Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 2019)
A4 THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, JuNE 29, 2019 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher JIM VAN NOSTRAND Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager OUR VIEW Have fun, but stay safe A sk our brave friends in the Coast Guard and they will tell you with cool assurance that the people who survive a rescue at sea are wearing lifejackets. Those who fish or sail without wearing one have little chance of surviving a dunking in the unforgiving Pacific Ocean. The jolly Fisherman outside of Ilwaco City Hall is an amusing char- acter with his changing outfits and decorations, but his message to wear life jackets is serious. And it is one locals and visitors alike should heed. Our beaches are among the most beautiful in the North American continent. We are proud to make this paradise our home, to protect and preserve it and enjoy its scenic attributes. But danger lurks. The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office has begun a campaign online to properly highlight the dangers of the ocean, focusing on tides, cur- rents, undertow, sneaker waves and water temperatures. We are happy to share their advice. “Rip currents are the most haz- ardous beach condition a swimmer can face. Not only on beaches, but anywhere there are breaking waves. Several people drown in rip currents every year. “The real danger with rip currents is not that you’re getting pulled away from shore, but how you react. Most swimmers will panic and try to swim against the current. They will tire quickly and soon go under.” There’s another important safety consideration. If you are on the beach and observe someone in dif- ficulty in the ocean, call 911 and remain in place so you can direct first responders and show what you saw — and where. Anyone who has family mem- bers who insist on playing in the ocean must watch them the entire time. Better yet, be firm on young people and instruct them to do no more than dip their toes in the water, if they must. Wading out beyond calf level exposes anyone to those sneaker waves and undertows the Sheriff’s Office warns people about. Both can be fatal, as can logs in the water and at the shoreline. Lifted by Mother Nature’s powerful wave action, they can break bones and render even the strongest peo- ple unconscious in the water and at its edge. For locals, who should be more aware of the hazards, there is always the question of whether to intervene when you believe that another per- son’s behavior is putting them at risk. Far better to do so, than endure a lifetime of regret. And then there are the number of vehicles being trapped by the preva- lence of super-low tides. Of course, it is amusing to add snarky com- ments to photos posted online about visitors and even locals whose vehi- cles are swamped by incoming tides. But it truly isn’t a laughing mat- ter. Parking your vehicle on the flat sand and walking down the beach is a risk — because the tide comes in so quickly and can soon engulf a car or truck. The vehicles have to be removed and are inevitably ruined beyond repair. Anyone trapped inside a vehicle likely would need to be res- cued. And the action of the waves just a few feet out is enough to move a heavy vehicle, even one filled with saltwater. It creates a danger. It is costly to remove. We realize the irony in saying welcome to visitors, “have a nice time,” but adding that they should be cognizant of the dangers here. But it is an unchanging truth. Coastal law enforcement, fire and rescue responders know if we get through a summer without a drown- ing tragedy it will be very rare indeed — because too many peo- ple choose to ignore safety warn- ings and the kind of advice printed above. Patrick Webb The Ilwaco Fisherman outside Ilwaco City Hall wears his life vest and has a message that locals and visitors alike should heed. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR cial Times and financial behemoth UBS. LYNN GOLDFARB Denver Sad commentary regon Republicans fleeing the cap- ital and going into hiding is noth- ing new. In 2011, to stop legislation being proposed by Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker, the infamous “Democratic 14” members of the Wisconsin State Leg- islature fled the state. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown sending state troopers to round up missing GOP members of the Oregon Legislature would be the same tactic used by Walker. Previous generations of state Legis- lature minority members would always stay, debate the issues and deal with being on the losing side of votes. Today, some engage in political temper tantrums and go into hiding out of state, rather than per- form the tasks they were elected to do. What a sad commentary on the state of today’s politics. LARRY PENNER Great Neck, New York O Getting ready to move I can remember how every time we got ready to move as a family, there was always considerable nostalgia and sad- ness leaving all the memories, friends and neighbors of the old home. But on the positive side, looking forward to all sur- prises and adventures of the new home and area. As Christians, may it not be similar as we approach the end of our earthly stay? Saying goodbye to all our earthly memo- ries and loved ones may cause us nostal- gia, and sadness and fear. But on the positive side, our Lord has said, “Let not your heart be troubled … I go to prepare a place for you … That where I am you may also be … If it were not so, I would have told you.” Oh Lord, in very simple human words: Thank you for “stamping our passports.” We’re looking forward to a very victori- Hijacked Fourth? egrettably, our 2019 Independence Day will feature President Donald Trump’s self-congratulatory hymn-singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. At 5:43 a.m. on Feb. 24, Trump tweeted: “Hold the date! We will be hav- ing one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4. It will be called ‘A Salute To America’ and will be held at the Lincoln Memo- rial. Major fireworks display, entertain- ment and an address by your favorite pres- ident, me!” Apparently, the greatness of America will no longer be reflected in presidential leaders like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt or Franklin Del- ano Roosevelt, but in an “extremely-sta- ble genius.” Trump views this Fourth of July as a priceless rebranding opportunity. That’s appalling, especially since the presiden- tial prevaricator will launch his litany of lies at the Lincoln Memorial, where Mar- tin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on Aug. 28, 1963. Unencumbered by the thought process, our grandstander-in-chief will read some- one else’s words, pretending to believe them, sans any semblance of sincerity. The Declaration of Independence pro- vides my principal purpose for rever- ing the Fourth: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their cre- ator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pur- suit of happiness.” I can’t stomach a blowhard egomaniac saluting himself, since that would sum- mon the sensation of sinking slowly to the bottom of the ocean. ROBERT BRAKE Ocean Park, Washington R ous voyage and our new home with you. JIM BERNARD Warrenton Green New Deal he letter “Wishful thinking won’t fix our climate” (The Astorian, June 22) supports “practical fixes for climate change.” We really have just one fix now. Since we’ve delayed for so long, now we must cut our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent nationally if we are to have any hope of averting catastrophic climate change, which would cost hun- dreds of trillions, according to the Inter- governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The only fix out there which can do that is the Green New Deal’s energy plan. Local or state, or even regional efforts will be much too little, much too late (National Academy of Sciences). T The most important thing we can do to fix climate change is to elect a president and members of Congress who will pass the Green New Deal’s energy plan on the day they’re sworn in. Washington’s Gov. Jay Inslee, cam- paigning for president, has released an “instruction manual” for the Green New Deal, a long, dense “policy wonk’s dream” (vox.com). Until now, no one has really known what the Green New Deal’s energy plan was. Inslee has literally writ- ten it and, contrary to all the GOP claims that it would cost $100 trillion, it turns out that it won’t cost U.S. consumers or tax- payers anything, but would create eight million good jobs. Most of the money will come from pri- vate investment, and the rest will be offset by a $500 billion annual increase in U.S. gross domestic product (IPCC). That’s mainly because rapidly scaling up renew- able energy, will make them virtually free within a decade according to The Finan-
