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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 24, 2019)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | JULY 24, 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 Publishers 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 Multimedia Sales Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Dis- play classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to pub- lication; 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 subscription, $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 LETTERS I’m greedy, selfish... and I support public art I realize that the title seems oxy- moronic, but hear me out… Why do so many cities have pub- lic art? Because it draws tourists and new residents. If this didn’t work, the practice would have been aban- doned long ago. Public art has many centuries of success all over the world. This success is quite evident, even if our mayor just doesn’t “buy it.” We already attract a lot of tour- ists, thanks to this wonderful slice of heaven that is our home. But ask any retailer in Old Town, and I wa- ger that nary a one will say that they have too many customers in Flor- ence. This is where my self-professed selfishness comes in. I’m in my re- tirement years, probably similar to many of those reading here. As I age, I will depend more and more on assistance from others: doctors, nurses and hospital staff; restaurant owners, chefs and service staff; gro- cers and the many specialists and personnel; in-home care; carpen- ters; electricians; plumbers... The list goes on and on. (My apologies if I didn’t list your profession. You also matter.) Where will these valuable work- ers come from? It certainly helps to provide a dynamic and encouraging public environment. Honestly, it does not even mat- ter if I like the art. What matters to the inner greedy, selfish me is that it attracts and retains the people who will be able to assist me in my de- clining years. Personally, I’m a little hot and cold about the products resulting from our local Public Art Committee. The murals are turning out amaz- ing; great addition for our town. The hand-painted seals are many bits of wonderful whimsey; another plus. The metal statue in front of the Se- nior Center... kinda “meh” on that one. I only have one suggestion mov- ing forward: The PAC should part- ner with employers in Florence to discuss the tastes and commonali- ties of the artist candidates they are trying to hire. Public art is a great way to assist in getting and keeping the folks we all need. Support our PAC. —Rob Welles Florence It’s OK to disagree, but not to attack I was reading the Siuslaw News article “Florence City Council Still Preoccupied With Public Art,” (July 20) about the recent City Council Meeting on July 15. It sounds like some members of the Florence City Council, includ- ing Mayor Henry, are being bullied by people who do not like the mural that PUD agreed to have put on its property, and do not understand the concept of public art as a marketing tool. Be that as it may, it should not be okay to attack our leaders, (or anyone for that matter), publicly or otherwise, because we disagree with them. Vote them out next time if it’s the town’s will, but let’s help them get on with their jobs for now by checking our own behavior. If people are coming into Ms. Lu- cio’s place of business and griping about council business — be it the mural or any other matter — she might want to consider redirecting their remarks to the public com- ment time at the next City Council meeting. A statement such as, “I appreciate your concerns but please respect the fact that I am at work now and it’s not appropriate for me to discuss city business here,” seems fitting in such a situation. This “City in Motion” has a wheel stuck in the rut over that mural. Let’s hope that this is the biggest problem we ever have to deal with — and let’s get back to other matters requiring attention. —Ivy Medow Florence Mural says we are vibrant, diverse I am a fan of our new mural. It is all the things I hope our town can be: Bright, colorful, welcoming, innovative. For me, the mural says we are not just a sleepy old coastal town; we are a vibrant, growing community that celebrates diversity — not only in our residents but also in our expres- sions of art. I appreciate the effort of all those involved in public art and hope the swirling controversies will not rob you of your passion for this project. —Jane Conkling Florence We are the architects of our own demise In response to Michael Allen’s let- ter (“Resolution To Address Climate Change,” July 20), the Paris Accords have between 0 and 8% probability of making a 0.1°C reduction in the global temperature at a cost of tril- lions. The ROI is zero. The U.S. has reduced its “carbon footprint” per- centage more than any other signa- tory. Wind energy installations in Eu- rope have stalled due to the permit- ting process and bureaucratic imped- iments, validating Ronald Reagan’s maxim: “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” A recent study shows that North- ern Hemisphere wind velocity has been decreasing for the past 40 years, down more than 30 percent in some areas. The researchers speculate it is a combination of rising tempera- tures and ever-increasing urban heat islands disrupting natural flow. An- other study shows that down-wind farms suffer a reduction in output, requiring ever more land to maintain output. Offshore wind offers some promise, at least until neglect and a 100- or 1,000-year storm wipes them out. The earth has been warmer in the past with less CO2 than today; the earth has been cooler in the past with more CO2 than today. CO2 was largely ignored based on mathematical work done at Harvard and the British Meteorological Of- fice in the 1950s said that CO2 has very little greenhouse effect as it is swamped by water vapor. Guest Viewpoint By Ian Eales Florence Not until the Thatcher govern- ment began pushing nuclear energy to break the coal miner unions in the 1980s was CO2 mentioned as a prob- lem. Recent decades uncovered artifacts buried under several feet of snow and ice: Norwegian longboats, Ötzi the Ice Man, Greenland ruins. Either the earth was warmer then and subse- quently cooled, covering the artifacts — or builders were extremely enter- prising, digging down to bury them. “Yo, Sven, ve’ll have der last laff ven dem crazy Greens find dis in one tou- sand yars...” An event similar to the 1257 Lom- bock Island volcano, the proximate cause of Viking Greenland abandon- ment, would drop global tempera- tures significantly. A more severe event such as the Yellowstone caldera would cause more severe cooling. If we are not to suffer the same starvation and global calamity, we will need massive amounts of energy to heat our cooled home. Solar and wind power output will be drastically reduced. If we have abandoned fossil fuel generation, we are signing our death warrant. Urban Greens agitate for massive regulation while their very behavior contributes massively to increased energy consumption: Alexa, mobile phones, computers, etc. Data centers require an ever-in- creasing share of global energy to store selfies, tweets and texts. We are the architects of our own demise. (Editor’s Note: NASA has gath- ered in chronological sequence the most important events in the history of climate change science. This list of milestones includes major influ- ences external to the science itself. The timeline goes back to 1800 list- ing Co2 levels, temperatures, etc. It is available online at www.history.aip. org/climate/timeline.htm.) 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
