4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ MARCH 31, 2018
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
We all play a part in keeping children safe
A PRIL
W
hat if there was a
community vaccine
for child abuse?
Lane County would want it.
A recent study by the Center
for the Prevention of Abuse
and Neglect of Lane County
residents showed that 98 per-
cent of residents believe that
all adults have a responsibility
to prevent child abuse
But we’re not clear how to
do it. Forty-four percent of
those same residents weren’t
sure what the community
could do to reduce abuse and
neglect.
That vaccine is primary pre-
vention and this is where
90by30 in West Lane County
comes in. In 2011, more than
225 community members
gathered at a forum to ask one
question:
How do we stop child
abuse?
Participants realized that
interventions and supports
were necessary to create liv-
able communities, but were
not sufficient to prevent abuse.
90by30 was born of that and is
working to get at the root caus-
es of child abuse and neglect.
IS
❘ 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
C HILD A BUSE A WARENESS M ONTH
To affect change, we need
an
engaged
community,
proven and effective strategies
and a “public health” approach
to prevention.
By ensuring that parents
have the knowledge, skills and
resources they need to care for
their children — and by mak-
ing meaningful connections
The strategies chosen for
2018-19 are:
• Welcome Baby Box,
• Roots of Empathy
• Healthy Families — Home
Visitation
• Child Abuse Prevention
Month (CAPM).
During the month of April,
pinwheels will be displayed
GUEST VIEWPOINT
B Y V ONNIE M C C LELLAN
W EST L ANE 90 BY 30
with children, youth and fami-
lies in our communities — we
can help prevent child abuse
and neglect. By joining in with
the 90by30 campaign of “Play
Your Part,” we can each find
our place to make that differ-
ence and be part of the “vac-
cine” against child abuse and
neglect.
The local regional leader-
ship team of 90by30 deter-
mined several prevention
strategies to implement in our
community to “play our part”
to reduce abuse and neglect.
throughout our communities to
raise awareness of this impor-
tant effort. The month of April
culminates with “Turn your
Weekend Blue,” which is three
days to celebrate children,
families and community.
Friday, April 27, will be the
day to make a visible commit-
ment to prevent child abuse by
wearing blue. On Saturday,
April 28, take a road trip to
discover all of the county’s
pinwheel gardens.
Lane County pinwheel loca-
tions and family activities can
be found at www. 90by30.com
or at www.getinvolvedlane
county.org.
The public is invited to
come and learn about preven-
tion strategies being imple-
mented in West Lane, enjoy
refreshments and participate in
fun activities for the whole
family at a Child Abuse
Prevention Open House on
Sunday, April 29, at the
Siuslaw Public Library from 2
to 4 p.m.
Also on Sunday, or on what-
ever day a faith tradition cele-
brates, local faith communities
will be participating in Blue
Sunday — a traditional day of
prayer for an end to child
abuse that offers a chance for
us to speak with one voice in
favor healthy, nurtured kids.
West Lane Community
Foundation, the Florence
Rotary Club and several indi-
viduals have contributed fund-
ing to help support these
efforts.
Please join us — because
everyone has a part to play in
keeping our children safe.
For more information, visit
www.90by30.com.
LETTERS
O UR YOUTH ARE SPEAKING UP
— AND WE SHOULD LISTEN
F REEDOM TO BE RIDDLED
WITH BULLETS ?
In the midst of political and economic
turmoil, as world tensions rise and the
climate deteriorates, there is reason to
celebrate: The voices of our youth are
growing in strength.
Across the nation and around the
world, it is the powerful collective voic-
es of children and young adults that offer
our best hope for a better tomorrow.
Not since the ’60s have we seen such
a chorus rising from our students. In
those days, it was our nation’s youth
who called for cleaner air and water,
racial justice, an end to war, and a search
for solutions with love and peace.
And as a result, changes occurred: the
Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act,
the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights
movement, the end of the Vietnam War,
and much more.
Today, while the locations and details
have changed, these issues are no less
vital — and it is our students who have
added another issue of grave concern:
Campus violence.
Can we blame our students for being
upset? They have read and watched for
years as their political representatives
argue themselves into stalemate while
the killings have continued in schools
like Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy
Hook, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas…
Children watch their friends die while
the adults ponder whether the problem is
too many guns.
Or too few guns.
Or guns in the hands of crazy people.
Or maybe it’s just the price we pay for
the right to bear arms?
They are demanding that we stop talk-
ing and start acting, and they are
absolutely right to do so.
Our youth are speaking up — it’s their
turn now — and we should listen very
carefully. I have the great privilege of
working daily as a volunteer at Siuslaw
High School and interacting with our
local students. Every day, in the ASPIRE
office and around the campus, I
encounter intelligent and caring young
adults who are thinking about the future
— their future.
They want solid, interesting, and well-
paying careers in a society that is safe for
them and safe for the children they hope
to have. I am proud of them for their suc-
cesses and for the strength with which
they tackle life’s challenges.
I want to hear more from our youth,
and I want them to help lead us out of
these dark times and into the sunlight of
a better, safer, saner and more compas-
sionate world.
—Robert Orr
Dunes City
I am dismayed at the thought process-
es of some conservative letter writers.
Ian Eales’ letter (“Sad That Children
Being Used as Pawns,” March 24)
would have us believe that the revolt of
school children against the easy avail-
ability of guns is the product of “corrupt
politicians, statists and anti-American
media” brain-washing.
He sees placing restrictions on gun
ownership to be the relinquishment of
“freedom” to gain “temporary security.”
Anybody shot at — brainwashed or
not by ex-teacher liberals like me — will
take common sense gun restrictions over
the freedom to be riddled with bullets
anytime.
The students that marched and
protested March 24 are absolutely right.
Presumably, Mr. Eales would prefer to
have these adolescents shout: “Freedom
to have people buy guns that require
weak or no background checks! Vote lib-
erals out!”
—Harold Titus
Florence
P ROTEST THE WAR ,
NOT THE GRUNTS
Good for you, Steve Bates (Guest
Viewpoint “Fly Your Flag For Vietnam
Vets Thursday,” March 28).
It’s about time that those who served
in Vietnam are recognized. In 1969, my
partner and I were laying out a timber
sale Near Port Angeles, Wash. It was
cold and raining as usual, so we fired up
a snag and had lunch.
This wet miserable young man came
up and asked if he could share our fire.
When he stopped shivering, he left and
returned with four friends.
They all were veterans from ‘Nam
who couldn’t take the “homecoming”
crap in the cities. Their camp was in the
middle of our timber sale, so we moved
them to a location near the Olympic NP.
I had been in Korea in the mid 1950s,
and the things that these guys went
through was unbelievable.
Protesting the war is one thing, but
abusing the grunts that served is another.
—Keith J Walker
Florence
T ODAY ’ S YOUTH ARE A
A GOOD FEELING
What a lovely article in the Siuslaw
News about Casey Kawahara and
Woody Woodbury (“Woodbury’s Work
Shows What’s Possible,” March 24).
The piece spotlighted two persons in
our own community who exemplify
what makes us great.
Thank you, Siuslaw News, for sharing
this story of people and making us all
aware.
Such a good feeling.
— Joan Owens
Florence
A GE RESTRICTION
DOESN ’ T MAKE SENSE
Here’s my two cents plus some ques-
tions.
1) How many young people go hunt-
ing with their families every year and
what are their ages?
2) How many 18-year-olds go into the
military? What are they trained to do?
They are trained to use all kinds of
armaments. They are sent to places like
Afghanastan or Iraq to use their training
on those armaments.
Then, when they return home at age
20, they are told they aren’t old enough
to purchase a weapon for themselves
because they are “not mature enough.”
Does that make any sense?
My husband and sons all served in the
military, and our sons are all graduates of
Siuslaw High School.
They are my heroes.
— L.V. Furby
Florence
GAME CHANGER
As an 83-year-old, the past month has
been as eye-opening as no other in the
many years of my life. With the involve-
ment of the issue of gun violence, I must
first say that I am ashamed that my gen-
eration has done little to address gun
restriction issues where current weapon-
ry — mainly assault-style weapons —
have been responsible for the mass
killing for years throughout our country.
With the latest tragedy in Parkland,
Fla., teenagers, beginning with the
Parkland students, have committed
themselves to a movement to directly
address gun violence. That has been
exemplified by the recent March for Our
Lives rally in Washington, D.C. — a
rally I believe will go down in history as
a pivotal moment in addressing gun
issues.
I say to the youth in Florence, and to
our young people throughout the coun-
try, your articulation and tenacity in
speaking to this issue will be a game
changer.
This 83-year-old is so proud of our
youth. You will not only make a differ-
ence at the ballot box, but we may see
you in the near future running for office.
Yes, we will see you making a differ-
ence in our Democracy.
God bless you for that, and God bless
the United States of America.
—Lou Ures
Florence
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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.
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P OLITICAL /E LECTION L ETTERS :
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Send letters to:
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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@
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