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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, SEpTEmbER 4, 2021
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
publisher
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Editor
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GUEST COLUMN
Deciding the next 10 years
B
Matt Rourke/AP Photo
Data from the census will be used to help redraw political boundaries.
LEARN MORE
• To learn more about the redistricting process and sign up to testify, visit oregonlegisla-
ture.gov/redistricting
• To view the first drafts of the new district maps, visit olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz
/2021I1/Committees/SRED/2021-09-03-08-00/MeetingMaterials
y the end of this year, you might
1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and
be in a new state House district or
8:30 p.m.
Senate district or you could even
As you consider what is important to
be in Oregon’s brand new 6th Congres-
you regarding redistricting, a collection of
sional District. That’s because the Oregon
different criteria used across the country
Legislature will draw new boundaries for
can be found at: www.oregonlegislature.
political offices in the state.
gov/lpro/Publications/Redistricting.pdf
This is required by the Oregon Con-
The U.S. Census Bureau recently
stitution every 10 years to reflect
announced that Oregon is get-
ting a sixth congressional district,
population changes following the
which makes this process even
census.
more important. This will increase
Legislators on the House and
Oregon’s representation in Wash-
Senate redistricting committees
ington, D.C., from five congress-
will be hearing from residents
members to six. Your voice will
across the state starting Wednes-
day to understand how new district
influence where this sixth district
SUZANNE
lines can best preserve communi-
will be located.
WEBER
ties with shared common interests.
Oregon’s current political
It’s critical that we have as
boundaries are based off maps
many people participate in the process
drawn 20 years ago for partisan gain by
as possible. Redistricting will determine
a single person, and that advantage has
your ability to be well represented in
swayed heavily toward the party in power.
future elections for the next 10 years.
This is your opportunity to rebal-
ance Oregon and ensure new district lines
For residents of the 1st Congressional
aren’t gerrymandered. Your actions can
District, your chance to participate virtu-
ally will be Wednesday starting at 8 a.m.
affect the next 10 years of elections in
and Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m.
Oregon.
If you miss these times, anyone can
State Rep. Suzanne Weber, a Tillamook
sign up to testify on Sept. 13 between
Republican, represents House district 32.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Lead or get out of the way
ov. Kate Brown handed the ball off
to the counties concerning the vac-
cines and mask mandates, then every
county with the exception of Multnomah
dropped the ball by doing nothing but
collectively wringing their hands.
Then to recap, Clatsop County Com-
missioner Courtney Bangs writes a letter
of complaint because Gov. Brown had to
pick the ball back up when the coronavi-
rus numbers climbed once again.
Bangs claims she was voicing the con-
cerns of her constituents, though I think
it’s time to point out that she isn’t a head
cheerleader and instead of calculating her
next political move she should perhaps be
protecting her constituents.
As for the potential of people quitting
their jobs over their right to refuse vac-
cination and making more job vacancies,
she also might want to consider that dead
people make terrible employees.
MARY SCHNASE
Astoria
G
Deeply disappointed
A
s grandparents of three children
attending public schools in Clatsop
County, we were relieved to see our state
require COVID vaccines of all school
personnel. Our grandson is 12 and is
already vaccinated, but his two younger
sisters do not yet have that choice. The
delta variant is attacking young chil-
dren more than the original COVID, with
disastrous and often lethal outcomes.
We were deeply disappointed to read a
letter from county Commissioner Court-
ney Bangs to Gov. Kate Brown objecting
to vaccines for school support staff, cus-
todians, bus drivers and teachers’ aides.
The commissioner stated, “we need to
reject the type of overarching mandates
that will eventually do more harm than
good.”
Commissioner Bangs repeatedly refers
to personal rights and freedom. As our
parents and all civics classes teach, the
other side of that coin is responsibility.
We believe that in a just society, personal
rights take second place to the safety of
our neighbors and our community —
especially children.
When our granddaughters get on the
bus in September, we do not want them
to stand in the driveway and ask their
driver: Are you fully vaccinated or are
you asserting your personal rights?
Thank you, Gov. Brown, for following
the science and the recommendations of
the medical professionals. Thank you for
supporting in-person learning and doing
everything you can to keep the children
of our communities safe while they attend
public school.
CHERYL JOHNSON and
TED MESSING
Astoria
Choices have consequences
C
latsop County Commissioner Court-
ney Bangs wrote to Gov. Kate Brown
last week, objecting to “vaccine man-
dates” and expressing her concern that
“many hardworking Oregonians will be
required to choose between the vaccine
and their personal freedom.”
Even more concerning is that she was
particularly concerned for support staff,
custodians, bus drivers and teachers’
aides at schools.
To be clear, Bangs is concerned that
people who can choose to refuse a vac-
cine should be allowed to expose others,
that are unable to choose, and not suffer
consequences.
I am not opposed to personal choice,
nor am I opposed to free speech. How-
ever, these protections are only from
federal persecution, and not from
repercussions.
You may choose to decline a vaccine
that your employer requires. That is your
right. You will not go to jail for this sin-
gle act, but your employer is free to fire
you for this.
This was your choice.
At this point in the pandemic, when
people in Clatsop County die because
they cannot find a hospital bed in the val-
ley, or Tillamook County needs morgue
trailers to hold the dead, you need to real-
ize that your choices have consequences.
Commissioner Bangs, you missed this
point.
These “mandates” are targeted towards
people that work with our most vulner-
able citizens. This isn’t about restricting
their freedoms; it is about protecting our
friends and neighbors.
People are free to choose. They are
not, however, free from repercussions.
THOMAS ANK
Astoria
The right to live
A good idea
O
M
y oldest daughter is due to begin
kindergarten this month and I am
grateful for the school staff vaccine man-
date from Gov. Kate Brown. It is sci-
ence-based and in the best interest of our
community. Since vaccines are not yet
available for children under 12, I have
been nervous about sending my kid to
in-person school. However, knowing that
school staff will all be vaccinated cer-
tainly helps relieve some of my concerns.
I do not agree with the stance of Clat-
sop County Commissioner Courney
Bangs in objecting to vaccines. I am not
sure if it is an overreach of her position to
send a letter on county letterhead to the
governor without the support of the rest
of the county commissioners, but I hope
Gov. Brown knows that she does not rep-
resent the views of the majority of our
county’s citizens.
I’d rather see Commissioner Bangs
focus more on the health and safety of
our community and figure out a way to
reframe the importance of vaccinations
and encourage our neighbors to help end
this pandemic. Mandate or not, the vac-
cine is a good idea.
JENNIFER RASMUSSEN
Astoria
Critical distinctions
I
respect several of the points made by
Clatsop County Commissioner Court-
ney Bangs, as reported recently (The
Astorian, Aug. 28). I, too, believe that
local voices should be heard and repre-
sented, and that conferring with a trusted
primary care provider is a great way to
discuss the benefits and risks of receiving
the vaccine for COVID-19.
I also believe that there are critical dis-
tinctions between “freedom of choice
when it comes to medical decisions” and
the public health decisions that face us
during the crisis of a pandemic. Public
health works to protect us all, where we
live, learn, work and play.
While there is nothing more Ameri-
can than personal freedom, it is a value
that means nothing to a virulent airborne
virus.
Let us continue to listen to each other
and learn together.
Public health measures protect the
“we” in “We the people.”
MARY LYNN McCONNELL
Astoria
ne of the more disturbing things I
have witnessed in Astoria, particu-
larly on Marine Drive at night, are people
walking across the roadway without even
checking for oncoming traffic, or bother-
ing to use a crosswalk.
I realize that these people are asserting
their rights as pedestrians, and that it is the
obligation of the operator of an automo-
bile to yield to them — but it sure seems
like a big gamble they are taking with
their lives under less than optimal visual
conditions, not to speak of the conse-
quences for a driver who may not see the
jaywalker until the last moment.
And now we have Clatsop County
Commissioner Courtney Bangs penning a
letter to our governor arguing against vac-
cine mandates because some people have
“vaccine hesitancy” and they shouldn’t
have to choose between their jobs and
their personal freedoms.
I have two friends whose jobs involve
frequent contact with the public, who have
been vaccinated, and because of some
peoples’ “hesitancy,” the virus that put
us all through the wringer last year has
evolved into a more dangerous variant,
and in this less than optimal public health
environment — infected them.
As individuals in a society, we are like
islands whose shores are washed by a
common body of water; individual rights
and freedoms come with the responsibil-
ity to respect those rights and freedoms of
others — in this case the freedom to not
be infected with a virus, and the right to
live.
LAWRENCE JORDAN
Astoria
At the mercy of adults
I
read in The Astorian (August 28) that
Clatsop County Commissioner Court-
ney Bangs is particularly concerned about
support staff, custodians, bus drivers and
teachers’ aides at schools.
With the school year beginning, and
the delta variant driving the terrible spike
in our county’s COVID-19 infections,
I have grave concerns as well. I am a
retired teacher and spent the last 25 years
of my career teaching at Hilda Lahti Ele-
mentary in Knappa. I have worked with
amazing, talented and dedicated support
staff, who helped me be the best teacher
I could be. They worked in the school
because they truly cared about and loved
the children in our small community.
I am making a plea to any unvacci-
nated staff in a school setting. Translate
your care and dedication to students into
actions that will protect them. Get the
vaccine, follow the masking and hygiene
protocols, continue to do the jobs you
execute so well.
The kids need you now more than ever.
Unvaccinated children are at the mercy
of adults who care and make decisions
for them. Children of children I have
taught attend Knappa schools now. I have
five grandchildren, whom I adore, in the
Astoria School District. These kids, and
all precious children, deserve to attend
schools in a safe, healthy, stable, positive
and loving environment.
Let’s do everything possible to make
this school year safe and successful for
them.
LURANA HEAVENRICH
Brownsmead
Enough is enough
O
regonians want an end to this deadly
pandemic. But in Clatsop County,
like in many Oregon counties, the hos-
pitals are overrun with dramatically
increasing numbers of COVID patients.
More county residents are dying of
COVID.
According to a local hospital CEO,
other patients have also died because they
cannot be transferred for specialized care.
The county Public Health Department
has said the COVID outbreak is a No.
1 priority and works tirelessly to make
vaccines available to every eligible resi-
dent free of charge and has offered a great
deal of scientific evidence on its website
showing the importance of the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration-approved vac-
cine and masks in stopping COVID.
Yet #TimberUnity supported county
Commissioner Courtney Bangs is openly
spreading disinformation and discourag-
ing COVID vaccinations and masks. She
is enabling selfishness, her talk of “free-
dom” ringing hollow amidst the death,
suffering and economic devastation of the
pandemic. She is putting her own polit-
ical career and need for attention ahead
of the interests of our county’s families,
health care workers and businesses.
Enough is enough. Let’s work
together, get vaccinated as we have in the
past for any number of deadly diseases,
wear masks during this emergency and
put this pandemic behind us.
LAURA ALLEN
Seaside