Readers Write (Aug. 17): Police work, Donald Trump, Lake Mille Lacs

An idea for making sure that police officers are ready for the stresses of their job.

August 16, 2015 at 11:41AM
Police walk in the street during demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo., Aug. 11, 2015. Protests continued in Ferguson Tuesday night, two nights after bursts of gunfire had led to fears of renewed unrest. Police released surveillance video that they say shows an 18-year-old man who was shot by their officers pulling a gun out of his waistband and pointing it. (Whitney Curtis/The New York Times)
Police walked in the street during demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo., on the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death. Would it help if police, like airline pilots, had a checklist before starting each shift? (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

With the recent anniversary of Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Mo., and with little progress in preventing more violence, I decided one more suggestion geared toward reducing the violence couldn't hurt. I thought about what the airline companies have done to reduce risk.

Before pilots take off, they always go through a checklist to make sure the plane is safe to become airborne. Even though they may be veteran pilots and may have flown a million miles, the checklist is a required procedure. Suppose police had a checklist they were required to go over at the beginning of every shift. I'm just throwing out an idea here, but suppose there was a required pre-shift checklist that read something like this:

• Am I sober and in good health?

• Is my mental state such that I can deal with the potential stress and drama of a really rough day?

• Am I in the mood to give those people I stop the same respect I'd give a relative, a friend, or a member of my church or club?

• Are there any family or social issues troubling me to the point that they could affect my judgment?

• Have I made peace with my department's practices and policies?

• Can I honestly consider the people I am about to mingle with innocent of wrong doing until I have evidence to the contrary?

Because flying can be very complicated and repetitious, pilots realize the danger of counting on a mental checklist. They depend on a written list and announce when they have completed it. If there's even a single problem, the flight may be held until the problem is fixed, or it may be canceled. Pilots know that one slip can mean not only their life, but the lives of their passengers. I don't think a police officer's role is that much different.

Terry Faust, Minneapolis
DONALD TRUMP

Whatever we think, we must see the value of independence

Donald Trump is teaching us an extraordinarily important lesson about the value of not forcing politicians to sell themselves to donors. He is not beholden to the Koch brothers, or to any of the enormously rich corporate "persons" who really control our government. Former U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo once said that campaign donations didn't buy his vote, just access to him. The hundreds of thousands, or millions, of people who are attracted to Trump understand that access is the whole ballgame. The public already pays for campaigns, indirectly through profits that corporations and individuals reap from our economic system and funnel to candidates who need to buy media time. Trump has trumped the system, both with his wealth and with the media's hunger for the controversy he brings, putting him at the forefront of news coverage while at the same time belittling his candidacy.

I strongly disagree with many of Trump's "views" and am disappointed at the erosion of his independence as he backs away from a reasonable view of Planned Parenthood's hugely important services to low-income women, selling out to Tea Partiers by calling for Planned Parenthood's demise. We all knew that Jesse Ventura, whose light-rail project to the Mall of America has proved highly successful, never shilled for anyone — individual or corporation. The stupidity of the Iraq war makes Ventura's more outrageous comments seem harmless (and they were). His independence proved valuable to this state. Trump may be doing the same thing for the nation.

Richard Breitman, Minneapolis
LAKE MILLE LACS

Could 'catch and release' be part of the problem?

I did a lot of fishing as a kid, and the fishing was good. We'd pull big sunnies and crappies from Medicine Lake and bass from — where else? — Bass Lake. I also remember fishing Mille Lacs with Dad and the uncles and catching walleyes of all sizes until we made our limits. Those were good times, but those times are now history.

I don't fish much anymore — once in a while, just to be polite. But even nostalgia gets boring if the fish don't bite. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has many explanations for why the state's premier walleye factory is having production problems. I'd like to add one more reason that maybe hasn't been fully explored: The unintended consequences of "catch and release."

Mille Lacs is a shallow lake. Anglers who still fish it tell me that on calm, sunny days they can see the bottom, and that the bottom is littered with dead fish, many of which are not of legal size and not "keepers." They most likely have died because the hooks have been torn from their stomachs. As any experienced angler can tell you, once that hook is swallowed and the guts are ripped out, that fish will die as surely as if it were filleted and eaten.

Wouldn't it be better to make it illegal to throw back fish that face certain death and to set a reasonable limit on possession that includes fish of any size? It would be humane and sporting, taking nothing away from the thrill of the catch and, unlike the draconian plan to shut down an entire lake, would protect the livelihoods of local resorts and businesses. Plus, it would allow far more small walleyes to survive, thrive, grow large and procreate. Just like the old days.

Garrett Tomczak, Golden Valley

• • •

There are lots of reasons besides walleye fishing to visit Lake Mille Lacs. Here are 10:

1) It's close — only about 90 minutes from the Twin Cities.

2) Great boating and water sports, with lots of room for water skiing, Jet Skis and sailing.

3) New restaurants and great old ones. We love the honey pecan walleye fingers at the Spirit Lake Pub in Wahkon and the wild rice meatloaf at the new Eddy's. Take the kids to Happy's Drive-in or DQ.

4) The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe offers the casino, many entertaining shows, a very interesting museum and the family-friendly Grand Makwa Cinema.

5) Ride the ATV trails off the Soo Line. See beautiful back country on the Red Top or Solana trails.

6) Canoe the Rum River starting in Onamia and meander your way south.

7) Kathio or Father Hennepin state parks offer a variety of programs and camping.

8) Fishing. There are lots of fish besides walleye. If you don't have lots of experience, take a launch. It is fun and easy, and the guides are very helpful.

9) There are many good golf courses in the area for players of all abilities.

10) It is not crowded.

Mary Zadach, St. Paul
AGING

How to know what matters

Regarding Joe Rigert's Aug. 9 commentary about vacating his house ("A lifetime is a heavy load"), the only things of value in life are the things you give away. Keep your memories, but let everything else go.

Benjamin Cherryhomes, Hastings
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