OPINION
4A
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
There was a town that had great fun, and Seaside was its name-o.
After the annual Fourth of July parade Tuesday, Seaside residents and vis-
itors moved to the area around the Butterield Cottage, which was shortly as
crowded as it has ever been for Fourth festivities, said resident Alvis Porter.
Bingo, food stall, and the silent auction and especially the cake walk were
popular.
Washington senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray have
announced the approval of $500,000 for land acquisition around
the historic Lewis and Clark encampment at Station Camp.
The money is part of a package of funding for land buys and
preservation projects throughout Washington that was approved
Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee for inclusion
in the 2007 Interior Appropriations bill.
Other projects slated for funding include the Fort Vancou-
ver National Historic Area visitor center, land acquisition in the
Columbia Gorge and spartina grass control efforts in Willapa Bay.
The Port of Astoria will join the array of local governments, private groups
and individuals signing on as intervenors in the application process for the pro-
posed LNG terminal at Bradwood.
The port commission voted unanimously at a special meeting Wednesday
to formally seek intervenor status in the project, just one day before the iling
deadline.
Intervenor status will allow the port and the other parties to review docu-
ments and appeal decisions of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
which has ultimate authority overt the siting of LNG facilities.
50 years ago — 1966
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016
Music, everywhere
NEW OPERA IS OFTEN
performed once, and never
again. But some get a second
staging and a third. Little
Women is one of those. The
Astoria Music Festival audi-
ence had a rare opportunity
to hear this work, performed
by Eugene Opera, last Friday
night at the Performing Arts
Center.
A
The composer Mark Adamo
condensed the Louisa May Alcott
story into a plot about Jo March’s
reluctance to change as the world
around her, as well as her sisters,
are changing.
The singing is very dificult,
with Adamo putting the four March
sisters — two mezzos and two
sopranos — into the upper regis-
ter at forte, a lot. Adamo’s score
requires all four women to sing a
wide register. Hannah Penn as Jo
was especially convincing.
Bringing Eugene Opera here
was an inspired choice.
It appears the Music Festi-
val rebounded nicely this season.
Dwight Caswell, its board presi-
dent, tells me the opening night con-
cert had its biggest-ever audience.
▼▼▼
THE
NORTH
COAST
Symphonic Band has come a long
way in the last decade. Not only its
musicianship, but its creativity in
programming has blossomed. The
band produced a very big sound at
its Fourth of July concert on Sunday
evening in the Liberty Theater.
In addition to two Sousa
marches, the band marked the 50th
anniversary of construction of the
Astoria Bridge. While the band
played Trumpets and Bridges by
Thomas Doss, historical photos and
video were projected on a screen.
Dave Becker’s conducting since
2011 has been a key factor in the
band’s blossoming. Becker is
another example of how we bene-
it from someone who has retired
from a big career elsewhere. Now
a resident of Manzanita, Becker
was director of bands at Lewis and
Clark College.
There was broad involvement
in this particular concert. Partici-
pants included the local American
Legion, vocalists Andy and Rachel
Becker, former Warrenton music
‘The time has come,’ the Walrus said,
‘To talk of many things;
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing wax —
Of cabbages —and kings —’
Through the Looking-glass
of Cabbages and Kings
Dwight Casewell/For The Daily Astorian
The four March sisters were sung by Hannah Penn (Jo), Emily
Evelyn Way (Beth), Jocelyn Claire Thomas (Amy) and Alicia Piper
Garcia (Meg).
‘Little Women’ puts
strong vocal demands
on its singers.
educator John Hammond, who con-
ducted two numbers, and former
Astoria Fire Chief Lenard Hansen
▼▼▼
ON THE HOLIDAY, OUR
communities abound with Fourth
of July parades. My wife and I took
in Seaside’s parade, whose attrac-
tion was four bands from around
Oregon and as far away as Santa
Clara, California.
Humor is essential in a parade,
and this one delivered occasion-
ally. My wife especially enjoyed
a bearded fellow who drove a rid-
ing lawn mower that pulled a boat.
There was the usual throwing of
taffy at children, but a local spa
handed adult multi-vitamin sam-
ples to those of us who are well
beyond childhood.
A large group of boys and girls
riding unicycles was quite amaz-
ing. And Bigfoot’s appearance, on a
bicycle, was reassuring. There was
a nice progression of vintage cars.
In their size and discipline, the
four bands were quite a sight. See-
ing their massive mobile infrastruc-
ture was also impressive. I can-
not imagine the capital investment
behind these mobile music groups.
— S.A.F.
America is better than that
By TIMOTHY EGAN
New York Times News Service
This full-page ad appeared in a special Astoria Bridge
supplement.
Astoria will host nine representatives from Walldorf, Ger-
many, Astoria’s sister city, during Regatta week August 21-28.
The guests, who are returning the visit to Walldorf of Mayor
and Mrs. Harry Steinbock and Mr. and Mrs. F.M. Thorsness
three years ago, will attend Regatta and sister city events, and
will be honor guests at the Sister City International Festival
August 21.
More than 100 vessels currently make up the Soviet ishing leet operat-
ing off the Washington coast, according to a report released Thursday by the
Bureau of Commercial Fisheries.
The tally was made by Coast Guard air and surface craft in a ive-day
period from June 25-30, during which a 24-hour surveillance was maintained
by the surface patrols.
Aerial patrols observed 105 vessels in the leet, including 22 factory and
support vessels, 8 stern trawlers and 75 side trawlers.
State Treasurer Robert Straub today suggested that state park
lands in the proposed Oregon Dunes National Seashore Park be
traded for federal lands suitable for recreation development —
such as Battery Russell at Astoria.
75 years ago — 1941
Reports from all beaches point to the fact that the Fourth of July crowd was
the largest on record. Broadway was roped off early in Seaside. Trafic was
often solid in the afternoon along the coast route. There were no hotel accom-
modations anywhere in the lower Columbia late in the day.
Aside from the heavy toll of drownings, occasioned by the ine weather,
which induced thousands to take a dip in the surf, there were no other
fatalities.
Kilowatts from the white-maned Columbia at Bonneville were
today intermingled with Kilowatts from Paciic Power & Light
company’s steam generating plant on Youngs Bay, although few
Clatsop County electric users realized it as they casually lipped
electric switches in a routine way.
Bonneville power began lowing through P.P. & L, lines to the
company’s customers throughout the county at 12:12 a.m. Mon-
day, when preliminary tests of substations and switching equip-
ment were completed and the Bonneville and P.P. & L systems tied
together.
More than a century ago, in the
irst attempts to shape the face of
a nation open to people from all
nations, the United States banned
convicts, prostitutes and Chinese
laborers from landing on our shores.
Later, “idiots” were added to the list
of forbidden immigrants. Alas, it
was too early keep Donald Trump
at bay.
But on this Independence Day,
at a time when Trump’s response
to our better angels is to go small,
mean and tribal, an American ideal
is in peril. Not open borders, which
is something the United States hasn’t
had since 1875, but open minds.
In committing economic sui-
cide, Britain is trying to close the
door and hide from the world. It
felt good, no doubt, to tell those
overbearing bureaucrats in Brus-
sels to bugger off. We’ll stick with
our bangers and mash without any
interference from Europe! But the
“Brexit” vote was also a drunken
swing at those “others” remak-
ing the image of a lost England. To
hear the haters tell it, “Polish ver-
min” and brown-skinned hordes
have overwhelmed the little island
nation.
Trump wants us to follow the
Brits into a corner of isolation —
by race, religion and trade. His
philosophy, the rant of a besotted
boob making things up in public, is
anti-American at its core. In reject-
ing our former colonial masters, we
threw off monarchy, the class sys-
tem and a state religion. We opened
our doors to all nations, all reli-
gions, all opinions.
The New World can certainly
learn much from the Old World. But
the sun never sets on a stupid idea.
And this vote to stop the spinning
globe and get off at 1952 is among
the stupidest. Britain is cracking up
now because it followed the crack-
pots. The United States could make
the same mistake — rejecting free
about half the babies born
trade, and rejecting a wel-
in the United States are
come mat for free people.
Today, about 13 per-
nonwhite. In places like
cent of Britain is for-
Wichita, Kansas, more
eign-born. What’s dis-
than 80 languages are
ruptive, especially in the
spoken by families in the
timeless tableau of rural
school district.
England, is that the num-
Among the new Amer-
ber of immigrants has
icans are a deranged few
more than doubled since
who kill for religion.
1993. That’s what caused
These Islamic fanatics
Timothy
some of the open hatred in
should be rooted out, iso-
Egan
the campaign to leave the
lated and of course kept
European Union. Trump
away from assault riles.
is playing with that same The sun But Trump has tried to
ire now.
immigration in
never equate
The United States has
general, and free trade,
an almost identical per- sets on with fear of both home-
centage of foreign-born
grown terror and the new
as Britain, and their pres- a stupid global economy. He’s
ence has also been disrup-
counting on the same
idea.
tive. But it’s not unprec-
contagion of stupidity
edented. As a percentage
that infected Britain to
of the population, there are fewer carry him.
foreign-born residents in the United
Look at the Pittsburgh area,
States now than there were in where Trump chose this week to
1870, 1890, 1900 and 1910 — not stand in front of a wall of com-
long after a plaque welcoming the pacted garbage to make his case
“wretched refuse of your teeming for a trade war that could cost
shores” was latched to the base of Americans at least 3 million jobs.
the Statue of Liberty.
The city of Pittsburgh has lost
In place of Lady Liberty, Trump more than half its population since
would build a wall, trigger a huge 1950, and is the only major metro
recession and apply a religious test area with more deaths than births.
to entry. He would do this, he says,
No amount of Make America
because “we are losing everything Great sloganeering will bring back
in this country” and “we don’t know the old industrial base. Pittsburgh
who these people are” — that is, is banking on immigrants, and a
these people coming to our shores.
brain economy tied to global trade
But in fact, we do know a great and education, to rebound. The
deal about the 42 million immi- city’s official Welcoming Pitts-
grants here, legal and illegal. A burgh campaign specifically tar-
majority of them came before 2000. gets the very people Trump has
Almost 30 percent of those over the demonized. And it seems to be
age of 25 have college degrees — working, a bright spot in land-
roughly equal to the population as scape of decline. Of late, Hispanic
a whole. India, China, Mexico, the migration to western Pennsylvania
Philippines and Canada are the top is double the national average.
These new residents waved
countries of origin.
What’s disruptive here, as in flags on the Fourth of July, ate
England, is the changing face of too much charred food, and heard
these immigrants. Ever since Con- something amid the bombs burst-
gress abolished national origin ing in air of what makes America
goals in 1965, the trend has been truly great. It’s grounded in hope,
away from Europeans. And today, instead of hate.
