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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 2015)
4 A ❘ SATURDAY EDITION ❘ NOVEMBER 28, 2015 Siuslaw News RYAN CRONK , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ Opinion P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 VIEW FROM UPRIVER YESTERDAY’S NEWS Words worth living up to W ESLEY V OTH For the Siuslaw News A nother Thanksgiving passes, and that which divides us, even within fami- lies, is being stirred up. It turns out I had ancestors at that first 1621 Plymouth Thanksgiving — John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, who soon married and had 10 chil- dren. Since they were prominent in the lead- ership of the colony and church, both benefit- ted from the largess of, and then were culpa- ble in the poor relations with, that region’s original inhabitants. Both were still alive and prominent when the colony put four Quakers, including a woman named Mary Dyer, to death for the audacity of being a different kind of Puritan. Even the efforts of Charles II, newly restored in the British monarchy after a bloody reli- gious war in England, failed to stop to further actions of this sort, until eventually the colony’s charter was revoked and an English governor installed to enforce English law, EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM including the Toleration Act, in 1689. It is quintessential American irony that within another generation it was this family branch who became Quakers themselves, and remained so on down to me. Needless to say, these ancestors fleeing from persecution they found intolerable, didn’t get it right when they first tried creating something new on this conti- nent. Or, for us, on this side of this continent a while later. It took some time, and finding common cause among a motley and diverse grouping of peoples, but before there was a constitution, before there was a first (or sec- ond) amendment, when we were figuring out the sort of nation we might become, we made this stunning declaration: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are cre- ated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” While these words have become some of the best known and loved anywhere, we have never managed to behave as though we really believe them to be true. Or to behave even by the best principals of our respective various religions. Or to treat people well and fairly regardless of birthplace, race, gender, age, economic status, education, citizenship or political or religious affiliation. But, the idea persists. We are still working at it because the idea continues to stir and inform our nobler principles. However, there are among us people and companies who profit from disinformation. Who profit from war. Who profit from dis- sension. Who profit from fear mongering. Who profit from various forms of economic slavery. Who profit from running prisons whose purpose is not reform, and for-profit universities whose purpose is not education. Who profit from do-nothing government. These same people and companies do not think they should bear the costs of govern- ment, community infrastructure, free and appropriate public education, veterans, health care or even their own foolish investment risks. And thanks to the Supreme Court deci- sion known as Citizens United, those who profit most from the above can freely wield the most power and speech to make sure this very profitable — for them — system pre- vails, and without real cost — to them. I think it clear that the noble declaration that brought us as far as we’ve come cannot survive indefinitely against this imbalance. But I’m thankful that in the current war of words, it has not yet been completely drowned out. We can’t let it be. MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel • On Dec. 2, 1859, in Charles Town, Virginia, abolitionist John Brown is executed on charges of treason, murder and insurrection. Brown became militant during the mid-1850s, when he fought pro-slavery settlers in the sharply divided Kansas Free State territory. • On Dec. 6, 1917, a Belgian steamer and French freighter, both loaded with ammunition, explode in Canada’s Halifax Harbor, leveling part of the town and killing nearly 1,600 people and injuring some 8,000. The ships carried 8 million tons of TNT intended for use in World War I. • On Dec. 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy torpedo- bombers take off from Florida on a routine training mission over the Atlantic Ocean. The squadron leader later reported that his compass had failed and his position was unknown, and a rescue aircraft was dispatched with a 13-man crew. No trace of the 27 crewmen or six aircraft was ever found. • On Dec. 4, 1956, the “Million Dollar Quartet” convenes at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, in an historic impromptu jam ses- sion. Present were Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley. A tape recorded that day was not discovered until 1981. • On Nov. 30, 1965, lawyer Ralph Nader publishes the muckraking book “Unsafe at Any Speed.” It became a bestseller and prompted the passage of seat-belt laws in 49 states (all but New Hampshire). • On Dec. 3, 1979, eleven people are killed in a stampede outside a Who concert in Cincinnati when a crowd of general-admission ticket-holders surged forward in an attempt to secure prime unreserved seats inside, known as festival seating. • On Dec. 1, 1990, 132 feet below the English Channel, workers drill an opening through a wall of rock, connecting the two ends of an underwater tunnel linking Great Britain with the European mainland for the first time in more than 8,000 years. LETTERS No more marijuana I just received a notification of a Florence City Council meeting to discuss Ordinance No. 12 series 2015, proposing changes to allow marijuana dispensaries, wholesale and distribution cen- ters within the city limits. I am 65 years old and wish that Florence does not become like Eugene with 14 businesses to purchase this drug. Michael Ksen Florence A city council and planning commission public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Florence Events Center to discuss amendments to the city’s marijuana code. —Editor ISIS strategy From its beginnings as a Sunni terrorist group in Iraq, ISIS’ attacks in Paris have demonstrated a mur- derous reach now extending beyond its proclaimed Islamic State caliphate into the very heart of Europe. Followers of ISIS are religious extremists who see the unconverted as sinners beyond redemption and themselves as defenders of an absolute moral theology with the devout duty to mercilessly destroy all apostates and nonbelievers. Their pathological zealotry, seem- ingly irrational, is perfectly consis- tent with their commitment to eras- ing the corruptions of modernity by returning civilization to the purity of seventh-century Shiria law. Jihadist fanaticism such as the Paris attacks is nihilism that has gotten religion. All values other than Koranic fundamentalism are meaningless, all apostates and non- believers are to be annihilated. ISIS strategy is to polarize Western society by attacks, like Paris, to provoke overreactions by Western governments against inno- cent Muslims. Thusly alienated, Muslims in the West will be left to either apostatize or to emigrate to the Islamic State to escape persecu- tion. The goal is to set conditions for an apocalyptic war with the West, the prerequisite to the arrival of the Mahdi — Muhammad’s suc- cessor, yet to come — who will lib- erate Islam from cruelty, introduc- ing a time of serenity with people living true to religious values and re-establishing righteousness. ISIS’ commitment to an apoca- lyptic confrontation with moderni- ty, rooted in seventh-century Koranic injunctions, is prophetic, not political. It is not subject to negotiation or compromise. If the ISIS strategy is allowed to work, this one, minor, nihilistic sect of Islam’s many denominations could be the nihilism that Nietzsche pre- dicted would “eventually destroy all other moral, religious and meta- physical convictions and precipitate a crisis in human history.” The problem is not the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims. The problem is the estimated 20,000 to 30,000 ISIS jihadists among them who want to impose the ISIS interpretation of Islam on them and the rest of socie- ty. The challenge is to identify and eliminate these relatively few nee- dles without setting the whole haystack on fire. Arnold Buchman Florence Autumn Harvest The recent local dinner and school garden fundraiser at Homegrown Pub was a great suc- cess. I want to thank all the folks that attended the dinner and gener- ously donated $850 to the Siuslaw Elementary School garden. Thank you to the folks that donated scrumptious desserts to be auctioned for the garden and to Kelsey and the Homegrown staff for creating a beautiful meal made with local ingredients. Thank you to the local farms and producers — Whiskey Creek Organics, Wintergreen, Greenfields, Willammette Valley Creamery, Round Barn Beef, Fiacre Acres, Hummingbird and more — that con- tributed to our meal and continue to contribute to our community. Thank you Lyza for doing an amazing job as school garden coordinator. The more we support events such as this, as well as farmers markets, CSAs and our local food co-op, the more we are support- ing our local farms and produc- ers. And by doing this we are cre- ating local food sustainability, increasing economic develop- ment in Florence, decreasing our carbon footprint and building community. By supporting our school gar- den we are empowering our kids to be healthy in so many ways. Jen Nelson Florence (c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc. L ETTERS TO THE 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 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