Letters To The Editor

Fri., May 23, 1997

SPOKANE MATTERS

Luncheon speaker’s message positive

The Women Helping Women luncheon proves the compassion of local women is manifested in action and not just talk. The event was a powerful demonstration that we have more than sympathy for the women and children who suffer in this community.

Guest speaker Carrie Fisher touched my heart. Her message was that women need to show compassion to other women because we understand each other.

Fisher let us see her broken heart, her struggles with trying to balance work and motherhood, and the pain she experiences because of mental illness and addiction. For her, women have made the difference.

And for Spokane area women and children, we made an astounding impact on valuable local programs by raising $223,000!

While some people did not appreciate Fisher’s frankness, it was refreshing to me. She did not hide behind the glamour of her past success but bravely stood before the crowd and showed us that life is not easy, and that is why we need each other. She has been treated badly by men. She was not bashing men but was pointing out the fact that many women suffer because of men.

Rather than criticize Fisher, let’s applaud her courage and be thankful that we live in such a wonderful community. Jennifer J. Otterstrom Spokane

Museum move a calculated one

I’m writing in regard to Ruth S. Peterson’s letter of May 14, “Children’s museum deserves support.”

The Children’s Museum of Spokane has been pleased with the level of support it has received from the community. Our temporary site in River Park Square proved that Spokane embraces a hands-on museum for children.

To clarify Peterson’s comments: The board of directors chose to enter into a three-month lease, to test the viability of our project and to give Spokane a sampling of what we will offer in a larger site.

Financing was not an issue in the closure of the site in River Park Square. The museum was very well received - so much so that we chose to stay open an additional month. Our goal has been to open a larger, permanent museum in downtown Spokane.

The board of Directors has been concentrating its efforts on finding an appropriate site and preparing to open by December. (For additional information on the Children’s Museum of Spokane, please call 624-0435.) Martha Gilligan-Gaines, board president Children’s Museum of Spokane

Clever, those council members

It seems like the City Council has done it again.

Along comes the various phone companies, all wanting to install more underground lines. The council tells them that they will have to install a new asphalt layer on the entire lane they tear up. Good thinking!

Now, why did they not make them install the lines in Grand Boulevard, Monroe, Bernard etc. - all of the streets that have the largest potholes? Are they going to make the same requirement of the sewer and water department? If they don’t, it could be called discrimination. Charles E. McCollim Spokane

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

We don’t need Rankin or ‘Rankinism’

Here we go again! Unless they are Rankin-rantingites, the majority of Kootenai County residents got a black eye when the county commissioners passed a resolution making English the required language for official government business.

I remember reading that Commissioner Ron Rankin said he thought all the people in this county wanted him to do this. And now, Rankin wants to do away with the hiring of minorities, giving county residents a second black eye.

Since I haven’t read what the co-commissioners think about Rankin’s latest ranting, I only hope that they will not follow him like sheep going to slaughter. I also hope that all the people who voted for Rankin will think twice about bringing him back to office if he chooses to run again.

People in this county do not like to be described as racists or in similar terms. There may be enough residents who might feel that a recall is in order, if that’s possible.

A few years ago, Coeur d’Alene was in the national news for its fight against racism and was the recipient of the prized Wallenberg Award. Residents should remember this, feel proud of it and remind the commissioners that Rankinism does not belong here. I hope residents will let the county know about their beliefs and expectations, and not let them run Kootenai County into a bottomless pit. G. LeRoy Post Falls

Maybe this will provoke change

If minorities do not find North Idaho attractive, it’s not because of the weather. A quick trip to the balmy climes of Chicago, Detroit or New York City in December will demonstrate that pretty clearly.

Minorities might, however, be hesitant to move to an area whose elected representative makes the kind of generalizations that Rep. Helen Chenoweth chose to make recently.

Chenoweth has demonstrated many times that she is more than just a little sympathetic to the aims of the militia movement.It’s interesting that she doesn’t find them a threat to future peace and prosperity in the region. I guess bombs and illegal weapon stockpiles are only a bagatelle.

Now we see that she shares some views with the white supremacists, too. No surprise there. And no surprise that the rest of the country thinks this area is a hotbed of racists. Perhaps this will be the last straw for Idaho voters, who are tired of being unfairly perceived as crackpots and bigots. Perhaps there will be enough of them to get her out of office. We can only hope. Nola R. Barrett Spokane

I reject recent redefinitions

In his criticism of my letter (“Conservative view wrong yet useful,” May 13) Hal Dixon doesn’t distinguish between the meaning of conservatism (“devotion to the existing order of things; opposition to change”) and membership in the Republican Party.

The existing order of things in 1856 was that slavery existed and was legal. By opposing the existing order of things, Abraham Lincoln could not possibly be defined as conservative, given the dictionary description.

I’m sorry that, with the ascent of such Republicans as Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich, the meanings of the words “conservative” and “liberal” have been muddied and given specific party affiliations. Apparently, the Republicans, and Dixon, are ready to redefine conservative as “less big government and more individual freedom.” By that definition, Republican conservatives should be at the forefront in campaigning for same-sex marriage and gays in the military. But if they are rushing in that direction, it has escaped my notice. (Barry Goldwater stands alone as a conservative willing to fight for these individual freedoms.)

Therefore, I will stick with the current dictionary definition. I stand by my original letter. I would even venture to guess that, if Lincoln were alive today and could access scientific research available to all of us, he would be appalled at the anti-gay rhetoric and measures promoted by some Republicans. Gregory M. Presley Spokane

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