4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ OCTOBER 28, 2017
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
Stop the silence
W ESLEY V OTH
For the Siuslaw News
H
The point of the project
has been to restore the mean-
dering shape of the stream,
re-plant native trees and veg-
etation that hold soil, lower
temperatures through
increased shade from leaves
that also enrich the soil, and,
lastly, to place large logs
crisscrossing the flood plain
to slow water and create
pools and ponds to rear juve-
nile Coho.
We saw an abundance of
wildlife, especially water-
fowl and three kinds of
hawks, the tracks of many
mammals, and hordes of
insects from dragonflies to
Sulphur
butterflies
to
midges.
It has only been through
hard work and cooperation
on many levels and between
multiple resources that this
transformation to repair pre-
vious, ongoing damage has
come to fruition — the end
result being something
everyone can share and
appreciate.
As much as I’d like to
spend more time talking
about local coastal Coho
habitat restoration, I can’t
help but recognize the paral-
lel to what has been an ongo-
ing and damaging culture of
intimidation among many
men in power.
I must finally — as a male
— say something about men
raping, harassing and abus-
ing women, and the ways in
which men have made use of
money, position, power,
intimidation, the legal sys-
tem, culture, religion and
politics to dominate, shame,
silence and abuse their vic-
tims.
I have been too silent,
somehow thinking it enough
to live by a code where such
is unacceptable in myself,
my son and people under my
watch as a social worker and
teacher.
But being disgusted by it is
not enough; my distancing
myself from it in my own life
has not benefitted anyone
much at all.
A history of this behavior
should be sufficient reason
not to elect such men to
office, but we did with both
Bill Clinton and Donald
Trump, and have allowed the
confirmation to the U.S.
Supreme Court of Clarence
Thomas.
Harassment and abuse of
women and others should be
sufficient cause to remove
men from office.
But we typically don’t.
It seems very late in the
day now in destroying the
career or legacy of some,
such as Bill Cosby, Bill
O’Reilly
and
Harvey
Weinstein, or a few notable
athletes who have served jail
time. But too many have
been able to use their wealth
and position to ensure the
silence of their victims to
assure they aren’t held
accountable in any meaning-
ful way.
And each time, their
behavior gives tacit approval
and permission to all of the
little, everyday bullies and
abusers who similarly never
have to acknowledge or learn
what a consensual act or rela-
tionship looks like.
I join those who insist —
no, demand — that this
change.
Only through hard work
and cooperation on many
levels within our society and
culture can we repair and
transform what has been an
ongoing culture of abuse into
something better that we can
all share.
LETTERS
H EAD S TART ALSO HAS
A STAR RATING
It was wonderful to read in the
Siuslaw News (Sept. 30) that ABC
preschool has achieved Oregon’s qual-
ity rating and improvement system
(QRIS) four-star quality rating.
The newspaper press release indi-
cates this is a “first” for a Florence pre-
school.
I would like to point out that
Florence’s Head Start preschool has
had a five-start rating (QRIS) since
March 21, 2016. Head Start in
Florence is a certified center with the
State of Oregon adhering to strict
guidelines and qualifications to ensure
a well rounded preschool program is
offered to children ages three to five.
Head Start is also a nonprofit, feder-
ally and state funded preschool pro-
gram offered to 38 children and their
families in Florence and Mapleton
areas.
“Head Start of Lane County is
ensuring that our youngest children
have a solid foundation for life.”
—Bonnie Cole
AM Head Teacher
Florence
REMEMBER THAT ANIMALS
ARE THE REAL POINT
While it is true that the Board of
Directors of the Oregon Coast
Humane Society is currently experi-
encing a “rough patch” regarding its
management and decision-making, I
think it is important for all of us in the
community to look at not just the
board and its actions, but the OCHS as
a whole.
The OCHS’s paramount concern is
the animals and the dedicated staff and
volunteers who do the real work of
caring for them.
In the Saturday, Oct. 21, edition of
the Siuslaw News, yet another person
wrote to say that they are pulling their
support from the OCHS because they
are disappointed with its Board of
Directors.
My question to people of this mind-
set is: How does withholding money
for food, medicine, medical care, staff,
training and cleaning supplies from the
animals punish the board?
The answer is: It doesn’t.
It only punishes the animals by
making it more difficult to provide for
their needs, and consequently stymies
the OCHS’s efforts to provide a safe
haven for all abandoned and unwanted
animals.
Quite frankly, the narrow and short-
sighted viewpoint taken by an awful
lot of people in the Florence area is an
insult and slap in the face to volunteers
and donors, like myself and my hus-
band, who in spite of the beleaguered
state of the OCHS Board of Directors
would never dream of withholding our
time and support from the animals.
As Ghandi said, “The greatness of a
nation can be judged by the way its
animals are treated.”
It doesn’t say much about our com-
munity if so many people are willing
turn their back on the 100 or so ani-
mals at the shelter (who are at our
mercy) in order to punish five human
board members.
Don’t get me wrong. Until the cur-
rent audit of OCHS financials is com-
plete, my husband and I are not send-
ing our monthly donation in cash.
However, instead of arbitrarily pulling
our donation, we spend each month’s
donation money on food, medicine
and/or cleaning supplies and donate
these items directly to the staff so that
they can be used solely for the benefit
of the animals in the shelter’s care.
We still get the tax write-off, and are
secure in the knowledge that our dona-
tion money is well spent.
It’s a solution rather than retribu-
tion.
So many positive things have been
accomplished at the OCHS in the past
couple of years. It is unfortunate that
the community at large seems so disin-
terested in hearing about the good
things, preferring to dwell on the nasty
campaign of rumor, invective and ill-
will floated onto social media by a
small, mean-spirited group of negative
attention seekers.
Without doubt, the issues recently
raised regarding OCHS and its board
of directors need to be scrutinized — if
only to put all these unfounded allega-
tions to rest. In the meantime, we
would all do well to remember — first
and foremost — the humane society
should always be about the animals.
—Mary Conley
Florence
O PTION L EVY BENEFITS
MORE THAN SCHOOLS
Although there is just one ballot
measure for local residents to decided
on by Nov. 7, it is a vital one to our
community. The local option levy
renewal proposes to maintain the
existing levy supporting the Siuslaw
School District for five more years,
beginning in 2019-20.
It is not a tax increase, but a renew-
al of an existing levy applied to local
property values. It would raise over $5
million during the 5-year time period,
allowing our schools to maintain exist-
ing levels of current programs while
helping the district to meet a few of the
anticipated needs in the coming years.
As a daily volunteer in the Siuslaw
High School ASPIRE program, I see
first-hand the critical needs for fund-
ing on all levels of education in our
community. Our students, teachers,
administrators and staff members rely
on every available dollar. Even at cur-
rent levels of funding, there are short-
ages and unmet needs throughout its
district.
Without the levy renewal, vital pro-
grams would be cut and the unmet
needs of our students and teachers
would become significantly more
severe.
Our children need and deserve our
support to fulfill their goals and
become contributing members of soci-
ety.
Furthermore, support for the local
levy renewal will benefit the entire
community. Good schools help to
attract businesses and professionals to
the area, increasing available services
for all of us. I would especially like to
see well-funded schools that will
attract doctors and nurses who are rais-
ing school-age children.
In so doing, we are likely to attract
more medical personnel to fill our seri-
ous shortage only if we can offer a
vibrant community with excellent
schools.
I hope that every voter will recog-
nize the importance of the Nove. 7 bal-
lot and vote in favor of the local option
levy for our schools.
—Robert Orr
Dunes City
See
MORE LETTERS 5A
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
ere in Mapleton,
it is the golden
time of year. Our
signature trees,
the big-leaf maples, are turn-
ing the richest of yellows and
are joined in this by alder and
buckthorn, wild cherry and
knotweed.
Cedar and redwood also
shed a portion of their fronds
in autumn, and this yellow
brown detritus joins the
leaves in covering another
pumpkin-colored fruit of our
woods, the chanterelles.
My friend John and I made
our way to look at a local
restoration project known as
Fivemile Bell, for the names
of two creeks that are tribu-
taries of Tahkenitch Lake.
Neither of us had been there
before, although we have
been hearing about it for
years at watershed council
meetings.
It was Monday following
the stormy wet weekend, and
as beautiful an autumn day as
I’ve seen.
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L ETTERS
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P OLICY
E DITOR
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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