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WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ AUGUST 17, 2016
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
F LORENCE F LASHBACK
1890 ❙
T HE W EST
S TIFF
F LORENCE T IMES
T HE S IUSLAW O AR
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS
S IUSLAW N EWS
❙ 2016
AFTERNOON WINDS BRING EXTREME KITEBOARDING
O RIGINALLY P UBLISHED A UG . 5, 2006
S IUSLAW N EWS , V OL . 116, N O . 62
T
he wind is really cranking today. It tugs out
of the north at a good 30 knots, gusting 35,
leaving a roil of wind waves that a crowd of
South Jetty kiteboarders jump like speedbumps.
Strapped like so many Leonardo Da Vincis to
their flying machines, a dozen or so kiters have
brought the extreme sport to Florence.
Drawn by what one kiter known simply as Shay
describes as “expert conditions, right on the mar-
gin,” participants strap themselves to inflatable foils
for a wicked skim across the waves, gigantic grabs
of air and less than pleasant tumbles in wet sand
and foam when out-of-control kites drag them like
wild horses on the run.
Less than a decade old, this solo sport is taking
off in popularity, but the audience for dangling over
the water like a bug in a harness may always be
limited.
“Windsurfing appeals to more people. This is a
little gnarly,” says John Ash, a 55-year-old former
tree cutter and the only kitesurfer who lives in
Florence.
He’s kiteboarded for seven years, ever since the
sport gained popularity. It started cropping up in
the Columbia River Gorge, France and Hawaii
about a decade ago, although using wind power to
SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTOS
Kiteboarders take to the sand and water at South Jetty
for extreme rides during heavy afternoon winds.
move is not a new idea.
The first time a guy put a kite on skiis was 20 to
30 years ago, Ash says.
Equipment has improved a lot since then. Early
attempts were hard to watch.
Painful, says Ash, who got into the sport after
recovering from a herniated disk of his own.
“The only way to learn is by getting your ass
handed to you several times,” Shay says.
The sport really took to the air in Maui in the
late 1990s, when extreme surfers saw the kite’s
radical opportunity. There are even competitions
now, like the Bridge of the Gods kiteboarding con-
test.
Here on the Pacific, the swells add an extra edge.
“You have to be a real advanced kiter when it’s
like this,” another kiteboarder says. “It’s a different
animal.”
LETTERS
Health care front and center
On Aug. 9, Rick Yecny and Nena Harvey
spent 90 minutes at the Us TOO Florence
Prostate Cancer Education/Support Group pro-
viding information on the primary care situation
in Florence. They were very well prepared and,
following a short PowerPoint presentation,
showed their depth of concern and creative
thinking in providing solutions to our unfortu-
nate loss of primary care physicians.
It is very encouraging to know we have these
two (and others) at PeaceHealth working fever-
ishly in a proactive way on our behalf.
I encourage everyone who possibly can to
attend their presentation at the FEC, 715 Quince
St., on Thursday, Aug. 18, from 12:30 to 1:30
p.m. to get the facts.
I think the result will be a positive feeling
that they truly have our health care front and
center and will move mountains, if necessary, to
provide it.
Bob Horney
Florence
So-called rights
In response to Dolly Brock’s letter (“Deadly
Statistics,” Aug. 10) regarding Tony Cavarno’s
letter on the gun issue. By her definition, I am a
paranoid gun owner. I refer to her statement that
“if more gun owners were less paranoid about
losing their so-called rights and more interested
in stronger, sensible gun laws, we might stand a
chance of changing gun violence statistics.”
Since when are Constitutional Amendments
“so-called rights?” You can call it paranoia, but
I call it a well-founded concern that the sanctity
of the Constitution is under attack — not just by
well-meaning individuals, but by our current
administration.
Furthermore, the new Democrat Party
Platform panders to the anti-gun crowd while
doing nothing, except more demeaning welfare
programs, to help solve the root problems in the
big city ghettoes.
If restrictive gun laws were the answer,
Chicago, Detroit and Baltimore, with the tough-
est gun laws around, would be havens of peace
and tranquility instead of the killing grounds
that they are. The street gangs and drug dealers
could care less about your “stronger and sensi-
ble” gun laws and account for much of your
“deadly statistics.”
I believe that there is nothing more dangerous
than a government that provides for your every
need while taking away your rights.
Keith Kraft
Florence
Never too late for change
Many of you already know the Real Food
Co-op is no longer in business. It’s truly a
shame that in a town of over 8,000, there
weren’t enough people desiring organic foods.
We supported our local farmers. Though
many stores tout they carry local products, that
usually means it comes from California or
Mexico. Our farmers live in this community.
They shop here in town or in Eugene. They are
the people that grow our foods with love with-
out the use of pesticides. And, they are always
fighting to keep it that way.
Though many may say that organic foods are
too expensive, I ask you to examine that. The
difference in price between organic Swiss
Chard versus conventional is usually less than a
dollar. That extra money spent now could
potentially save thousands down the road in
healthcare costs.
The growing information about pesticides
and the harm they cause in our bodies is factu-
al. I admit it, I don’t like to listen to political
speeches and I know that even if I ignore them,
someone is going to win. But ignoring the fact
there are poisons sprayed and put into the soils
of the foods we eat, doesn’t make it go away.
There is a price to pay and it’s going to be
higher than anything you see in the produce aisle.
It is disheartening that fast food restaurants in
this town thrive but a co-op cannot. We sup-
ported the small businesses selling products
without GMOs, using organic ingredients. The
labels had words you could read and under-
stand. Interestingly, as a friend pointed out,
these labels tell us when the products are organ-
ic and non-GMO, but shouldn’t it really say
when the foods have chemicals in them?
As I like to say, it is never too late for change,
until we’re not here to do so. If we can go out to
eat breakfast at a restaurant and spend $10 or
$15 on a meal, why can’t we buy organic eggs
for $5 a dozen? If you break it down per egg,
that’s less than 50 cents apiece. If you have two
eggs a day, you can eat them for the next six
days. That’s a savings.
I’m no mathematician. I’ll never be an
accountant. But I know the final cost comes in
more than one way — the biggest being in the
breakdown of health. As long as we have a
choice, we have the opportunity to learn and
understand what we put in our mouths to feed
our bodies. This is our responsibility, not our
doctors’.
Karen Hazelwood
(In honor of the Real Food Co-op), Florence
L ETTERS P OLICY
Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor con-
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ters received. Libelous and anonymous letters as
well as poetry will not be published. All submissions
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Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com.
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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