4A | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2019 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. Sixth St.
Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424
NED HICKSON , MANAGING EDITOR |
Opinion
541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ CGSENTINEL . COM
The First Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law respect-
ing an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Govern-
ment 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)
USPS#133880
Copyright 2019 © COTTAGE GROVE SENTINAL
Letters to the Editor Policy
The Sentinel welcomes letters to the editor as part of a
community discussion of issues on the local, state and national
level.
Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters
must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address
and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters
should be limited to about 300 words. 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.
Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumentative,
sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or without
documentation will not be published.
Letters containing poetry or from outside The Sentinel
readership area will only be published at the discretion of the
editor.
Political/Election Letters:
Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely
issues of interest to our readers at-large.
Letters must: 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns
on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information
about a candidate is accurate, fair and not from second-hand
knowledge or hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support
candidates based on personal experience and perspective
rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhetoric.
Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor
column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes;
this constitutes paid political advertising.
As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper,
at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and
editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow
the above criteria.
Send letters to:
nhickson@cgsentinel.com
Just another day of fl ags at half mast
derstand that free speech
still doesn’t allow me to
yell “Fire!” in the middle
of a crowded theater.
There are common
sense rules that come
with all freedoms in
order to assure that those
freedoms are not mis-
From the Editor’s Desk
used or manipulated to
the detriment of others.
Ned Hickson
The current number of
mass shootings in Amer-
ica — and acts of gun
be hypocritical since I,
(GVA), a non-partisan,
violence in general —
too, am a gun owner.
not-for-profit organiza-
has us on a trajectory for
I’m also a motorcy-
tion that defines mass
the deadliest year since
shootings as “an incident cle owner and realize
2016, which was the first
that the days of riding
in which at least four
time the number of mass
helmetless without
people are shot, exclud-
shootings in a single year
any formal training or
ing the shooter.”
(382) topped the number
certification are long
I realize there is some
gone. That’s because laws of days in that same year.
controversy over this
It’s time we stop
number, which some gun and rules were changed
focusing on the division
and adopted in order
proponents argue is in-
between who does and
flated by including those to decrease the number
doesn’t — or who should
wounded and not killed, of senseless deaths that
and shouldn’t — own
as well as shootings that occured each year as a
guns, and instead rec-
occur in relation to gang result of not having any
real oversight or personal ognize that the current
and domestic violence.
laws and rules regarding
accountability.
I would argue that
our Second Amendment
While I fully support
anyone who has been a
the Second Amendment, right are being misused
victim of gun violence
and manipulated — to
I also support the First
— wounded or killed,
the deteriment of us all.
Amendment — but un-
gang member or family
shootings has already
outpaced that with 255
incidents since Jan. 1,
averaging more than one
mass shooting a day.
This is according to the
Gun Violence Archive
The flags were once
again at half mast as I
drove to work, continu-
ing a solemn and what
has become an all-too-
often acknowledgement
of those whose lives have
been taken during mass
shootings in America.
In the previous nine
days, 37 people had been
killed and 79 wounded,
ranging in age from 3 to
90 years old.
The attacks had
occured from Ohio to
Texas, California to Mis-
sissippi and New York.
And they had tak-
en place at shopping
centers, during festivals
and at community block
parties.
At the time, we were
217 days into the year
and the number of mass
member — should count.
If you are a gun owner,
you probably assume
I say all of this as an
argument against gun
ownership.
However, that would
LETTERS
Placing the cart
before the horse
Life, for all of us, is a matter
of priorities. Affordable housing
is a definite concern in Cottage
Grove, but it appears the city is
unaware what is most important
for its current citizens.
The Harrison School asset
could be leveraged for the City of
Cottage Grove’s future for gener-
ations. Generating revenue with a
center for our youth and commu-
nity is just one idea. Real estate
prices are increasing in Oregon,
so why take this precious asset
and give it to a land developer?
Developers arrive with big
ideas, short-sighted goals, make
the most money, then leave the
community.
Cottage Grove currently has
many priorities of concern. Add-
ing more people will only increase
current issues of street repair, our
children’s futures, maintenance
of our skate park, police and fire
response being stretched, failing
sewer systems, water costs, ag-
ing treatment plants, addiction
issues, power resource shortages,
and the very important lack of
good paying jobs for its citizens.
Before we add more people, it’s
important to plan for the already
stressed infrastructure.
I urge the City of Cottage
Grove administrators to please
reconsider the future of selling
off Cottage Grove’s land assets to
developers.
Get input before you impose
development on existing neigh-
borhoods. To increase Cottage
Grove’s population without con-
sideration of the related impact is
a flawed concept.
Cottage Grove administrators
might instead focus on creating
an environment that will bring
companies that bring jobs. Our
economic health is critical to the
foundation and future of Cottage
Grove.
A one-time profit from the sale
of a precious asset like Harrison
School puts the cart before the
horse.
—Linda Yellin
Cottage Grove
Support CG Carousel
through final concert
The Friends of the Cottage
Grove Carousel encourage you to
attend the fourth and final musical
program of the four-concert series.
It has been an immense plea-
sure presenting the Cascade Cho-
rus, Windy Ridge, Calvary Creek
and Jackie Jae and Jason Cowsill.
And the final attraction: Men from
SURF.
Those of you who have followed
the series, please remember and
note that all these talented people
gave their time and talent to bring
awareness and promotion to the
carousel project and its building
fund needs.
Friends of the Cottage Grove
Carousel are deeply appreciative of
the donated time.
And our sincere thanks to Calva-
ry Chapel and their Board of Direc-
tors and Pastor Smith for their gen-
erous dona tion of the use of their
chapel to present our concerts.
—Donald Williams
Friends of The Cottage Grove
Carousel
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS
Oregon state
representatives
Oregon federal
representatives
• Sen. Floyd Prozanski
• Rep. Peter DeFazio
District 4 State Senator
PO Box 11511
Eugene, Ore. 97440
Phone: 541-342-2447
Email : sen.fl oydprozanski@
state.or.us
(House of Representatives)
405 East 8th Ave.
#2030
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: defazio.house.gov/
contact/email-peter
Phone: 541-465-6732
• 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
• 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
S entinel
C ottage G rove
541-942-3325
Administration
Jenna Bartlett, Group Publisher
Gary Manly, General Manager... Ext. 1207
gmanly@cgsentinel.com
Gerald Santana, Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1216
gsantana@cgsentinel.com
Veronica Brinkley, Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1205
vbrinkley@cgsentinel.com
Carla Summers, Inside Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1203
csummers@cgsentinel.com
Editorial
Ned Hickson, Managing Editor... 541-902-3520
nhickson@cgsentinel.com
Damien Sherwood, Lead Reporter... Ext. 1212
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
Nick Snyder, Sports/Community News Reporter... Ext. 1204
nsnyder@cgsentinel.com
Customer Service
Meg Fringer, Office Manager, Legals, Classifieds... Ext. 1200
mfringer@cgsentinel.com
Production
Ron Annis, Production Supervisor... Ext.1215
graphics@cgsentinel.com
Subscription Mail Rates in Lane and Portions of Douglas Counties:
10 Weeks ....................................................................................$11.50
One year .....................................................................................$43.50
Senior 62+ ...................................................................................33.00
e-Edition year ............................................................................$35.00
Rates in all other areas of United States: 10 weeks, $16; 1 year, $56.50; e-Edition $35.
In foreign countries, postage extra.
No subscription for less than 10 weeks. Subscription rates are subject to change upon 30
days’ notice. All subscritptions must be paid prior to beginning the subscription and are
non-refundable.
Periodicals postage paid at Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424.
Local Mail Service:
If you don’t receive your Cottage Grove Sentinel on the Wednesday of publication,
please let us know.
Call 541-942-3325 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Advertising Ownership:
All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by the Cottage Grove Sentinel become the
property of the Cottage Grove Sentinel and may not be reproduced for any other use without
explicit written prior approval.
Copyright Notice: Entire contents ©2019 Cottage Grove Sentinel