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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 2016)
4 A ❘ SATURDAY EDITION ❘ SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 RYAN CRONK , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ Opinion LETTERS Bountiful harvests Thank you, Mother Nature, for the bounti- ful harvest of fruits this year. From my three trees — gravenstein apple, bartlett pear and Italian prune plum — we have harvested over 250 pounds of organic fruits, which have been donated to the Mapleton and Florence Food Share programs. If you are also in this situation, please glean your harvest and share with these organiza- tions or other similar ones. Edible food should never be wasted, as my mother said in my youth when “the Chinese were starving.” Please share your bounty with others. Caty Giovinco Mapleton An open letter to Dr. Holmes Dear Dr. Aaron K. Holmes, It appears my stay in Grants Pass will be extended and I don’t know if or when I will return to Florence. Therefore, it is necessary I become established with a health care profes- sional here. Before moving on, I just wanted to give you some input on my experience while in your care. People are most often quick to criticize and condemn and slow to praise and give credit where due. I would be remiss if I didn’t take time to express my appreciation. I have never viewed you as simply my doc- tor — you were my partner in health care. You were always patient, concerned and compas- sionate. I never felt you were rushing me through an appointment. You made sure I understood all my options and had a voice in treatment choices. You truly listened and respected my input. I always felt you were personally interested in my welfare, not that I was the “revolving-door” patient who was to simply follow the doctor’s orders. Florence and PeaceHealth are lucky to have you. I hope I will be so lucky as to find your equal for health care here. Also, if and when I return to Florence, I hope you’ll still be there and find room for me in your busy practice. Thank you, and God bless. Leta McCurry Grants Pass Not just about the music Last Saturday afternoon, I had the great pleasure to listen to the Strange Brew Band, playing at the Port of Siuslaw’s Windfest on the Boardwalk. While the band was great, the purpose of this letter is to thank the Port of Siuslaw for sponsoring this summer-long series of events, and to voice my support for continuing next summer and beyond. Attempting outdoor events on the coast can be challenging, what with our fickle weather, but the port staff persevered and rolled with what came their way — cancelling perform- ances when they had to, rescheduling when they could. And it’s not just about the music — there were lots of kids’ activities, too. All the activ- ities and the concerts were free, to boot. Of course, having the port as the scenic backdrop while listening to the bands was great! In closing, let me again say “Thanks!” to the Port of Siuslaw for Windfest — and let’s hope it happens again next year. Debi Colvin Florence In defense of the people’s constitution Tuesday’s (Aug. 30) 5-0 vote from the Lane County Commissioners to revoke a proposed ordinance that would have allowed them veto power over ballot initiatives is due, in large part, to Lane County residents’ outrage and pressure. Through letters to the editor, calls to com- missioners, attendance at the commissioners’ meetings and donations to the cause — USPS# 497-660 YESTERDAY’S NEWS democracy isn’t free — we are witnessing democracy in action! Our work is far from over. The commis- sioners are slated to revisit their proposed ordinance within six months. And, we know the opposition will not go “gently into that good night.” Attorney Stan Long has promised to sue the county if the commissioners do not cave to the will of corporate special interest. We must continue in our defense of the peo- ple’s constitutionally protected right to the ini- tiative process. So, let’s fan the flames of direct democracy and celebrate the power of the people. Let’s pledge our vigilance to protecting the people’s rights and continue our march toward a healthy democracy. And thanks to all of you for your hard work and tenacity. Michelle Holman Community Rights Lane County Deadwood Police decision making First, all lives matter — all of the time! Second, those with malicious intent never shoot or swing sharp objects to wound. Police officers are taught that the only time they should use deadly force is to stop a life-threat- ening event: to protect the life of an officer or to protect the life of another person. The chal- lenge is to apply this fundamental policy in blurred, hostile or violent situations. Police officers are our sisters, aunts, brothers and friends. They take up this profession to pro- tect our communities. They are humans just like us, they are not super humans. Police organiza- tions spend a lot of time and money training offi- cers on when and how to respond to all types of force and deadly force situations. When an officer draws a firearm, it is not a natural thing to do. If the question is asked, “Why don’t officers shoot to wound?” The answer is, it is not that easy to shoot and hit a target — range targets or a live target. Even with training, officers with pulled firearms have increased heart rates, they may develop tunnel vision or they may have to contend with a mentally troubled person charging in their direction. It is not easy! FBI statistics tell us that 80 percent of officer-fired shots in a stressful situation miss their target. As a community, we should expect our police officers to only fire their weapon when a human life is in danger. But, we want them to stop life- threatening situations as soon as possible. If an officer tries to wound a suspect — they will be shooting at a hand, arm or leg. All of these areas are much smaller targets than the body torso. Smaller targets will result in more missed shots. Also, a wounded suspect may continue to shoot at the officer, hit bystanders or end the life of an intended victim. Nationally, we are living in a time of signif- icant community concern over how we want police officers to perform their duties. Our dis- cussions and deliberations should rest on the foundation that: All lives matter — all of the time! Joe Cullivan Westlake Reverse this course If anyone is surprised by the success of Donald Trump and, to a lesser degree, Bernie Sanders, then I must suggest they have not been paying attention to what has been going on among the body politic over the past years. Since the days when Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neil stood at opposite ends of the polit- ical spectrum yet maintained a civil and, in the end, constructive relationship, the steady degradation of civility and constructive dis- course has wrought the debacle we now face; not only in the Presidential race but in the core elements of government. Trump and Sanders are simply answering the call of common people frustrated, if not outright angry, with the inability of government, so hin- dered by ideological warfare, to provide the func- tions for which it is constituted. The irony here lies in the reality that, though difficult to admit, what we see in Washington is, for the most part, a direct reflection of what is going on among the general electorate. So long as we embrace this foolishness we will continue to suffer the consequences. It is time for thoughtful people from differ- ing perspectives to open a dialogue aimed at reversing this demonstrably destructive course. For well over 200 years, this country managed its affairs through two party govern- ment; one in power, the other providing a loyal opposition. This system demanded civil- ity in order to reach the rational compromises necessary to sustain the steady progress our country has long enjoyed. But, somewhere we have gone astray. Our ideological polarization has now reached a point where the country is near ungovernable. The work of our congress has ground to a near halt and to defend themselves our leaders resort to little more than name call- ing and political lies. Serious debate on sub- stantive policy has become a chimera. With the money and power at stake for those now holding or seeking office — those who should be the ones addressing this prob- lem — there is very little hope for progress. If such a movement is to achieve any traction it is going to have to start at the grass roots, right here at the local level. Jimmie Zinn Florence Waste not, want not I was born in 1936. We weren’t poor, but we weren’t rich either. We were taught to waste not, want not. We ate what was put in front of us and cleaned up our plates. Now, my wife still cooks like the kids are still home, so we eat a lot of leftovers. What bothers me is what people do today. I see people at buffets fill their plates, but don’t eat half of what is there on their plate. I discovered my camera wouldn’t use the 2- gigabyte chips I bought. They wouldn’t work because my camera is too old. I tried to buy ones that would work, and was told they do not make ones that fit my camera. Their advice was to buy a new camera. That is what young people will tell you — just throw it away and buy a new camera. I took my chips, that were full of pictures, to Fred Meyer. The young man was able to trans- fer all my pictures and make the others work. Now I have three cards that work in my dig- ital camera and I can see my photos in a digi- tal photoframe. Too many people do not eat what they take or try to see a solution. They just throw it away and buy something new. Virgle Bechtold Florence Trump’s ‘answers’ Trump has the answers. Build the wall; Mexico will provide the material. End Social Security, veterans’ bene- fits and welfare; put those people to work building the wall. Deport all illegal immi- grants and give more work to retirees; they can pick veggies from their wheelchairs. End cheap overseas goods. Use “made in America” only. When Walmart closes, more labor to replace illegals. We have all those nukes. Let’s use them on ISIS. It will turn the sand into a sea of glass. Trump, being a biblical man, knows the “holy shall stand on a sea of glass.” And, who knows more about women than an avowed womanizer? His Vietnam was social disease. Trump will put walls around problem neighborhoods. His white suprema- cist supporters will guard them for free. Those are the ones who believe in Trump. You could make America great again. Vote for Trump in November for, surely, he has the answers. Dale C. Dimoree Florence MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel • On Sept. 9, 1776, the Continental Congress formally declares the name of the new nation to be the “United States” of America, replacing the “United Colonies” that had been used in Thomas Jefferson’s version of the Declaration of Independence. • On Sept. 10, 1833, President Andrew Jackson announces that the government will no longer use the Second Bank of the United States, the country’s national bank, and with- draws all federal funds. Jackson resented the bank’s lack of funding for Western expansion. • On Sept. 7, 1911, avant-garde French poet Guillaume Apollinaire is arrested and jailed on suspicion of stealing Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” No evidence surfaced, and Apollinaire was released. Two years later, a for- mer employee of the Louvre, Vincenzo Perggia, was arrested while trying to sell the famous painting. • On Sept. 11, 1921, Fatty Arbuckle, a silent- film era performer at the height of his fame, is arrested in San Francisco for the murder of aspiring actress Virginia Rappe. After two mis- trials, the jury in Arbuckle’s third trial found him not guilty and even issued him an apology. • On Sept. 5, 1958, Boris Pasternak’s roman- tic novel “Dr. Zhivago” is published in the United States. The book was banned in the Soviet Union, but still won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 after admirers smuggled out the manuscript. • On Sept. 6, 1972, a West German police attempt to rescue nine Israeli Olympic team members held hostage by Palestinian terrorists ends in disaster. All nine hostages were killed. Terrorists from Black September had stormed the Israeli quarters in the Olympic Village in Munich early the previous morning. • On Sept. 8, 1986, Nissan’s first European manufacturing plant opens in Sunderland, Britain, an area hit hard by plant closings. Some 25,000 people applied for the first 450 jobs advertised. (c) 2016 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 Copyright 2016 © 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; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry EDITOR @ 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
