Page 2
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, February 28, 2007
This weak’s offering, I thought, should be easy be-
cause of awl the raw material available from being away
for six daze. OK, enough with weird words; just wanted
to see if you were paying attention.
Our story begins with me getting 2.5 hours of sleep,
and Jan getting absolutely no sleep; prior to our leaving
home at 3 a.m. to reach Rogue Valley International in
Medford by 4 to take a 5 o’clock flight. Yikes: being out
that early sure cuts down on traffic, but it’s rough on
your insides. Such is the life of a small-business owner.
Yes, we planned and contrived to actually be away
from a Monday morning until a Saturday night. This was
accomplished with blood, sweat and tears -- especially
by the “News” staff. Our goal was to spend slightly more
than four days visiting our daughter, Vicki; her husband,
Matt; and their daughters (our granddaughters!), Natalie
and Ella, in Carlsbad on the San Diego County coast.
There’s not enough room here to recount all that we
experienced. So for now I’ll just brush some highlights:
We landed at San Diego International/Lindbergh
Field in a driving rainstorm with strong wind. Some wel-
come to San Diego. Still, it was mostly warm down
south, although there was some rain almost every day.
We were nonplussed, sort of, upon learning that a snow
storm had dumped on Illinois Valley and environs while
we were enjoying mostly Mediterranean weather.
Then when we returned, after feeling the warm rays
of our native land, we were bombarded with Oregon rain
and snow. Some welcome back.
About the only “bad” part of the trip was that on the
second leg of returning, from Portland to Medford, our
2:30 p.m. flight didn’t take off until 5:10. Oh, well, it gave
us time to sit together and read in the appropriate wait-
ing area. And we got to purchase food and drink at Port-
land International, where the prices for captive audi-
ences, as at all airports, are … um … higher than you’d
pay elsewhere.
I don’t want to say that the food fees were extreme,
but I had to donate a pint of blood to raise the money.
Just kidding. It was only half a pint.
So we’re about caught up after being away. The
cats and the dogs were purringly and pantingly (two
words I just invented) happy to see us return. And that
really is some welcome.
MANSFIELD R. CLEARY
Attorney at Law
General Practice in
Illinois Valley
since 1980
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
illinois-valley-news.com
Illinois Valley News
www.illinois-valley-news.com
An Independent Weekly Newspaper Co-owned and published by
Robert R. (AKA Bob or El Jefe), Editor and Jan Rodriguez
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
Email: newsroom1@frontiernet.net or newsdesk@illinois-valley-news.com
Volume 69, No. 50
Staff: Michelle Binker, Zina Booth, Josiah Dean, Scott Jorgensen
Millie Watkins, and Tina Grow
Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
DEADLINES:
News, Classified & Display Ads, Announcements & Letters
5 P.M. THURSDAYS
(Classified ads & uncomplicated display ads can be
accepted until Noon, Fridays 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.
Generally, one letter per person per month at publishers’ discretion. Letters are used at the
discretion of the publishers. Unpublished letters are neither acknowledged nor returned. A
prepaid charge may be levied if a letter is inordinately long in the publishers’ opinion.
POLICY ON “HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE,” DISPLAY & CLASSIFIED ADS
& NOTICES: All submissions must be hand delivered, faxed or e-mailed to us for
publication. Submissions must be resubmitted weekly if the item is to run more than
one week.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One year in Josephine County - $22.80
One year in Jackson and Douglas counties - $26.40
One year in all other Oregon counties and out-of-state - $36
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to
P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction OR 97523
(Editor’s Note: Views and
commentary, including state-
ments made as fact, are strictly
those of the letter-writers.)
* * *
Typed, double-spaced let-
ters written solely to this news-
paper are considered for publi-
cation. Hand-written letters that
are double-spaced and legible
also can be considered.
‘Thank you’ submissions
are not accepted as letters.
Volunteer opportunities
at County Bldg. in CJ
From Ann Reser
Cave Junction
For those who are
members of the Greatest
Generation once removed,
as am I, and have found a
home in this beautiful val-
ley, our community needs
their help.
We all know that the
county is in a financial bind.
As in past hard times when
things got tough, people
stepped up to the challenge
whatever it was and did
whatever they could to help.
We have a great
taxpayer-owned County
Bldg. in town that serves a
lot of people in a variety of
ways. With the passing of
one of our greatest public
servants, Marion Clarke, the
doors to this building have
been closed more than
opened due to the lack of
volunteers.
It would be greatly ap-
preciated if those who can
find three or four hours, one
or more days of the week,
will stop by Tuesdays or
Thursday afternoons and
talk to a volunteer. The only
requirements are a big smile
and a sincere willingness to
be of service to others.
‘Neck-deep in conspiracy’
for 9/11 attack in NYC
From William Schneider
Cave Junction
I was named after my
father’s brother, who was
killed Dec. 7, 1941, on the
battleship USS “Arizona” in
Pearl Harbor. I am familiar
with our government’s in-
volvement in allowing this
attack to take place.
Some things upset me,
making me very irritated,
sometimes angry. Some
things upset me very much,
causing a churning in my
gut that forces me out of my
chair and causes me, in any
way I can, to confront that
which I believe to be wrong
to such a degree.
I hate half-baked con-
spiracy theories, and I hate
arguing moot points just to
spew and entertain. During
the past few years, and most
recently the last few weeks,
I have seen that of which I
speak -- such a thing that
churns my gut.
That being hours filled
with volumes of evidence
from so many sources: mili-
tary personnel and experts
Cave Junction
Wednesday, Feb. 28
Abundant clouds,
chance of precip.
High--46, Low--32.
Thursday, Mar. 1
Overcast as a rule
High--52, Low--28.
Friday, Mar. 2
Numerous clouds
High--55, Low--37.
Saturday, Mar. 3
Clouds w/rain
returning later
High--54, Low--40.
Sunday, Mar. 4
Rain lessening in
evening
High--51, Low--39.
Monday, Mar. 5
Again with the rain
High--51, Low--38.
Tuesday, Mar. 6
A peek of sunshine
High--56, Low--37.
in the fields of demolition,
air traffic control and avia-
tion. Plus numerous inci-
dents of live coverage of
first-responders such as fire-
fighters, ambulance, law
enforcement, etc., all claim-
ing multiple explosions at
the Twin Towers -- and the
total lack of any contrary
scientific or video-taped
evidence debunking so-
called conspiracy theories.
Without a doubt in my
mind, so much evidence
leads me to the conclusion
that there are people in our
government who are neck-
deep in the most heinous
conspiracy to commit -- and
did commit - - on the people
of the United States of
America, a mass murder on
9/11.
If there were any way I
could, (and feel free to as-
sist), I would file a lawsuit
demanding a criminal inves-
tigation. I am looking into
how to go about it. I want
Uncle Sam to prove his in-
nocence.
Had 9/11 been treated
as the crime scene it was,
every D.A. in the land
would be screaming for the
arrest and immediate incar-
ceration of suspects, includ-
ing many people in our own
government. It is very possi-
ble that George Bush knew
nothing of what was com-
ing. Poor little King. How-
ever improbable. Remember
the stolen election?
Where are the indignant
families of flights 93 and 77
who should be speaking out
loudly against mounting
evidence that there were no
bodies or plane parts in ei-
ther Pennsylvania or the
Pentagon conducive to jet
liner crashes? How can nine
of the so-called hijackers be
found alive and well in
other parts of the world?
Why was our air defense
system told to stand down
the morning of the hijack-
ing?
People should investi-
gate for themselves. With
the evidence that I and sev-
eral thousands of others
have seen, the only way our
government could get away
with this horror is if we let
them. And if we let them,
then everyone who has
served and died for this
country -- including my fa-
ther’s brother and your sons
and daughters -- has served
and died in vain. God help
us all.
The truth is out there.
Very soon we will see a
wave across this country
from all walks of life, de-
manding accountability and
justice, as this information is
made more accessible to the
public. I urge anyone who is
flying a U.S. flag to fly it
upside-down as a signal of
distress. Seriously.
I can be contacted at
592-3068.
Following are the high-and-
low temperatures, and rainfall,
recorded in O’Brien by Cheryl
& Harry Johnson.
*Fri.,
Feb. 16: 65-43
*Sat., Feb. 17: 62-42
*Sun., Feb. 18: 51-32
*Mon., Feb. 19: 53-31
*Tue., Feb. 20: 45-38 0.55
*Wed., Feb. 21: 38-34 0.63
Snow 3.00
*Thurs., Feb. 22: 39-34 1.06
Snow 3.00
Following are the high-and-
low temperatures, and rainfall,
recorded in Cave Junction at
Mountain Wind Farm.
*Fri.,
Feb. 16: 69-40
*Sat., Feb. 17: 62-41 0.01
*Sun., Feb. 18: 57-30 0.01
*Mon., Feb. 19: 54-29
*Tue., Feb. 20: 48-38 0.81
*Wed., Feb. 21: 38-33 0.75
*Thurs., Feb. 22: 34-33 0.04
Taking a closer look
at Healthy Kids Plan
From Jim Trenary
Salem
In the debate over Ore-
gon’s Healthy Kids Plan,
many significant failures of
the program are getting little
attention.
Most Oregonians agree
that something needs to be
done to help uninsured chil-
dren get good health insur-
ance. However, the state
needs to take a hard look at
this plan and really study the
details and funding, which
are being passed over by the
media and many legislators.
The plan encourages
parents, who have health
insurance for their kids
through their employers, to
switch to a state-assisted
program. Many families in
Oregon responsibly pay for
their children’s health care
and forego other luxuries.
Even at the newly re-
duced qualifying amount,
this proposed plan would be
available to families of four
with household incomes of
$62,000. The state should be
concerned about how many
people will opt out of their
current plan to a free, tax-
payer-subsidized plan.
The state also should be
worried about how many
families move to Oregon to
join the plan. Yes, they do
have to prove residency for
six months, but the require-
ments are vague. And there
is no prohibition of coverage
for children who are not
legal residents or citizens of
the United States.
Finally, the plan re-
quires funding from a ciga-
rette and tobacco tax in-
crease. This means that 20
percent of Oregonians, those
who smoke, will be paying
for the plan. Additionally,
retailers such as myself will
lose even more sales to
Internet and other black
market purchases. Our
stores rely on the sales of
cigarettes to make a profit,
and some of the 3,000 retail-
ers in Oregon will have to
lay off employees, many of
whom have benefits and
health insurance.
Recent news articles
have highlighted the fact
that cigarette tax collections
are declining. Yet the state
of Oregon tosses the eco-
nomic numbers aside and is
pushing forward on an im-
portant piece of legislation
that relies on an unstable
funding source. And only
half the projected revenue
actually goes to the Healthy
Kids Plan.
Rep. Jeff Merkley (D-
District 47), who is helping
to pass the plan, states in a
press release that “nothing
we will consider this session
is more important for fami-
lies than affordable, accessi-
(Continued on page 3)
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An Invitation to Apply for Appointment to the
Three Rivers School District Board of Education
The Three Rivers School District Board of Education invites all
interested patrons to apply for a vacant Zone 1 position on the
Board of Education. The Board will appoint the new member to
fill an unexpired position with a term to run from March, 2007 to
June 30, 2009. The new board member will be selected from the
list of those who applied.
To be eligible for appointment the candidate must:
1)
Live in one of the following precincts: Bridgeview,
Cave Junction, Illinois, Selma, or Waldo;
2)
Lived in the district at least one-year immediately
preceding the election;
3)
Not an officer or employee of the School District; and
4)
Be a qualified voter of the School District.
Applications are available at the District Office and must be re-
ceived no later than Friday, March 2, 2007 by 4:00 p.m. Please
phone 862-3111 Ext. 5217 if you need more information.
Three Rivers School District
Superintendent’s Office
P.O. Box 160
Murphy, OR 97533
(541) 862-3111 Ext. 5217
An Invitation to Apply for Appointment to the
Three Rivers School District Budget Committee
for Zone 2 & Zone 3
The Three Rivers School District Board of Education has vacant
Budget Committee positions open in Zone 2 and in Zone 3. The
Board invites all interested patrons to apply for either of these
Budget Committee positions. The Board will appoint the new
Budget Committee members from the list of those who made
application.
To be eligible for appointment the candidate must:
1)
Live in one of the following precincts for:
Zone 2 - Hamilton, Jerome Prairie, New Hope,
Robertson, Slate Creek; OR
Zone 3 - Cloverlawn, Applegate, Board Shanty,
Riverside South, or Williams
2)
Must not be an officer or employee of the School
District; and
3)
Must be a qualified voter of the School District. The
members of the Budget Committee shall be appointed
by the Board for a term of three (3) years.
Interested patrons should pick up an application at the District
Office or send a letter of interest with a brief description of quali-
fications. The letter or application must be received at the District
Office no later than March 6, 2007. The appointment will be
made during the regularly scheduled Board meeting on Monday,
March 19, 2007. Written correspondence may be addressed to:
Three Rivers School District
Business Office
P.O. Box 160
Murphy, OR 97533
(541) 862-3111 Ext. 5217