COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JUNE 6, 2018
O PINION
4A
The First Amendment
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Guest Viewpoint
The trap door
By Leo Rivers
Cottage Grove resident and In-Home Caregiver
Walking to the post office, I noticed the
flag was at half-mast. Going to the front
desk, I asked, “Is the flag at half-mast be-
cause of the shooting in Texas the other
day?”
Yes, it was indeed the school shooting
of 10 students and faculty that prompted
the lowerd flag. I said to myself aloud, “I
heard the governor say that the problem
was too many doors. Great.”
I understand the logic of trearting a
high school as a tactical target for which
you want to control the entrance and exit
to harden it from attack. But one of the
charming things you see in 1950s televi-
sion shows is that children walk to school.
Children play in the streets.
Children explore the woods behind the
house and call home for permission to
Send letters to:
nhickson@cgsentinel.com or cmay@cgsentinel.com
spend the night at a friend’s house.
The more you reduce the doors, the
more you teach children there is only one
way in or out — and the outside is at war
with the inside.
By protecting schools by treating them
as an advanced military base out in hostile
territory, you may indeed choke off the
heartbreaking litany of mass shootings at
high schools — but in defending that lit-
tle patch of ground, you have surrendered
the battlefield.
Children are very aware of the message
their surroundings give them. One of the
most distressing soundbites to come out
of the wake of that shooting was a young
girl saying, “I knew it was only a matter of
time until it happened here.”
Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Colum-
bine” took his usual shotgun approach to
social commentary. But he was dead on
when he compared an American city to a
Canadian city on either side of the border,
both with similar working conditions and
economic realities — except in Canada
there were maybe two or three shootings a
year, as opposed the the U.S.’s dozens.
What was the difference?
He showed footage of television debates
and newscasts as they are done in Canada,
compared to those in the United States.
The Canadia anchors and politicians
were discussing things as adults in mea-
sured, calm tones.
The American politicians and news-
casters were barking and shaking their
fists, diminishing each other with violent
language.
I think the lesson here is if you want
peace in the U.S., you have to make your
peace with the fact that leaders have to
lead by example.
LETTERS
Thanks for supporting
the American Legion
I would like to thank every-
one who generously supported
the American Legion Auxiliary
Poppy weekend.
Legion members volunteered
their time in front of Safeway
during Memorial Day week-
end. Many people showed their
support for our local veterans
by generously donating money.
Some donors were veterans
themselves. Others donated in
memory and honor of family
members and friends.
In exchange, they received a
red poppy to wear as a remind-
er, to themselves and to others,
of soldiers who have died in
war.
All donations will be used to
help support our local veterans
with basic needs services.
For information about how
you can help veterans in our
community, contact the Amer-
ican Legion, Post #32. at 541-
942-5991.
—Celia Gowing
Cottage Grove
My commencement speech (Not that anyone asked)
T
o the Class of 2018, faculty
members, parents, dignitaries, mis-
informed wedding crashers, and
Visa/MasterCard representatives who have
gathered here today:
I am honored to have the
opportunity to address this group
of graduating seniors and impart
the wisdom I have gained since my
own graduation from high school
nearly 150 years ago.
Standing before you today, I see
the anticipation on your faces as each of you
comes to realize what sharing my wisdom
with you means: Possibly the shortest
commencement speech in school history.
Before long, you will step forward and
receive the culmination of 12 — possibly 14
— years of education. You will shake hands
with some of those who have helped guide
you to this mile-stone. And unless your last
name begins with a “Z,” you will return to
your seat as the rest your classmates step
forward to receive their diplomas. That’s
when you will silently think to yourself, “I
really shouldn’t have had that second bottle
of Mountain Dew.”
But you will sit quietly, probably cross-
legged, and deal with it. You are now
officially your own person — making your
own decisions, embracing the rewards
and accepting the consequences of those
decisions — as you embark on a journey
of independence in a world of your own
making.
At least until laundry day, when you will
return home to eat chocolate chip cookies
while mom gets the Cheeto and pizza stains
out of your favorite underwear.
That’s because having wisdom isn’t
about knowing everything. It’s also about
recognizing and acknowledging when you
don’t. Just like getting those stains out, it’s
OK to admit when you don’t know how to
do something or handle a tough situation in
life. A smart person takes own-ership of the
things they know; I wise person seeks the
knowledge of others when they don’t.
When I graduated from high school in
1984, there was no Internet.
No Siri.
No Pinterest.
And thankfully, No Kanye West.
Therefore, the Class of 1984 was expected
to know EVERYTHING.
The pressure was tremen-dous! We
hugged our parents goodbye and entered
a dark, Google-less world. We were
young pilots flying blind. Dead stick.
Rudderless. Broken-winged. And lots of
other euphemisms I am now able to Google
for occasions like this. We had no choice
but to rely on each other. We pooled our
knowledge. Challenged each other.
Together, we advanced ourselves and
society by having the courage to answer
fundamental questions like: What would
happen if we grew chia seeds on a clay pot
shaped like ‘Mr. T?’
Truth be told, it’s human nature to want
to know all the answers. At the same time,
culture dis-courages us from admitting
when we don’t have them. You’ve
now spent the better part of
your first 17 to 20 years of life
receiving an education. Not so
you’ll have all the answers, but
have the courage and wisdom
to ask the kinds of questions
that will improve your life and,
hopefully, the lives of others. This will take
more than Googling. More than Wikipedia.
Possibly even more than How-To videos on
YouTube.
It’s certainly going to take a great data and
texting plan.
However, most of all it’s going to take the
kind of determination that got you here;
sitting in these chairs; moments away from
receiving your diploma; and still regretting
that second bottle of Mountain Dew.
Yet, I look upon your faces and see my
own hope reflected in them. When you
leave here, be courageous and wise. Never
be afraid to admit you don’t have all the
answers. Those who do are destined to a life
of empty promises. Usually somewhere in
our nation’s capital.
Always remember the feeling you have
right now. The anticipation. The hope. The
unlimited possibilities. It’s who you are at
this moment.
It’s who you will always be as long as you
allow yourself to be wise…
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS
Oregon state
representatives
Oregon federal
representatives
• Sen. Floyd Prozanski
District 4 State Senator
PO Box 11511
Eugene, Ore. 97440
Phone: 541-342-2447
Email : sen.floydprozanski@
state.or.us
• Rep. Cedric Hayden
Republican District 7 State
Representative
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301
Phone: 503-986-1407
Website: www.leg.state.or.
us/hayden
Email: rep.cedrichayden@
state.or.us
• Rep. Peter DeFazio
(House of Representatives)
405 East 8th Ave.
#2030
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: defazio.house.gov/
contact/email-peter
Phone: 541-465-6732
• Sen. Ron Wyden
405 East 8th Ave., Suite 2020
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: wyden.senate.gov
Phone: (541) 431-0229
• Sen. Jeff Merkley
Email: merkley.senate.gov
Phone: 541-465-6750
C ottage G rove
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