4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| NOVEMBER 14, 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)
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Copyright 2018 © Siuslaw News
Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon.
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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 to the Editor policy
LETTERS
Unethical behavior
I have waited until after the midterm
voting has been completed so that I may
express my view — a viewpoint that I
believe is held by many others in this
community.
I am appalled and outraged by the
behavior of two Florence City Council
members prior to the distribution of bal-
lots to voters.
It is unconscionable and appalling to
read of the bullying of a City Council
candidate by two sitting City Council
members. Their behaviors are so egre-
gious that I can conclude I have never
seen the likes of them before.
Regardless of the political outcome
this type of behavior is at best totally un-
ethical.
It is my opinion that the two City
Council members should be removed
from office and barred from holding
public office forever.
—David Lynch
Florence
Fires are due to poor USFS
planning, environmentalists
Claims that the devastating fires are
caused by global warming is not entirely
right.
Global warming is only a small part
of the problem. The main cause is the
failure to maintain a healthy forest. For
the past 70-plus years, all fires have been
seen as "bad," and the forest service be-
gan putting out all fires. The result was
a build-up of debris on the forest floor.
To further aggravate the problem, fa-
natical environmentalists stopped major
portions of logging activities. Look at
the pictures of Yosemite in the 1940s and
compare them to today, and it is easy to
see the problem: Back then, there was
enough room between trees to drive a
car. Today, it is hard to ride a horse be-
tween them.
It is like pouring gas on the fire once it
starts. With proper timber management,
many of today's fires wouldn't have hap-
pened. By the time USFS figured this
out, it was too late to stop the inevitable.
Any fires were going to be almost im-
possible to control.
They have started to try and clean up
and thin out forests now, but it is expen-
sive and will take time; after all, it took
many years to get this way.
Think what your place would be like if
you let it go for years, let alone decades.
—Dan McDivitt
Florence
No collusion or reason to
demonstrate
Recently, local political activist Nora
Kent, while demonstrating on 101
against the termination of Attorney Gen-
eral Jeff Sessions, was quoted (Siuslaw
News story “March In Support of Special
Counsel Robert Mueller," Nov. 10) “This
is what Democracy looks like...”
Really? Just where does a lawfully
released cabinet member by a United
States President look like democracy by
demonstrating because mobocracy is
concerned that a Special Counsel Muel-
ler, appointed by the executive branch of
government, may be terminated?
Since when did Robert Mueller have
more authority than the executive
branch which hired him, even the Presi-
dent, who is the chief officer of the exec-
utive branch?
It seems absurd to link this misguid-
ed demonstration with democracy. Our
democratic right is to vote; the Presi-
dent’s right is to terminate those in the
executive branch.
Our rights under the Bill of Rights is
to “peaceably assemble” with common
sense. Bob Mueller should have been dis-
missed long ago because the taxpayers of
America have coughed up $20 million
for what appears to be a no-proof hoax
put in motion by Deputy Attorney Gen-
eral Rod Rosenstein over the impotence
of the recused Jeff Sessions.
The only collusion with the Russians
that I can see is Barack Obama at an
open microphone pleading with Pres-
ident Medvedev for time and compro-
mise, and Hillary Clinton’s paid-for
dossier using Russian influence with her
campaign funds.
Save the demonstrations for real
issues, like eliminating the Second
Amendment and destroying the lives of
Supreme Court Justices who would send
Roe vs Wade to the states.
God bless America, our wonderful
Republic.
— Joel Marks
Florence
Need for understanding of
school funding rules
In response to the letter submitted
by Cris Reep (“Tough Times Call For
Tough Meaures,” Nov. 10) I wonder if
many others in our community have a
misunderstanding of how schools are
funded in the state of Oregon.
The funding received by public
schools through normal taxes are very
restricted. Under current Oregon law
a school district may not use operating
funds for certain capital improvement
or construction. Those can only be ob-
tained through bond measures.
By law, a school district could have
a huge budget surplus but is restricted
from using those funds toward capital
projects. Students pay out-of-pocket to
play sports or other after-school extra-
curricular activities.
Eliminating football and any other
extracurricular activity would not even
begin to address issues outlined by the
school district.
—Bob Teter
Florence
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
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Political/Election Letters:
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Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the
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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