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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2017)
4 A ❘ SATURDAY EDITION ❘ OCTOBER 14, 2017 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion Right as rain? W ESLEY V OTH For the Siuslaw News I cized by three letter writers in this same venue. The criticisms in these cases always seem the same to me: the person has no right; or is exercising that right at the wrong place and time; or is simply seeking attention — only to be told it is an ineffec- tive waste of time. Donald Trump has made some comments about protest- ing athletes, using the words “their disrespect” to “our flag, our anthem.” I find it ironic that it is our very flag and anthem, as well as the rights of protestors and those of the president, that’s kind of the point. I have zero interest in spec- tator sports of any kind, or in the rituals — patriotic or reli- gious — that go on in those grandstands. But it does inter- est me when a fellow human being goes against what has become the norm to make a point. Or simply because, morally, they cannot follow along and still live with themselves. And I especially begin to pay atten- tion if they take heat for it. I admire their courage, much as I did when, as a young student, I saw a photograph of a lone man in a German crowd not giving the Nazi salute; or in my religious upbringing hearing the story from the Jewish Bible of Daniel and his three companions who would not bow down and show the proper patriotic fervor to the golden image of the king when the music sounded — and were therefore sentenced to the fiery furnace. These days, I am not in the awkward position of being in a public place when the U.S. national anthem is played, or in places where a pledge of allegiance is administered, or where loyalty oaths must be sworn as a condition of employment. But I have been. I know what it feels like to resist. It is not a feeling of glee. It is not satisfaction. It is awful. Do such protests work? Well, they can inspire, including life changes on the part of at least some other peo- ple. I may not take the same action as the Chandlers, but I am encouraged when someone doesn’t just think it is hopeless and, instead, takes it upon themselves to do something. I have been more moved and changed and persuaded by protestors over the course of my life than just about any- thing else. Prophets, civil rights marches and civil dis- obedience, United Farmworker strikes and boy- cotts, people standing with signs in Florence, watching a depiction of the life of Gandhi — they inspired me to act on my core values. We are still arguing about gun control. I have been look- ing at gun numbers and types, as well as death statistics. Like Paul Ryan, I wondered how bump stocks — or any modifi- cation that allows weapons to fire as if automatic — became legal. As I discovered, big retail- ers like Walmart and Cabela’s have been selling them (including online) because “bump stocks” technically aren’t weapons. Now these sellers are not offering them — or so it seems — probably because it looks bad. In the gun statistics I researched, a couple of things stand out to me: First, states with more guns have more suicides utilizing guns while states with fewer guns have fewer gun-related suicides. One study that bears this out, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has an additional startling sta- tistic regarding women: sui- cide rates by women not using a gun are the same in both sets of states. However, in states with more guns, women killed themselves with guns at a rate of 8 times higher — and there- fore had almost double the number of female deaths by suicide. You’d think if we actually cared about our safety and the lives of those around us, we would reduce and restrict guns that seem to be as plentiful as drops of rain. LETTERS KILLED BY GUNFIRE Yesterday morning I was greeted on the morning news by a man with his arms in the air, standing in front of the scripted logo we have all seen that starts with “We The People...” flanked by the United States Flag, while screaming at the top of his lungs “I have the right to own an assault weapon!” I felt sick. What he says is exactly true, but I seriously question if he understands what he is saying. The word “assault” indicates the attempt to attack and/or kill another liv- ing being. Given the recent disaster in Las Vegas, I feel the definition is very accurate — and in the mind of the shooter, was exactly what he wanted. I feel everyone who owns one of these weapons is making it very clear that they share the same feeling as that man on the 32nd floor. After all, it is called an assault weapon. The owner may be your neighbor, relative, Congressman, Senator or someone you do not even know, and I have to assume they are very proud of their “assault” weapon. I now have my arms in the air, and I am screaming at the top of my lungs: “I have the right to attend a concert without being killed!” A gun owner’s right shouldn’t trump my rights. — Charles Pennington Florence was my best friend’s father. In spite of our 30-plus-year age difference, we had more in common than not. This fellow quit school at age 16 to join the Merchant Marines. He taught himself just about all there was to know about engines and electronics. An accomplished guitar and bass player, we shared many an hour listen- ing to great music. Great times. One of the high points of my record- ing career was schlepping an entire stu- dio recording setup from Los Angeles to Indio to record him and 50 or so of his contemporaries in their retirement com- munity “big band,” The Happy Wanderers. Some were old-time radio, studio and big band players. All loved music. Over a long weekend, we all had a great time swapping stories. In fact, his son still plays the music. Hopefully other copies are still float- ing around, connecting the generations. So millennials, get yourselves out to our wonderful Florence Events Center and the live theatres — and help fill those seats. Talk to your senior seat- mates. Chat up somebody new at the interval. Who knows what friend you’ll meet? As my wife’s millennial nephew once said to me, “You’re just like my grand- mother. You’ll talk to anybody.” We also like to listen. Our community will be all the stronger for it. — Ian Eales Florence C ONVERSATION MAKES I N SUPPORT OF SCHOOL COMMUNITY STRONGER First, nice work on interesting arti- cles with a local focus; hats off to Siuslaw News reporters. Second, a note to millennials: Snow on the roof don’t mean the fire is out. Our retirees come from all across our great nation. In a sense, we are the blueprint and technical manual for your world. No matter what, in all likelihood we’ve “been there, done that” and per- chance can save you an unnecessary tumble. One of the greatest friends of my life OPTION LEVY On the November ballot, voters are being asked to approve the renewal of the local option levy that was originally passed in 2008 and renewed again in 2012. The Siuslaw School District is requesting this renewal to maintain class sizes, retain music, art, shop and extra-curricular activities, as well as meeting the financial demands of an unfunded state mandate to increase physical education. The levy currently pays for nearly 7 I HAVE THE RIGHT NOT TO BE percent of the schools’ operational costs. Without those continuing funds, the district would have no choice but to make difficult cuts including teaching positions, educational programs and possibly school days. This is not a new tax. The .75 cents-per-$1,000 of assessed property value is a continuation of the existing levy that has made it possible for the school district to maintain edu- cational opportunities despite economic uncertainty. The Siuslaw School District must deal with future challenges such as an uncertain federal education budget and lack of funding to fully implement Measure 98 for career and technology education. The renewal of the option levy is vital to helping the district weather these financial storms. I will vote to support the children of our community by supporting Siuslaw School District Local Option Levy Renewal Measure 20-281. — Bill McDougle Florence T HANKS FOR HARD WORK FROM C AMP F LORENCE Bravo, Camp Florence Work Crews! For several years the young men of Camp Florence have helped us cut brush and plant trees on our farm north of town. Yesterday, a crew of six work- ing as a team hauled a pond liner weigh- ing 1,250 pounds a distance of 100 feet and then carefully spread this most ornery piece of rubberized material over a 35-by-65-foot hole. I’ve read that young people today do not know how to do hard physical work. These young men clearly refute this belief. Yesterday, for example, we rolled, lifted, pulled, pushed, fell, got covered in mud and dirt and sweat, but got the job done. The crews are well led by Camp Florence staff, always on time, always polite and always hard working. We plan to employ them in years to come and recommend them to our friends. — Jim and Jane Pittenger 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 was watching rain form a few days ago. Sometimes we are in the clouds at ground level here, and it is possible to watch as droplets first form and only just begin to fall. When this occurs, the rain looks like it is in slow motion, moving so gently that when the drops land on my face and jacket, it is with the lightest, soundless touch. These tiny droplets of coa- lescing mist, each maybe the size of a grain of rice, barely reach the speed of a slow walk as they sink downward, no faster than 2 mph — so com- pletely unlike the pounding rain I hear today as I puzzle over why people think it so necessary to judge the appro- priateness; the moral right; the sincerity of other people’s protests or stands. I hear professional athletes being told that they cannot protest publically in their workplace while, at the same time, being called on to make public displays of patriotism. In this newspaper, the Chandlers took a stand in their Letter to the Editor (Oct. 7) to no longer shop at a local gro- cery chain because weapons are being sold there. As a result, they were criti- ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News 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 discretion 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
