Bcv.
Hults
Editorial
Now & Then
Michael McCusker for Mayor of Astoria
by Billy Hults
The long-time editor and publisher of the North
Coast Times Eagle, organizer of Northwest Vietnam
Veterans Against the War, social critic, and well-
known local Astoria character is considered by some
to be running a campaign with no chance of winning.
Some think he is not serious. I disagree. I was
sitting in the Goose Hollow Inn when Bud Clark
decided to run for Mayor of Portland. Bud and Mike
have a lot in common. They are both highly
educated men. They both passionately love their
community, their state and their country. They love
them so much they want them to work. Neither is a
politician. They are both too outspoken for that.
They will both tell you the truth. They are both
veterans. They are both known to have an adult
beverage on occasion. They both have worked hard
and volunteered often. They both have published
newspapers. They are both readers of history.
When Bud ran he had buttons that said, “Bud
Clark is Serious!”. And he was. But that isn’t why
he won in the primary (an unheard of feat against an
incumbent). Bud won, I believe, because everyone
he knew trusted him and wanted to help him do
something to help his city. Something else I hope
Mike and Bud have in common. Bud’s literally
thousands of friends got their rolodexes together and
formed them into mailing lists and phone trees.
People printed posters and flyers for cost or free.
Folks invited friends over for drinks and talked about
what Bud was doing, and passed the hat. Bands did
benefits for the campaign. Raffles were held. 1
remember going to a Blazer game and handing out
hundreds of roses donated by a florist the day after
Valentine’s Day, with a little note that said “Vote for
Bud Clark and the Rose City”, or something. We
did cruises on the river. Artists drew posters and
galleries held events. It was fun!! A wide spectrum
of the population pitched in to elect a fellow citizen to
help them. And he won. And he helped his city
faithfully for two terms and then stepped aside, to go
back to work at his tavern and spend some time with
his grandchildren. After his eight years in office the
City of Portland, which had been running hand to
mouth before he got in City Hall, was showing a
budget surplus and had a “Rainy Day Fund”. He
also garnered a bit of national publicity which is
always good for business. That’s another thing
Michael and Bud have in common, they know the
value of other people’s money. So, I have seen a
citizen elected Mayor of his city. And I think Astoria
would do well to elect citizen McCusker. That is not
to say that Mr. Van Dusen is not a good man, he and
his family have contributed generation after
generation to Astoria. Mayor is almost an inherited
position in their family. On the other hand it takes a
lot for a man like Michael to stand for public office.
I don’t envy Michael the next few months. His life
will be examined, he will be pilloried by self
righteous zealots, he will be laughed at and sneered
at. But he’s marched for peace before, so he’s
familiar with the drill. I believe he will behave in an
honorable fashion. The question of whether he will
be elected Mayor of Astoria, and what he will do if
he is, is pretty much a question of what we, his
fellow citizens, want. Astoria is currently going
through a change that will be felt for generations, and
someone who has the will, skills, and compassion of
Mr. McCusker doesn’t do this everyday. He has no
ax to grind, his motives are anything but selfish, he’s
beholden to no one, he profits not from this, yet he
stands. If he’s willing to stand for us, the least we
can do is stand with him. It’s pretty simple, it’s a lot
of hard work and a lot of fun. We all get organized,
go knock on neighbors’ doors, raise money, talk
about the issues, make sure everyone votes, and
have a great victory party. Any questions? How can
you help? Well, since Michael doesn’t have a phone
or e-mail, you might want to send your list of
addresses and phone numbers to the Upper Left
Edge, and a list of times you can volunteer, and what
resources you can bring to the table. No, we haven’t
been hired by the campaign, we are volunteering too,
just because we still believe democracy is worth
working for.
These truths hold true in our little village. Laurel
Hood is standing again for Mayor, opposing Frank
Little. Dear John Fraser has decided to reclaim his
council seat, and Jimmy Tanquary has also heard the
call to serve his community, as has Barney’s mom
Michelle Standridge. We congratulate them on their
courage, and encourage the community to support
them in their efforts to serve. As for the fourth
candidate, we have yet to meet, or hear from her.
Be advised, we do not agree with everything the
above named folks say or stand for. We have
serious problems with some ideas. And of course
we have accepted ads so our motives and loyalties
may be called into question. Fear not, the decision is
yours, not ours.
State wide we have the republicrats and the
democrans fighting it out for the scraps. We have
the brave and reckless fight to stop the cicarcutting
and poisoning of this small comer of the world. We
have an initiative that will make it legal for folks who
are in pain to use a common weed to relieve their
suffering. Funny world, huh?
Rex Amos comes to town. Famous Rex Amos,
artist and preliminist philosopher, is now among us
on a regular basis. We regret we didn’t get the notice
of his show in August in time to share with our
readers, we luckily were able to view it and were
particularly fond of one rather timely collage mirror
showing folks in the act of ‘inappropriate intimate
contact’. (We at the Edge still can’t bnng ourselves
to join the mass media and describe the various
forms of inappropriate intimate contact. We are not
exactly a ‘family’ paper, but we do have other things
to talk about.) Space, and an editorial policy that
frowns on profanity, prevents us from printing
verbatim a letter from his ‘practicing wife’ about the
“Transient Stronghold” article last month. The same
policy prevents us from ‘editing’ letters to the editor;
we either print it as written, or don’t print it at all.
Suffice it to say it was funny and the point was well
taken that beauty is a fragile thing, time a constant
factor, and fools are common. The reason we bring
all of this up is that our regular ‘quotes’ which we
print under the articles in the Edge (and which have
been mistaken for editorial comment, or mistaken for
random luck as well) are this month from his tract on
Preliminism, a philosophy of dubious merit, but
mischevious intent. So, prepare yourself to repair
yourself, or vice versa according to Preliminists.
Editor/Publisher/Janitor The
Beloved Rev erend Billy Lloyd Hults
Graphics Editor: The Humble Ms.
Sally Louise Lackaff
Copy Editor/Scienre Editor/Voice
of ReasonZOncle Mike/etc.: Michael
Burgess
Wildlife Informant/Music Reporter
at Large Peter "Spud" Siege!
Education Editor Peter Lindsey
Improvisational Engineer: Dr.
Karkeys
Paste/Production/Proof Reader:
Myma Uhlig
Bass Player Bill Uhlig
Poetry Editor: John Buckley
Political Consultant: Kathieen
Krushas
History Editor Douglas Deur
Environmental News: Kim Bossi
Lower Left Beat Victoria Stoppiello
Mr. Baseball: Jeff Larson
Local Colour: Ron Logan
June's Garden: June Kroft
WEB Builder: Liz Lynch
WEB Ad Sales: Virginia Bruce
Essential Services: Ginnt Callahan
Ad Sales: Katherine Mace
Major Distribution: Ambling Bear
Distribution
Assistant W hite Space
Coordinator: Karen Brown
And A Cast Of Thousands.'!
Why blame failure on yourself?
Others need that recognition.
BE AN ARTIST!
Advertising rates:
Business Card Size Ad
$30.
1 /16th approx. 3 x 5
S35.
l/8 th a p p r o x 4 .\7
$50.
1 X4th approx. 6 1 /2 x 9 $ 100.
1/2 page
$150.
Full page
$300.
Back page
$400.
. . . per month. Payment is due
the 15th of the month prior to
the issue in which the ad is to
appear. Camera ready art is
requested. We are usually on
the streets by the first
weekend o f the month.
Don’t complain about others so much that you
don’t leave time to complain about yourself.
(Unless you are one of the others.)
Our readers will notice we have a couple of letters
to the editor this month. One is about Measure 64,
which bans clear-cuts, pesticides, herbicides, and
which everybody from the Governor down has come
out against. Still it made the ballot, so we called
Olife, the sponsor of the initiative, and talked to
Richard Bowden, he answered the phone. The
impression we had of Measure 64 was it was a pretty
radical attack on the timber industry by some hard
core environmentalists who would not compromise.
Like Earth First! with a good lawyer. People in the
environmental community have told us the Measure
hasn’t got a chance, it’s unconstitutional, it’s poorly
written. We got the bulk mailer from Ed ‘Oregon
State Forester, retired’ Schroeder telling us that no
one in Oregon could cut a tree over 30 inches in
diameter, and 28,000 folks would lose their jobs if
this Measure became law. Richard explained that it
takes a Douglas Fir a century to grow 24 inches in
diameter, and the measure might actually increase the
number folks employed in the forest. Richard is not
exactly a Earth First! kinda guy. He’s from Atlanta,
Georgia, and sounds like it. He’s in his fifties and
used to own Marrietta Millwork, where he made
roundtop window frames, employed 50 folks and
bought a lot of wood, he told us all about it. He
would be more accurately described as a wood
worker, rather than a tree hugger. Richard was
down in southern Oregon debating an employee of
Roseburg Forest Products and ‘dazzled’ him when
he said, he had bought a million board feet of pine
from Roseburg Forest Products several years back.
Richard understands the difference between a user
and a abuser when it comes to wood. So if you don’t
really trust what you read in the papers, or even the
‘Voter’s Pamphlet’ give Richard a call at (541)683-
1494, he’s got some interesting stuff to tell you.
And yes, we urge Oregon voters to vote yes on 64.
Brother Watt Childress of Greensbourgh,
Tennessee, visited recently and told a heart warming
story of an advisory initiative in his county that was
trying to stop the construction of a four lane highway
to the site of a new shopping mall or some such
thing. After all the ‘powers that be’ could do to stop
it, it won, and they had sworn to bow to the will of
the people. The funny thing is it won by one vote.
Three thousand and something to three thousand and
something plus one, and every one in the county
who voted for it was sure it was their vote that did it.
And the wonderful thing is that they are all right.
We urge our readers to vote. It matters.
uu.
WHERE TO G ET AN EDOE
C annon Beach: Jupiter's Rare and Used Books. O sburn's
Grocery. The Cookie Co.. Coffee Cabaña. Bill's Tavern. Cannon
Beach Book Co.. H anes Bakerle. The Bistro. M idtow n Café.
Once Upon a Breeze. Copies & Fax. Heather's. The Homegrown
Café. Haystack Video. M ariner M arket. Espresso Bean. Ecola
Square & Cleanllne S u rf
M an zan ita: M other Nature's Juice Bar. Bayside Gardens.
Cassandra's. M anzanita News & Espresso, 4 Nehalem Bay
Video
N ehalem : M erm aid Cafe
R ockaw ay Sharkey's
T illam o o k: Rainy Day Books
Bay C ity : A rt Space
Yachats: By-the-Sea Books
Pacific C ity: The River House. Far C o untry Books, 4 Village
Merchants
O cean sid e Ocean Side Espresso
L incoln C ity. T rilliu m N atural Foods. Driftwood Library. 4
Lighthouse Brewpub
D epoe Bay: Oregon Books
New port: Oceana N atural Foods. Café DIVA. Cosmo Café.
Bookm ark Café. Newport Bay Coffee Co.. Cuppatunes. Bay
Latté. Ocean Pulse S u rf Shop. Coastal Coffee Co.. Sylvia Beach
Hotel. G reen Gables Bookstore/ B 4 B . 4 Canyon Way
Eugene: Book M ark. Café Navarra. Eugene Public Library.
Friendly St. M arket. Happy Trails. Keystone Café. Klva Foods.
Lane C.C .. Light For Music. New Frontier M arket. Nineteenth
Street Brew Pub. Oasis M arket. Perry's. Red B arn Grocery.
Sundance N atural Foods. U of O. 4 W OW Hall
C o rv a llis The Environm ental Center. OSU
Salem: Heliotrope. Salem Library. 4 The Peace Store
Astoria: KMUN. C olum bian Cafe. The Com m unity Store. The
Wet Dog Cafe. Astoria Coffee Company. Café Uniontown. 4
Shark Rock Café
Seaside: Buck's Book Barn. Universal Video. 4 Café Espresso
Portland: Artichoke Music. Laughing Horse Bookstore. Act III.
Barnes 4 Noble. Belmonts Inn. Bibelot A rt Gallery. Bijou Café.
Borders. Bridgeport Brew Pub. Capt'n Beans (two locations).
Center for the Healing Light Coffee People (three locations).
Common Grounds Coffee. East Avenue Tavern. Food Front.
Goose Hollow Inn. H ot Lips Pizza. Java Bay Cafe. Key Largo. La
Pattlseerle. Lewis 4 C lark College. Locals Only. Marco's Pizza.
M arylhurst College. M t. Hood C c . Music M illenium. Nature's
(two locations). NW Natural Gas. O H SU Medical School. Okl
Wives Tales. Ozone Records. Papa Haydn. PCC (four locations).
PSU (two locations). Reed College. Third Eye. TransCentral
Library. 4 YWCA
C ornelius: The Weekend G arden M arket
T h e D alles Kllndts Bookseller
Hood River. Purple Rocks Art Bar 4 Café
Ashland: Garo's Java House. The Black Sheep. Blue M t. Café.
4 Rogue River Brewery
Cave Ju n ctio n : Coffee Heaven 4 Kerby Com m unity M arket
G rants Pasa: The Book Shop
(Out o f Oregon)
V a ncouver, W A The Den
Longview . W A The Broadway Gallery. 4 C arat Patch
Long Beach, W A Pacific Picnics
N aselle, W A Rainy Day A rtistry
N a h co tta . W A Moby Dick Hotel
D uvall, W A D uvall Books
Bainbridge Island , W A Eagle Harb or Book Co.
S e a ttle , W A Elliot Bay Book Co.. Honey Bear Bakery. New
Orleans Restaurant. Still Life In Fremont. Allegro Coffeehouse.
The Last Exit Coffee House. 4 Bulldog News
San Francisco, C A C ity Lights Bookstore
D enver. Co: Denver Folklore Center
New Y o rk , NY The Strand Book Company
W ashington, D .C .: Hotel Tabard Inn
In Preliminism the shortest distance
between two points is nothing.
S ubscription F orm
C oast R ange
A ssociation
Name__________________________________________________
P .O . B O X 148
Address________________________________________________
N EW PO R T, O R 97365
Phone___________________________ Date_________________
#of years, u p to 3______ @ $30 per year
$ Enclosed______
Enjoy your retrospectives; preliminists have no
prospects.
John Fraser
For
City Council
- Resident 22 years
- Experienced - City Councilor, Planning Committee
- Merchant 15 years
“City should concentrate on Quality o f Life, rather than Commercial Growth”
Paid for bv Fraser for Cannon Beach City Council
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