4
Columbia Gorge News
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
www.columbiagorgenews.com
OPINION
The opinions expressed in the letters below are “your voice,” and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Columbia Gorge News, its staff, publisher or advertisers.
YOUR VOICE
Not so hot
Mountain High
I hope that the climate alarm-
ists out there have read the story
on page B10 of the July 14, 2021,
Columbia Gorge News. The article
was from The Dalles Chronicle of
July 15, 1941. It stated that the tem-
perature on July 14 was 104 degrees
and that the temperature at 11:30
a.m. on the 15th was already 103
degrees. Pretty much what we’ve
been having lately.
The progressives have been
spreading phony climate predic-
tions ranging from global freezing
to global warming since the 1970s.
None of them have come true.
Kenton Mathewson
Dallesport
EDITOR’S NOTE: 104 degrees in
mid-Julywasunusualenoughin1941
towarrantapage1headlineinthe
newspaper.
Summer rest
I’ve recently visited your beauti-
ful and ravaged county and Mount
Hood and I was inspired to write a
poem. I present it here to you beau-
tiful people!
And Still The Flowers Grow...
The mountain stands stalwart
and tall. The tree stumps & stalks
abound, their branches & leaves
burnt to the ground.
Over the mountainside, down the
hills, from the top of the mountain
to the water’s still, the old and gray
fall to the ground.
And still the flowers grow, be-
neath their feet. The purple, the yel-
low, the white are a feat, Of survival
amongst the Treacherous rocks, as
the sun beams down on the burnt
tree tops.
Mount Hood stands tall amongst
her friends: Mount Ranier, Mount
St. Helens and Mount Adams again
...
The guardians of the lands of the
north and west, God’s lands are
now taking a summers rest. And still
the flowers grow.
Darlana Fiehtsam
Columbia, SC
Mount Adams dominates the view from Trout Lake.
moments. Volunteers from White
Salmon were also on the scene in
short order. To all of them who I
know were there — Ryan Kreps,
Tyson Trout, Zach Landgren —
and to Jay Holtman for manning
Hunsaker’s D9, thank you so much.
And thank you Bill for the use of the
dozer.
My friend Donna and I went to
And thank you to those whose
Shari’s Restaurant on July 14 to
celebrate our birthdays and to enjoy names I do not know, but that were
a meal, sitting at a table for the first there, either a part of the USFS team
and/or there to help in some other
time in a long time. We placed our
capacity. Thank you, thank you and
orders and shortly after our server
thank you!
came to table to say a gentleman
Kevin Herman
had paid for our tickets! We want
White Salmon
to say thank you kind sir, you made
our day!
Lorna Elliott
The Dalles
Thank you
Essential news
The combining of newspapers in
the area seems to be going well, and
I hope is making a profit. I like the
focus on local news and events.
The June 2021 Hightower
Lowdown has a suggestion that
might add to this, a “regular section
that digs into the area’s wages, job
losses and openings, workplace
conditions ... affordable housing,
worker safety, job discrimina-
tion, childcare availability, abuse
hotlines, unionizing efforts, and the
myriad of other real-life issues that
confront this majority on a daily
basis ...” This would be something
like the business section of many
newspapers, only with policy, mon-
ey and economics news essential
for most of us.
Or would it be better not to have
such a specific section, but instead
give sufficient attention to such
topics throughout the paper? This
approach sort of seems to be a
healthy trend in the paper already.
I’m not sure, but I suggest the
concept for discussion.
Jerrold Richards
Lyle
Thank you,
firefighters
I want to thank those firefighters
and other volunteers who helped
keep the Strawberry Mountain
blaze at bay and eventually put it
out. It nearly overtook our little area
near the city shed on July 8.
USFS happened to be fueling up
just down the street at Hunsaker’s
Oil and answered the call within
Thank you,
Gov. Brown
I would like to thank Gov. Kate
Brown, The Health Division, local
health departments, doctor offices
and the many volunteers who
helped to vaccinate Oregon. It is
wonderful that after a terrible year
with COVID, many deaths, sick-
nesses, and so much loss to our
businesses, that Oregon can go back
to a more normal life.
It is nice to give each other hugs,
smile at each other, see each other
at church, go to the theater and
many other places that we missed
over this past year.
I think it is important to wear
face masks if requested since some
still do not have the vaccine and
some have compromising health
conditions. It is so easy to wear a
mask if requested to do so. We want
everyone to be safe and we are a
better community when we think of
each other.
We do need to be careful since
the COVID Delta Variant is alive
and spreading in the United States.
It would be refreshing if some of
those who criticized Gov. Brown so
strongly about COVID state regula-
tions would say something positive
about the recent statewide lifting of
COVID restrictions.
Oregon is healthier and safer
because of a lot of hard work by a lot
of people. Thank you so much!
Nancy Johanson Paul
Hood River
Letters appreciated
I appreciate those who write
letters to the editor, whether I agree
with you or not. I appreciate Peter
F. who pointed out the missing
Chelsea Marr photo
little birds, as we were likewise
worrying about their absence from
our bird feeders. Here’s the good
news — they have returned to us,
the Juncos, the Nuthatches, and
the Chickadees. Maybe they took a
leave of absence to make nests and
rear their families elsewhere, away
from the Stellar Jays?
I also enjoy Benjamin Sheppard’s
letters, especially the last one where
he points out the inconsistency of
some in blaming the insurrection of
Jan. 6 on the Black Lives Matter sup-
porters and then not being willing
to look into the matter.
I do wonder why the paper feels
it necessary to point out “Benjamin
Sheppard is employed as a social
worker.” No other letter writer has
his occupation delineated like this.
Joan Chantler
White Salmon
or color.
I just want to say, with tears in
my eyes, my son and late brother’s
son both had very close friends at
The Dalles High School who were
Black and Hispanic, and part of our
family. Our boys were also part of
their families!
God bless America and all of you.
Steve Cochenour
The Dalles
More
entertainment
For years, the Hood River News
had a weekly article on an artist
somewhere in the Gorge. It was
such fun to read about all the differ-
ent ways we are creative. And when
there was a major show in local
galleries, we could plan to attend.
So when I had a show in June, I
EDITOR’S NOTE:Therearetwomen
namedBenjaminSheppardinHood
Riverandthenoteistoidentifywhich
Benjaminiswriting,anarrangement
workedoutyearsagoattheHoodRiver
News.
Proud to be an
American
My family has many nationali-
ties in it. I’m very proud to say my
family and relatives are made up of
not just white Americans, but also
Australian, German and Mexican.
We need to put our hard earned
money to protect all of America,
men, women and children of all
colors and nationalities! Even the
families trying to come to America
from Mexico and other countries
as they did in the 1020s, 1930s
and 1940s. Did we treat them with
disrespect as in Germany with the
Berlin wall?
Stop putting money building a
wall and police force. The drugs
will find their way over, under
and around the wall, even the
unwanted criminals. Also, look at
what that wall is doing to America.
This is also dividing America, a
country of many races, colors and
nationalities.
All of us are related! Men, women
and children in America and
beyond. Remember, it started with
two people, a man and a woman,
who also loved each other! We are
one family, no matter the country
looked in your Wednesday papers
only to find out, no art section!
Just recently I got a postcard
about Gorge Artists Open Studios.
There are 42 artists exhibiting this
September. And I am sure there are
10 more, even in the Dalles, which
means you could write a story once
a week and cover all sorts of differ-
ent creative work.
Art brings folks to our communi-
ties as well as revenue.
I hope you will add an art section
to your paper.
Seddon Wylde
Hood River
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necessarily reflect the opinions of
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publisher or advertisers.
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HOOD RIVER | THE DALLES | WHITE SALMON
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