THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015
Webb got it right
I
so enjoyed Patrick Webb’s
so useful and insightful ar-
ticle, “Six things wrong with
the America I love” (The Dai-
ly Astorian, Aug. 7). I couldn’t
agree with him more, and feel
that what he wrote could well
be used as a blueprint for mak-
ing life-saving adjustments by
people of good will, and honest
politicians. Yes.
Too, it was a pleasant and
welcome change from so much
of the put-down condescension
and righteous “gotcha” stuff so
prevalent in print and on TV
any more. Stuff which daily ob-
scures reality and helps to dig
us ever deeper into the mire.
Which we do know, of course,
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the particular few.
So then I opened up my
Aug. 13 Daily Astorian, and
here is this column, “Ignoring
the reality of America’s histo-
ry,” absolutely full of it: Full of
condescension, and “don’t you
know nothing’s new under the
sun” — go study some history
and check out what we’re al-
ready doing today, then you’ll
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I am, and you’ll see that we’re
already doing what we need to
do, and we always have.
“Go out and do something
positive.” Oh blimey. That’s ex-
actly what Webb did by sharing
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He’s way ahead of Don Ander-
son already.
And yes, of course, “the
English are, and have always
been, as rude as their Yankee
cousins.” Saying they “have a
reputation for avoiding rude-
ness” simply means Brits are
more subtle (and polished) in
their expression of it, I think.
Absolutely, I’d say.
VALERIE LINDHOUT
Astoria
Webb is wrong
R
egarding the Writer’s
Notebook article by Pat
Webb, former managing editor
of The Daily Astorian, display-
ing his political bias (liberal/
Democrat): Throughout his
“Six things wrong with the
America I love” item (The Dai-
ly Astorian, Aug. 7), he referred
to President Ronald Reagan as
“the failed celluloid unreality
of Ronald Reagan.” Apparently
Webb forgot (or never realized)
that it was Reagan who saved
the nation from the tragicom-
edy that was the four-year de-
bacle produced by that pathetic
peanut farmer, Jimmy Carter.
Reagan restored the U.S.
to her former status as a world
leader after having sunk to the
depths of worldwide humili-
DWLRQ UXQDZD\ LQÀDWLRQ HQG-
less motorist gas lines, and the
“misery index” under the Dem-
ocrat bumbler.
However, I do agree with
Webb regarding the degenera-
tion of our political leadership,
especially at the highest level,
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action so-called president — a
Democrat, of course — who
has imposed a disastrous health
care program which isn’t ex-
pected to last very long, who
has renewed relations with a
vicious, totalitarian communist
dictatorship which still impris-
ons dissidents just 90 miles
from our southern shores, and
was recently hoodwinked by a
gang of Iranian cut-throat mul-
lahs who are ridiculing the in-
competence and naiveté of our
negotiators in a months-long
nuclear agreement.
The current administration,
highlighted by the Internal
Revenue Service and the Jus-
tice and State departments, is
rife with corruption and incom-
petence.
Webb referred to Donald
Trump’s presidential candidacy
as making “some of the GOP
candidates appear halfway civ-
ilized.” However, he failed to
mention the Democrat candi-
dates, led by a woman who is
an acknowledged pathological
liar, whose only credentials
is a long list of failures in her
string of high-level government
positions, with not one success-
ful accomplishment. Her main
talent appears to be an uncanny
ability to stay out of jail — so
far. An ancient socialist sena-
tor, Bernie Sanders, is another
Democrat candidate, followed
by a few other nonentities
whose names are quite forget-
table.
Webb failed to mention the
disaster being engineered by an
anti-semitic, Muslim sympa-
thizer who occupies the White
House, and also a member of
the glorious Democrat par-
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
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I
can say that because my geology
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sand piles at the beach, where I have
learned a little about erosion.
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Peninsula is made up of dredge spoils,
which I will refer to as a sand pile. It
has no bedrock to, at least, a drilled
350 feet. The water table level is only
6 feet deep (two inches over my head),
according to Oregon LNG’s own geol-
ogy report.
Given my sand at the beach expe-
rience, it leads me to wonder, if a sand
pile is created (Skipanon Peninsula),
and a heavy weight is put on it (Ore-
gon LNG terminal), and a large hole
is dredged beside the sand pile (131
acres or a 1.1 million cubic yard ship
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ÀRZUDLQLVSUHVHQWLVLWSRVVLEOHWKH
Skipanon could start eroding out into
the turning basin, or possibly even the
main channel, sort of like my beach
sand piles?
Now, a few reasons why disrupting
ty. We have over 90 million
Americans unemployed, more
than 50 million on welfare and
over 40 million on food stamps.
Finally, let me point out to
Webb that with all our faults,
the world keeps beating a path
to our borders (often illegally),
many in order to partake of our
“freebies,” but also some to
“breathe free.” We talk of build-
ing a fence on our border, not to
keep people in, but to keep un-
desirables out. With that, I bid
Patrick Webb cheerio, tally ho
and keep a stiff upper lip.
E. ROBERT NASSIKAS
Astoria
Beware reform laws
R
egarding the editorial
“Clearing the air” (The
Daily Astorian, Aug. 18): It
is not a legitimate function
of government to create “dis-
incentives,” enforceable by
law, to behavior that is not to
some people’s liking. From the
smoker, you can walk away;
but the reformer will pass laws
from which there is no walking
away.
LOUIS SARGENT
Gearhart
Attend LNG meeting
T
he city of Warrenton is
holding a public hearing
on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 5
p.m. at the Warrenton Com-
munity Center to approve or
deny the proposal for Oregon
LNG to site their terminal on
the Skipanon Peninsula.
To everyone in Warrenton:
You have all heard the talk
about the environmental risks,
the tsunami risk, the two stor-
age tanks taller than the Asto-
ria Column, the disruption to
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ing and entering the marina,
etc. This is your community,
your town, your future and
your children’s future.
If the terminal and pipeline
are approved there are no do-
overs. What are you waiting
for? Why don’t you attend the
meetings? Are you planning
to go, and if not, why not? I
know, there are many reasons.
You are just getting off work
FRPLQJ ODWH LV ¿QH \RX¶UH
tired; the children started
school; someone else will go
so I don’t have to; it doesn’t
matter because the city will do
what they want.
It’s only one night, maybe
two, out of a year and if you
don’t let your mayor and city
council know your feelings,
how will they know to make
the correct decision? So get
off your couch. You don’t
have to speak if you don’t
want to, or you can give writ-
ten testimony, but come to the
meeting.
Oregon LNG is part of
Leucadia National Corp,
which is a large holding com-
pany. They are in business
to make money for their in-
vestors. Oregon LNG was
formed to obtain all the nec-
essary permits to build the
pipeline and terminal. Once
that is done, they can sell it to
the highest bidder and all their
promises of jobs, etc will be
null and void.
And what about those
promised jobs? Are we talking
college educated engineers or
security guards? Full-time or
part-time? What pay, and how
many people do they real-
ly need from our area? Drug
testing?
Oregon LNG originally
stated that they would abide
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itat would not be a good idea, in my
opinion:
Approximated $22 billion of com-
merce transports annually on the Co-
lumbia River. This directly or indi-
rectly affects an estimated 44,000 jobs
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year of 2013 saw the Lower Columbia
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docks. Yeah, we were No. 1.
Oregon LNG’s proposal is to build
a gigantic terminal that will export
another of America’s precious natural
resources overseas, while releasing
2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide, plus
methane gas, annually into the atmo-
sphere here. The terminal is proposed
to be built near the water in an earth-
quake/tsunami zone, on dredge spoils,
not bedrock.
For all those who are like me, I,
too, thought, “Why would anyone even
think of doing such a thing?” And, by
now you may be wondering, “What can
‘little ol’ me’ do to help?”
The Warrenton City Council will
discuss the proposal at their meeting
at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the
Warrenton Community Center. Please
attend and have your say.
Also, call Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
(503-378-4582) and ask her to use the
powers of the Coastal Zone Manage-
ment Act, and the Clean Air Act, to
deny permits and stop the proposed
Oregon LNG terminal. Remind her
that the Land Use Board of Appeals
(LUBA) has upheld our Clatsop Coun-
ty commissioners’ denial of the pipe-
line, and the U.S. Army Corps of En-
gineers appears to have an easement
to dump dredge spoils on the land that
Oregon LNG proposes to build their
terminal on.
As I said, I’m no geologist, but I do
know living in America is special, and
living in our part of America is price-
less. Please help protect what we have.
CARL DOMINEY
Astoria
by the decisions made by the
city, county, state and federal
agencies. So far, they have
sued Clatsop County, and lost,
and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, and lost. So much
for abiding by decisions. They
promise the world and tell us
what we want to hear. The
investors are in New York.
What do they care about us,
VRORQJDVLWEHQH¿WVWKHLUERW-
tom line?
Two-thirds of you vot-
ed against the LNG plant in
2008. Show them that we are
not the gullible little town
they think we are. Come to
the meeting on Sept. 2 and
wear red to show your support
for your community against
Oregon LNG. Let your may-
or and commissioners know
what you expect of them. If
you don’t tell them, who will?
DIANA TALARSKY
Warrenton
sop County Fairgrounds. Two
hearings are set, from 1 to 4
p.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m. Even
if you don’t want to speak, I
can assure you that your pres-
ence alone will speak volumes.
They may have more mon-
ey, but we have shown we are
on the winning team. Our in-
credibly articulate, educated
citizens, have rallied in Salem,
marched downtown, written
letters and attended meetings
over the past 11 years, but per-
haps there are more questions
for FERC to answer:
Is it wise to build a project
of this magnitude in a tsunami
zone/earthquake subduction
zone? Are they listening to the
testimony that has been given
by the citizens, who have been
saying “no” for 11 years? Have
they read the work of Jerry Ha-
vens, a professor of chemical
engineering, who has studied
the dangers of LNG? Can a
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handle an emergency
Stand against LNG partment
with LNG explosions?
ost people say they don’t
Who will want to buy prop-
ZDQW D OLTXH¿HG QDWXUDO erty in Warrenton with an LNG
gas (LNG) facility in Warren- facility in their backyard? Why
ton. Now is the time to speak have we spent money rebuild-
up: There is an important ing salmon habitat, to have it
meeting with the Federal En- destroyed? Do they know that
ergy Regulatory Commission schools with children are with-
(FERC) Sept. 21 at the Clat- in the blast zone of the pro-
M
posed LNG facility?
Are we making Warrenton
a target for terrorist attacks?
What about the air space above
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port? How much noise/light/
river pollution will be caused?
With huge guarded ships
exporting LNG up to three
times a week, how many com-
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will be jeopardized? How
many good paying perma-
nent jobs will there really be?
How many jobs will be lost
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industrializing our coast? Will
tourists really want to come
to see LNG on the river, and
jeopardize the safety of their
families?
Why would we export
our own natural resources,
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and stockholders? By having
an export facility, won’t that
increase the need for frack-
ing www.dangersoffracking.
com)? Won’t exporting our
natural gas increase what
we are paying here at home?
Shouldn’t we be responsible
and develop sustainable re-
sources, instead of fossil fuels
that are contributing to climate
change?
There are more reasons to
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attend and ask FERC a few
questions. Pick one, any one,
and speak up, or submit writ-
ten testimony. This is a chance
to be part of the solution. Let’s
give FERC a good show, and
show-up.
LAREE JOHNSON
Astoria
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T
his is a big, big thank you
to the Astoria policeman
who helped two old ladies (and
old Anchor members) out on
the Saturday of the Astoria Re-
gatta. We had attended the Rose
Planting Ceremony at the Fla-
vel Mansion, and drove my car
to the Astoria American Legion
parking lot, and didn’t want to
move it all day because of the
WUDI¿F
We didn’t know how we
were going to get to our friends,
who were several blocks from
us. I called a taxi, and was told
that it was a half hour wait. Just
at that time a police car was
coming by, and I hailed it down
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give us two old ladies a ride,
and he said yes, he could.
We were so thankful. We en-
joyed our visit with our friends,
and then we had a few minutes
to get back to where I left my
car so we could watch the pa-
rade. The streets were blocked
RIIVRWKHUHZDVQ¶WDQ\WUDI¿F
to get a ride, so we started to
walk.
I use a cane (and my friend
should use a cane). We walked
for one long block, and the be-
ginning of the next block, and
our backs and knees were kill-
ing us. We didn’t know what to
do, and just at that time two of-
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No, we didn’t hop on the back
of them, but I hailed one down
and asked him if he could call
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could take those two old ladies
back to their car to watch the
parade. (We were supposed to
be in the parade, but decided to
watch it this year.)
Yes! He would or could
come and get us. And indeed,
he did, and we were so grate-
ful, and thanked him more than
once. A very special thank you
to Detective Thomas Litwin,
who helped make our day.
COLLEEN HENSLEY
BETTY CUNNINGHAM
Astoria
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THESE TWO HOMES?
HINT: IT HAS TO DO WITH SAVING ENERGY AND MONEY.
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