4A | JULY 2, 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
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On the lighter side of fi reworks
full well their eyebrows
would grow back by
mid-summer.
My kids don’t believe
me when I tell them this.
That’s because, each July
Fourth, they have been
handed “sparklers” that
With many public
fireworks displays can-
celed this year due to so-
cial distancing require-
ments, there has been a
rise in the purchase of
fireworks at fireworks
stands everywhere.
The good news, ac-
cording to the National
Council on Fireworks
Safety (NCFS), is that
fireworks-related inju-
ries have dropped by 75
percent in the last de-
cade.
The bad news? Any-
one over the age of 30
can tell you that today’s
fireworks are about as
exciting to watch as a
pile of smoldering socks.
For example, it used
to be that “sparklers”
actually sparkled. They
showered the air with
tiny crackling embers
so bright you could see
them through your eye-
lids. The bravest kids
would spin them like
propellers,
knowing
trailer, it must be flagged
during transport.
2) You must, by law,
inform neighbors when
using any fireworks
that require a dynamite
plunger.
3) Though there is
From the Editor's Desk
Ned Hickson
are basically sticks of
incense that smell like
sulfur.
No crackle. No show-
er of sparks. Just a mo-
mentary flame as the
paper wick ignites and
then, upon reaching its
climactic flash point,
fizzles into a puff of flat-
ulent-smelling smoke.
Those who live in Ala-
bama or Tennessee have
no idea what I’m talking
about.
That’s because they
have “real” fireworks —
the kind that childhood
memories (and a good
portion of our nation’s
first-strike capabilities)
are made of. In addition,
the only real restrictions
they have are as follows:
1) If a skyrocket is
longer than your boat
no limit to the number
of M-80s you can join
together with a single
fuse, the Department
of Homeland Security
warns it can’t be held
responsible should your
area, as a precautionary
measure, be swept with
heat-seeking missiles.
4) If you have studded
tires, you must remove
them.
(This has nothing to
do with fireworks; it’s
just a friendly remind-
er from the folks at the
Highway Department.)
And lastly,
5) Any and all sky-
rockets capable of leav-
ing southern air space
must be pointed north.
The fact is, even
though I whine about
having wimpy fireworks
here in Oregon, at least
we have them. In Geor-
gia, they are illegal. In
the past, this has meant
watching public fire-
works displays or, as
many Georgians do,
simply going outside
and facing toward Ala-
bama.
Even though these
displays are beautiful,
it’s still not the same
as being knocked un-
conscious by a runaway
ground flower. Being as
I lived in Atlanta for six
years, I can tell you ille-
gal fireworks do make
their way across the Al-
abama border.
This, of course, is a
huge problem.
Especially if your boat
trailer isn’t big enough.
That all being said, my
best wishes to you and
yours as we celebrate
our nation’s Indepen-
dence Day this Saturday
in driveways across the
country.
Something that could
be the best part of this
year’s restrictions as we
once again celebrate
with friends and neigh-
bors like we used to.
Essentially, the board majori-
ty approved what amounted to a
paid vacation.
In addressing the matter, the
board majority created a false
dichotomy, making it appear as
if there were only two options:
1) Reinstatement without disci-
pline, or 2) termination.
The board was surely aware of
the range of disciplinary mea-
sures at its disposal, everything
from a letter of reprimand, to
suspension without pay, etc.
Instead, they rejected any
form of discipline whatsoever,
even opting against a proverbial
“slap on the wrist.” His opinions
were made public, so where is
his public apology?
Chief Wooten must feel en-
couraged if not emboldened.
Director Shannon referred to
Chief Wooten’s integrity.
In my eyes, the chief ’s integri-
ty level is now less than it was a
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
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Editorial
LETTERS
SLCFR Board majority
got it wrong with Wooten
On June 18, the South Lane
County Fire and Rescue Board
of Directors voted 3-to-2 to re-
instate Fire Chief John Wooten,
without discipline, after placing
him on leave for posting an in-
cendiary and divisive statement
on Facebook.
The board majority should be
ashamed of themselves.
Among the majority, Direc-
tors Munroe and Duffy char-
acterized Chief Wooten’s state-
ment as “a mistake.”
It was not a mistake; it was a
deliberate act demonstrating
very poor judgement in viola-
tion of the district’s own Stan-
dard Operating Guidelines.
Director Duffy characterized
Chief Wooten’s leave as “pretty
good discipline” when, in fact, it
was no discipline at all; it was a
non-disciplinary paid leave.
nhickson@cgsentinel.com
month ago, as is that of directors
Munroe, Duffy and Shannon.
They have lost the trust and
confidence of many in our com-
munity and are an embarrass-
ment. There will be no “return
to normalcy” as Director Shan-
non hoped for.
In comparison, Board Presi-
dent Higdon and Vice President
Radcliffe certainly have my re-
spect and appreciation.
In addressing the matter of
Chief Wooten’s conduct, they
were principled, responsible,
competent and well-reasoned in
their statements on the record. I
commend them for their efforts.
Jennifer Radcliffe’s resigna-
tion is a great loss. Also, my
gratitude to The Sentinel for the
best and most comprehensive
coverage of this matter any-
where.
— Duane Raley
Cottage Grove
Ned Hickson, Managing Editor... 541-902-3520
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