Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2016)
2P,N,2N 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2016 Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Water under the bridge Compiled by Bob Duke From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers 10 years ago this week — 2006 The threat of further À ooding at the site of a damaged dike in .nappa prompted the Clatsop County commissioners to declare a local state of di- saster Friday to clear the way for emergency repairs to the structure. Crews began work Saturday morning to buttress the dike, which was breached a week ago when a combination of heavy rain and high tides sent water over the structure. The U.S. Coast Guard called off the search Tuesday for a missing Columbia River Bar Pilot who fell into the frigid waters of the Paci¿ c 2cean in what is likely the ¿ rst bar pilot death in decades. Kevin Murray, 50, an area resident, was thrown into the ocean near Buoy 2, several miles south of the mouth of the Columbia River, during a routine transfer Monday night. “Don’t forget, we’re not building a piano,” John Carney told a member of his Mount Rainier National Park crew as the two ¿ nessed a log into place on the new Fort Clatsop. The builders of the new replica of Lewis and Clark’s winter home strive to strike a balance between ruggedness and durability, laboring to make the new fort sturdy but not too well-crafted. 50 years ago — 1966 Clatsop County could lose its status as a poverty-stricken area in a re-evaluation of counties eligible for federal help under the (conomic Development Act, Tom Current of the (DA 2regon branch warned city and county of¿ cials at a meeting in Portland Monday. The EDA is a successor to the Area Redevelopment Adminis- tration, which had classi¿ ed Clatsop as economically distressed and eligible for federal help under the ARA program. Current told local people Monday that by July 1 a re-eval- uation will be ¿ nished under which Clatsop could lose this pre- ferred status as no longer poverty-stricken. Astoria entertained its ¿ rst vis- itors from Walldorf, its sister city, Monday. They are Mr. and Mrs. Wolf- gang Sauer who came to the U.S. to visit Mrs. Sauer’s parents in Ta- coma, Washington, and show them the Sauer’s ¿ rst child, 8-month-old Brigitte Nicole. Number of telephone, wa- Daily Astorian ter and power customers in Astoria and in Clatsop Coun- Mayor Harry Seinbock (right) ty have risen substantially in presents certificates of honor- 1965, indicating a big upward ary Astoria citizenship to Mr. and Mrs. Wolfgang Sauer, first population surge. The city public works de- visitors here from sister city, partment reported that water Walldorf, Germany. records show a gain of 125 families with 476 people from Jan. 1, 1965, to Jan. 1, 1966. The foghorn on the Astoria B ridge will go under control Monday night, to blow only when surface visibility is less than 2 miles as required by fed- eral regulation. Oregon Highway department of¿ cials said the department has reached agreement with contractor American Bridge Division for control of the horn. The agreement provides that American Bridge will provide extra help to keep 24-hour watch on the horn and turn it off when federal rules do not require its operation. 75 years ago — 1941 What amounts to a modest arsenal was stolen Saturday from the home of Paul Rose, logger living at Svensen. The loot, taken out through a window smashed out in back of the residence, consisted of the following guns: one 22 caliber target riÀ e, one 22 caliber riÀ e, one 0 caliber U.S. army riÀ e, and one 2-20 caliber Smith Wesson revolver. ,n addition two sport ¿ shing reels and two sport trolling rods were stolen. Checking on the increased riÀ e rife in the Svensen area, Sher- iff Paul Kearney traced the source of gun ¿ re to the homes of two brothers, the oldest about 1. They admitted taking the guns and ¿ shing tackle, all of which were recovered. The parents told the sheriff that they felt something was wrong with the way the boys were behaving, but the solution of the case was no job for amateurs. Only in 1918 when Astoria had almost twice its present population during the world war ship building rush, did postal receipts exceed those for the past year. Despite the fact that the 1940 postal receipts from stamp sales surpassed those of 1939 by more than $7000, they fell short of the 1918 total of $78,983.01, the record for all time at the Astoria post of¿ ce. The 1940 stamp sales amounted to $78.295.25. Three hundred and ¿ fty of 2regon national selective draft registrants to be called into service during the week of Jan. 20 will be sent either to Camp Clatsop or to the new cantonment at Fort Stevens. President Roosevelt today asked C ongress for appropriations and autho- rizations to provide “billions of dollars worth of weapons” for nations ¿ ght- ing against the march of aggressors in all parts of the world. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer Ammon Bundy, center, speaks with a reporter at a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in January near Burns. Bundy, the leader of an armed group occupying the national wildlife refuge to protest federal land management policies, said he and his followers are not ready to leave even though the sheriff and many locals say the group has overstayed their welcome. Specter of militia past clouds ranchers’ legitimate concerns ore than 20 years ago I received an assignment to go to Oklahoma City after the bombing of the Alfred E. Murrah Federal Building. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols conspired to destroy a symbol of government power — without regard for human life. M One-hundred-sixty-eight peo- ple were killed and 680 injured in that incident. The people of Oklahoma City asked themselves, “Why?” and es- pecially, “Why here?” Jannie Coverdale lost her two grandchildren, Elijah and Aaron, in the blast. Jim Denny could only identify his 3-year-old son Brandon by a birthmark on the boy’s thigh when he arrived at the hospital. One of the victims, Rebecca Anderson, was a licensed practical nurse who rushed to the bomb site immediately after hearing the explo- sion. “6he was probably the ¿ nest woman God ever put on this earth,” her husband, Fred Anderson, said. In the weeks that followed, in- vestigators determined that the killers had links with militia groups throughout the country. The mili- tias and paramilitary organizations sought a New World Order and to create division within the country based on racial heritage or country of origin. All in the name of our “constitutional freedoms.” Scenes of bloodshed also played out in Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho, where extremists and the federal government dueled in deadly standoffs . Little has changed since that time — in fact, some militia mem- bers have been emboldened by rhetoric in Congress. Oregon’s Rep. Greg Waldman, in urging clemency for Dwight and Steven Hammond — the ranchers jailed for arson on federal proper- ty — spoke angrily on the House floor of his constituents’ “tension,” “frustration” and “anger” over fed- eral land management policies. These are words that inflame emotions, not soothe them. Any sympathy for armed rebellion in Harney County is misplaced. The lesson I’m learning in Or- egon is many good people want to help the Hammonds but not the Bundys. Our sister paper, t he East Ore- gonian, wisely notes residents in the sparsely populated high desert area are “largely rebuffing” the militant Ammon Bundy and his followers. SOUTHERN “The real question is how that land should be managed and how grazing and natural resource ex- traction will remain viable and part of the multiple use doctrine that historically governed public lands,” t he East Oregonian writes. “Government policy once fostered the timber, livestock and mining industries that became the econom- ic lifeblood of rural Western com- munities. Current policy — the re- sult of environmental lawsuits and regulatory and legislative changes — is largely responsible for drain- ing that lifeblood.” On the c oast, we may be far from Harney County, but many of the same issues prevail. We have thousands of acres of timber and coastal land. We have a fed- eral government overseeing and considering approval of a billion dollar pipeline over the will of impassioned citizens of all politi- cal persuasions. We have conflicts between Native Americans and management of their tribal lands. Fishermen face national and inter- national regulations that may, to their eyes, defy logic. All these issues must be vigor- ously debated and legislated. But nuance doesn’t play well in a crisis. The words “good” and “evil” are so strictly defined by each of us in our own way that it’s almost im- possible to accept shades of gray. Extremism triumphs. Events like the Malheur Nation- al Wildlife Refuge occupation only set back the conversation — there is little value to legislation from the barrel of a gun or in the after- math of tragedy. The bombing of the Murrah Federal Building seems long ago and far away, but the lives lost in Oklahoma City in 1995 are irre- placeable. “The Oklahoma City blast had repercussions that went far beyond the death toll,” we wrote in 1995. “The American people suddenly got a glimpse of a new terrorist threat — a threat from within.” “The antigovernment movement has experienced a resurgence since 2008, when President Obama was elected,” writes the Southern Pov- erty Law Center. Factors fueling the movement include changing demographics driven by immigra- tion, a struggling economy and the election of the first African-Ameri- can president. The “inspiration” provided by many in the militia movement is no more of a divine message than that of the jihadists. We conclude with this message from the Oregon State Police, who issued this statement last Wednes- day, on behalf of all 36 sheriff of- fices in the state. “The sheriffs of Oregon are united in the support of Harney County and its residents. We are supplying logistical and op- erational support to the community while the FBI works for a peace- ful resolution with the militants at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge,” they said. “We want the good people of Harney County and the state of Oregon to know that we will always unite to provide support and assistance to ensure the safety of our residents, for any length of time, whenever criminal activity or an emergency, fractures the peace and security in our com- munities.” It is those men and women, and all those on the front lines of our nation’s defense, who are our real constitutional heroes. R.J. Marx is the editor of the Seaside Signal and Cannon Beach Gazette and the South County re- porter for The Daily Astorian. senate.gov • State Rep. Brad Witt (D): State Capitol, 900 Court Street N.E., H-373, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1431. Web: www.leg.state. or.us/witt/ Email: rep.bradwitt@ state.or.us • State Rep. Deborah Boone (D): 900 Court St. N.E., H-481, Sa- lem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986- 1432. Email: rep.deborah boone@ state.or.us District of¿ ce: P.O. Box 928, Cannon Beach, OR 97110. Phone: 503-986-1432. Web: www. leg.state.or.us/ boone/ • State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D): State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E., S-314, Salem, OR 97301. Tele- phone: 503-986-1716. Email: sen. betsy johnson@state.or.us Web: www.betsyjohnson.com District Of¿ ce: P.O. Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056. Phone: 503-543-4046. Fax: 503-543-5296. Astoria of¿ ce phone: 503-338-1280. • Port of Astoria: Executive Di- rector, 10 Pier 1 Suite 308, Astoria, OR 97103. Phone: 503-741-3300. Email: admin@portofastoria.com • Clatsop County Board of Commissioners: c/o County Man- ager, 800 Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria, OR 97103. Phone: 503-325- 1000. EXPOSURE B Y R.J. M ARX But nuance doesn’t play well in a crisis. The words ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are so strictly defi ned by each of us in our own way that it’s almost impossible to accept shades of gray. Extremism triumphs. Where to write • U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D): 2338 Rayburn HOB, Washing- ton, D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225- 0855. Fax 202-225-9497. District of¿ ce: 12725 SW Millikan Way, Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005. Phone: 503-469-6010. Fax 503-326- 5066. Web: bonamici.house. gov/ • U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D): 313 Hart Senate Of¿ ce Building, Washington, D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-3753. Web: www.merkley. senate.gov • U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D): 221 Dirksen Senate Of¿ ce Building, Washington, D.C., 20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Web: www.wyden.