Letters To The Editor

BUSINESS AND LABOR

Railroads have work to do

If the old adage that “bad things come in threes” is true, the people of North Idaho may not have to put up with any more train derailments for a while. But given the railroad industry’s poor safety record, that may not be the case.

The recent derailment in Sandpoint (“Freight Train Derails outside Sandpoint,” Oct. 8) is the third in the last month in North Idaho and indicative of nationwide, industrywide safety problems.

In fact, there is a train derailment somewhere in this country every 90 minutes. And a train carrying hazardous materials runs off the track and spills its load, on average, every two weeks.

RailWatch recently released a report on the risky state of railroad track throughout the country. Among other things, that report found railroad downsizing has resulted in reductions in repair crews, while at the same time the railroads are hauling more and more hazardous materials.

Once and for all, it’s time for the railroad industry - which posts billions of dollars in profits - to make the necessary improvements to make its trains, tracks and operations safe. Sherry Kiesling Fox executive director, RailWatch, Houston

Maxxam stripped away benefits

Re: “Retirees’ complaints lack merit,” Oct. 12.

My greatest hero from the Kaiser labor dispute is my father, a retired Trentwood Steelworker. He paid the bills for me and my young son for the past two years without a question. He did his part just as surely as if he had been standing on the picket line, as did many other retired Steelworkers, each in their own way.

Like Gordon Gower, I am unhappy the Steelworkers union allowed retirees’ pension money to be diverted to pay medical insurance. But according to the Steelworkers’ attorney, medical is Kaiser’s biggest debt and Kaiser needs relief from it in order to borrow money to operate in the future. Why is this debt so huge? Because since taking over Kaiser in the late 1980s, Maxxam Corp. sold off Kaiser’s factories without the benefit obligations owed their retired workers. In that way, Maxxam got more cash for these facilities while Kaiser’s assets shrank and debt load climbed.

So Kaiser’s workers, salaried and union alike, are left depending on ever-dwindling resources for their pensions and medical benefits. What will be sacrificed for the good of the majority next? Good question.

Meanwhile, I hope all who are saddened by what has happened at Kaiser will vote for the candidates in November who will best represent working people in the years ahead.

My vote for state representative in District 4 goes to Steelworker Carol Ford-Duncan. A win for Ford-Duncan is a win for all of us. Margaret Larive Steelworker, Local 338, Spokane

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Bid for political correctness wrong

I do not have any personal connection with Lewis and Clark High School or with its marching band members but the recent decisions involving this group are very disturbing. I have not seen “The Death of Custer,” but for this group to have to bow down to the complaint of one Native American seems preposterous.

Apparently, the Native Americans are depicted with beads, blankets and braids. Is this historically inaccurate? I don’t think so. To pretend otherwise is dishonest. It is reminiscent of the current trend of some individuals who want to convince us the holocaust never happened.

I have friends who are Native Americans, and I respect and admire them for their heritage. But are we to turn our backs on the facts? I don’t think they want that and I don’t think we should pander to it.

Incidentally, Custer lost - does anyone remember that? Is this something for Native Americans to be ashamed of? Would they prefer that their activities at Little Bighorn be ignored? I doubt it.

Please give some consideration to these young musicians who are striving to portray a bit of history in their performance. To take that privilege away from them is to deprive both them and the Native American community of an honest and entertaining presentation of a piece of Americana. To pretend otherwise is a silly exercise in trying to be politically correct at the expense of honesty and historical integrity. Doris J. Woodward Spokane

Decision feckless, politically correct

As a parent of a Lewis and Clark High School Marching Band member, I am appalled at the school district’s decision to force the band to remove Native Americans from its performance of “The Death of Custer.” They were told to replace an entire culture of people with flag-waving students depicting school spirit. What are they thinking? They are taking political correctness to an extreme - a greater insult to Native Americans than inaccurate costumes.

If a mistake has been made, let’s learn from it. Let’s ask the Native American community to help the students with costume errors they have made.

LC’s band has done an excellent job, taking a piece of music and performing it with a marching style that goes beyond marching. It is an emotional, moving performance that helps us all remember the tragedy this battle meant to both sides.

The district states that in hindsight the band should have been more sensitive and chosen another piece. Throughout history, many cultures have told stories about historical events through music and dance, including Native Americans. These students are doing just that.

The district’s decision in this matter is wrong. It is telling my student we should not depict historical events in artistic performances if they are not politically correct. History can teach us about tolerance and racial equality. Let’s not sweep it under the rug.

I applaud band director Larry Jay for daring to teach our children to learn from history and strive for excellence. David Tanner Spokane

District’s response sensitive, right

I thank Dylan Lodge for her initiative and courage in protesting the stereotypical depiction of American Indians in the Lewis and Clark Marching Band arrangement.

Also thanks to Vickie Countryman and Pam Austin and their colleagues at District 81 for carefully, thoughtfully considering all the implications of this issue and deciding to draw a line against historical inaccuracies and offensive symbols.

This learning is painful but necessary. We must engage in this kind of confrontation, discussion and resolution if we are ever to overcome our ugly history of racism. Mary Ann Murphy Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

So it’s numbers you require?

Re: Dr. Howard A. Stetson’s Roundtable column of Oct. 7, “Theory of Evolution,” is flawed.

Stetson introduces Michael Behe’s ideas about the “irreducibly complex” but offers no reference to any scientific test which proves that “such systems cannot evolve piece by piece there would be no meaningful functionality to the cell or organism.” Functionally is not a prerequisite for every adaptation.

Behe’s argument, as presented, is not an inductive conclusion; it’s an example of deductive, nonscientific reasoning.

“Challenges” in the minutiae of evolutionary processes don’t discredit the overwhelming evidence for evolution.

When Stetson brings up the missing link, dinosaurs to birds, he loses all creditability. If we had a photo of a newborn and took a daily snapshot of that newborn until he was 90 years old, which snapshot would we finger as the missing link between infancy and old age? What if 98 percent of the snapshots were lost to catastrophe? In an evolutionary process of microscopic change, that spans a million alterations over millions of years, which adaptation (if we saw them all) would we point to as the definitive moment of change?

Stetson’s analogy between the information content of DNA (God’s information? Prove that scientifically!) and SETI’s research assumptions is logical horseplay and unscientific.

If we’re going to be rigorously scientific, let’s ask for scientific evidence for the theory of God. “Without numbers there is no science!” writes Stetson.

In that case, the spiritual emperor of heaven has absolutely no clothing. Science cuts both ways, doctor, or don’t employ it. George Thomas Spokane

Race not the only basis for bias

There may be a good side to the controversy regarding the Lewis and Clark High School Marching Band’s half-time show. It has increased awareness that the band does more than play the fight song after touchdowns, and may even inspire more people to pay attention to the shows the students have worked hard to prepare.

While society makes important efforts to avoid racial stereotyping, it is important to note that adolescents face stereotypical representations daily. Football players are often portrayed as muscle-headed buffoons, cheerleaders as dizzy airheads and musicians - they’re the “nerds” of the school. Yet these stereotypes, constantly reinforced by the media, are every bit as inaccurate as stereotypes based on race.

In the typical high school the achievements of vast numbers of students goes unrecognized, but the laziest bench-warming athlete often receives more recognition than the most dedicated musician, simply because of the activity in which he participates. It is not, however, the students that reinforce this inequity.

Adults, through funding appropriations, assembly recognition and their support and attention, create an atmosphere where those in one group learn they’re more important than others.

Martin Luther King said he dreamed of a society that would judge its members by their character, not their characteristics. It may be impetuous to borrow his words, but I dream of a society in which all our children are judged not on the basis of their activities but on the quality of their dedication and achievements in whatever field they choose. Calvert H. Anderson Spokane