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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2004)
NOTICES Web Sites Offer Information on Candidates, Issues Project Vote Smart Democracy Net front www.vote-smart.org from www.dnet.org/About_Dnet.htm Thousands of candidates and elected officials. Who works for you? Who is seeking your vote? Project Vote Smart, a citizen’s organization, has developed a Voter’s Self-Defense system to provide you with the neces sary tools to self-govem effectively - abundant, accurate, unbiased, and relevant information. Project Vote Smart (PVS) covers candidates and elected officials in five basic categories: biographical informa tion, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances, and interest group ratings. To find out more about PVS, visit www.vote-smart.org/program_ about_pvs.php or call our voter’s research hotline -1-888-VOTE-SMART - with any questions. Forty national leaders, including former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, formed PVS in 1992. PVS constructed a user-friendly voter’s self-defense system accessible through a Web site and a toll-free hotline over a 10-year period. A knowledgeable electorate is the strongest component of a functioning democracy. Information about elected officials and candidates is crucial to maintaining the defense of one’s rights and privileges guaranteed in the Constitution. In that spirit, Project Vote Smart (PVS) provides a comprehensive database about thousands of candidates and elected officials for president, Con gress, governors, and state legislators. Less-detailed information is available at the county and local level. The PVS Web site also includes public statements made by U.S. senators and governors; voter registration forms for each state; contact information for state and local election offices; polling place and absentee ballot information; ballot measure descriptions for each state, where applicable; links to federal and state government agencies, political parties, and issue organizations; and information about PVS membership and internship opportunities. You can access this information through our toll-free Voter’s Research Hotline by calling 1-888-VOTE-SMART (1-888-868-3762). Hotline operators are available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Mountain Time). In even-numbered election years, hotline hours expand, beginning in October. Looking for Veterans of WWII Battles of Saipan and Tinian The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, in conjunction with the Committee for the Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of WWII, is asking for your help in locating veterans who fought in the WWII battles of Saipan and Tinian. Veterans who took part in these battles will be honored in an anniversary event to be held June 12-16, 2004, on the island of Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. More than 70,000American marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen fought the WWII battles for Tinian and Saipan, and more than 4,000 lost their lives. The airfields on Tinian and Saipan were critical for the B-29 missions that hastened the end of the war, including the historic flight of the Enola Gay. The committee is soliciting help from newspapers, churches, state, and local chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, veterans associations, non-profit organizations, and family members to help identify veterans to be recognized. If you or someone you know was involved in either battle, send the name and contact information to Jessica Jordan, marianas04anniversary@yahoo.com; phone 670-234-721; or mail PMB 409 Box 10000 Saipan MP 96950. For more information, contact Jordan or visit www.WorldWarII.info. The DemocracyNet (DNet) is an interactive Web site designed to improve the quality and quantity of voter information and create a more educated and involved electorate. A project of the League of Women Voters Education Fund, DNet encourages candidates to address a wider range of issues, and to address them in greater depth, than they might in other media. Our goal is to increase voter under standing of important public policy problems, allow candidates to debate their positions in an “electronic town hall’’ before on-line audiences, reduce the pressure on candidates to raise campaign funds, foster greater civic participation and interaction between voters and candidates, and create new online political communities. Unlike candidate Web sites and newspaper or television Station sites, DNet creates a truly interactive and unfiltered educational area. Candidates enter their own statements and positions on issues they choose without any outside editing. Participation is not limited to the two or three frontrunners, but it is open to all candidates on the ballot. DNet allows candidates to commu nicate with voters without forcing them to raise huge campaign war chests. All candidates can enable voters to e-mail them directly to ask questions, volunteer, or donate. Voters also can submit questions to the League of Women Voters for inclusion in the grid. Our database is easy to use. It gives voters the opportunity to research issues, find the offices, ballot measures, elections dates, what election events are occurring, and see who’s running in their area, all based on their ZIP code. DNet, created by the Center for Governmental Studies, began service in 1996. Aquarium Dives into Days of Yore with Glastonbury Renaissance Faire NEWPORT, Ore. - With lance and shield in hand, the Oregon Coast Aquarium is on a quest to support the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts (OCCA) in bringing medieval and renaissance Europe alive at the Fifth Annual Glastonbury Renaissance Faire on May 8-9 at South Beach State Park. With little or no parking available at South Beach, the aquarium will donate its overflow and RV parking areas for this year’s faire. A shuttle will transport faire goers to the main entrance. In addition to parking, the aquar ium will help market this year’s event by promoting the faire on its Web site and in its lobby, offering advanced ticket sales, and offering a combo ticket rate to both the aquarium and the faire. Child Abuse Prevention/ Awareness Month April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. The following Web sites contain information on preventing child abuse: www.yeslcan.orgwww.ispcan.orgwww.preventchildabuse.org The faire celebrates the history and legends of medieval and renaissance Europe. Families are welcome and revelers are encouraged to come dressed in period clothing. Children can enjoy magicians, puppetry, and treasure hunts. Dueling knights also will be on hand and for older children and adults, local vendors will display their wares. In addition to local businesses such as the aquarium, volunteers play a vital role in the success of each year’s faire. Individuals interested in volunteering to work at this year’s faire should contact Ginny West at 541-574-0768. Newport offers visitors an array of attractions, activities, entertainment, lodging, and restaurants, in addition to beautiful beaches, a working water front, parks, and lighthouses. For more information about New port, call the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-262-7844 or 541-265-8801, or visit the city’s Web site at www.DiscoverNewport.com. April 2004 □ Siletz News □ 15
