welcome
january5
2017
3
from the editor
As we begin the New Year, a
fairly popular sentiment is that many
people are happy to see 2016 over and
done with. I feel like maybe it was the
year we deserved.
This past year saw our country
deeply divided during what has to be
the most vitriolic and nasty Presidential
election in memory, fi lled with name
calling, fi nger pointing, and back
stabbing, not just from the candidates,
but from their supporters as well.
While many of us hoped
election day would bring an end to at
least some of the rancor and ugliness, it
looks like the election of Donald Trump
and his upcoming inauguration is just
the beginning (or a continuation, if you
consider the way many people in our
nation treated outgoing President Barack
Obama and his family during his eight
years in offi ce) of the uncivil national
discourse that so many of us have
already grown weary of. Hope as we
may, it doesn’t look like much is going
to change in 2017 with regards to the
national political conversation, unless
we choose to do something different.
Another reason 2016 feels like
it was so diffi cult is because we lost so
many icons, celebrities, and trend setters
during the calendar year. I usually don’t
pay much attention to, or mourn the loss
of, people I don’t know personally, but
2016 sure rocked the boat when it came
to household names that were taken
away.
First you have people like actors
Alan Rickman, Abe Vigoda, Florence
Henderson, Debbie Renyolds and Zsa
Zsa Gabor, along with musicians Glenn
Fry and George Michael, and comedian
Garry Shandling, just to name a few.
All were well known in their fi elds and
really household names that almost all of
us would recognize.
In addition you have some real
cultural icons, people who shaped and
impacted their fi elds and changed our
culture; people like hockey player Gordie
Howe who helped make his sport an
American pastime with his rugged play
and extreme talent; First Lady Nancy
Reagan who coined the phrase “Just Say
No to Drugs;” actor Gene Wilder, whose
comedic style made him a one-of-a-kind
in fi lms like Blazing Saddles and Willie
Wonka; musician Merle Haggard whose
outlaw image helped make him a star
and helped popularize country music;
and most recently actress Carrie Fisher,
whose portrayal of Princess Leia in the
Star Wars movies made her a role model
for girls and young women as not just
a princess, but as an action hero and a
leader.
The top of the list of people we
lost this year is fi lled with world changing
talent, people whose work is recognized
as extraordinary and legendary: boxing’s
greatest, Mohammad Ali; musician
David Bowie, whose chameleon and
fl amboyant persona blurred the lines
of sexuality and reality; astronaut John
Glenn, the fi rst American to orbit the
earth, who went on to become a U.S.
Senator as well; To Kill a Mockingbird
author Harper Lee, who challenged racial
and southern stereotypes at a dangerous
time in 1960; Arnold Palmer, who
helped turn golfers into sports heroes
and helped make golf a popular spectator
and participatory sport; musician Prince,
who crossed over between funk, R&B,
rock, and pop music like no one before
him, while transcending gender lines
and pouring out hits; and author and
holocaust survivor Elie Wiessel, who
championed human rights and Jewish
causes.
So yes, I too am happy to see the
end of 2016 and the fresh start of a new
year.
Which brings me to New Years
Resolutions. I have never been big on
resolving to make personal changes at
a specifi c point on the calendar, but this
year feels a bit different. So much has
happened this past year that has shaken
my understanding of our country and the
way we relate to the world and to each
other that I feel compelled to explore
how we all might interact in some
different ways.
So here are my thoughts, in no
particular order of importance, about
some changes we might consider as we
head into 2017:
Think Global, Act Local – I have a
neighbor who several years ago con-
fessed that he had become rather dis-
enfranchised with national politics and
was feeling pretty powerless to have any
real personal impact in shaping what
happens in Washington and the policies
that control our country. I know he is
not alone in this feeling. I feel like this
last election maybe opened up our eyes
even wider to the corruption and insider
games going on in our nation’s capital.
While we can vote for and write to our
national representatives and express our
thoughts and feelings on issues of the
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day, we have to wonder whether we’re
really just wasting our time. Wouldn’t
our time and energy be better spent be-
ing active in our local communities?
There are many ways we can have a
direct impact right here in Vernonia,
whether it’s through our churches,
schools, community service organiza-
tions, city and county government, or
just in our own neighborhoods. While
we can pay attention to national politics
and follow world happenings, we can
actually be working within our commu-
nity and creating real change each and
every day. By the way, that neighbor
I mentioned is current Vernonia City
Councilor Bruce McNair, who is abso-
lutely working to represent the citizens
of this community and making a real
difference. You can too.
Spend Less Time on Social Media
– While Facebook, Twitter and other
social media formats have proven to be
effective tools for communicating, they
have also become a serious drain on our
time and energy. Read the comments
on any internet news feed and you
will fi nd strangers arguing with each
other and calling each other names...
and to what end? Locally I have seen
Facebook used in many positive ways:
to inform drivers about road conditions
or accidents on local highways, to
correct misinformation about school,
city or local utility issues, and as a
place to discuss current important
issues, like the school bond we voted
on in November. It can also be a way
to spread humor, good tidings, and have
fun. But the prevalence of fake news
sources, acrimony in discussions, and
the time spent scrolling and trolling
is really starting to take a toll. Not to
mention the danger of late night tweets
by politicians. This year instead of
spending so many evenings on Facebook
arguing, why not get up and go for a
walk. Finish that project you never seem
to have time for. Talk to your family.
Write a letter to the editor of the local
newspaper. Volunteer in the community.
Help a neighbor or a friend. Find better
ways to spend your time. If we are
spending time on Facebook, let’s try to
post more good news, fun photos, jokes,
knowledge, and interesting information.
Find New Sources of Information – I
know I just said we should spend less
time on the internet, but we all do need
to stay accurately informed. One thought
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Representative Brad Witt
Photography
Scott Laird
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PO Box 55
Vernonia, OR 97064
503-367-0098
www.VernoniasVoice.com
is to clean up your news feed and get
rid of sources that are unreliable or that
tend to anger you. As much as we don’t
want to believe it, many “news sources”
are working very hard to infl uence our
opinions. Another option is to add more
genuine and unbiased news sources. I
recently added the British Broadcast
Company, (BBC) the Canadian Broadcast
Company (CBC) and the Toronto Star
as news sources I check, that are less
sensationalistic and more unbiased when
reporting on American politics. I think
they give me a more accurate view on
what is really happening here, and I feel
less manipulated. Find news sources
that are trustworthy.
continued on page 5
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