THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Thanks, but no
ear Bernie,
Thanks, but no thanks
for your offer of $15 per hour.
That is small potatoes compared
to your salary, and even smaller
potatoes compared to Congress’
ability to vote for its own pay
raises, which you did in 2009.
Furthermore, your total emolu-
ment is extracted by law from
your employer, the tax-paying
public, whether or not that pub-
lic thinks you have earned it.
, will not be satis¿ed with
anything less than the equal au-
thority to vote, along with my
fellow employees, to legally re-
quire our employer to raise our
wages, and to have it extracted
from him by law, with or with-
out his approval, and regardless
of his appraisal of our value.
Yours sincerely,
LOUIS SARGENT
Gearhart
Guns, tears and Republicans
D
New year, new you
he four Rs for new life in the
new year are Reach, Risk,
Rescue and Receive.
Every new year, I try to write
something to inspire myself and
hopefully others.
So here’s what popped into
my aging head.
First, Reach: Reach out and
learn something new. I don’t
care how old we are. Learn
something new. Do something
new.
A famous quote says, “We
don’t grow old, we get old by
not growing.”
The Bible offers us this sage
advice, “Be not conformed to
this world, but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind.”
Every time we learn something
new, we become something
new.
Second, Risk: Risk looking
foolish. Risk sticking your neck
out. Risk standing up for what
you believe in.
Shakespeare said, “Our
doubts are traitors and cause us
to lose the good we oft might
win by fearing to attempt.”
Risk and receive the good
we oft might win!
Third, Rescue: When we
Reach and when we Risk, we
Rescue the yet unrealized poten-
tial within us.
Henry David Thoreau said,
“Most lead lives of quiet desper-
ation.”
But not so, for if we Reach,
Risk and Rescue, we will Re-
ceive a new lease on life for the
new year.
JIM BERNARD
Warrenton
T
2016 resolution
f you haven’t made your New
Year’s resolution yet, allow
me to suggest one for your con-
sideration.
I believe politicians always
like to hear from the public (of-
¿cial name, constituents, espe-
cially at election time. Let me
think — are there any elections
coming up in 2016? Hmmmm.
Anyway, back to the resolu-
tion. I propose that we all (one
by one resolve to call Gov. .ate
Brown at 503-378-4582 and ask
her to use her authority, the clean
air and water acts and the Coast-
al Zone Management Act to
stop the proposed lique¿ed nat-
ural gas terminal on Warrenton’s
Skipanon Peninsula.
The way I see it, if I don’t
do something, I won’t have any
complaint coming when I’m
breathing polluted air (carbon
dioxide and methane gas —
cough, cough. Nor would I be
able to complain when house in-
surance rates go up and property
values go down or when I can’t
go out ¿shing because of the
security zones around the LNG
tankers. Oh well, even though
I love locally caught grilled
salmon, I didn’t want to go out
¿shing, because somehow the
¿sh don’t seem to taste as good
when they have been swimming
around in chemically polluted
water.
I also promise not to com-
plain about the hundreds and
hundreds of trucks rumbling
through downtown Astoria, for
four years, hauling construction
materials from Tongue Point to
the Skipanon.
No sir! I won’t. I’ll just bite
my tongue while remembering
the increased traf¿c congestion
last sumer. If you are like me, or
not, I’m guessing that you didn’t
like that frustrating inability to
¿nd a parking place and conges-
tion any more than I did, huh?
So, if you are looking for
something to do, now is the
time. Please consider attending
an anti-LNG meeting (6:30 p.m.
every third Thursday at 3 Cups
I
5A
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF
New York Times News Service
resident
Barack
Obama shed tears
Tuesday as he called for
new gun safety mea-
sures, and some critics
perceived weakness or
wimpishness. Really?
P
Coffee House, under the bridge
and/or write a letter to the editor
and please call Gov. Brown.
As for me, I’m calling be-
cause:
1 In our democracy, I can,
and I still believe in it;
2 Clatsop County matters;
3 I consider it a civic duty,
and after reading Laudato Sí
(the second encyclical of Pope
Francis, I believe it’s even more
than just civic;
4 This beautiful and rela-
tively unpolluted Lower Colum-
bia area is my home!
By the time you read this,
I will have thought of another
reason.
So, let’s attack this. Call the
governor at 503-378-4582 with
the same determination that we
voted 68 percent “no” on the
LNG pipeline in Clatsop Coun-
ty.
CARL DOMINEY
Astoria
Freemasons
hey walk among us.
When I was a child I
asked my dad about a building
in town with a Square & Com-
passes emblem on it. I was told
that it was where the Freema-
sons meet, and that they are a se-
cret organization, and one needs
to be a blood relative to become
a member.
My dad was totally misin-
formed.
The Freemasons are not a se-
cret organization, they wear the
Square & Compasses emblem
on jewelry, clothing, proudly put
it on their automobiles, and of
course it identi¿es the buildings
where they meet. Usually the
names and phone numbers of
the Lodge of¿cers are posted in
the window of the lodge.
Obviously, it’s not a very se-
cret organization.
Membership is not restrict-
ed to relationship with existing
members. The only require-
ments to become a member
are: Be an 18-year-old man, (it
is a fraternity, women may join
the Eastern Star, a concordant
organization; He must ask of
his own freewill; He must hold
a true belief in deity/God and
not currently be a felon on pro-
bation.
Freemasons support many
philanthropies, and believe that
education is key to the future for
all of us.
In our area, some of the lodg-
es provide the Child Identity
Program (ChIP, where we use a
computer to take a child’s photo
and thumbprints. Then a paper is
printed with the information and
given to the parents, so that they
may have information available
for authorities should the child
ever go missing.
Another program is called
Bikes For Books, to encour-
age elementary school students
to read. They read grade-level
books, and submit their names
for a drawing. At the end of the
year, a drawing is held and the
Masons provide a free bicycle to
one girl and one boy in each of
the participating schools.
The lodges encourage scho-
lastic excellence by recognizing
students who achieve 3.5 GPA
or better. We also award several
scholarships, some to graduat-
ing seniors, some to continuing
education students and some to
students in nursing programs.
Freemasons support a local Boy
Scout troop, the food banks, and
women’s shelters.
Freemasons are quietly
working in our community, sup-
porting education and helping
the needy.
Yes, they walk among us. To
be one, ask one.
CLEVE ROLFE
Seaside
T
Startling starlings
s one of the residents of the
Columbia House and one
who blows the whistle, I feel
I must respond to Mr. Haist’s
letter (Stop the whistle, Jan. 1,
The Daily Astorian regarding
the “whistle” (the whistle is ac-
tually a small air horn we blow
A
to control the starlings trying to
roost beneath our home.
We do feel his pain as we live
above the horn and are without
the advantage of being a few
blocks away from the noise.
I’m reasonably certain he has
gone to City Hall and found we
have a permit for this action, ob-
tained after explaining the need
for such action.
I take exception to being
called “rude and thoughtless”
when I, and certain of my neigh-
bors, have had his interests in
mind, as well as ours. Mr. Haist’s
concerns have been part of all
our actions relating to the noise.
We have reduced the soundings
to less than 12 seconds with a
break of more than 3 minutes for
about an hour, the time between
the ¿rst starling sighting and the
last in the late afternoon. That’s
a total of less than 4 minutes of
noise. On top of that we have
relocated the horn placement to
minimize the sound reaching
beyond our home. The noon
event Mr Haist referred to was
the testing of equipment and
was of even shorter duration.
These actions are the best
advice we could ¿nd. They are
found at “G9447 Controlling
Nuisance Blackbirds in Roosts
| University of Missouri Exten-
sion.” After reading that study
you will ¿nd our method quieter
and less brisant.
The goal is to avoid the hor-
rible diseases that go with accu-
mulations of bird droppings and
allow inspection of the structure
unimpeded with an encrustation
of feces. The Columbia House
has spent thousands of dollars
previously for cleanup of these
feces.
I’m fairly certain Mr. Haist
wouldn’t wish the plight asso-
ciated with these droppings on
us residents. And, if the starlings
were roosting in his neighbor-
hood by the thousands, as they
try to do here, I would fully rec-
ommend this horn system for
him, as well. After all, he is my
neighbor and we are a commu-
nity that usually stands together
quite well.
CHARLES STUART
Astoria
Whistleblower
totally agree with Paul Haist
(Stop the whistle, Jan. 1, The
Daily Astorian regarding the
whistle at the Columbia House
condos. I live ¿ve blocks from
there and it is truly annoying.
Some blasts are short but
many last longer than 20 sec-
onds and repeat every 5 to 10
seconds.
I also wonder about the ef-
fect on other wildlife in the area,
and I am surprised that the city
allows this noise pollution.
CAROL THOMAS
Astoria
I
Paying it forward
bountiful end to the year!
I dared to go gro-
cery shopping at Fred Meyers
mid-afternoon on New Year’s
Eve. It was a madhouse with
long lines.
As the checker was ringing
up my purchases, I realized I
had left my wallet at home.
How embarrassing. The checker
kept my groceries at the end of
the check stand while I scurried
home.
Upon returning the clerk in-
formed me that the woman in
line behind me had paid for my
groceries, a total of a $53.92.
Wow! What could I do? I
paid $53 for the very apprecia-
tive two gentlemen in line be-
hind me, telling them we both
had a big thank you for the
woman that paid for my grocer-
ies.
Being on the receiving end
of “paying it forward” is heart-
warming and brought me close
to tears.
Thank you, very kind wom-
an who was in line behind me. I
hope we meet again.
You are an angel with a very
special message for all to enjoy.
JEANINE WITTC.E
Warrenton
A
On the contrary, we
should all be in tears that
225,000 Americans have al-
ready died of gun violence in
his seven years in of¿ce.
The shame is not a presi-
dent weeping a bit, but that he
has not been able to prevent
roughly as many people dy-
ing from guns in America on
his watch as have been killed
in the Syrian civil war (where
estimates range from fewer
than 200,000 to more than
300,000. Yes, the U.S. gun
toll includes suicides and,
yes, Syria is a smaller coun-
try, but it’s worth a cry that
a “peaceful” America during
Obama’s tenure has lost
roughly as many lives to gun-
¿re as Syria has in civil war.
Ted Cruz responded to the
president’s executive actions
with a Web page showing a
scowling Obama in a helmet,
looking like a jackbooted thug
staging a home invasion, with
the warning, “Obama wants
your guns.” Chris Christie
protested that Obama was be-
having like a “petulant child.”
Jeb Bush decried Obama’s
“gun-grabbing
agenda.”
Donald Trump warned that
Obama was moving toward
banning guns. The upshot of
all this scaremongering will
be more Americans rushing
out to buy ¿rearms.
Look, let’s acknowledge
that liberals have not handled
gun issues well over the years.
Liberals often antagonize gun
owners by coming across
as patronizing or insulting
— as well as spectacularly
unknowledgeable about the
guns they seek to regulate.
But on the basic question of
whether more guns create
more safety or more risk, the
evidence seems clear: Most
gun owners use ¿rearms re-
But blocking ac-
sponsibly, but with
cess to guns by
more guns there
people subject to
are more tragedies.
current domestic
Exclude guns
violence restrain-
and the U.S. has a
ing orders does
rate for many vio-
reduce killings of
lent crimes similar
to that of other rich
intimate partners.
countries. But be-
We need an ev-
cause we have 300
idence-driven pub-
million guns slosh-
lic health approach,
Nicholas
ing around, some
modeled on our
Kristof
in the hands of
highly successful
high-risk individu-
regulation of cars
als, we have a gun homicide to reduce auto deaths. That’s
rate that is about 20 times that the approach the Obama ex-
of Australia (which cracked ecutive actions pursue. Re-
down on guns after a mass publicans have said for years
shooting there.
that we should focus on en-
Gun advocates say crim- forcing existing laws. That’s
inals will always have guns, what Obama is doing.
so regulations make no dif-
Likewise, Obama is push-
ference. But increasingly ing to investigate the feasibil-
we have evidence that this is ity of smart guns that operate
wrong.
with a ¿ngerprint or a PIN.
The states with the most This may or may not work,
restrictive gun laws have but it’s worth a try in a nation
the lowest gun death rates where perhaps 300,000 guns
(including suicides. Take are stolen annually. A toddler
Massachusetts and New in America shoots someone
York, which have some of on average once a week be-
the tightest gun restrictions cause guns are so easy to
in America; they have 3 or 4 pick up and ¿re. If our cell-
gun deaths per 100,000 in- phones can be made to work
habitants per year. At the oth- only with a PIN, it’s crazy
er extreme, two of the states that anyone can use a stolen
with the most permissive gun assault riÀe.
regulations are Alaska and
There’s no magic wand to
Louisiana, and both have gun solve gun violence in Ameri-
death rates about ¿ve times ca, but neither is it immutable
as high: more than 19 per fate that 32,000 Americans
100,000 inhabitants.
die from ¿rearms each year.
Republican presidential We know from the experience
candidates should look at of states like Connecticut and
the natural experiment that Missouri that sensible regu-
occurred when Missouri lations save lives. And why
eased restrictions on buying wouldn’t we want to keep
handguns. The result was a guns from men subject to do-
25 percent rise in the ¿rearm mestic violence restraining
homicide rate, according to a orders if the result is fewer
study in the Journal of Urban women murdered by jilted
Health.
boyfriends?
In contrast, Connecticut
The Republican presi-
tightened regulations on buy- dential candidates are on the
ing handguns, and gun homi- wrong side of history here.
cides there fell by 40 percent, While even Republican vot-
according to the American ers overwhelmingly say in
Journal of Public Health.
polls that they favor sensible
This is not to say that reg- steps like universal back-
ulations always work, or that ground checks, the Republi-
¿xing the problem is simple. can candidates are politiciz-
Daniel W. Webster of Johns ing what should be a public
Hopkins University cites re- health issue, and they are
search that keeping guns from scaring Americans into buy-
people with past convictions ing more guns, which mag-
for domestic violence doesn’t ni¿es the problem and causes
make much of a difference. more carnage.