A4
THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, dEcEmbER 2, 2021
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
SHANNON ARLINT
circulation manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production manager
CARL EARL
Systems manager
OUR VIEW
Too occupied with divisions
n his first inaugural address,
President Abraham Lincoln
made an appeal for unity on
the eve of the Civil War.
“We are not enemies, but friends.
We must not be enemies. Though
passion may have strained, it must
not break our bonds of affection.
The mystic chords of memory,
stretching from every battlefield
and patriot grave to every liv-
ing heart and hearthstone all over
this broad land, will yet swell the
chorus of the Union, when again
touched, as surely they will be, by
the better angels of our nature.”
The American people are
becoming ever more divided by
national politics and cultural dis-
putes. Recent polls conducted by
the Pew Research Center show the
partisan differences.
The politics of the past 20 years
have become increasingly divi-
sive, intolerant and personal. Even
on the local level, disagreements
about coronavirus safety proto-
cols have sparked angry voices at
some school board meetings —
perhaps most notably in Raymond
and Knappa, but also cropping up
elsewhere.
Where did it all begin? Was it
the election in 2020 of President
Joe Biden and the specious allega-
tions of fraud, or was it the 2016
election of President Donald Trump
and allegations of Russian collu-
sion? Does it go back to Bush v.
Gore, circa 2000?
I
The Lincoln Memorial stands for the American principle that unity and friendship should
triumph over angry strife.
Over the last 18 months we’ve
seen a host of incidents that have
fueled the divide — a summer of
riots in major cities accentuated by
vandalism, looting and attempts to
burn public buildings and immo-
late police officers; a divisive elec-
toral campaign; and an angry mob
of our fellow citizens busting into
the U.S. Capitol.
And, of course, there’s the tur-
moil of the pandemic and the
response to it by state and fed-
eral officials. What many regard as
common-sense precautions, others
view as unacceptable government
overreach into private lives —
especially when it comes to man-
dated masking and vaccinations for
schoolchildren.
There is no shortage of provo-
cateurs, left and right, using these
incidents to whip us into a frenzy.
But the real fault lies with us. Some
have allowed understandable frus-
trations to bubble over into unac-
ceptable attacks on election and
school officials who are merely fol-
lowing state laws and mandates. In
the case of local schools, it would
be financially ruinous to put state
funding at risk in the cause of
empty protests that will achieve
nothing.
We have become all too occu-
pied with the divisions, arranging
ourselves neatly in one camp or
another. We too often listen only to
those things that bolster our world
view. We allowed agitators and
activists to use our fear and anger
as a means to their own ends.
We stopped talking with and
listening to each other. We have
slapped vile labels on our neigh-
bors and turned them into irre-
deemable enemies. And, when
times are desperate, instinct dic-
tates we deal harshly with an
enemy.
We can disagree, but we must
respect each other’s point of view.
We should live our lives, not our
politics. Rather than our differ-
ences, we must focus on our com-
mon values and ideals. Relying
on one another here on the North
Coast, we must not allow political
and policy disagreements get in the
way of neighborly cooperation.
Our friendships are strained, but
we must not be enemies.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Deliberate barriers
T
he Freedom to Vote Act and John
Lewis Voting Rights Advancement
Act will end partisan gerrymandering and
ensure more fair, transparent and non-
partisan maps. We need federal reform to
ensure we have fair maps nationwide.
The Freedom to Vote Act is under
attack by extremist state lawmakers across
the country who want to put up deliberate
barriers to make it harder to vote — espe-
cially for people of color.
Congress must act now to implement
national standards for federal elections.
The Freedom to Vote Act would protect
our right to vote, end partisan gerryman-
dering, counter undemocratic and dan-
gerous election sabotage efforts and help
to eliminate the undue influence of dark
money in our elections.
Did you know the modern-day fili-
buster took root during the Jim Crow era,
when racist Southern senators used it to
delay passage of important civil rights leg-
islation? If we reform Senate rules, and fix
the filibuster, we have a real chance at pro-
tecting the freedom to vote and getting big
money out of politics.
We need legislation that will include
immigration reform, gun safety, raise the
minimum wage, take action on climate
change, provide police accountability and
eliminate racial injustice.
We are lucky to live in Oregon, with
mail-in ballots, and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merk-
ley and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who have
shown they will work for us! Please, don’t
take your right to vote for granted.
LaREE JOHNSON
Astoria
Potty mouth
T
he Astorian actually published a let-
ter deriding President Joe Biden for
“farting” inappropriately (“Wow,” Nov.
23)? That might just be a new low.
I’m no fan of Biden, though he
appears to accept a reality that a majority
of people in this country also buy into.
Unlike the predecessor, Biden takes
the high road, being decent by avoiding
entering the zone of kindergarten potty
talk and white supremacist cat-calling,
and believes that flogging insurrection
and violence against colleagues — which
has obviously become this county’s de
facto political game — is a dangerous
one.
Freedom of speech may still be a con-
stitutional right for some. Let’s hope the
white nationalists and their eager allies
in the press avoid destroying what’s left
of it.
SUE SKINNER
Astoria
Creating a strong foundation
I
f The Astorian printed letters with bullet
points, this would be a full-page letter
with dozens of them, listing the benefits of
the Biden administration’s economic poli-
cies and legislation.
Oregonians can applaud a growing
economy, improved pay and job opportu-
nities, and the Biden stimulus bill that has
lifted the incomes of 3 million American
children and their families out of poverty.
There will be billions of dollars over
the next 10 years to strengthen the reliabil-
ity and resilience of America’s power grid,
expand internet broadband to rural areas,
improve and maintain U.S. roads, bridges
and passenger rail systems and invest in
coastal restoration and forest management
as part of climate change action, and more.
President Joe Biden is a steadying influ-
ence on our politics, and he and Congress
are passing legislation to make lives better
for all Americans.
LETTERS WELCOME
Letters should be exclusive to The
Astorian. Letters should be fewer
than 250 words and must include the
writer’s name, address and phone
number. You will be contacted to
confirm authorship. All letters are
subject to editing for space, gram-
mar and factual accuracy. Only two
letters per writer are allowed each
month. Letters written in response
We also applaud the steadfast focus
of our members of Congress: Congress-
woman Suzanne Bonamici, U.S. Sen.
Jeff Merkley and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden.
These three Democrats have consistently
voted for increasing opportunity, reducing
inequality and creating a strong economic
foundation for national unity.
They also recognize a healthy, sustain-
able economy depends on a strong democ-
racy that allows and encourages everyone
to vote.
Indivisible North Coast Oregon
to other letter writers should address
the issue at hand and should refer to
the headline and date the letter was
published. Discourse should be civil.
Send via email to editor@dailyasto-
rian.com, online at bit.ly/astorianlet-
ters, in person at 949 Exchange St.
in Astoria or mail to Letters to the
Editor, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR.,
97103.
urges you to thank Wyden, Merkley and
Bonamici for voting for a thriving future
for Oregonians.
Thank them for supporting the Freedom
to Vote Act, a comprehensive package of
voting, redistricting and campaign finance
reforms, and the John Lewis Voting Rights
Advancement Act. Their contact informa-
tion is at incoregon.org
LAURIE CAPLAN
Leadership Team, Indivisible
North Coast Oregon
Astoria