Sunday Letters

‘Live P.D.’ will be missed

I was sad back in the day when it was announced that, in true Spokane form, the City Council ousted “Live P.D.” because they (Ben Stuckart) were afraid to show Spokane in a bad light, and now I’m even sadder to see the show canceled.

If the City Council (Stuckart) had any sort of brain matter, they would have realized that this was an excellent opportunity for the residents of Spokane to see exactly what our amazing officers put up with on a daily basis and might have even helped to discourage bad behavior. Don’t give the police a reason to be called and you won’t be on TV.

Just another reason Nadine Woodward got my vote for mayor. Good riddance, Ben. This citizen will not miss you or your leadership over our spineless City Council. Keep up the good work, Spokane Police Department!

Kelly Glenn

Spokane

If not for yourself …

In the past three months, since the middle of March, Spokane County has experienced an increase of approximately 840 new COVID-19 cases and the numbers continue to rise. No matter the reasons why, that’s an average of 290 new cases per month.

Nothing to worry about, right? No reason to social distance, wear masks, use sanitizers … just leave that up to others and our local businesses struggling with reopening because it’s up to them to provide all of us a safe, sanitized environment while we shop, get our hair done, or dine out. Really?

I would like to commend those who are taking this pandemic seriously – those who are social distancing as much as possible; those who are wearing those uncomfortable masks; and those who are following sanitizing protocols. At the end of the day, they know they have done everything, short of a full-blown quarantine, to prevent this ugly virus from spreading. If you won’t distance, mask or sanitize because it’s your right not to or you just don’t give a rip, maybe consider that other person – you know, the store clerk or the person who does your hair or the person who serves you while you enjoy a meal in a local eatery. If you won’t do it for yourself, then why not for them?

Kath J. McChesney-Lape

Spokane Valley

The truth about police

In his letter to the editor (“Policing suggestions,” June 15), Leonard Butters says a “friend of a friend” notes that only 40% of police are altruistic. Another “friend” says that police departments are staffed by “C” students and former football linemen. Yet another “friend” asserts that intelligent candidates are weeded out.

As a college-educated, 27-year veteran of a major West Coast police department and a former eight-year instructor at the Washington State Police Academy, I can assure you that this information is simply not true. Applicants for a law enforcement position endure a thorough evaluation process, including a background check, personal interviews and psychological testing. After hiring, they are subject to a probationary evaluation period. Unfortunately, a few individuals slip through the proverbial “cracks,” but they are the exception, not the rule.

No law enforcement agency is seeking to incur the liability of hiring thugs, bullies, racists, or unintelligent, nonthinking people. The majority of police officers are fair, honest and hard-working individuals who are able to endure the extreme pressures of the job.

Furthermore, most police agencies would gladly turn over the responsibility of dealing with homeless people, the mentally ill and a host of other noncriminal behaviors to social service agencies and concentrate their efforts on law enforcement. In the future, perhaps social workers will be dispatched to handle family disturbances and provide crowd control at demonstrations and protests.

Lawrence Inman

Spokane Valley

My STEM dream

My name is Lydia Calderón-Aceituno, a home-educated 2020 high school graduate. Like many Spokane seniors, this year I will be missing out on a traditional graduation. However, one bright spot is that I was selected as a Washington STEM Signing Day recipient.

As our country perseveres through COVID-19 and pursues the promise of social revolution, technology has proven itself as a critical driving force in addressing the challenges we face. Like athletes who sign with a college, STEM Signing Day honors graduating high school seniors who are committed to following a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education and career. Though Washington STEM Signing Day, I can celebrate my accomplishments together with students from across Washington.

My dream is to use my STEM education to pursue post-graduate studies and perform groundbreaking research in robotics and mathematics, studying the design of interactive adaptive sensors in multiagent systems. With the support of Washington STEM and Boeing, I am determined to continue seizing the opportunity to pursue knowledge and join with the STEM community to achieve new heights. I am committed to the be a part of the solution and aim to work toward finding innovative solutions to problems, both current and future. To my fellow graduates of 2020 – may you aim for your dreams, too!

Lydia Calderón-Aceituno

Spokane

Time for change

There is a lot of talk about defunding police departments right now, which seems like a good idea if done slowly and if the funding is used to pick up services that the police should not have to deal with.

However, in my opinion, police personnel themselves are not the problem. The unions that represent them are the issue. And this includes other unions as well. Grocery unions, hospital unions and the list goes on. Why do unions protect the jobs of bad employees? That should not be their role. When a police officer uses unnecessary force and there is proof and/or it is an ongoing situation, the department has administrators who are paid to deal with that. When a hospital employee steals drugs from a hospital and there are witnesses to the act, why does the union defend that person and fight to keep that person on the job? The time has come for union reps to look at the facts of a case and in some circumstances say to the person involved, “I’m sorry, but the union can’t defend your action in this case.”

I am not against unions. They definitely have a place in the workforce, but in recent years they seem to have taken on a force of their own. They seem very shortsighted and with tunnel vision and with only one goal, to defend any union member at any cost regardless of the circumstance.

It is time for change and this is where change needs to start.

Larry Reisnouer

Spokane

Reform starts with facts

Addressing police violence requires that we first face facts omitted by ideologues on each side, for example:

1.Blacks do commit more street crimes than do whites (as measured by victim surveys), but they are arrested at an even higher rate than they commit crimes, showing systemic bias. When “liberals” refuse to admit higher minority crime rates, they make it easier for “conservatives” to deny the facts of police misbehavior.

2. The “militarization” of the police has come from the “war on drugs,” which produced violent mafia the same way alcohol prohibition did, and the same corruption and slaughter of the innocent as alcohol production did. As “drug prohibition” profits grew, drug gangs and police entered an “arms race,” leaving everyone in more danger. Prohibition profits allowed drug gangs to corrupt our Border Patrol, DEA and local law enforcement, and drug lords literally own portions of Latin American military forces.

The “no knock warrant” was part of catching drugs before they were hidden or destroyed, leading to more police shootings as people sought to defend themselves amid the chaos of a door blown open and strangers rushing in. The rich kept using drugs far from plain view, while the poor and minorities were disproportionately imprisoned, trained poorly in prison and then released unemployable, due to criminal records.

3. Finally, if we want fewer police, we must raise more self-disciplined and better-behaved people than we can with our current inattentive, excuse-making and indolent child-rearing. Genuine reform must begin with facing hard facts.

Craig Mason

Spokane

Who’s dissing the flag?

Since the president and his supporters have loudly criticized those who disrespect the U.S. flag, I was shocked to view numerous examples of blatant disrespect of the U.S. flag shown by his supporters at the Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally.

Photos of supporters waving huge U.S. flags imprinted with the president’s image giving a “thumbs-up” gesture and the words “Keep American Great” have been broadcast around the world. Other photos show U.S. flags covering car windshields, ostensibly to use as sunscreens for sleeping occupants. One portion of the U.S. Flag Code states, “The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.” Another section of the code prohibits draping the flag over vehicles.

If the president is truly concerned with adherence to the U.S. Flag Code, perhaps he will publicly call out the violators, and demand the elimination of use of our flag to promote his reelection.

Robert Shoeman

Liberty Lake

Make your voice heard

This letter is aimed at the uninformed, the misinformed, the misled, and those who believe that all politicians are corrupt and that their votes won’t matter. I’m talking to you, the 50% of age-eligible voters who don’t vote. America is a representative democracy. That means everybody needs to participate.

If you don’t vote, you can’t complain. Those who vote have the privilege of complaining about the outcomes. Those who don’t vote must suffer in silence. They were given a chance and they blew it.

Voters should make their choices after becoming informed on the issues. Choices should never be made by party designations. For far too long, a distinct minority has been controlling our government. This dedicated minority has long been pushing its agenda to maintain power.

If you want anything to be done about our failing infrastructure, environmental issues, voting rights, common-sense gun laws or a well-coordinated response to a crisis – the current pandemic, for example, you must VOTE!

Many incumbents so fear their constituents they actively hinder voting. What you must do is become informed and get involved. You have important choices to make. This November, make your voice heard. Think, analyze, register and VOTE!

Gil Beyer

Sandpoint

A dangerous era

Lisa Benson’s political cartoon of June 17 is spot-on. There is a plainclothes policeman with “cancel culture” on his back and a uniformed policeman with “thought police” on his back. They are both hauling off a citizen with his feet planted in a cement bucket, ready to throw him off the pier as he shouts out, “It was just a letter to the editor!”

Combine those two thoughts that are permeating our current culture with the news media’s inability to absorb criticism, and we are entering a dangerous era for free speech. Let it sink in, readers.

John Bunch

Mead

Never going back again

Just reading the June 18 article, “Health Officer Says No Way to Phase 3 Proposal,” county Commissioner Al French said businesses have shown they will take precautions. Not if you’re Northern Quest Resort & Casino.

I went there Sunday, June 14, and realized they aren’t following the guidelines. About 50% of patrons were not wearing masks, no social distancing – and there was a man who kept sneezing without covering his nose or mouth and some of the gaming machines were filthy.

There were coffee rings and sticky residue on some machines. I sat there and wondered if someone sneezed on my machine. So I decided to clean the machine with my pure alcohol that I carry. One of the women who makes change saw my alcohol and said I couldn’t use it. She left and about five minutes later a security person approached me and said she was going to take my alcohol from me and informed me that if any machine is ruined, I would have to pay for it. I informed her that I’ve been cleaning the machines for years.

I also told her she would not take my alcohol. This woman is ill-equipped to be a security guard. I won’t be bullied! I guess sneezing openly is tolerable, but using alcohol to clean obviously filthy machines isn’t. I complained to higher-ups, but I doubt it will do any good. Won’t be going back to that germ fest! I’ll go to an establishment where I feel safer and am treated with dignity.

Helen Garrett

Veradale