4 A
❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ AUGUST 26, 2017
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
Keep focus on American values
W ESLEY V OTH
For the Siuslaw News
containing “the most
potent and consequential
words in American histo-
ry.”
The passage came to
represent a moral standard
to which the United States
should strive. This view
was notably promoted by
Abraham Lincoln, who
considered the Declaration
to be the foundation of his
political philosophy and
argued that it is a state-
ment of principles through
which the United States
Constitution should be
interpreted.
Although the next (3rd)
sentence in our Declaration
may be less known, it is
the main point I’m making:
“That to secure these
rights, Governments are
instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers
from the consent of the
governed.”
So from the beginning,
we have insisted that the
purpose of government is
primarily to secure those
rights, and our bitterest
war was fought to make
that Declaration enduring.
Lest there be any doubt,
as in current debate regard-
ing the cause of the Civil
War being the fight to pre-
serve the Union, the
Declarations of
Independence by each of
the seceding states makes
it clear in their first few
sentences that the issue of
their leaving was slavery;
there is nothing in them
remotely echoing our origi-
nal Declaration, or of mov-
ing the cause of liberty or
human dignity forward.
Here are two examples
that were typical for the
group of seceding states.
Texas: “She [Texas] was
received as a common-
wealth holding, maintain-
ing and protecting the
institution known as negro
slavery — the servitude of
the African to the white
race within her limits — a
relation that had existed
from the first settlement of
her wilderness by the white
race, and which her people
intended should exist in all
future time...”
And Georgia, the only
one of the 13 original
colonies to have an early
law preventing slavery:
“The people of Georgia
having dissolved their
political connection with
the Government of the
United States of America,
and present to their
Confederates and the world
the causes which have led
to the separation. For the
last 10 years we have had
numerous and serious caus-
es of complaint against our
non-slave-holding
Confederate States with
reference to the subject of
African slavery. They have
endeavored to weaken our
security, to disturb our
domestic peace and tran-
quility, and persistently
refused to comply with
their express constitutional
obligations to us in refer-
ence to that property
[slaves].”
The truths we claimed as
self evident have proved
hard to live up to, although
it has been the moral high
ground justification for our
greatest wars. We have to
acknowledge our track
record: we are a nation of
immigrants whose title to
this land came through war
and the near genocide of
its original inhabitants.
Our fortunes came about in
part through the enslave-
ment of millions of
Africans.
That legacy is at the
heart of our problems as a
nation. The cause and long
bloody road of civil rights
is making the “all” actually
include all.
The rights claimed are
human rights, belonging to
humans regardless of any
status subjugations, and it
has been costly.
So, let arguments over
the environment and for-
eign policy and the health
and safety of our people
stand aside for a moment,
and let’s come together to
declare that we will never
back down on any progress
made to date in the march
toward freedom and digni-
ty for all people.
We are, and America is,
great only to the extent we
secure and ensure those
rights, and make good on
those words.
LETTERS
G ET OVER IT
It was reported recently someone
placed a hateful sign out on the highway.
Someone (one).
That means out of a population of
9,000, one person did something stupid
— the rest of us took the kids to school,
went to work and a bunch of us went
fishing. I’ve observed that the Florence
City Council is still being pestered to
death with requests to make the city a
“sanctuary city” and an “anti-hate city,”
and to take other political positions.
They really have more important
things to do.
Does anybody remember how many
registered voters came out and voted last
election?
Twenty-five percent.
Yep, the other 75 percent didn’t give a
rip.
And you know what? Other than out
of morbid curiosity, 75 percent probably
don’t give a rip about a mean little sign,
made by a mean little person, using a
cheap little magic marker.
Or having Florence named a sanctu-
ary city or anti-hate city.
Why? They got over it.
November came, 78 percent of us
voted, Trump got elected and the vast
majority of us went on with our lives.
Maybe it’s time to get on with your
own.
—Jeff Ashmead
Florence
F LORENCE IS BETTER
THAN THIS
Today, I learned that one of my neigh-
bors picked up a pizza yesterday and on
her way to her car a man in a truck
yelled at her that she might be glad he
didn’t run her over like what happened
in Charlottesville, Va.
I can’t let this go without comment
and I’m sure the man, and perhaps his
son with him, likely won’t even read this
or know just how terrible his stupid
remarks were.
We cannot stay silent with this kind of
hate.
I put the blame for this blatant hate
right at the feet of our President, who
did not condemn the people who killed a
woman in Virginia and injured many
others. This President, who throughout
his campaign urged supporters to kick
protesters out and beat them up, now
can’t control these monsters that have
crawled out of the dark closets where
they’ve hidden for years.
Florence is better than this.
—Nancy Rickard
Florence
S TIRRING THE POT
Like others, I feel the need to com-
ment on Ned Hickson’s editorial “Sign
on Hwy 101...” (Aug. 19).
Why would someone who sees a sign
like that call the editor of a newspaper
and not the police? Maybe they wanted
to turn it into a political issue in an
attempt to advance a specific agenda?
And why would Mr. Hickson feel com-
pelled to write about it? Did he notify
the police? Has he ever written about the
“hate” at our local town hall meetings
when people are being shouted down
and called liars, as well as profanity
being screamed to the point where their
voice can’t be heard?
Where was his outrage then?
I think that Mr. Hickson has higher
moral obligations to the community as
both an editor and an elected official
than to simply publish an editorial.
Mr. Hickson’s editorial starts out
about “hate” and quickly becomes about
his personal political views. I find his
editorial disingenuous and asphyxiating.
I can’t help question his ethics, morals
and motivations for writing such a piece.
But then, may I also remind the commu-
nity that Mr. Hickson continues to hold
political office despite it being against
the Society of Professional Journalism’s
ethics position — something that has
been brought to his attention both publi-
cally and privately numerous times.
And what about the recent surge in
letters to the editor complaining about
the “biased reporting” and the increas-
ing use of “anonymous” resources by
the newspaper in its reports.
I was in the audience during his “fake
news” recognition event at City Lights
Cinema and heard him expound on how
to spot fake news. It is unfortunate that
Mr. Hickson is engaged in many of the
tactics he warned about. How conven-
ient to be a journalist, write things that
hurt people, stand behind confidentiali-
ty, and deny the people you hurt their
sixth amendment right of facing one’s
accuser.
In my opinion, the Siuslaw News has
been looking like an episode of “Gossip
Girls” lately.
It’s a shame that the newspaper can’t
seem to stop “stirring the pot” and be
more objective and positive instead of
adding fuel to the flames of hate — and
pitting the citizens of Florence against
each other.
Mr. Hickson’s editorial policy seems
intended to inflame and divide us rather
than bring us together as a community.
—Katie Prosser
Florence
NHICKSON @ 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.
USPS# 497-660
VIEW FROM UPRIVER
In the midst of tumul-
tuous events, vying person-
alities and partisan poli-
tics, it is a struggle to stay
focused on what is impor-
tant.
Even to figure out what
that actually is.
This is not something we
can afford to just leave to
leaders in any branch of
government, whether we
voted for them, voted for
someone else or, for some
reason, didn’t or couldn’t
vote at all.
We either are who we
say we are as a country, or
it’s over, and we become
something else. Our origi-
nal Declaration of who we
are, and our reasons for
becoming independent of
colonial power, were stated
by a unanimous Congress
of, for the first time, The
United States of America:
“…We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their
Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.”
A Wikipedia article on
the Declaration refers to
this statement as “One of
the best-known sentences
in the English language,”
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L ETTERS
TO THE
P OLICY
E DITOR
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As with all letters and advertising content, the
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Send letters to:
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WHERE TO WRITE
B UILDING LEADERS OF
TOMORROW
We would like to publicly recognize
and thank the kids from the Boys and
Girls Club of Western Lane County who
participated during the past two weeks
in the Florence Air Academy.
Thirteen bright and engaging teens
challenged us daily with their knowl-
edge and interest in learning about avia-
tion materials that included aeronautics,
weather, map reading and many inter-
views with professionals from different
areas of aviation.
During this two weeks they had the
opportunity to fly radio controlled air-
planes, drones and even got to take the
controls of a real airplane as each of
them flew on a cross country flight that
we planned as a group.
It gives us both a sense of satisfaction
and pride that the leaders of tomorrow
are right here amongst us and their value
and worth is evident when they are
given the opportunity to question the
unknown and discover the new and
exciting possibilities that are available
to them.
Yes, there is hope for the future.
Thank you.
— T.F. “Sam” Spayd and
Terry Tomeny
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
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