Judge ethics at ballot box

On possible ethical lapses and Spokane Valley: Ethical dilemmas are a constant of public life. When the Library Board approached the city of Spokane Valley for a partnership, I knew this one-time opportunity for economic development at U-City would come not only with necessary scrutiny, but also with more than a few hints of cronyism. To me, the community benefit overrides this commentary.

On “The Great Barbed-Wire Conspiracy”: Only recently did perhaps thousands of us find we were quietly removed from compliance by ordinances of the planning department in a language cleanup of the sign code. Valuable commercial as well as residential acreages were rendered illegal, subject to fines, not even grandfathered.

No ethical lapse here, removing this ill-advised government overreach affecting the income base of the city and forcing economic hardship on ordinary citizens.

Questions: Who then becomes the moral arbiter of ethical behavior? Perhaps a political opponent with an agenda contrary to the wishes of the electorate? Is it a panel with secret ties to special interests never publicly revealed? It happened.

Thus, for me, the process begins with the citizens who demand accountability through the ballot box, not the unelected who are accountable to no one.

Dean Grafos

Spokane Valley councilman

Spokane Valley

A health care tragedy

This is to applaud Jaydra Cope and the article that was printed in The Spokesman-Review on Feb. 21 on behalf of her brother, who passed away because he was denied help. He made too much. When our elected officials get free medical, what’s wrong with this picture?

I have a daughter who lost her medical coverage for the same reason. She was $1 over the government standard. She has hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver and is in pain constantly. Lobbyists for the state’s largest insurance companies testified against the bill, to be not even discussed.

As Cope says, people are dying needlessly because Republicans and Democrats won’t change this law.

Dorothy Payne

Spokane Valley

Limbaugh’s sexism isn’t funny

Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a slut and a prostitute and he thinks it’s funny? It’s nothing but downright viciousness toward women who need protection from pregnancy, not to mention the other uses for the birth control pill! This world would not be the same without it.

Sandra would not be able to finish law school and make something of herself if she had children before she could graduate. Women should be able to enjoy intimacy with their partners without having to worry about an unplanned pregnancy.

If men could get pregnant, we would not be having this controversy. Men would be lining up at doctor offices for contraception like some do for Viagra.

Rick Santorum dismissed Limbaugh as an entertainer. People take Limbaugh’s words as the gospel truth.

It’s about time that all companies pulled their ads from his show. His show has always been nothing but hate and lies, and Limbaugh is a multimillionaire because of it.

Lynne Robinson

Rathdrum

Liberals twist ‘bigotry’

In recent years, especially with the “first African-American president,” the notion is that anyone who disagrees with the liberal left is a bigot, racist, sexist homophobe. If we hold a position that is contrary to the left, it’s because we hate, and our side needs to be denigrated and maligned.

If our positions should also fall in line with biblical teachings, then they shouldn’t be allowed because of a mythical separation of church and state, which was to protect the church (people) from the state, not the other way around.

When I hear my side attacked and called domestic terrorists, hatemongers, etc., it only emboldens my resolve to see liberalism wiped out. I suppose that will be misconstrued as violent, but I think those who are truly reasonable and can think for themselves will see that eliminating something politically by convincing enough to your side isn’t violence, it is quite the opposite.

When I see the majority attacked by a very small minority, and labeled as bigots, it makes me proud to wear that badge of honor. If being a bigot means I oppose tyranny and ignorance, then by God I’m a bigot!

Knuckle-draggers for change!

Rob Leach

Mica

Judge guilty of hate

So there is this middle-aged white male who just happens to be Montana’s chief federal judge. A President George W. Bush appointee, Richard Cebull forwarded an email joke he thought humorous to six buddies. The email ended up in print in the Great Falls Tribune. It is racist, vulgar and sexist.

It suggested President Barack Obama’s father could have been either a black man, or a dog, and denigrated Obama’s mother by labeling her a promiscuous slut. When did bashing mothers, especially dead ones, become part of politics? Cebull insisted he was just trying to show he was anti-Obama, but none of Obama’s policies was mentioned. He stated the “joke” touched his heart.

As disgusting as this man is, I believe we who do not think like him should thank him. He articulated the Republican heart, which, I think, translates to all the disrespectful anti-Obama code words: birther, Muslim, anti-religion, Communist, America-hater and fascist. This heart is the real elephant (pun intended) in the room.

Anyone who wants to read the email can find it through Google, or the Great Falls Tribune. Currently the honorable judge is scrambling as fast as Rush Limbaugh to apologize.

Janet Callen

Coeur d’Alene

Obama is disrespected

Bill Maher recently said that President Barack Obama was the Jackie Robinson of American politics. Robinson was the first African-American Major League Baseball player, and had to endure open taunts and hostility as he blazed his path with the Brooklyn Dodgers. I think Maher is correct.

From Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer sticking her finger in the president’s face, to Wisconsin Rep. James Sensenbrenner’s comment that Michelle Obama has a large posterior, to Rep. Joe Wilson’s “you lie” taunt during the president’s 2009 speech to a joint session of Congress, we saw behavior toward a sitting president that I’ve never witnessed in my lifetime.

The position of president deserves our respect, regardless of party affiliation. Imagine any Democrat demonstrating similar behavior or making similar comments about President George W. Bush or first lady Laura Bush.

And now we hear that sitting U.S. District Court Judge Richard Cebull of Montana has admitted to sending a racist email about President Obama to some of his colleagues. Obama is certainly not the most liberal president we’ve ever had, and has governed slightly to the left of center.

So what is it that brings forth such hateful behavior? Maybe it’s because he’s black.

Jim Boggs

Spokane

Proud of Spokane City Council

Congratulations to the Spokane City Council!

It’s about time our elected officials stand for decency and what is right! The people of Spokane ought to be outraged by the attorney who even dares to blame the city for this patrol officer’s actions. When will we as a society demand that people be held accountable for their actions rather than blaming others?

I, for one, am way proud of the City Council for saying enough is enough. We will not cave in!

Ed Mattfeld

Greenacres

Kudos to council

I’ve been following the Brad Thoma case with interest and was pleased that the Spokane City Council turned down his request for $275,000 in back pay and job reinstatement.

It is completely foolish to pay a man back pay for his sickness when he could get help thru Alcoholics Anonymous. Plus, leaving the scene of an accident is uncalled for.

Now, he has filed a $4 million lawsuit, which, in my opinion, is groundless. If any ordinary citizen did what Thoma did, they would most likely have had a heavy fine, maybe jail time, and, of course, loss of a driver’s license.

I hope I’m not on the road when Thoma is driving.

John Sparley

Spokane

Paul a poor candidate

The Spokesman-Review got my attention Feb. 18 with the headline reading, “Paul revs up receptive crowd.” What makes an old poop like Ron Paul the darling of Spokane Republicans? Seriously? Did anybody actually listen to him?

Unless the reporter got his facts mixed up, one of the things Paul calls for is an end to government assistance to the poor. Really? Totally? In the next paragraph, a direct quote states our government lets the poor go in their neighbor’s house and take things, which I trust he meant metaphorically. Of course, I may be reading that wrong.

To my mind none of the people running for office makes sense, but Paul may be the worst of the lot.

So what are we to do with our poor, Paul?

Not everyone can work, even if there were jobs enough to go around. Not enough jobs pay enough to live on. I wonder what Paul thinks will happen to the poor. Should we shove them into ghettos like the slums of India and Brazil? Is that what Americans want?

C.K.Crigger

Spokane Valley

Check the mirror

When I saw the Feb. 26 cartoon by Lisa Benson, I thought it referred to the dilemma facing college students who need to get loans to pay expenses and can’t find jobs to pay them off. My tuition was $125 per semester for state college in 1963 in Pennsylvania. I was able to cover my costs by working a minimum wage factory job each summer.

Today, tuition plus expenses are so enormous that students need loans.

Summer jobs, if they exist, aren’t much help. This leaves graduates with debts that resemble Marley’s ghost.

Then I noticed the term “OBAMANOPOLY” in the center of the game board. This totally changed its meaning. America faces many serious problems. We will never solve any of them so long as we blame them all on any one person. President Barack Obama is neither savior nor Satan; he is a politician with an impossible job.

We would do well to remember the famous line from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”: “The fault, dear Brutus (fellow citizen), lies not in the stars but in ourselves.” We Americans are the source and solution for most of our problems. The sooner we realize this the better we will fare.

David T. Webb

Spokane

Help the middle class

How quickly we voters forget actions and speeches of political candidates. Take Newt Gingrich. While he was in office, Newt spent most of his time trying to cut Medicare and Medicaid, which would have ended the programs and hurt the poor!

Social Security and Medicare are helpful to retirees, but due to Congress’ adjustments, it is not a livable amount. Thank God Congress did not put them into the stock market.

Politicians, do the right thing! How much money do rich folks need? Mitt Romney brags about the $250 million he made for his investors, but this money came from another’s pocket! This could be policemen, firemen and teachers’ pensions that were lost. They are also the people losing collective bargaining rights. Unions made the middle class possible.

Lately, the politicians have been trying to run them out of town. These jobs are the first to be cut in many agencies, taking away protection for us in real times of need.

Pat Corbin

Mead