4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| FEBRUARY 13, 2019
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
The First Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law respect-
ing an establishment 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 Govern-
ment 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
Middle to high school love can be a risky maneuver
Guest Viewpoint
By Ramiro Ramirez
Siuslaw High School student
(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.)
H
opefully by now you’ve all thought
of a certain someone special and
found the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day.
However, I want to talk to you about
young love.
Ah… young love. Whether it’s some-
one new or the one you’ve known for a
while, you begin to feel something. But
don’t be fooled by love, as it can cause
trouble for both the child and the par-
ent. People outside of school, you might
remember someone from your class who
was cute. You might’ve started to do spe-
cial things for that certain someone. But
your parents might have disapproved of
the love — maybe even given you talks
that you will eventually give to your own
children some day.
Here are some things that can make
young love a concern for a family.
Family time may be difficult
Remember the days when it was you
and your family at the table playing a
board game or having a great meal to-
gether. Now, with the certain special
someone in the mix, family time could
be hindered or altered all together. You
may rather spend time with your special
friend instead of family, which can grow
into concerns from parents. This is espe-
cially understandable if they haven’t met
the other person’s family or friends.
With more time spent with a new sig-
nificant other, the times of an entire fam-
ily at the table may be over.
Concern for your safety
If you are going to spend time at your
new love’s house, your parents may want
to get more information on the oth-
er family. Sure, it may seem intrusive,
but nothing is more important to them
than your safety. If you’re going out with
someone already familiar to your fami-
ly, then it will likely relieve some of the
stress for your parents (assuming they
approve of him/her). If not, your parents
will be more cautious. Remember: They
are there to guide you, not allow you to
fall face-first into a pothole.
Possibility of more
The biggest worry of every parent with
a student in love is that their child will
go too far with their significant other.
While there have been class lessons about
the dangers of intimacy or even having
a baby while in school, they realize their
student may not care about those lessons
because — let’s be honest — they’re often
boring and dull like a lot of other school
lessons.
Sure, when you were first given “The
Talk,” it may have been uncomfortable.
But it also gave you some important
precautions about love and getting too
serious. This is vital information to talk
about with your family.
Now, for you young ones that have
found your “sweet babboo,” whether it
was just a few days or a couple of years
ago, love isn’t bad. But it can cause prob-
lems in your current life if you don’t han-
dle it well. I’m not saying avoid romance;
it’s just a matter of accepting how much
responsibility you have in a relationship.
Here are some things that could hap-
pen if you focus on love too much.
Your grades
While this may seem to be a boring
statement, it can have unintended con-
sequences. Spend too much time day-
dreaming about your Sweet Babboo,
and while your love dreams go up, your
grades go down. This is pretty important
because you need to have good grades in
order to go onto the next grade.
Sometimes the amount of school work
will not give you time for relationships.
And it may be easier to put love on hold
until after high school rather than hav-
ing to juggle a relationship as well. It
may seem like disappointing advice, but
over time you will continue to grow and
mature to gain a better understanding of
how to manage love and your time.
Loss of connection between friends
Being with your friends can be fun.
Whether it’s bowling, attempting to make
the next internet trend or binge-watch-
ing a popular show on Netflix. However,
if you spend too much time with your
sweet one (or binge-watching, for that
matter), you may start to lose touch with
your friends. They may start to think that
your significant other is your top priority
and may start leaving you out.
The dreaded break-up
We’re still young and learning, which
is why love can be a bit of a risk to take
in your pre-adulthood years. Your cur-
rent relationship may be perfect for the
moment. But as time goes on, changes
are in the air. Your likes and interests may
change, or may even feel trapped trying
too hard to keep them impressed. As the
lyric goes in Smash Mouth’s song, I’m A
Believer, “But the more I gave the less I
got, oh yeah.” This can lead to changes in
what you want from your relationship —
and the dreaded middle or high-school
breakup.
While it is possible that a high school
couple can last into the late years, those
chances are pretty low, and that doesn’t
automatically make an excuse for having
a significant other.
And besides, once you’ve matured,
you’ll have a better approach to relation-
ships.
T
his article isn’t meant to put down
anyone that may have a special some-
one at a young age. Love and attraction
are inevitable, and love can take on many
shapes and forms that can help you grow.
It’s OK to feel affection towards someone.
It’s just a matter of maturity you have in
order to handle it.
Don’t worry though. For many of us,
we eventually find the certain someone
that we truly love. With that, I would like
to say: Happy Valentine’s Day.
LETTERS
Essential souls for radio
I write regarding the recent article
on our local noncommercial radio
station KXCR (90.7 FM) (“Voice of
Freedom,” Jan. 30) and the Feb. 2 Let-
ter to the Editor wherein Mr. Pip Cole
charitably names certain individuals,
including myself, as “pioneers” re-
garding station efforts.
Beyond those named, our initial
2006 community effort originated and
benefited at every step from the intel-
ligence, insight and efforts of scores of
“essential souls” here in the local area,
some of whom have regretfully passed
on.
These “souls” include current and
past board and committee members of
FCC station licensee West Lane Trans-
lator, which also brings the signals of
more than 10 other radio or television
stations, including OPB — at no audi-
ence cost or fees — to our area. It also
includes board and committee mem-
bers and volunteers, for the 501(c)
(3) nonprofit station manager, KXCR
Community Radio Partners.
Other scores of “essential souls”
provided crucial and essential fund-
ing that ultimately allowed the FCC
selection process to chose KXCR from
several other nonresident, competing
applications which sought only to use
the station and audience to suck fund-
ing from the local audience.
Not one of those other applications
demonstrated any concern for local
control, participation, needs or pro-
gramming.
These many “essential souls” —
from Day 1 — marshaled public
awareness of the diverse potential
benefits of a locally-controlled non-
commercial station. They dug pits for
emergency generator pads at the tow-
er site and literally helped screw the
antenna together before it was pulled
onto the tower.
In a gesture that makes KXCR (90.7
FM) the envy of other such efforts,
these “souls” financed and rebuilt the
station facility across Ninth Street
from the library, in order to defer the
original urgent and immediate prob-
lem of affording a prominent produc-
tion location accessible to the public.
These “souls” plastered station walls
and put up sound-board.
I hesitate to continue because the
tasks yet unexplained — but accom-
plished — are legion. This station is
remarkable for and because of its ef-
forts. Every task, and every “soul,” was
“essential” then — and remains more-
so to this day.
Which helps explain why KXCR has
a growing audience. And why its audi-
ence is also “essential.”
—Rand Dawson,
Siltcoos Lake
All the fuss about nothing
I have a background in design/ar-
chictural design and a few years ago
it was announced that a new “Visitors
Center” was to be built at the Southern
Gateway to Florence.
At the time, I thought “What a great
idea to have a small beacon of design
that welcomed visitors to our city.”
What we got was a little nondescript
wooden shingle building that says
nothing. Maybe something Kitch like
the Brown Derby in Hollywood or the
Oscar Myers Hotdog wagon would
have been more appropriate, but we
would have had a large seal or salmon
to house the center.
Now we come to the present day
and the concern of some citizens that
we have spent too much money re-
designing our City Hall and building
a new Pubic Works building. Let us
assume that the interior of the new
City Hall required many updates and
expansions and that Public Works was
in need of consolidating its facilities.
As for City Hall, once again we had
the opportunity to make a statement.
On three sides there are the basic ex-
terior materials but with a curving
entrance which could have been nice.
What we have is a hodgepodge of con-
fl icting materials and another failure
to make a statement.
Th e Public Works building, by com-
parison, is an understatement of good
design. Using the same building exte-
rior materials, whoever designed the
building achieved a unique design
with the use and placement of the so-
lar panels and windows with the paint
color and the fantastic orange trim on
the windows.
—Win Jolley
Florence
Some common sense
Common sense isn’t so common it
seems. My recent Letter to the Editor
(“New Year, Same Old Same O”) was
in support of protecting our country,
our president and his actions. So it is
no surprise that I ruffl ed the feathers
of some haters in our beautiful town.
Th ere is nothing ungodly about
wanting to protect our country from
illegal immigration. Th e argument
that a wall is “outdated” is a deception
used by the left to justify its pander-
ing to a group of people in the hope
of recruiting them to their side of the
political divide.
Surely, no one is so ignorant that
they don’t see the usefulness of a wall,
barrier, fence — whatever you want to
call it — to stop or divert unwanted
individuals or groups to an area where
they can be stopped.
Once again, I will state that this is
not the whole answer. Th ere are many
other things we can, and also do, in
support of our borders. Th e fact that
there are other means of illegal entry
does not mean that we ignore one over
another.
Citizenship in our great country
is diminished if it is not coveted by
its citizens. It is not something to be
given to people who use deception to
gain illegal entry to our country.
To those who share my opinion,
take heed: we are many.
God Bless the USA.
—David Eckhardt
Florence
Copyright 2019 © Siuslaw News
Siuslaw News
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Letters to the Editor policy
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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
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
@oregonlegislature.gov
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