Spitzer, is big enough to forgive, why not the hierarchy of The Spokesman-Review? Why destroy a young person’s career for a foolish error - an error, I’m sure, that will never be forgotten by her or others on the staff?

I really feel there has been a drastic overreaction to this whole affair. Pat O’Leary Spokane