THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Remembering Miller
white supremacists, we are a peo-
ple always seeking to become better.
And I am proud of that.
I was discouraged, and frankly
scared, when I saw that flag in our
parade. But the reaction of com-
munity members has given me
faith that we will continue to move
toward a more perfect city, county,
state and union.
I invite all Oregonians to view
anti-racism and all anti-bigotry work
as their work. It isn’t simply enough
to disagree quietly. This type of fla-
grant racism must be me met with a
resounding outcry. As Audre Lorde
said, “Your silence will not protect
you.”
MINDY STOKES
Astoria
I
was saddened when I read about
Mike Miller’s passing from his
son’s letter to the Open Forum on
Aug. 18 (“Love and differences,”
The Daily Astorian). I got to know
Mike Sr. during the 10 years I
worked with the nonunion appren-
ticeship training committee through
Clatsop Community College and
the state of Oregon. Mike and I had
spent hours fighting for the rights of
small mom and pop trade shops at
state meetings.
Mike was a major force in
orchestrating the training of both
plumbers and electricians in Clat-
sop and Tillamook counties. He
put countless hours, at a fraction
of what he received an hour work-
ing, teaching apprenticeship classes
where he was tough but fair. For
many years there was a 100 per-
cent pass rate on the state test to
become a licensed plumber because
of Mike.
He also personally hired and did
on-the-job training for apprentices,
and often gave them jobs when they
became journeymen. Literally hun-
dreds of people got high paying
jobs in the trades thanks to Mike’s
advocacy.
I saw Mike as fair, just and car-
ing about people, regardless of
who they were. He loved his fam-
ily no matter what. I feel lucky to
have known him, and send my sin-
cere condolences to his family and
extended family.
KITTY PAINO
Astoria
Is Doughboy next?
I
n view of the wide rash of tear-
ing down and defacing historic
statues representing the Confeder-
acy, which stood for slavery and
racism and a list of principles with
which left wingers do not agree,
Astoria conceivably might be tar-
geted soon.
I’m referring to the beloved
Doughboy statue, which represents
a soldier of the “Great War,” World
War I. The president of the U.S.
who took us into that war was
Woodrow Wilson, a Virginian and a
well-known and established racist.
Hence, Doughboy statue, if
you “see” a mob of wild-eyed,
torch-bearing Democrats bearing
down on you — beware!
E. ROBERT NASSIKAS
Astoria
Connect with others
I
offer a challenge to us all in these
trying times: Do not turn inward
with your fear, become more jaded
and further deny human connec-
tions. I challenge us to create posi-
tive change every day in our lives,
interactions, communities. If not us,
who? If not now, when?
It’s true, one person cannot solve
the world’s problems, but if we each
just try to do our part in this web of
humanity, every day, we can col-
lectively lead society toward great-
ness. Lead by example, embody the
change we wish to see.
Spiritual leaders, community
leaders, political leaders, business
leaders, teachers, parents, spouses,
friends, neighbors: Guide those in
our lives by showing what accep-
tance and compassion look like —
even, and especially, toward those
with differing opinions or who are
suffering from hate.
We are all humans, with the
same basic needs and desires. We
all have joy and grief, and chal-
lenges that shape us. And we will
not all agree, ever. But we can agree
to love.
Let us remind those we know
and meet, and especially those we
lead, if we are so fortunate to be
leaders, that the strongest actions
are based in love.
Put down your phone, turn off
your TV. Step out of your “usual.”
Go outside and connect. Connect
with neighbors, with people in line
around you, loved ones, strang-
ers. Find the connection that exists
between every being, and is so
often ignored.
Now is the time, and we are the
ones we have been waiting for.
ERIN M. MOORE
Astoria
Too little, too late
W
ith a cabal of racists
ensconced in the White
House, and (news flash) the appear-
ance across the nation of armed
packs of neo-Nazi and flag-waving
white supremacists, the appearance
of this in our town — and in the
event most symbolizing our com-
munity identity — warrants more
from the town newspaper than edi-
torial clucking, and more than an
“Oh my!” from our local politicians
and the Astoria Regatta committee.
“Please do not let our over-
sight reflect negatively on Astoria?”
(“Astoria Regatta not the place for
divisive symbol,” The Daily Asto-
rian, Aug. 15) Too late. Jay Pit-
5A
Speed zone
W
man of the Sons of Beaches justi-
fies including the Confederate flag
in their display because it is a “bat-
tle flag,” and not a national flag, as
if this obscure historical factoid is
equivalent to what he and the whole
rest of the country knows full well:
that this flag is a symbol of unre-
pentant racism.
As for celebrating “all veterans,”
he might recall that most of the
blood on the ground in our whole
history has been all about racial
superiority. Despite the nice editori-
alizing, The Daily Astorian report-
age seems to not question Pitman’s
claptrap, nor his assurances that
the Sons aren’t racist. And yet sev-
eral people in Pitman’s organization
planned and carried an overtly rac-
ist demonstration, didn’t they?
And, since they have put them-
selves in our faces, surely their
white pride will prompt them to
tell us their names, and explain to
inquisitive journalists all about what
they believe. Unless their identities
are secret, like in the Klan. Or they
are just poorly supervised juvenile
delinquents.
We try to imagine, Daily Asto-
rian, someone stepping up to that
slow-moving pickup truck full of
scowling faces and saying: “No,
stop, you don’t get to celebrate that
perversion.” And we wonder: Will
the Sons be back to Regatta next
year? And, will the tourists and par-
ents with children be back? Or, will
next year’s tourists maybe be peo-
ple we haven’t seen before, packing
heat and waving Confederate flags
of their own?
I suppose, with Astoria’s rich
KKK history, local merchants could
even promote a little, you know?
T-shirts, coffee mugs with hard-to-
notice decals …
TOM BERDINE
Astoria
Support urban renewal
W
e are residents of south
Seaside, living on Holla-
day Drive, and want to enthusias-
tically support urban renewal for
many reasons. This is an area that
has long been neglected and forgot-
ten, particularly after the highway
reconstruction had been defeated by
a close vote 10 years ago.
Not only do we have just about
the trashiest entrance to the city
possible, but it is an extremely
unsafe area to live in. Each day I
witness walkers attempting to cross
U.S. Highway 101 to shop, risking
life and limb to do so, as the only
crosswalks occur at Broadway and
Avenue U.
If “the big one” occurs and we
should need to seek higher ground
because of an impending tsunami,
there are no bridges that would
survive the earthquake. Now we
have the opportunity to build new
bridges and make our residents
safer and secure.
Many businesses have deserted
this area. Motels have become
low-income housing. Houses have
become run down and neglected, or
even left in ruin. Roads are not in
good repair and sidewalks, if pres-
ent, date back to the 1950s.
We were proud to support the
building of our schools in an area
that would be safe for our students,
and provide an area to support our
community in case of an emer-
gency. But our students, as well as
the rest of our residents, need to be
able to get there. This may impact
some of our citizens in a way they
may not like and sometimes, unfor-
tunately, that does occur with a
developing area.
So, Seaside City Council mem-
bers, we urge and encourage you
to support urban renewal and make
our city safer, more livable and an
impetus for change. This improve-
ment will help us all in ways we
cannot yet determine. We can see
where no action on improving the
highway 10 years ago has left us
with a decaying road system, decay-
ing businesses and decaying style of
life. Don’t let this continue.
CAROL and DON
BRENNEMAN
Seaside
Make Oregon great again
L
et’s talk about who really wants
to throw granny off the cliff.
Thank our father in heaven this leg-
islative session is over.
One bill we were able to stop
was a bill giving the government
the ability to starve patients to death
who suffered from Alzheimer’s,
dementia or several other types
of life-ending medical conditions.
This bill passed the Senate, but we
were able to stop it in the House of
Representatives.
What do you think would hap-
pen to you, if you did that to a dog?
That’s right, you would be arrested
and then taken to jail. The Dem-
ocrats in Salem were behind this.
Kate Brown was waiting to sign
this bill into law, all in the name of
kindness and compassion. Wow,
if that’s what they call kindness, I
want nothing to do with that.
Something to ponder is: They
want to kill unborn babies in the
name of a woman’s right, then kill
some of our elderly people, to boot.
So the next question is, what group
will they target next? Could it be
you, or me? It could be any one of
us.
Are you ready to get involved
and stop this madness? Come join
us before it’s too late. Remember
what Hitler did? He targeted groups
of people to kill. Others said, “It
doesn’t affect me, so I’ll just stand
by and watch.” When it did hap-
pen to them, they said, “Why won’t
anybody help me?”
Don’t be that person. Get
involved today before it’s too late,
before you’re the next person they
target. Let’s make the state of Ore-
gon great once again.
JIM HOFFMAN
Clatsop County Republicans
Gearhart
Reconciling differences
W
ith reference to The Daily
Astorian editorial of Aug. 17,
“We must always reject the toxic
lies of racism and bigotry,” I came
to so-familiar words in the last para-
graph: “We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created
equal …”
My first reaction was, as usual,
emphatically, “Oh yes,” but then,
the next usual thought: How many
more centuries of time and quan-
tities of verbiage must we endure
blathering about the meanings of
the words “men” (in this context, of
course) and “equal”? And while the
talk goes on forever, force prevails,
nature has its unbridled, often cruel
way, and people suffer. I haven’t
noticed it getting better lately.
Of course we could, after all this
time, at least consider another sug-
gestion. Like the Human Relativ-
ity Theory Paradox, which is that
it is truly only in differences that
all people are equal, and that only
in reconciling differences between
people is the practice and proving
of living equality possible.
When can we start? Reconciling
differences sounds good to me.
VALERIE LINDHOUT
Astoria
Trump’s compulsive lies
C
ompulsive: A strong irratio-
nal impulse to carry out an
act. Liar: One who lies or who tells
lies. President Donald J. Trump is a
compulsive liar.
I have been listening to and
reading about U.S. presidents since
the mid-1950s, and I suspect that
all, at one time or another, told a
whopper. Who can forget Rich-
ard Nixon’s “I’m not a crook”? Bill
Clinton’s “who is Monica Lewin-
sky”? George W. Bush’s “mission
accomplished”?
Trump seems to have the need to
lie when most people know that he
is not telling the truth: “There were
more people at my inauguration
than president Obama’s”; “Mexico
will pay for the wall”; “I’ll throw
Hillary in jail”; “I’ll repeal the
Affordable Care Act my first day in
office”; “I’ll replace it with my fan-
tastic plan, that will cover every-
one and cost less”; “I’ll bring Amer-
ican jobs back home, except my
daughter, and I’ll still have our mer-
chandise manufactured in China.”
Afghanistan anyone?
His rant at the Boy Scout jambo-
ree not only was totally inappropri-
ate, but then he had to tweet a num-
ber of lies after the event. “I got a
standing ovation from the start, and
it lasted for minutes after I left.”
“Boy Scout headquarters called
and told me that it was the great-
est speech ever given at this event.”
BSA have no records of any phone
call to either the White House or
to Trump after the event, and the
recording of the event gives the lie
to the “standing ovation.”
I truly am sad that I cannot
believe anything that the current
president of the U.S. says.
CHUCK MEYER
Astoria
Jumping on bandwagon
T
he article, “Astoria Regatta
not the place for divisive sym-
bol” (The Daily Astorian, Aug.
15), referring to the Confederate
flag, seemed to be yet another fran-
tic leap on a recently minted band-
wagon. Wouldn’t it be more worthy
to tackle the deep troubles afflicting
black communities? Of course, that
sort of work is very hard, and some-
thing liberals can’t seem to bring
themselves to tackle.
HUBERT SMITH
Jacksonville, Oregon
We are better than this
I
love my community. When met
with challenges, we seek to
become better. This is demonstrated
in a myriad ways: the mayor declar-
ing Astoria as a city of inclusivity;
the creation of the Garden of Surg-
ing Waves, and the gathering of
folks in the garden after the Orlando
massacre; the continued support
for military troops; the sheltering
of homeless people by the Method-
ist Church; and the support for labor
unions and our fishing industry.
I live in Astoria for these rea-
sons, and more. I moved here from
Florida in 2007, and before that I
lived in California. Moving to Flor-
ida was a culture shock, because I
experienced and witnessed overt
bigotry in ways that I hadn’t before.
On a daily basis, Confederate flags
waved from trucks, houses, and
were emblazoned on bumper stick-
ers and hats. This flag was a con-
stant reminder that racism, and all
forms of bigotry, were alive and
even celebrated.
As a lesbian mom of a mixed-
race child, the moment I saw the
Confederate flag on the back of the
truck in my beloved Astoria Regatta
parade, I was put on notice. I know
exactly what that flag represents
for people like me, my partner and
our daughter. I know firsthand the
hatred espoused from peoples’
mouths and their fists.
We live in this part of the coun-
try because we are unwilling to raise
our daughter in a place that tells her
she is wrong because of her skin
color or her parents’ sexual orienta-
tion. And though Oregon and Asto-
ria have histories of being home to
e are very lucky to have such
a great team of officers in
our city of Astoria, along with our
county officers and state officers.
I know each department is very
busy, but my wife and I have lived
in Astoria for 11 years on 15th
Street, between Jerome Avenue and
the Column turn off, and I am ask-
ing someone to have an officer sit
on a side street — like Lexington
Avenue — that goes to the Clatsop
Community College side.
If you need money to pay for the
parks, you would get it in one day
handing out speeding tickets. The
amount of speed folks go in the area
between Jerome to the top of 15th
is bad, real bad, all day, and most of
the night. Please, Mayor LaMear,
could you do something? This is
one of the main routes for kids when
they walk to school, for tourists
when they get off the cruise ships
and for people and families walking
with children and pets. It has got-
ten so bad.
VAL LEFFEL
Astoria
Pushing back racism
I
was thrilled to see 40,000 pro-
testers show up for the “free
speech rally” sponsored by the
white nationalists on Saturday. The
group’s small showing of under 200
quickly left, and the good people of
Boston walked the streets of their
city with pride.
I had hope for the first time that
this may all turn out well. Our coun-
try is a good country, an open coun-
try and a welcoming country. Forty
thousand folks cannot be wrong.
It gives us all hope that we can
push back on these absurd racists.
We just need to show up, and keep
America great.
MARY TANGUAY WEBB
Astoria
What is the real issue?
T
his is in response to a letter,
“Quick stamp of approval” (The
Daily Astorian, Aug. 11). The issue
is the relocation of Shooting Stars
day care to a Port of Astoria prop-
erty. The letter is in opposition to the
school moving.
The location is in the
Port-Uniontown Overlay area. Cur-
rent uses include the Port of Asto-
ria offices, a marine industrial area,
a marina, a hotel and the Riverwalk
(see City of Astoria Comprehensive
Plan CP .030 — CP .1050, http://bit.
ly/2xaBwZK). The planning com-
mission has approved the location,
the Port has approved the location.
The city’s comprehensive plan
includes industrial uses, visitor ser-
vices, open spaces, trails, redevelop-
ment of former industrial sites and
underutilized lots (such as the one
being contested) for this area; and
looks to “stimulate development
interest by establishing complemen-
tary land uses” (CP .038).
Through their approval, the
Astoria Planning Commission has
deemed the school a complemen-
tary land use, in an area that is not
strictly industrial. Now one per-
son who has no legal, financial or
ownership rights to the property in
question is contesting the location
because the area is zoned industrial.
As stated above, multiple hotels,
businesses and the Astoria River-
walk are already safely operating
and present near where the school
would be. A tall fence provides out-
side security for the children. Shoot-
ing Stars provides a safe and posi-
tive child care and preschool facility,
which is something our community
desperately needs, and has already
invested financially in the building.
The most distressing part about
the letter is that it spends more time
insulting the newly elected Port
commissioners than it does discuss-
ing why the school shouldn’t move
there. The Port is losing revenue by
having a vacant building.
Perhaps it is time to withdraw
personal politics from the commis-
sion? If the school really is an issue,
focus on that instead of using them
as a pawn.
APRIL SILVA
Astoria