Our views: A worthy celebration of life with a gift

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published October 24, 2009

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A reunion last week between Lacey firefighters and 10-year-old Tyler Ridenour was a happy ending to what could have been a tragically fatal story. Last August, Ridenour was critically injured when his bicycle was run over by a trailer attached to a sport utility vehicle after Ridenour inadvertently failed to stop at a stop sign. Two things played a key role in saving the young boy’s life. Lacey firefighters launched a quick response. They had him stabilized and in an ambulance headed to the hospital within eight minutes of the call. Second, Ridenour was wearing a helmet. The boy’s recovery, which included a five-day stay at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, is considered nothing short of a miracle. The miracle was celebrated last week when Lacey firefighters invited Ridenour and his family to the fire station and presented him with a new bicycle and helmet, courtesy of Lacey firefighters, the Lacey Target store and Lacey Police Department. Lacey firefighters want to remind families in the Lacey area they have free children’s bicycle helmets available at the fire station. Take them up on the offer.

Parents who exploit their children in a bid for fortune and fame have lost their moral compass, as clearly is the case of the Colorado couple who led authorities to believe last week that their 6-year-old son floated away in a giant helium balloon. The false claim triggered a frantic land and air search for the boy when, in fact, he never left the ground. The stunt forced temporary closure of Denver International Airport and caused the National Guard to send two helicopters after the balloon. While millions watched the scene unfold on TV and online, the balloon landed without the boy, prompting fears he had fallen off during the ride. It’s hard to imagine how any parent could put their three children through such an irresponsible hoax, all in hopes of landing some sort of deal for a realty TV show. How disgusting. This might be a case where the punishment doesn’t fit the crime, but law enforcement shouldn’t hesitate to aggressively pursue charges.

The Longhouse Education and Cultural Center is a special place on The Evergreen State College campus. Built in 1995, the longhouse is a place where people from different cultures come together and learn from one another through sharing of experiences, art displays, classes, performances and community events. The longhouse was the first of its kind at a public college in the country. A testimony to its popularity and acceptance is a recent expansion of the building from the original 10,000 square feet to 11,800 square feet. The expansion, which cost $1.7 million, was financed through the state capital budget. Based on past experiences at the longhouse, it should prove to be money well spent.

A Government Accountability Office report has raised questions about Army tests conducted on armor designed to withstand armor-piercing bullets. According to the GAO report, the Army made critical mistakes in the tests of a new body armor design scheduled to be used by troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The report charges the Army with deviating from accepted testing procedures, suggesting that several of the designs would have failed properly conducted tests. The Defense Department has dismissed the claims of flaws in the armor testing and rejected the GAO’s call for an independent review. Ironically, the Army had taken over the testing work after a report from the Pentagon’s inspector general found fault with Army oversight of private laboratory testing of an earlier model of the protective gear. Perhaps the Army jumped the gun in eliminating private labs from doing the work. The Defense Department should heed a request from Congressional leaders to bring in independent ballistic experts to ensure that all armor passes the appropriate tests before it is pressed into duty in the two war zones.