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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, October 20, 2004
At the risk of demonstrating that I grew up in the
modern Dark Ages, I’m one of those still alive who
remembers when drive-in movie theaters and drive-in
restaurants were common.
I’m not talking about drive-through eateries, but
those restaurants where you ordered your food from a
person known as car hop after you parked. The car
hop would either walk out, or in some cases, skate
out, to your vehicle to take your order; then return
(usually after a very long time) with the food and stuff
on a tray. The tray was attached to the driver’s side
door. You always had to roll up your window a bit so
the tray brackets had something to hang onto.
Yeah, I’m one of those who lived through the ‘60s
(the 1960s) living on fries, onion rings, black coffee,
huge containers of cola, and double-cheeseburgers,
sometimes with deep dish hot apple pie with two
scoops of ice cream. Hey, that doesn’t sound too bad.
Anyway, after eating the food off the tray, so to
speak, you had to blink your headlights to get the car
hop to come back. Usually they were on a five-hour
break, or skated into the next town -- I don’t know
where they were -- but it always took a long time to
get them to retrieve the tray.
I remember when Jack in the Box first opened in
Chula Vista in San Diego County. My Uncle Clarence
hauled a bunch of us cousins in his new Ford station
wagon to get something to eat. Being unfamiliar with
this new-style eatery, Clarence roared past the speaker
and drove right up to the window. The employee
peered out and said tentatively, “Can I help you?”
“Yeah,” said my uncle, “we want some food.” “Well,
what do you want?” “Whattaya got?” “Uh, the menu
is back by the speaker.” “What speaker?”
We finally got it figured out. Of course, back then
the hamburgers were 22-cents, fries 19-cents. The
“good ol’ days” when minimum wage was a buck an
hour. Premium gasoline was 25-cents a gallon.
But I digress. Nearly all the drive-in movie thea-
ters are gone; and I don’t think there are any restau-
rants left with car hops. One thing about the drive-in
theaters is that the snack bar prices were high. I don’t
recall how high, because I never had enough money
for anything except popcorn. The pizza and burgers
were out of my range; that’s all I remember.
In my time I’ve seen drive-up or -in churches, dry
cleaners, dairy product stores, and liquor stores. I’ve
even seen a drive-up mortuary. No kidding. The dear
departed was placed in a setting not unlike a large de-
partment store window, and the motorized mourners
drove by slowly to pay their last respects.
The drive-in church was kind of cool because you
could wear your pajamas under a sweater, as you
stayed in your car. The pastor preached from a raised
area via microphones, like drive-in movie theaters.
However, the collection was taken by people who
came right up to the car.
Well, enough of this. I’m going in search of some
hot apple pie with ice cream.
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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
(Editor’s Note: Views and
commentary, including state-
ments made as fact, are strictly
those of the letter-writers.)
* * *
Typed, double-spaced
letters written solely to this
newspaper are considered for
publication. Hand-written let-
ters that are double-spaced
and legible also can be consid-
ered. Cards of thanks are not
accepted as letters.
* * *
A proven record
From Gregory Anderson
Cave Junction
If we are to believe
those who claim that Re-
publicans will pollute the
air, contaminate the water,
destroy the environment,
make the elderly suffer,
and starve the children:
then where are they going
to breathe, drink and raise
their families?
If it is a conflict be-
tween church and state to
give families vouchers so
they can send their kids to
private church schools for
a superior education, why
do liberals find it accept-
able for Democrats to cam-
paign in Black churches?
Why is it that even
though the 2000 vote count
in Florida has been
checked and rechecked by
numerous agencies and
found to be accurate, there
are still some crying about
Bush stealing the election?
What evidence does
John Edwards have that if
Kerry is elected, the para-
lyzed will be able to walk
again?
While most of us pay
20 to 30 percent of our
income for federal taxes,
Kerry hires big guns to
find all the loopholes in the
laws, many of which he
put there, so that he only
paid 12.8 percent of his
millions of dollars in 2002.
Is this the reason he is
against a flat tax of 17 per-
cent? How can we believe
he is for the middle class
when he isn’t helping us
pull the wagon?
When Kerry says he is
for alternative forms of
energy, why does he join
lawsuits to prevent wind-
mill farms within sight of
one of his multimillion
dollar mansions?
What makes anyone
think that Kerry can run a
country when he has no
management experience
running anything?
I believe that most vot-
ers prefer to stick with a
guy with a proven record.
Unemployment 5.4 per-
cent, which is 2/10th of a
percent better than when
Clinton ran for re-election;
taxes way down; security
way up; democracy and
freedom being introduced
to other countries. The
economy is getting better
every day.
Besides, “GW” paid
30 percent of his income in
2004, just like us regular
folks.
Grimmett School?
From Fred Krauss
Selma
I want to comment on
the historic school called
the Grimmett Schoolhouse
at Kerbyville Museum.
I love to collect his-
tory, and was born and
raised in Illinois Valley.
Mike Wells, Charlie
Trefethen and Rolland Tre-
sham were all born in the
Sucker Creek area in the
Holland community of
Illinois Valley. Before they
died, they told me that this
was not a schoolhouse, but
rather a storage shed.
If it was a school-
house, it seems like it
would have windows.
I think that Wells’ wife
still lives in Grants Pass,
and she can confirm this.
I’ll do more research, but
as far as I’m concerned,
this was not a schoolhouse.
Planning complaint
From Craig Heiller
Director, Bruin Nature
Conservancy
Cave Junction
The “processing” of
the Panters’ application to
build a residence off Pine
Cone Drive is another
prime example of how the
planning system cheats
owners of adjoining par-
cels of the most fundamen-
tal property rights as prop-
erty owners.
Stated simply, our
habitat property is nega-
tively affected by flooding
on a routine basis. Bootleg
grading has raised the ele-
vation of the road, re-
moved our sloping drive-
way, and cut access to our
pond; and reverse-drains
the runoff from both sides
of the road into our pond.
The streambed on the
Panters’ property is now
higher than the culvert or
our property. The resultant
flooding, in combination
with freezing, kills trees,
even older saplings.
Rather than require the
obvious necessity of a hy-
drology report, as voted for
by Commissioner Jim
Brock, the commission
voted 2-1 to support the
Panters without the report.
Since Commissioner
Harold Haugen especially
is directly responsible for
the participation of county
officials in these unlawful
activities, he should have
recused himself, and not
been allowed to vote.
Haugen also showed preju-
dice by attacking the only
other opponent.
The Panters, espe-
cially, are cheated by this
farce. Rather than deal
Volume 67, No. 31
Staff: Kacy Clement, Becky Loudon,
Michelle Binker, & Shane Welsh.
Paladin Business Services - Kina Perez
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Emergency responders
From Chuck DeBrett
Cave Junction
When all is going well,
we tend to take our fire-
fighters and paramedics for
granted.
But when an emer-
gency strikes, they take on
a totally different degree of
importance. When they
respond, our lives are in
their hands as they make
crucial life/death decisions
related to our care.
Recently, such an
emergency arose for me,
and within minutes there
were five dedicated indi-
viduals at my door should
they be needed. The physi-
cian who treated me in an
emergency room said that
had I not received medical
attention, my condition
would not have been re-
solved on its own.
Even though my emer-
gency may not have been
critical, I respect the atten-
tion they gave it, and every
person in Illinois Valley
can take comfort in know-
ing that should they re-
quire emergency treatment,
they will get it.
I don’t have the names
of all the responders, but I
hope they know they are
appreciated.
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592-2713
Got Ideas? Need Funds?
New Micro Loan Funding
Available Now!!
QS?? 592-4440
First Round of Apps Due:
Friday, Oct. 22, 2004
*IVCRT is an Equal
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*We want to help!
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Applications at I.V. Library,
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CRT office
MANSFIELD R. CLEARY
General Practice in
Illinois Valley
since 1980
3 P.M. FRIDAY
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
tat? Because the neighbor-
hood and local politicians
took away our subdivision
hopes, the least we can ask
is that our property be re-
spected as habitat, instead
of being repeatedly victim-
ized by vandalism.
Attorney at Law
DEADLINES:
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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.
with relatively minor prob-
lems, they now must ele-
vate their case, and to a
state-level land-use board
without an oar.
All the mistakes and
shortcomings of a third-
rate, dishonest planning
department and a worse
board of commissioners
will fall on the Panters’
hopes to build a new
home. At the state level,
the Panters are lost.
Remember, I got the
first Land Use Board of
Appeals reversal of a Jose-
phine County land-use de-
cision in JoCo history.
Rather than play this
nasty and unproductive
game, we propose an alter-
native which is far cheaper
and more effective than the
courts. And we would wel-
come the Panters as good
neighbors.
If the streambed were
cleaned and ditched out 2
feet below the bottom of
the culvert, and about 4
feet wide, that half-
plugged culvert could be
cleaned out, and drainage
flow would be unrestricted
to carry the maximum run-
off volume and perform
the function of its design.
Covering the exca-
vated materials with straw
to reduce the immediate
erosion, and planting alder
or other seedlings would
be cheap and effective.
That’s it -- all it takes.
Is this too much to ask,
or do we have to be the
“bad people” again, to pro-
tect our property and habi-
128 S. Redwood Hwy.
Cave Junction, OR
(541) 592-4541
(next to Treehouse Florist & Gifts)
134 N.W. ‘E’ St.
Grants Pass, OR
(800) 888-6704
Practice includes but not limited to:
Bankruptcy - Eliminate
financial problems
Living trusts - Avoid probate
Estate planning - Wills,
power of attorney
Domestic relations
Auto accident - Personal Injury
Criminal - DUII
Real Estate contracts - Foreclosure
592-2195
200 W. Lister