Letters for May 12, 2022

Shootings

In December 1988 the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a ban on lawn darts and all should be destroyed. “Why?” you ask. They were popular. They were fun. The problem was, three children died due to skull puncture wounds. Between 1978, the first year on the market, and 1986, there were over 6,000 emergency room visits by children under the age of 15. So CPSC banned the darts.

In one week of July 2021 there were over 1,000 shootings and 400 dead children. Annually, 1,300 children under the age of 18 are killed by guns. But we banned lawn darts. We are so screwed up.

Jim Bickel

Spokane

The Supreme Court draft

A draft is a draft, which means it’s not the final copy. Changes may or may not be made to the draft. So the uproar over the leak of the Supreme Court draft on Roe v. Wade is interesting.

This leakage is unheard of, but it does give the voter time to ponder both sides.

How about looking forward to what it would look like to millions of women, who at this moment in time, have absolutely no intention of having an abortion and suddenly find for whatever reason, that it is a necessity in their eyes, but an unwelcome solution – one they had never envisioned. They need to have a safe physical and mental answer to their problem.

So – how about everybody practic e abstinence until the elections, since we all know that it is the only way not to get pregnant. Therefore no need for an abortion. That does include men, however.

Maybe one could decide then, if it is in the best interest of all people to put the decision of abortion and its punishments in the hands of the government and not the woman and her health care provider.

Priscilla Hawkyard

Spokane

Male rule

Men have ruled since the dawn of history. They have brought us conquest, genocide and perpetual warfare, plus false gods like pharaohs to justify insane barbarity. Look no further than Ukraine to see these atrocities that lay just beneath the skin of male civilizations.

Alito relies on medieval beliefs in witches to justify his false interpretation of deeply held beliefs in our constitutional history, which began in 1777. God is not mentioned therein. American women had virtually no rights until they won the right to vote in 1920 when there were no witches, only citizens.

Any man who has witnessed the pains of pregnancy and birth, knows that he couldn’t possibly endure it! Yet, we show no compassion for our sisters, wives or mothers! Women and men have obtained increased freedom since women gained the constitutional right to control their bodies. We have a civil constitution, not a religious one. It is no accident the disingenuous Catholics on the Supreme Court will vote to end the right to abortion, and other rights they don’t see as being deeply rooted in our history, like equal marriage and contraception.

We have a democracy, not a theocracy! Let’s keep it that way!

David Webb

Spokane

Supreme Court

Liars and cheaters reign supreme in our nation’s highest court.

The liars include Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh, who falsely pretended to believe that Roe v. Wade was “settled law,” a precedent they would respect. The cheaters are Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, who are sitting in seats that should have been filled by two Democratic presidents, who were elected by popular majorities.

Today, we are stuck with a broken democracy where the 2 million people of Idaho have the same number of votes to confirm or deny Supreme Court justices as the 40 million people of California.

But the number and terms of Supreme Court justices are entirely up to Congress. If Democrats can hold the House and add two or three senators, they will have the opportunity – indeed, the obligation – to enact, by simple majority, the urgently needed reforms to the Supreme Court that will limit the damage the liars and cheaters could do in the future.

Bart Preecs

Spokane

Banning of AR-15 not a ‘right’ or ‘left’ entity

No matter how you cut and dry it, no sane American has any need to own an AR-15! As Mr. Stone (“Irrational fear of the AR-15 rifle,” May 4) puts it, “they want to take our guns away!” These words have never once been uttered out of anyone’s mouth. “Stricter gun control” defiantly, “banning assault rifles” perhaps!

People like him, whom I choose to call the “MAGA Cult,” are delusional to not think something needs to be done where gun control is concerned! AR-15’s have been used in 11 mass shootings just since 2012. To compare people getting blown away by an AR-15 to that of dying from “getting kicked by hands and feet” is ludacris.

I’m a Republican from the word go, I just happen to be one that hasn’t lost his mind and jumped on the Trump train and the “it’s my ’merica” train!

These assault rifles are not a right or left issue, they simply have no place in the hands of anyone other then our military and law enforcement.

One thing I do agree with is we need much stricter laws for our repeat criminals and more focus on gang violence and this is both a right and left issue. It’s sad that we’ve moved to everything right and left verses all of us wanting what’s right for all, where has simple common sense gone?

Kelly Glenn

Spokane