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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 FRIDAY EXCHANGE Thanks for help no, for your tireless and in- spiring teaching. NOEL AND PAT THOMAS Astoria A s we approach the hol- idays, South County Community Food Bank, a food pantry, wants to thank the many people who have supported our efforts during the last year. We began the year in rented space as we waited for the completion of our new building. The Daily As- torian and Seaside Signal have provided coverage of the conversion of two class- room modular structures into a real building, and our eventual grand opening in October. The biggest part of the story should be that most of the money to build and outfit the building came from local funds. Very little of the fund- ing came from outside this area, and most of that came from companies that do business in Clatsop County. As we look into the fu- ture, there is still need. The generosity of the South County community is re- markable. During this time of the year and into the new year, our pantry will be serv- ing more than a thousand local people each month: un- deremployed locals waiting for spring, hungry children, homeless people and locals in unexpected difficulty. The holidays are a dif- ficult time. South County citizens and generous part- time residents have always supported us. We thank you for the past support and ask, once more, for your help this year. You can deliver donations of food or cash to our new building at 2041 N. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside, or mail contributions payable to South County Commu- nity Food Bank, P.O. Box 602, Seaside, OR 97138. We thank you in advance. JAMES C. CASTERLINE Past president, current board member, South County Community Food Bank Gearhart Veto LNG O pen letter to Gov. Kate Brown: I am writing you concerning the Warrenton OLTXH¿HG QDWXUDO JDV /1* issue. As a local resident I would hate to see an LNG plant located here. Not only ZLOOLWMXVWQRW¿WLQDQGUXLQ the natural beauty of the area, I do not believe there will be DQ\ VXI¿FLHQW EHQH¿W WR RXU community. As someone with a back- ground in heavy construc- tion, I know that only a small portion of the jobs they are promising will go to local employees. While the basic ground clearing, etc., is with- in the local skills base, the more specialized jobs will come from out of area. The fact that employees have had to come from elsewhere just WR¿OOMREVRQWKHORFDOEULGJH repair projects speaks to this very point. Thank the Lord T The same is true for the jobs once the plant is in opera- tion. No one here knows those skills. Janitorial yes, security guard yes. Major plant oper- ations no. It sounds good on paper, but it doesn’t pass the smell test. The area they want to build on is a very marshy area that is now used as part of our scenic walking path area. It is a lovely piece of land, and giving it up for something that will only up the pollution level, drive tourists away and LQWHUIHUH ZLWK ¿VKLQJ DUHDV seems a poor choice of use for that land. Please use your veto pow- er’s and tell Oregon LNG “not in our backyard.” If the Canadian company wishes to ship Canadian LNG, then they should do it through their own ports. We’ve already vot- ed once and gave a resound- ing no to building a pipeline across our county, but they didn’t listen. It’s up to you to be our voice. Please don’t make my family move away from this beautiful place we decided to call home. IRA LEE GOSSETT Hammond Democratic farce A lthough the presiden- tial election is about a year away, the political cam- paigns are in a full boil, at least on the Republican side. The Democratic “campaign” is obviously a done-deal. It’s entertaining to lis- ten to Democrats ridiculing the long list of Republican hopefuls, however the Dem- ocrats had better check their own so-called candidates. That two-person “race,” of course, is a farce. One of the contestants is an ancient, self-proclaimed socialist who crawled out of an at- tic apparently as a stalking horse for the presumptive Democrat nominee, none other than — once again — WKH /\LQ¶ 4XHHQ KHU KXV- band was the Lyin’ King), Hillary Clinton. Yes, the same woman who has held some of the most responsible positions in government, and holds the distinction of being a dismal failure at every job she’s ever held. Her only success has been the agility — she can lie very effectively — to avoid being incarcerated. Some say she’s managed to stay outside prison walls by directing an effective program of bribery, black- mailing and perfecting the art of prevarication, an art at which she’s had a lifetime of practice. Of course, a crim- inally partisan Justice De- partment has helped. I was disappointed that 9LFH3UHVLGHQW-RH)RRWLQ the-Mouth) Biden dropped out, because he would have provided a load of comic re- lief. I truly believe that the Democrats — those who are realistic — see this farce un- folding, and are getting se- riously nervous. A warning to Democrats: Start pushing the panic button, if you hav- en’t already done so. E. ROBERT NASSIKAS Astoria Not exceptional I hope I may briefly re- spond to the criticism of P\ ³UDPEOH´ WKRXJK EHDFK rambling was the subject) by Rex Amos of Cannon Beach ³.HHSEHDFKELOOVDIH´The Daily Astorian, Oct. 30). I have no quarrel with the Or- egon Beach Bill, which I do not for a moment doubt is a fine bill, but to the aura of exceptionalism with which writer Matt Love bathes it ad nauseum. The relevance of my re- lating my years and miles of beach ramblings in a half-dozen different states was to merely point out that every other state I know of has beaches which are, to use Mr. Love’s own phrase, “for the exclusive use of the public.” As for the states I men- tioned, they have many hun- dreds of miles more public beaches than has Oregon. That there may be disputes here and there about private versus public access does not diminish by one jot the miles of public beach which are actually available for public enjoyment. Mr. Amos concludes with a whopper of a non sequitur — a quotation attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but dubi- ously, considering no origi- nal documentation has ever been found. The quotation concerned the priority to be given human rights over property rights. It is pretty much agreed that the term “human rights” was not in widespread use until well into the 20th cen- tury, but even had President Lincoln used it, he would surely have meant the rights to life and liberty, which were denied the southern slaves, whom the plantation owners claimed were “pri- vate property.” To trivialize the plight of southern slaves by compari- son with the right to walk on a beach cannot have been in- tentional, but merely a lack of judgment, and I will let it go at that. LOUIS SARGENT Gearhart Kudos to artists O n Saturday night, Nov. 14, at the Barbey Mar- itime Center, we had the great pleasure of attending the Astoria Junior and Se- nior High Schools’ fall art exhibit. Our thanks to AHS art teacher Mickey Cereghi- no for the tremendous job of organizing the extensive and highly attended exhibit. Intrepid through the downpour, detoured from the Ducks game and Art Walk, the crowds turned out to support our student art- ists. It is indeed encouraging to see such fine work com- ing out of our schools, and so much community support for the arts. Thank you student artists, and thank you, Mr. Cereghi- he American day of thanksgiving is even older than the nation itself. Various dates have been sug- gested for being the first, but credit is usually given to the feast of thanksgiving celebrated by the Mayflower Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians in 1621 at the Plym- outh colony in what is now Massachusetts. In a sense it became a unique American holiday when George Washington and Congress proclaimed a national day of thanksgiv- ing In 1789. Their docu- ment of proclamation states: “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore his protec- WLRQ DQG IDYRUZH UHF- ommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledg- ing with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Al- mighty God.” President Washington was right. God has blessed this nation and we should pause and give him thanks for his generosity and good- ness. Thanks for this won- derful land with its freedoms and opportunities. Thanks for the food and other ne- cessities we so often take for granted. Thanks for our military and military veterans who serve and sacrifice so that we may be free. For the po- lice and fire personnel, and their efforts to protect us and our property. For the doctors and nurses and other profes- sionals who serve us in our health needs. I personally need to thank him for my wife, fam- ily, friends, church family, health, and a nice house that is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Also, thanks for more material things than I’ll ever use. Make your own list — the blessings are almost endless. Thank you Lord. “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving” Psalms 95:2 KEN TIPPS Astoria Church of Christ Help the elderly S everal months ago I hap- pened to catch a program on community radio. The subjects of aging and help- ing senior citizens were be- ing discussed, and possible solutions given. I was especially im- pressed with their goal of treating the elderly with re- spect and dignity. There was one all-purpose program that 5A could be reached by dialing only one person, and that person would be on the other line and would help. I wrote that number down. I have a friend who is elderly. She has led a most productive life as a mem- ber of our community. Af- ter living a very long time, it has became obvious that her age and her resources are on a collision course. This is certainly the case for many seniors living in As- toria. Things get harder to fix, they wear out and break down. The cost of healthy food has skyrocketed. Util- ities have risen. Things be- come more and more diffi- cult, and finally impossible. It is the problematic life of poverty, especially for the elderly. I gave my friend the phone number, and she called it. No one got back to her for almost a week. I called the social services agency and complained and they did finally call her back. She did not go down to their office, and no one came to her home. Some pa- pers came in the mail, and now her name is on the list for weatherization. That was it. This is so not right in so many ways. We need to do better, and we need to monitor our help- ing agencies to be sure they do what they promise. MARY TANGUAY WEBB Astoria ‘Mr. Garrison’ R oy Garrison, a great artist and unequaled instructor, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 8. As a hum- ble and generous leader, he built the Clatsop Community College art department into a first-class option. In 1970 he hired the now famed artist, Stan Wanlass. Roy contin- ued as head of the depart- ment while also teaching sculpture, pottery and art history. Stan taught drawing and painting. Students came from other countries as well as the U.S. to participate in these top-notch classes. I was truly fortunate to be one of those students. Roy’s re- tirement in 2006 was the end of a unique and awe-inspir- ing era. Many will miss “Mr. Garrison.” SHIRLEY DAHLSTEN Astoria Pay a dividend T his is not a letter to argue pro or con for liquefied QDWXUDO JDV /1* ,W LV D letter to say if the proposed LNG deal is approved, every citizen of every county that is affected in the state of Or- egon should receive a yearly or quarterly dividend. Small price for them to pay for any dangers and use of Oregon land. STEVE CARUTHERS Astoria A holiday treat from the U.S. Congress Ease pilot health exams! “The U.S. Senate has an ex- FUXFLDWLQJO\ GLI¿FXOW WLPH GR- n honor of the coming ing anything, and here they’re vacation travel season, dismantling something that’s been working pretty well,” com- the Senate is working on a plained Sen. Richard Blumenthal bill that would loosen the of Connecticut. He is opposed to requirement that pilots take the bill in question, and that puts him in pretty select company. medical examinations. More than two-thirds of his col- Yes! I know that’s been on leagues are co-sponsors. your mind a lot, people. We are talking here about Next week, as you gather general aviation pilots, the men around the Thanksgiving table, DQG ZRPHQ ZKR À\ SULYDWH be sure to express your grati- planes. They’re currently re- tude to Congress. If you hear a quired to get a medical exam small plane buzzing overhead, by an FAA-approved physician drink a toast to the future, when HYHU\¿YH\HDUVDQGWKHQHYHU\ the folks in America’s cockpits two years once they pass 40. The may no longer be burdened with pilots hatehatehate this rule. They repressive, old-fashioned health FODLPWKHGRFWRUVDUHKDUGWR¿QG monitoring. and charge too much money. But Pop quiz: Which of the fol- the great underlying fear is that lowing aviation issues would some stranger with a stethoscope you like to see your elected rep- ZLOOVWULSWKHPRIWKHDELOLW\WRÀ\ resentatives resolve by the end It’s easy to understand why of 2015? pilots want to stay aloft. I’ve • Ban those laser lights that enjoyed every noncampaign-re- VWXSLGNLGVNHHSÀDVKLQJLQSL- ODWHGSULYDWHÀLJKW,¶YHHYHUWDN- lots’ eyes. en, including in the two-seater • Do something about all the owned by an environmentalist GDPQHG GURQHV À\LQJ DURXQG ZKR RQFH ÀHZ PH RYHU D ODNH airports. full of pig feces that had been • End the passenger peril of treated with chemicals that being squashed by a reclining turned it the color of Pepto-Bis- seat. mol. • Ease pilot health exams! However, I think I speak for By GAIL COLLINS New York Times News Service I Gail Collins The great underlying fear is that some stranger with a stethoscope will strip them of the ability to fly. most of America when I say that we ought to continue being a lit- tle picky about the people we let up there. The bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, is a very enthusiastic 81-year-old pi- lot who starred in an exciting air- ERUQHDGYHQWXUHDERXW¿YH\HDUV ago, when he landed his Cessna at an airport in Texas despite A) The large “X” on the runway, indicating it was closed, and B) The construction crew working on said runway, which ran for their lives when he dropped in. As a result, the senator had to take part in a remedial train- ing program. This irritated him so much that he successfully VSRQVRUHGWKH¿UVW3LORW¶V%LOORI Rights, which makes it easier to appeal that kind of harsh, unfor- giving judgment. The Senate commerce committee is now considering Inhofe’s PBR2, which would eliminate the current medical exam requirement. Instead, pi- lots would just write a note in their log every four years saying they’d been to a physician who VDLG HYHU\WKLQJ¶V ¿QH 7KH ELOO has 69 sponsors. Very little in the current world of Washington is that popular. You may be wonder- ing why. Well, although Inhofe is best known as the climate change denier who once brought a snowball into the Senate to prove the globe isn’t warm- ing, he’s also a very powerful guy, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, an architect of this year’s $350 billion highway construction bill. Plus, there are hundreds of thousands of private pilots, Manuel Balce Ceneta /AP Photo/File Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., questions a witness during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in September. many of them rather wealthy. “Most of them are single-is- sue people, so it would be very good to join in on this,” Inhofe said pointedly in a recent Sen- ate speech. Some small-minded observers suspect he also has personal skin in the game, what with having had quadruple by- pass heart surgery and all. The bill hit a small snag on Wednesday when Democrats on the Senate commerce committee proposed that the doctors who do the new exams — who could be anyone from a dermatologist WRDJRO¿QJEXGG\²EHJLYHQD government-approved checklist of problems to look for. They lost on a party-line vote. “My trust is in the phy- sician compared to the FAA,” said one of the Republicans. The real problem was appar- ently resistance from a certain snowball-making highway bill author. “The answer has always come back from Sen. Inhofe’s staff: No,” complained Bill Nelson of Florida, the ranking Democrat on the committee. Nelson, you understand, was not arguing that a dermatologist should be off-limits as a pilot medical examiner. He just want- ed to increase the chances that the patient would be asked if he was subject to dizzy spells. At that moment the commit- tee suddenly discovered it was lacking a quorum. But everyone expects the bill to rise again in triumph. “It would have been laughable except it’s so serious,” Blumenthal said.
