The list of regrets: A Spokane Valley sidenote

SPOKANE

If you haven’t checked the local news Comments section today, congratulations on your inner peace. For the rest of us, it’s a flurry of caps-lock and digital facepalms following Senator Leonard Christian’s recent performance on the Senate floor.

During a debate on House Bill 1390, the Senator decided to dust off a slur so outdated it’s practically a relic of the mid-century. While arguing against a bill involving the Community Protection Program, he dropped the “R-word,” causing an audible gasp in the chamber and a collective “did he really just say that?” across the 509 area code.

When cautioned by Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, the Senator’s response was the cherry on top of this awkward Sunday sundae: “I guess I need a list of words I cannot say; that would be very helpful to me.” Local advocacy groups like SCAR and The Arc of Washington are currently working on that list, though most residents thought “Don’t use slurs in the year 2026” was a pretty standard entry in the Human Being Handbook.

On Facebook, it’s currently a 50/50 split between people calling for a formal apology and those arguing that “everyone is too sensitive,” while ironically being very sensitive about the criticism. On Twitter (X), the clips are viral, the hashtags are heated, and local representatives are issuing “we don’t know him like that” joint statements faster than you can say “point of order.”

As of now, the Senator hasn’t quite stuck the landing on a formal apology, though he did admit he might need a speechwriter. In the meantime, Spokane is left wondering if we should send him a dictionary, or just a very long list of “No-No Words.”

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