4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| JULY 11, 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)
Educate yourself about danger of fracking to environment
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submis-
sions on this and other topics are always
welcome as part of our goal to encourage
community discussion and exchange of
perspectives.)
I
love our beautiful state of
Oregon; the high desert,
the mountains and espe-
cially our incredible coastal
lakes, rivers and beaches.
Growing up in the ’50s and
’60s near Lake Erie in Ohio, I lived
through two-headed fish in Lake Erie,
the Cuyahoga River catching on fire
and the bright-red sunsets from the
steel mill in the next city. All this was
before the Clean Air Act (1970) and
Clean Water Act (1972).
Coming to Oregon in 1975 was the
best move I have ever made.
We truly have it all.
The natural beauty of Oregon is
beyond compare, which is why we
all need to educate ourselves on the
current threat to our rivers, streams,
forests, wildlife, air quality and recre-
ational access to our protected areas.
The Jordan Cove Energy Project is
a proposal to build a 229-mile fracked
Guest Viewpoint
By Julia Tousley-Ritt
Westlake
gas pipeline across Southwestern
Oregon and a Liquified Natural Gas
(LNG) export terminal in Coos Bay.
The Canadian company Pembina
wants to build the 229-mile pipeline
from Malin, Ore., to Coos Bay, cross-
ing 400 rivers, streams and other wa-
terways including the Rogue, Klam-
ath, Coos and South Umpqua rivers.
This is a project that has been de-
nied twice over the last 13 years. But
now, with loosened regulations and
secrecy, this Canadian company is
trying again.
The Army Corps. of Engineers and
the Oregon Deptartment of Environ-
mental Quality (DEQ) are seeking
public comments as they review two
Clean Water Act permit appli-
cations for Jordan Cove.
We each have a responsibil-
ity to educate ourselves about
this project, which you can do
on July 16, beginning at 5:30
p.m., in the Bromley Room of the Siu-
slaw Public Library.
Learn about the scientific facts re-
lated to fracked gas, pipeline leaks,
dredging for 900-foot tankers com-
ing into Coos Bay, and other conerns
that we, as Oregonians, should under-
stand.
I urge anyone who values protect-
ing the things that make Oregon
beautiful to learn about this project
and, just as importantly, who stands
to benefit most from this project.
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.
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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
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LETTERS
Opposition to the
Second Amendment
It has come to to my attention that
Citibank, in March, and then Bank
of America in April, took a stand in
opposition to the Second Amend-
ment by declaring their intention to
accept no “new retail sector clients”
that sell guns to 18- to 20-year-old’s
or sell “high capacity” magazines —
thus discriminating against those
businesses, as well as young adults
and the lawful right of citizens to buy
and bear arms.
The precedent being set here is
alarming. They ignore that the gun
sellers being discriminated against
are not merely engaged in business,
but in a business protected by the
Constitution.
They ignore that 18- to 20-year-
olds proudly serving in the military
use armament to protect this great
nation, yet they support a policy to
deny them the right to make a pur-
chase to protect themselves at home.
Their divisive policy further di-
vides this great country when all
concerned need to come together
to find constructive solutions to the
problem instead of naive attempts by
elite CEOs and out-of-touch corpo-
rate boards that usurp our Constitu-
tion.
Let’s ask the obvious question: In
March and April, the target was the
right to bear arms.
What about tomorrow?
Will it be free speech? Women's
rights? Sexual orientation? Religious
affiliation or any other constitution-
ally protected conduct corporate dis-
agrees with?
Once becoming accustomed to im-
posing political preconditions upon
clients and loans, there presumably
will be no stopping their political
manipulation.
What is to stop a newspaper editor
from being told that to become a cli-
ent or secure a loan, it is contingent
upon his newspaper dropping ... let’s
say, certain unpopular positions?
It is a slippery slope. More impor-
tantly, a dangerous one when Citi-
bank, or Bank of America — or any
business or organization — tries to
usurp our constitutionally protected
rights through “market power.”
— Gerald Duane “Boomer” Wright
Reedsport
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