THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Food Bank thanks
would like to express my
gratitude to the community
for their support for the Asto-
ria/Knappa Christmas Food
Basket Program. I retired from
the program at the end of the
2016 season. My husband and
I have worked with incredible
volunteers and supporters.
Thank you to First
Lutheran Church for back-
ing the program for so many
years. Thank you to the many
organizations that held food
drives for the program. Thank
you to the businesses that
donated product or gave us
such great deals on what we
purchased for the food boxes.
Thank you to the Regional
Food Bank for all their sup-
port and generosity over the
years.
Needless to say, I could
go on and on about the won-
derful experiences we have
had through the Food Basket
Program. As yet, no one has
stepped up to take over.
MYRLE BRUNER
Astoria
I
Missing Forrester
osh, I miss Steve For-
rester. He wouldn’t have
blundered into the error of
The Daily Astorian’s cur-
rent editorial by echoing The
Oregonian’s editorial board
regarding “one-party rule”
by Oregon Democrats. It’s a
silly and misleading political
construct.
Just to be clear about my
biases: I despise The Orego-
nian editorial board because
they despise public employ-
ees, and they misrepre-
sent Oregon political reality
because of it. And I’m also
a retired Public Employees
Retirement System (PERS)
parasite, as my friends refer
to me.
Ever since Oregon Dem-
ocrats won control of both
chambers of the Legislature
in 2007 for the first time since
1994, The Oregonian inces-
santly accuses Dems of mono-
lithic control of the state with-
out Republican input. That’s
pure bullpucky.
The latest example, a
recent paean to Dennis Rich-
ardson, “Oregon’s mixed
progress on bipartisanship,
personal freedom: Editorial
Agenda 2016” (The Orego-
nian, Dec. 30.), concluded:
“The election of a Republi-
can to the secretary of state’s
office provides at least a little
balance to Democratic domi-
nance in the rest of state gov-
ernment … Certainly, Ore-
gon staunchly remains under
one-party rule, a phenome-
non that’s unhealthy no mat-
ter which party is in charge.”
What a crock.
With the exception of
2009, Democrats have never
controlled 60 percent of the
seats in the House since the
supermajority requirement
to move tax measures was
imposed. Let’s be honest, the
majority party can’t pass any-
thing, whether it’s a budget or
a transportation plan, or PERS
reform, without the assistance
of the minority party. And
minority parties always whine
about being ignored. I should
know; I was the minority whip
in the House and the Senate
for four of my five sessions.
Democrats do not have a
supermajority in either cham-
ber to move any revenue
measures without Republi-
can votes in the 2017 session.
That’s a fact, not an opinion.
TONY CORCORAN
Cottage Grove
G
Lovely dinner
s the last of our custom-
ers shuffled out the door
on New Year’s Eve there
was a moment of quietness
and realization that we had
made it through our 16th hol-
iday season. Each year after
Thanksgiving we break out
the Christmas décor and get
excited to spend the holidays
with our regular customers
and visiting ones alike.
Something that is a true
highlight for us is the annual
Christmas dinner at the Urban
Café. This event is something
that we love to do, and is so
special. This dinner provides
more than just the dinner; it
provides a family-like atmo-
sphere that many crave around
the holidays. You can imagine
walking into the Urban Café
on Christmas Day as walk-
ing into your aunt’s house
who is a little quirky, but
A
that’s just the way she is. All
of your cousins, aunts, uncles
and family are in one place to
laugh and seek peace together
on a cold Christmas Day.
We could never achieve or
maintain this tradition with-
out wonderful donations from
around the community. A spe-
cial thanks to Blue Scorcher
Bakery, Reed and Hertig,
Ocean Beauty and Dan from
Food Services of America.
Their donations help maintain
this community funded dinner.
All of us from the T-Paul’s
family invite you to sit and eat
with us in 2017.
Eat well, laugh often and
love much.
PAUL FLUES
TEONA DAWSON
THE T-PAUL’S FAMILY
Astoria
Inaccurate review
ast month’s review of
the Buoy 9 restaurant in
Hammond (“Mouth of the
Columbia: Buoy 9,” Coast
Weekend, Dec. 22) was some-
what scathing and inaccu-
rate. I was appalled with the
review, which was way over
the top with a very prejudi-
cial tone.
I have known Buoy 9’s
owner, Vern Keen, for sev-
eral years, and have often
eaten there with our family
and friends. Our Portland rel-
atives insist on Buoy 9 each
time they visit the coast. They
have always enjoyed a qual-
ity meal in pleasant surround-
ings at the Buoy. Besides
being a true gentleman, Vern
is a hard working, hands-on
chef, devoted to his business,
employees and customers.
Buoy 9 purchases only
quality fresh meats, fish and
produce from local suppliers
who cater to upscale restau-
rants, including the Astoria
Golf and Country Club.
The Daily Astorian would
be well served to review
future Mouth reviews before
publishing. Local restaurants
need our help and support.
MARTY GILL
Gearhart
L
Good youth facility
would like to start by say-
ing thank you to the edi-
tor for his two great editorials
covering the possible closure
of North Coast Youth Correc-
tional Facility, “Brown’s bud-
get cuts fail state’s struggling
youth” (The Daily Astorian,
Dec. 6) and “There’s still a
good case for youth facilities”
(The Daily Astorian, Jan. 5).
I have worked as a nurse
at this facility for almost 11
years now, and have seen the
huge impact our facility has
made for the youth in our
care. Oregon Youth Authority
director Fariborz Pakseresht
has said we will close. I would
like to say that until it goes
before the Legislature and
Ways and Means Commit-
tee, I’d like to think that there
might be a glimmer of hope,
at least from my perspective.
The fact that we have been
repeatedly told that it is fis-
cally sound to close North
Coast, and will be beneficial
for the youth and staff alike,
is not an accurate picture from
my perspective. While I do
understand the fiscal part, it
should be noted that there are
other small facilities like ours
that aren’t closing.
It has been well proven
that youth do better at smaller
facilities than the larger ones.
Large facilities have many
inherent problems with being
so large. Youth lose the close
knit family-like atmosphere
which extends to our entire
facility, not just a unit or two.
There is much less smuggling
I
of contraband into a smaller
facility over the larger ones,
much less violence, youth are
safer — the list goes on.
North Coast has had a
proven track record for tak-
ing the youth that no one else
wants to deal with, and mak-
ing it work. Our drug and
alcohol program is one of the
best ones out there. Granted,
we don’t have a fenced perim-
eter, nor do we have a fancy
new school, but despite this
we have always had parole
officers who want their youth
to come out here for just the
reasons I listed. It works out
here.
APRIL JOHNSON
Warrenton
Challenges in 2017
n 2017, the city of Asto-
ria will face two new chal-
lenges, and continue con-
sideration of two challenges
carried over from the past
year. Mayor LaMear pointed
out that the waterfront
bridges at the ends of Sixth
through 11th streets need
to be replaced; and the old
water pipes must be renewed
with a redundant system pro-
tecting them from landslides
(“County leaders share their
‘biggest challenges’ ahead,”
The Daily Astorian, Jan. 2.)
Both these projects will be
very costly.
Surprisingly, in the same
column, the mayor stated that
the city must decide the future
of the library, whether to con-
struct a new facility or ren-
ovate the existing library.
Almost six months ago it
seems the council decided
this issue in favor of renova-
tion, since the price of build-
ing a whole new library would
be prohibitive. Evidently the
mayor plans to revisit this
issue now that there are two
new members on the council.
The need for a new or
improved library has been
on the council table for eight
years. In October 2013, after
being paid $62,000, a con-
sultant proposed two options:
renovate the existing library;
and expand the existing
library into that area occu-
pied by the historical Mer-
wyn (Waldorf) Hotel. Subse-
quently, much more money
was allocated to employ more
experts, primarily to consider
using the area adjacent to the
Garden of Surging Waves as
a site for a library/housing
complex.
Finally, last July the major-
ity of the council directed
staff to develop a funding
strategy for the library. In
view of the demands placed
on their limited tax dollars,
the good people of Astoria
will have to be satisfied with
library renovation. This would
include plumbing and elec-
trical upgrades: necessary
alterations to conform to the
Americans with Disabilities
Act; and improvements to the
natural and artificial lighting.
Another urgent problem
for the council is the develop-
ment of a strategy to provide
adequate housing in Asto-
ria, especially for persons
with low incomes. The coun-
cil last considered this issue
in July 2016. In October 2016
the Planning Commission,
however, held a public hear-
ing to amend the code regard-
ing accessory dwelling units;
after extensive public input
the commission unanimously
recommended these code
changes to the City Council.
Hopefully in 2017 the
Astoria City Council will vig-
orously and decisively move
forward on the library and
housing issues.
GEORGE McCARTIN
Astoria
I
Skip the conjecture
have known William
Michael Schuster since we
both returned from Vietnam
nearly half a century ago. We
met in Portland, introduced by
one of his sisters. We both had
been Marines, and our Viet-
nam tours overlapped in the
same places at the same time,
but he was artillery and I spent
most of my time with infantry
and recon, so only back state-
side did we get to know each
other.
For virtually all of these
years we have been close
friends — I have admired
his intelligence, his humor-
ous eccentricities and his art-
istry; he paints and draws
compulsively.
I know he has been con-
victed of child sexual abuse,
which I find very difficult to
believe, despite the claims
against him, though he has not
contested the charge.
I do know what he did do.
He killed people. He han-
dled the big artillery guns in
Vietnam. He fired so-called
“Harassment and Interdiction”
missions, which were indis-
criminate artillery barrages
that destroyed villages, kill-
ing men, women and children
nearly every day. No court in
the world will convict him for
that — except the court of his
conscience, which has, ever
since.
Schuster has Post Trau-
matic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Vietnam has been saturated
I
into his very sense of every-
thing. If anyone wants proof,
look at his paintings. Don’t
expect insanity or emotional
breakdowns; obsession with
the war as a lifelong wound
that never heals — that is
PTSD.
I am aware that his mind
has deteriorated over time.
He sought treatment at the
Veterans Administration, but
was made homeless by Asto-
ria’s gentrification frenzy. He
has been in jail for nearly a
year, and has been given psy-
chiatric treatment; he faces
at least another four years of
incarceration.
I take great exception that
the prosecution and judge
have said that he must have
violated other girls (“‘He let
me call him grandpa,’ girl
says of abuser,” The Daily
Astorian, Dec. 20). That is
unqualified conjecture, and
besmirches him without any
evidence. Such unproven
assertions made by public
officials disgraces their posi-
tions of trust and the most
basic tenant of our laws and
judicial system: innocent until
proven guilty.
He has not been accused
of any other crimes, no mat-
ter the conjectural hearsay. Yet
these officials apparently felt
it was okay to publicly accuse
him of additional criminal
behavior without a shred of
verifiable evidence.
I regard that as criminally
offensive.
MICHAEL PAUL
McCUSKER
Waldport
Slow drive
egarding the story on
the Steelers fans gath-
ering At Bubba’s in Warren-
ton for the games (“Steelers
fans bring ‘Burgh to Warren-
ton,” Coast River Business
Journal, Jan. 8): As I read the
story I thought, “I hope that I
never get stuck behind the guy
who takes an hour to drive
the 12 miles from Seaside to
Warrenton.”
HUGH McKENNA
Warrenton
R
Ready to rally
I
guess there really is a first
time for everything. As a
5A
resident of Clatsop County
for the last six years, I have
paid my taxes, picked up
trash on the beach, volun-
teered for several worth-
while organizations and paid
attention to what’s happen-
ing locally and in the wider
community. I grew up in a
white, middle-class family in
the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s
when it was considered very
impolite to talk about religion
and politics around the din-
ner table, let alone stand on
a street corner in broad day-
light with a protest sign.
Now I’m ready to march
down a city sidewalk with
hundreds of like-minded
women and men in sup-
port of something I thought
was expected in our society
— respect. I was wrong and
naïve, so consequently I will
be walking in Astoria on Sat-
urday, Jan. 21, in the Astoria
Women’s March. That is the
day that women all over the
country will be involved in
organized activities, marches
and rallies to raise aware-
ness of the dangerous tone
and rhetoric of the incoming
administration.
But this letter is not about
what I personally believe.
That will be clear enough on
Saturday. It is about the fact
that I can freely and without
fear, express that belief. The
fact that I can join a group of
local women — some work-
ing, others retired, busy with
families, businesses and ordi-
nary life — who are taking
the time to organize and take
action is frankly remarkable.
Bravo, ladies. Bravo to
the men, partners and fami-
lies who support them, and
bravo to the community who
listens. We are all better for
this.
Please support us on Sat-
urday, Jan. 21, at noon, at
12th and Exchange streets, as
many of your neighbors and
friends from the Columbia/
Pacific area will demonstrate
for the rights of everyone to
peacefully express their opin-
ions about the need to protect
the environment, the safety of
minorities, women and oth-
ers, health care and education
for all and above all, respect-
ful discourse.
PAT WOLLNER
Gearhart
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