Fagan comment does harm

Monica Holland of the Spokane Ethics Committee states they can’t tell an elected official what they can or cannot say. Did anyone expect them to? They say that freedom of speech rights trump Mike Fagan’s vile remarks. No one expects them to tell anyone, including Fagan, what they can or cannot say. Maybe they could just say that his remarks were not appropriate and were disgusting to most people.

If anyone believes Fagan’s insults do no harm to Spokane, consider this: Spokane is the second-largest city in our state. It has a city councilman that calls our governor a “lying whore” and defends his remarks as coming from a private citizen. Oh, how I wish that were all he was. Like it or not, his remarks reflect badly on Spokane. What do people outside of Spokane think of when they hear such bile?

For as long as I can remember, the bright, young people couldn’t wait to move away from Spokane. This seems to hold true today, and I think this can be partially attributed to Fagan and others who defend gutter language in our political discourse.

I do not have a degree in ethics, but I believe most of us understand that ethics should be an integral part of the moral fabric of our elected officials. Ethics is the thread that binds a civilized society. We should all try to live our lives with that in mind.

Tom Johnson

Spokane Valley