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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2017)
4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2017 editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher JIM VAN NOSTRAND Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager DEBRA BLOOM Business Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager Water under the bridge Compiled by Bob Duke From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers 10 years ago this week — 2007 The North Coast woke up a week after the storm, eager to get back to normal after a tumultuous week that no one will soon forget. At least four people died as the winds — with gusts up to a reported 147 mph — pummeled the region Dec. 2-3, accompa- nied by near-constant rain. Some other deaths, including resi- dents in Tillamook and Grays Harbor may also have links with the storm. Today the power was back on for all but Pacific Power cus- tomers whose homes are too damaged by falling trees or floods to have power restored. At the height of the storm, and for much of last week, more than 22,000 Clatsop County customers were out and thousands more in neighboring counties. The Port of Tillamook Railroad suffered some of the most visible damage from the storm that hit Dec. 2 and 3. Tracks here buckled as support ground was washed away. WHEELER – The biggest, most visible damage in Tillamook County was the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad, which buckled like a soft stick of licorice. About 25 miles of the line were severely damaged. At least $20 million damage forced Port officials to curtail outbound shipments of lumber and inbound shipments of grain for dairy farmers. No rail cars can come in or go out, as the photo- graph on this page attests. ered likely to affect rights to a large amount of ocean- front property. In a decision written by Associate Justice Hugo L. Black, the Supreme Court held under federal law, Mrs. Stella Hughes, and not the state of Washington, was the owner of a strip of such “accretion” land. Attorney Charles B. Welch, who for 25 years has been fighting the state’s attempts to win title to miles of ocean beaches, today said he was “pleased but not amazed” that the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with him. The yellow object bobbed off the coast following last week’s fierce windstorms, sparking concerns from at least one Long Beach, Washington, resident, who worried a boat sank while trying to fish in rough waters. She called the U.S. Coast Guard for help. But what looked like a life raft adrift off the Oregon-Wash- ington coastline turned out to be the bottom half of a yellow buoy that ripped loose from its mooring in last week’s storm. A new economic study of the Pacific Northwest predicted Thursday that population in the area will increase by 1.7 mil- lion to 7.5 million by 1980 and to more than 10 million by the year 2000. The study was prepared by the Columbus, Ohio, laborato- ries of Battelle Memorial Institute and sponsored by 14 banks and utilities. It covered Oregon, Washington, Idaho and 11 western counties of Montana. 50 years ago — 1967 The Supreme Court today held that federal law governs property rights of tidewater land built up by deposits from the sea. The Supreme court reversed a decision of the Washington State Supreme Court in a case consid- Despite the talk we hear today about an “affluent society,” there is still too much poverty. The county welfare department reported 142 families in the Asto- ria area and eastern Clatsop, totaling 411 people, who were eligible for Christmas baskets from charitable organizations because otherwise they would not be able to provide adequate Christmas for themselves. It also reported 82 families with 235 people in the Sea- side-Gearhart-Cannon Beach area in the same condi- tion. This is a somewhat surprising number to those of us who never see any poverty and therefore find it hard to believe that any exists here. 75 years ago — 1942 The Astoria city council last night appointed Mrs. Robert W. Lucas as the city’s official representative to sponsor and chris- ten the U.S. Navy’s new heavy cruiser Astoria when the big ship slides into the Delaware river at Philadelphia, Pa., some- time next month. Six “incidents” created to test the efficiency of Astoria’s civilian defense divisions were met promptly and with a new high for performance in a test air raid held between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Monday, it was reported today from civilian defense headquarters in the old city hall. Negotiations are reported under way for the Navy’s use of part of the Hotel Astoria for naval personnel, it was learned today. Details of the extent of Navy occupation have not been revealed. However it was known that warning to some of the tenants asking them to prepare for moving has been given by the management in view of the negotiations, so that occupants of the hotel would not be left homeless in the event and when the Navy’s decision is announced. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Senior housing programs under attack and underfunded joy and self-sacrifice. Until the evangeli- cal church rediscovers this, it deserves to be abandoned. DON ANDERSON Astoria T hank you for bringing much-needed atten- tion to the housing challenges faced by low-income seniors. (“On the edge: Hous- ing for the elderly a challenge in Astoria,” The Daily Astorian, Dec. 8). My family just celebrated my mother’s 89th birthday. As her daughter and caregiver, I know firsthand how vulnerable many seniors are, and how important it is to maintain our social safety net. In Congress, I helped to pass the Older Americans Act so seniors have pro- tections and supports they need to age with dignity. It is unacceptable that seniors like Marge Glaser are facing possible homelessness, espe- cially when Republican leadership in Con- gress is jamming through a tax plan that adds $1.5 trillion to the debt, benefits big corpora- tions and the wealthiest Americans, and jeopar- dizes bond programs that help fund affordable housing. In the article several programs were men- tioned, such as Section 8 housing vouchers, that have been under attack and underfunded for too long. I will continue to be a staunch advocate for affordable housing and the many programs that help seniors stay healthy, safe, and in their homes. Addressing housing insecurity is a team effort, and I thank the dedicated partners in Clatsop County — including elected officials, the Astoria Senior Center, Clatsop Community Action, Helping Hands, and North West Ore- gon Housing Authority — for their hard work. Everyone should have the security of sta- ble housing. In Congress, I’ll continue to stand up for seniors and the most vulnerable in our communities. U.S. REP. SUZANNE BONAMICI Washington, D.C. Camp Rilea facilities should be good enough for Air National Guard O pen letter to U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, state Sen. Betsy John- son, Gov. Kate Brown and the Clatsop County Commission: I have served in the Oregon Army National Guard for 20 years, and my father, Lt. Col. Larry Haskell (retired) served for 44 years. All of my time, and most of my father’s career, was spent stationed out of Camp Rilea in Warrenton. My concern is that millions of dollars were spent on Camp Rilea not too long ago to make it the place to train, certify, and house hundreds Robin Hood continues O of troops. I do know the Oregon Air National Guard is being put into the Elliott Hotel in Astoria. I also know the commander of the Air Guard has said that the facilities at Camp Rilea are not adequate to house his soldiers — yet it is the same place that was adequate for the sol- diers who actually face battle. The military is the one place no one is dif- ferent, except for rank. Yes, rank does have its privileges, but when one part of the team has an elitist attitude and behavior, it makes the team fail. That is proven behavior for Ore- gonians and most places. And elitism is not acceptable behavior anywhere. Having recently gone through the Veterans Administration’s recognitive therapy, I must state the following: The evaluation that was given in the begin- ning needs to be part of every military person’s profile/personnel record and medical record. Maybe there should be an enlistment quiz, even. Then, if that person has issues, at least there may be a place to start. In conclusion, please tell me how to help with this, and /or maybe provide an answer to what I see as waste, fraud, and abuse of my money — which I have very little of. It is an insult to this veteran. TROY J. HASKELL Astoria Evangelicals have lost moral authority F or years the evangelical church has held itself up to be America’s conscience. Despite their various problems, the evangel- icals saw (and still see) themselves as carry- ing the torch of morality by having a “bibli- cal” view of humanity. Their demigod, Ronald Reagan, even wrote a book, “Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation,” which trotted out right-wing-Christian morality with scant view to science, compassion or the constitution. Sound familiar? Many Christians, like myself, have decided to leave evangelicalism as it became apparent that the church, for whatever reason, embraced Donald Trump. As soon as evangelicalism did that, it lost any pretense to moral author- ity, and men like Jerry Falwell Jr., James Dob- son and Franklin Graham bound themselves in a phantasmagorical deal with the devil, espous- ing misogyny, racism, guns, conspiracy theory, pseudo-science and self-deception. By the way, the “devil” in this deal, in case you were won- dering, is President Donald Trump. The actual devil, if there is one, is laughing his pointy red head off. The church has often been knocked for being hypocritical, and that is understandable, because the church is made up of real people. But now, the evangelical church has made it a special point to act in opposition to the values of Jesus Christ. If Jesus was walking the earth today, how would he treat the refugees? How would he feel about a judge and would-be senator who sexually assaulted teenagers? Jesus said that if anyone leads a child astray, it would be better for that person to drown himself. Hmmm. True Christian values are found in the per- son of Jesus Christ, a man of compassion, n Dec. 1, The Daily Astorian printed an editorial comparing some of the fictional characters in the Robin Hood story with some of our present-day politicians (“Robin Hood”). Within the article there were some mistaken comparisons, such as comparing the Sheriff of Nottingham to Jeff Sessions, but really Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch fit that profile much better. The Sheriff of Nottingham was the main villain, and keeping the law meant noth- ing to him. Comparing Prince John to President Don- ald Trump is not accurate, either. Prince John is President Obama. Obama, like Prince John, was having issues with the barons of Republi- cans because of his illegal schemes, crushing the working class, harboring fugitives, bur- dening the people with high taxes, creating an unbearable health management crisis, racial tension, bad economic and foreign policies, and corruption everywhere within his court. The real Robin Hoods of today I consider to be men like Ted Cruz, who continually and willingly put themselves out there to cham- pion and fight for what is right for the people, instead of what is right for the Prince. Then comes King Richard, who defeated and rescued the people from Prince John’s evil empire. President Trump supports Amer- icans, small business, family values, the Con- stitution, tough immigration and trade policies, lower taxes, making sound financial, social and foreign policies, and religious freedom. He is concerned, and responds to the issues of today. Communist/monarch regimes require the support of the media to propagandize or hyp- notize the American people into their way of thinking. Someday, someone will snap their fingers, and they will wake up only to find out they were goofs. Everyone knows that the truth is from the stand-alone Fox News, who puts out an hon- est analysis and profile regarding each of their reports, along with facts and commentary to substantiate an honest and complete news story. It has been a long time since we the peo- ple have had leaders who want to accom- plish what Robin Hood wanted for his people. Finally, we are heading in the right direction as a nation. Let’s keep it going. RAYMOND GARDNER Warrenton
