Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2019)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | JUNE 26, 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) The dangers of co-mingling prisons, detention centers and politics cent, men and women of- of all the children who en- tered into family detention ten spend weeks, months facilities in that time were and sometimes years in six years old or younger. prison awaiting trial for In an interview last And that was before the non-violent crimes, losing May on NPR, Homeland “Zero Tolerance” posture their jobs, homes and Security Secretary Kirstjen custody of their children first taken by past Attor- Nielsen compared the ney General Jeff Sessions, before they’ve even had a Trump administration’s chance to plead their case. which compounded the “Zero Tolerance” policy to problem by demanding The fact is, the current the same policy experi- “law and order” approach enforcement without the enced by incarcerated necessary resources to do isn’t new either. It was Americans every day in this country who are sepa- rated from their children. “If you break the law, Ned Hickson you will be prosecuted. It’s no different than what we do every day in every part echoed by President so humanely — a situation of the United States when Nixon in the late 1960s, as that still continues. an adult commits a crime,” well as Presidents Reagan But this is not a prob- Nielsen said. “We’re fol- lem that is unique to the and Clinton and their at- lowing that same policy at tempts to combat the drug Trump administration, our borders.” although its poor handling war by creating massive And she’s absolute- prison expansions to keep of it has made it uniquely ly correct. In fact, we terrible. up with the demands of have a long history of When the Obama higher incarceration rates. state-sanctioned family administration began In addition to prisons, separation that continues detaining families in large in 2014 the U.S. govern- as a widespread practice facilities back in 2014, ment massively expand- today — particularly in for-profit correctional ed its detention centers our justice system, where corporation GEO Group for immigrant families. approximately 2.7 million According to reports from answered the call with the children have a parent Karnes Detention Center the Lutheran Immigra- behind bars. in Texas, which broke tion and Refugee Service And the fastest growing (LIRS) and Women’s Ref- ground at that site last group of prisoners? ugee Commission (WRC), year in order to double its Women. between October 2014 and capacity. According to a report Another detention September 2015, the U.S. by the Prison Fellowship, government apprehanded center was opened by there has been a 14-fold Correction Corporation 68,334 children accom- increase of women in of America (CCA) in 2015 panied by a parent at the prison since 1970, and 80 southwest border — a 361 that holds 819 mothers percent of them are single percent increase since the and 1,000 children in a mothers. lock-down style facility. previous year. Keep in Whether guilty or inno- mind that more than half Both GEO Group and From the Editor’s Desk CCA have had facilities closed in the past (Artesia Detention Center and Hutto Detention center, respectively) due to alle- gations of abuse and poor living conditions — only to re-open somewhere else with a government contract. In a new paper written by Oregon State University sociology professor Brett Burkhardt and published this week in the journal Criminology & Pubic Policy, Burkhardt draws a clear line connecting private-run prisons and detention centers to poli- tics and special interests. In it, Burkhardt notes that “The big picture view of this industry shows that companies operating pri- vate prisons and detention centers shape politics and policies...” While I think we all agree that our borders should never be a revolv- ing door, particularly in an era with the constant threats of global terror- ism and illegal drugs, one must ask who stands to benefit most from an ever-expanding system of prisons and detention centers. And whether tax dollars given to corporate prisons and detention centers is money well spent — or money spent in order to pretend that all is well. LETTERS Stand for our freedoms before we lose them I am so disappointed with the Siu- slaw News for allowing Martin Cable to include in his letter to the edi- tor a despicable lie about President Obama. Obama’s exact words concern- ing the Constitution in his farewell speech were: “Our Constitution is a remarkable, beautiful gift. But it’s re- ally just a piece of parchment. It has no power on its own. We, the people, give it power. We, the people, give it meaning. With our participation and with the choices that we make, and the alliances that we forge. Whether or not we stand up for our freedoms. Whether or not we respect and en- force the rule of law. That’s up to us. America is no fragile thing. But the gains of our long journey to freedom are not assured.” Mr. Cable twisted and changed these words and took them out of all context to suggest that President Obama does not respect the constitu- tion. It is President Trump who cher- rypicks the Constitution to suit his agenda (or maybe he really doesn’t know what it says, though he took an oath to defend it). He apparently doesn’t care for the First Amendment, which protects a free press and freedom of speech (since he threatens journalists with libel, calls for sanctions against “Sat- urday Night Live” for its satire of him and suggests that peacefully protest- ing football players “maybe shouldn’t be in the country”); or the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees due process (since he seems to be in favor of targeting the families of terrorists, wants to deny immigrants due pro- cess); or the Eighth Amendment, which prevents cruel and unusual punishment (he has expressed great enthusiasm for waterboarding); or Article 1, which enshrines the sep- aration of powers (as he attacks the judiciary when they won’t do his bid- ding, usurps the powers of Congress when they won’t do his bidding, and suggests the whole system of checks and balances must be changed be- cause it restricts his power). Our constitutional democracy is under attack on multiple fronts from this man-who-would-be-king, while a complicit Senate enables and en- courages his dictatorial impulses. President Obama was right — it’s time to stand up for our freedoms, before we lose them. —Donna Mlinek Florence Abuse of power in Salem It is obvious that the Democrat power structure in Salem will do whatever it wishes, irregardless of public opinion. They can act this way because blind devotion to the party ensures their re-election no matter what they do. The Cap and Trade issue is a mat- ter that is so important to all Orego- nians that the public should decide that issue at the ballot box. I am an independent voter and my wife is a life-long Democrat. We are both alarmed at the abuse of power issu- ing from Salem. This abuse is shown when 66 percent of voters said that undocumented persons should not be issued drivers licenses — yet Gov. Brown proceeds to overrule the pub- lic vote. By definition, that is dicta- torship. Also, the Gov. Brown wants to cir- cumvent the 12th Amendment by re- quiring that Oregon’s electoral votes be given to whomever wins the pop- ular vote — another issue that should be decided in a general election. These political dictates are un- democratic and demean the power of the public vote. —Keith Kraft Florence Stand for our freedoms before we lose them I am a 10-year resident of Flo- rentine Estates. I wish to respond to complaints from some of our resi- dents during the recent City Council meeting. Several years ago, the FEHOA Board responded to numerous re- quests by homeowners and heirs of owners to have a means by which the contents of homes could be liq- uidated. Many times, this was need- ed due to older residents needing to use assets to finance personal care at the end of their lives. Other times, heirs were unable themselves to re- move contents of a home, or simply did not need what loved ones had left behind. The board, after much discussion, determined that the only kind, com- passionate and sensible solution was to allow estate sales. Sales are limited to one time only per owner and must be conducted by a licensed outside party. There are strict regulations about traffic, park- ing and hours, which are frequently reviewed and amended as needed by the board. A very tiny fraction of owners have attempted to eliminate these sales from the start. They represent fewer than 10 of the the 440 lots in Floren- tine Estates. For years now, they have de- manded to be heard over and over at meetings and are not willing to hear the other side or budge an inch from their position. Now, we are at a point where threats have been made at estate sale personnel and board members, and our visitors have been treated unkindly. This is as sad as it is deplorable. That is not who we are. Multiple boards at multiple times have surveyed homeowners as to their wishes. Florentine owners are generally known to be considerate, kind, generous folks who care deep- ly about their neighbors. At each survey, we overwhelmingly see the need to allow estate sales, even if it is personally inconvenient for a day or two. I kindly ask the unhappy folks to consider the need and think ahead to the time when they may need an estate sale of their own. I am not now — and never have been — an FEHOA Board member. But I am a proud and happy Floren- tine homeowner. —Marta Daniels Florentine Estates 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 Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Marketing Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor 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
