4A | MAY 21, 2020 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Cottage Grove Sentinel 116 N. Sixth St. Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424 ned hickson, managing editor | 541-902-3520 | nhickson@cgsentinel.com Opinion 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 2020 © 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anonymous, libelous, argumentative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or without documentation will not be published.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: Save the date for BMD 2021 (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub- missions on this and other topics are always welcome as part of our goal to encourage community discussion and exchange of perspectives.) a one-day “Community Apprecia- tion Celebration” as a fun picnic- in-the-park style event on Labor Day Weekend. Sub-committee members con- T Guest Viewpoint o our fellow citizens and those who participate in our spring and summer community events: Sadly, all of our annual large spring and summer gatherings have been canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was difficult for the Bohemia Mining Days Board of Directors to make its decision last month to cancel the 61st annual festival. Be assured we do not take this type of decision lightly and the de- cision was made with a great deal of thought and investigation. Shortly after our press release announcing BMD would be canceled this year, we created a sub-committee to reach out to other organizations with canceled spring and summer events. The idea was to work together and plan By Don Williams, BMD President By Cindy Weeldreyer, BMD Festival Coordinator tacted colleagues in other com- munity organizations, along with many civic leaders, and the idea was well-received. The goal was to plan up to Aug. 24 in hopes the virus restrictions subsided and the health officials would allow a large gathering. If not, we would not continue plan- ning a Labor Day Weekend event. On Friday, May 8, Governor Brown announced there would be no large gatherings through Sep- tember, which halted our plans to bring us together in this fun way. We each have our own opinion of how we conduct our person- al lives. As much as our planning committee wants to call people together, we must first consider the health of our community and fellow human beings. Opposing the county and state health commissions would make it impossible to obtain liability insurance for a community event and would create legal problems as well. Our BMD sub-committee con- tinues to follow the mandate and recommendation of county and state officials. We would like the celebration as much as the com- munity does but the safety and welfare of our fellow citizens must be considered. We continue to look for oppor- tunities later this year to celebrate together. If that’s not possible, we will plan a memorable Bohemia Mining Days Celebration next year. Save the date and we’ll see you in “Bohemia City” July 16, 17 and 18, 2021. LETTERS Ban single-use plastics Most nights at around 11 p.m., you can find my best friend and I in our kitchen sharing some hot coco and an existential crisis or two. Most of them revolve around whether or not a future will exist for us considering the significant climate crisis facing the world to- day. While there are many contribu- tors to climate change, one that is particularly concerning is the use of single-use plastic. Single-use plastic never biode- grades; instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller piec- es that never leave the environ- ment. These plastics end up in our oceans, about 8 million tons per year, and find their way into our lakes and rivers as well. This puts marine life at risk, as they ingest plastic and are unable to digest, leaving them to essen- tially starve. The ocean and other waterways may seem like a world away, but we all rely on water and the wildlife within it to live. This is why we need to dramati- cally reduce the amount of dispos- able plastics being handed to con- sumers everyday. While the effort to limit single use plastics needs to be a world-wide one, every mile begins with a single step. By banning polystyrene at a county level, we are able to build support for a state-wide ban. Florence, Eugene, Ashland and Portland have already banned polystyrene. The residents of Lane County have an opportunity to lead the way towards a statewide ban and more hopeful midnight hot coco talks. —Kaitlyn Champoux Creswell Coronavirus, that’s okay. But let’s be kind (Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub- missions on this and other topics are always welcome as part of our goal to encourage community discussion and exchange of perspectives.) D ear Coronavirus: As we start to open up let’s agree to one thing: You do you, I’ll do me. That’s what America’s about. None of us have the same cir- cumstances (medically: high risk child/family member or a business about to go under, etc.). Let’s all stay in our own lanes and keep the judgement down as we be- gin to reopen. No one should feel pressured either way. Just a thought, as governors are trying to figure out how to ease back into normal, please remem- ber: Some people don’t agree with the state opening. That’s okay. Be kind. Some people are still planning to stay home. That’s okay, too. Be kind. Guest Viewpoint By Paul O’Gorman Yuma, Az. Some are still scared of getting the virus and a second wave hap- pening. That’s okay. Be kind. Some are sighing with relief to go back to work knowing they may not lose their business or their homes. That’s okay. Be kind. Some are thankful they can fi- nally have a surgery they have put off. That’s okay. Be kind. Some will be able to attend in- terviews after weeks without a job. That’s okay. Be kind. Some will wear masks for weeks. That’s okay. Be kind. Some people will rush out, get their hair or nails done. That’s okay. Be kind. The point is everyone has dif- ferent viewpoints/feelings. That’s okay. Be kind. We each have a different story. If you need to stay home, stay home. But be kind. If you need to go out, just respect others when in public. And be kind. Don’t judge fellow humans be- cause you’re not in their story. We are all in different mental states, than we were months ago. So please remember: Be Kind. 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 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... 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