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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2018)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | JUNE 20, 2018 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 ned hickson, editor Opinion | 541-902-3520 | nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com C The First Amendment ongress shall make no law respecting an es- tablishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise 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) USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2018 © 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. Jenna Bar tlett Ned H ickson Erik Chalhoub Publisher, ex t. 318 Editor, ex t. 313 Co n s u l t i n g E d i to r 8 3 1 -7 6 1 -7 3 5 3 echalhoub@register-pajaronian.com M ar k e t i n g Di re c to r, e x t . 3 2 6 O ffice Super visor, ex t. 312 Pro d u c t i o n Su p e r v i s o r Pre s s M a n a ge r Su s a n G u t i e r re z Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Je re my G e n t r y 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, Wednes- day 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 subscrip- tion, $29; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $125; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $71. Separating families ‘cruel punishment’ under 8th Amendment (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submis- sions on this and other topics are always welcome as part of our goal to encourage community discussion and the exchange of perspectives.) released pending a court hearing. These are technically legal immigrants until of- ficially designated otherwise. That is how the system works. This legal policy has been ridiculed For those who appear continuously baffled at the anger and disgust expressed by others at the President, the current im- migration situation is a good example of why. There have long been unaccompanied minors entering the U.S., which was ad- dressed by President George Bush in 2008 with a policy of releasing those children to the “least restrictive environment”. Then in 2014, President Barack Obama faced a humanitarian crisis at the border as an unprecedented number of children fled increasing violence in Central Amer- ican countries. There were incidents of children in cage-like settings. However they were quickly met with aide from a variety of U.S. charities. When the children came with their families, Obama tried detaining them to- gether but it was deemed illegal to hold kids in jail-like settings — another long- time U.S. policy. In light of these laws and rulings, families seeking asylum were Guest Viewpoint By Sandy Todd Florence and denigrated by a number of self-pro- claimed “patriots,” including the Attor- ney General Jeff Sessions, with terms like “catch-and-release,” as if they were talking about animals rather than people. Fast forward to 2018: Though there is no policy that requires families to be separated, some 2,000 minors have been placed in custody in the last six weeks. According to a report by Health and Hu- man Services, at that pace there will be 8,000 more children separated from their parents by Aug. 1. Although some of these families are en- tering the country illegally, some who do not go to a legal border crossing can end up receiving refugee or asylum status in the end. Regardless, the oldest legal document in the country is right there as a reference point specifically for this kind of situa- tion. It’s called The Eighth Amendment, which prohibits the federal government from “…Imposing cruel and unusual punishments,” whether a punishment is deserved or not. I can’t think of anything much crueler than separating families and housing children in cages for an in- definite period. Though this decision is opposed by 66 percent of Americans, our president fans the flames by placing the blame solely on Democrats. There is absolutely nothing to indicate this decision came from or is supported by Democrats. This is just the latest act in the ongoing immigration battle, and one of the rea- sons many individuals began advocating for “sanctuary cities” many months ago. No decent person should want their local public officials caught up in this kind of human rights violation, nor should they want their tax dollars supporting it. The only way to end this tyrannical act is for the 66 percent to call their senators and representatives, now, and tell them that separating families at the border vi- olates The Eighth Amendment and must be stopped now. LETTERS Policy is neither Christian nor American As a mother, grandmother and human being, the treatment of refugees seeking asylum on our southern border hurts my heart. As a retired mental health pro- fessional, I know that the children and parents will experience life-long trauma from this horrific experience. I refer you to just one of the well- known experts in the treatment of trau- ma, the psychiatrist, Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, and his book: “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.” Although recent comments from the Trump administration would have us believe this policy is somehow sanc- tioned by the Bible, this policy is neither Christian nor American. We all need to wake up, open our eyes and hearts, con- tact our members of Congress, and stop this cruelty. We are better than this. “Those who are without compassion cannot see what is seen with the eyes of compassion.” —Thich Nhat Hanh —Barbara Crumrine Florence We are a nation of laws If you cross our border without the proper permission, you are illegal. This is not an opinion; it is a fact. This has been the law for many years. When seeking asylum, you apply at the American Embassy in your country of origin. As for children being separated from their parents, this is done to avoid traumatizing them by going through the process their parents are subject to for breaking the law. It should be noted that none of this need happen if the parents acted in ac- cordance with our governing laws. Using Nazi terminology to enhance opinion just makes those who do so look ignorant and reactionary — nor does it have anything to do in supporting an opinion. I believe many of the pictures and re- ports being shown on TV are from the previous administration because, like I said, this has been the law for a long time. Yes, it still goes on today because the law has not changed. Democrats blame Republicans and Republicans blame Democrats. Truth is they are both to blame. But to blame law enforcement for enforcing the law is just juvenile. For anyone really feeling despaired, ask yourself how come we are just now hearing about this on a daily basis when the same thing was happening under President Obama? Or is that too inconvenient a truth? —David Eckhardt Florence I find no humor in President’s comments Concerning Kim Jong-un, the fol- lowing quote came from our president during an interview with Fox News on Friday: “He’s [Kim] the head of a country, and I mean he’s the strong head. Don’t let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same...” So the President of the United States praises one of the worst despots on earth today and indicates he wishes he could have the same power over his people. OK, President Trump, just have a few rivals murdered, build several concen- tration camps and fill them up with as many Democrats and disloyal Republi- cans as you can catch. While you are at it, take control of all news media and shut down the Inter- net. And make a few well-known people “disappear” and then you will surely have people sitting up at attention. Oh but wait! Now he says he was just joking. I fail to discern the humor. —Jimmie Zinn Florence Illegal is illegal. Period. I must to respond to Linda Olsen’s recent Letter to the Editor, “Define Our Country Based On Principal of Decen- cy” (June 16). First, I do not understand how anyone can say, “These people are not illegals.” They entered this country without per- mission — so they are without question illegal. Period. Secondly, when she asked, “How can we allow this inhumane practice of sep- aration of families to continue?” she ob- viously is not aware, nor did I hear her complain at that time, when it is a matter of record that President Obama separat- ed parent from child during his time in office. Nor did she call the ICE agents Obama’s private Gestapo at that time, or mention the fact that many of the so- called “parents” are not the children’s real parents but are using children as pawns to gain entry into this wonderful country. It is amazing how one can look at something through rose colored glasses on one hand, then look at the same thing as causing black eyes. —Tony Cavarno Florence Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com Letters to the Editor policy 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, gram- mar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaran- teed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumentative, 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 published at the dis- cretion of the editor. Political/Election Letters: 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 cam- paigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information about a candidate is accurate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay; and 3) ex- plain the reasons to support candidates based on per- sonal experience and perspective rather than partisan- ship and campaign-style rhetoric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid political advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the news- paper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any let- ter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Emal 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 Oregon 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 (4th 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
