Letters To The Editor

TOLERANCE

Don’t let yourself be persecuted

Re: Stephy Bean’s guest column, “I have questions for those light of skin and dark of heart,” Roundtable, May 17.

Born out of wedlock, called a “love child,” a 5-yearold girl nearly lost her life in a car accident. Kids at school made fun of her. Because of a severe head injury in the accident, she was “different.”

She often attended school with bruises on her legs and arms. Her mother was a divorced, schizophrenic, abusive prescription drug addict. Even though her mother worked and provided for them, no one took proper care of the little girl and her half-sister. The girls went to school with mismatched, wrinkled clothes.

Mothers wouldn’t let their children play with them. The two girls were considered white trash.

This little white girl was judged and persecuted most of her life for her unusualness, for being poor, for not having a father.

In 1971 she blossomed into a beautiful, tall teenager. Her mother sold everything and moved to North Idaho. They were hated for being from California.

We live in a judgmental world full of opinions. I also know there are good people who know what love is. Not all white people hate black people. Not all Northwesterners hate Californians. Who cares, anyway? There is only one judge.

I’m the little girl in the story. I walk with my head held high. I’m proud I came from the gutter. I’ve risen above those persecutions and so can you.

We are only persecuted by our own minds. We don’t have to accept others’ opinions. That’s all they are - opinions.

Forgive them, bless yourself and rise above. C.C. Door Moyie Springs, Idaho

Ignore neo-Nazis at your peril

Regarding D.F. Oliveria’s May 13 Huckleberries column, “Idahoans don’t pay attention to neo-Nazis”:

If Idahoans don’t start paying attention to neo-Nazi and other hate groups we will see more innocent people murdered, as happened in Oklahoma City. Prior to the bombing, the Southern Poverty Law Center had repeatedly reported to Washington, D.C., officials their growing concern about these militia groups and the possibility an incident of this magnitude could occur. No one paid attention. Be wise, don’t ignore them.

Concerning the young black man who moved to Coeur d’Alene from Tennessee, he should get a medal for courage. Friends of mine visiting from California spent an afternoon in one of the city’s taverns only to hear racial slurs being used up and down the bar. Those who were not using slurs, laughed in agreement with those who were.

When my friends left the tavern to retrieve their car and return home, the car had been “keyed,” the obvious target of people who don’t like Californians. These people are always looking for someone to hate and are obvious cowards.

Who next, people with the last name Oliveria? I hope the “white-bread” Spokesman-Review will start paying attention to the hate crimes occurring in Idaho and stop hiding behind the excuse that these groups have no effect on society. I look forward to the day when the front page of the paper isn’t all pretty pictures and puppy dogs. Tracie Welton, graduate student University of Idaho

‘Ignorance breeds prejudice’

In response to Phyllis Heinel’s “Why permit lesbian to speak?” (Letters, June 3), when facts are not checked out there is ignorance, and ignorance breeds prejudice.

Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer made a dynamic speech and the Spokane Falls Community College students should be very proud to have brought her to their campus. This remarkable woman didn’t get to high rank in the armed forces by publicly bragging or whining.

The only fact in Heinel’s letter was that Col. Cammermeyer is a lesbian. Cammermeyer did not give a graphic lecture of her sex life. Instead, she spent two hours before the lecture with a small group of students, sharing her incredible intelligence, wit and knowledge.

The lecture to the public audience was a lesson in history with a slide presentation about prejudice, be it against women in the workplace or racial. She received a standing ovation from the audience - male, female, gay or not.

As to your tax dollars, the real injustice is in the way millions of tax dollars are being spent to train and then investigate someone in the armed forces suspected of deviant behavior such as being gay. The students of Spokane Falls Community College brought Cammermeyer here with student enrollment funds. Don Jolley Spokane

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES

Poverty not grounds for removal

I ache for the family featured in the Sunday Spokesman-Review (“Dirty job stains agency”) that struggling to keep its children in spite of dismal financial circumstances. I also ache for Child Protective Services people who have heart-rending decisions to make.

As a child, I, too, lived in a home with no running water. Our toilet was a bucket and the stairwell had no railing. The house could easily have caught fire because we had wood stoves for cooking and heating. We probably didn’t smell very good, either, because we bathed only once a week in a washtub in front of a cozy kitchen range. That was when we got our clean underwear.

My dad worked hard but were still poor, as drought, hail and grasshoppers claimed our crops. Sure, those were Depression days but no one for one moment considered tearing me from that love-filled home because we were poor. Had that happened, I think I would have died. I know my dear parents would have fought to the death to keep me.

I know children must be removed from abusive homes, but from poor homes - never!

Why can’t funds that would be used for foster home care be used to assist these families in finding better housing or even just providing them with soap and cleaning items?

My prayers are with this family and with CPS. Ila Granlund Spokane

Image wise, CPS at disadvantage

Regarding your June 9 article (“Dirty job stains agency”) on Child Protective Services, I must say CPS workers always get a bad rap.

I have attended team meetings (the horror stories I’ve heard!) and never once have I seen or heard anyone take lightly the removal of children from the home. This seems to be done only in rare cases and only after many alternative plans have failed.

There are many factors involved in the removal of children from their homes, issues that the general public will never know about the clients because of the rules of confidentially followed by CPS workers and people involved in the cases.

There will always be CPS workers and numerous other social agencies in existence to parent other people’s children, as long as clients refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and their lifestyles. I have found that people generally assume parents understand their responsibilities to their children. Assumptions are sometimes very stupid.

What as a society are we supposed to do? See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil? Hiding abuse in the closet and giving parents or guardians the benefit of the doubt over and over again only continues the cycle of abuse to subsequent generations.

In a perfect world all children would be safe from harm. What are we to do? L. Elliot Parsons Medical Lake

Removals make matters worse

The June 9 front page article on Child Protective Services’ investigation of a waterless, shack-dwelling family was nothing short of terrifying (“Dirty job stains agency”).

If these children are not in imminent danger of serious injury or death at the hands of their parents - and nothing reported so indicated - then why is removal from their parents and transfer into a negligent, often hostile state child care system even a consideration? This is just a poor family making do with what they have. But what they have is a family.

The total cost of putting four children into foster care and related services for only a couple months would more than pay for running water, new stovepipe, a honeypot or even a composting toilet.

Are they in danger because the house might burn down? Didn’t children die in Spokane this winter in nice, clean homes with running water and smoke detectors?

What is most frightening is the automatic, but delusional, assumption that all children taken by CPS are put into sparkling-clean homes with loving, doting, ever-present and ever-smiling foster parents - homes where no harm will ever befall the children.

CPS doesn’t want you to know what happens to children after they take them. But you can read about many real cases of abuse in the free quarterly newsletter, After the Rescue. Call 623-2488. James Keyes Spokane

Story not fair to CPS professionals

As a former longtime news professional in the San Francisco area who presently serves as a volunteer guardian ad litem for the Spokane Juvenile Court, I find the “spin” put on the June 9 story (“Dirty job stains agency”) about Child Protective Services quite skewed.

In my experience as a child’s advocate I have observed exceptional objectivity of approach and empathy with human need on the part of CPS caseworkers.

These people are, for the most part, overworked and underpaid. They go into dangerous situations at any hour of the night or day to rescue a child after referral. They often spend their rare free time on visitations and answering calls from clients.

Your reporter should attend a team meeting, a meeting called regularly during the period a family is being helped to ascertain what each specially trained worker has observed are the present and future needs of the family and how they are each working toward the goal of reuniting the family. It is heartening to see how experts in the fields of chemical dependency, child abuse, medical needs, battering, etc., come together and work out a real plan to successfully reunite a family.

Of course, no parent, no matter how in need of parenting skills, wants to see their child separated from them. However, every provision is made for visitations and as speedy as possible a return to normal family life - if possible. Alas, in some cases returning the child would be the worst possible scenario. Ruth Dixon Spokane

I am grateful for CPS’ help

I know that Child Protective Services makes mistakes and I understand it has made some very serious ones. I am, however, a proponent of CPS. The agency saved our family.

CPS intervention came at a time when our daughter was having a lot of really bad problems. Had they not come into our lives, the abuse would still be in our home. Our case manager was a godsend. He has given us every effort, and puts forth every effort to be sure that our family gets the treatment we need.

There are many bad things about CPS, but I have been one of the fortunate ones. CPS helped us so we can be together as a family very soon. Helen Wilkerson Spokane

Onus is on defective parents

Re: The June 9 article (“Dirty job stains agency”), which exposed a host of “parents” angry at Child Protective Services as agency people try to do their job.

I recently re-entered the workplace, within the public school system. Kids are my primary concern. It is truly heart-wrenching to work with so many children who are neglected and unkempt, unwanted, deserted by either mother or father, emotionally distressed, unable to focus and learn because of neglect and abuse in one form or another.

Our school counselor and CPS work overtime walking kids through their parents’ divorces, alcoholism and drug problems, neglect, emotional and physical abuse. They tip-toe gently, trying to educate, nurture and support parents, to keep families together and functioning. Only in extreme cases of endangerment are kids removed.

These angry parents can be thankful I don’t decide these cases. If I did, many more children would be placed with parents who have chosen to shelve their own needs in order to love and nurture children.

You only get one shot at working through severe problems due to parental neglect. Never before has so much help been available. Moms and dads can choose to turn this cycle of neglect and abuse around - and must, for the children’s sake. Susan Lusher Athol, Idaho

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

How to tell disciples from hypocrites

What a great opportunity for the “allegedly religious” right to offer Bob Dole some Christian insight on his stance against helping the starving North Koreans (“U.S. plans food aid to N. Korea; Dole objects,” News, June 8).

Dole believes that we ought not to help feed these hungry people because they are enemies.

The Bible is clear on such a situation: “Love your enemy” and, as God says, “when you feed the hungry, you feed me.” So, what is the Christian thing to do? Is it to do as President Clinton is doing or is it to protest as Bob Dole is doing? And what does the alleged Christian right have to say, if anything?

Those on the right raise their voices high on issues that have little biblical authority, but will they raise their voices on loving this enemy or feeding them?

This issue is a good opportunity to measure the real sincerity of those on the right who claim the Bible as their authority.

I applaud Clinton. He is not just espousing rhetoric that creates enemies but is acting like a disciple of Christ. Rev. Michael (Redhawk) Rice-Sauer Spokane

Clinton co-opts GOP ideas

Finally, unbelievably, it’s happened! I knew if President Clinton just kept his mouth moving long enough, sooner or later something intelligent would come out.

After almost four years in office he’s publicly endorsed virtually every idea the Republican Party has come up with. These, by the way, are many of the same ideas that the Democrats and their friends in the leftwing liberal press severely condemned Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh for when those ideas first came out. Gingrich and Limbaugh are so far above anybody the left can come up with in honesty and intelligence that it’s hardly even worth debating.

The left continues to want to solve all problems by throwing more borrowed money at them. Democrats are now busy telling us peasants what a great job they’ve been doing at bringing down the national deficit.

Well, la de da. It’s not the deficit that needs bringing down, it’s the national debt, stupid.

Some reports say that the national debt is increasing by $1 billion every 24 hours under Clintonomics. And the Democrats want to portray their record as something to be proud of? Somebody has to be kidding.

Economically, this country is going down the tube at a rapidly accelerating pace. Wake up, America. You’re being had. Bob Palmer Opportunity

OTHER TOPICS

Gambling is bad news, period

Dick Boysen and Donald M. Kaufman have it all wrong (“Counterproductive hype on a roll,” Letters, May 30). Boysen and Kaufman run two local nonprofits that allegedly gain at the expense of their bingo operation.

The issue should not be who is cleaner at this gambling nonsense, but rather why do it at all.

Lost income, poor morals and focus on base quality of life involved in all of these petty operations cannot hold merit. Everyone’s best interest could be better served if the tribes and nonprofits earned income from work efforts, such as integrity, instead of luring people to bet on petty games of chance. Robert Spaulding Post Falls

At least Snoopy remembered

Thank you, Snoopy (“Peanuts”). You didn’t forget D-Day, June 6. Did I miss it elsewhere in the “good paper”? Norma Nieschulz Spokane