Letters to the editor

Guns at school

Don't downgrade legal standards for upstanding citizens

Editor, The Times:

While I think it's patently ridiculous and unconstitutional that any law-abiding adult, such as James Kelly, as well as the general Rainier Beach High School staff, cannot "carry concealed" on school grounds, I still see a double standard going on here with Kelly ("No guns in schools, no buts, no maybes," Times editorial, July 26). Had this been any other man-jack citizen in his situation, the court, with the school's urging, would have thrown the book at them.

However, because he is the local Urban League president and needs to be allowed to "continue his good work," he will be handled with kid gloves by the court. This is not a criticism of Kelly's work with the Black Museum, but the elitist attitude of "guns for we, but not for thee" that appears to exist when it would seem politically incorrect to follow the law against a particular individual.

— Eric Fisher, Bothell

Disarming alarm

I have to strongly disagree with the editorial "No guns in schools, no buts, no maybes."

We all know that there is always someone who will break the rules. We see it every day. Society is a social structure of complex rules — some written, like laws and constitutions, some simply understood, like etiquette and common courtesy. But we have that element in society, that group that we all know too well: the criminal or deviant.

The trick is to not limit the law-abiding citizens — do not tie up the people who abide by the rules of society, they are not the ones to fear — but to free the law-abiding citizens to take full advantage of the law and use the full benefit of all rights and privileges available to them.

What might have happened if a law-abiding citizen, trained in the use of firearms, maybe a teacher at the school in Moses Lake, had been armed with a legal, lawfully concealed firearm on the day that the student — a minor who was breaking several laws of society by possessing a firearm and shooting students — went on the deadly rampage? Would the outcome have been different? How about the Columbine shooting? Or any of the school or workplace shootings, where employees have been forbidden to have legally owned and lawfully concealed firearms?

Remember, it is not the law-abiding citizen you have to worry about, it is the criminal, the person who will not follow the rules and laws.

When we come to realize that the limitations placed on the law-abiding citizens only place them in danger of becoming victims, we may then become a truly enlightened society.

— Dave Mamanakis, Monroe

Beware of bus

Logic in reverse

The well-written article on the bus accident in Fremont ("'Worst problem' in Fremont?" Local News, July 25) left a few unanswered questions, namely:

• Metro says the bus driver "was momentarily blinded by intense sunlight." Does that mean that when our vision is obscured, we can keep on driving until we can again see?

• Police have issued no citations and, "say they don't know for sure that the women were crossing legally." Does that mean that we can run over all pedestrians who are crossing illegally?

I sure hope The Times can check this out so we drivers will better know how to drive.

— Jack Excell, Seattle

Party ouster

He's a Democrat

As regards the front-page article in The Times, "House kicks Traficant out after bribery conviction" (July 25), nowhere in your article on Rep. James Traficant's ousting from the House is his affiliation mentioned. He is pictured hugging a Republican and his (the Republican's affiliation) is noted. Elsewhere, five other Republicans are mentioned and tagged as such, and only three other Democrats are tagged in the article. One other Democrat is not tagged, Steven LaTourette.

It seems peculiar doesn't it? Actually it seems rather deliberate.

— Randi Zabel, Arlington

He's a liberal Democrat

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself, but the Traficant expulsion article failed to note at any point that the criminal in question was a Democrat. Perhaps it was edited out but the closest thing I could find to partisan association for Traficant was a sentence that read: "Traficant is seeking re-election as an independent." On the other hand, U.S. Rep. Gary Condit is identified in traditional fashion as "D-Calif." All other congressmen identified in the article are also identified with the political party they serve.

Unfortunately, it is not easy to make the case against partisan bias in the American press. Another noteworthy point is that the word "liberal" did not appear anywhere in this article. Would the same be true if a "right-wing conservative" from the Republican ranks had been convicted and kicked out of the House?

— Steve Berentson, Anacortes

News you can use

Paper tigers

I must convey to you how much I enjoy your "Critters" part of the Et cetera column of the A section of The Times. Every day I look forward to that as I approach the page.

Besides providing news about the "other animals of the Earth," our brethren with whom we share the planet, the Critters section brings a special recognition and stature of their importance in our lives. It bestows the critters a status worthy of time and newspaper space and increases our knowledge and understanding of those important co-inhabitants.

Thank you for your inclusiveness and vision.

— Bonnie Robbins, Seattle

Whale overboard

I have to admit that I was disappointed in Monday's Times. I appreciated the excellent articles on wildfires in Western states, the problems with the stock market, and the upcoming congressional elections. But I frantically tore through the paper in a fruitless frenzy for the real news.

What, no special section on Springer the whale? Huh, no follow-up on that rich guy who went around the world in a balloon?

Sometimes I wonder about your paper's priorities.

— Tom Tangen, Edmonds