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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2015)
OPINION 4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015 Ethnic differences endure, divide and unite ‘A ll the colonies were leveled to the ground by the frequent strokes of the battering-ram, all the husbandmen routed, together with their bishops, priests, and people, whilst the sword gleamed, DQGWKHÀDPHVFUDFNOHGDURXQGWKHPRQ every side. Lamentable to behold, in the midst of the streets lay the tops of lofty towers, tumbled to the ground, stones of high walls, holy altars, fragments of found 17 different types of people human bodies, covered with livid clots of in Britain as of the late-19th century. coagulated blood, looking as if they had (Testees were elderly people, each with been squeezed together in a press; and four grandparents all having been born with no chance of being buried, save in the within a close distance of one another. This provides a fairly accurate snapshot ruins of the houses, or of population structure before the in the ravening bellies disruptions of 20th century wars and of wild beasts and mass migration.) birds ...” Although Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Dramatic stuff. Cornish people have each always regarded Though this sounds themselves as unique, historians tended like a scene from the to lump them together. The longstanding steamy HBO program belief was that a fairly racially uniform Game of Thrones, Matt population of aboriginal Celtic Britons it actually is about Winters became refugees in western fringes when the only account we have of the arrival of Anglo-Saxons in pushy Anglo-Saxons arrived en masse Britain in the Dark Ages. Written by the starting in about 450 AD. Now it looks like the native Britons monk Gildas (c. 500 to 570 AD), this for centuries was taken as a true report on and newcomers quickly re-established an “ethnic cleansing.” According to Gildas equilibrium, settling down and managing and legends, the civilized but morally to stay in one place. “Many of the genetic weak Britons of post-Roman times, clusters show similar locations to the tribal EULHÀ\SURWHFWHGE\.LQJ$UWKXUDQGKLV groupings and kingdoms around end of knights, eventually were slaughtered or the 6th century, after the settlement of the driven away into the western wastes by Anglo-Saxons, suggesting these tribes and kingdoms may have maintained a the godless hordes. Following publication of a long- regional identity for many centuries,” DZDLWHG VFLHQWL¿F SDSHU WKLV ZHHN ZH study authors say. 2WKHUNH\VWXG\¿QGLQJV now know once and for all include: that this was just so much Anglo- • The economically propaganda. Although Saxon successful people in the WKHUH ZHUH FRQÀLFWV KHUH central/eastern/southern and there, the Anglo-Saxon invaders “bulb” of England — the invaders appear to have appear to “BBC people” we are most been much more interested likely to see on TV — are have been in making babies than making war. much more the most mixed together and have the largest genetic interested contribution from the colossal genetic Anglo-Saxon migrations project published in in making still only 10 to 40 the journal Nature proves babies than (but percent of total ancestry). the endurance of tribal DI¿OLDWLRQVDFURVVWKRXVDQGV making war. “This settles a historical controversy in showing of years on the islands of Britain. And just about in time for that the Anglo-Saxons intermarried St. Patrick’s Day, the Wellcome Trust- with, rather than replaced, the existing funded People of the British Isles study populations.” • The Welsh appear more similar to the demonstrates that “Celtic” isn’t one type of people, but several. Even to this earliest settlers of Britain after the last ice day, some individual tribes that lived in DJHWKDQGRRWKHUSHRSOHLQWKH8. • There is no obvious genetic signature Britain since before the Roman invasion nearly 2,000 years ago continue to occupy of the Danish Vikings, who controlled their own discrete territories. (See www. large parts of England (“The Danelaw”) from the 9th century, or from the peopleofthebritishisles.org) Without testing in the Republic of Normans, who invaded in 1066 AD. Ireland or some genetically intriguing 7KLV¿WVZLWKODUJHVFDOHDPDWHXUJHQHWLF places like the Isle of Man, researchers testing in the past 10 years that found A Romary via Wikimedia Commons A statue in Morbihan, France commemorates Saint Gildas, the Briton monk whose writings incorrectly portrayed Anglo-Saxon migrations as an act of genocide. Source: Nature article This map of British Isles population structure in about 600 AD has been found to still have significant echoes in the population of the modern United Kingdom. Vikings, Normans and Anglo-Saxons were all about as alike as puppies from the same litter. • The analyses suggest there was a substantial migration across the English Channel after the original post-ice- age settlers, but before Roman times. DNA from these migrants spread across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but had little impact in Wales. This means the average British person is about a third French — pretty amusing considering the bias many Englishmen still bear against the French, and vice versa. U Western Washington — are most likely to PDNH PXWXDOO\ EHQH¿FLDO GHFLVLRQV WR act in the “right” way. He wasn’t incorrect in perceiving that a vein of tribalism runs through human affairs. Being a responsible modern person requires acknowledging that tendency, while not allowing it to warp our behavior. In Britain, the Anglo-Saxon heartland is far better off than the rest of the nation. Racial, regional and cultural differences in the U.S. are sources of pride, but also impediments to economic and social justice. Maybe one moral of the Wellcome Trust study is that those who mix best do better. We should aspire to nurture all that makes us unique, while giving Welshmen an even break. ncle Frank used to say, “I’m a racist. So’s everyone else, they just don’t want to admit it,” earning a cheerfully sharp elbow in the ribs from Aunt Lucille. — MSW <RX¶G EH KDUGSUHVVHG WR ¿QG NLQGHU Matt Winters is editor and publisher of the or more generous man, but his views Chinook Observer and Coast River Business were indeed guided by a secure belief that Journal. He lives in Ilwaco, Wash., with his wife white Americans — especially those from and daughter. Open forum High stakes at the Port T he original marine cluster development plan proposed for the Port of Astoria in the early 2000s was an outstanding exam- ple of regional cooperation, and if properly fleshed out and supported, it could have had a huge economic impact for everyone. Standing back and looking at the great scope of the issue at hand, the Port prop- erty along the west Astoria waterfront is a true gem. It is most likely one of the most beautifully situated pieces of prime water- front real estate north of San Francisco. If the former Red Lion hotel complex had been replaced with a major flagship hotel brand, the entire West End Mooring Basin significantly upgraded, and coupled with a forward looking regional economic devel- opment process, the return on investment would be huge. .HHS LQ PLQG RQH SRLQW 7KH 3RUW ODQG is public property, which is for the most part exempt from property taxes. If public property is leased to a private developer, the underlying land value and the improved value becomes taxable. The public agency that leases the land receives the lease rental value and property taxes, while other local taxing districts would also receive the prop- erty taxes from such developments. Related to this are the jobs and services that come from such development. A real estate term “highest and best use” becomes the driving factor to monetize the invest- ment return for everyone. A number of well-respected local busi- nesses made a decision to embark on pri- vate development based on the original marine cluster development plan formally adopted by the Port. This investment put at a risk money, time and effort. There was also a lot of civic pride associated with this. Recently the game plan has morphed into something totally different, which cre- ates a serious credibility issue for the Port. Chasing the fickle log export market, be- comes a major issue. Now the Port becomes a one booth trade show risking everything T HE in a high stakes international marketplace. When (not if) the logs stop going over the docks, the Port will find itself not able to recapture what it should have been doing in the first place. In closing, there is nothing wrong with log exports. If properly managed in coor- dination with our entire region, this short- term niche opportunity could help the Port generate needed revenue. But it should not displace a well-thought-out process and long-term planning which people had al- ready staked their investment decisions on. Nor should the log export operations hinder where we need to be in the long run. Again, keep in mind log exports can be gone instantly. The local business, boat owners and waterfront trades are here for the long haul. How all this is handled will determine the future viability of the Port, or even if the Port exists in its present form. JIM SANTEE Astoria D AILY A STORIAN Founded in 1873 Represent us I have been reading the latest news regarding the Port of Astoria. Once again I question whether or not the elected commissioners are actually representing the interests of the coun- ty taxpayers. ,GRQRW¿VK1RRQHLQP\YHU\ODUJHH[- WHQGHGIDPLO\¿VKHVFRPPHUFLDOO\%XWHYHQ, XQGHUVWDQGWKHQHHGIRUDERDW\DUG,OLNH¿VK am very happy to be in close proximity to fresh ¿VK DQG ZDQW WKRVH ZKR ¿VK IRU D OLYLQJ WR have a place to maintain and repair their boats. I want them to be safe on the water as they catch my dinner. This is a town with a rich history associ- DWHGZLWKWKH¿VKLQJLQGXVWU\DQGUHPRYLQJ the boatyard is just plain wrong. The commis- VLRQHUV DUH VXSSRVHG WR EH ¿VFDOO\ UHVSRQVL- ble, but they are also supposed to be repre- senting us — the people of Clatsop County. Is this an election year? Maybe they’ll hear us then. 0$5&,$)(16.( Astoria STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher • LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager • CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager • DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager SAMANTHA MCLAREN, Circulation Manager