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OCTOBER 6, 2017, KEzZERTzMES, PAGE A5 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM How we should pray By MICHAEL GERSON One thing we learn from tragedy: that there is always more to come. We experience the death of a loved one, the suicide of a friend, the suffering of a child, and the harsh- ness and pain of the world break in, unannounced and unwelcome. Few have been spared, and then only temporarily. But sometimes there are moments when we experience tragedy, not individually, but collec- tively, as a country, in events that seem too terrible for a single day. This is what happened in Las Vegas, with bul- lets from the sky, bringing death, sud- den and unearned. In days to come, we may learn the dark reasons or manias that produced homicide on such a scale. We will also hear more stories of self-sacrifi ce, as friends helped friends, and parents instinctively reached out to shield the bodies of their children. “They’re 20,” said one man. “I’m 53. I lived a good life.” All of us who interpret events for a living look into the abyss of tragedy and tend to see reasons for what brings us comfort. For some, it is passage of a law. For others, support for a religious or philosophic belief. The alternative, after all, is impotent silence. Some of these insights from the abyss may be profoundly true. But they are mainly about us. What matters more is the grief and loss of families, and the defi - ant remembering of each life. This will be the proper focus of the next few days. That said, I do come at these events from a religious perspective, as some of the victims surely did, and as some of their loved ones surely do. The Christian faith involves a whisper from beyond time that death, while horrible, is not fi nal -- that the affi rmations of the creeds and the inscriptions on tombstones are not lies. And for many, this hope is a barrier against despair. Yet faith also encompasses some- thing deeper and more diffi cult -- what theologian Jurgen Moltmann has called “God’s terrible silence.” In that silence, only the scarred God, the weak and victimized God, the God of the cross seems to communicate. Not in words, but in a shocking example of lonely suffering. Christians turn to a God who once felt godforsaken, as all of us may feel in the nightmare of loss. At this type of moment, even those with tenuous ties to religion offer their thoughts and prayers. But how should we pray? Concerning grief, as many can attest, it is not strength or struggle that matters most; it is perseverance. And that is as good a thing to pray for as any, for those who cannot see other views Quality of life Every political issue, every single piece of legislation (on both state and federal levels) is about quality of life. The kind of life that everyone wants for themselves, their families, the kind of life that is promised in our constitution and Bill of Rights. We have been guar- anteed the right to pursue happiness. Whose happiness comes fi rst? Is the happiness of a young family of four para- mount to the happiness of a corporate chieftain or po- litical leader or vice versa? The great experiment known as American de- mocracy is an on-going struggle in- volving many defi nitions of happiness. The nation was divided in the 1930s when many people wanted to stay out of Europe’s business; by the early 1940s most American’s were doing their part for the war effort including iron and rubber drives and growing Victory Gardens. The difference between the 1930s and the early 1940s was of course Pearl Harbor—America had been at- tacked. Once the U.S. declared war on Japan, the Empire’s ally, Hitler’s Ger- many declared war on America. Then all Americans were in the fi ght, the good fi ght to defeat Facism and save the world for democracy. That was the work of the Greatest Generation. If you want your people to come together you need to identify a com- mon enemy. Americans fi guratively locked arms in solidarity after the at- tacks of 9/11; the enemy was Osama Bin Laden and terrorism. That post- attack solidarity soon sprouted fi ssures and the country was back to partian- ship. Quality of life is a mother’s issue. One need look no further than Moth- ers Against Drunk Driving to see the power of mothers. From the single idea of Candy Lightner came this powerful national organization fi ght- ing against drinking and driving. To see how tough a woman can be, just threaten her children; that mother will show no mercy when protecting her children. Which makes violence very much a mother’s issue. Think of the thousands of moth- ers who have been left grieving over the un- timely death of a child due to violence, especially gun violence. While only a small fraction of soci- ety advocates the banning of all guns, a much larger percentage of society un- derstands that will never happen. But what can happen, led by mothers across the nation, is gun re- form that strenghtens legislation that even the NRA supports. There are plenty of women and mothers who own a gun for their own protection or for sport. Curiously, only one of the many mass shooters in re- cent years have been female. Our democracy allows people to talk for or against guns and other weapons. That same democracy also allows one side to cow the other side so that any talk about gun control is shut down. Some politicians say that the time to talk about gun control re- form is not after a mass shooting, in deference to the victims. At the rate of mass shootings there will never be a time to have a honest dialogue about guns. Every victim of violence is some- body’s child. The normal order of things is that a child is not supposed to precede their parents in death. A se- rious discussion of violence and guns in this country can happen if moth- ers, the protectors of our quality of life, join arms and seek changes to our gun culture. Guns will not be banned, ever, in this country; but, changes can be made to make them less accessible to those who shouldn’t have them as well as prevent a gun from being turned from a one-shot gun into a automatic weap- on. — LAZ CERT training starting soon Community Emer- gency Response Team (CERT) training is a free community preparedness course that includes both academic and hands-on skills training. CERT training prepares you to help yourself, your family and your co-workers in the event of a cata- strophic disaster. Emergency person- nel may not be able to help immedi- ately and you can make a difference by using CERT training to save lives and protect property. The training comes with no ob- ligation to join the Keizer CERT team. You may take the course and use the information and skills in your personal life and, if you wish, join our team and become involved in monthly training as well as oppor- tunities to support our community numerous times throughout the year. Training sessions this year are on Saturdays, Oct. 14, Oct. 28 and Nov. 11. All sessions are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Keizer Fire hall at 661 Chemawa Rd. NE. For more information email kei- ercert@comcast.net or call 503-551- 2648. Linda Pantalone, Coordinator Keizer CERT our opinion letters To the Editor: The idea for the Com- munity Emergency Re- sponse Team (CERT) came about in the 1980s in Los Angeles, California. The idea is that spontaneous and minimally trained volunteers can assist emer- gency service personnel during large disasters. The 1985 Mexico City earth- quake made it clear that spontaneous and untrained rescuers can greatly increase the ability of emergency services (they rescued 800 victims) but also have a high risk of becoming victims themselves (more than 100 rescuers died). Keizer CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is spon- sored by Marion County Emer- gency Management and partners with Keizer Police Department and Keizer Fire District. The CERT class benefi ts attendees by teaching skills in basic disaster preparedness, fi re safety and utilities controls, basic di- saster medical care, light search and rescue, disaster psychology, terrorism and communication. Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com Lyndon A. Zaitz, Editor & Publisher POSTMASTER Send address changes to: SUBSCRIPTIONS One year: $25 in Marion County, $33 outside Marion County, $45 outside Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Publication No: USPS 679-430 Keizertimes Circulation 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, OR 97303 Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon a future without their friend, without their child. Our attention is tempo- rary; their suffering will not fade easily, if ever. For the rest of us, there is the short, fragile unity found in sympathy. It is a good thing to take a break from hate and strife, to remember the vic- tims and survivors and to recall our common vulnerability and humanity. There is ultimately no isolation from evil and death. But there is solidarity in facing the worst of it together, by caring for these people, our people, in their hour of loss. Grief, it’s been said, is the price of love. And events like this one natu- rally turn our minds to those we love. We are reminded by tragedy that life is temporary and precious. We hold others briefl y in our arms, and try to reach out and shield them from harm. But it is the uncomfortable truth of our nature that our days together are counted and fi nite. And we should fi nd a fi erce pleasure in each one of them, even in those we think are the dullest and worst. As time passes, of course, both our unity and sense of life’s fragility will fade, which is also a truth of our na- ture. But they are somewhere, just below the surface, waiting to be sum- moned by joy or grief. (Washington Post Writers Group) Salem is wrong to ban sidewalk sitting By GENE H. McINTYRE Generalization. It’s where a con- clusion is reached based on insuffi cient evidence and without consideration of all the possible variables. It was one of my favorite tools from a young age, usually used unsuccessful, where I wanted to do something or possess something and argued that everyone else had it or did it. Another matter that is indisputably part of every- day modern life, at least in these United States, is divisiveness. Almost daily, and seemingly more often experienced since the in- auguration of the current president, we fi nd our- selves immersed in issues that lead to divergent points of view, dividing the American public into hostile camps characterized by bombastic name-call- ing and dire threats directed at those who differ in point of view. This writer could choose from many issues of current status but nar- rows the list to homelessness. Case in point: the city of Salem proposed the following city ordinance: “It shall be unlawful for any person to sit or lie down upon a public sidewalk, or upon a blanket, chair or stool, or any other object placed upon a public sidewalk, during the hours between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.” As it happened in 2009, an ordi- nance like the one proposed in Salem was another very similar to it proposed in Portland. In that case, a Multnomah County Circuit Court ruled such a “sit-lie” ordinance unconstitutional because it was at odds with Oregon law. There was considerable nega- tive feedback before city councilors rejected it. Among those who voiced opposition were townspeople, the Sa- lem Area Chamber of Commerce, a city councilor, Salem’s chief of police and Oregon’s American Civil Liberties Union. A representative sample from those who spoke re- garding the proposed or- dinance were statements such as that the “Proposal targets and dehumanizes the most vulnerable part of our population,” “Com- passion’s needed for the homeless,” “Salem can do more than it is already doing,” “Respect for police who are just trying to fi x a problem,” and that “These kinds of ordinances violate in- dividuals’ right.” No one spoke up in favor of it. The city attorney, whose offi ce pre- pared the Salem ordinance, declined to comment. Ultimately, Salem’s city councilors voted that the city of Sa- lem mayor establish a task force to study homelessness in downtown and North Salem. Unfortunately, this kind of referral action often means that a controversial proposal will fi nd a con- venient resting place in the graveyard of good intentions. Nevertheless, what if the city of Salem, through leadership by the may- or and advisors, analyzed individ- guest column ual problems suffi cient to tailor city actions with a high probability of suc- cess. First and foremost, what’s given is that there is no one fi t to achieve suc- cess for every homeless person; hence, keep the fallacy of generalization in mind. As case after case will reveal, homeless persons are homeless for many reasons, including, for exam- ple, mental health problems, physical health problems, lack of education/ training, and an unwillingness to work. If each homeless person has been individually interviewed and noth- ing’s worked, after ‘no stone’s been left unturned,’ then it would seem that an ordinance would only be approved to deal with lawbreakers and those able- bodied but unwilling to be trained for work and jobs. Otherwise, plans with the means to realize successful out- comes should be implemented, fol- lowed-up and accordingly adjusted when needed. In the fi nal analysis there must be ways and means to respect and pro- tect normal street traffi c where every American is free to go about his legal business while also fi nding resolution to the number among us in home- less circumstances. After all, while it may come across as Pollyannaish, this one, among so many divisive challeng- es in our nation today, is one that can be solved locally...should we decide to put our heads, hearts, wallets and know-how to the task. (Gene H. Mczntyre lives in Keizer.) Disrepect for the fl ag is not patriotic By WAYNE MORELAND During the late 1960s and early ‘70s, we were told that the burning of the American fl ag, the spitting on returning members of the military, the burning of a ROTC building at the University of Oregon and the calling of police offi cers as pigs were all ac- ceptable forms of protest and the ex- ercise of free speech. Well, it was disrespectful to the fl ag, the people and the nation. It was disre- spectful then and it is disrespectful now. The disrespect began last year, before Donald Trump became Presi- dent Trump. Granted, the speech the presi- dent made at a politi- cal rally (not a policy speech) made the matter front page stuff. But to blame the speech is to turn a blind eye to the actions from a year earlier. It is said that who we are as an in- dividual is the sum of our experiences that led us to this point in time. My experiences in law enforcement and in the U.S. Air Force have obviously brought me to a different place than the editor of this publication. I see no gray. Rather, I see the actions of the NFL and its players as blatant disre- spect of this country and those who have served. If their issue was with the police, there are many offi cers at all their games that they could approach with their grievances. But, of course, it takes moral courage to do that. Hardly a day goes by without news of a police offi cer somewhere being pictured while sticking their head into a burning car to rescue some- one. And all too often, news of offi - cers being slain doing their duty for their community. In fact, if you care to look, there’s a memorial in front of the Public Service Bldg. in the Capi- tol Mall dedicated to Oregon State Police troopers who gave their life in service to the state of Oregon. Take a look sometime; I personally knew and worked with several of them. Are there some bad cops? Of course; I worked with a couple of them, too. But to disrespect the nation and the thousands of offi cers who serve and have served with pride and honor far outweighs the few that have made the news. And, incidentally, they weren’t all bad. Remember “Hands up, don’t shoot?” Well, court re- cords indicate that didn’t even happen. As I write this, the headlines are all about the insanity in Las Vegas. And once again, there were uniformed po- guest opinion lice, fi re, EMS and likely some military rushing towards that gunfi re. Others remained at the scene to render aid, because it was the right thing to do. Let’s see how the NFL complainers handle Las Vegas this weekend. If they continue to disrespect the people who do right, shame on them. So be careful of who you name as the heroes and villains of today’s America. Do the players and their ilk have the right to protest? Certainly. But when their protest adds to the division and disrespect of America, I’m done. After a fan of more than 70 years, I won’t even look at the scores, yet alone another game. And as to the president’s speech, I fi nd little difference between “The cops acted stupidly” and “John Mc- Cain was no hero.” Disrespect is dis- respect. (Wayne A. Moreland lives in Keizer.)
