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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2019)
4A | SATURDAY EDITION | APRIL 20, 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 Copyright 2019 © Siuslaw News 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 Pub- lishers 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 Bartlet Ned Hickson Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Marketing Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publica- tion; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $79; 6-month in-county, $56; 10-week subscrip- tion, $25; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $102; 6-month out-of-county, $69; 10-week subscription, $35; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $134; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com Letters to the Editor policy We all have a role in reducing, preventing child abuse (Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of Guest Viewpoints regarding the 90by30 program and a month-long focus on reducing and preventng child abuse and neglect during the month of April.) plified when they extend contribution opportunities to their employees and customers. Senior citizens can play a role in the lives of Lane County youth by passing on their wisdom, time and talents to younger generations. The 90by30 project Child Abuse Pre- vention Project endeavors to reduce child abuse and neglect in Lane County 90 percent by the year 2030. This goal can be achieved by inspiring everyone in our community to take action to support parents and families, and en- sure that all youth are safe, nurtured and connected. When community members take positive action, families are supported and youth are connected, child abuse and neglect is prevented. A connected child is a protected child. But how do we make sure all kids are safe and fam- ilies are supported in our community? Each of us has a role to play in the lives of youth. For example, local busi- ness efforts to assist families are am- Guest Viewpoint By Allison Bitner 90by30 Educators play a critical role in the lives of our youth because they act on the front lines, working with children as key role models in their lives. The positive impact of these educator-stu- dent relationships extends far beyond the confines of the classroom. The role of family members is sim- ilarly significant; family members can provide non-judgmental support that can mean a world of difference to par- ents and children who turn to them for help. In the same vein as family members, trusted friends are important allies who help parents who may be experienc- ing a spectrum of emotions that come along with parenthood, from feeling scared and overwhelmed to proud and joyous. Caring neighbors play a major role in the lives of our youth as well by keeping our neighborhoods safe, healthy and family-friendly, thus children feel cared for and parents feel supported. Who else has a role in the lives of our youth? Faith communities, nonprofit and civic organizations, healthcare pro- viders, first responders, youth activity leaders, youth and teens and parents. In other words, we all have a role to play in the lives of our youth, because a connected child is a protected child. The public is encouraged to attend an open house event on Saturday, April 27, at Siuslaw Middle School, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., to meet community partners and learn about strategies being imple- mented in our region by 90by30. LETTERS The ‘Wall That Heals’ does Rand Dawson’s Letter to the Ed- itor, “Wall Partly A ‘Whitewash’ Over Fuller Vietnam Truth” (April 13) caught me completely off guard. How could anyone, other than some- one with an entirely negative view of America, form the notion that any- thing that has brought comfort to millions constitutes a “whitewash.” All wars are caused by political deceit and ineptitude. ‘Truth’ is the first casualty in any war and has be- come unrecognizable by the time the first shot is fired. Since ‘truth’ appears paramount to Mr. Dawson, perhaps he should be- gin by stating that Democrats Tru- man, Kennedy and Johnson were the escalators of the conflict. Truman in 1950 with aid to the French; Kenne- dy increasing troops to 16,000, sup- porting Diem’s assassination; and Johnson’s massive build up necessi- tating gutting Social Security to pay for both guns and butter. In the interest of fairness, Eisen- hower did send 700 or so advisers. Eisenhower warned us in his fare- well add of the Military Industrial Complex. Kennedy ignored the Brit- ish, who had tamed Malaysia and Charles de Gaulle, who warned U.S. involvement would result in “endless entanglement.” Panel 3E, Row 56: Lt. John Lance Geoghegan. Army. KIA Nov 15, 1965. Ia Drang Valley. Attempting to save one of his injured men. His daughter is 54 this year. She never knew her dad. I didn’t know Jack, but I know his story. Each time I visit the wall, I touch his name and hope his family is at peace with his sacrifice. “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” — George S. Patton If one gives any credence to the Domino Theory, there are hundreds of millions living in freedom today who might otherwise be broken by the yoke of totalitarian government. More than 3 million people visit the Wall every year from all over the world. Nearly half a million people have left mementos, some by Viet- namese refugees and boat people. “The Wall That Heals” does. —Ian Eales Florence Put Planning Commission back into art selection How fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful community sur- rounded by trees, beaches, rivers and the magnificent Central Oregon Coast. You couldn’t ask for more. With so many individuals located here with diversified artistic talent, the idea of exhibiting local artwork reflecting our community in appro- priate areas here in Florence is a fan- tastic idea. It was evident that the Public Art Committee (PAC) invested many hours of time and effort on this proj- ect, and they are to be commended for their efforts. With that said, what a disap- pointment it was for many of us at the March 18 City Council Meeting to discover that those who came to express their feelings that the mural was not a reflection of our commu- nity really weren’t heard. This was, in fact, not the purpose of the meeting at all, but actually just for final approval of the land use. Until the actual photo was pub- lished in the Siuslaw News, we be- lieve that many people were not aware that the artwork had already been chosen. Most believed they had a say (pro or con) on the content of the mural. This was evidenced by the sizable turnout at the meeting requiring a larger venue. After the meeting, it was obvious that whatever we felt about the con- tent didn’t matter. Going forward, we feel the City Council needs to modify the ap- proval process to include an oppor- tunity for all the community to have a say on the artistic content of future proposed art displayed. The final se- lection process should not be limited to a few (three committee members and two at-large members.) Per- haps it’s time to return the Planning Commission back in the final selec- tion, with appropriate information published in advance in the various medias. We need to be more transpar- ent with the community, especially those without access to the city web- site. —Ray and Susan Grewe Florence The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the edi- tor 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 sub- ject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of let- ters 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. 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 campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) En- sure 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 perspective rather than partisanship and cam- paign-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 newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publish- er, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Email 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 @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
