Letters for Sept. 29, 2023

Missing leadership for peace

Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s effort to impose upon women’s choices has not threatened national security. The U.S. military could function as well under colonels and commanders as its pampered generals and admirals.

What could save our country is leadership that protects individual liberties, families and health care from the nationalism feasting upon the permanent war economy. Promotions or not, our military remains the musclebound glutton of the economy, holy of holies for nationalism. We need senators to stand against spending hundreds of billions on proxy wars and illegal and unusable doomsday weapons. We need media to call out NATO and corporate-welfare boondoggles like the F-35, and point out glaring connections between military operations, poverty and climate catastrophe. Alert Americans are not surprised by the South Carolina F-35 crash, only that no one was killed by the $100 million stealth dumpster.

Democrats and Republicans will continue to congratulate or castigate the Alabama senator for his petty “pro-life” position as war ruins the planet for post-fetal lifeforms. There are too many ironies to mention about Marines flying deathtrap-fossil fuel super polluters while being sued for poisoning their own at the environmental disaster, Camp LeJeune (worse than Fairchild and Airway Heights water). Would that Washington’s U.S. senators understood the quote from the visionary Montana congresswoman who forged a trail for suffrage and leadership for peace. Jeanette Rankin said, “You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.”

Rusty Nelson

Spokane Veterans For Peace

Spokane

Lazy Susan

So I guess Sue Lani Madsen just identified herself. In her column on Sept. 21 (“Labeling interferes with ability to think clearly”), she says using labels like Christian nationalism is lazy just like using woke is lazy. Her column of March 2 is titled “HB1333 and the Church of Wokeism.” In it she says, “if you understand, in the name of public good, you’ll protest to your legislators against HB1333 while protesting is still allowed. Before the Church of Wokeism turns a sincere concern for justice into an Inquisition.” Thanks, Sue Lani, for the self-identification. Lazy Susan.

Keith Hegg

Spokane

Take Woodward at her word

The letter “Shea, Feucht don’t represent Jesus” (Sept.21) is right on the mark. Yes, how many times does Mayor Woodward have to clearly state that she does not support Shea?

Perhaps the fault here, unfortunately for Woodward, is that her administrative aides did not do their own due diligence … checking on all the people involved in her public appearances, especially in this volatile environment. She should have been forewarned of Shea’s presence.

We all get so tired of the misrepresentations of deliberate lies of premature judgements that seem to permeate the public discourse, no matter the subject!

Roxanne Camp

Deer Park

Moratorium is common sense

This past summer saw devastating fires in Spokane County. Living in a dry pine forest presents fire dangers to us all. However, it is the people living on the periphery of the city who are most at risk. Wildland urban interface is the official term used by firefighters for those scary areas where wild fields and forests meet up with densely settled urban areas.

Anyone looking around Spokane can see that the city is in a bowl, ringed by steep forested cliffs and hills, undeveloped until the past few decades. Our infrastructure has not caught up to these new developments. Home insurers are starting to take notice as they have elsewhere. They have stopped writing policies in some markets. Let’s not be next. The largest WUI in Spokane is on the west side of Latah Creek. There is no dedicated fire station on the west side of Latah, and this area has grossly inadequate access roads which could not possibly safely evacuate the current residents in the case of a fast-moving fire.

It is in this WUI that Nadine Woodward and her developer backers have vowed to greenlight and build at least 4,000 new homes. Lisa Brown, Betsy Wilkerson and Paul Dillon support a moratorium on building in this WUI until adequate infrastructure is in place. Please vote in these politicians who understand that safety is common sense. Their political opponents are not prioritizing either, instead supporting the aims of their financial backers, whose motivation is profit.

Gregory M. Presley

Spokane

Support for incumbent CVSD board

I am writing to encourage Central Valley voters to once again support and re-elect board members Keith Clark, Debra Long and Cindy McMullen. Combined Keith, Debra and Cindy have served for over 60 years on the Central Valley board. This experience has helped shape Central Valley into one of the most forward thinking school districts in the state; a district that has distinguished itself through academic, fine arts, and extracurricular excellence. Central Valley students benefit from a very wide array of academic offerings and learn in state of the art facilities

This level of excellence doesn’t happen by chance. It happens in districts with very supportive communities, talented staff members, dedicated administrative leadership, and a deeply committed and experienced school board. Central Valley is highly regarded by educators across the region and state for providing the best possible educational experience for each student in a way that supports community and family values.

The experience of the Central Valley Board benefits every student in our region. The legislative advocacy work by Keith, Debra and Cindy has shaped public policy across the state to more closely reflect the values of Eastern Washington, Spokane County and Spokane Valley. That advocacy is a result of years of experience working with regional and state elected leaders who carry our message to Olympia. Please vote yes for Keith, Debra and Cindy and keep Central Valley on this very positive trajectory.

Gene Sementi

Liberty Lake

Resolve the FOX28 mess

Sports fans in the Spokane area are frustrated with the lack of progress in contract negotiations between Comcast and KAYU FOX28. It is one thing to miss Seahawks and Cougar games on KAYU, but looking ahead, if this keeps up, Comcast users will miss watching the World Series on KAYU FOX28 also.

This is totally outrageous. They need to get their acts together and resolve this mess now. Sports fans unite in protest.

David Freeman

Liberty Lake

Catholic teaching on single issue voting

In the 2024 election, vote for democracy and all moral issues, not merely a single issue. As the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops says: “As Catholics, we are not single-issue voters.”

May God bless America as he did in 2020. Again, it is the morally acceptable, peacemaking Catholic President versus the autocratic, hateful, MAGA cult leader.

Biden won 81 million popular votes (53%) and 306 electoral votes. By a record 67% voting turnout, he will win again in 2024.

I think voting for Trump in 2016 was “Fool me once, shame on you.” In 2020, “Fool me twice, shame on me.” Voting thrice for a four-time indicted criminal facing 91 felonies is willful ignorance and unconscionable.

Photos show Pope Francis’ smile and laughter with Biden, and his sullen face and rigid posture with the soulless, openly racist Trump. It appears Pope Francis knows who Trump is.

Alternatives to MAGA include Pence, Christie and Kennedy. My preference is President Biden.

Nevertheless, morally undifferentiated Catholics and evangelicals will vote for the devil to promote a hypocritical, COVID-denying, anti-abortion agenda. Providence allowed it only in 2016. As President Biden says, that’s “not a joke.”

Michael Kraft

Spokane