GOP platform unstable

I thought the most fascinating article in The Spokesman-Review for Sept. 19 was the one on the party platform that Spokane County Republicans are being asked to pledge to support when seeking party endorsement.

As it points out, some planks in the platform (lower taxes, limited government, ending abortion and defending gun rights) are what we’d expect. But others, such as repealing the state’s Growth Management Act, ending no-fault divorce and pulling our country out of the United Nations, are quite disturbing. I particularly appreciated the newspaper’s publishing a list of those Republican candidates who have signed the pledge, noting that those who have not signed have not gotten GOP endorsement.

As a political independent, I do not feel committed to any particular political party and shall find this list of signatories helpful in determining which candidates not to support. I urge fellow independents to do likewise and am anxious to see whether this newspaper’s editorial board will have the courage to take a stand on this matter. Although my mother tried to warn me against name-calling, it seems to me that members of the GOP who sign this pledge give “wing nuts” a bad name.

Wayne Pomerleau

Spokane