6A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018
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
OUR VIEW
Do we need a replica Goonies house?
W
hat does Astoria’s Goonies
house is located. Many of Astoria’s
house have in common with
steep old streets only barely manage
Abe Lincoln’s boyhood
to accommodate the access and park-
cabin? Both are examples of humble
ing needs of residents. When Steven
dwellings that have taken on outsized
Spielberg made “The Goonies,” produc-
tion activities were a short-term novelty
symbolic importance.
and inconvenience.
Unlike the Lincoln
Little did Spielberg
cabin in Illinois, which
‘It is
or the neighborhood
is a replica — the orig-
remarkable
that
realize the story of a
inal is said to have
plucky band of trea-
been used for firewood
entrepreneurs
sure-hunting kids
after being displayed
haven’t
would spark a play-
at the 1893 World’s
ful decades-long love
Columbian Exposition
recreated the
affair between fans and
in Chicago — the actual Goonies house
all things Goonie.
Goonies movie setting
set in a more
While it may seem
continues to attract vis-
to Astorians that this
itors to the site it occu-
convenient
phenomenon must
pied long before the
location, stocking surely someday run
filming of the 1985 cult
its course, “The
classic.
it with photo
Goonies” has amaz-
In fact, we don’t need
backdrops, fake
ing staying power.
to look all the way east
doubloons,
an
Daily Astorian reporter
to Honest Abe’s cabin to
Katie Frankowicz’s
find a close corollary to
actor costumed
story last week about
the Goonies house. Just
as Sloth, and
continuing efforts
a few miles away from
to resolve conflicts
it, the replica of Fort
belly-revealing
between fans and res-
Clatsop — or perhaps
T-shirts.’
idents quickly became
actually a replica of
our most-viewed arti-
the replica that burned
cle of the month. On a more positive
down in 2005 — attracts thousands of
note, Astoria’s popular Oregon Film
visitors. Even closer at hand, the far
Museum really owes its existence to
less-famous Astoria Customs House is
this one movie — more than to all
a replica of the actual structure, which
the others, including “Free Willy” and
was built in 1852.
“Kindergarten Cop.” “The Goonies”
These comparisons are relevant in
plays a significant role in Astoria’s econ-
light of perennial complaints about
omy and mystique.
Goonies fans intruding into the 38th
As our story indicated, manag-
Street neighborhood where the movie
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Blue tarps cover the face of the Goonies house in 2015.
ing friction between fans and residents
depends in part on consistent patrols and
enforcement of parking restrictions. If
a Goonies sequel is ever made — and
Hollywood loves trying to capitalize on
proven successes — much thought will
have to be devoted to planning not only
for filming impacts, but for an inevitable
resurgence of attention for the story’s
original settings around Clatsop County.
Returning to the subject of replicas,
it is remarkable that entrepreneurs hav-
en’t recreated the Goonies house set in
a more convenient location, stocking it
with photo backdrops, fake doubloons,
an actor costumed as Sloth, and bel-
ly-revealing T-shirts.
Negotiating licensing agreements
would take some creative legal foot-
work, but fortunes have been made
on smaller premises than this. And if
private industry can’t manage it, per-
haps the envisioned expanded film
museum will incorporate a convincing
house replica, luring fans away from
the original where they are less than
welcome.
For all of its well-earned reputa-
tion as a place with a commitment to
remaining genuine and connected to
its hardworking roots, Astoria remains
more than a little starstruck. It’s fun for
such a small city to have such a big con-
nection to the movies. We must continue
exploring ways to make the most of this
linkage, while finding better ways to
politely play host to new generations of
movie fans.
cheated by enhancing their chances of per-
forming better than nature would have dic-
tated, any prize won is awarded to the next
finisher.
Let’s be clear. In the Olympic Games, the
world’s biggest, brightest stage — and that
involves nearly every country on the planet —
when the first-prize winner is proven to have
won by violating the rules, the gold medal is
then awarded to the second-place finisher, no
matter how long it takes to prove the cheating.
Duh, sort of makes sense.
This is not theory, or “next time.” It has
happened repeatedly, and with increasing fre-
quency in Olympic history. Recently, most of
one country’s athletes were banned from even
participating in the Summer Olympics for
breaking the rules. Isn’t it ironic today, that
country was Russia.
The Electoral College is, in reality, the
opinion of a small number of people, since
the delegates can mostly vote however they
want, despite the will of the majority of vot-
ers. Huh? Legal, but nonsensical.
Maybe it’s time to start applying some
sense, and go back and present the Oval
Office to the second-place finisher from 2016.
That is, if it’s proved that the apparent winner
acted illegally.
You might find out who your Congress
person is. Just in case.
CARL DOMINEY
Astoria
LETTERS
Astoria is natural
habitat for deer
T
he “grumpy old man” (his words, not mine),
who wrote the opinion piece suggesting that
we relocate Astoria’s deer, omits some incon-
venient facts (“Deer belong in the wild, not in
Astoria,” The Daily Astorian, Aug. 22).
Lewis and Clark chose to winter on the
south side of the Columbia River because the
area had abundant deer and elk they could
hunt. This is their natural habitat. Settlement
of the area, and no doubt years of indiscrim-
inate poaching (even within the city limits of
Astoria) eventually drove deer out of their
preferred territory.
The deer have returned to Astoria because
once again, we have driven them from their
habitat. The vast majority of Clatsop Coun-
ty’s forests are in the hands of timber corpo-
rations that clearcut and spray with toxic her-
bicides. The relative toxicity of garden and
lawn chemicals doesn’t come close to the tox-
icity level of the chemicals they spray. Deer
and elk are in municipalities along the North
Coast by virtue of their own survival instinct.
My wife and I don’t use chemicals on
our plants, and use only organic fertilizers.
We have found that inexpensive bird netting
keeps the deer from eating our roses and other
flowers. This year a doe gave birth to twins in
our back yard, and a few years back another
doe spent her last few days in our yard before
dying there.
Maybe the writer could try the bird net-
ting, and show some compassion for wild-
life humans have robbed of their natural
environment.
ROGER DORBAND
Astoria
Citizens deserve voice
in county decisions
A
s a candidate for District 3 county com-
missioner, I would like to see a more
robust citizen participation process in county
government. Citizen input should be early and
often in forming county policies and deliver-
ing programs. Recent Clatsop County initia-
tives in two areas illustrate my point.
There is no more important function of
government than to formulate its budget.
Government budgets are complicated. Reve-
nue comes from various sources, often with
tight strings attached. Citizens are skeptical
when the budget process includes only staff
analysis and input.
The county’s 2018-2019 budget was
brought to the commission with exactly one
day of citizen input, one eight-hour day,
where the appointed budget committee mem-
bers were asked to review the entire bud-
get with little opportunity to have meaning-
ful input.
The county missed another opportunity to
engage citizens in the design and operation of
a new jail. Although I support the need for a
new jail, when the jail proposal was unveiled
to county commissioners last spring, there
had been no citizen input. Such engagement
would have benefited from citizen ideas and
would have made the proposal a stronger sell
on the November ballot.
Citizens deserve an earlier voice in county
decisions.
PAMELA WEV
Astoria
Award Oval Office to
2016’s second-place finisher
I
solemnly swear this letter is intended to be
bipartisan, written by a political indepen-
dent and lifelong sports fan.
In the world of sports, which most Amer-
icans follow to some degree, if not idol-
ize, when the race winner is proved to have
Show same respect
to Drafall as Jones
T
he editor’s biases are showing. On Aug.
16, The Daily Astorian ran two headlines
on the front page: “Jones enters Astoria may-
or’s race” and under it, “Hairdresser to run
for Astoria City Council.” The first headline
used a widely known candidate’s last name;
the second merely used a possibly less well-
known candidate’s occupation. The juxtaposi-
tion is telling.
David Drafall was extremely candid about
his personal life. Show him the same respect
shown to Bruce Jones.
RALPH E. McNEES
Astoria