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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2017)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017 FRIDAY EXCHANGE Lies are lies L ike many of you, I am dis- appointed in the recent presidential election and the outcomes of late. I have never seen such division and fear in my life. In this era of social media, one’s bias shines bright — where friends are no lon- ger friends and families live in discord, and where one finds it difficult not to pass judgment on those in support of this president and all he represents. When I was a child, I was taught a lie was a lie, and learned quickly the conse- quences if I chose to lie. Our president campaigned on false truths, hyperbole and flat out lies. What example is this to our young generation? I know a third-grader who knows it is wrong to bully her classmates, who stands up against classroom bullies and shows more dignity and grace than the white man in the oval office. For several years, I have supported a group that helps Muslim gays and lesbians who are being persecuted in their native Iran to escape to Turkey, and after a minimum two-year vetting process, move to the U.S. or Canada for a chance at a new begin- ning, leaving all they knew and loved behind. I know few Americans who would sacri- fice as much. I have fortunately been able to forge some great friendships with several who reside in Portland, and have shared holidays and good times alike. This experience has proven to me that we are all more similar than not. Peace, freedom, opportunity and the right to be our true self are the common threads that bind us all. The words of the president have shown us his true charac- ter, and those same words will be his demise. I am heartened that the majority of Americans did not vote for this man, and we will prevail. The words of a wise man: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” — Martin Luther King. God bless America. PAUL FLUES II Astoria Reconciling I t was a dream. Well, a nightmare. The Statue of Liberty was exploding, blown up by a bomb planted by a ter- rorist group, a local, home- ground terrorist group. Were they protesting against foreigners coming into this country? Or against the harm different cultures, reli- gions, ethnic and racial groups do to our national integrity? Or was it against a liberal political establishment out of touch with this great country? Then again, maybe, like those U.S. flag burners of old, were they protesting against the intolerance, prej- udice and bigotry infecting our nation and preventing us from accepting the real- ity of a diverse, 21st century America? Hard to tell. Either, or. When we want something to be true, our threshold for believing is low, and self-pro- tective rage can follow. Its easy to forget that our Constitution was the culmi- nation of hard-fought com- promises needed to recon- cile greatly differing views as to the kind of country we wanted. Let’s not blow that all up now. JULIE SNYDER Astoria Christian values A s a retired Lutheran pas- tor, my wife and I have been grateful through the years to be part of a church that takes seriously the bib- lical call to welcome the stranger, and to treat the sojourner as we would our own citizens. As Lutherans, many of our ancestors faced the pain of fleeing their homes and the joy of being welcomed in new communities across the U.S. For almost 80 years, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) has been assisting resettlement in the U.S. of over half a mil- lion refugees of all religions and cultures from all over the world. This is also in keeping Crossing the bar in your life I don’t know how many times, returning from sea, the Columbia River bar was raging just ahead. It always caused my heart to beat a bit faster. But once committed to cross- ing, it’s no secret, you must keep enough power on to avoid broaching and possible disaster. You must keep going. It seems to me that most of us will with the best of our nation’s traditions. The leaders of LIRS and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have just communicated with the Trump administration asking that it not stop the U.S. ref- ugee admissions program or stop resettlement from any country for any period of time. Besides not enhancing our safety, it does not reflect our values as Christians. We urge each of us to write or call our legislators on behalf of desperate people who are fleeing persecution and threat to life. JOHN and JACKIE WECKER Astoria No cigar I ’m amused that many citi- zens are worried about the term “alternative facts,” when a previous administration had trouble with what the defini- tion of what is, is. As far as me personally, it’s close but no cigar. MATT JANES Astoria Not so funny J ust saw the Clay Jones political “cartoon” in the Thursday, Jan. 26 edition of The Daily Astorian. This was disgusting. I realize a lot of media is liberal, but Mr. Trump is now our leader, for better or worse. So get over it. You media types are acting like little kids, stamping your feet. Man up (or woman up). DICK DARBY Astoria Food for the hungry? R egarding a letter in the Jan. 20 Friday Exchange section of The Daily Astorian, “Winter hunger”: My wife and I, being of an older age, saw something that was quite dis- turbing take place at the War- renton Fred Meyer store the other day. We had pulled into the parking lot next to the rear entrance of the store in which a garbage can was located in front of our vehicle. We noticed an obvious street-type individual approaching the area in front of us. He imme- diately removed the lid from the garbage can and started rummaging through it for what I thought would be recy- clable cans and bottles. To my surprise, he was looking for something to eat. He found a bottle of liquid which he drank from; what he was eating I don’t know. To see this take place in a town the size of Warrenton, in the year 2017 was, to us, quite disturbing, to say the least. This brings up the ques- tion: I would like fur- ther knowledge concerning whether the less fortunate in this area are given any infor- mation, by whatever means, of where they can receive help in regard to at least obtaining a food source without resort- ing to eating out of garbage cans. R. ROTH Astoria Astoria’s march W e expected 50, hoped for 300, and never dreamed that more than 1,300 people would take part in the Astoria Women’s March on Jan. 21.They came from around the region — all ages, genders, sizes, shapes, and colors. We saw a commu- nity, not merely categories of people. Our march was one of more than 700 around the world, including 18 in Oregon. We were heartened to see so many people with their face many tough bar crossings as we voyage through life. Sickness, lone- liness, broken home, depression, loss of loved ones — you name it. Too often, the tendency is just to give up. So what can we do? First of all, don’t give up. Keep moving, there is hope. In my sea-going days on large ships, to make a safe bar crossing we’d take on board a bar pilot. I don’t homemade signs showing what they believe in, such as “Equal Justice,” “A Nation of Laws,” “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights,” “Speak Up for Truth,” and many more. We are honored to have brought together all these peo- ple for this landmark event. Check out our Facebook page for photos, comments, videos and audio: goo.gl/huppEV Astoria’s officials helped with advice, problem solv- ing and good cheer through- out our planning. Police Chief Brad Johnston and Deputy Chief Eric Halverson told us at our first meeting that their job was to guarantee our First Amendment rights to assem- ble and to speak freely. They did that, and more, to help make this march safe, mean- ingful and peaceful for every- one. We also want to thank Mayor Arline LaMear, City Manager Brett Estes, Julie Yuill, Brett’s executive secre- tary, Astoria Parks and Astoria Public Works. It goes without saying that Astoria’s businesses and res- idents were extraordinarily hospitable and patient. Our volunteer safety monitors from Washington and Oregon watched over marchers and traffic at downtown intersec- tions. We’re grateful to many others, including The Daily Astorian, Hipfish and KMUN Radio; musicians Dinah Urell, Simon Levene, Linda Chris- tianson and Kathleen Dud- ley; Joe Garrison and the Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café; Astoria First United Methodist Church; Tom Horning, Doug Thompson, Nicole Adamczyk, Jack Harris, Donna Hender- son, Pat Johns and everyone else who pitched in. We hope everyone who attended or supported a Wom- en’s March anywhere will stay informed and active in your community. We applaud all of you already involved in civic-minded organizations. Now, more than ever, we need to support each other and the good work of all. As President Obama said on Jan. 10, “Our democracy needs you. … Show up. Dive in. Stay at it.” LAURIE CAPLAN MARGARET FRIMOTH JEANNE BRAUN HENDERSON NANCY HOLMES JOYCE HUNT KIT KETCHAM SHARON KLOEPFER DEB VANASEE PAT WOLLNER Astoria Women’s March Committee know about you, but in my life’s voy- age, I’ve faced many horrific bars. No way would I have made it across on my own. So what did I do? I put the helm of my humble craft into the capable hands of the Mighty Pilot of the uni- verse, and praise God, I’m still afloat. JIM BERNARD Warrenton long-standing opinion of an economy based upon tourism: If crowding and congestion are the problem, is more tour- ism and its consequence the solution? GARY DURHEIM Cannon Beach Opt out of unions T here seem to be some union nightmares nation- wide. Although President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the president of the AFL-CIO union, George Meany, had agreed that public employees should never be unionized, the unscrupulous unions and the Democrats managed to make that happen, and the unions became the major cash cow for the Democrats. Then, as the ridiculous benefits began to grow, our budgets became very diffi- cult to balance. This finally motivated Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin to rid the state of the union nightmare, and they were able to balance their budget again. Every state should follow Walker’s actions, and bring back a little common sense in government. Another ridiculous act by the unions was forcing union- ism on the caregivers, causing some very irritated workers, and rightfully so. Well thanks to the Freedom Foundation, most of those unhappy work- ers in Washington have been able to opt out of the unscru- pulous union. Take note, you caregivers here in Oregon, the Freedom Foundation has now made opting out of the union possible here in Oregon. Thank you, Freedom Foun- dation, for your help to restore some of our freedom. JIM ELVIN Salem Port business M r. Stephen Fulton and Mr. Bill Hunsinger: I am a little tired of you con- tinuing to behave in the most juvenile way. You both make headlines that are ridiculous. Give us taxpayers a break. Mr. Robert Mushen has class. Take a lesson, Fulton and Hunsinger. Then get on with the Port of Astoria’s real business. You may be surprised how many taxpayers are happy with Jim Knight, the Port’s executive director. Your approval rating needs to be improved. DIANE FINUCANE Astoria Women’s rally W hile we women, men and children were elated by the success of the Jan. 21 Women’s March on Washington and around the world, which drew millions of people, we cannot rest on our glory for long. Yes, it was inspiring and comforting to realize and actu- ally see and hear the united efforts we all brought with us to stand up for what is right and just. We rallied for equal rights, justice, mercy, dignity, acknowledgment, voice, wis- dom, freedom of choice, and for the future of our children and grandchildren. We rallied for hope in a hopeless world. But now our work begins. 5A Besides holding our jour- nalists accountable for accu- rate reporting, putting our lawmakers on speed dial, set- ting up a daily schedule of input to them as to what we want for this country, and using our words to make a difference, consider aligning with an action group. One such group in my area is Alliance4Action, that has chosen five areas to focus on: Health Care; Immigration; Education: Climate Coalition; and the election of progressive candidates. To sign up, contact afpgvaz@gmail.com. Or goo- gle “Indivisible Guide,” a man- ual for organizations to resist through grassroots action. Above all, remember this: If you are a senior, you have the wisdom, the time, the resources and the reasons to save and protect the future for your chil- dren and grandchildren who will live into the world we have created for them. GAIL BALDEN Green Valley, Arizona Santa’s breakfast T he Warrenton Community Center Advisory Board held a Breakfast with Santa at the Warrenton Community Center on Saturday, Dec. 17. The breakfast was a great suc- cess. We served 202, and 85 kids enjoyed seeing Santa and having their pictures taken. We want to thank the com- munity for their awesome support. A special thanks to all our great volunteers, and to Star- bucks Coffee in Warrenton, Pig ’N Pancake, Bornstein’s, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and VFW Auxiliary Detach- ment 1228, Lektro, Marcia Harper Insurance, McCall Tire Center, Wauna Federal Credit Union, the Columbia River Bar Pilots, Warrenton Kiwanis and Warrenton Deep Sea. A special thanks goes to the Pig ’N Pancake staff, who cooked our pancakes, to Santa for dropping in and to the vol- unteers from the senior cit- izens group who served our breakfast and washed our dishes. FRANK BECKER Chairman, Warrenton Community Center Advisory Board More tourism? I live on what shall remain a nameless street in the heart of Cannon Beach. There is one other family living full time on my street, and the rest of the housing in my “neigh- borhood” is taken up with vacation rentals and absen- tee ownership. I am very well aware of the housing crunch, and the lack of affordable housing here on the North Oregon Coast. My hometown is Astoria. In the spirit of nativism, and as my I see my home town increasingly caught up in the tourism racket, I would like to offer the following, from The Asheville Blade newspaper: “The most important step in tourist interaction is what you can do to reduce the like- lihood of encountering them in the first place. Tourists are very attracted to food, which means that trash should be secured indoors and not set out on the curb the night before pick-up. Remove bird feeders from the property, as those too are known to attract tourists. Do not feed them or alert them to your restaurant connections …” The article goes on, but its tenor is obvious, as is my We Want to Know! Healthcare is a deeply personal experience. Please consider sharing your perspective as part of our Patient & Family Advisory Council (PFAC). This group of communi- ty members is passionate about helping Columbia Memorial Hospital be the best it can be. Join us by calling 503-338-7505. 2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon • 503-325-4321 www.columbiamemorial.org • A Planetree-Designated Hospital
