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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2020)
A5 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Successful every member of this spe- cial community. By look- ing beyond politics to the core of the issue, you exem- plify the balanced leadership that is needed at this time of upheaval. JAN and WILLIS L. VAN DUSEN CAROL and DANIEL A. VAN DUSEN TRUDY VAN DUSEN CITOVIC and DJORDJE CITOVIC DR. FATIMA VAN DUSEN and WILLIS VAN DUSEN JR. DR. KRISTIN and CAPT. MATTHEW ZEDWICK SYDNEY VAN DUSEN and GREG PETERSON S uzanne Weber has been a successful bipartisan mayor of Tillamook since 2010. She is running for Oregon House District 32, soon to be vacated by Tiffi ny Mitchell. Suzanne has long-stand- ing working relationships in the Oregon Legislature. Unlike her current opponent, she can hit the ground run- ning, without a protracted learning curve. Suzanne plans to work on small business recovery, education and local infra- structure. Vote Weber on Nov. 3. JEAN M. HERMAN Astoria Land of laws Taking a stand W e are a land of laws and institutions that govern our diverse society. We need law. We need order. Without them we descend into destruction, burning, looting and murder. We need police to serve and protect the citizens. Government should serve the people. We must move from the emotions of the day to apply reason to affect change to police procedures, applied for decades, which are the source of egregious inci- dences that have occurred many times, in many places. Choking or choke- holds have caused numer- ous deaths or injuries. They have, and continue to be, a tool used by policing author- ities, and will continue to give rise to unjustifi ed and unnecessary occurrences that have very negative results. Choking should be highly restricted, or elimi- nated, as a technique of con- trol and aggression by police departments throughout our nation. Other control tech- niques should be taught and employed. Stop choking. Midnight warrant door breakdowns should not be allowed. What do the occu- pants think, when they are sleeping and all of a sud- S heriff Matt Phillips, thank you for your thoughtful and articulate guest column, “We have more in common than believed,” on Sept. 17. By taking a stand on a contentious issue like Black Lives Matter, you gave a voice to members of our community who have felt marginalized and alone in their perspective. That takes courage. Equally important, you did so without alienat- ing other groups. That shows leadership. By emphasizing that your viewpoint “doesn’t suggest that the lives of Black people are more important than any- one else’s … (nor does it) suggest or support that any other life is less important,” you strip away the contro- versy around the issue. Hopefully, we can all agree that human life is pre- cious by its very nature. Every person in our soci- ety should be able to rely on their fellow citizens, and especially law enforcement, to protect their right to life without regard to race or any other form of bias. Thank you for confi rming your belief that Black Lives Matter equally, and for your tireless service to each and den, the door is being bro- ken down? The results have repeated themselves many times, with many deaths and injuries to both the victims and the police. How many times did the police have the wrong address? Stop the midnight warrant invasions. It is important for citizens to comply with good polic- ing and not engage in hos- tile, uncooperative behav- ior. We all need to be kinder and more thoughtful citizens, and respect laws and support order in our lives and those around us. MARK PRESCOTT Gearhart Our votes T illamook Mayor Suzanne Weber gets our vote for Oregon House Dis- trict 32 representative. Suzanne already has the experience. Before being elected mayor of Tillamook, she was a public school teacher and served as a rep- resentative and negotiator for her union. As retired edu- cators, we know how valu- able her qualifi cations are. This includes the ability to problem-solve. Mayor Weber is opposed to excessive tax hikes, fees and regulations. She knows that cap and trade is nothing more than a hidden sales tax. She thinks the northwest cor- ner of Oregon should decide its own priorities — some- thing Rep. Tiffi ny Mitchell did not understand. Weber is tuned in, and is all ready to go. She has our votes. VICTORIA KERIN SUZANNE IVERSON Astoria My colleague T om Brownson was my colleague on the Asto- ria City Council. No one could ask for a better city councilor. Tom studies each issue, talks to his constitu- ents and understands the city code and the ramifi cations of council decisions. He is calm and delibera- tive, and believes in collab- oration. He is well respected by his fellow council mem- bers, and was elected to serve as the council president. Although I am not in his ward, I would urge Ward 2 voters to reelect Tom Brownson to the City Coun- cil. Astoria is the better for his leadership. ARLINE LaMEAR Astoria to develop and blossom over long periods through invest- ments that she has made both locally and in Salem. Unlike Mitchell and Boothe-Schmidt, Mayor Weber has never entertained a “Plan B Cut-and-Run Strategy” when the going gets tough. Our district can trust Weber with our future, who is in it for the long haul. Not so with Boothe-Schmidt. CYNTHIA MALKOWSKI Seaside Long haul Stumps don’t lie C I an we count on House District 32 candidate Debbie-Boothe Schmidt? Or will she be just another Tiffi ny Mitchell, who will abandon our district when the going gets tough, or something better comes along? A March 17 Banks Post article states “right now, she’s only looking ahead to serving one term.” She would consider running for reelection “depending on how things go.” Depending on how things go? What does that even mean? Read her own words and judge for yourself. Direct quote: “If I think I can’t do the work that needs to be done, then it would be time for someone new to come along.” Sounds an awful lot like Tiffi ny Mitchell to me. Sounds an awful lot like she is just another tempo- rary hand-picked Portland candidate. In contrast, her opponent, bipartisan Tillamook Mayor Suzanne Weber has lived in Tillamook for 50 years, taught at the same public school for 30 years, and has served as both city councilor and mayor for a solid 18 years. This track record proves she is a fully committed per- son who knows how to solve problems, work with diverse populations and produce results. Results that take time f trees, like most run-of- the-mill vegetables, inhale carbon dioxide, and exhale oxygen, then it stands to rea- son that a few large old trees have sequestered more car- bon than many a sapling. And, every sapling has more potential to sequester car- bon than an old stump. And, to carry this logic a step fur- ther, even a large old stump has sequestered more carbon than a two-by-four. All human life stands upon the shoulders of our ancestors, and it is indisput- able that even a stump has more value to mankind and our progeny than a two-by- four. We, unfortunately, have both trees and two-by-fours to burn. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and grant you peace. GARY DURHEIM Seaside Hindsight T hey say “hindsight is 20/20.” Well, it is 2020 now. How we can make a better decision on Nov. 3 for our future? Let’s refl ect back … Sadly, we have over 200,000 Americans dead due to COVID-19 with the delay, denial and distrac- tion tactic of President Don- ald Trump; withdrawal from the Paris climate agree- ment (197 countries signed) designed to avoid climate change impacts globally, including food insecurity for the poorest nations; allowing infringement of our treasured national parks for corporate greed; no improvement in U.S. infrastructure as prom- ised; no affordable health care plan, active dismantling of Obamacare, Medicare, Social Security; Roe vs. Wade in jeopardy; reduced taxes for billionaires, not us; disparaging our veterans as “suckers and losers”; plus other childish name-calling, blaming and behaviors unbe- coming a U.S. president. Hindsight is 20/20, so let’s learn from mistakes made. If you are not regis- tered to vote, do so today. We need every thinking per- son’s vote, recognizing the change needed with this election for our democracy to survive. Please join me and vote for a qualifi ed presiden- tial candidate, a person with years of experience with international leaders, a man of integrity, empathy and honesty who we can be proud of in the world arena. Joe Biden will restore dignity to the offi ce of pres- ident, and regain the respect America deserves. Biden and Kamala Harris will be working for us, not for their own self-aggrandizement. January 2021 we can look back with clarity of “20/20 vision” putting “united” back in America, not divi- sion. Building bridges, not walls. LaREE JOHNSON Astoria WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 battery power. made by stihl. ƒ uncover your yard’s potential. BGA 57 BATTERY BLOWER SET ƒ SAVE $20 NOW JUST $179.95 + ** real stihl. find yourS. ** The BGA 57 is built in the United States with domestic and foreign components. Batteries and chargers are sourced internationally. Was $199.95 SNW-SRP. 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