Opinion letters for Friday, Jan. 3

Carter was true gentleman

Back in the day, I worked for Portland KXLY and I was fortunate to meet and converse with authors, celebrities, politicians and Spokane-area residents. Over the years people have asked me, “Who was your favorite?” There were several, but when you get to sit in a radio studio with a president of the United States, it has to be a highlight. No. 1 highlight.

President Carter walked into the studio, no Secret Service, just the two of us, shook hands, and we had an hour to just chat. A bit of politics, but mostly was about his family and life after the presidency. The man loved to go fishing. Prior to the interview, I had spoken with his niece, his brother Billy’s daughter, and she told me the president created a small pond to fish. She told me how, as president, he and security would sneak onto a helicopter in the early weekend mornings to head north to a favorite fishing spot in Pennsylvania. He liked to laugh. He was soft-spoken. He was a gentleman.

Politics has now become a blood sport. Carter certainly was subjected to the harsh realities of being president of the United States. But look at the men who, before and after their presidency, made a difference in the lives of average citizens. Not a business tycoon. Not a president hiding in Plains, Georgia. But to create a legacy, Habitat for Humanity. President Carter and his partner, Rosalynn, should be a model for others in their positions. But that will not happen again. Ever.

Jim Bickel

Spokane

Protect local wildlife

For the past three years as a member of the Spokane Valley Planning Commission, I have tried to get the attention of the City Council about some serious issues that they have been ignoring for more than 20 years. On a recent afternoon, I experienced firsthand the consequences of some of these decisions.

To my surprise, we found a female moose in our front yard. This is not normal moose habit, but due to the extremely aggressive development to the east of our property, the poor creature has lost her stamping grounds. As we live on a heavily used two-lane road, we called Crime Check (although her only crime was trespassing) hoping to find a way to remove her from harm’s way. We watched her for over an hour until she safely crossed the road and ambled into the hills. We were concerned about the motorists who fly up and down the hill and what would happen to a car or the moose. Under the Growth Management Act, the city and the county must consider the impacts of urban growth on our animal neighbors and their natural habitat. Apparently, the civic philosophy is to push the animals out and then find them as roadkill.

Shame on all of us.

Susan Delucchi

Spokane Valley