Letters for Wednesday, Dec. 3

Baumgartner unresponsive

In his weekly email on Nov. 7, Congressman Michael Baumgartner complained about constituents contacting his office with questions he considers irrelevant. Earlier I had reached out via the email system at his website, with the following basic questions:

When can I expect you to request from the Administration and then share with me an accounting of expenditures by ICE and National Guard deployments as of Nov. 1?

Number of individuals detained by government agencies.

Of that number, how many are:

a) undocumented

b) legally documented

c) American citizens

d) alleged criminals

Number of individuals removed from this country and:

a) deported to home country

b) deported to third country

c) rendition to prison in a foreign country

As of Nov. 25, I have not received an answer, not even one of his dismissive form letters. I guess he considers these questions irrelevant. He says he cares about spending. My contention is he is unwilling to ask these tough questions because he is afraid of what he might find out. Unlimited money for ICE, money for the wealthy in the form of tax breaks, but money to extend insurance subsidies to his voters: out of the question.

Roger Haick

Loon Lake

Ms. Yaeger, get to know your constituents

Regarding Ms. Yaeger’s comments about herself being an Islamaphobe, everyone should be aware that Ms. Yaeger is a council member of the city of Spokane Valley.

Spokane Valley does have problems: roads and streets designed for minimal use are now used heavily, speeding, debris on the roadsides, increased violence, the SCRAPS issues and current policy there regarding dogs over 90 pounds, and a very serious weed problem that has been ongoing. These are real problems. I live within a mile of the mosque and there are no problems created by the mosque nor by the believers who attend there. These people have added to this neighborhood and are fine people.

Ms. Yaeger has made comments that not only move towards creating another additional problem/hate speech and what that leads to but also make her appear close-minded and ignorant. Even worse her comments make her appear unable to serve a segment of her constituents. Unfortunately, I too would like to see her resign. Should she choose to continue as a council member, I would invite her to get to know the population she serves, including the believers attending the mosque.

Brenda VanderWilde

Spokane Valley

A leader would be open-minded

Thank you for your good reporting on Nov. 21 and Nov. 26 regarding Spokane Valley council member Jessica Yaeger’s personal “proud Islamaphobe” post, especially for explaining that her beliefs are based on unsupported assumptions (as stereotypes usually are); that honor killings predate Islam; and that American Muslims obey our Constitution.

Many religions have fundamentalist or fanatical misogynistic sects governing women, including Christianity, so if Yaeger says that “Islam is not a religion, but a style of government that is particularly hard on women,” is that also true of Christianity? None of the pillars of Christianity nor of Islam (its five pillars are easy to look up) mention misogyny. Is that really her “moral truth,” that Islam is not a religion? And if being “hard on women” is Yaeger’s main concern, what has she done to reduce the increasing domestic violence in mainly Christian Spokane County?

I agree with the council meeting’s public speakers that mistaken generalizations can lead to violence, from citizens unjustly hating a group murdering church or synagogue worshipers to a masked ICE agent shooting a praying pastor in the head with a pepper ball (Chicago) or some police killing more Blacks than whites in similar situations. I sincerely hope Yaeger takes the WSU nursing professor’s coffee invitation in order to listen with respect and compassion to hear other perspectives with openness and curiosity, especially now that “Islamophobia (among other hatreds) is at record high levels” (WA’s Council on Islamic Relations). That’s what a leader would do.

Judy Silverstein

Spokane County