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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 14, 2016)
4 A ❘ SATURDAY EDITION ❘ MAY 14, 2016 RYAN CRONK , EDITOR Siuslaw News ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ Opinion P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 VIEW FROM UPRIVER YESTERDAY’S NEWS Casualties of war W ESLEY V OTH For the Siuslaw News –––––––––––– T his week has felt like summer. We sit down beside the river in the early evening, watching the play of light on water. The last shafts of setting sun catch the dancing cataracts of the riffles, partnering in a shimmering shimmy. Insects jigger along the surface, swallows swoop and skim, ducks bob by, a boy is fishing blissfully, the osprey pair that nests in a broken-top fir just down from Rainrocks wheels about in an air pirou- ette, in and out of the sunbeams. It is wind- less and heavenly, and the color that pairs with the many greens of spring is no longer grey but golden. The sounds are soothing: ravens rave in rapture, sandpipers pipe, children chatter hap- pily, there is the cooing of the band-tailed pigeons. Up and down the Brickerville bank, people are drawn to the water as to church. The river rushes along in quiet babble, and there is peace in our little valley. Such are welcome respites from the bustle and complications and even ran- cor of the rest of life, both locally and what we hear of the wider world. A neighbor told us about her young peach tree dying of something, and when I checked on ours that is now six years old, it too is dying, the leaves shriveling up and the fruit that had set so nicely dropping to the ground. Some of the rhododendrons we planted a few years ago have struggled as well. The problem seems to happen at this time of year, when I’ve also had the most trouble with my bees. It is coincidental with herbi- cides sprayed along the railroad and along the highway, spray that drifts well beyond where it is directed and affects far more than is intended, but whether this is related I cannot tell. The last of my bees dying this spring is mostly the result of a pest I did not even know I had or was anywhere near here, the “small hive beetle” originating in Africa. These are not supposed to be that big of a problem, but a population explosion of these ruined the substantial amount of honey left in my hives, fermenting it and causing it to run out onto the ground, resulting in the demise of this last surviving colony. The beetles are tunneled into all of the hive wood and wax, which will have to be burned onsite, hopefully also killing the larvae in the ground below. Maybe if I wait a year I could start again. Maybe it has become impossible to raise bees here without the use of chemi- cals, and if so, I am done. There is an election on, and there are so many things that trouble me about both the process and the tone. Oregon seems to be the only state moving in the direction of making it not only easier to vote, but including as many people as possible, although we have not been free of politically motivated redis- tricting. The partisan redistricting and the voting and registration complications going on in most of the nation sows widespread dis- trust non-involvement at a time when we can least afford it. And then, there are the fighting words, both between and within the dominating political parties. This much I know, and I know it from being raised in a dysfunctional family, but having worked hard to establish a well-functioning one: Some words should never be spoken. They cannot be taken back, forgotten, or truly forgiven, because they damage and destroy. Like herbicide sprays, words of hate and belittlement damage and destroy far beyond their immediate intent or their intended tar- gets. They can eventually cause the collapse of entire systems. LETTERS thirds of the House and Senate have to agree that it is an emergency unless an actual state of emergency has been declared. To bring the amendment to a vote, 118,000 sig- natures will have to be obtained from registered voters. I urge you to sign the petition when it comes around. The state needs to have emergency powers in case of a real emergency, but those powers should not be used to com- pletely exclude us from the law- making process by routinely declar- ing fake emergencies. David R. Davis Florence Election disappointments In this election cycle, two disap- pointing things have come to my attention. First, local volunteers who have invested many volunteer hours on school issues are personally criti- cized for taking a stand on the cur- rent school levy. If citizens don’t like an issue, they should criticize the facts bearing on the issue, not volunteer servants. While I am not certain how I feel about seismic boogeymen, I respect the work of volunteers who have studied the issue and I thank them for their efforts. Secondly, I am told the sitting Democrat state legislator from Coos Bay is behind an attempt to have herself written in as the Republican candidate also, thereby eliminating any chance for compe- tition and discussion of her and her party’s voting record in the recent legislative session. While it is a legal activity under Oregon law, I suppose some might call that a “dirty trick.” However, like beauty, it may be in the eye of the beholder. As for me, I am writing in a well-qualified Republican, Teri Grier from Coos Bay, for state leg- islator in House District 9. Al Pearn Florence Legislature loophole The members of the Oregon Legislature are more and more often using a loophole in the Oregon constitution to eliminate the citizens from the law-making process. The loophole is called the Emergency Clause. When the emergency clause is added to a bill it cannot be referred to the voters. Once “We the People” are excluded from the law-making EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM process, we are no longer function- ing as a democracy. Over 50 percent of the bills intro- duced during the 2016 Oregon leg- islative session included an emer- gency clause. What was the emer- gency? The politicians didn’t say, so we don’t know. Why were all these emergencies declared? There is really only one reason. If a bill is passed with an emergency clause attached, it becomes law when the Governor signs it instead of waiting the statu- torily required 90 days. Without the 90-day period, the law cannot be referred to the voters. It eliminates the voters from any chance of participating in the law- making process. More specifically, during the 2016 short legislative secession, 149 bills were introduced in the House, of which 82 (55 percent) contained an emergency clause. The Senate introduced 104 bills, of which 62 (60 percent) contained the emergency clause. So over 50 percent of the time some politician decided they did not want us to possibly vote on the bill they proposed. Of the 82 House bills that con- tained an emergency clause, only 24 were passed into law, that leaves 58 that did not. For the Senate, 17 of the 62 bills introduced with an emergency clause passed, leaving 45 that did not. Just how real do you think the emergencies were for the 58 House bills and 45 Senate bills that were declared as necessary by reason of emergency but were not important enough to pass into law? Several controversial bills were passed with an emergency clause attached during the recent seces- sion, including the “Minimum wage law” and the “No more ener- gy from coal for Oregon.” Regardless of your personal stance on these issues, summarily taking away our right to vote is just wrong. The emergency clause was placed in the constitution to accom- modate serious threats to the people of the state, for instance in the case of a tsunami or health epidemic, not to be routinely used to eliminate citizens of the state from the law- making process. A constitutional amendment is being proposed that will change the allowable use of the emergency clause. The amendment has two basic requirements: 1. The emer- gency has to be named in the pro- posed legislation; and, 2. Two- Support Val Hoyle One reason for Democrats to be slow in returning ballots for this Primary Election is that they have some hard but good choices to make. Here is a hint to help with decision-making in the race for Secretary of State: Val Hoyle actu- ally lives in Lane County and knows our coast well. Val has been a strong voice in Salem as a state representative speaking on behalf of Oregonians in a rural district outside the Portland metro area. She will cer- tainly bring that perspective to the job of Secretary of State. As House majority leader, Val has worked extremely hard to pass legislation on strong education funding, expanding voting rights, background checks for all gun sales, paid sick leave, higher mini- mum wage, non-polluting fuel and energy sourcing and much more. The deadline to return ballots to the official drop box on Ninth Street outside the Florence Police Department is 8 p.m. on May 17. Don’t forget to sign the outside of the return envelope. Karin Radtke Yachats MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel On May 19, 1715, the colony of New York passes a law making it illegal to “gather, rake, take up, or bring to the market, any oysters whatsoever” between May and September. This regulation was one of many passed in the early days of America to help preserve certain species. On May 22, 1856, Rep. Preston Brooks (D-S.C.) savagely beats Sen. Charles Sumner (R-Mass.) in the halls of Congress as tensions rise over the expansion of slavery. Wielding the gold-topped cane he used for injuries suffered in a duel over politics in 1840, Brooks entered the Senate chamber and attacked Sumner at his desk. On May 20, 1873, San Francisco business- man Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada, tailor Jacob Davis are given a patent to create work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth of one of the world’s most famous gar- ments: blue jeans. They were originally called “waist overalls.” On May 21, 1881, humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons found the American National Red Cross to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters. On May 18, 1917, six weeks after the United States formally entered the First World War, the U.S Congress passes the Selective Service Act, giving the U.S. president the power to draft soldiers. Within months, some 10 million men had registered. On May 16, 1929, the first-ever Academy Awards ceremony is held. Some 270 people attended, and tickets cost $5 each. After dinner, complete with numerous speeches, actor Douglas Fairbanks handed out 15 awards in a five-minute ceremony. On May 17, 1965, after a two-year investi- gation, the FBI declares the supposedly porno- graphic lyrics of “Louie Louie” to be officially unintelligible. Agents had purchased numerous versions of “Louie Louie” played and re-played the song at different speeds in their laboratory. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor concerning issues affecting the Florence area and Lane County. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters should be limited to about 300 words and must include the writer’s full name, address and phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous and anonymous letters as well as poetry will not be published. All submissions become the property of Siuslaw News and will not be returned. Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2016 © Siuslaw News John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com WHERE TO WRITE Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Pres. Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us