THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016
Thank you
Letters welcome
I
would like to thank everyone
who voted for me on May 17
to serve as county commissioner
for District 4. It is an honor to be
elected. I look forward to repre-
senting you, when my four-year
term begins in January.
I would also like to thank
all those who supported my
campaign. I will continue lis-
tening and learning about the
job ahead in order to be as pre-
pared as possible. I am grateful
to be living in Clatsop County,
and look forward to serving as
an elected representative of the
community.
KATHLEEN SULLIVAN
Astoria
Letters should be exclu-
sive to The Daily Astorian.
We do not publish open let-
ters or third-party letters.
Letters should be fewer
than 450 words and must
include the writer’s name,
address and phone numbers.
You will be contacted to con-
fi rm authorship.
All letters are subject to
editing for space, grammar
and, on occasion, factual
accuracy.
Letters written in response
to other letter writers should
address the issue at hand and,
rather than mentioning the
writer by name, should refer
to the headline and date the
Surviving together
I
read the letter titled “Surviv-
ing survival” (The Daily Asto-
rian, May 27), and wanted to
write some words of encourage-
ment and give some tips. I lived
through a catastrophic hurri-
cane on Kauai in 1992, and was
the public relations/marketing
director for the local hospital at
the time. Where I lived, we had
no electricity, phone or TV for
2 1/2 months. Clean water was
spotty for a while.
The letter poses good ques-
tions. Following our disas-
ter, I became a little hyper-vig-
ilant. I obtained a bachelor’s
degree in emergency manage-
ment, took steps to prepare for
future hurricanes, and the les-
sons learned remained with me
ever since. Then I moved to the
Northwest, not knowing what
eventually lies awaiting all of
us here. The effects of that hur-
ricane will pale by comparison
to a Cascadia Subduction Zone
earthquake.
I have a few key points. You
can prepare for some of what
will happen. You can’t prepare
for all eventualities. However,
you will be amazed at how peo-
ple work together to deal with
the problems at hand. You’ll
pool your food together. You’ll
share key items that can’t be
obtained because the stores are
closed. Life becomes very com-
munal following a disaster.
In your preparations, think
“old school.” There’s no inter-
net for you, no phones, no email,
texting, etc. We found the most
effective communication was
bulletin boards. Using manual
typewriters, we wrote pertinent
bulletins and posted these on
bulletin boards throughout the
community.
Realize that all of your pub-
lic servants (i.e. police, fi re,
medical, etc.) are victims, just
like you, and are facing respon-
sibilities of work while solving
problems of shelter, water, food,
child care, etc. for their families.
By the way, child care following
a disaster is a big deal. Schools
are obviously closed. If you
have to work, what do you do
with your children? At our hos-
pital, we realized if we expected
people to come to work, we had
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
to provide food and child care.
The outpouring of gener-
osity and kindness I saw in the
aftermath of that disaster far out-
weighed any negative. It will
always be the fi rst thing that
comes to mind as I refl ect on
what was an incredible hardship.
Survival is instinctive. In a
crisis like this, people will work
together to solve their immedi-
ate problems. Yes, plan as much
as you can. Do things that will
mitigate problems. But also real-
ize that what you didn’t foresee
— you’ll work together to deal
with in the aftermath.
And by all means, talk to
those who have gone through
major disasters. We can help
you think of things you wouldn’t
think of if you haven’t been
through one (i.e. how do you
pay staff when there are no com-
puters to do a payroll?).
SCOT ROSKELLEY
Cathlamet, Washington
Budget control?
I
was dismayed to read about
the Cannon Beach budget
plans (“Cannon Beach boosts
budget by a third,” The Daily
Astorian, May 6). Acquiring
property in the tsunami inunda-
tion zone sounds like a horrible
idea.
The idea that “as you enter
town we want something we can
be very proud of” indicates that
there will be a massive build-
ing project ahead, with asso-
ciated tax increases. If the city
truly wants to beautify, I would
suggest spending the money
on underground utilities, bet-
ter maintaining landscaping in
parking areas and paving streets.
Also interesting was money
budgeted for a “salary survey.”
Will the taxpayers ever see the
results, or will it be like the last
expensive survey?
Since this type of survey is
commonly used to justify sal-
ary increases, if the results show
employees are overpaid, will
it quietly be fi led away? How
about some transparency here?
PHILIP HALL
Cannon Beach
letter was published. Dis-
course should be civil and
people should be referred to
in a respectful manner. Let-
ters referring to news stories
should also mention the head-
line and date of publication.
Submissions may be sent
in any of these ways:
E-mail to editor@dai-
lyastorian.com;
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Delivered to the Asto-
rian offi ces at 949 Exchange
St. and 1555 N. Roosevelt in
Seaside.
Or by mail to Letters to
the Editor, P.O. Box 210,
Astoria, OR 97103
Upgrade lights
T
here are three main traf-
fi c lights in the Warren-
ton area, heading south on
U.S. Highway 101. There is
the light at the main turn into
the city of Warrenton, the light
at the turn into Fred Meyers
and fi nally the light at Mar-
lin Avenue. All of these lights
are marvels of modern traffi c
control, featuring sensors that
detect when cars are present
and change the lights so that
the traffi c fl ow is at its most
effi cient.
The problem is that they do
not sense light, or short vehi-
cles, such as some motorcycles.
This is a problem, because if
one of these vehicles is the fi rst
vehicle in line at one of these
stop lights, you might as well
pack a lunch, because the light
will never change, as they do
not trigger the sensors.
So now, what to do? Would
it be legal for the vehicle in
question to simply run the
red light, after having waited
through several cycles of traffi c
lights without ever getting the
green light, so to speak?
I guess with all the dis-
gusted drivers lined up behind,
honking their horns and work-
ing up to a good ole fashioned
case of road rage, it would be
the prudent thing to do, and I
think that the Oregon Driving
Regulations might even allow
that. If an accident should
occur, however, and it was you
who had run the red light, let us
pause and think just what your
insurance company might think
about your actions.
Anyway, what is the point,
you may well ask? The point
is that in this day and age, and
with lasers and infrared sensors
available for this type of thing,
perhaps it is time to upgrade the
current system and prevent this
traffi c snarling situation and, at
the same time, make these inter-
sections safer for everyone.
Just a thought, I could be
wrong.
DAVID GRAVES
Astoria
Where to write
• U.S. Rep. Suzanne
Bonamici (D): 2338 Ray-
burn HOB, Washington, D.C.,
20515. Phone: 202- 225-0855.
Fax 202-225-9497. District
offi 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 Offi ce
Building, Washington, D.C.
20510. Phone: 202-224-3753.
Web: www.merkley.senate.gov
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
(D): 221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce
Building, Washington, D.C.,
20510. Phone: 202-224-5244.
Web: www.wyden.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, Salem, OR 97301.
Phone: 503-986-1432. Email:
rep.deborah boone@state.or.us
District offi ce: P.O. Box 928,
Cannon Beach, OR 97110.
Phone: 503-986-1432. Web:
www.leg.state.or.us/ boone/
5A
Lovable Bernie whacks Israel
By CHARLES
KRAUTHAMMER
Washington Post Writers
Group
W
ASHINGTON
— Part of Bernie
Sanders’ charm is that
for all of his arm-waving
jeremiads, he appears
unthreatening.
He’s
the weird old uncle in
the attic, Larry David’s
crazy Bernie. It’s almost
a matter of style. Who
can be afraid of a can-
didate so irascible,
grumpy, old-fashioned
and unfashionable?
After all, he’s not going
to win the nomination, so
what harm can he do? A
major address at the party
convention? A say in the
vice presidential selection?
And who reads party plat-
forms anyway?
Well, platforms may not
immediately affect a partic-
ular campaign. But they do
express, quite literally, the
party line, a written record
of its ideological trajectory.
Which is why two of
Sanders’ appointments to
the 15-member platform
committee are so stunning.
Professor Cornel West not
only has called the Israeli
prime minister a war crim-
inal but openly supports the
BDS movement (boycott,
divestment and sanctions),
the most important attempt
in the world to ostracize
and delegitimize Israel.
West is joined on the
committee by the long-
time pro-Palestinian activ-
ist James Zogby. Together,
reported The New York
Times, they “vowed to
upend what they see as the
party’s lopsided support of
Israel.”
This seems a gratu-
itous provocation. Sand-
ers hardly made Israel cen-
tral to his campaign. He did
call Israel’s response in the
2014 Gaza war “dispropor-
tionate” and said “we can-
not continue to be one-
sided.” But now Sanders
seeks to permanently alter
— i.e. weaken — the rela-
tionship between the Dem-
ocratic Party and Israel,
which has been close and
supportive since Harry Tru-
man recognized the world’s
only Jewish state when it
declared independence in
May 1948.
West doesn’t even pre-
tend, as do some left-
wing “peace” groups, to be
opposing Israeli policy in
order to save it from itself.
He makes the simpler case
that occupation is uncon-
scionable oppression and
that until Israel abandons
it, Israel deserves to be
AP Photo/Noah Berger
Connor Anderson cheers for Democratic presidential
candidate U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a cam-
paign rally at the Cubberley Community Center Wednes-
day in Palo Alto, California.
It is ironic that the
most successful Jewish
presidential candidate
ever should be pushing
the anti-Israel case.
lefties all use the
treated like apart-
same
wedding
heid South Africa
planner?)
— anathematized,
For the old left,
cut off, made to
Israel was sim-
bleed
morally
ply an outpost of
and
economi-
Western imperial-
cally. The Sand-
ism, Middle East
ers
appointees
division. To this
wish to bend the
day, the leftist con-
Democratic plat-
sensus, most pow-
form to encour-
Charles
erful in Europe
age such dimin-
Krauthammer
(which remains
ishment
unless
Israel redeems itself by lib- Sanders’ ideological lode-
star), holds that Israeli per-
erating Palestine.
This is an unusual argu- fi dy demands purifi cation by
ment for a Democratic plat- Western chastisement.
Chastisement there will
form committee, largely
because it is logically and be at the Democratic plat-
morally perverse. Israel did form committee. To be sure,
in fact follow such high- Sanders didn’t create the
minded advice in 2005: Democrats’ drift away from
It terminated its occupa- Israel. It was already visible
tion and evacuated Gaza. at the 2012 convention with
That earned it (temporary) the loud resistance to recog-
praise from the West. And nizing Jerusalem as Israel’s
from the Palestinians? Not capital. But Sanders is con-
peace, not reconciliation, sciously abetting it.
The millennials who
not normal relations but a
decade of unrelenting ter- worship him and pack his
rallies haven’t lived through
rorism and war.
Israel is now being — and don’t know — the
asked — pressured — to history of Israel’s half-cen-
repeat that same disaster on tury of peace offers. They
the West Bank. That would don’t know of the multiple
bring the terror war, quite times Israel has offered to
fatally, to the very heart of divide the land with an inde-
Israel — Tel Aviv, Jerusa- pendent Palestinian state
lem, Ben Gurion Airport. and been rebuffed.
Sanders hasn’t lifted a
Israel is now excoriated for
declining that invitation to fi nger to tell them. The lov-
able old guy with the big
national suicide.
It is ironic that the most crowds and no chance at the
successful Jewish presiden- nomination is hardly taken
tial candidate ever should seriously (except by Hil-
be pushing the anti-Israel lary Clinton, whose inabil-
case. But perhaps not sur- ity to put him away reveals
prising considering Sand- daily her profound politi-
ers’ ideological roots. He cal weakness). But when
is old left — not the post- he makes platform appoin-
1960s, countercultural New tees that show he does take
Left. Why, the man hon- certain things quite seri-
eymooned in the Soviet ously, like undermining the
relationship,
Union — not such fashion- U.S.-Israeli
ably cool communist par- you might want to recon-
adises as Sandinista Nica- sider your equanimity about
ragua where Bill de Blasio the magical mystery tour. It
went to work for the cause looks like Woodstock, but
or Castro’s Cuba where de there is steel inside the psy-
Blasio honeymooned. (Do chedelic glove.
OSAA 4A GIRLS
TRACK & FIELD STATE
CO AST AL
CO M IN G
JU N E 2016
O U R 9TH
A N N UA L
Congratulate the
Astoria High School
Lady Fishermen
winners of the
OSAA 4A Track
Championship
Your 3-line message to
the Lady Fishermen
championship team and
your business name
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