In their words
A selection of quotations from people in recent news stories, big and small
“Do they think that the world just stops on Friday? They no longer operate in the real world.”
Former Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin, now chief executive officer of Associated Builders and Contractors, criticizing the county Building and Planning Department’s decision to close on Fridays, beginning next month.
“This case has been caught on dead center for too long. Let’s come up with something so we can proceed.”
– U.S. District Judge Frem Nielsen, speaking at a conference where lawyers talked about settling some of the claims in a lawsuit filed 18 years ago over radiation releases from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
“You have to respect and cherish certain things. Tubbs Hill and McEuen Field are two of those things.”
– Coeur d’Alene City Councilman Ron Edinger, part of the council majority that voted not to allow commercial guided tours on Tubbs Hill.
“We are doing the softball stuff. My philosophy is, get what you can, keep the ball moving, and holding it up for one megathing can be a mistake.”
– U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., defending an incremental approach toward comprehensive climate change legislation.
“We have enough problems of our own with taking care of children right here in North America.”
– National Shriners hospital chairman Ralph Semb, about the philanthropic organization’s decision to stop accepting children from Albania, Greece and other non-North American countries.
“Fans, overall, alumni and fans have the same reaction I had: ‘Oh my gosh, there’s no way. The guy is crazy, he’s a lunatic.’ Those are a few of the things that have been said to me or my daughters.”
– Washington State University Athletic Director Jim Sterk, under fire for agreeing to a plan, since dropped, to move the Apple Cup football game between WSU and the University of Washington permanently to Seattle.
“The notion, as I understand history of a citizens’ legislature, is to allow and encourage average citizens to be involved in setting policy. The longer we go, and it seems to be a trend, the more potential there is for the Legislature to move away from being a cross section of the populace.”
– Idaho state Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, expressing her concern that a recent tendency toward longer legislative sessions will make it harder for those who hold down jobs to serve as lawmakers.
“I saw Aryan Nations and put it in the trash. What’s wrong with these people? Give me a break. I bet if you went back in their family history, not one is 100 percent white.”
– Coeur d’Alene resident Garvin Jones after racist fliers showed up in his and his neighbors’ yards, courtesy of the white supremacist organization Aryan Nations.
“We are willing to discuss everything: human rights, freedom of press, political prisoners, everything, everything, everything they want to talk about. We could be wrong. We admit it. We’re human.”
– Cuban leader Raul Castro, unveiling a possibility for international conversations about sensitive issues his government previously considered off limits.
“I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not. I’m really confused now. If you’re too free, you’re like the way Hong Kong is now. It’s very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic.”
– Film star Jackie Chan at a forum in Boao, China, where a question about censorship in movies developed into a commentary about social conditions in China.