4 A
❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ FEBRUARY 8, 2017
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
Opposition for opposition’s sake is a big mistake
As most parents will tell
you, every child goes through
a stage where they seem to
suffer from oppositional disor-
der, fervently opposing even
the slightest difference of
opinion as if the future of the
world depended on it.
Although I can’t confirm it,
I’m pretty sure humanity will
survive no matter who sang
“Shameless” first.
(Billy Joel, by the way.)
Whether it’s the “terrible
twos” or teens (or both, Lord
help you) it’s part of a neces-
sary step toward independence
and establishing personal per-
spective on the road to maturi-
ty.
However, opposition itself
isn’t a sign of maturity.
Opposition for sake of
opposition only limits our
opportunities, our perspec-
tives and the kind of under-
standing that helps us grow as
individuals.
Maturity happens with the
recognition of this fundamen-
tal truth.
Over the last several days
I’ve heard a growing rhetoric
from democratic leaders in
Congress about the need to
“oppose everything” the
Trump administration propos-
es.
This includes our own
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley,
who told “Politico” (Jan. 30)
that he would automatically
“filibuster any and all
Supreme Court Justice nomi-
nees Trump puts forward.”
It was only a year ago that
Republican leadership in our
nation’s capitol did something
similar by refusing to consider
then-President Obama’s nomi-
nee, Merrick Garland, for the
very same appointment.
And the beat goes on.
While I agree that any nom-
inee seeking Congressional
Perhaps more importantly,
this kind of “obstructionist”
mentality also runs the risk of
delegitimizing future chal-
lenges within our system of
checks and balances when
they could matter most.
This isn’t the time to over-
reach or grandstand simply for
From the Editor’s Desk
N ED H ICKSON
approval should be scrutinized
for their qualifications, to
enter into that process with a
preconceived conclusion and
public promise to automatical-
ly deny approval merely con-
tinues the kind of partisan pol-
itics that have turned the
wheels of government into the
rusted grind of rickety gears
that Americans have lost faith
in.
the sake of being in opposition
or playing it safe with party
politics.
Americans are divided
because their representatives
in Congress have allowed
themselves to become divided
simply on the merits of which
side of the aisle they happen to
sit on.
One of the most basic tech-
niques of winning a war is to
divide and conquer. Without
question, we are already a
nation divided. Our represen-
tatives in Congress must put
aside their need to conquer
each other and remember that
the true casualties of this kind
of political war are those who
they are supposed to be repre-
senting.
Do I agree with or even sup-
port all of the decisions,
Executive Orders and nomi-
nees the current administra-
tion has put into play during
the last two weeks since tak-
ing office?
Absolutely not.
Truth be told, I haven’t
found myself in support of
most decisions made so far.
But for every Neil Gorsuch
that members of Congress fer-
vently oppose purely for the
sake of opposition, a Betsy
DeVos is confirmed to a post
without qualification thanks to
divisiveness and the mindset
of settling old scores.
A little more than 200 years
ago, our nation opposed tyran-
ny in order to pursue the
dream of being free. It was
part of a necessary step toward
independence.
Our
forefathers
were
mature enough to recognize
that opposition itself wasn’t
enough to secure our nation,
but that it would take perspec-
tive and understanding to help
us grow as individuals and a
people united.
As we enter the early part of
our nation’s own “terrible
twos,” we need to remember
that fundamental truth.
Because unlike the stage we
must deal with as parents, in
this case we really do need to
act as if the future of the world
depended on it.
Write Siuslaw News editor Ned
Hickson at nhickson@thesiuslaw
news.com.
LETTERS
O RWELLIAN FEARS
BECOMING REALITY
In the book “1984,” George Orwell predicted
much about our information-technology con-
nected world of today. In his book, Orwell even
describes how the citizenry is surrounded by
“Big Brother” slogans like “War is Peace,”
Freedom is Slavery” and “Ignorance is
Strength.”
Eerily, the same slogan-based rhetoric echoes
today in slogans like “America First” and
“Make America Great Again.”
Today’s fully wired citizen lives in a world of
constant connection and Big Brother-type com-
munication under the guise of the Trump
administration’s “alternative facts.”
In fact, Orwell envisioned a world where all
truth is what one dictator decides it is; where
two plus two equals five.
For instance, former Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright said in a recent CNN inter-
view she thinks White House chief strategist
Steve Bannon is “pulling the strings” in
President Trump’s administration.
“I think that it is a very unfortunate image
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because, clearly, Bannon is more than a strate-
gic adviser. I think he’s the person pulling the
strings,” Albright told CNN, referring to
Bannon’s placement on the National Security
Council’s Principals Committee.
On Jan. 28, President Trump signed an exec-
utive order that restructured the National
Security Council and added Bannon.
The order also demoted the chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff to a position under Bannon
who, prior to being named as President Trump’s
Chief Strategist, ran the online news site
Breitbart — well known as a racist and white
supremacist platform.
Albright, who served as the head of the State
Department under President Bill Clinton, said
Bannon’s influence is “passing strange.”
“If I may say so, given his background and
his approach to national security policy, his
admiration for Lenin and a number of things, it
troubles me a great deal having [Steve Bannon]
in these all-important national security meet-
ings,” Albright said.
Likewise, retired Admiral Michael Mullen
Big Brother, it seems, isn’t the only one
watching us.
By Dave Masko
Florence
F ASCINATING
PERSPECTIVE
I have been attending the latest class being
presented by retired assoc. professor Joel
Marks, which follows his previous Old
Testament and “America at the Crossroads”
classes. His latest class, which covers the New
Testament, combines the Jewish heritage with
the emergence of Christianity for an unusual but
fascinating perspective on the life of Jesus
Christ.
Further information on what is becoming an
increasingly timely subject is a great help .
Patricia Kane
Florence
(Editor’s note: Classes are ongoing
Thursday evenings, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the
Church of Jesus Christ LDS, at the corner of
North Fork and Munsel Lake roads.)
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John Bartlett
Jenna Bartlett
Ned Hickson
Susan Gutierrez
Cathy Dietz
Ron Annis
Jeremy Gentry
said Bannon should not be on the National
Security Council (NSC).
Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff under former Presidents Obama and
George W. Bush, and a former member of the
NSC, warned that having Bannon on the coun-
cil while downgrading the roles of national
security officials would have a negative, parti-
san influence.
“Having Mr. Bannon as a voting member of
the principals committee will have a negative
influence on what is supposed to be candid,
nonpartisan deliberation,” Mullen said. “I fear
that it will have a chilling effect on delibera-
tions and, potentially, diminish the authority
and the prerogatives to which Senate-confirmed
cabinet officials are entitled.”
Meanwhile, John Bercow, Speaker of the
House of Commons in England, said he is
“strongly opposed” to allowing President
Trump to address both houses of Parliament
when he comes to the UK on a state visit later
this year because of what he described as
President Trump’s overt “racism and sexism.”
Pres. Donald Trump
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
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
www.merkley.senate.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. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
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