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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2020)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | JULY 15, 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) Politics should have no place in our local government (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub- missions on this and other topics are always welcome as part of our goal to encourage community discussion and exchange of perspectives.) My first Fourth of July in Flor- ence was 1995. Over the years, the event has grown by way of more participation — musical venues, food vendors — all culminating into a fireworks display over the river celebrating our small community, our freedom and independence as a country. All of this, of course, was pre COVID-19. This past Fourth of July, I received a series of phone calls from constit- uents who were very concerned, alarmed, confused, fearful and an- gry about a group of people that had set up various presentations in Old Town’s Gazebo Park. But be- fore I address that, I’d need to pull back and say that, for all my years in Florence, most of us live, work and socialize together — and know- ing what the other’s political stripes are never mattered. What mattered most was what is best for the com- munity. That changed during our local 2018 elections. At that point, parti- sanship became a colossal disrup- tion in our ability to govern or set polices that are representative of the entire community. Instead, a 3-2 mandate has been established through which far-right ideals are governing by proxy — which does not represent all of our constituents. My hope has been that the up- coming 2020 election would help us return to true non-partisanship. Apparently, I am mistaken. Our local government has al- ways been non-partisan and much healthier for it, with the top priority being what is best for the communi- ty as a whole rather than individual political stripes. In 2018, Mayor Joe Henry, Geraldine Lucio and Woody Woodbury openly aligned them- selves and were supported by mem- bers of our far-right community — outspoken pro-Trump supporters on social media and through “Pa- triot Place,” of which Sherry Harvey was president. Coincidentally, she was also the applicant who coordi- nated the July 4th activities I men- tioned earlier. We public figures have to look at what we say and do from all sides, and choose what brings people to- gether, brings positive change and supports our community as a whole — regardless of personal political beliefs or alliances. Guest Viewpoint By Joshua Greene Florence Our opportunities for economic stability, community improvements in education, jobs, marketing our tourism, updating local building codes, investments into infrastruc- ture and partnering with entities that will help the city reach its goals — including grants and funding sources — are all dependent on the vision and non-partisanship of the Mayor and City Council members. Speaking in one unified voice is the strongest position in order to enact policy change and attracts partners. I think we can all admit that, during the past six months of 2020, our country has sailed into unchart- ed waters stressed by challenges of Black Lives Matter, a COVID-19 virus out of control, displays of po- litical maneuvering from all levels of federal government that range from misleading statements and “facts,” to outright corruption as partisan- ship agendas ripple through our na- tion’s leadership. This is not who we are as a coun- try, nor is it who we are as a small community. In the middle of Bay Street over the July 4th weekend, Sherry Har- vey reserved the Old Town Park lo- cation immediately after last year’s Fourth of July. There were three ta- bles set up this year: One to support Dick Anderson, the current mayor of Lincoln City, who is running for the District 5 seat that runs from Tillamook to Coos Bay (what does that have to do with Florence or Lane County?). The second table was to register to vote, sign a petition to recall Gov- ernor Brown and support “Second Amendment Sanctuaries,” which is a gun lobby agenda item that, so far, has passed resolutions in 270 coun- ties nationally as the NRA attempts to add laws that will end common sense gun reform items like back- ground checks. The third table was the most out of place: a pro-life booth of four tables covered with anti-abortion signs, posters planted in the lawn of Gazebo Park, and painted plaster molds illustrating the sizes of a fetus at different stages of gestation. With all due respect to this very complex issue, it cannot be simpli- fied down to only pro or against abortion. So why on Bay Street on July 4? Is this how we welcome visitors, support local businesses and at- tempt to keep our local economy going? As a member of local govern- ment, we dropped the ball by allow- ing Sherry Harvey and her group to present themselves in the heart of our Old Town Historic District with far-right political agendas and a misplaced pro-life theme. As a council, we need to introduce new policies when it comes to staking claim on city property solely for po- litical purposes. It’s worth noting that none of the participants at the July 4th event practiced social distancing and few were wearing masks. This created a dangerous opportunity for spread- ing the virus within our commu- nity as they came into contact with visitors from well beyond the city, county and state. You don’t need a permit to protest on a street corner, but you do for city property. There’s a reason for that. In hindsight, I would have ex- pected this permit to have been withdrawn based on COVID-19 alone and our responsibility as a city to follow the recommended health guidelines in avoiding large gather- ings. If nothing else, we need to ask ourselves what impression do we want to make on travelers — and es- pecially families — who come to our community to enjoy time together and away from politics. To survive and thrive econom- ically as a community, we need to ask ourselves some hard questions about the level of political partisan- ship that has taken hold of our deci- sion making at all local levels. And just as importantly, we need to be honest with ourselves and each other in answering those questions. [To clarify, these are my person- al points of view and not that of the City Council on which I serve.] LETTERS Slow down on the Siuslaw It’s recreational boating sea- son again with salmon season soon to follow. I think I can speak for several riverfront homeowners when I say, we would appreciate it if boaters would slow down when going by private docks. It won’t take that much longer to get to where you are headed. While there is no regulation that states that you have to, some common courtesy would be appreciated. I am aware of several docks that have sustained damage from boats going by too fast and too close. Please keep in mind that you are responsible for the damage you cause to private property. Slow down a bit, enjoy the beautiful Siuslaw River and we will all get along. —Mitch Sloan Florence Masks are not the answer My issue is with the COVID-19 panic, much of which I see being fueled by ig- norant national, state and local government leaders. They don’t really have a clue as to limiting the exposure to the virus. Masks are not the an- swer and, in many ways, give people a false feeling of security. According to test results I have read, depending on the type of mask worn, they can be as little as 55 effective — with bandanas being the least effective. After 40 years of being an Infection Control Officer in the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and the ci- vilian world, I can tell you that the only truly effective mask is the M5 gas mask. Viruses are 50 percent heavi- er than bacteria, which means they can generally travel up to six feet when someone coughs or sneezes. Bacteria, such as the common cold, can travel 20 to 30 feet. So unless you are having a heated argument with some- one, your risk of exposure to the virus is pretty minimal. Your chances of developing cancer are many times greater than acquiring the virus from shared, non-porous surfaces such as shopping carts. Wake up America. Stop sup- porting mask manufacturers and taking what the CDC is feeding to the media and pub- lic. The CDC is one of the most overfunded organizations in the country. I know, I dealt with their de- lays and incorrect findings for 40 years. —Jay Straley, Florence Retired Medical Laboratory Scientist A double thank you is due First, a thank you to Lois Wor- ley for expressing her thoughts on the Opinion page twice (“What Is Happening To Our Nation,” July 3; “United We Stand, United We Fall,” July 11), which reflect the thoughts of the Americans I know who love this country. Sadly, it is evident not all Americans do love our country — and many of the rest of us are getting the opinion that enough is enough of recent happenings. Secondly, thank you Siuslaw News for printing her opinion. You probably get many Letters to the Editor and, with limited space, have to choose which to print. So, we thank you for choosing to print her very thought-provok- ing and accurate message. —Tony Cavarno Florence USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2020 © Siuslaw News Siuslaw News Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. 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Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com Siuslaw News Office: 148 Maple St./PO Box 10 Florence, OR 87439 Office Hours: Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m. to noon Letters to the Editor policy The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor 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 in- clude full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publica- tion of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumen- tative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are un- sourced or documented will not be published. 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As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and editor, reserves the right to re- ject 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