Letters for July 12, 2023

Radical agenda in Priest River

Some in Priest River have been driven to fear of change by all the misinformation being spread by Democrat-backed political groups and radical leftist activists that popped up from out of the district to get involved and whip up a frenzy of negativity about Branden Durst and our elected school board, groups like Idaho Moms and activists like Colin Day and the Boise-based social media influencer Socialistlyawkward. Yes, we literally have self-identified socialist outsiders who also pushed Emily Drabinski’s “queering of our libraries” agenda in Sandpoint trying to influence who our elected school board chooses for its superintendent.

We should be asking ourselves why. Why were Democrats and socialists from Boise so invested in making sure that Branden Durst didn’t get the job? Why are they lying about his qualifications? Why are a small but very aggressive minority of our district working with the self-identified socialist outsiders to keep a few families in control of the district and its finances? Why did they drive Jackie Brannum out with harassment and an organized revolt? Why are they running a campaign to get the only two board members who voted “no” to a 57% levy increase recalled? Why are they fighting so hard against the change that our school system desperately needs to serve the children of our district properly? The answers to those questions may be ugly, but we have to ask.

Kathryn Barlow

Spirit Lake

It’s your choice

It’s your choice, do you still want the Biden Cartel managing the United States of America?

Deann Decaire

Spokane

Equal justice?

Interesting. House GOP quick to censure Schiff but refuse to even acknowledge the lies of their Rep. Santos. Don’t talk about “equal justice” if you’re not willing to apply it to your own!

Barry Bauchwitz

Spokane Valley

Effects of wording

I enjoyed Sue Lani Madsen’s article, “It’s perception versus reality when it comes to AP Style’s rules for journalism” (June 29). I also watch language closely and observe the subtle effects of particular wording, so I especially enjoyed her proposed headline about adopting a “European-style approach” as an example of selecting wording for it’s ability to sway (i.e., short-circuit careful rational thought).

Another realm of murky, obfuscatory and misleading language just had an upsurge in major media, in reaction to the Supreme Court decision about using race in college admissions. Constantly, I heard the experts and prominent proponents of affirmative action using imprecise wording to avoid laying bare what they most centrally advocate: favoring certain skin colors and racial phenotypes over others. Instead of being plain about this, there is endless talk about “diversity” and very flimsy substantiation for the purported advantage to the academic enterprise and in all other organizations of having more “diversity.” Ultimately, this always seems to mean a mix of colors/races, rather than any of the deeper forms of diversity that would represent stronger diversity in values and outlook, like culture-of-origin (to coin an awkward phrase) and personal perceptual style.

Interestingly, I even heard an NPR host interviewing a diversity “professional” and in repeatedly asking, rather directly, a question about the impact on racial representation in future classes, the expert continually did not answer in terms of color or race, and instead switched the wording to much vaguer statements about “diversity” and “diverse students.”

Daniel Rial

Spokane

Letter from the dogs

I’m Missy Girl, and I’ve been here at the Spokane Humane Society for almost two years. I don’t get out of my kennel much because the volunteers who left were the ones who got me out the most, and SHS leadership drove them away. When Phillip, my volunteer trainer, was here I got out all the time. He hasn’t been around for awhile because the Human Resources Deflector fired him for wanting to help us dogs too much. Then the Shelter Mismanager made a rule that I had to wear a spiked prong collar every time anyone took me out. They should have asked Phillip to show them how nicely I can behave without one.

My friend, Beethoven, has also been having problems here. He’s a very energetic boy who used to run up and down the fence in the play yard for a full hour at a time just to burn off some kennel stress. The Excuses Director made a rule against that, and now he has no way to exercise enough.

Rosebud is another friend who ran away when in foster care and tried to live on her own. The volunteers organized a search party, made and put up lots of lost dog posters, worked with community members and got her back home safely – all within a few days. Instead of thanking the volunteers, the administrators reprimanded them for acting on their own.

Please help us. We need new management.

Jeff Sandler

Spokane