4A | NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Cottage Grove Sentinel 1498 E. Main St., STE 104 Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424 damien Sherwood, editor | 541-942-3325 | dsherwood@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 2021 © 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anonymous, libelous, argumentative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or without documentation will not be published.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: ‘The One You Feed’ I am honored to be Cottage Grove’s Ward 3 City Councilor and grate- ful to serve my home- town. I value your guidance and input on all decisions we make as a council. There is so much happening in the world today. What our coun- try has been through in the past two years almost feels fictional. I person- ally cannot wait until it is all behind us and we can return to our normal lives. The pandemic ushered in the greatest difference of opinion on everything from school/business closures to mask and vac- cine mandates. It’s left most of us, at one time or another, feeling helpless and a bit out of control. Never in my lifetime have I felt such a strong divide in personal, medical and political opinions. I have watched in our community as friends and families have been torn apart. Our local so- cial media pages are filled with stories of people yelling at each other in grocery stores and then proudly posting it. When I passed through the line at Safeway, I was sur- prised to see a sign at the cashier with three sim- ple words… “Please be NICE.” I thought, do we standing how the system works, it’s easy to see how our perspective could be skewed to one side or the other. It’s hard to believe that a story that is all over my news feed, may not ever come across yours. Just this week, there was a glimmer of hope as a bipartisan bill aiming to permit people to use algorithm-free tech plat- forms was introduced by members of the House. Maybe it’s time that From the City Council's desk Ward 3 Councilor Candace Solesbee really need to be remind- ed to be nice? I guess so. I have realized over the last couple of years how much our outlook is shaped by our upbring- ing, people that surround us, and the news we con- sume. Perhaps, what im- pacts us the most are the algorithms on our smart- phones and laptops. Algorithms are de- signed to log every site we visit or news article we read (establishing a pattern). It then gives us more of the same. Under- we give each other some grace? Maybe talk over a cup of coffee, like neigh- bors used to do? We could give people the chance to explain why they feel a certain way without let- ting our emotions take over. It’s possible that we might change our mind, see another side or find common ground. A friend told me a sto- ry that impacted me and I’d like to share it. An old Cherokee Chief sat down with his grand- son to teach him a life lesson. “There’s a fight going on inside of me,” he tells the young boy. “A fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. It’s full of an- ger, greed, pride and self- pity. The other wolf is good. It’s full of kindness, joy, love, forgiveness and humility.” He went on to say, “The same fight is going on in you and everyone else on earth.” His grandson was qui- et, giving this some thought before asking, “grandfather, which wolf will win?” The old chief smiled and said, “The one you feed.” We are all walking our own paths and truly do not know what others are going through. Some- times just saying hello to someone can impact them in a positive way (you may be their only hello). Take the time be a friend, a mentor or a smile on the street… it matters. Do something positive for Cottage Grove. For volunteer opportunities, contact the Community Center at 541-942-1185. Cheers to a better and kinder 2022. 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: dsherwood@cgsentinel.com HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS Oregon state 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 Email: rep.cedrichayden@ state.or.us • Rep. Peter DeFazio (House of Representatives) 405 East 8th Ave. #2030 Eugene, Ore. 97401 Oregon federal representatives 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 • Heather Buch Lane County Commissioner - District 5 Email: Heather.Buch@lane countyorg.gov 125 E. 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