4A |
WEDNESDAY EDITION
| NOVEMBER 13, 2021
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
CHANTELLE MEYER , EDITOR
Opinion
|
CMEYER @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
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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Copyright 2021 © Siuslaw News
Siuslaw News
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LETTERS
(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.)
Ideals of Education
Oh, our public schools! There
have been varied attacks — hon-
orable, or not, based on legitimate
concern for children first, or not —
continuing a long effort to disman-
tle or weaken them.
In all, it seems you are either a
supporter of public schools and
the aim to educate all children. Or
you’re not.
Public education remains a key
institution of our shared civic life.
In addition to education, public
schools provide kids food and ser-
vices they would otherwise lack.
They support learning and phys-
ical challenges some kids have.
They offer enriching experiences
— including art, music and social
engagement — beyond the reach of
each and every family.
The idea of a free education for
all children, guided by experts con-
sidering the highest and best for
all, and developing standards for
what is taught, how it’s taught, and
when and where, was long ago es-
tablished as a benefit for each and
every one of us. To sustain this, it
requires a united and prolonged
effort of civility and support,
spanning generations. An educat-
ed population tends to contribute
more to society than those lacking
basic skills.
I chose public school for my
kids. I shopped and compared and
found no great academic or social
advantage to private schools in my
area at that time—Palmdale, Cali-
fornia, 1990s.
I wanted my kids to experience
the world as it really is. A wide va-
riety and diversity has been my ex-
posure to this world. Also, I wanted
every child to be given an oppor-
tunity to learn, gain the skills they
would need to compete for jobs,
understand and consider well this
planet and humankind’s potentials,
patterns, and history, and discover
the good that is available to them
here in this moment. I wanted
them to be equipped to deal with
this life and all it takes to survive
and thrive. I also wanted them to
be free to be who they are.
The best public schools and their
educators strive to do that, in my
experience.
School boards do not need to
hear from yelling parents. They
need support, decency and reason-
ableness. As do we all.
Parents often feel frustrated and
confused in their choices of what is
best for their kids. Voices continue
to scream against public education
and the good it does. It matters
tremendously and deep down all
parents know that. Will they look
wider and deeper into the issue of
public school education? I fervent-
ly hope so.
— Darlene Norwood
Florence
Florence Festival of Books
Needs Committee Members
The Florence Festival of Books
for authors and publishers returned
this past September. Much was the
same, but much was different. It
had the same events — Friday af-
ternoon panel discussion, Friday
evening Keynote Speaker, and
book fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on
Saturday. And all events were held
at the Florence Events Center.
But there were differences. Ev-
eryone, participants as well as at-
tendees, wore masks. And there
was a much wider space for walk-
ing from table to table because
one-third of the tables had been
eliminated. This allowed for social
distancing.
The crowds for all events were
small. But those that attended
seemed pleased to be there and
bought books. Friday’s events, held
also with masks and social distanc-
ing, allowed nearly everyone to
participate in the question-answer
segments.
Comments heard over and over
were how pleased both participants
and attendees were that the Festival
of Books was happening in 2021.
There was a happy vibe!
In spite of COVID, rain and
small crowds, the Florence Festival
of Books was a success for its 10th
milestone year. Held each Septem-
ber at the Florence Events Center, it
has become one of Florence’s major
events.
That brings us to the purpose
of this letter: The FFOB Planning
Committee needs new members.
Some members are no longer
able to continue and others are
having to cut back due to day-jobs.
Without more members, there may
not be a Festival of Books next year.
The committee meets only half of
the year — once a month April to
May, twice a month June to August,
and once a week in September pri-
or to the event, with an evaluation
meeting afterwards.
Next year’s festival is scheduled
for Sept. 23 and 24. All interested
in helping keep this popular event
alive should contact the Florence
Events Center at 541-997-1994 or
aleia@eventcenter.org.
—Judy Fleagle
FFOB Co-chair & Co-founder
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. Pub-
lication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on
space available and the volume of letters received.
Email letters to cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com
To be considered for publication:
Letters must address pertinent or timely issues of in-
terest to our readers at-large. In addition:
• Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Siuslaw
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• Writers are limited to one published letter every two
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To submit to the Siuslaw News:
Emailed submissions are preferred. All letters need
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name and city will be printed. Handwritten or typed let-
ters 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
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
State Sen. Dick
Anderson (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-303
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
Email: Sen.DickAnderson@
oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep. Boomer
Wright (Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE, H-476
Salem, OR 97301
160 State Capitol 900 Court St.
PO Box 39000
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Florence, OR 97439
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
Florence City Hall, 250
Highway 101, Florence, 97439
541-997-3437
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
ci.florence.or.us
(4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Dunes City Council
Washington, DC 20515
Dunes City Hall, 82877 Spruce
202-225-6416
St., Westlake, OR 97493
541-269-2609 | 541-465-6732
541-997-3338
dunescityhall.com
www.defazio.house.gov