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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2021)
4A | DECEMBER 2, 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 Be Thankful, Shop Local (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.) Copyright 2021 © COTTAGE GROVE SENTINAL Letters to the Editor Policy tion of homesteads, local entrepre- neurs have been brave enough to answer the question of ‘You know what this town needs?’ and then seek to provide that answer for those around them. Locally owned businesses have formed the backbone of this town for as long as it’s been a town at all. And at a time like this, when uncer- And there are other benefits to shopping locally. Buying goods pro- duced nearby cuts down on packag- ing waste and travel costs and reduc- es our impact on the environment. Shopping locally creates jobs in ‘You know what this town needs?’ our community, allowing others to Have you ever asked that ques- choose Cottage Grove as a place to tion, then immediately followed it make a living and raise a family. The with your own answer? If you care existence of robust start-ups and much at all about the place other small businesses helps you call home, I’d be willing convince others to innovate, to bet that you have. Your think creatively and bring By Jon Stinnett friends, neighbors and the next thing that Cottage Downtown Cottage Grove Program Administrator family members probably Grove needs to town. have, too. The past year and a half The desire to improve the world tainty still looms large and the way has been a time of trials, adjust- we live in is, after all, a fundamen- forward for small-business owners ments and insecurity for many if tal driver of positive change. Such is far from clear, they need our sup- not most of us. And yet, at this time thinking often forms the building port more than ever. of year, we still gather together to blocks of progress and prosperi- One of the most satisfying aspects profess our thanks and gratitude for ty, the first steps to accomplishing of life in Cottage Grove is the ability the many gifts in our lives. Small, lo- something lasting and worthwhile. to purchase the goods and services cally owned businesses are a gift that In fact, it’s easy to imagine such con- we need and want from people we keeps on giving. versations occurring among people know and trust. Such purchases This holiday season, as we profess of all walks of life, in all cultures, for strengthen community bonds, help- our appreciation to each other, let’s as long as people have gathered to- ing us weather life’s many challeng- make a special effort to thank the gether to talk about anything at all. es together. It’s also easier to expect local entrepreneurs and small-busi- As much as we may love our com- fantastic customer service from ness owners who help make life in munity, there are still many possible someone who knows and truly cares Cottage Grove truly special. And answers to this age-old question. about us. this weekend, while we’re scurrying Some might reply that better roads Shopping locally supports our about seeking the next great deal or are sorely needed, while others friends and neighbors and keeps the hottest holiday gift, let’s choose would wish for more green space dollars circulating in our commu- to spend our money where it real- or better lighting downtown. And a nity. Small-business owners are ly counts, then say a hearty ‘thank- great many people, no doubt, would among the most enthusiastic sup- you’ to the people brave enough to say that what Cottage Grove really porters of the non-profits and other make their living bringing us what needs is a certain type of restaurant, organizations that provide recre- we want and need. store or other business. ational opportunities to our youth, Downtown Cottage Grove sup- This is where one type of of- cultural programs for all of us, and ports local projects that honor our ten-overlooked local hero comes basic necessities for those less for- heritage, strengthen the local econ- in. For as long as Cottage Grove has tunate. Our financial support helps omy and beautify our community. been anything more than a collec- them help their community. Guest Viewpoint 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: dsherwood@cgsentinel.com HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS • Sen. Floyd Prozanski District 4 State Senator PO Box 11511 Eugene, Ore. 97440 Phone: 541-342-2447 Email : sen.floydprozanski@ state.or.us 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 • Rep. Cedric Hayden LETTERS Setting the Record Straight In last week’s Sentinel (Nov. 24), the Letter to the Editor on the Opinion page entitled “A Shameful and Embarrassing Protest” proves that multiple people viewing a giv- en event will see totally different things. I witnessed the event outside the Chamber of Commerce office where a pediatric vaccine clinic was being held and saw a group of mostly, what appeared to be, young girls and senior citizens; not exactly an imposing or threatening sector of our society. I noticed a sign saying, “Educate before you vaccinate.” I witnessed some young women handing out a flyer with vaccination informa- tion on it. While the authors of the letter may take umbrage with the information that was presented in said flyer, how can they be against people being provided with infor- mation? Is it not always best to have as much information as one can gather before making a decision, especially if it is a decision regard- ing what goes into our bodies — let alone our children’s bodies? What I want answers to is: Who called these people — Newberry, Kelsh and a couple of their friends — to provide protection and safe passage? Who had the authority to call these four people in for such duties on city property? What are their qualifications for such a ser- vice when we have a fine police department here in town, who ob- viously didn’t see the need for secu- rity or protection at this event? The only shameful behavior I see here is an unknown group calling four unknown, unidentifiable peo- ple to oversee security of an event on city property. Lastly, shame on Newberry and Kelsh and your plus two for mak- ing this about race. Do you not believe that people of color, as you reference them, deserve to have all the information they possibly can acquire when making such an important decision for them- selves and their families? It is you who should feel embarrassed and ashamed with your racist “people of color” references and attempts to deny information to these same people. Shame on you. —Rosie Ladd Cottage Grove A Stand for Medical Freedom To the authors of last week’s opinion letter titled “A Shameful and Embarrassing Protest”: I was one of the first people to the Chamber of Commerce rally and I was one of the last to leave. During the event I was within 10- 15 feet of the main entrance at any given time, so it’s easy to say that I had a good sense of the happenings during the entire event. I’d like to say that in no way did we, as a group or individual- ly, attempt to intimidate or force families into the streets. We did not block intersections nor the entrance way to the Chamber or spout off about people killing their children. I did say to people that I was sor- ry for their loss and it was intended as a loss of freedom because this is in fact being forced through fear and job losses, etc. We will continue to stand for medical freedom/no force and hope that everyone really educates themselves before giving them- selves and their children something that cannot be reversed. —Sara Secord Cottage Grove A Voice for the Voiceless This letter is in response to the Letter to the Editor on the Opinion page entitled: “A Shameful and Em- barrassing Protest.” As one who stood up that day for children in my community, I found this letter to be shameful and em- barrassing ... and full of inaccurate statements. I was there when the clinic opened until it closed up an hour early. Not once did anyone in our protest group behave in a way that was anything but kind, peaceful, or respectful. What the “complaining” community heard as “loud” that day was most likely the very loud music being played by the DJ the clinic had there that day. If anyone felt intimidated by our signs and presence, perhaps their consciences were battling with truth and wisdom? Many in the community supported our pro- testing this jab clinic with positive “honks” and “thumbs-up” as they drove by. Our mission is simply to try to save the lives of children who have no choice but to go along with what their parents choose for them. We want to wake parents up to the dan- gers of this jab with truth on our signs and get parents to think. It alarms us that many parents don’t seem to be researching the ingredients in this shot — or the documented side effects (includ- ing death) before choosing to have their kids get this jab. It’s heart- breaking to us. We protest to edu- cate parents ... and hopefully keep them from making a mistake they may regret for the rest of their lives. We are a voice for the children and want to see their parents em- powered with information and faith, rather than blind obedience and fear. Standing up for the voice- less is never shameful or embar- rassing — it’s an honor! —Diane Christiansen Cottage Grove District 7 State Representative 900 Court St. NE Salem, Ore. 97301 Phone: 503-986-1407 Email: rep.cedrichayden@ state.or.us • Rep. Peter DeFazio 405 East 8th Ave. #2030 Eugene, Ore. 97401 Email: defazio.house.gov/ • 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. Eighth Ave. Eugene, OR 97401 Or call 541-682-4203 S entinel C ottage G rove 541-942-3325 Administration Jenna Bartlett, Group Publisher Gary Manly, General Manager... Ext. 1207 gmanly@cgsentinel.com Advertising Gerald Santana, Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1216 gsantana@cgsentinel.com Carla Skeel, Inside Multi-Media Sales Consultant... 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