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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 25, 2018)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ APRIL 25, 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. “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800) Unintended consequences of gun control measures (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submis- sions on this and other topics are always welcome as part of our goal to encour- age community discussion and exchange of perspectives.) On the day I compose this letter, April 19, I had just gone outside and posted my American flag on our front porch. Why April 19? Well, it was the anniversary of the bat- tles of Lexington and Concord, the start of the American Revolution. George Santayana is generally credited with the saying of, “Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Santayana didn’t actually say exactly that, but it is close enough. On that date in 1775, General Gage, the military gov- ernor of Boston, at the behest of King George’s government, decided to exer- cise a 1775 version of “common sense gun safety measures” (aka confiscation) by sending a battalion of red-coated sol- diers to Concord to grab a supply of gun- powder and rifle flints that the Colonists had cached in Concord. They were also, if given the chance, GUEST VIEWPOINT B Y S TAN E ASTER F LORENCE directed to arrest leaders such as Sam Adams and John Hancock. This should have been easy, but it wasn’t as the British soldiers ran into unexpected opposition, first at Lexington and Concord. The finest army in the world at that time came up against a group of farmers, merchants and mill mechanics. armed with rifles, muskets and “fowling pieces.” These were people who were called “rabble” by the British gentry. The red coats marched on from Lexington, leav- ing a few dead colonists in their wake, but were stopped at Concord. Shots rang out again and the British staggered back to Boston, beaten and bloody while being sniped at all the way back. The war was on and a new nation was eventually born. Yes, the British did manage to get some of the flints, gunpowder and arms. But was it worth it? One would have to ask King George and his Prime Minister, Lord North. The war cost them 24,000 deaths and about 100,000 British subjects fled to Canada, the Bahamas and Britain. The war cost the British over 250 million British pounds in late 1700s currency, not modernly. They lost not only the war, but suf- fered a humiliating loss of prestige, both politically and militarily. They lost 13 productive and valuable colonies, populated by an energetic and industrious people. Those lost colonies went onto become the richest, most powerful nation on earth — all lost for a few barrels of flints and gunpowder. The point of this is for those who now seek to disarm law abiding Americans. Be careful of what you wish for; the unintended consequences may turn out to be too expensive. 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 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. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumen- tative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or documented will not be published. Letters containing poetry or from outside the Siuslaw News readership area will only be pub- lished at the discretion of the editor. LETTERS W ITHOUT A PADDLE In reference to Ann Huntington’s let- ter “She’s no Jay Bozievich” (April 18), I’m glad Nora Kent is not like Jay Bozievich. I disagree with what I feel are Huntington’s ill-founded and base- less insinuations that Bozievich is “in bed” with the timber industry, and that the accusations are reckless and inap- propriate. The reference that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or engineer to under- stand the negative aspects of aerial spraying epitomize the rash of political nonesense out there; does anyone really think you can spray all the trees from the ground? The last I checked, there were 335 million board feet of cut lumber in our fair state — more than any other. If we hobble the timber industry, we will be up creek without a paddle. Even the Register-Guard endorsed Bozievich in its April 20 editorial. —Joe Rafetto Florence N OT FEELING REPRESENTED I wonder if most of the folks in West Lane County feel our current County Commissioner Jay Bozievich really represents us. I am speaking specifical- ly of the citizens who live west of the Coast Range mountains and not in Junction City or Santa Clara. We can observe his allegiance when he obstructed the Citizen’s Initiative to ban aerial spraying of poisons in our air. What has he done to alleviate the suf- ferings of the homeless population? We do see him each time he wants to be re-elected. I recall his prior cam- paigns, which were flooded with Tea Party money and characterized by neg- ativity. I, for one, do not feel represented by the incumbent, nor have I for his term of office. I plan to give Nora Kent the opportu- nity with my vote. —Pip Cole Florence R OUNDABOUTS NOT THE ANSWER It’s deja vu regarding a roundabout at Kingwood and Ninth streets. Roundabouts are the latest failed fads for roads. This is not to say that the intersection isn’t a problem. The major problem is the tall bushes impeding the line of sight, causing drivers to creep out into the road to be able to see the traffic. Roundabouts traditionally require large open space. Most important they are prone to rear end collisions. I know; I was rear ended at one. A roundabout in this spot may intrude on the properties. According to code, the properties would have to have no outbuildings within 15 feet of the new boundary. Egress and ingress of some of the properties may be impeded. Traversing the roundabout with the frequent semitrailers, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, as well as cars with trailers and RVs will be prob- lematic. I wonder how the abutters feel about bringing the traffic closer to their hous- es? I say it spells d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r. There must be an alternative that doesn’t require more problems than it solves. The city should first get permission to remove the bushes and maybe install solar-powered blinking lights to control the traffic. —George Goldstein Former member County Roads Committee Florence S TOP SIGN RATHER THAN ROUNDABOUT With the proposal of having and roundabout at Kingwood and Ninth streets in Florence, I must start with driving to the Eugene airport. When you exit Highway 126 and turn onto Green Hill Road, a few miles up the road there is this roundabout — and my first thought is always “why?” This is a rural area. But I assume that Eugene had funds to spend on street work and did not want to do so in the city because it was already a traffic mess. To consider a roundabout at Ninth and Kingwood streets is a ludicrous solution. Public Works Director Mike Miller said that Kingwood and Ninth street corner is a “hotspot.” It seems like acci- dents occur when a driver did not have the right of way, disregarded the stop sign, followed another vehicle too closely, improperly changed lanes, was inattentive or made a turn in oncoming traffic. “The beauty of a circular ‘traffic calming device’ is that it keeps the traf- fic in motion,” he said. A roundabout requires that when one enters an intersection they must turn right and they will have three options, all being turning right. They must look left, right and ahead for cars entering the roundabout and then make their entrance. How confusing will that be for most individuals, locals or visitors who have never experienced a roundabout? I have not even mentioned the possi- ble requirements for signage. Why not just a stop light or four-way stop? —Win Jolley Florence 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
