Letters for March 31, 2022

Joy at last

Listening to the news every day is a downer for the most part. All the bad events that are happening in the nation and the world line up on your radio or television stations, and online news feeds. What a breath of fresh air to hear Cory Booker’s impassioned speech at the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on March 23.

Instead of angry rhetoric that has been the usual discourse, here was a delightful description of the progress people have made in the country to right the wrongs of the past, and a prediction of a better future for our country. It really highlighted the great qualifications and experience of Judge Jackson as well, while noting the great challenges Black women encounter in their lives.

Honestly, when I heard his speech, it brought tears to my eyes – tears of joy. What a change from the usual news reports.

To top it off, the photograph of the picture of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s daughter smiling so proudly looking at her mother just added to a wonderful view of our feeling of love and compassion for mothers and daughters and all of humanity. If you missed either of these events, please search them. They are well worth your time.

Nancy Street

Cheney

City maintenance

I call on the Spokane street department fix the streets I was already taxed to build and fix, so I’m not causing major damage to the car I am taxed annually to drive on terrible roads, which I paid for with the income I paid taxes on, which sits in the garage of my already highly taxed home. Thank you.

Forrest Anderson

Spokane

Parking at Civic Theatre

My wife and I attended a performance at the Spokane Civic Theatre this past Saturday, and the parking situation was atrocious. How in the world could anyone say that the new stadium there will not cause a parking problem? It already is! And the recent purchase of the Value Village across the street, specifically to add parking, tells me that the “powers that be” knew parking would be a problem, chose to lie about it to get the stadium built there, and now are trying to fix the problem – too little and way too late.

I hope these “powers” will not expect community support for any future projects, because their lack of truth and attempt to hide the facts will make the next pill hard to swallow. I cannot even evoke the “Fool me once” dictum, because many of us were not fooled the first time.

Jerry Sciarrio

Spokane

Sage advice

Maybe it is time to follow President John F. Kennedy’s advice, during his inaugural address given on Jan. 20, 1961.

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

Ken Santora

Spokane Valley

Mexico’s ‘proven’ oil reserves

Mexico’s oil reserves are estimated to be well in excess of 8.062 billion barrels. Mexico and the United States could benefit from this trade alliance.

We would not be dependent on Russian or Venezuelan imports.

Why would the U.S. import oil from the Nicolas Maduro dictator country? And Saudi is not a friendly source of energy.

Oil from Mexico would reach our ports twice as fast from Mexico than from Venezuela and we would help a Latino country develop her resources and prosper.

Since we have severed relations with Russia, I do believe that it would be to our advantage to utilize this resource

Drop a line to your senator or representative and ask why we are not doing this.

S.F. (Sam) Pangerl

Spokane

JFK and 28 days In November

How did JFK force the USSR to turn tail and leave Cuba? He stood up to them and told them leave or be vaporized. We don’t like that possible outcome too much either but do you believe JFK liked it any better then us? See? A president has to be a strong man. If you are a weak man … cower … delay … obfuscate … and point fingers … innocent people die until you find a backbone.

What happened when JFK acted strong? It worked. What happens when Neville Chamberlain gave Hitler Poland? Putin will go home if Biden tells him Biden has decided to decimate Vlad’s armies if they cross that border. Remember Kuwait? Stand up to any bully and see his true colors. The bully takes only low hanging fruit, not a victim who won’t give in and stands up to him, in his face and shows him clearly … it’s gonna hurt!

Act like a president, Joe.

Frank Percy

Spokane