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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2017)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ APRIL 5, 2017 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respecting an estab- lishment of religion or prohibiting the free exer- cise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Autism awareness can lower a few raised eyebrows I knew very little about the autism spectrum back in 2006, when I met the young boy who would become my son. My wife and I had been dating for several months when we decided it was time to intro- duce each other to our chil- dren. She explained that he had Asperger’s Syndrome and likely wouldn’t make eye con- tact — and to not take it per- sonally if he avoided any physical contact like a firm handshake. “And whatever you do, don’t tousle his hair,” she instructed with a squeeze of my hand. “He really doesn’t like that.” Autism is a neurological developmental disability with symptoms generally appearing before age 3, impacting the development of the brain in areas of social interaction, communication skills and cog- nitive function. It is the fastest-growing developmental disorder, affecting 1 in 68 children, and boys are four times more like- ly to have autism than girls. While it is the fastest-grow- ing, autism is also the least funded and, therefore, least understood disorder. The spec- trum of autism is wide rang- ing, from those who do not speak (40 percent) to others of Florence. The mission of the Autism Rocks camp is a simple one: For four days, let those with autism and their families be who they are, free From the Editor’s Desk N ED H ICKSON who not only speak but whose talents have impacted the world: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, James Joyce, Albert Einstein, Emily Dickinson, Thomas Jefferson and Dan Akroyd are just a few. Each summer, our family participates in the four-day KindTree Autism Camp south from stares, apology or judge- ment. That’s because often- times the symptoms of autism aren’t as apparent as other developmental disorders. As a result, children with autism having a difficult time in social settings — or in extreme cases having a full meltdown — are quickly labeled as being “bratty,” “undisciplined” or simply the result of bad parenting. While our son, now 17, is well beyond that thanks to the support of teachers, students, family and programs that have given him the tools to under- stand his Asperger’s, getting there wasn’t easy — particu- larly in those public moments under the raised-brow stare of strangers. Through the triumphs and disappointments over the last 10 years, we have always rein- forced the message to our son that being autistic isn’t any different than being short or tall: Each provide challenges as well as advantages in life. Being willing to accept your- self for who you are is the key to recognizing the difference. Through my 17 years cov- ering the communities of Florence and Mapleton, I’ve had the privilege of meeting many parents of children with autism, as well as adults living with autism. As I mentioned, I didn’t know much about autism when my son and I met in 2006. Since then, we’ve learned a lot from each other through the journey we’ve shared — including what it means for a father and son to share a firm handshake. I hope you’ll join me in rec- ognizing National Autism Awareness Month now through April 30. LETTERS F OLLOW FEDERAL STATUTES At the Monday Florence City Council meet- ing, the issue of Florence as a “sanctuary city” was discussed during public comment. The chambers were packed to overflowing with most in attendance against the sanctuary city concept of illegal immigrants with sanctuary from Federal officials. At the end of the public comment nothing changed. Though it was good to discuss the issue, the status quo was preserved and Florence is part of a sanctuary state which the mayor and council are unfortunately upholding. Mayor Henry should direct the council to fol- low federal statutes and increase public safety for Florence citizens. I believe immigration law enforcement in the United States is a critical issue regarding L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discus- sion of issues on the local, state and national level. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. 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, argumentative and anony- mous letters or poetry will not be pub- lished. P OLITICAL /E LECTION L ETTERS : Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. The newspaper does not publish partisan letters that promote or endorse local political candidates based solely on their record, reputation and qual- ifications; this constitutes paid political advertising. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes. This also constitutes paid political advertis- ing. As with all letters and advertising con- tent, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and edi- tor, reserves the right to reject any such letter. The newspaper is particularly sensitive to organized “letter-writing campaigns.” The newspaper reserves the right to reject any such letter. Write to: editor@thesiuslawnews.com USPS# 497-660 national sovereignty, particularly regarding our language, culture and borders. The President has rightly said a country with- out borders is no longer a country. Recently, an executive order was signed, empowering local authorities to protect the public by helping to enforce legal vs. illegal immigration. The Mayor and other city officials supported the idea that, according to Oregon State statute, President Trump’s order would be counter- manded by the state and therefore become null and void. Instead of making a definitive statement by quoting an ineffective and archaic law, why not lobby our local legislators and the state Attorney General to help change the law in the name of protecting the public? It would be much better to be proactive on this issue without standing back and repeating a statute that needs changing. Action is what is needed here in Florence and I hope that it will be action that the good citi- zenry of Florence receive. God bless Florence and yes, God bless America. Joel Marks Florence N OT GLORIFYING WAR As the President of Deeds of Valor, Inc. I feel that I need to respond to the presentation made by Nan Harvey at the April 3 City Council Meeting. Deeds of Valor, Inc. was formed to establish a vehicle to do good deeds for veterans as well as the citizens of the greater Florence area. Our first project has been the creation of a Gateway/Park at the entrance to the Florence Municipal Airport. We have no intentions of “glorifying war” and deifying the brutal acts of war, but to honor our local veterans who have served our country with pride and dignity. We will be naming the Gateway after a great American who most of the community know lit- tle about. Brigadier General Benjamin King was an unsung hero of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. His proud deeds and distinguished military record will be shared in a public display. Gen. King lived the last years of his life in Florence. Florence is a military town with a large pop- ulation of veterans. It is striving to be designat- ed as a “Coast Guard Town,” a distinct honor for any city. The park will honor all veterans, not just those associated with aviation. Gen. King is just a representative of all those proud veterans of the Florence area who have served their coun- try. I personally and publicly invite Mrs. Harvey to meet with our board of directors and learn more about the mission and purpose of the Deeds of Valor, Inc. and possibly come to agreement that we all want to honor and respect those gallant men and women in our communi- ate the accomplishments of early feminists to help women gain equal footing in our society. Jacquie Beveridge Oregon Dunes Chapter DAR Florence I LLEGAL IS ILLEGAL I along with maybe 45 to 50 other folks attended the Florence City Council meeting Monday night (April 3). Most were there to express their views regarding the possibility of the mayor and council members considering proclaiming the City of Florence to be a “sanc- tuary city.” Out of the number attending, I think there were only two or three people proclaiming they would support such a move. The rest of the large group (with the mayor saying this was the biggest group he had seen in a long time) was totally against such a move. Thousands of words could be uttered regard- ing the situation, mostly con but a few pro. But it can be summed up with very few words actu- ally: Illegal aliens are just that — illegal. They are illegal by virtue of entering this country without proper permission. The mayor and City Council have taken an oath to uphold the laws of this country, and the law says aliens here without proper authoriza- tion are here illegally. Period. The Mayor and City Council have no choice but to follow the law and not proclaim Florence a “sanctuary city” should it be requested. I also believe it would be a slap in the face to the large percentage of the military veterans liv- ing in Florence and the many others living in surrounding areas who have sworn to protect this country and uphold its laws. I say again: The choice should be a very sim- ple one. Tony Cavarno Florence W OMEN ’ S HISTORY The front page article in the Wednesday, March 29, edition of Siuslaw News was greatly appreciated. Mark Brennan’s sharing of the importance of Abigail Scott Duniway and her effort toward securing the right to vote for women in Oregon was perfect for celebrating Women’s History Month. Abigail was a true pioneer who traveled over the Oregon Trail by wagontrain with her family in 1852, at the tender age of 17. Although she had very little formal schooling, she was a gift- ed writer and kept the family diary along the trail. She married at 18, after becoming a teacher near present day Eola. Her significant role is commemorated by the Abigail Scott Duniway Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), in Stayton, Ore. I hope all who saw the article will appreci- H ATE - FREE COMMUNITY Saturday’s front page story by Jack Davis in the Siuslaw News (April 1) was a “must read.” That ICE officers came to Florence to round up residents for possible deportation illustrates the dangerous path our country is taking. At least one person taken from his home had no criminal record, according to the story. Daniel Rendon was by all acounts a good neigh- bor, an employed worker and was studying to become more fluent in English. Yet Bryan Wilcox [ICE Seattle office] said they were pursuing targeted criminals to pro- mote public safety. How does Mr. Rendon fit this profile? Any person with a criminal record, excluding entering the United States without documenta- tion, can now expect the possibility of ICE action here in Oregon. At the April 3 City Council meeting, several people voiced opinions about undocumented residents, ICE and “sanctuary cities.” One speaker called for a “hate-free community.” What a moral and compassionate suggestion. But other speakers saw things differently and clearly were not of the mind to ascribe to such an idea. I have a sign in my front yard that states “In My America, Love Wins.” Let’s hope that racism, fear and hate really do lose, and that love wins in America — and espe- cially in Florence. Judith Preisler Florence S OFTEN BLOWS TO CLIMATE Let’s quit bickering and come together to make changes that soften the blows from cli- mate change while we still can. Our lives and livelihoods depend on it. Keeping our heads in the sand will not make climate change go away, no matter how much we pretend it will. The Clean Energy Jobs Bill, S.B. 557, would cap the amount of carbon that large polluters are emitting, eventually lowering the cap each year. Thirty-five percent of that money would be reinvested into rural and low-income areas, communities of color and impacted workers tra- ditionally left behind. It would support clean energy jobs training to create jobs in energy efficiency upgrades on homes and businesses, installing and designing solar and wind installa- tions, expanding public transit and more. It’s time we contact our state Representatives and get involved. Robin Bloomgarden Eugene Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Marketing 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 Ned Hickson Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry ty who have served our country’s Armed Forces throughout the years. Sam Spayd President, Deeds of Valor, Inc. 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
