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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2019)
4A | SATURDAY EDITION | MAY 25, 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 PHOTO BY NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS Sharing the meaning of ‘Little Flags’ Though we live in a time where the lines that di- vide us seem more clearly drawn than ever, this Me- morial Day I hope we can unite in solemn apprecia- tion for the men and wom- en throughout our nation’s history who sacrificed themselves so that we can live — and even disagree — as Americans. As adults, we tend to complicate things and ide- als. It’s days like Memori- al Day that I’m reminded how a child’s pure, unbi- ased perspective is some- times our best source of wisdom. It’s been 16 years since we introduced our oldest daughter to the meaning of Memorial Day. She was seven then, but I still re- member the short gusts of warm wind on my neck, the earthy smell of the fresh-cut grass, and the hushed snap of small American flags standing like sentries next to dozens of tombstones along the hillside at our local ceme- tery. “How come some of them have little flags, and some don’t?” my daughter asked. then shook her head. “Well, they are usually trying to protect some- thing,” I explained. “Like where they live, or their beliefs, or the right to ex- press themselves. These little flags are for people who fought for you and me — so that we could have all those things.” From the Editor's Desk Ned Hickson It was near sunset as we strolled among the tomb- stones. Though we didn’t have any family members buried there, I thought it would be a good opportu- nity to explain the mean- ing of Memorial Day to her. “Do you know what war is?” I asked. “When people fight,” she answered, then clarified herself; “A whole bunch of people.” “That’s right, but do you know why they fight?” She thought a moment, “And they died while they were fighting?” she asked and crouched in front of a small flag that had fallen over. She looked at me, and I nodded. “A lot of them did,” I answered, watching as she stuck the little flag back into the ground. “But not all of them. Some died later, after they were done fighting for us.” “But they still get a flag, right?” “That’s right.” We sat there for a mo- ment, watching as the fabric of stars and stripes waved in the evening breeze. Hugging her knees to her chest, my daughter surveyed the hilly grass and the long shadows stretching away from the setting sun. “There sure are a lot of little flags out there,” she said finally. “Yes, there are.” She was silent again, and I began to wonder if I had laid too much reality on her. After a moment, she stood and brushed grass from the seat of her pants. “C’mon, Dad,” she said, and reached for my hand. “You ready to go?” “Uh-huh,” she said. “Af- ter we fix those other flags down there. Some of them fell over. We need to make them straight.” This Memorial Day, take time to notice the little flags. There are many. And they all deserve our attention... LETTERS Help damaged birch trees I was so sad to find the farthest west birch tree along 27th Street by the middle school stripped of all its bark along the base of the tree. I have always been taught that when a tree is stripped of its bark, it will die. Several other trees are bad- ly damaged as well. I encourage some new plantings, some more edu- cation, and reminding the community that trees are alive and vital to our town and our health... for many reasons including cleaning the air, providing shade and habitat, preventing soil erosion, etc. Step lightly upon the earth and she will sustain you. Meanwhile, can the damaged area(s) be ban- daged in an effort to save the tree(s)? —Ivy Medow Florence Rain can’t dampen Rhody Days spirit My wife and I moved to Florence 20 years ago, and if I could place a bet on the weath- er twice a year, I would have an 80 percent chance of winning. As I am writing this, it is our Rhody Days weekend — and it is raining. Th e other rainy time of the year is Halloween. However, the liquid sunshine 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 during both celebrations does not seem to deter the web-footed Ore- gonians or visitors enjoying them- selves. Go Beavers, Ducks and fl atfoot- ed visitors. —Win Jolley Florence 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
