Letters for May 3, 2023

Hypocrisy in state legislatures

It is hard to overlook the hypocrisy of red state legislatures claiming to “protect” children by outlawing drag shows and medical treatment for young people with gender dysphoria but then expanding the right to openly carry firearms in public.

To my knowledge, there are no reports of children being killed or injured by a drag queen or from advice given to children and parents struggling with gender identity issues, but hundreds of children die every year from gunshots. The only things being “protected” by these elected officials are their own personal biases, to the detriment of their constituents.

Daniel Schaffer

Spokane

Pipeline threatens our safety

As people of faith and conscience, we call for halting TC Energy’s plans to add more fracked gas to the Gas Transmission Northwest pipeline through its “GTN Xpress.” GTN Xpress is dangerous for our wetlands, water sources and our communities, particularly for those of us in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake where the pipeline runs under the Spokane River, near Ridgeline High School and under Valley Real Life’s church playground near our Saltese wetlands.

This past week, our communities joined with people of faith and conscience to celebrate Earth Day by sharing our commitment to care for creation. Adding more fracked gas to an aging pipeline is a threat to humans and wildlife. An expansion will result in more leaks, widen the “blast zone” of potential explosions and risk the safety of our communities.

Recently, Pipeline Safety Trust detailed GTN Xpress’ risks to our communities and the environment. Regulators must listen to what these pipeline experts say.

We, along with nearly 400 faith leaders in Idaho, Washington and Oregon, are asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to deny this dangerous and immoral project. We are grateful that Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson have both asked FERC to deny the project. We ask Sens. Murray and Cantwell to share in protecting creation by calling on FERC to reject GTN Xpress.

The Rev. Gen Heywood

Spokane

Prize money remains unclaimed

Steve Sauser’s ill-fated attempt to claim the $500 offer to show where God in the Bible “says it is OK to kill babies” is a very poor and erroneous effort to show a Biblical approval to kill babies in the mother’s womb. His reference to Genesis 22:2 is an account of Abraham responding to God’s testing of Abraham’s faith and trust in God by making a request of Abraham to offer his teenage son, Isaac, as a replacement for an animal sacrifice which was a custom of the day. As Abraham said, “God will provide” a replacement for Isaac, which God did and no harm was done to Isaac.

Sauser’s second Bible quotation was even more erroneous citing Matthew 2:16, where an account of the most horrific action of King Herod (the government of the day) ordered killing all two year old male children in order to kill the two year old Christ child whom Herod thought would take his crown (leader of the Jewish nation). Of course, Christ survived when his parents took him to a bordering country and he later became the spiritual leader of world and savior of all mankind!

Mr. Sauser’s apparent interest in the Bible is noted and perhaps it would be beneficial for him to talk to someone with even a small amount of biblical knowledge to help him in his attempt to become familiar with the Bible and its application to his daily life. Mr. Yates, your reward money will remain unclaimed.

Ross Kelley

Spokane

‘Radical’ ideas

Marlene Larson’s letter of April 24 (“Your vote, your voice”) was right on in her first paragraph. After that, it was the same ole, same ole of fear mongering with words like radical, red flag, pain and always the misuse of your hard-earned monies.

While admittedly being one who’s retired (and very tired of hearing/reading those types of comments), my funds now come from Social Security and were just as hard earned with years of working 12-hour night shifts. Were it not for these progressive programs and the progressive thinkers who initiated these far-reaching (radical) ideas in 1934, I and millions of others might very well not have these necessary retirement aids that we have all collectively paid into with our salary earnings.

That my hard-earned tax dollars go toward progressive projects such as universal health care is fine because caring about all our citizens and their well-being should be a most worthy goal.

It would seem reasonable that the more we think in ways that demonstrate those universal concerns for the betterment of all, the better we become as both citizens and as leaders on our small planet.

Suzi Johns

Spokane