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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, January 10, 2017
Life in the
Valley
of Riches
By DAN MANCUSO,
Publisher
Floyd Greenlee Jr. known as Bubbles or Bubba now has
a house on wheels for himself and his dog, Bonnie. While
I think it looks better than the old “Bubba Cabana” aka
shopping cart, it creates new problems.
I think it’s great the man now has a place to store his
stuff and get out of the weather, but this issue leads me to
question, what is the city going to do about this? Are the
houses on wheels going to be licensed? Where can you park
them? Why can’t I live in my RV at my house or lot? In my
opinion, the city needs to be consistent in application of
codes.
Another issue the city needs to deal with is the
shopping carts. They are everywhere in town, and they are
not cheap. From what I can find a standard cart costs around
$200. Cities across Oregon, California, Arizona and even
Wisconsin, now have rules that fine stores for not collecting
their carts. While I hate to put the onus on the store owners,
the carts do belong to them.
Speaking of problems regarding the homeless or bums,
as some call them; many of them are trashing our town. Now
that winter is here they seem to migrate to our office as it’s
covered, and that’s OK with me. What’s not OK is all the
trash they leave.
Fast-food containers, miscellaneous clothing items,
cigarette butts, food wrappers, canine and human feces are
the norm. I’m at my wit’s end, especially since I get to watch
them do all this after the fact when I play back the night’s
video.
I try to be consistent and let them know I don’t mind
them outside my office at night as long as they pick up after
themselves. It reminds me of the saying “The road to hell is
paved with good intentions.” And in this case, trash.
I don’t know what I expect the city to do about this
problem, I know in the end they can do very little.
Thank you for picking up this week’s paper, enjoy! ~
djm
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need not be published, but will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.)
What if I told you my
goal in life was to,
“Make Nicole Great?”
I imagine that you’d
think that I needed to reign
in my ego, might lack a
moral center, and definitely
lacked maturity.
In their book
“Character Strengths and
Virtues,” psychologists
Christopher Peterson
and Martin Seligman
identify six broad virtues
that consistently emerge
across history and culture:
wisdom, courage, humanity,
justice, temperance, and
transcendence.
People with these
sorts of values don’t aim to
be bigger and better than
others. People of character
work hard, care about
others, and avoid bragging.
People with these values
measure success based on
their ability to do the right
thing in spite of adversity.
People with these character
strengths are thoughtful, fair,
and brave.
‘Great’ is a value
defined by its relationship
to something less great,
small or mediocre. People
who see life as a stage for
greatness believe themselves
to be superior, approach
relationships competitively,
and are consumed by status.
They want to be first, have
more, and get noticed.
People who are defined by
greatness put others down
and are only truly liked
by those who want what
they have or those they are
manipulating to get what
they want.
The USA is just as ugly
with greatness as our aim.
I’m a progressive
democrat who believes
that it’s time to embrace a
traditionally conservative
focus on character. It’s not
what we get, or what we
have, or even what we do
that matters most. It’s who
we are.
Nicole Rensenbrink
Cave Junction
Reader wants people to
show some love for our
forests
Now correct me if I’m
wrong, don’t the citizens
of Jackson and Josephine
county pay for services to
protect our Forest land? If
yes,then why aren’t they
doing their job? Correct
me again if I’m wrong,but
doesn’t the forest service
have their own law
enforcement officers? They
call them Forest Rangers,
right? What exactly is their
job description?
I went up Onion
Mountain Rd. and less
than an eighth of a mile
I saw garbage dumped
everywhere. I couldn’t
believe how bad it was.
But what really got me is
when I went up Savage
Creek Rd.about 3 miles and
saw pretty much a whole
house dumped. There was
a hot tub, refrigerator,
stove,couch, chair, toilet,
and house hold garbage.
I passed a sign that said
“Smile,your on camera!”
You mean to tell me that
you have video of vehicles
loaded with garbage and
coming back empty and
you didn’t report it? I don’t
know about anybody else
but I love the forest. They
are abusing and killing our
forest. The law needs to
start focusing on stopping
these people and making
them clean their garbage
up. Their teaching our kids
it’s okay to do that because
nobody cares anyway. I say
fire these people and find
someone else to do the job.
Allison Growley
Cave Junction
Ways of Knowing
To some of us,
truth and reality are
derived purely from our
perceptions; they are ‘just
what we think.’ To others
of us, truth and reality are
the actuality of phenomena;
they represent what actually
exists regardless of our
perceptions. While many of
us operate in the ‘opinion-
based’ world, science seeks
to understand actually how
our physical world works.
These differences
present immense barriers to
communication.
When the scientist
offers conclusions based on
what the evidence suggests,
he/she is indicating what
the product of extensive
research suggests is the
actual reality. This research
is committed to attempting
to falsify the conclusion
derived. When a scientific
conclusion is presented, we
understand that extensive
efforts to falsify it have
been tried - and have failed
to deny it.
In the perception-based
reality, we don’t subject
opinions to the rigorous
tests of science, we don’t
try to falsify them. Rather,
we seek evidence to support
and confirm our idea.
The barrier to
communication occurs
because the perception-
based realist thinks the
ideas of the actuality-based
scientist are derived from
their own flimsy thinking
process.
When science/
scientists offer collective
conclusions on an issue, we
dismiss these conclusions
as ‘just what they think’’ at
our peril.
Alan Journet
Jacksonville
Reader says tax bill
will destroy our future
The Senate/House tax
bill conference committee
recommends allowing
oil and gas drilling in the
Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. Many proven
alternative energy choices
can replace oil and gas but
there is only one Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge.
The Coastal Plain of the
Arctic Refuge includes
precious habitat for species
ranging from polar bears
and caribou to nesting
birds and waterfowl. These
migrating birds touch all
50 states and nearly every
continent of the globe.
This Arctic attack
ignores the will of the
American people. For
decades a majority of voters
have urged Congress to
protect this irreplaceable
ecological treasure. While
completely violating the
rights and treaty obligations
to the Gwich’in people of
the US and Canada, drilling
proponents claim that
lease sales will generate
as much as $1 billion in
revenue over the next
decade. To barely address
over $1 trillion in tax cuts
for corporations and the
rich this would destroy our
Arctic Refuge. Republican
abuse of the budget process
would sacrifice one of the
nation’s most ecologically
and culturally significant
places for a paltry federal
benefit.
Americans who care
about our future should call
their Federal representatives
and tell them to remove
Arctic drilling from the
‘Tax Bill’.
Yours truly,
Dennis Specht
Medford
Obituaries
Marie Mac Kechnie, 79, passed away on the afternoon of Jan. 5 surrounded by
her children. She was married to her late husband, David, for 60 years. They passed within three
months of each other as they have never been apart long.
Born in Philadelphia, Pa. and raised in Van Nuys, Calf., Marie attended and graduated from
Van Nuys High School. She married David in April of 1957 and their great love story began. Marie
became a bookkeeper for a number of companies while raising their three children. She celebrated
everything and made every holiday and occasion special. Her favorite day of the year was St.
Patrick’s Day as she celebrated her Irish heritage with great pride. Her nickname was “Mad Dwarf”.
Marie discovered her great passion and talent in oil painting and pursued it for many years.
Marie and David moved to Cave Junction in 1988 and never looked back. They fell in love
with the people and beauty of Oregon. They started D&M Rooter together while David did the
labor and Marie kept the books. Together, they served the people of the Illinois Valley proudly.
Marie is survived by her son, Scott; her daughters, Lisa and Michelle; her grandchildren, Ash-
ley, Caitlyn and Hannah; and great-grandchildren, Brady, Harper and Samuel.
I llINoIs V alley F uNeral D Irectors
www.since1928Hull.com
541-592-4110
Save the date
Jan. 13
Planning Ahead:“Planting Your Garden
for Preserving” is a class to assist gardeners in
planning their gardens for maximum benefit.
All are welcome to attend. This free class will
be held in the dining room of Community
Bible Church at 113 S. Caves Avenue, on Sat-
urday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m.
Jan. 21
“Fostering Family Morale & Support,”
Trauma-Informed Self-Care and Family Care
class, Led by Jerry Allen, LMFT, SEP, MPH,
Anishinaabe Medicine Man & Coach,Date/
Time: Sunday, January 21, 2018, 1-3 p.m.,
Place: Unitarian Universalist Hall, 129 NW E
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
I.V. News LLC
Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher
St, Grants Pass. Cost: $25 - 15 sliding scale
per family, no one turned away, bring whole
family, friends, grandparents, teens & tweens
welcome, singles $12 (a portion of proceeds
goes to saving the old growth forests.) For
more information email jerryallengitfiddler@
gmail.com
Jan. 23
Freddy & Francine, Americana – Soul
duo will perform live at the Takilma Commu-
nity Building, 9367 Takilma Rd. for a KXCJ
Fundraiser, Tuesday, Jan. 23, Doors: 6 p.m.,
Show: 7 p.m. Tickets $10 - $20 sliding scale,
light dinner & desserts. For more info call 541-
592-4112.
POSTMASTER: Please send
address changes to P.O. Box 1370,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Illinois Valley News is published at
221 S. Redwood Hwy.,
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Telephone (541) 592-2541
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Illinois Valley News does not refund subscriptions.
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Feb. 3
Oregon Humanities presents “Talking
about Dying” a community conversation Feb.
3, 2018 starting at 10 a.m. at the I.V. Family
Coalition, 535 E. River Street, Cave Junction,
541-592-6139. This Conversation Project pro-
gram provides an opportunity for participants
to reflect on what stories and influences shape
their thinking about death and dying and to
hear perspectives and ideas from fellow com-
munity members. Sponsored by Illinois Valley
Family Coalition and Clear Creek Family
Practice. Refreshments will be provided.
Continuing
*Illinois Valley Community Watch Meet-
News - Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Editor -Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Classified Ads -Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Circulation - Laura Mancuso
laura@illinois-valley-news.com
Advertising / Composition -
Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Mailroom - Millie Watkins
ing every Monday from 5 - 6 p.m. at Wild River
Pizza, 249 Redwood Hwy. – Cave Junction. A
Public Safety Outreach Campaign effort with all
I.V. Neighborhood Watch Groups – representa-
tives, including businesses and churches, and
support for anyone wishing to start a neighbor-
hood watch. Includes a 2-way hand held radio
program briefing from 4:20 - 4:50 p.m. Contact
Guenter - 541-415-1929 / ivwatch541@gmail.
com.
*The I.V. Senior Thrift Store: Join the
crew and make new friends. You don’t need to
be a senior citizen to volunteer at the store. Call
us at 541-592-6630. Open Monday – Saturday,
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
DEADLINES:
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4 P.M. FRIDAYS
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encour-
ages letters to the editor pro-
vided they are legible and not
libelous or scurrilous. All let-
ters 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 discre-
tion of the publisher.