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
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Office:
148 Maple St./PO Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
Office Hours:
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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