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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2004)
Page 2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 18, 2004 Wildfire assessments offered Are you prepared in case of wildfire? That’s the question being asked by Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF). The agency listed three basic suggestions: *Have you moved flammable vegetation and firewood at least 30 feet away from your house? *Have you cut your dry grass and brush? *Have you cleaned your roof and gutters? Contact ODF at (541) 474-3152 for a wildfire home assessment. The program is co- sponsored by Josephine County Board of Commis- sioners and the JoCo Inte- grated Fire Plan Education and Outreach Committee. (Editor’s Note: Views and commentary expressed in let- ters to the editor are strictly those of the letter-writers. * * * Typed, double-spaced letters are acceptable for con- sideration. Handwritten letters that are double-spaced and highly legible also can be con- sidered for publication. Cards of thanks are not accepted as letters.) * * * Fire help lauded From Valley Village tenants Cave Junction (Editor’s Note: The following letter to Cas- cade Management in Grants Pass was submit- ted for this column.) As tenants of Valley Village, we are submitting this letter of heartfelt ap- preciation and commenda- tion to Ed Brown, Jason Muse, and Larry Seals. On Wednesday, Aug. 4, with our latest Redwood Hwy. fire, not only your complex was threatened, but also our lives, pets, and lifetime belongings. The firefighters again performed in an out- standing manner, but we are also well aware that your employees were side- by-side with them saving us from what could have easily been a horrible out- come. To be that threatened with a wild fire literally within feet of our homes, we are thankful to know that our apartment man- ager and under-staff would put themselves in danger to help. They went above and beyond the call of duty and performed exemplary jobs. We want to let Ed, Jason, and Larry know of our sincere gratitude. God bless them. Logging, ‘politics’ 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. 22 Staff: Cindy Newton, Chris Robertson, Michelle Binker, Becky Loudon, Shane Welsh & Kacy Clement Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association DEADLINES: News, Classified & Display Ads, Announcements & Letters 3 P.M. FRIDAY (Classified ads & uncomplicated display ads can 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. POLICY ON “HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE,” DISPLAY & CLAS- SIFIED ADS & NOTICES: All submissions must be hand delivered, faxed or e-mailed to us for publication. Submissions must be re- submitted each week if the item is to run for more than one week. 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 From Catherine Austin Cave Junction First, I have greatly appreciated the thoughtful and educated letters that concerned citizens have written regarding the Bis- cuit Fire timber sales. They have shown deep under- standings of the complexi- ties of Nature, concerns for the tourism industry and what the aftermath of log- ging will leave us with, and the removal of pre- cious biomatter from our biologically diverse region. Since, it appears to me, that none of these forest service timber sales in the Biscuit Complex would have been up for sale ex- cept because of the fire, does this not encourage fire in our public forests? Or perhaps once a fire has started, to let it burn, as the Biscuit did? Are old-growth trees in Wilderness Areas no longer protected from log- ging once they catch fire? I have seen many log- ging trucks in town this week with just two or three big trees for a load, and I have not seen any burn marks on them. Does “salvage” logging include all the healthy trees in the area as well? As fire is a part of Nature, it seems to me that burnt areas should be left to recover naturally with the biomatter of dead or partially dead trees left in place. I say “no” to any more genetically engineered monoculture tree farms laced with herbicides and pesticides that grow into the tinder boxes that our public forests have be- come. Secondly, I would like to take issue regarding the political bias of this news- paper. Two weeks ago, VP Dick Cheney visited Med- ford, and you covered it on the front page with pic- tures, supporting the re- election of our unelected president, George Bush. In May, presidential candidate Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who re- ceived a considerable amount of our state’s pri- mary votes, was in of all places, Cave Junction. He spoke downtown for most of an hour and took ques- tions from the local people packed inside and outside Blue Moon Café. No one needed any special invitations to have access to this candidate, so differing points of view could have been heard. Yet, your newspaper put this coverage on page 7, making it seem relatively unimportant. On Aug. 12, presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry was in Med- ford; again no special invi- tation needed. How many people feel as gravely concerned as I am about the direction this country is heading? From the immature arrogance that President Bush dis- plays, to the multitrillion- dollar deficit he has spent, to pre-war contracts with Halliburton (Cheney’s company) that ripped off the taxpayers, to huge tax cuts for the corporate elite, just to name a few, I am totally sick of this. I urge support to repeal the “Patriot Act,” which undermines the constitu- tional freedoms America was founded on, before we keep going the way of the dictatorships our CIA has helped install the world over, including Saddam Hussein of Iraq, whom many today blame for 9- 11, instead of Al Qaeda. The deceptions and confusion that the Bush Administration has propa- gandized, culminating in a blood war for oil, is more of a national disgrace than Watergate and Nixon. Jesus and Iraq From B. Kay Cave Junction It is common knowl- edge that Al Qaeda was solely responsible for the attacks of 9-11. It is also common knowledge now that Iraq had no connec- tions to Al Qaeda. Of course it is also true that Saddam Hussein tor- tured and killed the Iraqi people in great numbers. So now we, in our wisdom and might, have retaliated against Al Qaeda by tortur- ing and killing the Iraqi people in great numbers. Oops, wrong people, wrong country, but at least we’re getting some bad guys, right? I just can’t figure out what makes the way we’re killing and tor- (Continued on page 3) 11th Annual Fire escape tips posted by IVFD To assist residents who might need to evacuate in case of wildfire, Illinois Valley Fire District offers information and sugges- tions. Families should have a standard evacuation route and meeting place. They also should have a list of prized possessions. For more information phone 592-2225. Over 100 Juried Arts & Crafts On the Boardwalk Free ! Admission • Parking • Children’s Art Corner • Shuttle Port of Brookings Harbor, Oregon August 21 & 22, 2004 10 am - 5 pm 42144 With the so-called Age of Electronics in effect for a number of years, I am one of those still unfortunates looking for ways to adapt. Here are some examples of situations I wish to avoid: *Direct deposit. I enjoy going into banks and put- ting in checks and cash myself. I don’t like entrusting such matters to inhuman means, especially when a hardware or software glitch or “unprogrammed” gremlin could goof up my account, ensuring that I’ll never be able to have credit again until I’m 102. *Self-scanning check out. Having a clerk “ring up” my purchases is the way I like it. Using a scanner seems like I’m doing a job and not getting paid for it. Besides, the steps (for me) are sometimes confusing. *Automated phone systems. Like many people, I am flummoxed and generally put off by automated systems that require pushing buttons to reach another recording so that you can reach another recording. I want to talk to a real person, even if I don’t know their extension, dang it. *So-called PCs, or personal computers. Personal for whom? And if it’s so personal, why does it keep giving me error messages, long lists of numbers and letters from MIT, or asking me if I want to attack Moscow? *Automated telephone advertising. Excuse me! I do not want to be contacted by an advertising ma- chine, especially for products and services I never asked about. No, I do not have $50,000 to invest in treasury bonds from the Nation of Cucaracha. And no, I do not want to donate to the Left-Handed League of Pulitzer Prize Winners. Puleeze! Just leave me alone. That’s it for this week. It’s time to unplug my PC before it takes over the whole house. 541-469-7120 A non-profit organization NOW ONLY $ 24 95 A MONTH FOR 4 MONTHS HURRY , LIMITED TIME OFFER GREAT FOR BACK TO SCHOOL. GET $80 OFF HIGH-SPEED INTERNET when you sign up for Frontier Choices, SM our popular value package with all your favorite calling features. • It’s ALWAYS ON and ALWAYS FAST—up to 20 times faster than Dial-Up. • You can TALK AND SURF AT THE SAME TIME on the same line. • Easy installation using any existing phone jack — no holes to drill, no cables to run. • You can even access your e-mail when you’re on the road. 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