4A | JUNE 25, 2020 | 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)
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Letters to the Editor Policy
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community discussion of issues on the local, state and national
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Letters containing poetry or from outside The Sentinel
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editor.
Political/Election Letters:
I’ll gladly do ‘the least’ I can to protect you
wife, children or friends
that could make them ill
or potentially kill them,
would I wear a mask to
eliminate that 1 percent?
Of course.
In a heartbeat.
last couple of weeks
since entering Phase Two
Reopening can see how
activity in The Grove has
more than doubled. Yes-
terday alone, I saw license
plates from California,
In fact, with so many
new visitors coming to
the area, I’d say it’s more
important than ever to do
“the least” we can do to
protect each other.
I’ll be the first to admit
Somehow, the wearing
that wearing a mask is a
of masks has become
pain. Glasses fog up, and
interpreted by some as
it shifts when I talk with
a political statement as,
From the Editor’s Desk
folks. I even snapped
once again, divisiveness
Ned Hickson
my own ear lobe with
has hijacked what was
the elastic once (I don’t
once common sense and
recommend it, especially
common courtesy for one
if you are within earshot
This is a special com-
New Mexico, Washington another.
of others).
munity, and if putting up and British Columbia.
If someone I cared
However, a simple
with the inconvenience
While we are relaxing
about contracted a virus
thought always crosses
of wearing a mask means restrictions allowing
from me because I wasn’t
my mind reminding me
that I could potentially
community businesses
willing to do “the least”
that the inconvenience
keep from unknowingly
to resume some level of
I could to protect them,
of wearing a mask when
spreading a virus to 1
their operations — and as it would be hard to live
I go into a public space
percent of you, I will put
a result seeing a marked
with myself — no matter
is a small price to pay
up with the foggy glasses increase in visitors from
who I would or wouldn’t
for protecting my fellow
and even the risk of ear-
well beyond a 50-mile ra- vote for.
community members and lobe snaps.
dius — it doesn’t mean it’s
In the end, it’s up to
visitors alike.
It’s the least I can do for also time to relax simple
each of us to protect
If someone told me
this community, and I’m preventative measures to those most at-risk in this
that there was a 1 percent glad to do it.
slow a potential spread of community.
chance that I could
Anyone who has been
COVID-19 in our com-
It’s “the least” we can
spread something to my
out and about over the
munities.
do for each other.
LETTERS
An open letter to
my Fire Chief
Really? You say you would kill
to protect property? Have you
shot another human before?
Folks, these are stressful days
and not the time to spew violence
and anger on an unforgiving and
unforgetting social media plat-
form.
Rant to a friend in private
where their love and discretion
will cover you.
Better still, examine your heart
because your words reveal a dark
and ugly treasure.
How much better to be stand-
ing in the confidence of your
righteousness. Are you unjust or a
bully? Perhaps you should change.
We are all here to learn and
grow.
Show us a teachable heart that
sees the image of God in all our
fellow human beings.
Lead us in love.
—Sheila Hudson
Cottage Grove
Change is good until it
goes overboard
I applaud NASCAR for ban-
ning the Confederate fl ag from its
races, which was a move that has
been a long time coming.
I can also understand why peo-
ple in the South are removing
Confederate statues, although I
never gave any thought to a stat-
ute other than they are where pi-
geons poop.
But in some areas we are pres-
ently going overboard with the
names of places. U of O wants
to change building names; some
individuals want to change the
names of military base names
like Ft. Polk (my basic training),
Bragg and Hood.
We then have the renaming and
logos on food products. I agree
Aunt Jemima products and Uncle
Ben’s Rice should have been re-
named years ago. But it gets a bit
out of hand with Land O’ Lakes
removing the Indian Maiden
from its logo.
Who is next on this ludicrous
list? Navajo Freight Lines, Quak-
er Oats with a religious fi gure,
black wild rice because it’s con-
sidered derogatory?
Change is good until it goes
overboard.
—Winford Jolle
Cottage Grove
Will they come for
Jefferson, Washington?
We are now in the “times that
try men’s souls” of which Thomas
Paine wrote. Will someone, any-
one stand against the destruction
of our sacred history by anar-
chists, radicals and the anti-gov-
ernment rabble mocking and
abandoning American history by
pillaging monuments of centuries
of principled individuals named
Columbus, Lee and other Con-
federate generals in the name of
misdeeds?
Robert E. Lee fought for the
cause of the Tenth Amendment
over an all powerful federal gov-
ernment, which he detested.
At Appomattox, the army of
the Potomac veterans saluted Lee
before his meeting with Gener-
al Grant in total respect for his
honorable leadership during im-
mensely trying times.
The defacement and decapita-
tion of Columbus — that great-
est of Italian explorers without
whom we would be Europeans —
is vile, childish and devoid of all
perspective.
They are coming for Mr. Jeffer-
son and the father of our country,
which will completely debilitate
western civilization — which
seems to be the strategy. No more
America for these midnight ma-
rauders with no heart, sense, his-
torical perspective and certainly
lacking doctrinal decency.
It is now or never; America or
chaos. Who will stand?
John Adams said in his mar-
velous speech on Independence
at Philadelphia, “Sir, we are in the
midst of Revolution. There will
be a great expense of blood gen-
tleman. However I am not with-
out apprehensions, sir ... but if I
am to live, give me a country and
a republic governed by laws, a free
country.”
That Republic is in danger of
extinction unless good men with
the voice of a John Adams appear.
— Gerry Rutter
Cottage Grove
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
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