Letters for April 5, 2022

Responsibility of masting the American flag

When you put an American flag on a mast you should take on a certain responsibility, even if it’s only a requirement for federal institutions, the loss of American life over more than two centuries, the soldiers and people who support our constitution and our way of life deserve this.

My travels on March 27 included a drive through Spokane Valley/Liberty Lake and observed the U.S. flag at the Harley Davidson dealership not being displayed, the flag at Camping World at half mast.

When driving through Stateline, flags displayed were all at full mast, not to call out businesses, but the City Hall and the fire station a half mile away were both at full mast, oops.

Between Stateline and Post Falls, I did verify a business respecting the half mast, thank you for your respect.

Once in Post Falls, I verified all government business I drove past were respecting the half mast, but unfortunately, private businesses were not.

If you mast the flag, take the responsibility and respect the protocols.

Dave Moore

Greenacres

Postal Service?

With the closure of the Hatch Bridge for repairs came a letter informing my household and dozens of neighbors in the 99224 ZIP code, that we will have no mail delivery until the work is completed (approximately four months). My neighbors and I understand that this bridge work is necessary and overdue but will still be painful for us and everyone on the South Hill. What is impossible to understand is how everyone seems to be able to adjust to the bridge closure except the Postal “Service.” FedEx, UPS, Waste Management, school buses, etc., can all manage to adjust their routes accordingly to provide service to their clients. But not the USPS.

It is almost impossible to get thorough answers, but what I have been able to gather so far is that the decision was made by the post master, who neither I, nor my neighbors can talk to. Furthermore, they’re unionized (i.e., no overtime) and short-staffed. Although I am sympathetic to the overtime and staffing issues, there appears to be no real effort to serve the postal customers nor come up with a creative solution. If overtime is an issue, why not deliver to half of the route three days a week and service the other half the other three days? I would much rather do that than make the 40 minute round-trip drive from my home to the Sunset Hill Post Office (especially with gas prices as they are). The response is, “There’s nothing we can do.” It is this kind of tone-deaf and lazy customer service that makes people hate government entities and bureaucrats generally. Do they realize that they have a job because the tax-payers subsidize them like crazy? They probably do know that we pay for the services of a monopoly which is in return wholly unresponsive. Unbelievable. USPS, you can do better!

Lori J. Burns

Spokane

The facts of history

Regarding Mr. Percy’s letter of March 31 (“JFK and 28 days in November”):

• During the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, Kennedy never threatened the Soviet Union demanding “leave or be vaporized.” To the contrary, during his televised address to the nation on Nov. 22, 1962, Kennedy vowed to, “… not prematurely or unnecessarily risk the costs of worldwide nuclear war in which even the fruits of victory would be ashes in our mouth …” He then went on to say that the United States would retaliate in the event of a Soviet use of nukes. He never threatened to use them to enforce demands.

As to, “What happens when Neville Chamberlain gave Hitler Poland?” – I suggest Mr. Percy reread whatever history text he’s using as a reference. In fact, Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939 was the trigger that caused England and France to declare war on Nazi Germany. The result of that declaration was that rather than fleeing from “… a victim who won’t give in and stands up to him,” Hitler launched his infamous “Blitzkrieg,” which resulted in the defeat of France and, but for Hitler’s strategic blunder concerning Britain’s evacuation of the B.E.F. from Dunkirk and his mismanagement of the Battle of Britain, could have plausibly resulted in defeat for Britain.

To be sure, Chamberlain’s decision to go to war was ultimately vindicated. But it was made at great cost and in contradiction to Mr. Percy’s agenda-serving rewrite of the facts of history.

Jeff Lavagetto

Spokane