Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2015)
4 A The First Amendment Letters to the Editor: C ongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com Press Releases: PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com SATURDAY APRIL 11 • 2015 VIEW FROM UPRIVER YESTERDAY’S NEWS Measured response W ESLEY V OTH For the Siuslaw News I t’s hard enough to imagine what is going through the mind of another human, let alone that of a dog or some other crea- ture. Susie and I are temporarily dog sitting, and this is the first time since I was 12 and my childhood dog died of salmon poisoning that I have been around one on a daily basis. One of our daughters who came to stay with us to help me with the mail when I was inca- pacitated after hospitalization last fall, has now moved back to the part of Hawaii where she grew up; she left behind her dog, Olive, until the 120-day rabies clearance is complet- ed. So I get to spend time with this loveable terrier, part of which consists of walking her on a leash three or four miles a day. Plenty of time to observe her behavior, and to puzzle over why she does what she does. Olive is fascinated by smells, although for the life of me I can’t fath- om why a slug flattened and dried on the road draws her attention more than a freshly killed rabbit. Or why fresh elk droppings or tracks are suddenly exciting one day when for weeks they have not been. But it is her interactions with live animals that are especially fun to observe: aggressive postures with other dogs no matter how large, jumping back at the erratic movements of a snake, true terrier at an encounter with a rat, chasing and leaping to catch flies. Just the other day, Olive had one of the most interesting and puzzling encounters to date. We see river otters regularly here, and they are usually fairly wary around people. But walking with Olive along the river we encountered a family of four otters still grouped together from last season. When they noticed Olive, instead of disap- pearing, they seemed extremely interested, and kept coming closer and closer; eventually one was just five feet from where she was standing at the edge of the water. The otter then began to splash her, making quick duck- ing motions, very noisy and so in-her-face. Olive appeared oblivious, much to the otter’s annoyance, who seemed beside itself to get noticed. In addition to the splashing, the otter began making little muttering sounds that could have been, “Hey you — yeah you, you yel- low livered chicken mutt — dare you to come join me in here ....” Olive gazed at the sky, watched a bumblebee passing, nibbled some grass and turned her back on the scene. So I shrugged, apologized to the otter, and we went on our way, the otters following along until we moved away from the river. Not 50 yards further, a neighbor had just put up a set of those black bear silhouettes, mother and two cubs, with the addition of eyes. Olive went crazy when she noticed them from some 20 feet away, and began lunging and barking, and then squealing in frustration as I dragged her further along our way. Go figure. Except — the experience niggles away at me like the little parable it is. A parable for what gets a rise out of me. For sometimes it seems I spend my time and energy battling paper tigers, while all the while oblivious to what actually threatens the things I hold dear or actually need. Yup, I’ll spare you the details for now, but it’s my own behavior I need to ponder. LETTERS Celebrate library staff This Tuesday, April 14, is a day you may not have heard of, but I hope you will take a moment to recognize that it is National Library Worker’s Day. Established in 2003, NLWD is a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. And I can tell you those contributions are stellar — library workers here at the Siuslaw Public Library circulate more than 199,000 items each year. They answer questions about how to teach children to read and where to most effec- tively look for a job. Staff help more than 30,000 people access the internet, and serve more than 10,000 people with cultural pro- grams. If you ask somebody who works at the Siuslaw Public Library for help, I guarantee they will work hard to make sure you get what you need. I know because I get to watch it hap- pen every day. As the Siuslaw Public Library nears our 100th anniversary on May 7, it is truly the hard work of library staff that has kept the library strong and growing for all those years. Since I began work at the Siuslaw Public Library, there is probably one thing I have heard more than anything else: “Wow. This library has an amazing staff.” There is not much I can do except nod my head and smile and agree. The Siuslaw Public Library District really does have an amazing staff, and it is my priv- ilege and pleasure to celebrate all that they do. Meg Spencer Director Siuslaw Public Library District Justice will be served First, not that it really matters, I am an 86- year-old veteran. In reading the letter titled “Insult to America” by Larry L. Barney (April 4), I could not help but wonder why he would consider a charge of “desertion and misbehav- ing” a slap on the wrist to Bowe Bergdahl. Currently under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 14 offenses are punishable by USPS# 497-660 death. Four of the offenses carry a death sen- tence if the crime is committed during times of war. The first of these is desertion. I would be surprised if Bowe Bergdahl is found guilty, he would be put to death, but I would think he will face a lengthy prison sen- tence. I’m not sure I would question Mr. Barney regarding criticism of the Obama administra- tion in making the prisoner swap to begin with. However, I feel at this point the admin- istration of justice toward Bowe Bergdahl is strictly a matter of military handling in a courts-martial, and the administration will not be involved in the findings nor the carrying out of any sentence if he is found guilty. In any event, if he is found guilty, I am sure he will receive more than “a slap on the wrist.” John A. Hyder Florence Water roulette A general, self-evident principle of “Russian Roulette” is that you can only lose once. If you “lose” a game of “Russian Roulette,” you can’t demand a rematch. Likewise, once the purity of our only source of clean drinking water is gone, once the North Florence Sole Source Dunal Aquifer is contaminated, it’s game over folks. We don’t get a second chance to keep our aquifer clean and pure. Government documents say our aquifer is “sole source” because it’s our only source of water. It’s the only “sole source” aquifer in the state. Another ‘best’ Small town that we are, it was fun reading through the recent “Best of Florence” winners in the Siuslaw News (“2015 Readers’ Choice Awards,” March 21). We’re fortunate to have so many notable businesses in our community. I scanned the publication for one of my favorites, Barbara Martin Taxes and Bookkeeping, but found no listing for that cat- egory. Barbara was voted No. 1 in Florence for both 2013 and 2014, and no doubt would have continued her reign if her category had been included this year. She’s a professional through and through and a delightful person as well. She definitely deserves the opportunity for continued recog- nition by all of us who are very glad she’s here. Allie LeCaux Florence The 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards’ format was revised this year and some categories were changed. We appreciate our readers’ feedback and will take it into consideration for next year’s awards. —Editor • On April 13, 1360, an Easter Monday hail- storm kills an estimated 1,000 English soldiers in Chartres, France. Lightning struck down sev- eral leaders, and hailstones began pelting the soldiers, scattering the horses. Hail typically falls at about 100 mph. • On April 17, 1885, Karen Dinesen, better known by her pen name Isak Dinesen, is born in Denmark. Dinesen’s memoir, “Out of Africa” (1937), helped demystify the Dark Continent for millions of readers. She pub- lished several other story collections before her death in 1962. • On April 19, 1897, John J. McDermott of New York won the first Boston Marathon in a time of 2:55:10. Various routes had been con- sidered before a measured distance of 24.5 miles from the Irvington Oval in Boston to Metcalf’s Mill in Ashland was selected. The marathon’s distance was changed in 1908 to its current length of 26 miles 385 yards. • On April 14, 1918, six days after being assigned to the Western front, pilot Douglas Campbell from the U.S. First Aero Squadron engages in America’s first aerial dogfight with enemy aircraft. By the end of May, Campbell had shot down five enemy planes, making him the first American to qualify as a “flying ace” in World War I. • On April 16, 1943, Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist working at the Sandoz pharmaceutical research laboratory, accidentally consumes LSD-25, resulting in unusual sensations and hallucinations. Widespread use of the so-called mind-expanding drug began in the 1960s. • On April 15, 1967, a massive parade to protest Vietnam War policy is held in New York. Police estimated that 100,000 to 125,000 people listened to speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Benjamin Spock. Prior to the march, youths burned nearly 200 draft cards in Central Park. • On April 18, 1983, the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, is almost completely destroyed by a car-bomb explosion that kills 63 people, including the suicide bomber and 17 Americans. The terrorist attack was carried out in protest of the U.S. military presence in Lebanon. (c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc. he Siuslaw News wel- comes letters to the edi- tor on subjects of general interest to its readership. Brevity is mandatory, and let- ters are subject to editing. Libelous letters and poetry will not be published. Thank- you letters are generally inap- propriate. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed. Handwritten or submitted letters via mail must be signed over the writer’s name. All letters must include an address and phone number of the writer for verification. Email letters to: Editor @TheSiuslawNews.com T Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com WHERE TO WRITE Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439. Phone (541) 997-3441 (See extension numbers below). FAX (541) 997-7979. John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry On a recent Sunday, the Pope called water “the most essential element for life.” Furthermore, “humanity’s future depends on our ability to care for it and share it.” In the Florence area, we all share and depend upon this one aquifer. We had better care for it as though our lives depend upon it — because they do. What a shame if through neglect, lack of vigilance and greed we were to foul our aquifer, our one and only source of pure water. It has often been said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Let’s not play “Russian Roulette” with our one and only source of clean, pure drinking water. Spraying toxic chemicals on the highly per- meable, sand-based land above our aquifer, or on land that drains into lakes that feed our aquifer — this is a very foolish game, a game we would be very wise not to play. William B. Calvert Florence MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel Pres. Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us