Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2019)
4A | SATURDAY EDITION | MAY 18, 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) Finding our common thread of sanity during a few days of ‘crazy’ tion of flower enthusiasts, ing it for the first time each bikers and tourists, all day. It gave me a chance to co-mingling over beers, step back and truly appre- art, carnival rides, fast ciate how, with each pass- cars, corn dogs and cotton ing block, the crowds grew more diverse. After returning to Flor- candy. I’ve described it to oth- Baseball-capped Kore- ence in 1996, I spent the next 20 years living in Old ers as Sturgis meets Mardi an War veterans talking Town across from the Port of Siuslaw boardwalk. We grew accustomed to the arrival of the Davis Ned Hickson Carnival during the annu- al Rhododendron Festival and living so close that we Gras, with a little Rose Fes- with bikers whose leathers could practically high-five tival thrown in — except were stitched with Viet- riders on the Tilt-o-Whirl even better since we have nam War veteran patches; young families posing with without leaving the couch. rhododendrons. Last year was the first owners of classic cars built The banging together of carnival rides late Tue- year we haven’t lived in decades before they were aday night signaled the Old Town during Rhody born; “Captain Jack Spar- beginning of four days of Days. It was also the first row” sharing a laugh with craziness that transforms year I saw the festival as an out-of-town policeman. I watched, realizing that our quiet community of something more than just about 8,000 into a beauti- a few days of much-need- this annual bit of “cra- ful example of controlled ed craziness after a winter ziness” wasn’t so crazy. In fact, it was the kind of chaos shared by upwards of cabin fever. Having the opportuni- sanity we could use a little of 20,000 diverse visitors. For those four days, I ty to travel the few miles more of nowadays. It’s an always marvel at how our from our home on the out- example of how easily we community transforms skirts of town to the heart can find a connection with into an unlikely concoc- of the festival was like see- others, no matter how dif- From the Editor's Desk ferent, when we’re given an opportunity — or the right circumstance — to do so. In the case of our annu- al Rhododendron Festival, as the carnival rides go up, people’s guards come down. Whether a biker or banker, policeman or pi- rate, there is an unspoken agreement and genuine interest in having that shared experience togeth- er — and an understand- ing that it wouldn’t work any other way. Under normal circum- stances, these same people would likely pass each oth- er without a word, assum- ing they would even be in the same vicinity. But it’s everyone’s will- ingness to participate in that little bit of “crazy” that becomes a common thread we all share for a few days each year. Once it’s over tomorrow, I have to wonder: Which days are crazier? LETTERS Do the ends really justify the means? Last weekend, Governor Kate Brown and the Democratic lead- ership of the Oregon State Senate made a bargain with Republicans who were boycotting the Senate. The Democrats wanted a vote on the Student Success Bill and they needed two Republicans to establish a quorum for the vote to proceed. In order to get the quorum, the Dem- ocratic leadership agreed to kill two key safety bills — one an omnibus gun violence prevention bill and an- other dealing with vaccines. Subsequently, the Student Success Bill passed with an 18-11 margin, without any votes from Republi- cans. Was this bargain necessary? Our governor had the power to reign in the boycotting Republicans, but she chose not to. Why was that? Did she and her legislative col- leagues fear the backlash that might occur if she resorted to using the state police in a very public way? If our governor acted swiftly in the beginning, the quorum would have been met, the key education bill would have been passed, and two very important safety bills would advance. The Republican senators, most of whom feel safe in their districts, called her bluff and that of the Democratic Senate leaders, and they caved. This sounds very much like what is happening at the Federal level. The Democratic leadership doesn’t want to pursue impeachment for fear that the President’s base will mess up the elections. A majority of the public demands that our legislators pass bills to pro- tect us from gun violence and ram- pant diseases. Our state and federal leaders must stand tough and not bargain away what’s necessary to keep us safe. The ends do not always justify the means. —Michael Allen Florence Recent legislation part of a ‘magic show’ On May 8 in Salem, citizens of Oregon witnessed a magic show provided by the Oregon Education Association (normally referred to as the OEA) and the Democrats who control the Oregon Legislature. They focused citizens’ attention on the education portion of the current budget while ignoring the other than education portion (OTE) of Oregon’s financial needs. It was much like a magician would use one hand to distract an audience during a magic show. Hopefully, when legislators tour their districts after this current session, they will be asked what happened to the OTE portion of the budget in this session? What happened to the budgets of OSP, ODOT, DHS, ODFW, ODF, etc.? Were those budgets increased or reduced? And of course, why was the kick- er so large? In reality, it amounted to a non-interest bearing loan taken from citizens in the form of excess taxes over the past year. —Al Pearn Florence Appreciate Siuslaw Watershed efforts I just wanted to share my appre- ciation and gratitude for the Siu- slaw Watershed Council (SWC) and its efforts to help the ecosystem in Florence and other areas of Lane County. With its dedication and hard work, it has made it easier for such aquatic species as the Coho Salmon to travel through the creeks and rivers of the Lower Umpqua National Forest, as well as other Lane County areas. I would also like to thank the people of City Lights Cinemas for allowing the council to play eight short documentary films free to the public. I personally have watched the films and was impressed with what the people involved in the films were doing to help the aquatic habitats and their surrounding for- ests to grow and thrive. After all of the films were played, seven of the people who were in each documentary sat on the the stage in the theater and answered questions asked by the audience. I enjoyed the films and think that it is very important to help protect and preserve the natural life on planet Earth. Without a safe envi- ronment in which to live, there is no hope for the future of our children. I am a father and am very con- cerned about the world my daugh- ter lives in. The Earth might sur- vive, but if we keep polluting the environment, we as the human spe- cies may not. —Ebram Hubbard Florence The beauty of a ‘Pageant’ This past Wednesday, I attended my very first Rhody Coronation. I have to admit I was a bit apprehen- sive. I never was one for “beauty pag- eants,” which is what I had assumed it would be like. The idea of judging teens based on things like how big their smile is or how gracefully they wave at the audience always seemed a bit misguided to me. The Rhody Coronation, I am hap- py to say, was nothing like what I ex- pected. The evening was not about critiquing; the evening was about cel- ebrating everyone on the junior and senior courts. On the stage was a diverse group of kids — all from different back- grounds and all being supported by their fellow contestants, the panel of judges and the audience. There were waves of applause for every prince and princess. An intense sense of community and acceptance was felt throughout the auditorium; it really was beautiful. When performing their talents, I learned more about my peers than I Guest Viewpoint By Annalee Griffi s SHS student intern had in nearly two years of attending school with them. I had no idea how passionate my fellow students were about their goals and ambitions. Watching them, I felt a spark of in- spiration and excitement for the fu- ture that I hadn’t felt in a while since becoming a senior. The one emotion that really char- acterized the evening was pride — for my friends, for my fellow students and, most importantly, pride for my community. As I said, I was previously con- fused as to the appeal of the Rhody Coronation. I hadn’t understood what made it such a vital part of Florence’s Rhododendron Festival tradition. After all, it is just a “beauty pageant,” right? Wrong. After actually experiencing it my- self, I saw that the Rhody Coronation was so much more than that. It is a celebration honoring the incredible kids who come from our beautiful town. It is a coming-of-age ritual — a metamorphosis from teen to adult; from princess to Queen Rhododen- dra. 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 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
