THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2017
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
Embrace the spiders
and replace the law, forcing a vote
of the people in November.
Measure 4-188 will revoke the
right to live in neighborhoods free
from commercial activity; peo-
ple who bought or rented homes in
a residential zone will find them-
selves potentially surrounded by
dwellings that are more like motels
than houses, with all the atten-
dant noise and profound disrup-
tion. Profit, not community, will be
the rule.
Ironically, one of those spear-
heading the drive for Measure
4-188 is a member of the Clatsop
County Commission, a public body
supposedly committed to finding
solutions for the current housing
crisis. Let’s hope that this anom-
aly doesn’t reflect the position of a
majority of commissioners, and that
Clatsop County will, like Gearhart,
take action to limit the scourge of
short-term rentals.
BILL BERG
Gearhart
I
call October in Astoria the month
of the spiders. This precludes the
fact that I know little about spiders.
But I do know this — in late sum-
mer and early fall the maturing spi-
ders come out in showy force, dis-
playing their ability to spin webs,
to be graceful and to be a thing of
beauty and style.
To me, what is most beautiful is
the classic wheel-like webs which
seem to be spun overnight. These
are some of the webs that can catch,
annoy and frighten people as they
walk outside or on their porch in
the morning. Not only are the webs
beautiful, but also are the spiders
who spin them.
Maybe there is a common pho-
bia against spiders. It can be scary
when you run into a web which has
you floundering around, slapping at
it and shrieking. But it’s just a web.
The spider often runs the other way.
I am told by those more knowledge-
able that there are many species of
spiders in the U.S., including those
established in Oregon, and that spi-
ders are not bound by human terri-
torial lines. Two in Astoria that spin
the wheel-like web are the cross
orbweaver and the black and yellow
garden spider. The cross orbweaver
has white spots on the abdomen that
form a cross in most species. The
female black and yellow garden spi-
der is large and intimidating with its
bold pattern. Most spiders here are
not poisonous to humans, and pose
no threat except being bothersome.
They go away after the season. So I
say, embrace the spiders and enjoy
them and their beauty before the
harsh days of winter.
NORM HOOGE
Astoria
Let’s use clean energy
M
any thanks to the folks who
clean up the beaches and the
highways of the most beautiful
place on earth, the Northwest Coast
(“Beach cleanups in Gearhart, Sea-
side and Cannon Beach,” The Daily
Astorian, Sept. 24).
We also need to reduce the invis-
ible airborne litter — carbon diox-
ide from burning oil, coal and nat-
ural gas that is threatening coastal
industries.
Today’s students test emissions
from burning things and find car-
bon dioxide. They add carbon diox-
ide to a bottle of air, and see it holds
more heat than a bottle of plain air.
They add carbon dioxide to water,
making carbonic acid and watch it
soften oyster, clam and crab shells.
Students see heat melts ice
and expands the volume of water,
so rising sea levels make sense.
Science is just observation and
measurement.
The decision by the Washing-
ton State Department of Ecology
to deny a water quality permit for
a coal terminal is a signal to inves-
tors that clean energy will be a good
choice
The renewable energy indus-
try grew by 18 percent last year,
and employed almost 400,000 more
people than the fossil fuel industry.
Polls show that over 70 per-
cent of voters want more solar and
wind energy. A transition to a clean
energy economy is a smart choice.
LOUISE STONINGTON
Seattle
Investing in food co-op
M
y wife and I are excited about
the new Astoria Co-oper-
ative store to be built on Marine
Drive near the Mill Pond Village.
We have been shoppers at the co-op
since the late 1970s, and have been
impressed with the changes that
have come about since it became a
co-operative about eight years ago.
Last week we bought shares in
the co-operative and are enthusias-
tic about its future prospects. The
growth in membership — 4,000
members and counting — has been
incredible, and we are excited to
have a larger store to shop in that is
still located in Astoria. Living east
of town in Brownsmead makes the
site very attractive for avoiding the
traffic issues in the Warrenton area.
We have always valued the
excellent produce and organic prod-
ucts that the co-operative has to
offer. The idea of food for people
above food for profit, and the sup-
port of local growers and food pro-
ducers, is key to our shopping val-
ues. The fresh produce offered there
is of much better quality than one
can find in the other markets in the
area, and the prices are competi-
tive. I know that expanding the size
of the store will give the Astoria
Co-operative the chance for more
offerings and lower prices that we
will take advantage of. It will also
create many more local jobs in our
area.
If you are living in Oregon, you
have the opportunity to invest in
this new and bigger Astoria Co-op-
erative. I urge everyone who likes
shopping at the Astoria Co-opera-
5A
Really disgusted
tive to stop by and see what invest-
ing in the future can bring to us all.
If you’ve never experienced shop-
ping at the co-operative, I encour-
age you to do so and see what the
store has to offer.
NED HEAVENRICH
Astoria
Send bills to NRA
A
bout the horrible tragedy in Las
Vegas: It makes me wonder
why the poor victims have to post
GoFundMe accounts on the internet
to somehow help with their medical
expenses. In my humble opinion, I
think all of their bills should be sent
to the National Rifle Association
(NRA), along with all the senators
and congressmen who have voted
against logical gun control.
JOYCE C. HOFFMAN
Warrenton
Don’t be fooled
T
he supporters of Measure 4-188
want unlimited, unregulated
short-term rentals. They talk as if
they’re doing something great for
Gearhart. These big-money absen-
tee landlords and vacation rental
companies care little about our
community and neighborhoods.
They care only about making easy
money, packing as many people
as possible into as many houses as
possible.
They don’t care our City Coun-
cil, with the support of Gearhart
residents, established Short-term
Rental Ordinance 901. They don’t
care that the Land Use Board of
Appeals (LUBA) upheld our ordi-
nance. They don’t care that it cost
the taxpayers tens of thousands of
dollars in legal fees just to have
LUBA uphold the ordinance with
no changes.
They don’t care that many rental
permit holders support Ordinance
901. They don’t care that Mea-
sure 4-188 will destroy our family
neighborhoods and our town’s res-
idential character. As Gearhart res-
idents we should be concerned,
not fooled. Look at a few of their
demands:
• Unlimited number of rentals.
To keep Gearhart special, we need
a residential balance. This balance
includes rentals of more than 30
days (long-term) available for hous-
ing in our family neighborhoods. As
residents we are, and should be, the
backbone of our special town.
• No septic inspections. They
show no concern that rentals filled
to capacity will overload septic sys-
tems. This could force all residents
to pay for an expensive sewer sys-
tem. They are not concerned that
some short-term rentals have cess-
pools. Do you want this?
• No parking or garbage regula-
tions. This will lead to over-parked
neighborhoods with renters’ gar-
bage in your street.
Show you are concerned. Vote
“no” on Measure 4-188.
WILSON MARK
Gearhart
Witches
M
any years ago, a picture
appeared in The Daily Asto-
rian of a witch someone made and
put up high on a power pole at the
east end of town. The witch looked
like she had been riding her broom
and crashed into the power pole.
Everyone thought is was clever and
funny.
For all the years since then, the
witches have appeared on every
power pole, all at the same height,
throughout downtown Astoria.
None of them ever were clever
or funny. They are like telling the
same knock-knock joke over and
over, year after year, which is just
not funny any more. They are not a
beloved tradition.
Last year the witches all
appeared in bright rainbow colors.
What’s with that? Everyone knows
witches wear black.
Please don’t put them up again.
As an Astorian, I’m embarrassed
by them.
How about decorating down-
town in a harvest theme, with
pumpkins and corn stalks and col-
ored leaves and some Halloween
decorations?
ROGER McKAY
Astoria
Vote for library
S
oon Warrenton voters will have
the opportunity to support Mea-
sure 4-189, which, if approved, will
fund the Warrenton Community
Library for the next five years. The
library recently moved to its new
location at 160 S. Main Ave. from
the old Hammond Town Hall build-
ing. In a few short months, mem-
bership has increased dramatically,
as has computer access and use.
New programming for chil-
dren has been started that includes
story time and crafts. The summer
lunch program met there this past
summer. There are now even more
enthusiastic volunteers who assist
the part-time site manager and part-
time assistant.
Please support the Warrenton
Community Library and its abil-
ity to serve Warrenton residents,
which complements other develop-
ment work as the city and its resi-
dents work hard to grow businesses
and develop residential housing. A
library is an absolutely fundamen-
tal component when we measure
livability.
It’s important to remember that
if the levy doesn’t pass, the library
will close within months. Let’s keep
the momentum going. Vote “yes”
on Measure 4-189.
Please go to https://savethewar-
rentonlibrary.com for more
information.
EILEEN PURCELL
Secretary, Warrenton
Community Board Library Board
Keep Oregon residential
I
n response to David Townsend’s
letter (“Other side of rentals,”
The Daily Astorian, Sept. 29):
Let’s get the facts straight. David
Townsend is an out-of-state owner
of a Gearhart short-term vacation
rental, and owner of a political con-
sulting company representing other
short-term vacation rental owners.
His company is working to con-
vince Gearhart voters to repeal and
replace the current city regulations
with a measure which would result
in an unlimited number of short-
term vacation rentals in Gearhart.
Townsend says our property val-
ues are being affected under the
current city regulations. He is try-
ing to scare Gearhart homeowners.
He says you may not be able to sell
your home if we don’t allow unlim-
ited vacation rentals. That is not the
truth.
Here are the facts. Since the
implementation of the current Gear-
hart short-term rental regulations,
there has been a boom in the sale of
Gearhart homes to people looking
for full-time residences. Houses in
Gearhart have recently sold at full
price after being on the market for
just one day. There’s so much new
construction that local contractors
are booked out for over a year. Yes,
you can easily sell your house today
under the current short-term rental
regulations.
Townsend is also selling the
notion that his short-term rental
measure will be good for the Gear-
hart economy. What really is good
for the Gearhart economy is more
full-time residents who patronize
local businesses all year, instead of
having to rely on visitors during the
summer, and then trying to survive
the winter months.
Vote “no” on Measure 4-188.
Keep Gearhart residential.
RANDY WILTGEN
Gearhart
Nation should repent
I
would like to address the author
of the Opinion page article “No
way to make sense of the senseless”
(The Daily Astorian, Oct. 3). Actu-
ally, I would like to strongly dis-
agree with this idea that there isn’t
any way to understand this kind of
behavior where a very rich, mature
adult commits mayhem by pur-
posely murdering 59, and injuring
countless others as well.
In a way, he was expressing
what our humanistic teachers, pro-
fessors, politicians and other lead-
ers have been espousing as “truth”
for many years in this modern soci-
ety of ours: That is, the philosophy
of the humanists, which ultimately
declares “life is meaningless.”
If we had crawled out of some
mud hole, grew limbs and hair,
eventually becoming truck drivers,
lawyers, etc., then who in heaven
(if it exists) are we answerable to?
If there is no heaven to gain and no
hell to shun, then life is meaning-
less. And, there is no reason to fear
killing as many as you can, for who
will punish you?
Our forefathers certainly didn’t
believe this, nor did they found this
nation on such principles as: Do
your own thing, and nothing mat-
ters except to get all the pleasure
out of life that you can, no matter
who you step upon along the way.
They knew (even if we have forgot-
ten) that the more individual free-
doms one has, the more responsibil-
ity he has.
Or put another way, if the Ten
Commandments are not written
upon men’s hearts, bringing about
self-control, then more serious
external controls are needed. Con-
sequently, those more tyrannical
modes of governing societies are
undoubtedly coming our way if we
do not repent as a nation, and seek
the kind of meaningful change from
God Almighty that we as a people
so desperately need.
CARL YATES
Seaside
Short-term rental scourge
F
aced with a crisis in hous-
ing availability that affects the
economy of the entire county, and
advised by the county manager that
“the vacation rental industry will
continue to grow for the foresee-
able future” (“Clatsop County ready
to tackle vacation rentals,” The
Daily Astorian, Sept. 26), the Clat-
sop County Commission is choos-
ing, paradoxically, not to limit, but
merely to regulate, short-term rent-
als of less than 30 days — with full
knowledge that the conversion of a
growing number of dwellings into
vacation rentals is a major source of
frustration not just for prospective
employees, desperate for a place to
buy or rent, but for their potential
employers as well.
By enacting legislation aimed at
keeping short-term rentals to a min-
imum, Gearhart, now celebrating its
centennial as an independent city,
has taken a major step toward alle-
viating the shortage of homes to
buy or rent long-term. But Gearhart
now faces a fateful election that will
determine whether the dates 1918-
2018 will be inscribed on a mile-
stone or on a tombstone.
Failing their attempt with the
Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals
to find flaws in Gearhart’s law
upholding the zoning ordinance and
limiting short-term rentals, absentee
owners and vacation rental agencies
have now resorted to a public ref-
erendum, Measure 4-188, to repeal
I
read the story the other day about
the tragic fight between two peo-
ple that led to the life-changing and
life-ending decision to jump into a
3,000 pound automobile, allegedly
under the influence, and try to flee
the police, and ending in the hor-
rific crash that, at this writing,
ended one innocent life and caused
horrible damage to the other vic-
tim (“Woman in fatal Seaside crash
charged with manslaughter,” The
Daily Astorian, Oct. 2).
The whole episode is really
gut-wrenching. One mistake led to
another, and then another, and ends
in blood and death. I feel terrible for
all concerned; victims of the crash,
the driver, who’ll surely relive this
day in agony the rest of her life;
parents of the driver and parents of
the victims, and all who know and
loved these people.
But to tell you the truth, I was
really disgusted with The Daily
Astorian. Of course you must state
the name of the driver, but what kind
of newspaper then sets forth to name
the parents of the driver, and go into
detail about the father’s recent law-
suits and disagreements with Josh
Marquis, the district attorney?
Were her parents in the car with
her? Were they leading the get-
away? No, they weren’t involved at
all, nor were the parents of the vic-
tims. What a tawdry little ending
to this story. I can’t help but think
The Daily Astorian holds some kind
of grudge against this family, and
decided to pile on.
Check your back issues. Rarely,
if ever, have I read of this kind of
story that refers to past legal deal-
ings on the part of the parents, who
were not involved at all in the story.
Boy, remind me not to get on your
bad side, you might bring up my ter-
rible Little League batting average.
I hope you get a lot of letters,
because this was crappy journalism
at its worst.
GEORGE GIDEON
Seaside
Stop glorifying violence
T
his nation has just experienced
a record-breaking mass shoot-
ing. I see that the forces for gun
control are basking in its glaring
spotlight. May I respectfully remind
my readers that thousands of laws:
federal, state and local, have been
written in vain.
Should one examine the statis-
tics, one might conclude that gun
control laws actually increase the
frequency and extent of these mas-
sacres. I would hope that intelli-
gent people would realize that it is
impossible to cure a sick society by
laws. Laws are written by lawyers,
who are a contentious lot, and make
their livings through contentions.
Would we, at the cradle, stop
exposing ourselves to glorified vio-
lence and mayhem, by way of tele-
vision, and motion pictures, and to
a lesser extent in all media, the love
for this inhumane action might be
reduced. Observe closely how vil-
lains, criminals, malcontents and
depraved individuals are made over
into sympathetic heroes, often car-
rying firearms, sometimes grossly
enlarged and fantastical; how
through violence and man-made
catastrophe a panacea of sorts may
be achieved, in these fictions.
Terrorists, too, have their heroes
exploited on the news. Public-
ity is what they yearn for. See how
a few craven souls with box cut-
ters can bring down the economic
giant, at least for a few weeks. See
the planes crash, the buildings fall,
again and again, for weeks, months,
years, perhaps forever. Building
another World Trade Center, at least
here in the U.S., is not the best idea
to come to my attention.
What more can a terrorist want?
… Well, there are those 40 virgins,
I suppose.
BENJAMIN A. GREAVES
Seaside