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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2017)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ JANUARY 18, 2017 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion LETTERS “H ATE -F REE ” C OMMUNITY I saw on the news that Eugene has a group of people working to establish a “Hate Free Zone.” I want to propose to the City of Florence, Mayor Joe Henry and the council to officially proclaim our town as a “Hate-Free Community.” I’m very involved in the community, know many of the residents and am certain we can do it. With the help of our wonderful mayor, our awesome Chamber of Commerce, churches, schools, library and many social service organ- izations, we could adopt the slogan: “Florence: Proud to be a Hate-Free Community.” During a recent visit from my children, I saw that they had a bumper sticker on their mini van that read: “Hate is not a Family Value.” This is a message that not only bears repeat- ing, but one that we can officially get behind as a community for everyone else to see. Denise Straws Florence L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor concerning issues affect- ing 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 guaran- teed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous and anonymous letters or poetry will not be published. All submissions become the proper- ty of Siuslaw News and will not be returned. Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com P OWERFUL TRIBUTE I’d like to thank Siuslaw News for its out- standing and remarkably powerful tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Saturday, Jan. 14). Our nation and each one of us in it will stand taller if we reflect, in every thought and action, on Dr. King’s deep and insightful words of wis- dom. I have had the privilege on several occasions of visiting the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. On each occa- sion, I have stood in quiet contemplation before his words that are etched in the stone walls of the memorial. I wish to share several of his finest declarations: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indi- rectly.” “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” “Make a career of humanity. Commit your- self to the noble struggle for human rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” Dr. King had “…a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as a moral example of the world.” May we never lose sight of that goal. Robert Orr Dunes City L ET US NOT FORGET In the Siuslaw News’ Jan. 14 edition, there were two wonderful articles about Martin Luther King Jr. by Wesley Voth and Catherine Rourke. When MLK gave his speech “I Have a Dream” in 1963, I was stationed in the Army in Germany until 1965, and did not experience his speech until a few years later. In fact, while I was in Germany, we were excluded from most news of what was occurring back home, including things like the Selma-to-Montgomery March in 1965. Arriving back home in July of 1965, it took me a few years to discover and learn what I had missed and to form my own opinions. And let us not forget or overlook those like Rufus Valentine. Win Jolley Florence T RADING GRACE FOR CRUDENESS On Wednesday morning, I watched the spec- tacle of the President-Elect’s press conference. There could not have been a more stark con- trast. The President-Elect used his time at the press conference to denigrate the press, just as he has throughout his campaign and after the election. He continued to call the press “dishonest” and “unfair” when, in reality, it has merely pointed out his often misleading or completely untrue statements, or perhaps criticized one of his many slurs against a group of people. He also “detailed” his plan to keep his busi- ness interests separate from his official duties. He brought props to the press conference (a table full of manila folders) to prove how hard he and the attorneys have been working on this. However, when reporters tried to look at the folders they were denied. We will never know if there was anything other than blank sheets of paper in those folders. His plan to let his sons run the family busi- ness does nothing to separate his personal busi- ness from the people’s business. It is a sham. While it is true that there are no conflict of interest laws as to a President, there is a clear prohibition in the form of the Emoluments Clause in the Constitution. While I agree that Buzzfeed should not have printed the unverified information, it is clear that Russian officials are attempting to find something to use as leverage against the President-Elect. Putin clearly meddled in the election process. His goal to create chaos and doubt in the United States has been successful. And yet, the incom- ing President refuses to say a negative word about Putin, a dictator known for his ruth- lesness. I feel grace and dignity are leaving the White House; crudeness and impropriety are moving in. Marybeth Marenco Florence W ESTLAKE HEROES I want to acknowledge the heroes from Darling’s Marina in Dunes City. Late on the afternoon of Jan. 13, the fellows from Darling’s swooped around Siltcoos Lake to rescue a man stranded on a capsized boat near the Westlake Public Dock. Thank you. You really are Darlings! Oh, and they make really good burgers, too. Patricia J. Burke Westlake R EQUIRED READING Prior to 2015, I was not aware of Donald Trump other than that he was a reality TV star, self-proclaimed billionaire and had luxury hotels and golf courses built around the world. I recently discovered a book the “New” sec- tion of the Siuslaw Public Library entitled: “Trump Revealed,” published in August 2016 by award-winning political reporters, editors and columnists Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher. They spent over 20 hours interviewing Mr. Trump and countless additional hours inter- viewing people who have worked with him in business, banking, law and corporations all over the world. The book reveals how he thinks, what deals he has made and how he plans to use his strate- gies as President. It is my opinion that this book should be required reading for every member of Congress and any citizen who wants to learn more about this man. This is not a children’s book. The language used by our President-Elect borders on pornographic at times. However, if you wish to read a book to your children for a discussion about someone who loves power and themselves more than anything else, read them “Yurtle the Turtle” by Dr. Suess. As your child grows older a comparison of the two books would by interesting. David Babcock Florence • USPS# 497-660 • Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News 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. 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