Page 2 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, June 13, 2007 This was the week that I was going to recall leaving San Diego County in a 240-Z in September 1979, bravely and tearfully heading north for a new job in Brookings, Ore. I also had the idea of relating my suffering at listening to a Los Angeles-based late-night/early morning radio “talk” shows. Those airwaves were inflicted last month when AM was all I could get on my car radio during a pre-dawn yawn trip to the coast to pick up the May 16 election issue. Instead, because of any number of excuses, I have opted to pick on some expressions used by many. How about, “I’m going to jump in the shower.” Now, that could be real dangerous, what with all the slippery stuff on the floor of the stall or bathtub, and those glass doors. Or even without glass doors, some shower curtains could cause injury, especially if, after jumping into the shower or tub and slipping, you grabbed the curtain for support and pulled down the rod. Then there’s, “I’m just going to throw on some clothes.” That would be interesting. I’d like to photograph someone literally throwing on their clothes, just to see how they man- age to get them to stay on. And what about, “I’ll be there in a second.” Not. Who among us can move that fast? Certainly not me. It would be better to say, “I’ll be there sometime during the next 30 minutes, give or take.” Sometimes we use phrases that can convey what we mean, but don’t exactly speak to the matter. For example, “Let’s go for a spin.” You mean, like stand in the middle of the room and twist around real fast? Or do you mean, get in the car and go somewhere? I don’t know, maybe there are some dervishes living around here. Some of us say, “I’m going to grab a sandwich.” There’s another situation I’d like to watch, especially if said sandwich is the type that comes apart easily. How about, “wolfing down” a meal. It’s OK if you’re a wolf; otherwise you’re liable to choke, especially if it’s a meal of fried chicken. Better have paramedics standing by. And how about those of us who “run” to our bank or a store. We don’t really run; we take a car. Although I could use the exercise. All right, that’s enough for this time. I’ve got to go toss out some ideas. Is the pain of a past abortion still with you? Abortion Recovery is possible! “Your Choice to Heal” classes Pregnancy Center ~~ 592-6058 Grants Pass Hearing Aid Center Now has an office in Cave Junction located at 315A Caves Hwy. Illinois Valley Medical Center FREE Hearing Tests FREE Hearing Aid Cleaning FREE Consultation Friday, June 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Phone for an appointment 474-6567 (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. * * * I.V. Little League ‘07 awards due June 20 From Darlene Anderson Selma Illinois Valley Little League regular season is fast nearing its conclusion with Closing Day Ceremonies set for Wednesday, June 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Jubilee Park. Trophies, recognition pins and awards will be given. The public can attend the closing ceremonies to honor those who helped to make this one of the best seasons. The league has overcome many obstacles this year with a board of rookie directors. Scheduling of games, provid- ing umpires, field prepara- tion, manning the snack bar, and providing authorized league equipment were chal- lenges met by the board. With the help of gener- ous sponsors, we hosted games for 14 teams. Three T- Ball teams, three Coach Pitch teams, two Minor Player Pitch teams, two Major teams, one Juniors team, and two Girls Softball teams were joined this year for the first time in many years by a Sen- ior Little League team. I.V. Little League pro- vided positive entertainment for students from 5 years of age to 18 with 168 kids par- ticipating in regular season. The league is operated with volunteers who donate their time, energies and, in many cases, their money in support of participation by players. Without their assis- tance, it would be extremely difficult to complete a season. As we meet in closing ceremonies, we will thank our generous sponsors, volunteers and parents for a successful season. And we look forward to All-Star play that will be- gin at the end of June. Is Paris (Hilton) burning? Or are we delusional? From Iris Shaw Selma All this major media coverage of poor, rich and spoiled Paris Hilton makes me want to vomit. Does any- one truly care about this? Why are we inundated with story after story of her bad behavior, incarceration, release and re-incarceration? All this with color photos and TV coverage, plus solemn intonement by the talking heads of TV, plus print col- 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 70, No. 13 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 Cave Junction Wednesday, June 13 Mostly sunny with breezes High--79 Low--49. Thursday, June 14 An abundance of sun High--84, Low--49. Friday, June 15 Sun with an occasional cloud High--86, Low--49. Saturday, June 16 Sunbeams abound High--88, Low--48. Sunday, June 17 Warm and sunny High--88, Low--50. Monday, June 18 Clear, continued warm & windy High--87, Low--47. Tuesday, June 19 More sun with warm afternoon wind High--90, Low--43. umnists commentary. It’s enough to shake your faith regarding the intelligence of our citizens. But wait. Maybe we’re just trying to avoid dealing with the real issues: Iraq for one. Terrorism. The national economy. Relations with China and Russia. Paris Hilton is an idiotic diversion, and we should all know better. Federal Real ID Act: Uncle Sam or Big Brother? From Rep. Dennis Richard- son (R-Central Point), District 4 The Oregon Legislature has a decision to make. Should we join the five states -- so far -- that officially have refused to comply with the federally mandated Real ID Act? Your answer to this im- portant question will be re- quested below. The Federal “Real ID Act of 2005” is a federal mandate for each state to re- vise its driver license issuance system to conform to federal requirements. It was passed without Senate hearings and without debate as a rider to emergency spending legisla- tion. The Real ID Act requires all American drivers to per- sonally take, to their state DMV, birth certificates and other original proof-of- identity documents. These will be scanned and become part of the state’s DMV data- base on that driver. The cost to implement Real ID for America’s 245 million drivers is $11 billion to $23 billion, yet the federal government has allocated only $40 mil- lion to do the job The Oregon Dept. of Transportation estimates the cost for Oregon’s compliance to be $65 million. On Friday, June 1, the Oregon House voted to pass House Bill 2827. I voted against it, based on concerns I expressed on the House Floor during the debate. The hours spent researching this news- letter have only confirmed my angst over the Real ID Act. Once implemented, the Real ID Act will provide digi- tal access to every American driver’s personal data -- including the original docu- ments -- to all 50 states and the federal government. In short, the Real ID Act creates a national identifica- tion card system. Making such personal data available to state workers (and talented computer hackers) through tens of thousands of computer terminals across America has serious “unintended conse- quences.” Victims of domes- tic violence, witnesses who have testified in criminal prosecutions, and consumers who would prefer not to have their personal information data available to ingenious marketers all have something to fear from the Real ID Act. The federal government will flex substantial muscle against any state that refuses to implement the Real ID Act. By the end of 2009, the feds will require a “Real ID Card” to enter post offices and all other federal build- Following are the high-and- low temperatures, and rainfall, recorded in O’Brien by Cheryl & Harry Johnson. *Fri., June 1: 92 - 56 *Sat., June 2: 93 - 55 *Sun., June 3: 84 - 55 *Mon., June 4: 70 - 55 *Tue., June 5: 65 - 45 *Wed., June 6: 68 - 43 *Thurs., June 7: 77 - 53 Following are the high-and- low temperatures, and rainfall, recorded in Cave Junction at Mountain Wind Farm. *Fri., June 1: 93 - 51 *Sat., June 2: 93 - 50 *Sun., June 3: 89 - 52 *Mon., June 4: 73 - 55 *Tue., June 5: 67 - 43 *Wed., June 6: 62 - 40 *Thurs., June 7: 71 - 45 ings; to qualify for Social Security, Medicare and other benefits; and for permission to fly on a commercial air- plane; and even to open a bank account. Notwithstanding federal threats, after considering the high cost of this unfunded federal mandate and its many serious consequences, Wash- ington, Montana, New Hamp- shire, Oklahoma, and Maine as well as Idaho, Georgia and several other states, are taking unprecedented and decisive action by just saying “No” to the Real ID Act. When I see an encroach- ment on personal liberties, personal privacy and state autonomy by the federal gov- ernment, I get concerned. I am one legislator who joins with conservatives and liber- als, from Red and Blue states across America in question- ing the act. I believe, if implemented, it will set in place a national identification card system enabling an intrusive database of private information that ultimately may be used to track the goings, comings, purchases and finances of 245 million U.S. citizens to an extent never conceived of in the history of our nation. To me, the benefits gained by such a system are far out- weighed by the risks inherent in such a pervasive violation of our personal privacy. Should Oregon comply with the Real ID Act? Based on my research and the con- cerns expressed above, I say “No.” To vote: Should Ore- gon comply with the Real ID A c t ? V i s i t http:www.surveymonkey.co ms.aspxsm=RJ4psOo5YaylF z5LeGYn1Q_3d_3d Concealed-Carry Handgun Classes being held right here in Cave Junction! Phone for details! Women only classes also available! Seating is limited, classes are filling fast! Phone Now! NRA instructor: Steven Mohr (Reliance Concepts) Home: 592-6692 Cell: 660-9824 Fine Dining Steaks - Chicken - Fish - Large Hamburgers Restaurant separate from lounge Now Available Every Day! Prime Rib & Prime Rib Sandwiches Bring in this ad for a 10% discount Open 4 to 10 p.m. 7 days 592-2892 or 592-4222 N OT I C E As of July 1st the local H.D. York Insu rance office will be mergin g with the Grants Pa ss office. This merger wil l n ot a ff e ct y our insurance in any way. You will be able to make your payments at the local SOFCU office at 103 S. Redwood Hwy. We will continue writ in g in su ra nc e in the Illinois Valley as we ha ve done for the past 29 years. All inquiries and quotes can be handled at: 592-2176 or 800-500-5635 In celebration of Fathers Day!! Old Fashioned Car Show & Ice Cream Social Hosted by Horizon Village Saturday, June 16th, 2 p.m. featuring entertainment by Dale & Sharon Hopper & Claude Hopper the singing dog Meet at 3098 University Road in Grants Pass then follow the balloons. We will be giving tours also. Call 955-0777 for more information