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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2017)
4 A ❘ SATURDAY EDITION ❘ SEPTEMBER 9, 2017 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ 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 Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News VIEW FROM UPRIVER Celebrate and give, regardless W ESLEY V OTH For the Siuslaw News S ome of the best advice I’ve ever been given is this: To love whether I feel like it or not; To give whether I have anything or not; To treat people kindly regardless of how they are behaving; And to work for causes I believe in whether it seems to be making a difference or not. Trying to follow this advice, I have also learned to work with whomever is in charge, and to take seriously the arguments of those with whom I disagree. Sometimes I also have to write, and do so whether I think anyone who reads my words will do anything differently because of them. My purpose with today’s col- umn is to get people from this region — the Siuslaw and Coastal Lakes Watershed — to support the Siuslaw Watershed Council fundraiser in some way, either by donating items, their services to sell at the silent auc- tion, or by buyiung tickets to the Celebrate Siuslaw Salmon fundraiser dinner. This is no small thing. In full disclosure, I have been a member of the Siuslaw Watershed Council for the near- ly 15 years I have lived here. I have worked for them as a con- tractor and served on the board of directors from 2009 to Jan. 31 of this year, when I retired. I want to explain the organi- zation and the purpose of its annual fundraiser for a region we have a stake in being suc- cessful. A small amount of money or in-kind generosity increases more than a hundred fold for this area; proceeds from this fundraiser will become the seed money that funds the grant writ- ing and efforts that brings $1 million a year to this area which would otherwise go elsewhere. This not only employs a num- ber of local people or contracts with their businesses, but gets the cooperation and partnerships of a wide variety of local landowners and agencies to do the kind of restoration work that improves the water quality of our streams and lakes. It also helps ensure that there will be salmon in this place for our grandchildren’s grandchil- dren — and that those children will know about stream health, water quality and the life cycles not only of salmon, but other creatures and trees, as well as gain a familiarity with the geog- raphy of this incredible place. I have heard our watershed council described as a bunch of “leftist environmentalists” wreaking local havoc, but not by anyone actually familiar with its people or work. The council is formed from some 35 stakehold- er groups, including federal land managers, the Confederated Tribes, industrial timber, small woodlot owners, appointees from the City of Florence, Port of Siuslaw, Soil and Water Conservation District, local landowners representing the dif- ferent regions of the watershed and commercial and recreational fishing, to name just a few. One of 35 represents the envi- ronmental “cause.” These 35 decide on what the priorities are, what projects get the go ahead and how the proj- ects will proceed. Projects only involve cooperating landowners or managers. From the 35 stake- holder representatives, a board of 9 is elected, with all decisions made by consensus; even one dissenting voice can stop a deci- sion. On the current board there is an appointee from the City of Florence, one from the Confederated Tribes, a person representing Roseburg Lumber LLC, a small woodlot owner, one representing the environ- ment; and most of the rest are local landowners. The current executive direc- tor is a hydrologist who spent his career with the Bureau of Land Management. Much of the grant money comes from salmon license plate sales and the Oregon Lottery, and some from federal agencies, sometimes as matching money. Projects are distributed through- out the watershed; one large and current one is on Fivemile and Bell Creeks, tributaries of Tahkenitch Lake, where some of the best wild coho habitat and potential remains. The mission statement of Siuslaw Watershed Council, which it takes to heart, reads: “The Siuslaw Watershed Council supports sound eco- nomic, social and environmental uses of human and natural resources in the Siuslaw River Basin. “The Council encourages cooperation among public and private watershed entities to pro- mote awareness and understand- ing of watershed functions by adapting and implementing a total watershed approach to nat- ural resource management and production.” More information can be found at www.siuslaw.org. The Celebrate Siuslaw Salmon Fundraiser will be held Sunday, Sept. 17, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Florence Events Center. Tickets for the fundraiser will be $30 at the door, or $25 in advance online at www .brown papertickets.com/event/304649. Partnerships, cooperation and building trust between parties has been a slow and growing process, but a good one span- ning 20 years. I hope you’ll support the con- tinued cooperation that benefits our local watershed. LETTERS O UR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE OUR BEST ASSET This is in reply to one part of a letter in the Siuslaw News (Sept. 2) by Stephen Johnson, in which he wrote: “Another blatantly socialist position has been promoted by Bernie Sanders, Jerry Brown and Andrew Cuomo, which is that post-secondary education should be free for all young people who graduate from high school.” When I graduated from high school and started in at UCLA, I did not realize that I was participating in a “blatantly socialist” enterprise. It was 1946, the war was over, for which we were most thank- ful. My father’s position was chief engi- neer in a company which built landing gear for P-47s. The demand for them ended and so did my father’s job. Despite the loss of family income, I could begin my education — which took seven years in preparation to be a Presbyterian minis- ter. My brother followed two years later and studied engineering. With his educa- tion, he got a job with Aerojet and worked on America’s growing space capabilities. He rose to the position of chief engineer on the rocket that lifted the first men on the moon off the moon. For both of us, the free education was of benefit to ourselves, of course. But the free education also prepared us in differ- ent ways to be of service in our chosen fields. It is for the benefit of others that post-high school education should be free. The best example of this is our need for teachers in our public schools. The kind of people we want for teach- ers are smart enough to look at the size that their college debt will be, and know that teachers’ pay is only moderate, mak- ing the choice most difficult. Look at it this way: If the brain power of the young people of this nation is a national asset, is it not wise to cultivate that national asset? —Wilbur Wood Vancouver, Wash./relocating to Florence W HERE WAS A NTIFA DURING H ARVEY ? First, let me say I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I did not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Like many across the country, I have viewed the news of Hurricane Harvey and the resulting and ongoing rescues with great interest. It is no surprise to most of us that first respondors such as police, fire and med- ical personnel were on the scene immedi- ately. It is also no surprise that our mili- tary men and women of the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard were there saving lives. What I noticed was the huge amount of civilians, “just plain folks,” launching their own boats and rescuing flood vic- tims. Many of these people appeared, to me, to be hunters, fishermen and outdoor sportsmen (and women) from all walks of life. They were rescuing people of all dif- ferent races, nationalities and genders. Many, if not most, of these heroes would possibly be the type of people that Hillary Clinton once referred to as “deplorables.” Yet, they were out helping people and saving lives. Where were the great heroes of the left? The “social justice warriors” and the Antifa crowd? Probably home some- where warm and dry, perched over their keyboards thinking of new ways to mock, insult and demean the very people who are risking their lives and their property to save lives. The social justice warriors and Antifa groups seem to have no trouble drawing a crowd when it is time for riot and destruc- tion. They have no problem getting peo- ple together when they wish to deprive those with whom they disagree on the right to express first Amendment Rights in political discourse. They’re pretty good at beating people up and destroying property. They don’t seem to be terrribly interested in saving people, though. —Stan Easter Florence S CHOOL ISN ’ T FOR CHILDCARE Reading Gail Katz Hanson’s letter (Sept. 6), I feel compelled to comment. As a single working mother, I never expected the school to furnish care for my children other than while they were there for classroom and recess time. It was my job, as a parent, to insure they were properly cared for before and after school. I was blessed to have great childcare that I paid for. The provider earned a living by looking after my chil- dren as well as their own. Breakfast and dinner was either at home, depending on my shift work, or with the childcare provider. They took a lunch from home or bought lunch at school, for which I paid. I don’t think taxpayers should be expected to feed and care for children whose parents can’t afford to do so them- selves. —Jacquie Beveridge Florence T OO MUCH SELECTIVE OUTRAGE There seems to be a great hypocrisy afflicting our fellow citizens that should disturb all of us. The recent sign on Highway 101 with all its insulting and demeaning words brought out the cry of “no hate in my town” and thus, hate evanesces. Or so it seems to some. Then, in the same breath, we have the cries of “I hate Trump” because of what- ever thorn is currently stuck in the collec- tive craw. Is cognitive dissonance not what it used to be? There is selective outrage going on here. The problem is that the sign is gone and there is but the memory to deal with. Trump is here for the next three years, and despite the calls to demonize him, he is with us — for better or worse. Make no mistake, the man scares the spit out of me, yet in three years we can vote him out. To reduce him, by way of some of the comments and vitriol here, to something less than human only enables others to decide that if it is evil — and that it can be ... no, must be destroyed by whatever means needed. See Antifa and any anti-Trump protest for validation of this. A good number of recent letters have attacked Trump and tried very hard to dehumanize him. It is better to rise above it all and try to make changes within the established system, but I fear we have devolved to the point where we choose derision and demonization rather than an understanding that sometimes we have only ourselves to blame for what we per- ceive is outside victimization. I hate the sign because its words are “hateful.” Trump is “hateful,” therefore I can dehumanize him. One is a rationality, the other is an excuse. To hold both simultaneously is intel- lectual dishonesty. Aren’t we better than that? —Barry Sommer Westlake See MORE LETTERS 5A 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. Oregon Group Publisher 541-265 8571 Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Consulting Editor 831-761-7353 Email: echalhoub@register-pajaronian.com Marketing Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager James Rand Jenna Bartlett Ned Hickson Erik Chalhoub Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry 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 classifiedad,sThursday 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 subscrip- tion,$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 L ETTERS TO THE P OLICY E DITOR The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discussion 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 anonymous letters or poetry, or letters from outside our readership area will only be published at the discression of the editor. P OLITICAL /E LECTION L ETTERS : Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information about a candidate is accu- rate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support candidates based on personal experience and per- spective rather than partisanship and campaign- style rhetoric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and plat- forms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid polit- ical advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, 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
