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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, May 4, 2005
Someone (I think it might have been me) once said that
TV stands for “Too Violent” when it comes to certain televi-
sion programming. Our son, Michael, recalls a fairly recent
medical drama that began with a warning that some scenes
might be unsuitable for children. A second later (hardly
enough time to shield the kids or put them to bed) the show
began, showing a medical person getting his arm chopped
off by a helicopter landing at a hospital.
Jan and I haven’t had commercial TV for approximately
nine years, so we’ve missed a lot of “TV” shows. We rent
movies, and that gives us the chance to select only those
that seem suitable. Although we have made some errors in
selection; sometimes through misleading descriptions and
sometimes because we followed someone’s suggestion.
Recommending movies is as hazardous as recommending
a restaurant. What tastes great to me might be yucky to
another. Something like that.
At any rate, this topic arose because of a report by A.C.
Nielsen noting that on average, U.S. children spend four
hours per day watching television -- which computes to
nearly 61 full days per year. Heck, that’s like two months
worth of time watching the “boob tube,” and from what I’ve
heard, that description is apt for a number of shows. I can’t
recall who said it, but some famous person once noted that
“Television is chewing gum for the brain.”
Of course, there are some worthwhile programs, I hear
people say. And likely there are. For example, people often
say with pride that they only watch “good TV” such as
“Discovery,” “The History Channel,” “National Geographic”
and the like. When we get the chance with someone else’s
set, we like “Home & Garden.” And I guess there are worth-
while children’s shows. Maybe I’ll ask some kids I know.
Back in the Olden Days of all black-and-white TV and
extremely limited programming (remember the test pattern
with the Indian?), I have to admit that as a child I watched
nearly everything that came on. There was the “Kate Smith
Hour,” “Howdy Doody” and episodes of “Charlie Chase.”
Plus there were Western shows with plenty of gunfire and
bad guys wearing black hats. In San Diego there were epi-
sodes of “Time for Beany,” a puppet show that included
“Cecil, the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent.”
As programming increased I watched live news pro-
grams, including one with a weatherman, who did weird
stuff like having his tie cut off or someone throwing water in
his face. There was one TV reporter who conducted inter-
views with semifamous people, and I remember one show
where he took off his jacket, loosened his tie and wrestled
with some large dude. The large dude threw him (his name
was Harold Keen) onto a mattress. Wow -- that’s reporting!
And no, I do not want to wrestle any large dudes out there.
In later years, whilst we still had programs swarming
into the living room: In the best chronological order I can
devise, I’ve been addicted to “The Mickey Mouse Club,”
“American Bandstand,” “Omnibus,” “Dragnet” and shows by
comedians including Milton Berle, Red Skelton, Ernie
Kovacs and Jackie Gleason, especially “The Honeymoon-
ers.” And there were shows including “Ozzie & Harriet,”
“Dobie Gillis,” “Wagon Train” and “Rawhide.”
And who can forget “WKRP In Cincinnati” and “Barney
Miller?” Frankly, I watched way too much television, al-
though I will not apologize for “Star Trek.” I will apologize
though for shows including “Adam 12” and “Emergency,”
which actually were fairly lame, although not when I first
saw them.
We enjoyed British mysteries, and comedies such as
“Waiting for God” and “Are You Being Served?” although
we always had trouble understanding British English.
Actually, trying to recall all the TV shows I’ve watched
and thought I enjoyed would fill this whole page. Maybe the
entire newspaper. No wonder my brain hurts from all that
chewing gum.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is
dressed in overalls and looks like work.
- Thomas A. Edison -
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
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Neighborhood Watch
From Jacquie Stafford
Cave Junction
A few of us are concerned
about the robberies and break-
ins here in Cave Junction, as it
seems that there have been
quite a few during the past few
years, and seem to be increas-
ing.
I have wondered why
nothing has been done, and
found that we do not have the
law enforcement protection
that we should have. It isn’t
that they do not respond, but
there are not enough deputies
in Josephine County to cover
all the territory that they need
to protect.
A few of us have decided
that it is up to the people of
Cave Junction to help the sher-
iff’s office in protecting our
town. We want to start a
Neighborhood Watch program
and would like all of Cave
Junction to participate.
Of course, we will leave it
up to the sheriff’s office to
handle the problems, but we
want to help it know where all
the problems are taking place.
The deputies need to know,
and we can help by notifying
them when we see crimes tak-
ing place.
Those who don’t want to
be identified as a caller can
provide information anony-
mously. They can simply state
that they want to advise of a
crime in progress and provide
the location and any other in-
formation that would help.
We will notify the town
when we are going to have
another meeting about
Neighborhood Watch. I’m
hopeful that many will come
and agree to help us keep Cave
Junction safe and protected.
South Deer Project
From Joe Farnwell
Cave Junction
I much appreciated Roger
Brandt’s article on the South
Deer Project and Orville
Camp’s natural selection for-
estry (“Illinois Valley News,”
April 20.)
I cannot think of a single
person or business that would
not benefit from this ecologi-
cally sustainable approach to
community management of
forests.
In short, the proposal is to
take over management of 7,500
acres of degraded forest in the
Lake Selmac area from BLM,
and have the residents steward
this land for economic and
forest health. This approach is
the only model capable of pro-
moting the human and natural
values we all hold.
We are currently in a
“lose-lose” situation, with for-
est workers and forest preser-
vationists stalemating each
other. The only winners are
out-of-the-area corporations.
We can turn this into a “win”
for all valley residents by tak-
ing a long, hard look at the
South Deer Project proposal;
agreeing that it is a winner; and
then supporting it verbally and
in writing to BLM and our
county commissioners.
Valley residents should
familiarize themselves with
this project. Letters can be sent
to Abbie Jossie, BLM Field
Manager, 3040 Biddle Road,
Medford OR 97504.
Commissioner Jim Raf-
fenburg is the point man for the
Josephine County Board of
Commissioners, and can be
contacted at the courthouse in
Grants Pass.
Stop using paper
From Fred Krauss
Selma
William Schneider’s letter
to the editor (“Illinois Valley
News,” April 27) implied that
he is strictly against cutting
trees.
I would like to help him.
The first thing he needs to do is
quit using toilet paper,
Kleenex, and quit reading
newspapers. Also, when he
receives his Social Security
check he should throw it into a
fire because it is made of wood
products.
If Schneider is so dead set
against wood products, it
would be nice of him to give
his house to I.V. Fire District
for a “Burn to Learn” exercise.
He also should pull out the
wooden posts around his resi-
dence and replace his home
with a tent.
Conspiracy perspectives
From Kristine Strohl
Cave Junction
Now that more informa-
tion is introduced about the
JFK assassination (“Reader’s
Digest,” March), it is obvious
that Oswald was not alone, as
the Warren Commission
claimed, but a stool pigeon for
the true conspirators.
Henceforth, why can’t we
Americans believe that 9/11
was a conspiracy to engage us
in a pre-emptive war? Our
leaders had 52 warnings from
the FAA alone. And NORAD,
our defensive Air Force Com-
mand, was deployed that day to
the West Coast for maneuvers.
Plus, all the CIA intelli-
gence about connections be-
tween Al Queda and Saddam
was incorrect. There were no
WMDs, plus Colin Powell’s
public display of a vial of ricin
that could kill thousands was
also false, as reported by the
British newspaper, “The
Guardian.”
Conveniently, the world’s
most sophisticated intelligence
organization was wrong.
The Bush Administration
had the Patriot Act ready be-
fore 9/11, and demanded that it
be approved by Congress with-
out debate. When it was obvi-
ous that an investigation could-
n’t be put off any longer, the
administration tied the hands of
the 9/11 Commission with
restrictions and refused to sub-
mit crucial documents.
The administration also
adopted the Wolfowitz Doc-
trine in 2000, which subscribed
a need for catastrophic and
catalyzing events like “a new
Pearl Harbor” (“New York
Times,” Hijacking Catastro-
phe.) Mobilizing U.S.
“patriotic fervor” with lies
from Dick Cheney, an histori-
cal nonAmerican massive pre-
emptive strike was initiated by
our commander-in-chief with-
out debate.
Negroponte’s new ap-
pointment as intelligence direc-
tor should alarm a few loyal-
ists. He was a major engineer
in the Iran-Contra affair, and in
the slaughter of thousands of
Sandinistas for the illegal sale
of arms to Iran, and now our
top intelligence persuader of
disinformation.
With Allowqui as new
Iraq leader, a former intelli-
gence broker for Iran, Israel,
Iraq and the CIA, we are pay-
ing for 19 permanent bases for
the benefit of our favored cor-
porations ($381 billion on Iraq
alone). Tragically, our troops
are being used to protect and
defend these corporations so
they can reap Iraq oil.
But we can’t save and
protect Social Security?
Terri Schiavo, Michael
Jackson and entertainment
news aren’t all that is happen-
ing. Corporate news and main-
stream media are covering up
our government’s crimes to
protect their war-profiting sub-
sidiaries.
I recommend INN NEWS,
Democracy Now! and Free
Speech TV for different per-
spectives.
Bake Sale
Nifty & Gifty
200 W. Watkins, C.J.
Saturday, May 7
10 to 2
Illinois Valley
Lions Club
$12 per person
Saturday, May 7
1 to 5 p.m.
Lions Den
at the airport.
Purchase tickets from: Valley Muffler & Hitch; Harris &
Taylor Century 21; Family Tree Garden Center or any I.V.
Lions member.
Bring your favorite crab cracker and a good appetite.
And of course, no carry-outs or doggy bags.
Walk-ins Welcome!
I.V. Senior Center
520 E. River St.
Huge Clearance Sale
One Day Only
at the container in the rear yard
Saturday, May 7, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
during the
Monthly Breakfast
Available: Conference Table, Bookcases,
Desks, Organ, Kitchen & Dining Supplies,
Books, Craft Supplies, Toys, Television &
other items
Everything Must Go!