4 A
❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ FEBRUARY 28, 2018
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
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.
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
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, $76; 6-month in-county, $52; 10-weeks subscription, $23; Out of Lane
County — 1-year subscription,$99; 6-month out-of-county, $65; 10-weeks subscription, $29; Out of State — 1-
year subscription, $125; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $71.
Mail subscription includes E-Edition.
Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com
L ETTERS
LETTERS
T IME FOR ACTION ,
NOT MORE WORDS
Another school shooting, and
President Trump, along with most of
Congress, seems beholden to the NRA
(which contributed $30 million to
Trump’s campaign and untold millions
to members of Congress) and don’t
want to talk about the gun problem.
The president wants to discuss the
mental illness problem.
Fair enough.
But his most recent budget calls for a
30 percent reduction in money for men-
tal illness services; pay attention to his
actions, not his words.
The president is also calling for
teachers to be armed. I can’t imagine a
worse scenario than a teacher with a
concealed handgun facing off against a
shooter with an automatic or semi-auto-
matic weapon.
Surely the teacher is at a disadvan-
tage, along with the children caught in
the crossfire. Yet, Trump’s budget cuts
5.3 percent from the education budget.
In addition, thanks to the tax plan
passed by a Republican majority vote
and signed into law by President
Trump, teachers will no longer be able
to deduct the amount they pay out of
their own pockets for school supplies
from their taxes.
Again, pay attention to the presi-
dent’s actions, not his words.
Automatic weapons and semi-auto-
matic weapons were developed for the
military for use in war. They are
designed to spray bullets and kill people
— as many as possible in a short
amount of time. There is no need for
these weapons of war to be available to
civilians.
Period.
I know there are lots of these
weapons of war already owned by peo-
ple. So, to stop their use, stop selling the
large capacity magazines, which would
render them useless.
It seems that the NRA does not repre-
sent 2nd Amendment rights for anyone;
it represents the gun manufacturers who
are making millions of dollars selling
people guns by continually stoking fear.
The fear is the constant drumbeat of
their conspiracy theory that any regula-
tion is a slippery slope to a gun grab by
the government.
The 2nd Amendment guarantees the
right to bear arms. In an interview with
Fox News on July 29, 2012, Justice
Antonin Scalia opined about the 2nd
Amendment, “There are some limita-
tions that can be imposed.”
We need to listen to the brave sur-
vivors of Parkland, Fla., and other
school shootings. They have looked
down the barrel of a weapon of war.
They have seen the carnage left in the
wake of war.
They are demanding action, not more
words.
—Marybeth Marenco
Florence
N OT HARD TO IMAGINE
DEFENDING CHILDREN
A quote on the the front page of the
Register-Guard (Sept. 24) about a
kindergarten teacher with a loaded gun
in class partially read, “... Can you
imagine?”
In the case of a teacher or staff mem-
ber who is willing to carry a concealed
weapon, yes I can imagine it.
Imagine the scenario where a crimi-
nal shooter comes into a school, not
deterred by background checks, securi-
ty measures or locked doors, with
police on their way but yet to arrive.
Meanwhile, teachers heroically shield-
ed students with their bodies and die in
the process.
In that very real and terrifyingly brief
moment when the only thing standing
between a student and their executioner
is a teacher trying to shield them or tak-
ing cover behind a desk, why not give
them a chance to fight back with a con-
cealed gun if they want it?
They may succeed or they may fail.
But when the end result may be dead or
wounded students and teachers anyway,
why not give them a chance?
Yes, I can imagine that.
—Dave Peck
Florence
R EASONABLE GUN
LEGISLATION WON ’ T
DENY RIGHTS
Some months ago, we wrote asking
our state representative, Caddy
McKeown, to support legislation that
seeks to limit the abuse of firearms. She
wrote back that she would not, because
she felt that her rural constituency holds
high the right to bear arms, and that
such legislation would diminish that
right.
Now, we have another slaughter at an
American school committed by an indi-
vidual who obviously should not have
had access to weapons.
We note that McKeown is the only
Democratic state legislator who voted
against the recent legislation to correct a
loophole in Oregon’s arms management
laws. We ask her to reconsider her posi-
tion on this matter.
We have been rural residents our
entire adult lives. We have a rifle and
regard it as a tool to be used responsibly
within the limits of the law, as does
everyone of our rural neighbors as far as
we know. In our experience, it was the
annual influx of hunters from the cities
— often while drinking — who tres-
passed, shot the horses and cows, broke
the fences and threatened our safety as
rural residents.
Reasonable gun legislation won’t
take away our right to bear arms any-
more than driving laws take away our
right to drive. But reasonable legislation
might save a few kids and reduce to
some degree the fear that is haunting
America’s families.
Wouldn’t rural folk agree that it is
irresponsible to not take every measure
possible to ensure the safety of our chil-
dren?
We are asking Ms. McKeown to step
up and do the right thing.
—Jim and Jane Pittenger,
grandparents in Florence
E ND THE PUBLIC HEALTH
CRISIS OF GUN VIOLENCE
Has Umpqua Community College
been forgotten so soon after yet another
mass school shooting?
For those who are already of age, get
out and vote. Become an activist for a
human right — the right to not be inten-
tionally killed by military-type weapons
possessed by civilians.
We applaud the Florence veteran who
possessed the patriotism to turn in his
weapons of mass destruction. He is
again a hero for a dramatic action, one
of self-conscious protection for all citi-
zens.
And no gun control law or legislation
was needed to do the right thing.
Gun owners, take an inventory of
your own stockpile, rid your home, car
and body of firearms and take action to
end the public health crisis of death by
gun violence.
— Michael Fletcher
and Mark Owens
Florence
E VERYONE HAS RIGHT
TO OPINION ON P ORT
I am writing in reference to the arti-
cles in the Siuslaw News (“Port of
Siuslaw Holds Third Public Meeting,”
Feb. 10; “Port Discusses Business
Oregon IGA, Public Input,” Feb. 24)
about the Port of Siuslaw’s public meet-
ing when a complaint letter was read to
the commissioners. The letter writers
live on their boat in the harbor and
experience issues with the public.
Many of the activities they witness
are one-time events. Port staff does its
best to address complaints and security
issues that arise. It is not uncommon to
have public activity on the docks
around the clock, even though signage
says “closed dusk to dawn.”
The Port is addressing security con-
cerns with plans to install electronic
gates on the marina gangways that will
lock at night. In addition, Florence
Police have offered to increase patrols
in the area.
The letter writers refer to dock sani-
tation. It is true that public who use the
docks for crabbing occasionally leave
something behind. There are times
when folks consume beverages and
leave bottles or cans behind. Everyone
knows what seagulls leave behind.
Port staff perform daily dock walks
and put a lot of effort into keeping the
marina and transient docks clean and
presentable for public enjoyment.
The Port Commissioners have asked
for public comment and everyone has a
right to their opinion.
The take away from this is to address
the issues that are presented and work
together for positive results. The Port of
Siuslaw plays an important role in this
community, is ground central for
tourists and residents to enjoy, and is a
well-maintained facility that will
remain so for years to come.
—Dina McClure
Interim Port Manager
Port of Siuslaw
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@
oregonlegislature.gov
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