4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| AUGUST 4, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
CHANTELLE MEYER , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | CMEYER @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
The First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion or prohibit-
ing the free exercise thereof; or abridg-
ing the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peace-
ably to assemble, and to petition the
Government 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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LETTERS
Copyright 2021 © Siuslaw News
Siuslaw News
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub-
missions on these and other topics
are always welcome as part of our
goal to encourage community dis-
cussion and exchange of perspec-
tives.)
Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence,
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Jenna Bartlett
Chantelle Meyer
Front Office
For Advertising: ext. 318
A Different Perspective
I am visiting your fair city and
enjoying it immensely. Until, that
is, I read a letter in your Opinion
page that demands a rebuttal. Mr.
Denton’s letter in the July 31 edi-
tion titled “Dear Democrat” has
prompted me to provide a differ-
ent perspective.
Human beings are unique. We
are the only creature on earth that
has an imagination. Our ability
to imagine things — things that
aren’t real — has led to the inven-
tion of cars, trains, airplanes, cell
phones and the internet. It has en-
abled mankind to set foot on the
moon and create life-saving vac-
cines.
But our “imagination” has also
led some of us to believe things
that are neither healthy nor help-
ful. Consequently, most Republi-
can’s believe:
• White people are superior to
people of color – we aren’t.
This is the same propaganda
Hitler used to become the chan-
cellor of Germany in 1933.
• Global warming is a hoax — it
isn’t.
It IS however the primary rea-
son people from Central America
are leaving their homes because
they can no longer grow crops or
raise livestock to feed themselves.
• The COVID vaccine will
change your DNA — it won’t.
It WILL allow all of us to resume
a “normal” life if enough people
are vaccinated.
• The economy will improve if
billionaires get another tax break
— it won’t.
The richest pay the least taxes,
as a percentage of income, and the
poorest among us pay the most.
• More guns on our streets will
make them safe — it won’t.
The Second Amendment as-
sured each of us the privilege to
own and carry a musket, not an
assault rifle.
• The terrorists that invaded the
Capitol on Jan. 6 are patriots —
they aren’t.
The insurrection — prompted
by then-President Trump — was
exactly what it appeared: an at-
tempt to overthrow the govern-
ment.
Rupert Murdock understood
this better than anyone and
through his “misinformation ma-
chine” of FOX fake news, The Wall
Street Journal and the New York
Post has convinced half the pop-
ulation of this country that only
the Republican Party can save our
democracy.
You have lots of well-educated,
but misinformed, company, Mr.
Denton. I know of lawyers, engi-
neers and doctors who still believe
in the Republican Party. Even to-
day, years after Trump stole the
Republican “banner” and im-
mersed himself in conspiracy the-
ories, they refuse to believe they
were deceived. But they were, and
so were you.
— Mark Riebau
Nashville, Tenn.
As a proud gay woman and the
daughter of a Lutheran minister,
I’d like to remind Marshall Den-
ton, and those who thought his
Letter to the Editor on Saturday,
July 31, had any merit or truth, of
the following two Bible verses:
John 8:7: “Let he who is without
sin cast the first stone” and one
of my favorites, Mathew 7:1-3:
“Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge,
ye shall be judged; and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be mea-
sured to you again. And why be-
holdest thou the mote that is in
thy brother’s eye, but considers
not the beam that is in thine own
eye?”
Methinks Mr. Denton has very
large 4x4 pressure treated beams
in both his eyes.
— Becky Goehring
Florence
Words Have Direct
Impact Upon Lives
Can We Call Ourselves
‘A City in Motion?’
Bruce Jarvis’s request July 19
that the Florence City Council
adopt a “Stand for Freedom” res-
olution to make clear that the City
of Florence “will not assist our
I looked at the agenda for an up-
coming meeting for the economic
development committee for the
City of Florence. In the meeting
packet, there was an item stating
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governor or any state agency with
the enforcement of any law, man-
date or edict that is against the
United States Constitution” is the
product of a fevered mind.
Jarvis referenced “widespread
discord and unrest … rampant in
our society today” and that “such
a resolution will serve to unite
our community and increase our
sense of personal safety.”
(The meeting is available to view
at https://vimeo.com/577221568.)
The “discord and unrest” so ram-
pant in our country is the result of
the madness of current Trumpian
Republican Party policy that seeks
to cement permanent autocratic,
one-party minority rule that is the
antithesis of one-person, one-vote
democratic practice.
In the same meeting, Sam Spayd,
referencing climate change, de-
clared that “time spent by our city
council would be better utilized
in dealing with the issues that are
right in our face ... [that] present a
definite challenge to the time our
city council has for dealing with
issues which will have a direct im-
pact upon our lives.”
The menace of climate change is
not “in our face?” Does not “have
a direct impact upon our lives?”
What can be said about such
deniers of fact, of science — these
blatant, tunnel-visioned propo-
nents of benefit solely for corpo-
rations and self — that evades de-
rision?
There are principled Republi-
cans who champion democracy,
cherish truth, respect science, val-
ue individual sacrifice and social
responsibility. Step forward.
—Harold Titus
Florence
The Beam In Thine Own Eye
that there needs to be a study on
the need for rental housing.
I am appalled.
We supposedly can’t find work-
ers to fully staff our businesses, we
have seniors and cancer patients
living in their cars and yet we still
need a study.
What I hear from many of the
more affluent in the community
is that they like our town the way
it is — “If you can’t afford to live
here then move and other similar
statements.”
Other communities our size
are working to create housing op-
portunities for workers and other
working class folks at a far better
pace than we are. I would like to
know how we can call ourselves
“A City in Motion” if we are only
moving for the wealthy and the
tourists?
— Maggie Bagon
Florence
Taxes Could Put Thousands
Back to Work
I am responding to Rory Ham-
mond’s recent Letter to the Edi-
tor (“Taxing the Wealthy Not the
Solution,” July 28) about my “Tax
the Wealthy” article on July 10.
In my Letter to the Editor, I said
that the wealthy should be taxed
big time.
Mr. Hammond stated, “Most of
the wealthy people I know are the
hardest working people I’ve ever
met.”
What I am not sure of is who he
calls wealthy, or, in his mind, what
is wealth.
He goes on to say, “Your tax
solution … is socialism at its
worst.”
I ask him if he is on Social Secu-
rity, Obamacare or Medicare? Best
socialist things we have ever done.
The wealthy in my mind are
those who exceed the limits of
reality. Just to list a few to the 25
most wealthy that I think should
be taxed at least 70% are as fol-
lows, starting at the low wealth
range:
• Laurene Powell Job: $21 billion
• Jacqueline Mars: $28 billion
• Phil Knight: $39 billion
• Michael Bloomberg: $60 bil-
lion
• Warren Buffett: $101 billion
• Alice and Jim Walton: $106
billion
• Bill Gates: $130 billion
• Mark Zuckerberg: $134 billion
• Jeff Bezos: $198 billion
I am fortunate in that I do not
have to live day to day wondering
where the next loaf of bread will
come from. Those who are more
unfortunate, due to the pandemic,
have lost their employment and in
some cases their homes.
With taxation of the wealthy
and the Infrastructure Bill that the
Biden administration is propos-
ing, it will put thousands back to
work.
— Win Jolley
Florence
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WHERE TO WRITE
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
TTY/TDD: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
Email: Sen.DickAnderson@
oregonlegislature.gov
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
State Rep.
Boomer Wright (Dist. 9)
State Sen. Dick
Anderson (Dist. 5)
160 State Capitol 900 Court St.
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Salem, OR 97301
Message Line:
503-986-1409
503-378-4582
Email: Rep.BoomerWright@
www.oregon.gov/gov
oregonlegislature.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
Lane County Dist. 1
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
Email: Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753 | 541-465-6750
Florence City Council
www.merkley.senate.gov
& Mayor Joe Henry
Florence City Hall, 250
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio Highway 101, Florence, 97439
(4th Dist.)
541-997-3437
2134 Rayburn HOB
ci.florence.or.us
Washington, DC 20515
Email comments to Florence
202-225-6416
City Recorder Kelli Weese at
541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732 kelli.weese@ci.florence.or.us
www.defazio.house.gov