4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ APRIL 15, 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.
VIEW FROM UPRIVER
What we have the moral right to ask
W ESLEY V OTH
For the Siuslaw News
T
he green curtain of deciduous leaves is
rapidly filling in, bogarting the light
from forest floors and darkening the
interiors of our woodlands. Much of what has
been easily seen during the winter months now
becomes hidden. It is the season when the
smallest and most vulnerable birds can build
nests somewhat in secret, but nests of any birds
are vulnerable, and hiding them amidst the
foliage and employing various forms of cam-
ouflage improves the chances of nest success.
Martin Luther King, Jr. noted that what hurts
most in the end is not the words of our ene-
mies, but the silence of our friends. I have
been hearing a lot of discussion about what it
means to be a nation of laws, and whether the
current federal enforcement of some laws — in
this case immigration status laws — is a good
thing or bad. I don’t pretend to know anything
about immigration law, but I know plenty
about selective enforcement. And I do know
what I’ve seen growing up here in Oregon and
the many years I lived in Hawaii, coming to
know the basic story of hundreds of people.
None involved just a single individual; there
were webs of family and friendships and
dependencies and work relationships and skill
intertwinings. No deportations happened with-
out leaving wounds and scars — not just to the
deported, but also the community from whose
fabric they were torn.
Some even involved our country breaking its
promises of citizenship in exchange for mili-
tary service.
I think we all hold to some hierarchy of
laws, ranging from ones we don’t think are
worth being enforced, to ones for which we
believe there should be the severest of penal-
ties, whatever we think are the worst accept-
able forms of punishment.
The following ratings are mine:
A hierarchy for crimes against humanity:
Anything that deprives others of life including
health, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
Murder, but also driving lethally. Harm to the
vulnerable, whether it be by abuse, malprac-
tice, negligence or creating a climate of terror
or fear, which is the end result of hate speech.
Harm includes use or dumping of chemicals
that do harm, including in products, the air,
earth or the waters. Way at the bottom of my
list, below illegal drug possession in small
amounts, below jaywalking, below littering, is
living in this country without all of the right
official approvals.
A hierarchy for punitive measures: the worst
penalty remotely acceptable to me is separation
from family, community and the freedom to
live life and pursue happiness that one had
prior to the enforcement. I do’'t see a lot of dif-
ference between enforced deportation and
incarceration, as they both deprive the person
of liberty and the pursuit of happiness as they
have known it. I do not find depriving people
of life an acceptable form of punishment — it
is, as a person I recently heard interviewed and
who had conducted executions in the state of
Georgia and still suffers the conscience of hav-
ing done so put it in his interview, the most
premeditated taking of life that we know. Loss
of property, including fines, is somewhere in
the middle, as is the loss of privilege to drive,
or to practice ones profession, or other license
forfeiture. The lightest form of penalty is hav-
ing to pay our rightful debts, which at times
appears to be beyond the willingness of the
richest and most powerful among us.
I don’t have a problem with holding specific
people accountable for either predatory or
reckless disregard for the life and property of
others. I do have a problem with the kind of
profiling involved with the rounding up of peo-
ple by type in places like courthouses, schools
and job sites. That sounds more like a police
state than a “nation of laws.”
It does more to perpetuate fear and terror
than to protect anyone.
Deportation is one thing if it immediately
followed entering the US. If a person has built
a life, paid their taxes, has a family, posses-
sions and a network of responsibilities, to
deport them solely on status or the minor
infractions often arising from not having the
status to accomplish things properly is not only
cruel, it is shooting ourselves and our local
communities in the foot. At the very least, if
we do deport people, we should immediately
compensate them for taxes paid and any prop-
erty they can’t take with them — and acknowl-
edge the contributions they have made.
The memory of being an immigrant and why
we fled our countries of origin is not lost in my
family. And, as a farmworker, I grew up sweat-
ing alongside Russian Orthodox resident and
Mexican migrant laborers. And even though
my work ethic was impressive compared to
some of my friends, it was nothing compared
to the least of these others whose very survival
was tenuous.
What if we were suddenly forced to accept
back into our country every person who may
technically be a U.S. citizen, but long ago cut
their ties and loyalties to this country, have
paid no taxes here, participated in no elections,
have done nothing to fund education or finance
infrastructure or improve life here other than
be absent?
If this were to happen, and every person
working here without citizenship deported,
what a mess we would find ourselves in.
LETTERS
C LEARING UP CONFUSION OVER
VETERANS PARK
I would like to clarify some misinformation
and misunderstandings that have been
expressed recently regarding the proposed Gen.
Ben King Memorial Gateway on Kingwood
Street, and the Oregon Coast Military Museum
(OCMM).
Some of these comments have been
expressed in public testimony, some in Letters
to the Editor, and some relayed to board mem-
bers of the museum.
While there are similar goals shared by both
the museum and Deeds of Valor, Inc., the
memorial’s proponent, they are in fact two sep-
arate entities.
And while there are some individuals who
are involved in both organizations, and
although the museum’s board of directors does
endorse the creation of the Memorial Gateway
as an enhancement to our museum and its mis-
L ETTERS TO THE
E DITOR P OLICY
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sion, the project is not a museum project.
I am, however, a part of both organizations.
There have been statements of concern
regarding display of “weapons such as tanks
and missiles.” I want to clarify that Deeds of
Valor Inc. has proposed no such thing. It is one
of our hopes to be able to display one of the
many types of aircraft which Gen. Ben King
flew during his distinguished career — which is
also appropriate as an entrance to the airport as
is done in so many other communities.
In an effort to also honor other disciplines of
military service, we may or may not also dis-
play other icons of service, such as a Jeep or
Coast Guard boat.
One individual expressed dismay that the
museum’s “Freedom and Remembrance” wall
held bricks in the name of non-veterans, such as
businesses.
While the Veterans Memorial Wall on Bay
Street was in fact created with the requirement
that only veterans be allowed, the museum’s
wall was not. It was intended as a display to not
only honor those who have served or still serve,
it was also intended to allow those who wanted
to thank or show their support for our veterans.
It was also intended to be a part of our
fundraising effort, without which we would not
have been able to build the museum.
I fully appreciate that in any community there
will be divergent viewpoints on a number of
issues. It is our right to express those view-
points for which our veterans have served and
fought to preserve.
I hope those with viewpoints different from
ours will recognize our right to honor our veter-
ans with expressions we deem appropriate.
Cal Applebee
Executive Director OCMM
L ARGER CONCERNS ABOUT EDUCATION
I have read with interest the Letters to the
Editor concerning whether or not it is advisable
to build a new high school in Florence. As a
retired teacher with more than 40 years of
teaching experience, I would like to add my per-
spective to the discussion. I would agree that a
new high school should be built to give the stu-
T HANKFUL FOR SUPPORT FROM
L ADIES OF E LKS
The veterans, volunteers and Board of
Directors of South Willamette Valley Honor
Flight would like to take a moment and thank
the Florence Ladies of Elks for its financial
donation in support of Honor Flight.
The Ladies of Elks donation means that more
veterans of World War II, the Korean War and
the Vietnam War will be able to experience their
memorials. They will also get to experience the
love and appreciation the citizens of the U.S.
have for them as they are thanked, have their
hands shaken and more than a few of them will
get hugs and kisses.
The entire Florence community has been sup-
portive of South Willamette Valley Honor
Flight and we appreciate that.
Please keep sending your veterans to experi-
ence their own personal Honor Flight.
Ed Bock
Director
SWV Honor Flight
P OLITICAL /E LECTION
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to reject any such letter.
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John Bartlett
Jenna Bartlett
Ned Hickson
Susan Gutierrez
Cathy Dietz
Ron Annis
Jeremy Gentry
dents of the Siuslaw School District the best
opportunity for success.
Nothing will be gained by bashing teachers
and the public school system, nor by educators
telling the general public that they are not qual-
ified to voice their concerns. Whether or not to
build a new high school is not the issue. I
believe there is a larger concern, which is that
the educational system in the United States
needs a major overhaul.
The present structure was developed for a
different time, social reality and work place. It
is based on an 18th century calendar, a 19th
century curriculum and 20th century technolo-
gy attempting to prepare students for the new
and rapidly changing demands of the work
environment in the 21st century.
The adult population in Florence who went
through the public educational system from the
1950s to the 1980s must realize that when they
graduated from high school they had the neces-
sary skills to find a good paying job that would
allow them to raise a family.
This is not true today and it is not because
teachers are not doing their jobs or demanding
excellence from their students. Educators must
be willing to accept the fact that supporting an
educational structure that does not prepare their
students for the demands of today’s society is
infuriating to the general public that is being
asked to accept an increase in their taxes.
The $40 million to $50 million investment to
build a new high school is only a down payment
to insure a stable future for ourselves and future
generations. However, building a new school
will not solve the problems with the education-
al system.
We need to work on making the changes that
are necessary so our students are truly prepared
to meet the demands of the 21st century work-
place.
There is not enough room here to fully dis-
cuss these important issues and challenges.
I am very interested in the discussions which
need to take place regarding the changes that
need to be made.
Timothy J. Tuttle
Florence
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