4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| JUNE 24, 2020
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)
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Siuslaw News
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I’ll gladly do ‘the least’ I can to protect you
wife, children or friends
that could make them ill
or potentially kill them,
would I wear a mask to
eliminate that 1 percent?
Of course.
In a heartbeat.
last couple of weeks
since entering Phase Two
Reopening can see how
activity in Florence has
tripled. Yesterday alone,
I saw license plates from
California, New Mexico,
In fact, with so many
new visitors coming to
our area, I’d say it’s more
important than ever to do
“the least” we can do to
protect each other.
I’ll be the first to admit
Somehow, the wearing
that wearing a mask is a
of masks has become
pain. Glasses fog up, and
interpreted by some as
it shifts when I talk with
a political statement as,
From the Editor’s Desk
folks. I even snapped
once again, divisiveness
Ned Hickson
my own ear lobe with
has hijacked what was
the elastic once (I don’t
once common sense and
recommend it, especially
common courtesy for one
if you are within earshot
I love this community, Washington and British
another.
of others).
and if putting up with
Columbia.
If someone I cared
However, a simple
the inconvenience of
While we are relaxing
about contracted a virus
thought always crosses
wearing a mask means
restrictions allowing
from me because I wasn’t
my mind reminding me
that I could potentially
community businesses
willing to do “the least”
that the inconvenience
keep from unknowingly
to resume some level of
I could to protect them,
of wearing a mask when
spreading a virus to 1
their operations — and as it would be hard to live
I go into a public space
percent of you, I will put
a result seeing a marked
with — no matter who I
is a small price to pay
up with the foggy glasses increase in visitors from
would or wouldn’t vote
for protecting my fellow
and even the risk of ear-
well beyond a 50-mile ra- for.
community members and lobe snaps.
dius — it doesn’t mean it’s
In the end, it’s up to
visitors alike.
It’s the least I can do for also time to relax simple
each of us to protect what
If someone told me
my community, and I’m
preventative measures to is a largely at-risk com-
that there was a 1 percent glad to do it.
slow a potential spread of munity.
chance that I could
Anyone who has been
COVID-19 in our com-
It’s “the least” we can
spread something to my
out and about over the
munities.
do for each other.
LETTERS
Some people are still
spreading kindness
I was at the corner of highways
101 and 126 last Saturday, partici-
pating in the celebration for peace,
equal justice and supporting Black
lives.
Once again, I was overwhelmed
by the number of people from our
small community who came to
stand in support of their neigh-
bors.
I was also heartened by the
enormous number of honks and
waves that our group received.
I was standing on the corner
with my sign, which read: “Make
America Kind Again.”
A woman crossed the street,
approached me, commented on
my sign and put something in my
hand.
I looked and discovered a $100
bill.
More than a little taken aback, I
stuttered, “I don’t know what to do
with this.”
She replied, “Use it for kind-
ness” and walked away.
Th is is just another example of
Florence demonstrating its beauti-
ful heart.
I hope the anonymous wom-
an gets a chance to read this and
know how moved I was by her
kindness.
I know Florence Food Share will
put her donation to good use and
help distribute kindness and meals
to our neighbors in need.
—Jim Wellington
Florence
They are coming for
Jefferson, Washington
Thanks to Mr. Welles for his out-
standing letter on America’s monu-
ment desecration (“Historical Con-
text Key To Not Repeating Racist
Past,” June 13).
We are now in the “times that
try men’s souls” of which Thomas
Paine wrote. Will someone, any-
one stand against the destruction
of our sacred history by anarchists,
radicals and the anti-government
rabble mocking and abandon-
ing American history by pillaging
monuments of centuries of princi-
pled individuals named Columbus,
Lee and other Confederate generals
in the name of misdeeds?
Robert E. Lee fought for the cause
of the Tenth Amendment over an
all powerful federal government,
which he detested. At Appomattox,
the army of the Potomac veterans
saluted Lee before his meeting with
General Grant in total respect for
his honorable leadership during
immensely trying times.
The defacement and decapita-
tion of Columbus — that greatest
of Italian explorers without whom
we would be Europeans — is vile,
childish and devoid of all perspec-
tive.
They are coming for Mr. Jeffer-
son and the father of our country,
which will completely debilitate
western civilization — which seems
to be the strategy. No more Amer-
ica for these midnight marauders
with no heart, sense, historical per-
spective and certainly lacking doc-
trinal decency.
It is now or never; America or
chaos. Who will stand?
John Adams said in his mar-
velous speech on Independence
at Philadelphia, “Sir, we are in the
midst of Revolution. There will be a
great expense of blood gentleman.
However I am not without appre-
hensions, sir ... but if I am to live,
give me a country and a republic
governed by laws, a free country.”
That Republic is in danger of ex-
tinction unless good men with the
voice of a John Adams appear.
God bless America.
—Joel Marks
Florence
Change is good until it
goes overboard
I applaud NASCAR for banning
the Confederate fl ag from its races,
which was a move that has been a
long time coming.
I can also understand why peo-
ple in the South are removing
Confederate statues, although I
never gave any thought to a statute
other than they are where pigeons
poop.
But in some areas we are present-
ly going overboard with the names
of places. U of O wants to change
building names; some individuals
want to change the names of mil-
itary base names like Ft. Polk (my
basic training), Bragg and Hood.
We then have the renaming and
logos on food products. I agree
Aunt Jemima products and Uncle
Ben’s Rice should have been re-
named years ago. But it gets a bit
out of hand with Land O’ Lakes
removing the Indian Maiden from
its logo.
Who is next on this ludicrous
list? Navajo Freight Lines, Quak-
er Oats with a religious fi gure,
black wild rice because it’s consid-
ered derogatory, or our local high
school’s sports mascot the Viking?
Change is good until it goes
overboard.
—Win Jolley
Florence
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Email letters to:
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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