1967-02-09-sr-p9-huw-williams-letter-to-editor
February 09, 1967 Spokesman-Review Page 9:
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Spokesman-Review Forum
The opinions and statements expressed in this department are those of the letters’ authors and do not bear any relation to The Spokesman-Review editorial policy. To be published, letters must have the signature and address of the writer. Only a representative sampling of those received can be published and none can be returned. Address letters to The Forum, The Spokesman-Review.
New Federal Building
The new Federal Building being built in Spokane represents to me $6 million of ugliness. The architectural design, and choice of outside brick and windows, give this building the appearance of a prison. The location is wrong, in the first place, and it has no physical relationship with the Post Office Building at all.
When you compare it with the new Lincoln Bank Building or or the new Federal Building at Richland, Wash., it leaves one cold with its ugliness. One gets the expression of “Ugh” when looking at it.
SHARON TITTLE.
Newman Lake, Wash.
Jail Reflections
Having recently spent some time in the Spokane County Jail, I feel I should inform the people that their costly system of jails and prisons does not cure or prevent crime.
Since all types and ages of lawbreakers are crowded together in unhealthy conditions young men learn antisocial and violent attitudes while older ones only have their criminal tendencies reinforced. In jail people learn that success means pulling a big job and getting away with it.
What are actually needed to deal with crime are programs that cause the offenders to see the wrongness of their actions and that will develop the interest and ability in being useful and productive people, There are no doubt many ways of doing this and much research is need- ed, but jails are definitely not one of these ways.
The real tragedy is that many people seem to think that jails and prisons are the only way to deal with crime, whereas in reality the taxpayers are sup- porting a program that produces and increases criminal attitudes and behavior.
Anyone who does not believe this should arrange to spend a day or two in jail himself, in lieu of paying a traffic fine per- haps, HUW WILLIAMS.
Tolstoy Farm, Wash,
Jack Ruby Burial
The astronauts were solemnly buried with full honors and complete rites beneath the Stars and Stripes. This was as it should be and very fitting,
Jack Ruby ranked right with them, being also buried with the full benefit of the American flag, even though he was a convict, due to a federal offense at that. He surely stood convicted, or else the jurors in the court in Dallas, Texas, were certainly fooled in a big way.
These jurors were chosen and sworn in, they knew what their job was, and they did it, or why did the court waste these people’s time? Had Ruby gone to the gallows would they still have shrouded him with the American flag?
To the best of my knowledge a convict forfits all of his citizenship rights. PHIL COSTICH.
Springdale, Wash.
We're not sure exactly what a “cultural revolution” is, but it seems to be keeping the Chinese kids out of the poolroom.
Told that the guitar is 3,000 years old, a local fan of the instrument said he hadn't realized they had electricity way back then.
