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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.
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