Letters for April 13, 2023
Children deserve better
Now that the Virginia teacher shot by a pupil has sued her school district for $40 million, will our local administrators make changes?
Former teacher Anne-Marie Orphus lamented of the shooting at Freeman that “the way the system is designed, there are things teachers (weren’t) told.” Former teacher Marty Jessett said students alerted officials that the shooter had notes that he was “going to do something stupid that is going to get me killed or arrested.” What was done with that information by the grown-ups really exemplifies stupidity.
Since this was a possible suicide warning sign, it was treated as private medical information. That was a fatal call. Why have we decided that even 13-year-olds can keep some medical information private? A school provider needs written parental permission to administer medication, yet a minor girl can get an abortion without parental knowledge or consent and minors can likewise have “gender affirming” procedures.
The American Psychological Association notes that in the 10 years even before the pandemic, “feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors increased by about 40% among young people,” according the CDC.
Certain selective policies allowing children to be regarded as mature adults make them pawns in advancing a family hostile progressive nanny state agenda.
How’s that working out for us and our children?
Paul Unger
Spokane
U.S. needs rebirth
April is the month when the earth comes back to life. Greenery begins replacing the dead brown landscape. Birds return to the north. Soon, butterflies will make their appearance.
April also brings Easter. This event is a symbol of rebirth. The emergence of Christ, from the tomb, forever broke Satan’s claim over humanity. We no longer need to be slaves to our carnality.
Of course, there are still problems. Camp Hope (which will likely reappear elsewhere) is only a symptom. So are the school shootings. We have succeeded in removing God from our classrooms and this is the result.
In order to survive, America must undergo a rebirth. We started out as a Christian nation. We need to return to being one. The spirit of death needs to be expelled from our classrooms and clinics.
In closing, I will remind our elected officials that they will be doubly accountable for their actions. Money is not a valid reason to endorse a cause. We Spokanites need to always take the high road rather than be “looking out for No. 1.”
Happy Easter!
Douglas Benn
Spokane
They gave ultimate sacrifice
Nine Army service members died March 29 in a helicopter training accident in Kentucky. Did anyone notice?
Sadly, flags were already at half-staff, mourning the six murder victims at a Nashville, Tennessee, Christian school (although, frankly an average weekend in Chicago usually claims more lives). Then the media circus generated by a politically driven Manhattan DA’s indictment drenched the news cycle with endless loops of Trump haters rejoicing in this abuse of justice. That spectacle will likely continue for weeks.
In the meantime, nine brave men and women made the ultimate sacrifice. Will anyone remember them when the circus ends? Military casualties are unique because everyone volunteers to serve, knowingly accepting the risks that come with securing our peace by preparing for war.
These soldiers were doing something fewer and fewer Americans are willing to do. I don’t think it’s coincidental that a national poll reported last week that values like patriotism, religion and community involvement are declining precipitously across the nation. It’s easy to see the cancer of political corruption and division adding to this slide.
From the wooded hillsides of Arlington National Cemetery, you can look across the Potomac and see the Capitol Building and other landmarks of the nation’s seat of government. It’s a stark contrast in honor. How so many of those who work in the white marble buildings on the east side of the river are so unworthy of the sacrifices made by those heroes whose headstones stand silently gleaming on the west.
John Lyons
Spokane