Letters for Feb. 23, 2022

Is this WMD really needed?

So Spokane’s crime rate has achieved a level requiring our Sheriff’s Office to purchase a nearly a half-million-dollar “weapon of mass destruction” called a BearCat. My first thought reading about the purchase, is that all our alt-far-right homegrown terrorists are ecstatic that they now have their “Tonka Toy” to use against Spokane.

How many other cities in our area (Seattle, Portland, CdA, Boise) can afford such a WMD? Disappointed with Spokane County commissioners on budget management!

Janet C. Smith

Spokane

School shootings

The article, “Girl recalls day watching friend get shot” (Feb. 10) by Emma Epperly shined a very bright light on school shooting. Not just what happens during, but the aftermath as well.

School shootings are becoming even more of an issue in schools across the U.S. I know that we, as high school students, like to joke about what would happen in a situation like this. Even so, we would all be traumatized if this ever happened to my school and I am also scared everyday that I might not make it home. The girl in this article finds that she never feels safe because of what happened to her. If the school system had noticed the warning signs of the shooting they could have stopped it.

No child should have to go through the trauma of an event like that. I hope in the future we can take measures that stop school shootings all together and keep everyone safe in the process.

Isabella Weeks

Spokane

Community water fluoridation

I work in community health care, and I have serious concerns about the dental health of our community. I noted the shocking state of disease my first day as a dentist in Spokane. Daily, I continue to see the consequences of dental disease: pain, infection, fear, lack of self-confidence, loss of work. In contrast, I have also seen the difference in the teeth of patients who live in Cheney (an appropriately fluoridated community) versus the teeth of those who live in Spokane. As a dentist I cannot keep up. The disease is too big.

Patients who struggle to access dental care end up seeking it in the emergency department. Our hospitals are struggling with capacity, staffing, and burnout. Additionally, medical providers are not trained to manage dental emergencies beyond antibiotics and pain medications, which will not solve the dental concern. Why would we not use a tactic that has been extensively researched to prevent these emergencies in the first place? Dental disease can result in health care crises, and there are even those who have lost their lives due to dental disease.

For over 75 years water fluoridation has been researched – and the results prove that fluoridation is not only safe but essential for good health. This evidence has resulted in support from nearly every major health group including The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association, and many others.

We cannot ignore the suffering of our community when there is an effective path forward to prevent it.

Dr. Elisabeth Warder

Colbert

Facts please, just the facts

Considerable media attention has been delegated to Spokane’s homeless problems. The coverage typically examines the ongoing struggles and plight of a selected individual which in turn makes for compelling viewing and reading. Yet details and facts are often overlooked or omitted when compassion is the focus of the story. An example might be the recent use of the Convention Center as an emergency weather shelter. Daily, up to 340 of the homeless were sheltered for two weeks at a cost to the city of about $500,000. Thank you, Spokane, I appreciate your commitment and funding.

Apparently, many of the homeless did not share that appreciation. Some $100,000 of damage to the Convention Center was inflicted during those two weeks. Left behind were numerous deification and urination mementos widely disbursed on the carpeting along with a host of plumbing problems caused by drug paraphernalia and other foreign items flushed into the sewer lines. I realize this is not exactly the type of template to evoke compassion and headlines, but we should include facts!

I would submit that such behavior needs to be openly and accurately reported. Homelessness is a complicated problem which will need full and comprehensive information for all to find solutions. Recently councilman Zappone expressed that the administration lacked compassion for the homeless. Compassion is often a convenient political exit. I care, therefore problem solved. A viable step forward with this problem requires all the facts and difficult choices as well as compassion.

Earl Moore

Spokane