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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2018)
AUGUST 3, 2018, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM Rumor vs. news By LYNDON ZAITZ There are friends and colleagues I know who do not watch TV news nor read any newspapers. Media has been so dominated by negative, di- visive news that some people have turned a blind eye to anything re- sembling news. Some non-news people get their information from internet sites such as Facebook, Yahoo and others. Or, they ask their friends about some big story they have heard about. The concern with that is the real possibil- ity—especially with lo- cal events—of getting incorrect facts and then spreading errorenous news. There are thousands of outlets and profes- sional journalists across this coun- try who gather news and present it with fairness, honesty and integrity. Unfortunately there are those few with big megaphones that spout off conspiracies and untruths (i.e., the massacre at Sandy Hook was a hoax). Our president says that the news media is a enemy of the people. Unfortunately there are many peo- ple who agree with that view. It is important to remember that state- ments like that from the president are little more than politics. If a pub- lic offi cial thought the press was the enemy of the people wouldn’t that offi cer avoid the “enemy”? That’s not the case with this president. Neither publishers of newspapers nor producers of broadcast and ca- ble news wake in the morning and decide to disseminate falsehoods and wrong news just to play with the American people. The people who choose to make news gather- ing their careers are dedicated to their profession; they work diligent- ly to cover the news and informa- tion the public wants. At times the news is upsetting but that is no rea- son to question the integrity of all journalists. This is especially true at small, community-based newspapers. As publisher of the Keizertimes it is my responsbility to assure that the news is provided without favor or foul, just the facts. As at most newspapers, our job is to report the news as it happened as well as do investigative reporting on subjects concerning Keizer. Our peers in other states have bestowed on our paper many fi rst place awards over the years in competition with other Oregon newspapers. Last month the Keizer- times was honored with 13 awards including fi rst place for enterprise reporting, educational coverage, lifestyle and government coverage. The president uses a term for news he doesn’t like (a term I fi nd offen- sive and will never use). As some say, you can pick your opinions but you can’t pick your facts. There is no such thing as an alternative fact—2+2=4 is a fact; 2+2 =5 is not an alternative fact, it is just fl at out wrong. In an earlier time the people who didn’t pay attention to news cited the bad news such as war abroad and crime at home. Then, as today, there are four or fi ve positive ar- ticles for every ‘bad’ piece of news. News is in the eye of the beholder, some see it as all bad, some see it as all untruthful and some see it as indispensable. I am with the latter. Though I must admit that the daily barrage of news coming from the nation’s capital is wearying. Even a politi- cal news junkie such as myself can feel overburdened with yet another story about an embattled offi cial or policy. But I will remain resolute, I have to. If we all turned away from the news it could lead to some un- expected consequences. It is the press that must hold governments to task and assure that the public is informed about what their public offi cials are doing in their name. Journalists separate rumor from fact. As some wise sage once said, a rumor zips around the globe before the truth gets its boots on. News is what is, rumor is what people think it is. We in the press know the differ- ence. on my mind (Lyndon Zaitz ig publigher of the Keizertimeg.) Move Over law in spotlight The very professionals who earn a living from highway accidents are now taking to the streets to promote highway safety and help safeguard the lives of fellow fi rst responders. The American Towman Spirit Ride is continuing on its journey, relaying a colorful, ceremonial casket from tow truck to tow truck across the nation. The casket honors fi rst re- sponders who have been killed on the roadside and carries the message: Slow Down, Move Over. About 300 towing companies across the country are relaying the casket to promote their state’s Move Over law with proces- sions involving 10,000 tow trucks and emergency service vehicles. The Ride, which began in June 2017, will pass through Salem with the Spirit casket being relayed to Af- fordable Towing. A ceremony will take place at 2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 3 in the Pavilion at the Oregon State Fair- grounds and Expo Center. Follow- ing the ceremony a procession of tow trucks and emergency service vehicles will drive through Salem The Move Over law is unknown to many motorists. According to the National Safety Commission, 70 per- cent of American motorists do not know the law exists. The law is on the books in all states and requires pass- ing vehicles to move over one lane when approaching an incident where emergency lights are fl ashing and tow operators, police, fi re fi ghters and emergency-medical technicians are working.The ceremonial casket, named Spirit, was custom painted by artist Cecil Burrowes, who spe- cializes in painting intri- cate designs on trucks and wreckers. Painted on Spir- it are a dozen scenarios depicting fi rst-responders at the scenes of highways incidents. Among fi rst responders killed, 60 percent were tow operators.Accord- ing to American Towman Magazine President Steve Calitri, the Ride is the greatest towing project since the fi rst tow truck was built in 1916. “The Ride,” says Calitri, “is gen- erating public awareness of the perils fi rst responders face and galvanizing police resolve for enforcing the Move Over law.” For undecided voters in Keizer your friend said was true, and things are going re- ally poorly for everyone that invested. The same Oregonians that spent their vote in November 2016 on Don- ald Trump are now urging you to spend your vote in November 2018 on Knute Buehler. Please don’t invest your vote this fall based on advice from people who gave us Trump. Think about that when you fi ll your ballot this fall. Andrew Hickey Keizer guegt (Submitted by Janna Rogg for American Towman Magazine.) letterg To the Editor: Imagine a friend comes to you with an opportu- nity to go in on an invest- ment together. Your friend gives you the background information and makes a convincing, passionate pitch. It’s a bit risky and would require a big commitment, but your friend urges you to invest. So you do. It turns out to be the worst in- vestment possible. You’ve sunk your resources into something that was completely misrepresented. Nothing Keizertimes Wheatland Publighing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimeg.com • email: kt@keizertimeg.com Lyndon A. Zaitz, Editor & Publisher SUBSCRIPTIONS One year: $25 in Marion County, $33 outgide Marion County, $45 outgide Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Publication No: USPS 679-430 POSTMASTER Send addregg changeg to: Keizertimeg Circulation 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, OR 97303 Periodical pogtage paid at Salem, Oregon The human side of JROTC By TED SPINK I want to talk about the AFJROTC unit at McNary High School. AFJROTC stands for Air Force Ju- nior Offi cer Training Corps. Currently our JROTC unit is getting ready for the new year and this is the time to become part of our outstanding pro- gram. I am writing to tell you why you should join JROTC, my experiences with joining, informing you about the program, and some common mis- conceptions about the class. When I was in 8th grade, decid- ing what my classes would be, I knew right away that I wanted to be in the JROTC program. At the time I did not know much about it but I saw the color guard and drill team at the assemblies at Claggett Creek Mid- dle School and there was something about tossing a rifl e up in the air and managing to catch it which appealed to me and seemed like fun. I was having a hard time decid- ing whether or not I wanted to join though because I thought it might be too hard for me, or too strict. To be honest I was scared of what it might be like. During summer I went to Ba- sic Cadet Training (BCT), which is a quick introduction hosted by the AF- JROTC unit. I thought that it would be a daunting task but it wasn’t. It was actually a lot of fun and the connec- tions I made with others in the pro- gram made transitioning from middle to high school much easier. Along with that, participat- ing in BCT gave me a rib- bon to put on my uniform. As the year progressed I began to get closer to the people within my JROTC unit. I don’t know if it was intended, but I began to see JROTC less as a class and more like a family. As my second year of high school came on I decided I would try to join one of our fi ve teams, Unarmed/ Armed Drill, Color Guard, Physical Training, and Precision Air Rifl e. Drill would defi nitely seem like a challenge for me, but I was up for it. While I was practicing Drill Major Robert Gracia saw me and recommended I do Color Guard. I was hesitant at fi rst, but then I fi nally decided to join which was a great decision. Because of this I had the privilege to march in the Color Guard for the 2018 Iris Parade. Now that I have shared my expe- rience with you I hope this has in- spired you to join JROTC. If not, let me clear up a few misconceptions that you might still have. First, and one of the most common misconceptions, is that JROTC recruits for the military, this is not true in any way. JROTC guegt column will not pressure or hold you to any obligation of any military service no matter how long you stay with us. The second misconception is harsh treat- ment, in all of my time within the corps I have never been put down by an instructor or fellow cadet. I have never been screamed at or treated un- fairly, the cadets in JROTC are some of the nicest people I have ever met. A third JROTC stereotype is that the JROTC program is boring. This is not true, JROTC is fun and educational, and challenges you to be your best. Give it a try for a year, you’ll be glad you did. In conclusion, we ask any parents or guardians to talk to their kids about joining JROTC at McNary High School. Our unit is currently in need of cadets to keep our corps running strong so we can benefi t both Mc- Nary High Schools students and our community. Because of this please consider puting JROTC in heavy consideration, not only does it teach you and prepare you for the future but it also looks great when applying for a job. If you have any questions you can contact Major Garcia through Mc- Nary High school or Email him at garcia_robert@salkeiz.k12.or.us Also be sure to check out our Facebook page at MAF Cadet Page. I look for- ward to seeing you. (Ted Spinkg ig a junior at McNary High School.) Women can change the world Some of the fi nest, most helpful and brightest people I have known are women. As a rule, for me, women tend to be more thoughtful, generous and caring than so many of the ma- cho-burdened guys I’ve known. This bias of mine began with my mother who I could depend on for anything and everything no matter what, while my wife of 45 years is my best friend, confi dant, love interest and mother to our chil- dren. In the history of our planet, the length of my life has been nothing more than an innocuous hiccup. However, when I was in high school, a mere fi ve decades ago, the women in my class were mainly relegated to motherhood, librarian, nurse or teacher. Then, too, teachers were often required lifelong spinster status. A few women actually held public offi ce but usually got there when a famous husband passed and sentimentality demanded it. Having kids and trying for public offi ce was not only considered an im- pediment throughout the America of yesteryear but comparable to women as blacksmith or street car conduc- tor. Like it or not, and there remain many who don’t like it, several wom- en are running for offi ce and claiming active motherhood as a political asset. For example, in Maryland, a candidate there for governor, Krish Vignarajah, made her case for the job in a 30-sec- ond ad showing her breastfeeding her baby daughter with photos of her family and select moments from her political career. Many female candidates are do- ing something similar or the same. Vignarajah has been joined by Kelda Roys who is running for governor of Wisconsin and has openly breast- fed her child as well as made efforts to ban a potentially harmful chemical in children’s products. M. J. Hegar, a congressional candidate in Texas, has displayed her own take on mother- hood when she announced, “I’m an Air Force combat veteran and a mom.” Hegar wants her constituents to know that she has opened several formerly closed doors to women by building a career while being a mom. Others who’ve written on this subject argue that we’ve moved into a new out- sider role after the 2016 political election. They say that the mothers in the public offi ce move- ment is the result of an abnormal political era where more voters prefer people who’ve not been long-serving in offi ce, the kind of offi ce holder who repeats the same tired refrains and stands pat on the status quo, no matter the breadth and depth of problems screaming for attention. What’s been a typical point of view was in the double standard category where men running for offi ce could have a wife and children while seen as wholesome and normal. Wives were expected to serve as primary child- care providers for their families and thereby not suited to hold public of- fi ce. In the past, women were directed to assume major responsibility for the children while a common comment on those who dared was: “Well! She’s not looking after the kids (in Salem, Washington, D.C. or wher- ever), when she should be doing so!” Men can do more about rais- ing fami- lies. When my wife and I re- turned from years work- ing overseas we brought a newborn gene h. mcintyre home with us. We had no jobs to re- turn to and my wife had always want- ed to try her hand at a line of work of considerable interest to her. I took care of our infant daughter and our other child from dawn to dusk every day and thereby acquired a personal appreciation for the amount of time, effort and patience involved. Bot- tom line was I succeeded as Mr. Mom while my wife and I learned we were “diaper-brigade” interchangeable in raising our children. More power to those women in Oregon who chose to run for pubic offi ce. I’ve noticed over the years of my life that women often do bet- ter than the guys because so many of them have a knack and talent for effective communication and prob- lem-solving cooperation, resulting in getting along with other people and compromising at middle ground points to get things done. There have been many a trail blazer at all levels of government and the gate’s wide open so expect more young mothers to run for offi ce while some will be pregnant and some will be breastfeed- ing. May we encourage them and ap- plaud their efforts and achievements in a new social order where no one is held back by outmoded and unneces- sary restraints. (Gene H. McIntyre ghareg hig opin- ion each week in the Keizertimeg.)