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PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 Public Square Public Square weclomes all points of view. Published submissions do not necessarily refl ect the views of the Keizertimes. Submit a guest opinion, column or letter to the editor to publisher@keizertimes.com. sudoku Enter digits from 1-9 into the blank spac- es. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. maze Keizer’s response to ice storm Society has been trained to call Some people laid in bed, awake, listening to the crack of trees breaking 9-1-1 in an emergency, which is the under the weight of ice, worrying that correct course of action when a per- son is injured or in medical distress. a tree may fall on their home. Others struggled with a power The 9-1-1 dispatch service for our outage that left them in the dark and area was innudated with calls from unable to communicate due to cable Keizer and Salem. Reportedly, at one time there were hun- and internet service inter- dreds of calls swamping rupted by the ice storm. the system. It is indisput- Keizer’s electricity pro- able that 9-1-1 be called viders quickly went to work in emergencies. to get the power back on. editorial When weather cre- For many the power was off ates chaos you can bet for a few days; houses grew that fi rst responders are cold and food spoiled in re- on the streets. Not ev- frigerators. ery cracked tree or fallen Sunday morning dawned. The damage in the light of day was limb is an emergency, it is a major in- widespread. And Keizer residents did convenience and annoyance, but not what they always do: they helped their an emergency. It is situations such as neighbors. The sound of chainsaws these when our resilience kicks in and rang out across the city as downed we get to work to help ourselves and trees and limbs were cut into managa- others. Besides the symphony of chain- ble pieces. It was not only the manual help saws throughout town the chorus of Keizerites offered one another, it was smoke alarms beeping rang out in psychological and spiritual help, as homes in every neighborhood. Each well. People checked on the status of year public service announcements family, friends and neighbors. Those remind us to change smoke alarm who needed a warm place during the batteries, many do. Those who didn’t power outages got one through the change the battery with the onset of daylight savings time in November, altrusim of others. Keizer does not receive hazardous heard about it if their power went out winter weather on a regular basis. and alarm batteries unchanged. (Day- When the city is hit with deep snow light standard time begins March 14.) We rarely think about emergencies or an ice storm many of us are not prepared. Last week’s weather is a re- until they happen. Like the Boy Scout minder that we all should be ready for motto, we all need to be prepared. That’s the nature of emergencies, they emergencies. seldom telegraph their arrival. Keiz- er suffered through an ice storm last weekend, what other emergencies might visit Keizer that we must pre- pare for? An earthquake is something the public sector is preparing for. Our schools are being retrofi tted to withstand earthquakes as bridges and overpasses are on our highways. Allocating money for disasters is money well spent. Though we can forecast a weather front, sometimes nature is unpredictable and we have to be ready for whatever comes. What to do? Come spring home- owners can inventory the trees on their property and identify those that can cause problems in a wind or ice storm. Consulting a tree service is a good start. Emergencies are not limited to cold and ice. The possibility of a wildfi re tearing through Keizer is not foreign. In today’s climate change scenario, in the right conditions, a fi re could rage through town. At that point cutting shrubs away from the house is too late. It is one way we can be prepared for an emegency. Public safety agencies have no shortage of information about pre- paring emergency kits and what to do during a disaster. That information is always available to the public. Let us learn the lessons this month’s ice storm has taught us. Let us be pre- pared for whatever comes next. —LAZ Senator, impeach thyself Consequences? Not an issue. By DEBRA J. SAUNDERS Up until Hawley’s announcement, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republican sena- Washington had expected Trump’s tors that their vote on impeachment claims he actually won the election would fi zzle when Congress did its should be based on “conscience.” Conscience? It apparently has less job on Jan. 6. Instead, there was may- of a presence on Capitol Hill than hem and death. Hawley also called impeachment partisan identity. Consider the words of Sen. Josh a “political vendetta” and a waste of time when Washington Hawley, R-Mo., a likely should be concentrating presidential hopeful in 2024 in getting out vaccines anxious to court the Trump to the American public. vote. other If only Hawley had During a Fox News in- voices thought about sticking terview last week, Hawley to the Senate’s business charged the impeachment before he blew up the effort is a “totally illegiti- Republican Party. mate” and has “no basis in I’ve listened to objections to the Constitution.” And he chastised Democrats for trying to “silence and this impeachment, and yes, they point write out” the votes of 74 million to a double standard. If it’s so wrong to challenge the Trump supporters. Thing is, Hawley has no credibility outcome of an election, Trump sup- when it comes to legitimacy. Haw- porters ask, why make Rep. Jamie ley was ready to overrule 81 million Raskin, D-Md., the head House im- votes legally cast for now-President peachment prosecutor? Raskin, after all, challenged Florida’s pro-Trump Joe Biden. In December, when Hawley an- electoral vote on technical grounds nounced he would not vote to cer- in 2017. Be it noted that then-Vice Presi- tify the Electoral College vote, he gave birth to the fantasy that on Jan. dent Biden ruled Raskin out of order. 6, Donald Trump’s most outraged And that was the end of that. When leftists torched American supporters somehow could persuade Congress to overturn, rather than cities during protests ostensibly meant certify, Electoral College results put- to promote social justice, Democratic ting Joe Biden in the White House. politicians weren’t put in a position Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, Oregon 97303 Phone: 503.390.1051 www.keizertimes.com where they were expected to force- fully denounce violence generated on their side of the aisle. Months after the riots began, Biden issued a statement in which he actually blamed Trump for infl aming the country. On January 11, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., asked on Fox News where the outrage was when protesters of police shootings accosted his wife and him after they attended Trump’s Republi- can National Convention acceptance speech on the South Lawn. To those who say that Trump’s remarks incited a riot, Paul added, he never used that standard on Sen. Bernie Sanders after a left-wing ac- tivist who had volunteered on Sand- ers’ campaign shot Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., during softball practice. Paul has a point, but it is dwarfed by the enormity of what happened on Jan. 6. Egged on by a president who falsely claimed the election was stolen from him, partisans stormed the Capitol to overturn an election by force. If Hawley hadn’t proposed trying to pressure Congress to do something it was not entitled to do, there may not have been a riot on Jan. 6. So, I guess it’s too bad Hawley has issues with impeachment. But really, he only has himself to blame. (Creators Syndicate) SUBSCRIPTIONS POSTMASTER One year: $35 in Marion County, $43 outside Marion County, $55 outside Oregon Send address changes to: Keizertimes Circulation 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, OR 97303 PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon Publication No: USPS 679-430 PUBLISHER/ EDITOR Lyndon Zaitz publisher@keizertimes.com facebook.com/keizertimes twitter.com/keizertimes Maze by Jonathan Graf of Keizer YOU Matter The past year has been challenging. From the coronavirus pandemic, protest movements, elections and changes in government, you have been able to rely on your local community newspaper to report the facts and provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions. Local community journalism offers stability when you need it most. You can continue to count on us for Real News.
