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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2020)
A4 Wednesday, January 22, 2020 HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore. hoodrivernews.com OPINION Our Readers Write ‘Cooperate, negotiate’ Winnie the Pooh at Disneyland for the first time. Since that “historic” nuclear summit, the master negotiator has failed to produce one shred of positive In small towns and rural negotiations with North Korea areas, depending on your regarding nuclear arms. In his neighbors is a way of life. We defense, he did make some pride ourselves in taking care beautiful memories. Steve Kaplan of each other when needed, Hood River regardless of the things that separate us, like politics or religion. It would be good for our state senators to take a clue from this cooperative style, so they can work together effec- tively on legislation that affects It looks like Australia is all of us. There are important showing us the shape of things items on Oregon’s 2020 legis- to come, but the collateral lative agenda, like funding for damage of our collective future police and wildfire protection, is a small price to pay for over that are important to all of us 200 years of glorious capital- and that need to be dealt with ism. conscientiously, not be thrown Think of all the wonderful under the bus by partisan billionaires we’ve made. politics. David Warnock This year, our state senators Hood River need to stay in Salem and negotiate all legislation before them in good faith, instead of sowing seeds of mistrust among us and taking off for the hills as they did last year. Mr. Nybroten should know Pamela Starling that I do not feel safer now. Mosier And I suspect neither do the families of passengers of Ukraine flight 752, mistakenly shot down by an Iranian mil- itary on a heightened state of alert, in the midst of a military Mr. Nybroten’s Jan 18 letter response to the Trump ordered “Dance in the Streets” is a killing of their top general. great example of what happens Our troops are not safer; 11 when a small part of any argu- suffering blast concussions in ment is dissected. He wants us the aftermath of Iran’s retali- to dance and rejoice that our ation. Trump claimed no one president unilaterally assassi- was injured as he deliberate- nated a known bad guy for rea- ly ratcheted up tensions via sons no one but the president Tweet. openly supports. Safe at the White House or at If Trump is truly a world Mar a Lago, does he even think savior, when can I expect the about our troops in harm’s assassination of North Kore- way? Does Mr. Nybroten think an dictator Kim Jung-un? My that there aren’t any other research says he is ruthless, al- Iranian generals who may feel ready possesses nuclear weap- the need to avenge the death of ons and has concentration one of their own? Because I believe that camps where he imprisons his own people. It is pretty hard to Trump’s actions were reckless listen to North Korean refugee and needlessly added tinder stories because so few make it to the powder keg that is our out alive. Certainly, he is as bad involvement in the Middle East does not make me a hater. The a guy as Soleimani? I doubt has Trump has any pejoratives used to defend this plans to take out Kim Jung-un. president are tired, and only In their June 2019 photo-op, continue to stoke a danger- the president is grinning from ous divide in this country, as ear to ear as if he was meeting Trump himself often does. ‘Glorious capitalism’ Poisonous ‘Memories’ Lastly, I am not blind. I see now. When Trump said he could shoot someone on the street and not lose voters, I laughed. After reading the many defenses of his recent behavior, I see that he was right. May we as a people find a way to end this poisonous state of affairs, and soon. Jennifer Ouzounian Hood River Extinguish war flames’ It’s heartening to see grow- ing support in the Senate for limiting Trump’s use of war powers. Last week the House passed a resolution to limit his war powers against Iran. The mea- sure, although it doesn’t carry the force of law, said Trump with children in need this past holiday season. Because of the generosity of donors in Hood River and across the United States, Op- eration Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, collected more than 8.9 mil- lion shoebox gifts in 2019. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2019, the ministry is now send- ing 10,569,405 shoebox gifts to children worldwide. Through shoeboxes — packed with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items — Hood River volunteers brought joy to children in need around the world. Each gift-filled shoebox is a tangible expression of God’s love, and it is often the first gift these children have ever received. Thanks to the gen- I am writing to thank Hood erosity of donors, Operation River residents for sharing the Christmas Child has collected true meaning of Christmas and delivered more than 178 should withdraw U.S. forces from conflict with Iran within 30 days if he does not get con- gressional approval. Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley should push for the same, or even a stronger version, in the Senate. We do not want war with Iran, and we most definitely do not want this rogue impulsive president to create or fan any more war flames. Vicki Nunenkamp Hood River Operation Christmas Child million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories since 1993. It’s not too late for people to make a difference. Though drop-off locations serving Hood River are closed until Nov. 16-23, 2020, informa- tion about year-round volun- teer opportunities can also be found at samaritanspurse.org/ occ or by calling 253-572-1155. Thank you again to everyone who participated in this global project — many who do so year after year. These simple gifts, packed with love, send a message to children worldwide that they are loved and not forgotten. Dana Williams Operation Christmas Child; Boone, N.C. GOP women mark 100th anniversary of 19th Amendment ratification On Jan. 14, 1920, Oregon became the 25th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, extend- ing equal suffrage to women across the nation. Tennessee was the final state to ratify the 19th Amendment on Aug. 19, 1920. Though Oregon granted suf- frage to women in 1912, the ratification of the 19th Amend- ment is a monumental event in the history of the United States, Oregon Republicans said in a statement issued Tuesday. Members of Oregon House Republican Caucus share their thoughts on what Oregon’s ratification of the 19th Amend- ment means to them: House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby): “A few years ago I chose to be a stay at home mom, now I am a state representative — normal stuff for an increasing number of women and their families. My life has been a gift to be able to choose service and pos- sibility, but this normal life was not normal for my grandma or great-grandma.” “Celebrating the ratification of the 19th Amendment is an opportunity to recognize the herculean effort that others undertook, which has allowed me to approach my life with optimism and confidence. “Commemorating this day like so many other milestones in our nation’s history gives us the opportunity to be thankful for those who worked for prog- ress while acknowledging the areas in which that progress was incomplete. “I am grateful that I have the right to vote on matters which impact my family, communi- ty, state and nation. With this right to vote has come increas- ing opportunity through the years. But this opportunity, which has had a hundred years to develop for me and my daughter, is not celebrating its first century of progress for others. “Women’s suffrage was not in fact a victory for all women, as women of color continued to face obstacles to voting and were not guaranteed the right to vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This fact is stun- ning in its immediacy. When I think of women’s suffrage I picture black and white photos of generations long since past, but for women of color this achievement is vivid still, lived in full color, just a generation prior. “As I commemorate the day that for me and many women is so meaningful, I recognize those whose citizenship was not granted full voice with mine, and because of this, as- sured access to opportunity is not yet fully realized.” Representative Raquel Moore-Green (R-Salem): “As a child I was taught that the single most important civic involvement is that of voting. A privilege obtained through the ultimate sacrifice of human life. What could be more pre- cious? This centennial helps remind us of the unique priv- ilege ALL Americans have to vote, and that a determined group of women and men can make a lasting impact on history.” Representative Sherrie Sprenger (R-Scio): “Bringing more voices to the table is never a bad thing, especially when it comes to politics. More perspectives, ideas, and backgrounds lead to better laws and a stronger society. 100 years ago, the Oregon Legislature — which included only one woman — voted to extend voting rights to women nationwide. While we cele- brate women today, we cannot forget the men who agreed that the state and nation would be better with more voices at the table.” Representative Vikki Bre- ese-Iverson (R-Prineville): “As we reflect on the last 100 years in Oregon, there are many im- provements we have made as a society. One of the greatest is ratifying the 19th Amendment, which today allows every woman who is an American citizen to vote in our elections. Since that small step, we have witnessed great woman par- ticipate in elections, serving as elected officials and making changes to our great state. La- dies like Secretary of State Bev Clarno have inspired me along Ratification talk starts history series With “From Radical Idea to Ratification: Women’s Voting Rights,” the Old Courthouse Regional History Forum Series for 2020 starts Feb. 1 at the 1859 Courthouse Building, 410 W. Second Place, The Dalles. Pro- grams begin at 1:30 p.m. in the upstairs courtroom. The old courthouse is behind the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Center at the west side of downtown. Speaker Janice Dilg is principal of a historical consulting firm. She is state coordinator for an online resource for the 2020 centennial of the 19th Amendment that extended voting rights to women. She will tell the story of Sylvia Thompson (D-The Dalles) who introduced the bill ratifying the amendment in the 1920 special session. my path, and I am excited to be serving as an elected official in Oregon alongside many intel- ligent and dedicated women.” Representative Cheri Helt (R-Bend): “As a daughter, wife, business owner, mother of two daughters and state repre- sentative, I take seriously the duty to vote in elections and to represent the community that elected me on the House Floor. I am proud to stand on the shoulders of the brave women who fought to ensure that our voices and votes are heard and counted.” R e p re s e n t a t i v e S h e l l y Boshart Davis (R-Albany): “Rural America has always val- ued women as important and equal. In fact, Montana voters had elected the first woman to Congress before congressional approval of a national suffrage amendment to the Constitu- tion. I’m proud to have grown up on a family farm and com- munity that valued me, regard- less of me being female. As a mother of three daughters, I will continue to be grateful for the strong women that came before me and endeavor to continue that legacy.”
