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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 2003)
Page 2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, March 26, 2003 It seems that human beans, including couples and others, always have had difficulty understanding each other. Some- times it’s simply a matter of not hearing “properly.” For example, I heard of a man quite a few years back, telephoned by a neighbor, who asked him if he could come over and catch a chick. As the neighbor had small children, the man figured that a pet had gotten loose, and that the neighbor needed assistance in corralling the critter. But when he got next door, his buddy wanted to know if $50 was OK. “OK for what?” queried the man. “Well, I need to cash that check I phoned about,” responded the friend. And when our daughter, Vicki, was quite young, we were in a restaurant, where the waitress asked her if she wanted “super salad.” “Yes,” said Vicki. The waitress looked puzzled, then repeated her request, but more slowly and distinctly. What she said was, “Do you want soup or salad?” (Vicki took the salad, which wasn’t super, but tasty). An aside here. Why is our language so “weird?” I mean, we say that certain items are “pretty ugly.” Or that food was “awfully tasty.” I can’t figure it out. Anyway, this matter of hearing one phrase or word, but incorrectly, sometimes causes family memories of a distant kind. For example, when our son, Michael, was around 8 or so, he was in our bathroom, and I was ill. Not because Mikey was in the bathroom, but I had some ailment or other. Jan went to the door of the reading chamber and yelled, “Michael, is the Vick’s Day Care in there?” And Mikey re- sponded, in all seriousness, “The big steak hair?” To this day we still talk about the “big steak hair.” Actually, I think that accurately describes the toupees worn by William Shat- ner and Robert Redford. A bit of confession here. When I was a teen-ager, there was a popular song, “Poetry In Motion.” I swear to you that until I was in my mid-20s I thought the words were, “Oh, a tree in motion.” Strange. And that song that’s still popular, “Love Potion #9” includes the words, “You know, that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth.” For more years than I want to admit, I firmly believed that the words were, “that gypsy with the gold tattoo.” And truthfully, there was a long period during which I thought the words were, “that gypsy with the polecat too.” Selective hearing? More recently, Jan sent me to Shop Smart for a jar of spiced olives. I checked the olive supply, and came home with a jar of pimento-stuffed olives. When I handed it to her, Jan looked at me oddly and asked me what happened to the sliced olives she wanted. I had no suitable answer. Or as is said in the military, “No excuse, sir.” But olived through it. A few days later she asked me for a tooth pick. When I handed her one from the kitchen she gave me that odd look again, and said, “Where’s my Q-tip?” Again, I had no suit- able answer. It was sort of an “ear-ie” situation. But enough of this. I need to get to a bank and catch a chick. Illinois Valley News An Independent Weekly Newspaper Co-owned and published by Robert R. (Bob) and Jan Rodriguez Bob Rodriguez, Editor El Jefe Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at 321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523 Periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523 Post Office Box 1370 USPS 258-820 Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330 Volume 66, No. 1 Staff: Cindy Newton, Britt Fairchild, Chris Robertson, Sharon Silva & Becky Loudon Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association DEADLINES: News, Classified & Display Ads, Announcements & Letters 3 P.M. FRIDAY (Classified ads will be accepted until Noon, Monday with an additional charge.) POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ welcomes letters to the editor provided they are of general interest, in good taste, legible and not libelous. All letters must be signed, using complete name, and contain the writer’s address and telephone number. The latter need not be published, but will be used to verify authenticity. The ‘News’ reserves the right to edit letters. One letter per person per month. Letters are used at the discretion of the publisher. Unpublished letters are neither acknowledged nor returned. A prepaid charge may be levied if a letter is inordinately long in the editor's opinion. SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year in Josephine County - $20.80 One year in Jackson and Douglas Counties - $24.40 One year in all other Oregon counties and out-of-state -$28 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction, OR. 97523 (Editor’s Note: Views and commentary expressed in letters to the editor are strictly those of the letter- writers. * * * Typed, double-spaced letters are acceptable for consideration. Hand- written letters that are double-spaced and highly legible also can be con- sidered for publication. Cards of thanks are not accepted as letters.) * * * From Bill Reid Cave Junction Webster’s Dictionary de- fines fiction “as a making up of imaginary happenings.” Ivy Greenwood in a letter to the editor last week wrote a mas- terful piece of fiction concern- ing depleted uranium. Fact: Depleted uranium (DU) is approximately 40 per- cent less radioactive than natural uranium. DU emits alpha and beta particles and gamma rays. Alpha particles, the pri- mary radiation type produced by DU are blocked by the skin, while beta particles are blocked by clothing. Gamma rays emitted by DU is very low. When fired or after “cooking off” in fires or ex- plosions, the exposed DU rod poses an extremely low radio- logical threat as long as it re- mains outside the body. Taken into the body via metal frag- ments or dust-like particles, DU may pose a long-term health hazard if the amount is large. The impact of DU ammu- nition against a had target cre- ates a fine DU dust that con- taminates the impact site, though small amounts of DU dust drift downwind. Test date demonstrate that normally, approximately 20 percent of a DU penetrator is aerosolized on impact with a tank. The impact of one 120 mm DU tank round could therefore create approximately 950 g of DU dust. During a single at- tack by an A-10 aircraft shoot- ing a burst of 30 mm ammuni- tion, between five and 16 DU bullets will likely hit the tar- get, creating 300 to 960 g of aerosol. In the last Gulf War, air- craft accounted for approxi- mately 86 percent (by weight) of the DU shot. A strafing at- tack from an aircraft typically results in few DU rounds (5- 10 percent) hitting the target. Tank rounds accounted for approximately 14 percent (by weight) of the total DU re- leased, but more than half this quantity was shot on practice ranges in Saudi Arabia. In combat, 80 to 90 per- cent of the tank rounds fired will hit the target and remain in or near it. Rounds that hit a soft target or the ground tend to stay intact or break into a few large fragments. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it is plausible that well over 80 percent (by weight) of the DU shot during the war did not hit a hard tar- get, thereby minimizing the creation of respirable-size DU dust and reducing the immedi- ate post-war health risks posed by DU in Kuwait and Iraq. Approximately 286,233 kg of DU was used in the 1991 Gulf War. The voluntary Veterans Affairs DU Medical Follow- up program is an important source for identifying poten- tial untoward health effects in friendly fire victims who have retained DU fragments. About a quarter of the over 60 level I exposed individuals who have been evaluated still carry DY fragments in their bodies, and they have elevated levels of urinary uranium nine years after the Gulf War. The pre- sent health status of this group shows they have not devel- oped kidney abnormalities, leukemia, bone or lung cancer, or any classical uranium- related adverse outcome. For male, active duty mili- tary personnel in the U.S. military, the average frequen- cies of hospitalization for ma- lignant disease are: Leukemia (all types) two per 100,000 per year and All Cancer, 60 per 100,000 per year. There are many uncertain- ties about the use and effects of DU munitions, but the growing body of scientific research points to the conclu- sion that the use of DU muni- tions creates environmental contamination that can affect the health of people. The most prudent course of action for Ivy Greenwood is to press for scientific studies, and not sci- ence fiction. ‘A plan’ From Fred Mittleman Cave Junction “Why do they hate us?” I am afraid we are all in for a demonstration. What I was hoping is that we were at a historic moment of worldwide consideration leading to a plan. The plan could establish contracts, timetables, inspections, sanc- tions, and rewards for the worldwide destruction of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The carefully observed destruction of WMD in Iraq could be the first part of a package deal. Wouldn’t this be some- thing the world’s nations could buy into? Even Iraq? Wouldn’t it be a gift? MILL DEMO - Despite the relentless rain, between 30 and 40 people attended the Lomakatsi Restoration Project’s wood products demonstration with Economizer Wood Mill from Hayfork Watershed Research Center in California on Satur- day, March 22 at Kauffman Wood Products in Kerby. The demonstration was funded through a grant from The National Fire Plan, which gives money to state and area organizations for such efforts as fire education and on the ground fuels reduction. For the second year, the Lomakatsi Restoration Project held a fuels reduction workforce training program, in which some I.V. residents took part. The wood poles used in the demonstration were from private lands, including three valley residences. (Photos by Sam Newton) ‘Advertising the war’ From Lucky Jean Cave Junction I am proud to stand for peace with the Women in Black. It’s good to stand up as a visible opposition to all the lies on television. I’m tired of seeing one war after another being packaged for our ap- proval like another new TV miniseries. War is not a movie or a video game. Real soldiers that have been in real wars will tell you that. War is serious. War is death and poison and pain. Every time anyone con- templates waging a war, there should be someone with the guts to stand up and say it’s wrong. I’m tired of being com- plicit in all the death going on in Iraq. I’m tired of being ex- pected to just sit here and be quiet about it like I’m too stu- pid to tell that all the talk about “freedom” and “democracy” is just advertis- ing. I’m tired of George Bush looting the treasury for his rich friends and wasting the rest on “playing war.” To: Mr. William S. Mc Morrine Jr. Thank you for your support of the Republican National Committee. Working together, we will build a better future for America. Best Wishes, (Continued on page 3) 1 dollar delivers! (up to 8 miles) Save your gas money We’ll deliver
