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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2015)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ AUGUST 5, 2015 Siuslaw News RYAN CRONK , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 1 2 5 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y F L A S H B A C K 1890 ❙ T T HE W EST F LORENCE T IMES T HE S IUSLAW O AR T HE S IUSLAW N EWS S IUSLAW N EWS ❙ 2015 his year marks Siuslaw News’ quasquicentennial, our 125th anniversary, a remarkable achievement for any business in a small community like Florence. To commemorate this milestone, throughout the year we’ll feature some of the town’s history as origi- nally published in the newspaper, including historic articles and photos from more than a century ago. —Editor Service members honored at party O RIGINALLY P UBLISHED A UG . 2, 1946 T HE S IUSLAW O AR , V OL . 19, N O . 9 In honor of the returned service men and women of Florence and the surrounding Siuslaw country, the community gathering sponsored by Heceta Lodge IOOF was held Wednesday evening, July 31, in the lodge hall and adjacent Rainbow Ballroom. This community get-together was delayed as long as possible to permit ex-service per- sonnel to return to their former environs. It began promptly at 9 p.m. and contin- ued until midnight. During the evening of cards, dancing and a short program, 150 persons came to express regards for all who helped in the winning of the war. Present were a score of the men and women of the community who served in the U.S. armed forces of the world conflict. “Returned service men and women do not want to be regarded as a special group,” said Lee Weber in the address of the evening. “Rather, they have come home to be a member of the community. They do not pose as heroes — the heroes are not here.” An overseas veteran of the war, Weber commended the winning spirit American forces carried from school games as a factor in the allied victory. Carl Dodge, new music instructor for Siuslaw High School, played two selections on the piano. Norman Towne favored with a tap dance and accompaniment by the Rainbow dance orchestra, who provided music for the evening’s dancing. Repast of sandwiches, coffee and pickles followed the program at intermission. Another hour of dances and cards con- cluded the observances. There was no charge for the event and no collections were asked for. Those attending showed that they appre- ciate the sacrifices made to keep the coun- try the great nation all want it to be. Paul V. Womer and George Albright were on the committee, Towne arranged entertainment and Mr. and Mrs. Christ Strahm led the card room. NEIGHBORS The Old Whoopie B OB J ACKSON N EIGHBORHOOD C ORRESPONDENT banged the proper set into the teeth as he went, and the rakers would have been filed correctly. But this was Roger’s saw, and I could only hope that it was reasonably sharp. There were the knots, which were like iron, and there were pitch pock- ets which clung to the sides of the saw and slowed the progress. This required a healthy dose of kerosene, or coal oil as we called it, to melt the sticky pitch. About halfway through, the log would begin to pinch the saw, and then metal wedges would have to be repeatedly pounded into the cut with a sledgehammer. Fast forward to the timeless Nen — a common chainsaw is a marvelous invention that we take for granted these days. It would cut all the way through this 30-inch log in less than 30 seconds, and cut the 40-foot log into 16-inch blocks before I had cut halfway through the first cut with this old, man- killing misery whip! As the day wore on, I was deter- mined to finish cutting up this log, no matter how long it would take, for the prize was something beyond this young man’s wildest dreams — a car of my very own. For the Siuslaw News T his is of course an act of liter- ary piracy, for I will be resur- recting poignant memories from a long out of print “early-days” book that I wrote over 15 years ago. Prosecution for plagiarism is no threat, for the thoughts expressed here-in are, of course, my own. The ancient masters of Zen once said: “The incalculable eons are but one moment — and this moment is no moment.” They called these ultra- short fragments of time Nen, or time- less thought moments. In the book, I had transported myself back to another time. For myself it was a time of innocence, stupidity and dogged determination. *** I am in Westlake, 16 years old again, kneeling in the sand alongside a big “buckskin” log on the edge of Siltcoos Lake. I ignore the sweat, the aching arms and back, for this is a great opportunity in my young life. Only yesterday, a neighbor, Roger Anderson, had offered to give me the “old whoopie” if I would cut this wood log into 16-inch blocks with a cross-cut saw. (More about the Old Whoopie later.) I am soon to discover that cutting a 40-foot log into 16-inch firewood lengths with a six-foot “misery whip” would not be an easy task. I measured my progress by watching the teeth slowly bite into the cut. It is five inches from the cutting teeth to the top of the saw, and it would take near- ly 10 minutes of hard work to bury it in the log, and as the diameter increases it seems the saw is not cut- ting at all. There is no way to estimate how long it will take to finish the cut, as there are too many variables. If the saw had just been sharpened by someone like Paul Landwehr, an old Westlake logger who had a filing rack set up in his backyard, the job would be easier. He would have ILLUSTRATION BY BOB JACKSON I had never seen this old car being driven. It had previously been owned by Jim Olsen, a skinny young timber faller who nicknamed it the “Old Whoopie.” At one time it had been a 1925 Chevy roadster before someone customized it into an open-air pickup truck. It was really open, for the can- vas top and wood top bows had prob- ably been missing for a very long time. When I went to claim my first car, I discovered a pitiful sight. It had been shoved back into the tall thim- bleberry and salmonberry brush, and had probably been there a long time, for it was almost hidden from view beneath some second growth trees. A patina of green moss and the fallen needles from those trees had almost completely hidden it from view. More to come... LETTER Gamble worth taking The agreement with Iran leaves me with one question: If not this deal, what deal? From all that I’ve read and heard, it seems this was the best that could be negotiated. Opponents make much of the 24-day inspec- tion waiting period that, they say, will allow Iran to hide away evidence of agreement viola- tions. I don’t have the technical standing to speak to this assertion, but I have confidence in assurances of Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz (a nuclear physicist and MIT professor emeri- tus) that this will not hamper the IAEA’s ability to monitor Iranian nuclear activities. More confidence than I have in unsubstanti- ated rhetoric that a better deal could have been negotiated or scurrilous profanity that it would lead Israelis “to the oven.” Critics’ contentions that no agreement with continued sanctions would work better to dis- suade Iran of its nuclear ambitions ignore the reality that Iran was getting perilously close to a bomb despite years of sanctions. In fact, the sanctions did work; they achieved their intended purpose of bringing a recalcitrant Iran to the negotiating table with America and L ETTERS TO THE five other nations. I suspect that Israel, with its nuclear deter- rent, is more concerned about the economic effect of lifting sanctions. That would allow Iran’s increased funding of Shia extremists. No doubt a concern. But in terms of balancing power, it potentially gives “moderate” Sunni E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor concerning issues affecting the Florence area and Lane County. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters should be limited to about 300 words and must include the writer’s full name, address and phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous and anonymous letters as well as poetry will not be published. All submissions become the property of Siuslaw News and will not be returned. Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com states common cause with Israel. I believe that Obama sees the best chance for a stable Middle East is an Iran that evolves over the course of this agreement toward a more sec- ular, less theocratic state. That process would be stymied by continued sanctions that only frus- trate an inclination toward a western orientation in the 50 percent of the Iranian population that is under 35. As with the USSR and China before it, the bet is that as the anti-modernity, seventh centu- ry dogmatism of the old mullahs die off, it will be replaced by a more secular, forward-looking leadership with whom we will be able to achieve a tolerable relationship. The odds get better as our reliance on oil lessens. Given the alternatives, it is a gamble worth taking. Arnold Buchman Florence USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry 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; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. 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