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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2001)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the editor: Wellbriety - Walk to Dinner on Sept. 26,2001, was a great success. The gathering at the community center was filled with great fun and joy. Lots of children, grown-ups, and a few elders participated in the games and jovialness. Holding hands and hugging each other, laughing and clapping, and just having such merriment. Dinner and desserts were sumptuous. T-shirts were given to everyone, door prizes and brochures and posters were given away. There was great interaction between the children and adults. It was so enriching to see the children participate in the various games and mingling with the different members of the community. I commend Lisa Brown for arranging this gathering with the help of others. Thank you, Lisa. It was a joy to be one of the participants. With a great deal of sincerity, Maria Westervelt (Tribal Elder) To the editor: God bless America, our home sweet home. WitfT the broken stillness of quiet sobs, we are challenged to look deep within for courage. The spirit of America has not been broken but challenged, challenged to reach beyond the security of our communities to help comfort while making a commitment of solidarity, voicing the freedom our great nation is built upon. Petty differences are minor when major concerns wrap themselves throughout the heartbeat of our society. Each of us can commit to be part of a solution and tomorrow will bring a new dawn. A ribbon-colored rainbow weaving a fabric of strength, many colors, border to border from sea to shining sea. The quiet prayer for healing and comfort awaken a glimmer where there is total darkness. Where sorrow is so great, each breath is overwhelming, a whisper upon the wind will be heard and felt. After a storm, birds sing. Let freedom ring. Respectfully submitted, Eva E. Clayton To the editor: Hello to all tribal members. It is election time again and I would like to announce my candidacy for the upcoming elections. I am not going to go into my concerns in this letter. I would like to say to our Tribal Council that the new parking lot at Chinook Winds looks very nice. I am happy to hear that we are having a more profitable year this year at the casino. I hope that the tribal members will benefit from some of the profits. Thanks to all who supported me last year. I will say again that if I am elected, I will remember how I got there. I will work hard for the good will of the people. Thank you. Loraine Y. Butler To the editor: For the past few months, Pat Duncan has sent in a series of letters full of misleading statements. Most of her comments have been rebutted, but there were a few things that were missed. Ms. Duncan seems to forget that while on council, she made a motion to refer an increase in Tribal Council salaries to the people. She wanted council paid $35,(XX) per year and the chairman paid $40,(XX). No increase in duties or hours, just a base salary. Under Ms. Duncan’s proposal, Dee would have made $40,(XX) last year in wages instead of $21,324 and Jessie would have made $35,000 instead of $ 18,913. I would have made $35,000 instead of $6,200. The big difference is Ms. Duncan was on council then and wanted the benefits. She also was part of the council who paid themselves for 30 hours a week even if they did not work 30 hours. Ms. Duncan must have forgotten when she testified in court that she helped with the recall of five council members. I still have the letter she sent asking me to meet with her and work on a strategy for the recall. When she resigned, Ms. Duncan said she was doing it for the good of the people. She must have forgotten the phone call she made to me. She said she felt she had to resign because she was afraid of being expelled. After hearing about the thousands of dollars she spent fighting the recall, she could have had reason to worry. She did not worry about tending to the elders when she was spending money to save her council position. Oh yes, Ms. Duncan became an elder earlier this year and is now eligible for all these benefits she is asking for. Regarding information supplied to the General Council, Ms. Duncan seems to forget that while she was on council, there were almost no newsletters going out. The paper was always delayed and when it did come out, letters were edited to the point that the people who wrote the letters could hardly recognize them. One month after she resigned, it was announced that the health care system was virtually out of money. She did not relay this information in her resignation speech. She was chairman most of that year; why didn’t she tell people health care was in trouble? In each of her letters, Ms. Duncan asks you to remember what happened in the past. I also encourage you to do the same. Remember: “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” Gerald Ben Deadline Change for January 2002 issue Because of the holidays and changes to printing schedules, the deadline for the January 2002 issue of Siletz News will be Dec. 5,2001, not Dec. 10. Please make every effort to submit your articles and photos on time. Thank you! LETTERS, DEADLINES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS Siletz News Letters Policy Siletz News, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, is published once a month. Our editorial policy encourages input from readers about stories printed in Siletz News and other tribal issues. All letters must include the author’s signature, address, and phone number in order to be considered for publication. Siletz News reserves the right to edit any letter for clarity and length, and to refuse publication of any letter or any part of a letter that may contain profane language, libelous statements, personal attacks, or unsubstantiated statements. 2 □ Siletz News □ Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Siletz News, tribal employees, or Tribal Council. Please type or write legibly. Letters longer than 450 words may be edited for length as approved by Tribal Council Resolution #96-142. Please note: The general manager of the Siletz Tribe is the editor-in-chief of Siletz News. Editor-in-Chief: Brenda Bremner Editor: Diane Rodriquez November 2001 Send letters to: Siletz News P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380 The newsletter is free to enrolled Siletz Tribal members. For all others, a $12 annual subscription fee applies. Fill out this form and mail it with $12 (make check payable to Confederated Tribes of Siletz) to Siletz News. 541-444-8291 1-800-922-1399, ext. 291 Fax: 541-444-2307 Name:__________ 2___________________ Address: ______________________ e-mail: pias@ctsi.nsn.us Phone: () Deadline for the December issue is Nov. 9. Photos are encouraged. Everyone loves to see photos of events, tribal members, and especially babies. Don’t forget those birthday or anniversary wishes for loved ones. _____________________ Change of address: Tribal members call Lisa Norton, enrollment clerk, at 541-444-8258; all others, call the newsletter office at 541-444-8291 and leave your new address with the editor.
