Page A-2
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Gunners maiden voyage
a hotel and
then headed
over to the
high school.
It was great
to see all the
folks from
the Valley
also
By DAN MANCUSO, that
made
the
Publisher
trek. They
all made a
lot of noise
Our IVHS Cougar basketball
and that could not have gone
team took us on a wild ride last
unnoticed by the team. As someone
Friday morning. After Thursday
who gets to see a lot of games up
night’s gut wrenching loss to
close, I must say how proud I am
perennial powerhouse Dayton, I
of the manner in which the kids
had higher hopes for the rest of the
handled themselves. They were
bracket. Sadly enough, just like in
absolute gentlemen and gracious
football, it again was Santiam that
in defeat. They may not have had
dashed our playoff dreams.
smiles on their faces, but they
I went up to North Bend on
were practicing what I would call
Thursday afternoon, checked into
textbook sportsmanship. Kudos to
Life in the
Valley
of Riches
all of them and also to the parents
and families that cared enough to
be involved.
The Year of the Cougar has
brought us great luck in sports!
First football, then basketball — do
we dare have the same expectations
for baseball? Time will tell.
Speaking of sports, I again
have to own up to a mistake. In the
first photo we ran at the beginning
of wrestling season, I identified the
grappler as Gabe Miller, but it was
actually Zach Anderson. Then last
week, I ran a photo of Matt Coultas
and named him Zach. You can see
what Zach really looks like on page
A-8 of this week’s paper! I cannot
apologize enough.
On the next page you will
find a bit of a blast from the past.
El Jeffe sent a letter to the editor to
fill all of us in as to the goings on of
the Rodriguez felines. I decided to
run it as a special “Bobs Corner.”
Lastly, the Illinois Valley
Chamber of Commerce is holding
its annual awards banquet Saturday,
March 19, at the Deer Creek Center
in Selma. You have until Monday
to get your tickets. Space is very
limited, so call Chamber Director
Dulcie Moore today to save your
seats. Kate Dwyer is going to
provide a fantastic meal as usual.
The banquet will honor the Citizen
of the Year and Business of the
Year as well as a few other awards.
You don’t want to miss out on this
very important fund-raiser for the
chamber.
Thank you for picking up this
week’s paper, enjoy!
— djm
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Dirk Brown and his companion Gunner
enjoy a winter nights ride Feb. 4.
Letters to the Editor
Illinois Valley News welcomes
Letters to the Editor.
Please e-mail them to
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encour-
ages letters to the editor provided
they are legible and not libelous
or scurrilous. All letters must be
signed, including name, 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. Letters are used at the
discretion of the publisher.
***
(Editor’s Note: Views and com-
mentary, including statements
made as fact are strictly those
of the letter writers)
The Big Lie
It was in 1988 that I settled
into the Illinois Valley. It is a
wonderful place to live, raise
children, meet new friends,
etc. But since moving here, I
have met numerous people,
especially women, who are
greatly troubled about a way-
ward son, daughter or other
loved one who has met an un-
timely death due to drugs, bad
company or other sinful activ-
ity. Time and again, they have
told me they can have no rest
because all their lives, minis-
ters in the churches and over
the radio have convinced them
that, because their loved ones
lived a Christless life, they are
right now and forever will be
roasting in the Eternal Fires
of Hell while God ignores
their screams of agony and
despair. The result: Weeping
mothers – God-hating fathers.
For the relief and sweet
peace which suffering Val-
ley residents deserve, the
Big Lie must be stopped.
You Evangelical Shepherds
out there; in the Name of Jesus
and in behalf of all the people
whom you have misled, I open-
ly rebuke you and challenge
you to tell them the Bible Truth
about this matter. Stop hiding
so piously behind the Immor-
tality of the Soul Deception.
God told Eve that if she
eats of the tree, “Thou shalt
surely die” – Genesis 2:17.
Then along came Satan who
told Eve, “Ye shall not surely
die” Genesis 3:4. That was
the very first lie ever told, and
the Pagan Witch Doctors and
Evangelical Preachers have
been preaching that Lie ever
since, causing many good
people much grief, suffering
and anxiety as they believe
that lie and picture their loved
ones “roasting and scream-
ing in everlasting Hell Fire.”
Jesus says: “The wages
of sin is Death” – Romans
6:23. You Evangelical min-
isters say: “The wages of
sin is Eternal Life in Hell.”
Who is lying, Jesus or you?
You shepherds, disaster
awaits you if you continue
preaching fables to your
sheep. See: the End-Time
warning from the Prophet:
Jeremiah 25:30-33, 34-38.
If any minister or their
church membership don’t like
what I say, don’t get mad.
Instead, for the sakes of all
mothers, fathers and other Val-
ley residents, let us, in Chris-
tian love, schedule an Open
Bible Public Forum on this
subject at the County Build-
ing in C.J. which will bring the
Big Lie to its end in this Val-
ley, all in the Name of the Lord
and Christian Brotherhood.
Feel free to call. Questions:
Ronald Greene 541-597-2697
When man dies, he
sleeps, knowing nothing,
until Judgment of the Last
Day. Psalm 17:15; 1 Thess.
4:15,16 Daniel 12: 1,2
Ronald Greene
Selma
Miner Should
be Released
Ronald Spears is one of the
smartest miners in the country,
who knows how to produce
platinum from the Josephine
county area. He is the only
one in the United States who
is able to do so with little im-
pact to the environment. Other
corporations have processing
plants that cost millions of dol-
lars to make and produce plati-
num and cause great impact
on the environment surround-
ing these platinum processing
plants. This makes Ron Spears
one of the smartest miners in
the United States for process-
ing and producing platinum
in an economically friendly
way. What happened was an
unfortunate accident, but we
feel that Mr. Spears has served
his time during the past 2 years
and should be released from
the Josephine County jail.
Justin Stewart
Douglas Stewart
James A. Zeek
Jack G. Zeek
Florence Rushing
Jason Gill
Marion Nichols
Spraying Notification
“Currently residents near the
spray… are the only ones
who receive notification.”
I see the clear-cut out of my
kitchen window. Our north
property line is the south prop-
erty line of the mentioned 70-
acre plot. Is anyone closer?
We received no notification
of spraying or meeting. Per-
petua has never contacted us.
Sharon Reason
Selma
Inhabitants of
Illinois Valley
Inhabitants of Illinois Val-
ley and Josephine county. It
appears that we have a great
opportunity in the guise of a
problem regarding the proposed
herbicide spraying of the clear
cut that may adversely affect
the water quality of McMullen
creek and Lake Selmac. All
of us who inhabit this valley
and all who enjoy recreating at
the lake may wish to examine
our values and how those are
represented in the way we are
choosing to interact with the
natural world around us. If any
of us have the least niggling of
discomfort regarding the use
of chemicals designed to kill
wholesale species of complex
living plant systems it may be
time to ask why we would ig-
nore, condone, or participate
in such an activity. Before
we point our fingers, or while
we’re pointing our collective
fingers at those who are doing
this, we may want to examine
our complicity. Are we using
toxic chemicals to alter the
balance of living species in our
yards or gardens? Are we con-
suming products that are cre-
ated in a manner that appears
to be detrimental to the bio-
sphere? I think the answer to
varying degrees has to be yes.
What beliefs do we hold
that keep us on this path of
self destruction? From what
source did these self destruc-
tive beliefs and subsequent ac-
tions originate? If we human
beings are just one facet of a
multilevel, complex system of
mutually sustaining, balanced
living systems, the interaction
of which we are just begin-
ning to grasp, how wise is it
to inflict significant damage on
whole sectors of an intricately
balanced system? Is it possible
to do this without adversely af-
fecting the whole? The large
scale environmental degrada-
tion that has accelerated in the
last few decades seems to in-
dicate not, and may be part of
our wake up call. If we have
abdicated responsibility for
how we interact with our en-
vironment to those who seem
bent on a path to control and
manipulate the planets natu-
ral systems until they can all
be accounted for on a spread-
sheet, more of the same may
be what we’re in for. It may be
possible that these same forc-
es that continue to monetize
self-regulating natural sys-
tems have influenced public
opinion and regulation at all
levels of government to allow
these self destructive practices
to continue and accelerate.
Are we stuck or can we
imagine another way? There
are many in this valley that
are making active steps to-
ward of life of balanced coop-
eration with the living systems
that sustain us. Small scale
organic farming, ecologi-
cally sensitive fiber harvest-
ing, (coined ecostry), Natural,
colloquial, sustainable build-
ing practices and permacul-
ture farming to name a few.
If life is truly a game of
monopoly then the monetiza-
tion of all natural resources
and living systems, includ-
ing humans, may result in the
death of many species. May-
be the chosen few will die
from starvation or poisoning
in a four star hotel surround-
ed by the illusion of luxury.
If real wealth is the joy
of living in and experiencing
ourselves as part of an opulent
varied and cooperative com-
plex natural system I would
like to choose this wealth.
Can we have compassion
for ourselves and others as
we are learning to embrace
the natural world around us
and continue to discover our
balanced place in it?
Even
for those who seem to be di-
rectly at odds with this per-
spective? Will our children’s
children enjoy this beautiful
living planet or something
less palatable? Time will tell.
For those interested there
have been Wednesday evening
meetings at the county building
to discuss concerns and options
regarding the proposed spray-
ing. Look for posters, notices
or go to the preciousdirt.org
Paul Hanson
Cave Junction
Here, There & Everywhere
Third Friday
Illinois Valley Garden Club meets every third
Friday of the month at the Belt Building in Ker-
by. We feature guest speakers at each meeting as
well as a Horticulture Table/ Show & Tell. Cof-
fee Hour at 12:30pm and meeting at 1:00pm.
Every Wednesday
Wild River Pizza – Open Mic. 6-8pm
Contact Todd Kaberline or Jim No-
lan
54-646-0975
or
541-660-8572
Annual Offseason Girl’s Basketball
“The Mid-Valley Monarchs” girls’ basket-
ball program will be holding try-outs/sign-ups
for spring & summer teams. The program is de-
signed to help players who wish to pursue more
advanced basketball during their off season.
Try-outs/Sign-ups
are:
•
Sunday, Mar. 13: 3:30 – 5:00 PM
for current 6th - 8th graders and 5:30
- 7:00 PM for current 9th and above
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
W.H. Alltheway, LLC
Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher
•
Tuesday, Mar. 15: 5:30-7:00 PM
for current 6th - 8th graders and 7:00 -
8:30 PM for current 9th and above.
All try-outs/sign-ups will be held at the gym at Cor-
ban University in Salem, 5000 Deer Park Drive SE.
Try-out, team & travel fees will apply.
Please visit www.midvalleymonarchs.com or
contact Ron Hittner at 503-580-5722, rhittner@
corban.edu, or Terry Williams at 503-871-6551,
twilliams@corban.edu if you have questions.”
March 12
An annual benefit for the Dome School – A Wom-
en’s Café will include singing, dancing, poetry,
writers, artists, healers & musicians. Please join
us for the Women’s Art Exhibit at 5:00pm and
Performances at 6:30pm. We will be serving
Quiche, salads, sweets & beverages. Everyone is
welcome (please no young children). For more
info call 541-592-2866. This year’s event will
take place at the Selma Community Center.
POSTMASTER: Please send
address changes to P.O. Box 1370,
Cave Junction OR 97523
Illinois Valley News is published at
321 S. Redwood Hwy.,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Telephone (541) 592-2541
FAX (541) 592-4330
Since 1937 periodicals postage
paid at Cave Junction OR 97523
P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820
March 12
Illinois Forks State Park - West Side Road Access
The West Fork Trail system off of Westside
Road is a welcome addition to Illinois River
Forks State Park. Greg Walter will lead this
3 mile easy loop hike to panoramic views of
snow covered peaks. Early flowering spring
beauty, trillium, and hounds tongue will be out
to greet us. Meet at 10am at Coffee Heaven in
Cave Junction next the Chevron Station. Call
Rich at 541-476-6648 for more information.
March 26th
“A Night at the Casbah” featuring Mediterra-
nean cuisine and dancing to Oregon Little Big
Band will take place 5:30 to 9:30 pm, Saturday,
March 26th at the I.V. Senior Center, 520 E.
River Street. Live entertainment will include
belly dancing by “Raqs Ahroosh,” a semi-pro-
fessional troupe from Grants Pass, as well as
“Wild Azaleas” and “Tashkent” performing tra-
ditional ethnic dances. Raffles, live and silent
auctions will benefit IRVAC’s two major pro-
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
CONTACT US:
One year in Josephine
County - $24.50
One year in Jackson and
Douglas counties - $28.00
One year in all other Or-
egon counties and
out-of-state - $39.00
News - Darcy Wallace
darcy@illinois-valley-news.com
Illinois Valley News does not refund subscriptions.
Remainder of subscription will be donated to the
charity of your choice.
Circulation - Zina Booth
zbooth@illinois-valley-news.com
Advertising - Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Composition - Stacy Byrne
stacy@illinois-valley-news.com
Mailroom - Millie Watkins
grams: Second Friday ArtWalk and Learning
Through Art. $20 Advance tickets are now on
sale at Evergreen Federal Bank in Cave Junc-
tion. Dinner 6 to 7 pm only. Admission $25 at
the door subject to availability. Visit www.ir-
vac.com or call 541-592-4444 for information.
April 7
Coming Soon!!! Ham Bingo, held by American
Legion Post 70/Auxiliary Unit 70 on Saturday,
April 2, at the Josephine County Building. Doors
open at 5:00pm, Bingo starts at 6:00pm. A Spiral
ham will be given for each Bingo game. 25-Cent
per hard card, snack bar, 50/50 drawing & prizes.
May 7
The Annual Spring Plant Sale will be held May
7 from 9:00am to ?? in front of the County
Building on Redwood Hwy in Cave Junc-
tion. Look for more details about this sale
event right here in the Illinois Valley News’
Here, There & Everywhere section soon!
DEADLINES:
News, Classified and
Display Ads, Announce-
ments and Letters
5 P.M. FRIDAYS
(Classified ads and display
ads may be accepted until
noon Mondays with an
additional charge.)
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encour-
ages letters to the editor pro-
vided they are legible and not
libelous or scurrilous. All letters
must be signed, including
name, address and telephone
number. The latter need not be
published, but will be used to
verify authenticity. The ‘News’
reserves the right to edit let-
ters. Letters are used at the
discretion of the publisher.