4 A
❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ AUGUST 2, 2017
Siuslaw News
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
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L ETTERS
Opiate potency increasing — so are deaths
D
rug overdose is now
the leading cause of
accidental death in
the United States. In 2014, it
surpassed both car accidents
and gun violence in number
of deaths.
Those with loved ones
who are using opiates or
heroin need to be aware that
opiates are the main contrib-
utors to this problem. With
drug dealers across the
United States mixing new
and powerful synthetic drugs
into street opiates such as
heroin, the chance of acciden-
tal overdose has exponentially
increased.
The drugs fentanyl, U-
47700 and furanyl can be 50
to 100 times more powerful
than heroin, making the risk of
a fatal overdose much higher.
Drug dealers have been using
these drugs to increase the
potency of their heroin at a
lower cost.
B Y R AY C LAUSON
C OMMUNITY I NFORMATION , N ARCONON
These new drugs are
increasing the risk to any who
abuse drugs as drug dealers
press drugs into pills and sell-
ing them under the guise of
being something else. Today,
those who abuse drugs truly
are at risk as there is no telling
what drugs they are taking.
Now, more than ever, it is
essential to help those you
know who are addicted to
alcohol or drugs. Trying to
help someone with an addic-
tion can be more than frustrat-
ing. And although you just
want to help, many times they
fight against you as if you
were the enemy.
Don’t be surprised if your
loved even accuses you of
contributing to their addiction.
Hear them out and take their
words into consideration, but
at the end of the day realize
getting them sober and con-
tinuing to live is the most
important thing.
These drugs have made it
potentially life threatening to
be an abuser of any type of
drugs.
Get yourself educated. If
one of your loved ones is
struggling with addiction, get
them into treatment.
Don’t wait until it is too
late.
There are many different
approaches to the challenge
of how to help a substance
abuser.
For free information or to
learn the steps of how to get
someone into treatment for
heroin addiction, you can visit
www.narcononnewliferetreat.
org/blog/are-you-an-addict.
html or call 1-800-431-1754 to
get help for your loved ones.
LETTERS
F ALSE FACTS
Our childish president loves to tweet. He
continues his ongoing tweet battle with
CNN about “false news.” It seems that CNN
has published — or had reporters question
— all of his tweets which cite false facts.
Now, the President is unable to handle the
press and its questioning his “facts.”
How would he be able to cope if some-
thing really happened? What if someone
asked him about CNBW? Without any
knowledge, would he attack the CNBW as a
liberal news organization not knowing it
means Chemical Nuclear Biological
Warfare?
He Scares me.
— Win Jolley
Florence
H OPING FOR A
HATE - FREE CITY
I believe that every Florence resident
should be treated with compassion and
respect regardless of national origin or citi-
zenship status.
President Trump advocated violent treat-
ment of people picked up by police and
called for funding of another 10,000 ICE
agents in a recent speech in Ronkonkoma,
N.Y.
Rose Riley, ICE spokeswoman in Seattle,
noted that the vetting process in seeking out
unauthorized immigrants is now less selec-
tive than in previous years, back when the
focus was on serious criminals.
But now, Riley said, “There is no catego-
ry of an individual who is exempt from ICE
enforcement. Under the executive orders
given by President Trump, ICE officers do
not hesitate to ask anyone associated with
someone who they arrest about their status.
It’s not dependent on their criminality.”
(Oregonians for Immigration Reform)
The
Lane
County
Board
of
Commissioners unanimously approved new
Lane County Manual language regarding
immigration. It states that it is the expecta-
tion that all Lane County employees (not
just law enforcement) adhere to ORS
l81A.820, which prohibits local entities
from using “agency money, equipment or
personnel for the purpose of detecting or
apprehending persons whose only violation
of law is that they are persons of foreign cit-
izenship present in the United States in vio-
lation of federal immigration laws.”
It was noted by the commissioners that
they believed that the limited resources of
Lane County are better spent providing
direct services to the community rather than
acting as immigration enforcement officers,
which is the responsibility of federal law
enforcement. (Lane County Key
Communicator Network)
Lane County Commissioner Jay
Bozievich commented before the unani-
mous vote that, “We are a local government
providing local services. If a citizen is afraid
to come to us, that really affects our ability
to protect people.” (Oregonians for
Immigration Reform)
Three Republican state legislators are
leading an initiative petition to repeal ORS
l81. But research shows that immigrants
who fear deportation avoid public places
and interaction with police officers. This
erosion of trust makes the entire community
vulnerable because people are fearful of
reporting crimes, coming out as witnesses,
or reporting domestic violence abuses.
(Center for American Progress).
A Center for American Progress report in
2016 found that removing 7 million unau-
thorized immigrants will result in a loss of
$900 billion federal government revenue
over a decade and individual states will
forgo $11.74 billion each year in state and
local taxes that unauthorized immigrants
already pay into the system through taxes.
I feel it is imperative both morally and
ethically that we in Florence stand with our
immigrant brothers and sisters and call for a
hate-free community.
— Judy Preisler
Florence
B ADLY NEEDED
DIALOGUE
In regard to Dave Peck’s letter to the edi-
tor “County Employees Can’t Report
Federal Crimes?” (July 12) — Yes, they can,
and the statement that off-duty county
employees could be terminated for reporting
immigration law violations is not correct,
according to Lane County Public
Information Officer Devon Ashbridge.
She says the order adopted by Lane
County Commissioners on July 11 reaffirms
continued compliance with a 30-year-old
state policy that prohibits local law enforce-
ment from locating or arresting people
whose only legal violation is being in the
U.S. without immigration papers.
The order also expands the policy to
include all Lane County services and depart-
ments. The order was adopted unanimously
with the cooperation and support of the
District Attorney, Sheriffs’ Department and
other county agencies and does not violate
current state or federal law.
The immigration controversy has incited
emotionally-charged, opposing points of
view. Speculation that stokes anger and
resentment unnecessarily takes us further
away from badly-needed dialog that might
lead to a resolution.
How can the two sides have a conversa-
tion about this?
— Rollin Olson
Florence
D ON ’ T PUT STUDENT ATH -
LETES AT RISK
In responding to the viewpoint expressed
in sports page columnist Lloyd Little’s
“Time Out” in the July 29 issue of Siuslaw
News, I wish to state a different opinion.
Students participating in athletic contests
are far too young to be able to assess the
potential after effects of an injury incurred
during play.
Rather than allowing them to make an
uninformed “personal choice” that might
have very serious physical and mental con-
sequences in later life, I propose that their
educational mentors (the school system)
enforce rules prohibiting vanity driven re-
engagement.
— Bill Durst
Florence
TO THE
P OLICY
E DITOR
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As with all letters and advertising content, the
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general manager and editor, reserves the right to
reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above crite-
ria.
Send letters to:
nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com
WHERE TO WRITE
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
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, Ore. 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
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
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
( 4 th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416
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
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