THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
5A
Officials’ neglect
V
is-à-vis the selection and super-
vision of city of Astoria depart-
ment heads: The buck stops at City
Manager Brett Estes, Mayor Arline
LaMear and the members of the
City Council. It stretches credulity
to believe that none of these offi-
cials were aware of the devastation
of the Police Department by Chief
Brad Johnston (“Assessment: Asto-
ria Police nearing crisis under for-
mer chief,” The Daily Astorian,
Aug. 14). Were they so intimidated
by him that they paid no atten-
tion to citizen complaints, or more
seriously, the complaints of offi-
cers in the department, a number of
whom gave up and left for greener
pastures?
While it does not excuse the
neglect on the part of city officials,
at least they were able to obtain the
services of a seasoned police chief,
while an extensive search is con-
ducted to fill the position perma-
nently. It is hoped that City Manager
Estes will set up panels to interview
the finalists.
In the end, we need to find a per-
son of high integrity to serve and
protect the good people of Asto-
ria; a person who has the ability to
restore stability and proficiency to
the police department.
GEORGE McCARTIN
Astoria
Love and differences
A
boy had a paper route, and
every day, on his route, he had
an encounter with a bully. The bully
would call him names. The bully
would throw rocks at him. The bully
would do what bullies do.
One day the boy knocked on
the bully’s door. The bully was sur-
prised and sure the boy was there to
tell on him. The boy told the bully
he had a new paper route, and that
the bully should try to get his old
paper route, before someone else.
That bully was my dad, Gordon
Dee “Mike” Miller. He died Aug. 6.
My dad shared this story, and
how he liked to think that’s what
Jesus was like: No matter how many
stones you threw at him, there he
was knocking on your door trying to
offer you all he could.
Decades ago, I was in college
and my dad ran for the college
board. Some professors asked me
about my father, whether he was
a good choice for the board. I told
them, “No.”
It was easy to say, then. My
dad didn’t believe in evolution. He
didn’t accept the empirical evidence,
and the enormous amount of work,
thinking and sacrifice that went into
establishing the sciences.
Now it pains me: to have stood
opposed to some of his hopes.
My last message, from my
father, was him wishing a happy
birthday, and giving me every con-
tact number and address he had. He
was only in Seaside. He had been
deathly ill, and I hadn’t gone to see
him.
Trump’s election has forced my
conscience to take sides, where I
don’t want to. I cannot give love
to one part of my family, why they
preach hate to another part, and
while that hate genuinely threatens
others lives and welfare. Yet …
My father, as an angry boy,
stabbed a crochet hook into his
mother’s leg; as a young man, he
did worse, but the distance he trav-
eled, in his moral journey — point
A to point B — was far more than
most.
It’s not just Jesus who loved him.
MIKE MILLER
Astoria
Never again
A
s a resident of Astoria, I am
appalled and ashamed the Asto-
ria Regatta committee allowed the
truck flying a Confederate flag to be
allowed in the parade. I can’t imag-
ine what a tourist, not knowing any-
thing about Astoria, left thinking
about our little town.
Don’t get me wrong, I honor the
First Amendment. If Nazis want to
have a parade in downtown Astoria,
and get the necessary permits etc.,
they have that right, just as I have
the right to boo them as they march
past me.
A parade, such as the Regatta’s,
should not allow any political, reli-
gious or any other personal beliefs
or opinions in the parade. I will
never attend a Regatta event as long
as this is allowed to happen. We the
people deserve a promise this will
not happen again.
LAURA RUSSELL
Astoria
Respect for veterans
I
was visiting Astoria over the
weekend, and took in the Asto-
ria Regatta parade. This parade was
very beautiful, and I don’t remem-
ber seeing the Confederate flag.
To me, the Confederate flag is an
important part of U.S. history, a
LETTERS WELCOME
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or by mail to Letters to the Editor,
P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103.
2. If Trump is found guilty of
obstruction of justice, will he be
impeached and will minion Vice
President Mike Pence become the
new emperor?
3. If Congress finds Trump to
be incompetent, and a threat to the
safety and security of the nation,
will he be impeached, and the exec-
utive orders remain, along with his
appointments?
There was never a day in the
Obama presidency that I did not feel
safe. I have not felt that way since. I
miss having an intelligent, articulate
president.
DAVID FITCH
Astoria
Remove Trump
very bad time for this country, to be
so divided that family and friends
ended up fighting against each other.
The really sad part about the Con-
federate flag is that people have
now turned it into a race issue. They
think and feel that it represents
white supremacy. For those who
have let this offend them: Instead,
defend what the Confederate flag is:
a big part of the American history.
What really got me, was where
I was, I have never in my life seen
so many disrespect the American
flag and the veterans when they
went through. By this, I mean very
few stood to remove their hats. I
was taught to respect the colors and
veterans of this country. These are
probably the same people claim-
ing to be offended by the Confeder-
ate flag.
I have many family members
who have fought in many of the
wars this country has been involved
in, and to disrespect the American
flag, the veterans, and what they
stand for, is worse than the Confed-
erate flag being in your parade.
I look at all the good and bad in
people, and what I saw on Saturday,
in my book, was a lot of bad in peo-
ple for the disrespect they showed
the American flag and the veter-
ans. The veterans of this country are
why we have the freedoms we do,
so please, people who were at the
parade, show some respect and quit
complaining about the Confederate
flag. Let us teach future generations
how to respect others and Ameri-
can flag.
Just remember there is good and
bad in all, it doesn’t matter the skin
color; what I saw on Saturday was
a lot of bad and disrespectful white
people.
PAM SMITH
New Auburn, Wisconsin
Growth plan needed
O
n Aug. 7, The Daily Astorian
story, “Port seeks to protect air-
space,” reported that Gary Kobes,
the Astoria Airport manager, stated
that the Airport Advisory Commit-
tee is preparing to submit zoning
changes for unspecific areas around
this airport to the Warrenton City
Council.
The story stated that the airport
is seeking to manage airport safety
more effectively than possible under
existing zoning. It was indicated that
there is concern for trees located
around the airport, height of build-
ings and potential lighting problems
that they feel are out of their con-
trol at this time, and want to request
zoning changes.
Future potential zoning changes
would allow them to have the final
decision-making authority for any
development in an area that they
wish to produce an overlay zone to
enhance their ability to manage the
flight approach pattern to the six
potential runway landing patterns.
The story appears to imply that
the state Department of Aviation has
developed a formal plan that is sug-
gested, but not mandated, for all air-
ports in Oregon, and that residen-
tial development in landing pattern
areas around airports should not be
allowed.
The potential size of the
unknown overlay size the airport
advisory commission is working on
currently causes me great concern,
since the city of Warrenton is grow-
ing rapidly. Retail chains such as
Walmart, Fred Meyer, Home Depot
and Costco have identified Warren-
ton as prime locations for their oper-
ations, in anticipation of further
rapid growth in the future.
The city of Warrenton is required
by Oregon law to have an Urban
Growth Boundary that would pro-
vide for growth in the next 20 years.
This boundary is supposed to be cal-
culated every five years. However, I
do not believe there has been a for-
mal actual calculation for at least the
past 10 years.
Because most recent growth
has been happening very quickly,
it appears to me that a new growth
plan needs to be conducted, and
should be paid for by the Astoria
Airport Advisory Committee, as
they are the ones who want a zone
change.
SCOTT WIDDICOMBE
Warrenton
A few questions
T
he media industry is made up of
many separate entities, many of
them competitive. The Trump idea
that all of these competitive enti-
ties have conspired to create a fake
image of a disgusting and dysfunc-
tional leader is the reaction of a nar-
cissistic paranoiac.
I like to think of each of the
media as a mirror, and since each
of the mirrors is reflecting simi-
lar images the truth revealed is that
the “president” really is incompe-
tent, grotesque, a purveyor of hate
and fear, a child who lashes back
at everyone who opposes his way.
Tape recordings of the president’s
lies confirm his mental illness.
As we enter “the beginning of
the end,” I hope that the investiga-
tive arms of the different media can
answer what the possibilities are:
1. If the Special Counsel Rob-
ert Mueller finds collusion with the
Trump election team and Russia,
and the team is found guilty, then
will the election be null and void?
Will all of Donald Trump’s exec-
utive orders and nominations be
void? Will there be a special elec-
tion or will Paul Ryan become presi-
dent for three years?
D
onald Trump has been president
for just a bit over 180 days,
and has done little or nothing in that
span. Congress, in its reluctant good
sense, has denied the newly elected
leader of the free world unsanc-
tioned freedom, and he has in turn
displayed total ignorance of the
methods and nuances of political
stewardship.
His Cabinet is still undermanned,
and many departments are still lead-
erless and adrift. He is slowly learn-
ing that foreign policy and domestic
policy are real, but has yet to fig-
ure out what they have to with him.
While he keeps himself amused by
pressing all the funny buttons on his
desk, we have to wonder at what we
have allowed into our lives.
The time is right to take matters
into our own hands, and demand
that the Congress do its duty and
remove him from the presidency.
We, the people, by the power vested
in us by our Constitution, have the
duty and obligation to restrict or
remove any person or ideology that
threatens free exercise of that right.
That is what democracy is all about.
If, in the course of our national
affairs, an institution or individual
attempts to act in opposition to that
sacred precept, it is the right and
duty of the citizens to reject that per-
son or proposition, and assert their
inalienable right to self-government
and self-determination.
During no time in his tenure has
he or his gang of cronies shown any
aptitude for coherent policy, and the
moment has arrived to pull the plug
before they can stumble their way
into an armed conflict in the Middle
East, or some other equally inglori-
ous enterprise.
To submit to any more of his
ineptitude and childishness will
lead to no good end. The best way
is to act quickly and unequivocally.
Impeachment is the only course left
to us, and it is one that should be
started as quickly as is possible.
The prospect is not pleasant, but
it must be done before Mr. T can
get us into serious difficulty, both
domestically and in the larger world.
To delay is to court disaster, and
only provides an opportunity for
something reckless or foolish, nei-
ther of which affords much room for
favorable outcomes.
We know all we need to know.
What we need now is the will to act.
JACK GUYOT
Astoria
Thanks for editorial
T
hank you so much for your bal-
anced and comprehensive edi-
torial on the needle exchange pro-
gram (“Needle exchange pilot a
sensible action,” The Daily Asto-
rian, Aug. 14). The rationale for this
program is complicated, and some-
times difficult to explain. This is not
about morality. It is about disease
prevention.
JEAN HOOGE
Astoria
Put racism behind
W
hen Jay Pitman of the Sons
of Beaches says that they fly
the Confederate flag with respect to
all our veterans, he seems to be for-
getting that our military is not just
white men (“Second thoughts on a
divisive symbol,” The Daily Asto-
rian, Aug. 15). Men and women of
color, gay people and transgender
people bravely leave their homes
and fight for our country. To inten-
tionally use a symbol of racism and
hatred is ignorant at best, and hate-
ful and disrespectful at worst.
I hope that the Sons of Beaches
will humbly learn about the strug-
gles people of color face, histori-
cally and today, and honor veterans
of all kinds by putting their racist
symbols away forever. Let’s show
the world that Astoria is better than
this.
LIBBY LAWRENCE
Astoria
Flag of oppression
T
he sun was out and the parade
route was lined with people
from all over anticipating the Asto-
ria Regatta Grand Land Parade on
Saturday. Cars and floats passed by,
clowns and bands marched by. It
was a perfect day until it was not.
A convoy of super trucks passed,
many with flags firmly attached —
true Americana, until one looked
closer. Was that a Confederate flag
flying loud and proud from one of
the trucks? This, on a day when
tragedy was unfolding thousands of
miles away in Charlottesville, Vir-
ginia? How was this allowed to hap-
pen in our town, a town that prides
itself on inclusiveness?
The entrant, Sons of Beaches,
has and continues to fly Confederate
flags, and according to the Regatta
it was not on the vehicle when they
were in the staging area or they
wouldn’t have allowed it in. So you
have to ask yourself: What message
is this group sending to the commu-
nity? Why the Confederate flag?
This flag carries so much bag-
gage it needs to be relegated to
museums, not flying in parades. It
conjures up images of men in white
sheets and crosses burning in the
southern nights, nights of terror
and murder — a symbol of man’s
oppression of fellow man. It has
no place in modern 21st century
society.
I don’t know much about
Sons of Beaches. I hear they do
good deeds, and are helpful
community members, but by flying
that flag, on that day, one can con-
clude otherwise. The Regatta has
distanced itself from this. I hope that
the Sons of Beaches will rethink
their displays to preclude this hate-
ful symbol of a troubled past.
I know it was hurtful most of all
to persons of color, and their chil-
dren, because this symbol is an
affront to all they have achieved,
and a painful reminder of a past
when they were judged as less than
by the privileged white ruling class.
The Regatta is a time of fun
and festivities that has a long history
in this community. I hope that sym-
bols of this kind will be eradicated
from our community, so we can all
feel a part of this glorious Astoria.
TONI LEANCE
Astoria