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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2015)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 18, 2015 4A EDITORIALS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Words carry responsibility Be considerate, quiet your dog This past week has been a reflection of what it means to live in the United States of America and to celebrate the freedoms that we treasure. Our veterans were remembered and honored on Veter- an’s Day for their love of country and for protecting and fighting for the rights that we so freely exercise on a daily basis. Their sacrifice for our beliefs as a nation were carried by them into battle during war time and continue to pres- ent day as they fight terrorism that stealthfully finds its way into our lives both here and across the world. Freedom of speech and the right to assemble rose to the forefront this past week with a written message on social media by Micky Garus, Dallas city councilman and local business man. He raised concerns about the reach of the Muslims in the United States and shared his concerns about what he sees as their beliefs. This became fuel for a fire of words that cast the whole community under a mi- croscope by media from all over the nation. People gath- ered to share their beliefs and to ask for tolerance and un- derstanding of both sides. Micky’s right to share is protect- ed by our Constitution and one that we all freely take ad- vantage of. As the newspaper that services our communi- ties, we believe in freedom of speech and press, and we will protect it and honor it as a precious right that we all share. Freedom, though, comes with great responsibility and the repercussions that can come from statements that are made by any of us. Micky’s comments unfortunately paint- ed the whole community of Dallas and surrounding area with a broad brush of intolerance. None of us want to be brought into a conversation that we didn’t invite or wish to participate in, but it happened. If we want the conversation to be different, it will be up to the citizens of Dallas and our leaders, along with our neighboring communities, to find a voice that speaks of who we are, and work to live and reflect that feeling. There is room for all at the table of discussion in sharing views and concerns as long as we remember to honor one anoth- er and listen with open minds and hearts. The conversa- tion has begun; let us not walk away from it but learn from it and educate us in who our neighbors are. No country is perfect, but our forefathers worked dili- gently to provide us with a Constitution that reflected what they believed would provide all the citizens of the United States a place of tolerance and safety. That we would re- spect one another in our freedoms of speech, to bear arms, religion, and honor life, liberty and the pursuit of happi- ness. These are not hollow words for just a few — they are for all us. PUBLIC AGENDA Public Agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov- ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County. To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via fax (503- 623-2395) or email (ionews@polkio.com). — WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • Monmouth Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722. • Polk Soil and Water Conservation Board Meeting — 6 p.m., USDA Service Center, 580 Main. St. Suite A, Dallas. 503-623- 9680 Ext. 5. THURSDAY, NOV. 19 • Polk County Fair Board — 8 a.m., Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center, Main Building, Meeting Room No. 2, 520 S. Pa- ciic Highway (99W), Rickreall. 503-623-3048. • Dallas Economic Development Committee — Noon, City Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dallas. 503-831-3502. • Monmouth Independence Networks board of direc- tors — 7:30 a.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-837-0700. MONDAY, NOV. 23 • Independence Library Board — 4 p.m., Independence Public Library, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. 503-838-1811. TUESDAY, NOV. 24 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • Independence City Council — 7:30 a.m., Independence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. What’s the deal with peo- ple who just let their dogs bark? Yes, any dog is going to bark, some more than oth- ers just by their breed; bea- gles, Chihuahuas, etc. But, to let your dog bark for no reason other than you are too lazy or clueless to train them not to is just wrong. I've had dogs. Did they bark? Yes, occasionally, but not to the point where it disturbed my neighbors. I trained them. It’s not that hard. If you can’t train them not to bark, there are hu- mane devices that the dog can wear to curb this bad and annoying habit. This seems to be another ongo- ing problem in our society these days. People are not considerate of others. Whether it be barking dogs or noisy trucks and cars. Please be considerate of others. It’s not just about you. Ali Rion Dallas Thanks to support of Veteran’s dinner I can't begin to express my appreciation to the community for their sup- port of the Independence Elks Lodge No. 1950 Veter- an’s Day dinner. So many pitched in to make the event happen. Thank you to Minet, the Barb Mylnechuk Insurance Agency, Marilyn Morton, the Three Legged Dog, and Arena Bar and Grill for your financial sup- port and to the many volun- teers who gave their time and energy to serve our vet- erans and their families. Thank you to the Polk County community for turning out to honor those who have served. Your sup- port means so much. Kathy Martin-Willis Independence No room for bigotry on council Micky Garus was elected by the voters of Dallas to the Dallas City Council. The Dallas City Council works in the best interests of the people of Dallas. There are many topics to work on: homeless families, hungry children, disabled veterans, personal and public safety, safe roads for travel, and on and on. There is no room for racism or bigotry in that chamber or any part of gov- ernment. The racist rant Micky Garus posted on Facebook and picked up by the media shows his heretofore hidden agenda. He should resign immediately. Ann Hurd Dallas Don’t let outside groups influence A city councilor from a small Polk County city ex- pressed his opinion about Sharia law on his private Facebook page. He was then publicly attacked by an out- of-state group calling his viewpoint “bigoted,” “ex- tremist and un-American,” and “Islamophobia.” It is unfortunate when an out- Want to write a letter? Letters to the editor are limited to 300 words. Longer let- ters will be edited. Election-related letters of all types are limited to 100 words. Writers are limited to one election-related letter per election season. Election letters from writers outside of Polk County are not accepted. Each writer is restricted to one letter per 30-day period. Letters that are libelous, obscene or in bad taste will not be printed. Attacks by name on businesses or individuals will not be printed. Letters must include the author’s name, address and telephone number. Letters are due by 10 a.m. on Monday and must be signed by the writer. For the complete letters policy, go on- line to www.polkio.com. side group intrudes on a small community by using misleading and untrue clichés designed to crush free speech. George Irving Dallas Councilor stepped over the line Micky Garus, your recent post defaming American Muslims and their religious beliefs was ill-advised, inac- curate and serves only to dangerously promote the hate and fear so widely held by many today. To single out any minority as the target of such hate and fear, which your campaign Facebook most outrageously did, was not, we are sure, why the citizens of Dallas elected you. In so doing, you used precisely the same tech- niques employed by the Nazis you warned your readers about, to wit: prop- agating lies, and promoting hate against a small minori- ty over and over until fear overcomes reason. You would benefit from a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., to get your facts on Hitler’s tech- niques straight. While there, take some time to visit some of the many monu- ments on which are in- scribed the words of true leaders reflecting the values of this nation. As a private citizen, you are free to hold whatever beliefs you wish and to ex- press them freely; however, you stepped over the line by doing so as an elected offi- cial. You have embarrassed your council colleagues and the community that elected you. You owe them all a deep and sincere apology. Dallas has an old and, thankfully, largely overcome sordid history in relating with minorities. Many have worked hard to put this his- tory of fear and hate to rest. Your comments remind us that the work is not over. So now is the time to lay aside your personal insecu- rities, step up to the plate with the dignity that God freely instilled in you and recognize the dignity that resides in all people, includ- ing those you chose to ma- lign. If you are unable to do this, have the courage and integrity to step aside. The rest of us have work to do. James H. Beaird-Leeper Beverly A. Beaird-Leeper Monmouth ‘European method’ not good for U.S. Those on the extreme right are constantly touting “American Exceptionalism” and denigrating ideas and processes as done in Eu- rope. Well, there is one area where we surely do not need to adapt to the Euro- pean method. We do not need to import foreign ter- rorists to shoot, or blow up our schools, theaters and cities. We have plenty of able Americans who are perfectly willing to shoot their fellow Americans to pieces without any foreign help whatsoever. Fred Brown Dallas Councilor Garus unfit to serve I assume that I would have heard about Micky Garus’s views on Islam when he ran for office on the Dallas City Council, so I think it’s fair to say that his recent anti-Islamic rant on Facebook was his coming- out-of-the-closet as a Chris- tian extremist. His deeply held fear and loathing of Islam is what one would ex- pect from Christian fanatics. What was more troubling to me though was his con- spiracy theory about Islam, and his branding of all Mus- lims as evil. Surely a man who believes this is not ra- tional, and before Politically Correct thinking we would have labeled him for what he is — paranoid. He cer- tainly isn’t capable of being a public servant because he cannot serve any of the public he views as evil, this would violate his beliefs. So why did he run for city councilman? Here’s an idea. A few years ago I read an ar- ticle describing a meeting of the leaders of some of America’s major evangelical churches, like the Southern Baptists. The meeting was to plot a strategy to combat “secularists” in the culture wars. Their strategy was simple, run people for small town public offices, like city council positions, or state legislators. That way they could take over local politics and work their way into na- tional politics with the ulti- mate aim of making the USA an official Christian na- tion, and supplanting our secular Constitution with Biblical Law. Sound far- fetched, certainly no more lunatic than Mr. Garus’s conspiracy theories. Ted Gaty West Salem Comments danger to trans youth The recent comments by Dallas council member Micky Garus are deeply troubling. Transgender youth are misunderstood and vulnerable. Because of the lack of acceptance, dis- crimination and violence, 40 percent will attempt sui- cide. Councilor Garus’s comments add to the cul- ture of violence that many transgender youth face. As a Muslim mom, I am also deeply concerned about Councilor Garus’s comments about Muslims. Our country was founded on the principles of reli- gious freedom precisely be- cause of the religious perse- cution so many people around the world have faced. His statement is an affront to the people of Ore- gon and our values as Americans. Nancy Haque Co-Director Basic Rights Oregon Portland HOW TO REACH US Vol. 140, No. 46 (USPS) - 437-380) The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875 Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General Excellence Awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, OR, Independence, OR and Monmouth, OR. Published weekly at 147 SE Court Street Dallas, Oregon 97338 Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Polk County — One Year $27 Other Oregon Counties — One Year $33 Outside of Oregon — One Year $38 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, Oregon 97338 The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no inancial responsibility for errors in adver- tisements. 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