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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2016)
OPINION 4A Founded in 1873 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 HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Water under the bridge Compiled by Bob Duke From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers 10 years ago this week — 2006 There was a town that had great fun, and Seaside was its name-o. After the annual Fourth of July parade Tuesday, Seaside residents and vis- itors moved to the area around the Butterield Cottage, which was shortly as crowded as it has ever been for Fourth festivities, said resident Alvis Porter. Bingo, food stall, and the silent auction and especially the cake walk were popular. Washington senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray have announced the approval of $500,000 for land acquisition around the historic Lewis and Clark encampment at Station Camp. The money is part of a package of funding for land buys and preservation projects throughout Washington that was approved Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee for inclusion in the 2007 Interior Appropriations bill. Other projects slated for funding include the Fort Vancou- ver National Historic Area visitor center, land acquisition in the Columbia Gorge and spartina grass control efforts in Willapa Bay. The Port of Astoria will join the array of local governments, private groups and individuals signing on as intervenors in the application process for the pro- posed LNG terminal at Bradwood. The port commission voted unanimously at a special meeting Wednesday to formally seek intervenor status in the project, just one day before the iling deadline. Intervenor status will allow the port and the other parties to review docu- ments and appeal decisions of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has ultimate authority overt the siting of LNG facilities. 50 years ago — 1966 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016 Music, everywhere NEW OPERA IS OFTEN performed once, and never again. But some get a second staging and a third. Little Women is one of those. The Astoria Music Festival audi- ence had a rare opportunity to hear this work, performed by Eugene Opera, last Friday night at the Performing Arts Center. A The composer Mark Adamo condensed the Louisa May Alcott story into a plot about Jo March’s reluctance to change as the world around her, as well as her sisters, are changing. The singing is very dificult, with Adamo putting the four March sisters — two mezzos and two sopranos — into the upper regis- ter at forte, a lot. Adamo’s score requires all four women to sing a wide register. Hannah Penn as Jo was especially convincing. Bringing Eugene Opera here was an inspired choice. It appears the Music Festi- val rebounded nicely this season. Dwight Caswell, its board presi- dent, tells me the opening night con- cert had its biggest-ever audience. ▼▼▼ THE NORTH COAST Symphonic Band has come a long way in the last decade. Not only its musicianship, but its creativity in programming has blossomed. The band produced a very big sound at its Fourth of July concert on Sunday evening in the Liberty Theater. In addition to two Sousa marches, the band marked the 50th anniversary of construction of the Astoria Bridge. While the band played Trumpets and Bridges by Thomas Doss, historical photos and video were projected on a screen. Dave Becker’s conducting since 2011 has been a key factor in the band’s blossoming. Becker is another example of how we bene- it from someone who has retired from a big career elsewhere. Now a resident of Manzanita, Becker was director of bands at Lewis and Clark College. There was broad involvement in this particular concert. Partici- pants included the local American Legion, vocalists Andy and Rachel Becker, former Warrenton music ‘The time has come,’ the Walrus said, ‘To talk of many things; Of shoes — and ships — and sealing wax — Of cabbages —and kings —’ Through the Looking-glass of Cabbages and Kings Dwight Casewell/For The Daily Astorian The four March sisters were sung by Hannah Penn (Jo), Emily Evelyn Way (Beth), Jocelyn Claire Thomas (Amy) and Alicia Piper Garcia (Meg). ‘Little Women’ puts strong vocal demands on its singers. educator John Hammond, who con- ducted two numbers, and former Astoria Fire Chief Lenard Hansen ▼▼▼ ON THE HOLIDAY, OUR communities abound with Fourth of July parades. My wife and I took in Seaside’s parade, whose attrac- tion was four bands from around Oregon and as far away as Santa Clara, California. Humor is essential in a parade, and this one delivered occasion- ally. My wife especially enjoyed a bearded fellow who drove a rid- ing lawn mower that pulled a boat. There was the usual throwing of taffy at children, but a local spa handed adult multi-vitamin sam- ples to those of us who are well beyond childhood. A large group of boys and girls riding unicycles was quite amaz- ing. And Bigfoot’s appearance, on a bicycle, was reassuring. There was a nice progression of vintage cars. In their size and discipline, the four bands were quite a sight. See- ing their massive mobile infrastruc- ture was also impressive. I can- not imagine the capital investment behind these mobile music groups. — S.A.F. America is better than that By TIMOTHY EGAN New York Times News Service This full-page ad appeared in a special Astoria Bridge supplement. Astoria will host nine representatives from Walldorf, Ger- many, Astoria’s sister city, during Regatta week August 21-28. The guests, who are returning the visit to Walldorf of Mayor and Mrs. Harry Steinbock and Mr. and Mrs. F.M. Thorsness three years ago, will attend Regatta and sister city events, and will be honor guests at the Sister City International Festival August 21. More than 100 vessels currently make up the Soviet ishing leet operat- ing off the Washington coast, according to a report released Thursday by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. The tally was made by Coast Guard air and surface craft in a ive-day period from June 25-30, during which a 24-hour surveillance was maintained by the surface patrols. Aerial patrols observed 105 vessels in the leet, including 22 factory and support vessels, 8 stern trawlers and 75 side trawlers. State Treasurer Robert Straub today suggested that state park lands in the proposed Oregon Dunes National Seashore Park be traded for federal lands suitable for recreation development — such as Battery Russell at Astoria. 75 years ago — 1941 Reports from all beaches point to the fact that the Fourth of July crowd was the largest on record. Broadway was roped off early in Seaside. Trafic was often solid in the afternoon along the coast route. There were no hotel accom- modations anywhere in the lower Columbia late in the day. Aside from the heavy toll of drownings, occasioned by the ine weather, which induced thousands to take a dip in the surf, there were no other fatalities. Kilowatts from the white-maned Columbia at Bonneville were today intermingled with Kilowatts from Paciic Power & Light company’s steam generating plant on Youngs Bay, although few Clatsop County electric users realized it as they casually lipped electric switches in a routine way. Bonneville power began lowing through P.P. & L, lines to the company’s customers throughout the county at 12:12 a.m. Mon- day, when preliminary tests of substations and switching equip- ment were completed and the Bonneville and P.P. & L systems tied together. More than a century ago, in the irst attempts to shape the face of a nation open to people from all nations, the United States banned convicts, prostitutes and Chinese laborers from landing on our shores. Later, “idiots” were added to the list of forbidden immigrants. Alas, it was too early keep Donald Trump at bay. But on this Independence Day, at a time when Trump’s response to our better angels is to go small, mean and tribal, an American ideal is in peril. Not open borders, which is something the United States hasn’t had since 1875, but open minds. In committing economic sui- cide, Britain is trying to close the door and hide from the world. It felt good, no doubt, to tell those overbearing bureaucrats in Brus- sels to bugger off. We’ll stick with our bangers and mash without any interference from Europe! But the “Brexit” vote was also a drunken swing at those “others” remak- ing the image of a lost England. To hear the haters tell it, “Polish ver- min” and brown-skinned hordes have overwhelmed the little island nation. Trump wants us to follow the Brits into a corner of isolation — by race, religion and trade. His philosophy, the rant of a besotted boob making things up in public, is anti-American at its core. In reject- ing our former colonial masters, we threw off monarchy, the class sys- tem and a state religion. We opened our doors to all nations, all reli- gions, all opinions. The New World can certainly learn much from the Old World. But the sun never sets on a stupid idea. And this vote to stop the spinning globe and get off at 1952 is among the stupidest. Britain is cracking up now because it followed the crack- pots. The United States could make the same mistake — rejecting free about half the babies born trade, and rejecting a wel- in the United States are come mat for free people. Today, about 13 per- nonwhite. In places like cent of Britain is for- Wichita, Kansas, more eign-born. What’s dis- than 80 languages are ruptive, especially in the spoken by families in the timeless tableau of rural school district. England, is that the num- Among the new Amer- ber of immigrants has icans are a deranged few more than doubled since who kill for religion. 1993. That’s what caused These Islamic fanatics Timothy some of the open hatred in should be rooted out, iso- Egan the campaign to leave the lated and of course kept European Union. Trump away from assault riles. is playing with that same The sun But Trump has tried to ire now. immigration in never equate The United States has general, and free trade, an almost identical per- sets on with fear of both home- centage of foreign-born grown terror and the new as Britain, and their pres- a stupid global economy. He’s ence has also been disrup- counting on the same idea. tive. But it’s not unprec- contagion of stupidity edented. As a percentage that infected Britain to of the population, there are fewer carry him. foreign-born residents in the United Look at the Pittsburgh area, States now than there were in where Trump chose this week to 1870, 1890, 1900 and 1910 — not stand in front of a wall of com- long after a plaque welcoming the pacted garbage to make his case “wretched refuse of your teeming for a trade war that could cost shores” was latched to the base of Americans at least 3 million jobs. the Statue of Liberty. The city of Pittsburgh has lost In place of Lady Liberty, Trump more than half its population since would build a wall, trigger a huge 1950, and is the only major metro recession and apply a religious test area with more deaths than births. to entry. He would do this, he says, No amount of Make America because “we are losing everything Great sloganeering will bring back in this country” and “we don’t know the old industrial base. Pittsburgh who these people are” — that is, is banking on immigrants, and a these people coming to our shores. brain economy tied to global trade But in fact, we do know a great and education, to rebound. The deal about the 42 million immi- city’s official Welcoming Pitts- grants here, legal and illegal. A burgh campaign specifically tar- majority of them came before 2000. gets the very people Trump has Almost 30 percent of those over the demonized. And it seems to be age of 25 have college degrees — working, a bright spot in land- roughly equal to the population as scape of decline. Of late, Hispanic a whole. India, China, Mexico, the migration to western Pennsylvania Philippines and Canada are the top is double the national average. These new residents waved countries of origin. What’s disruptive here, as in flags on the Fourth of July, ate England, is the changing face of too much charred food, and heard these immigrants. Ever since Con- something amid the bombs burst- gress abolished national origin ing in air of what makes America goals in 1965, the trend has been truly great. It’s grounded in hope, away from Europeans. And today, instead of hate.