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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Last week’s Bobspel hinted about railroads and trains,
which simply means that I have a one-track mind. It’s true.
Many people, especially those closest to me, notice that once
my mind is made up, it matters not what else is said, I forge
forward full steam ahead. Even if it’s wrong.
Perhaps this is due to the fact -- and lots of you have
heard this before -- that Little Robert took his first train ride at
the most-tender age of 9 months. Unfortunately I do not con-
sciously recall the trip,
but I have a small
wooden plaque depict-
ing St. Joseph holding
the infant Jesus. On the
back
is
written,
“Robert’s first train ride.
September 1944.”
And no, I do not
think of myself as The
Infant, although some
have hinted that I have delusions. But that’s another topic;
one that likely will never be addressed here. With a psycholo-
gist maybe, but not here.
Anyway, trains are in my blood, I think. In fact, many have
commented on the fact that when I’m upset I huff and puff just
like an iron horse.
I really like trains, especially when pulled by steam en-
gines. Especially the gentle swaying of the Pullman cars in
motion. Especially eating in the dining car with the world at my
window. Especially going between cars with the rattling and
clanking. Especially relaxing and watching a never-ending
diorama. I guess that everything about trains, even if they’re
pulled by diesel locomotives, is special to me.
I also like the clickety-clack of the railroad track, although
with longer rails and better joints now, train rides are not as
they used to be.
My mom and I used to take a train from the somewhat
famous Santa Fe Depot near the foot of Broadway in Down-
town San Diego. The train would head southeast and slowly
pass over Carrizo Gorge, and through its tunnels. It was a
great trip to El Paso, Texas (the hometown of my parents)
each summer to visit relatives. Each trip was an adventure.
When we quit taking trains and switched to Greyhound
buses, it wasn’t quite the same. Sometimes the food was the
same though. Expensive and not real good. The same holds
true on the trips by car with my Dad hell bent for leather, not
stopping for any of the sights. Ye olde editor has lots of travel-
ing memories. Maybe I’ll even share some more sometime.
Or I could bore you with details of my model railroading days.
Meanwhile, I’m heading for a spur line to observe the
Fourth of July, so flip that switch.
Last Chance
Fall Sign-ups
Monday, July 9
5-8 p.m. Evergreen soccer field
After this it’s wait list only!
Questions, call Tana at 592-6070
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(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.
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Bush ‘Ugly American’
due to ‘lies, deception’
From Wally Hardie
Selma
The word “evolution”
brings to mind the concept
how life has modified during
the past several hundred mil-
lion years, through natural
selection. However, another
view of evolution is what I
had in mind.
How my country, Amer-
ica, has evolved in lying dur-
ing the past 6 1/2 years under
this Bush administration. In a
newspaper on 6/8/07 it was
reported that two secret pris-
ons were revealed in Europe,
one in Poland. My president
said they did not exist.
My president has stated
as well that we do not torture
those we capture. The article
revealed that we do. Not only
do, but also how it is done.
Shades of the prison in Bagh-
dad. The reasons we went to
war.
The proclamation of vic-
tory on the aircraft carrier,
“Mission accomplished.” Oil
will pay for the war. The
Iraqis will greet us with open
arms. The check is in the
mail. The list goes on and on
and on.
My president’s constant
lies and deceptions have cre-
ated a total lack of validity on
his part, with a dislike and
distrust of America and
Americans, from the rest of
the world. I resent the hell out
of that. We have a reputation
of being the “Ugly Ameri-
can” throughout the entire
world.
My president is now that
poster boy, and I deeply re-
sent the hell out of that. We
are in a race to reach the bot-
tom in prestige and morality.
And yeah, I resent the hell out
of that.
About county finances;
leaders’ pay, benefits
From Jennifer Berubee
Grants Pass
Josephine County Com-
missioner Dwight Ellis has
said that he is “tired” of being
criticized for poor
planning these past few years.
All I can say to that is: The
truth hurts, doesn’t it?
The three county com-
missioners brag endlessly
about how much “fat” they
have trimmed from the
budget. While there may be
some truth that some costs
were cut, these were random
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
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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. 16
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Millie Watkins, and Tina Grow
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POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to
P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction OR 97523
Cave Junction
Wednesday, July 4
Clearing, hot with
breezes
High--96 Low--56.
Thursday, July 5
Especially hot and
sunny
High--97, Low--56.
Friday, July 6
Excessive warmth
and sun
High--95, Low--52.
Saturday, July 7
Sun and heat with
breezes later
High--97, Low--47.
Sunday, July 8
Toasty and sunny
High--96, Low--48.
Monday, July 9
Clear skies with
abundant thermal
energy
High--97, Low--50.
Tuesday, July 10
Hot and sunny
High--98, Low--53.
cuts that bled certain depart-
ments (like our library sys-
tem), while leaving many
management positions and
departments uncut.
Has the county financial
crisis really affected the lives
of the commissioners? Do
they not still enjoy a high
salary, health benefits, and
paid time off? Any concerned
and fair leadership would
take the first cut, plain and
simple.
As for the talk of a Sep-
tember levy, it sure seems to
me as though our
“leadership” is out-of-touch
and does not listen to its vot-
ers. No levy will pass in this
county until the citizens can
actually see some real
changes in how the little
money there is, is managed.
I’m one of the
biggest library supporters you
will find around here. But the
measure defeated May 15
was a public safety levy. I
was appalled that it was being
sold to the public as a Band-
Aid, that the levy would gen-
erate this pot of money that
they could grab $400,000
from and “save” the library.
And who wants to pay
$400,000 for a library that
was only going to be open
one day a week? When voters
approve funding, they expect
it to go for what is voted on,
not to see funds shifted here
and there, as has been the
county practice for far too
long.
Voters are fully willing
to pay for services. I think
that the commissioners need
to see the last election as a
wake-up call that they are
not trusted to handle our tax
dollars.
If the commissioners are
really concerned with cost-
cutting, they need to
spend some long hours look-
ing at what is known as Inter-
nal Service Charges.
The reason $400,000 can
only fund one day a week,
one branch of our
libraries open, is not because
county employees are union-
ized -- do not be
fooled with statements such
as these that you will hear
during meetings.
The reason our $400,000
would have bought so little
library is because depart-
ments do not simply pay for
what services are used within.
Each department is expected
to “pay into” a fund to pay
for supplies, custodians,
etc. So the library in Cave
Junction, for example, would
have to pay for two or three
days of custodial services
when in reality it will only get
one.
How is that efficient?
How is that wise manage-
ment of tax dollars?
Our board of county
commissioners has an attitude
right now of, “How dare any-
one criticize us?!” Well, I
say, how dare they stand
there and watch the county
ship sink. Yes, we should
have received money from
the federal government that
was promised. Why stand
there and wring your hands
and wait for funds that may
or may not come?
That seems to me
equivalent to waiting for a
Following are the high-and-
low temperatures, and rainfall,
recorded in O’Brien
by Cheryl & Harry Johnson.
*Fri.,
June 22: 77 - 45
*Sat., June 23: 75 - 41
*Sun., June 24: 76 - 40
*Mon., June 25: 91 - 41
*Tue., June 26: 87 - 47
*Wed., June 27: 85 - 46
*Thurs., June 28: 76 - 50 0.10
Following are the high-and-
low temperatures, and rainfall,
recorded in Cave Junction at
Mountain Wind Farm.
*Fri.,
June 22: 73 - 42 0.07
*Sat., June 23: 73 - 42
*Sun., June 24: 74 - 36 0.03
*Mon., June 25: 83 - 40
*Tue., June 26: 88 - 42
*Wed., June 27: 84 - 42
*Thurs., June 28: 75 - 46 0.05
child support check from a
dead-beat dad. While waiting
for that funding, our leader-
ship should have been scram-
bling for alternatives.
Author seems ‘paranoid,
‘babbling, out of touch’
From Josiah Dean
Cave Junction
I have to say something
about this. As one of the more
progressive members of the
I.V. News staff, I understand
that some issues receiving
coverage may not be in agree-
ment with my views.
However, the story about
Holly Swanson’s presentation
in Grants Pass (I.V. News,
June 27) cannot go without
remark. Swanson strikes me
as completely out of touch
with the current state of the
world. And while I am not a
psychologist, she comes
across as a bit paranoid.
I did enjoy the placement
of ideas in the story as the
author juxtaposed statements.
Take these two sentences:
“The goal is still world
communism,” Swanson said.
“Emotions, particularly fear,
are being used and manipu-
lated to slant the debate on
issues such as global warm-
ing,” Swanson said.
When you put it that
way, I have to agree with
Swanson. Proclaiming that
folks are communists, at one
time, evoked “emotion, par-
ticularly fear” for many. I am
not sure if she realizes it, but
we won the Cold War. Those
nasty communists are no
longer a threat: capitalism
won. Swanson’s fear tactic
doesn’t quite have the impact
with me, although I get the
impression that others are still
afraid.
Swanson then expressed
worry about our children be-
ing taught about sustainabil-
ity, as if sustainability were
tied to communism. If one
looks at the radical organiza-
tions working in this state to
promote sustainability, she
will find folks like the Legis-
lature who, according to the
governor, had a “landmark
session for sustainability in
Oregon.”
“It affects our future. It
affects our kids,” Swanson
was quoted as saying. I agree
with her once again; sustain-
ability is about our future and
our kids. That’s why we teach
our schoolchildren about it.
Swanson then was
quoted comparing our teach-
ers (those who teach sustain-
ability) to the likes of Lenin
and Hitler because they
“deliberately indoctrinate”
our children. When more kids
recognize Mickey Mouse and
Joe Camel than George
Washington and Abraham
Lincoln, who do you think is
indoctrinating our children?
Swanson then cited some
“Green goals.” I am not sure
where she got them. The 10
key values of the Pacific
Green Party of Oregon
(pacificgreens.org) are:
Grass-roots democracy, social
justice, ecological wisdom,
nonviolence, decentralization,
community-based economics,
feminism, diversity, responsi-
bility, future focus.
Even if the Green Party
had somehow infiltrated our
educational system, those
values don’t sound that men-
acing to me.
I find myself disagreeing
with Swanson on the final
point from the story. She is
quoted as saying that ethics
“has no business being in our
schools.” Now, I might not go
to church every Sunday, but I
believe in a “global ethic”
that transcends all other be-
liefs and values. It’s called the
Golden Rule.
Since Swanson appears
still to be living in the era of
the Cold War, she may not
have noticed that we now
have a global economy. Add
to that the numerous corpo-
rate scandals like Enron and
WorldCom, and I think that
our future leaders might do
well with learning about
global ethics.
With so much going on
in our community, are the
babblings of someone who,
among other things, feels
ethical business practices
should not be pursued, really
what our paper wants to fill
its space with?
Pregnancy Center
birthing day-care
From Mary Lefner,
executive director
I.V. Pregnancy Center
Cave Junction
Illinois Valley Pregnancy
Center is expecting. We have
prepared a birthing plan for a
Christian day-care in Cave
Junction.
This is something our
board has been working on
for approximately two years,
and we are seeing God pave
the way for an opening later
this summer.
The center will be called
Helping Hands, and is in the
process of obtaining its state
and federal nonprofit status.
Within two months, we ex-
pect the child-care center to
be financially independent,
and within nine months, it
will be a completely separate
nonprofit organization from
the pregnancy center.
In the meantime, we
have secured a building (one
block from the pregnancy
center); a child-care provider
(Cindy O’Hara who will di-
rect the site); and equipment
and some of the start-up
funds necessary to open. The
pregnancy center board has
set a goal of an additional
$3,000 to open (which in-
cludes liability insurance,
filing fees, rent and utilities).
We would like to open the
site in August.
There initially will be
room for two infants, four
toddlers, and up to four
school-age children. Pre-
school activities utilizing the
A-Beka curriculum will be
presented daily at age appro-
(Continued on page 3)
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