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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2021)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | OCTOBER 13, 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) Statement on Indigenous Peoples’ Day Oregon’s Indigenous, Tribal and Native peoples have been stewards of our forests, fish, wildlife, lands and waters since time immemo- rial. Today, we recognize not only that historical and cultural her- itage, but our continuing part- oday (Oct. 11) is long over- nership with Oregon’s sovereign due. I am proud that we can officially recognize today Guest Viewpoint as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in By Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Oregon. I’d like to thank Reps. Monday, Oct. 11, 2021 Sanchez and Alonso Leon who introduced the bill this session recognizing this important day, Tribal governments as we work and everyone who worked so hard together towards a more just and to pass the bill to make today a re- equitable future. ality. Oregon’s historical treatment (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub- missions on this and other topics are always welcome as part of our goal to encourage community dis- cussion and exchange of perspec- tives.) T of Indigenous people is stained by racism, discrimination, forced removal and violence. We cannot change that past — but we can work together to dismantle the legacies of colonialism and racism just as they were built, brick by brick. No matter where you are in Oregon today, remember, you are on Indigenous land. Today, we pay our respects to the nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon, and honor all the In- digenous peoples who have long called these sacred lands their home. We are grateful to be here today. USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2021 © 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. Siuslaw News Front Office For Advertising: ext. 318 For Obituaries: ext. 320 Jenna Bartlett Chantelle Meyer Misty Berg Jeanna Petersen Mark Brennan Zac Burtt 541-997-3441 For Classifieds: ext. 320 For Faxes: 541-997-7979 Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 314 Office Manager, ext. 320 Advertising, ext. 325 Lead Reporter, ext. 317 Sports Reporter, ext. 324 DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news releases, Monday noon; Classified line ads, Monday 10 a.m.; Legal Notices and Display Ads, Friday noon. Saturday Issue—General news releases, Thursday noon; Classified line ads, Thursday 10 a.m.; Legal Notices and Display Ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year, $84; 6-month , $61; 3-month subscription, $37.50; Out of Lane County — 1-year, $107; 6-month, $74; -month subscrip- tion, $50; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year, $65; 6-month, $35; 3-month, $15. Ask about our senior discounts. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com Submit press releases to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Siuslaw News Office: 148 Maple St./PO Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 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 and Guest Viewpoints as part of a community discussion of issues on the local, state and national level. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Email letters to cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com LETTERS (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submissions on these and other topics are always welcome as part of our goal to encourage commu- nity discussion and exchange of perspectives.) Positive Environmental Change It is my sincere hope that the City of Florence can cooperate and collaborate with Raymond Furr/Leaven No Trace in order to reduce and prevent marine debris in the Siuslaw and sur- rounding waters. I hope both can find common ground by creatively developing solutions to the problem of marine debris as well as non-biodegradable trash accumulation and litter. NOAA’s Marine Debris Pro- gram awards funding for new projects and is just one example of potential opportunity. I am sure that there are also other av- enues for funding, and I strong- ly encourage both the city and Raymond to develop a team, ap- ply for a grant, and get to work. As a start, the City of Florence should recognize Raymond’s contributions thus far and be willing in earnest to become catalysts for positive environ- mental change. I want to thank Raymond and Leaven No Trace for doing the dirty work of not only clean- ing up the trash, but of raising awareness. The trash bags with faces effectively both horrified and inspired; it is shocking to be made aware of the huge amount of litter, yet inspiring to witness such an effort being made on behalf of our land and water. You have made me more aware of the amount of trash that I take to the curb each week and how much of what I buy at the grocery store is packaging, not food. The city and the county should be putting you on the payroll, not throwing you in jail. I hope that the city will be more recep- tive to your efforts and work with you in the future. Again, thanks. Maybe your filters on the drains weren’t perfect, so let’s see Public Works do better. — Lynn Untz Florence Ceiling for a Reason There has been talk about the need to increase the debt ceiling so that the U.S. will not default on its obligations. However, the current bills were provided for by prior au- thorizations and would already be included in the calculations. The debt ceiling debate is only linked to future spending. The Congress is looking for permission to add on the $3.5 trillion onto our already unsus- tainable debt. Encourage our representatives to not approve the additional debt. Ask them to use the funds that have already been authorized but not used. — Sandy Davidson Florence Policies do Align with Biblical Scripture Regarding Marshall Denton’s Letter to the Editor (“Chris- tians Rise Up,” Oct. 9), this country was not founded on Judeo-Christian values. The founding fathers were clear on separation of Church and State. Although the majority of the signers were members of one of a variety of Christian faiths, many of them were Deists. A Deist generally believes that God created Nature, but that God did not have any involve- ment in the decisions of govern- ment or our daily workings. It is also necessary to point out that one of the reasons for the Revolutionary War was that the Colonists wanted the free- dom to practice any religion they chose and not to have their religion dictated by the govern- ment. In addition, let’s keep in mind that not all Republicans are Christians, and not all Chris- tians are Republicans, as im- plied by Mr. Denton. He states that Democratic policies do not align with Biblical scripture. I would argue that Democratic policies are close to scripture in a number of areas, like welcom- ing immigrants, helping allevi- ate poverty, feeding those who do not have food and attempting to mitigate the damage being done by climate change. These challenges, among many others, will be addressed in President Biden’s and the Democrat Par- ty’s Build Back Better Act. Republicans, since the 2016 election of the former president, seem to have obstruction, dis- ruption and chaos as their ide- ology. They continue with the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. — Marybeth Marenco Florence To be considered for publication: Letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. In addition: • Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Siuslaw News cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Authors should ensure any information is ac- curate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay, and include sources where possible. • Letters have a suggested 300-word limit and may be edited for grammar and clarity. • Authors must sign their full name and include their street address (only city will be printed), as well as a daytime phone number and/or email address for verifi- cation. The person who signs the letter must be the ac- tual author. Siuslaw News does not accept anonymous Letters to the Editor. • Siuslaw News will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poet- ry, open letters, letters espousing religious views with- out reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters also may not be part of letter-writing campaigns. • Writers are limited to one published letter every two weeks. To submit to the Siuslaw News: Emailed submissions are preferred. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. The newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publish- er and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. 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
