THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
No dignity
S
uicide is not death with
dignity. Abortion is not
reproductive health. Both are
legal and paid for by the cit-
izens of the state of Oregon.
The Nov. 17 front page
article laments that although
assisted suicide is on the rise
in Oregon, only the urban
elites are opting in (“Death
with dignity,” The Daily As-
torian). One might say opting
out. It appears that the poor,
the minorities and the rural
folks are not so eager to kill
themselves when life gets
GLI¿FXOW
A sobering fact: Holland
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sisted suicide. Holland killed
650 babies and 42 mentally
ill patients in 2013 (“Doc-
tors Euthanize 650 Babies
Under Assisted Suicide Law
in the Netherlands,” Jan. 2,
LifeNews.com).
One in 28 Dutch deaths in
2013 involved assisted sui-
cide (“Dying Dutch: Euthana-
sia Spreads Across Europe,”
Feb. 12, Newsweek).
Is this the direction we
want our doctors and hospi-
tals to go with grandma and
grandpa? And what about
the many baby boomers who
have no grandchildren —or
children?
Who are we now, as a soci-
ety, in America?
JEAN M. HERMAN
Astoria
Bring our jobs back to the U.S.
A
lthough it is never discussed,
the most important issue facing
our leadership is the problem of per-
suading the manufacturing sector to
return basic industries to our working
people.
Increasing the minimum wage to
$15 an hour at McDonald’s is not going
to get it. Paying a living wage to our
factory and production workers will,
by putting more money in the pockets
of average people who will spend it on
things we make, or grow or produce
ourselves.
It’s not rocket science. It’s not even
science. It’s what used to be called
common sense. If we truly want to re-
vive our economy and rekindle hope in
a vast segment of our population, give
effort they donate to this
cause. What followed was
something that may shake, or
even break, the future of this
event.
The Mouth began his/her
assault on People’s Choice
participants by proffering that
while their donations may
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were more than compensated
by the “intense advertising
value” the event offered them.
This might have been some-
what true, if the Mouth had
not stepped in with his/her
journalistic insight.
In the review the Mouth
Bad-Mouthed
trashed the donated culinary
n the Nov. 19, 2015 Coast offerings of almost half of
Weekend, the Mouth of the competitors. Bridgewater
the Columbia reviewed the Bistro, Fulios, and Maggie’s
United Way fundraiser, Iron all got stabbed in the back
Chef Goes Coastal, and titled 0DJJLH¶VJRWDH[WUDWZLVWRI
it “Iron Mouth.” The Mouth the knife). Drina Daisy, the
correctly noted the substantial People’s Choice winner, got
funds this year’s event raised another dish of the now fa-
WREHQH¿WRXUORFDOFRDVWFRP- mous poison. This time spiced
munities.
with some new cultural igno-
The Mouth also correctly rance and incorrect assump-
noted the People’s Choice tions, as the Mouth implied
competition participants help the people’s ignorance in their
make this fundraising event choice.
possible by feeding the at-
The dynamics of the Iron
tendees, and then recognized Chef Goes Coastal People’s
WKH VLJQL¿FDQW H[SHQVH DQG Choice competition are chal-
I
us our jobs back. Bring manufacturing
back to our shores.
We, of the working class, would
really appreciate having a job to go
to where we built something or made
something. You can’t make a life on
minimum wage, and you can’t save a
country by everybody shoving burgers
at each other. It just doesn’t work.
Give us our jobs back. Give us our
futures back. Stop buying crap steel
and crap furniture from Asia, and make
“Made in America” the hallmark of
quality it once was. If you want to stop
a war, stop funding it. If you want to
create jobs, stop buying crap.
Insist on quality goods made by
American workers,and before you
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lenging. and a bit atypical
from the normal commercial
or catering venues. What
each restaurant presents at
this event cannot possibly
represent their best, just their
best for the situation. To con-
sider their gifts to this charity
event as an opportunity for
any critical review is egre-
gious.
Future Iron Chef events
may now have a potential
recruiting problem. Restau-
rants now need to weigh a
VLJQL¿FDQW LQYHVWPHQW LQ D
good thing for the communi-
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of a bad thing for themselves,
being publicly ripped.
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crater as many restaurants
may seek to avoid the poten-
tial risk. If it does, the respon-
sibility should fall squarely
on the shoulders of The Daily
Astorian’s editors, who per-
mitted this.
I am not talking censor-
ship. I am talking respect and
decency. If their journalists
do not have it, their editors
should guide them, and this
did not happen. Since this
was their choice, The Daily
Astorian should “put their
and educate our children like we did
not so long ago, and not have to borrow
PRQH\WR¿JKWZDUVZLWKSHRSOHZH¶UH
not even mad at.
How do we do that, you ask? We
do it the same way we have histori-
cally. We impose tariffs and duties on
imports that compete unfairly with
American-made products. China does
it to us. We should return the favor. We
don’t owe them more than we owe the
American worker and his family.
If you think this makes sense, get
hold of your congressman or your
legislator and tell them how you feel.
Maybe we can start something useful,
something good.
JACK GUYOT
Astoria
money where their Mouth is”
and offer United Way to make
up any revenue losses in their
HYHQWQH[W\HDU
KEN BENDICKSON
Astoria
while driving or operating
dangerous machinery.
By now, some key words
and phrases should go off in
your mind, without even dis-
tracting you from what you
DUHZDLWLQJIRU([DPSOHVDUH
“earthquake/tsunami zone,”
Call now!
“68 percent no vote,” “Army
ver wonder if there is a Corps of Engineers ease-
productive way to pass ment,” “Coastal Zone Man-
time while you are waiting in agement Act” and “insurance
line at a store, or the Depart- rates up — property values
ment of Motor Vehicles, or down.” Oh, don’t forget “blast
while holding on the phone zone.” They spew forth like
IRU WKH ³QH[W DYDLODEOH UHSUH- SDSDUD]]LÀDVKEXOEV
sentative”? You know, some-
Go out on the Skipanon
thing that would not only pass Peninsula on a nice day. We
time, but give you that warm will get at least one more this
and fuzzy “I did something year, guaranteed. Now look
good” feeling. Multi-tasking around while breathing in the
to the ultimate.
clean, unpolluted fresh air.
Let me suggest you call Then ask yourself, “Is this
the governor (503-378-4582) really where a giant atmo-
about Oregon LNG’s pro- sphere-polluting (2.6 billion
posed gas terminal on the WRQV RI FDUERQ GLR[LGH SOXV
Skipanon Peninsula. Don’t be methane gas, annually) termi-
bashful. The government used nal belongs?”
\RXUWD[HVWRSD\IRUDSKRQH
Think about the 1.1 mil-
line and a staff person to listen OLRQFXELF\DUGVRI¿VKKDELWDW
to you, so take advantage of it. that will be dredged out of the
Shucks, you could probably path the salmon have instinc-
do it while raking leaves. It tively followed for thousands
is fall, and we live in the cell of years. Finally, check out
phone age.
the dangerous (earthquake/
Disclaimer: Do not call tsunami) location the terminal
E
5A
is proposed to be built on. You
know, the wetlands the Army
Corps of Engineers has an
easement on.
Then go home and call the
governor. Oh heck, call from
the Skipanon — that’s what
cell phones are for.
In a democracy, everyone
is supposed to have their say.
This is the only democracy we
have, so it is up to us to make
it work.
Be ready when you call,
but wouldn’t it be great if you
hear, “due to the high volume
RI FDOOV ZH DUH H[SHULHQFLQJ
your wait time is ...” — I’ll
wait for that any time.
What’s that number again?
It’s 503-378-4582.
CARL DOMINEY
Astoria
Do something
R
egarding the recent San
Bernardino, California,
shootings: What is it going to
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background checks.
Stand up to the National
5LÀH$VVRFLDWLRQDQGRWKHUV,
will. Will this stop the terror?
Of course not, but it is a good
start.
This is terrible. Let’s all be
responsible.
RALPH E. H.
NORGAARD
Astoria
Add signage!
I
attended the Seaside Down-
town Parade of Lights re-
cently. It was very well done,
and there were quite a few
entries. However, many of the
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nage to tell people who they
were, or what organization
they were representing. After
doing all the work to decorate
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to have recognition, is sad. I
do hope this is something to
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rade.
This was also a problem at
the Fourth of July parade.
LIN ANDERSON
Seaside
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By NICHOLAS KRISTOF
New York Times News Service
A
nother day, another ghastly
shooting in America.
So far this year, the United States
has averaged more than one mass
shooting a day, according to the
ShootingTracker website, counting
cases of four or more people shot.
And now we
have the attack
Wednesday in
San Bernardi-
no, California,
that killed at
least 14 people
It’s too soon
WR NQRZ H[DFW-
ly what hap-
pened in San
Nicholas
Bernardino,
Kristof
but just in the
last four years, more people have
died in the United States from guns
(including suicides and accidents)
than Americans have died in the
wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan
and Iraq combined. When one per-
son dies in America every 16 min-
utes from a gun, we urgently need to
talk about remedies.
Democrats, including President
Barack Obama, emphasize the need
to address America’s problems with
guns. Republicans talk about the
need to address mental health. Both
are right.
First, guns, the central issue: We
need a new public health approach
based not on eliminating guns (that
simply won’t happen in a land awash
with 300 million guns) but on reduc-
ing the carnage they cause.
We routinely construct policies
that reduce the toll of deadly prod-
ucts around us. That’s what we do
with cars (driver’s licenses, seat
belts, guardrails). It’s what we do
with swimming pools (fences, child-
proof gates, pool covers). It’s what
we do with toy guns (orange tips).
It’s what we should do with real
guns.
We can improve public safety
without eliminating guns. Switzer-
land has guns everywhere because
nearly all men spend many years
as part-time members of the armed
forces (it’s said that Switzerland
doesn’t have an army; it is an army).
Yet while military weapons are ubiq-
uitous, crime is low.
What we should focus on is
curbing access to guns among peo-
Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
Jesus Gonzales, center left, who has been separated with his wife since Wednesday’s shooting, is comforted by local church members includ-
ing Jose Gomez, center right, Thursday in San Bernardino, Calif. Gonzales has been unable to get to his home due to a police shootout with
suspects which took place in his neighborhood.
is preventable. But we’re not even
trying.
When we tackled drunken driv-
ple who present the greatest risk. gun access by violent offenders, I recall, came with a one-year mem- ing, we took steps like raising the
$QLPSHUDWLYH¿UVWVWHSLVXQLYHUVDO the public is much more reason- bership. But the NRA has turned into drinking age to 21 and cracking
background checks to acquire a gun. able. Even among gun owners, 85 DQ H[WUHPLVW OREE\ WKDW YHKHPHQWO\ down on offenders. That didn’t elim-
New Harvard research suggests that percent approve of universal back- opposes even steps overwhelmingly inate drunken driving, but it saved
thousands of lives.
about 40 percent of guns in America ground checks, according to a poll backed by gun owners.
For similar reasons, Ronald Rea-
are acquired without a background this year.
As for mental health, Republi-
check — which is just unconsciona-
Likewise, an overwhelming share cans are right that it is sometimes gan, hailed by Republicans in every
ble.
of gun owners support cracking related to gun violence. But it’s RWKHU FRQWH[W IDYRUHG JXQ UHJXOD-
Astonishingly, it’s perfectly le- GRZQ RQ ¿UHDUPV GHDOHUV ZKR DUH also true that in some cases their tions, including mandatory waiting
gal even for people on the terrorism careless or lose track of guns. Major- budget cuts have reduced mental periods for purchases.
“Every year, an average of 9,200
watch list to buy guns in the United ities of gun owners also favor ban- health services. To his credit, Rep.
States. More than 2,000 terrorism ning people under 21 from having a Tim Murphy, R-Pa., has introduced Americans are murdered by hand-
suspects did indeed purchase guns in handgun and requiring that guns be a bill that would improve our disas- guns,” Reagan wrote in a New York
the United States between 2004 and locked up at home.
trous mental health system, perhaps Times op-ed in 1991 backing gun
2014, according to the Government
These are reasonable steps that reducing the number of people who restrictions. “This level of violence
$FFRXQWDELOLW\2I¿FHDQGThe Wash- are, tragically, blocked by the NRA snap and turn to violence. Yet some must be stopped.”
He added that if tighter gun reg-
ington Post’s Wonkblog. Democrats and its allies. The NRA used to be a Democrats are wary of the bill be-
have repeatedly proposed closing reasonable organization. It support- cause Republicans like it. That’s ab- ulations “were to result in a reduc-
WKDWORRSKROHEXWWKH1DWLRQDO5LÀH HGWKH¿UVWPDMRUIHGHUDOJXQODZLQ surd: We need better mental health tion of only 10 or 15 percent of those
Association and its Republican allies 1934 and ultimately backed the 1968 services just as we need universal numbers (and it could be a good
deal greater), it would be well worth
have blocked those efforts, so it’s Gun Control Act. As a farm kid grow- background checks.
still legal.
ing up in rural Oregon, I received a
It’s not clear what policy, if any, making it the law of the land.”
Republicans, listen to your saint-
While Republicans in Congress ULÀH IRU P\ WK ELUWKGD\ DQG could have prevented the killings in
resist the most basic steps to curb took an NRA safety course that, as San Bernardino. Not every shooting ed leader.
The NRA used to be a reasonable organization.