TWO • Heppner Gazette-Tim es, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 24, 2001
Letters to the Editor
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HP neither harmless or delightful
To the Editor:
I am fascinated by the Harry
Potter letters to the Editor. Those
opposing the HP senes say that it
contains things that are harmful
to the students.
When my daughter was in
school she was required to read
one of two fiction books. One
was designed to destroy respect
for the United States in general
and
Chnstian values
in
particular. The other was
designed to teach rebellion
against government, parents and
school.
1 objected and she was given a
book I approved of. The other
students learned what the teacher
wanted them to. So, what else is
new?
The first thing we notice about
the letters supporting HP is that
there have been a lot of them
over several weeks. This means
that the belief is widespread and
not just one or two people on an
ego trip.
Most of these letters are being
written by highly educated
intelligent professionals who
know the cardinal rule of "Never
create hostility over trivia."
Intelligent professionals do not
accuse their neighbors of
ignorance, intolerance, lack of
Chnstian love, or all of the above
over "harmless," "delightful
stones" for children. Who cares?
The obvious conclusion is that
the HP senes is not "harmless,"
"delightful stones" for children.
If it were, the teachers would
drop it and select some other
harmless delightful stones for
children that the parents do not
object to. After all, who cares
about one harmless form of
children's entertainment over
another?
This brings us to the
inescapable conclusion that the
HP senes contains some political
and/or religious philosophy that
certain teachers are determined
to force on the students whether
their parents like it or not.
Apparently they consider it to be
superior to the matenal already
in use for the same purpose.
The supporters of HP are
willing to condemn their
neighbors who disagree with
them and take a lot of flak
because they know exactly what
they are promoting. Do yor
know what it is? Do you care?
(s) Dick Temple, DVM
Lexington
A good day at school became great
To the Editor,
One day last spring the
Heppner Elementary School had
a very good day. It was a very
good day for the school, because
they not only taught students, but
they also taught adults, and I was
one such adult. I still think about
that day often and I share it with
you.
I was invited to Heppner
Elementary School to participate
in a "Special Fnend" day at the
school. All the students got to
invite family and friends into the
school to show them what they
had been learning. I was invited
by my niece to attend the class of
Jannie Allen. The topic of the
day was literary elements. The
students spent the hour talking
about the literary elements they
had learned from "Harry Potter,"
the book by J.K. Rowling.
I was amazed that fifth and
sixth graders were not just
learning, but were proficient in
the use of the terms: allusion,
analysis, author's purpose, cause
and effect, characterization,
climax, comparison, conflict,
dialogue, exaggeration, fantasy,
fact and opinion, figurative
language,
foreshadowing,
metaphor, irony, onomatopoeia,
personification,
sim ile,
stereotype, theme, and the list
goes on and on. Three full pages
of literary elements were
discussed in that hour.
I was very thankful that Jannie
provided the guests with a list of
the
elements
and
their
definitions, because I could not
tell you the meaning of many of
the words on the list. 1 could not
tell you the meaning, but the
students could.
Not just some of the students,
but all of them participated.
Jannie would say, "Please recall
for your guests how J.K. Rowling
used the element of cause and
effect" and the hands would go
up. Each student could find
different areas of the Harry
Potter book where this element
had been used. The discussion
continued for many literary
elements on the list. Each time a
student was called on to
participate, they could recount a
part of the story that displayed
the use of the element.
It was a very good day for the
school. What made this day great
is what 1 learned when Jannie got
to the "theme" of the book. I was
not prepared for what I heard
from the students. The theme was
relayed in these ways; "Some
lads don't have nice parents, and
that's okay because you can leam
to live with it." "Some kids have
parents that are not nice to them,
it's not always a nice world."
"Bad things happen to nice kids."
"Some kids have parents that are
really mean to them. But even if
you have the power to stop them,
you should not use that power,
because it would be wrong." All
of the other students nodded their
heads in agreement.
At that moment I saw the
Springfield shooting, Columbine
High School and many of the
other tragic events with children.
I thought; this is the answer, this
is what's missing. Some children
don't understand that even if you
can get the power (guns, etc.)
that you should not use it,
because it's wrong. But our
children understand, in part
because of Harry Potter and
Jannie Allen. It was a great day
for Heppner Elementary School.
(s) Cyde Mane Estes
Heppner
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County should be united, not divided
distance.
To the Editor:
2. Stable enrollments in
Should a county be united in
shrinking
lone and Heppner
purpose,
support,
and
schools
(rated
"excellent" and
geography? Or should it literally
"strong" in the latest State report
be split down the middle?
Morrow County is currently card).
3. Strengthened county tax base
split into north and south factions
because
workers could find
by 93,000 acres leased by the
accessible
housing within the
State of Oregon to Boeing in the
county.
1960s. All that links the county is
4. Relief from overcrowding
a private dirt road with limited
access. For years many of us for Boardman and Irrigon
have sought a public easement schools.
5. Quicker response time for
for a road that unites the county
emergency
services.
as directly as possible.
6. More direct access to
All of that effort may soon be
defeated. As reported in the East markets for south-end farmers.
It has been argued that the land
Oregonian on Jan. 14, the State
needs
to be closed to the public
of Oregon, the R.D. Offutt
to
protect
the Washington ground
Company,
and
seven
squirrel.
However,
since the road
environmental groups are forging
a deal that would permanently affects only about 30 acres out of
divide Morrow County. If 23,000 23,000, it hardly seems a dire
acres of the property in question threat to any animal.
But the lack of a road is a dire
become a nature preserve as
threat
to the people of Morrow
planned and the road is
County.
Please write Morrow
permanently
blocked,
the
ramifications would hurt every County Commissioners Dan
Brosnan and John Wenholtz, and
town in the County.
County
Judge Terry Tallman, as
However, a public road linking
well
as
Greg Smith at our State
the two ends of Morrow County
Legislature
to urge them to insist
would have several benefits for
on a public easement for the
everyone:
1.
Improved access to north- property.
Morrow County should be
end jobs by residents of lone,
united,
not divided.
Lexington and Heppner, all of
(s) Joel Peterson
which now suffer from a lack of
(s) Lea Mathieu
job opportunities within driving
lone
HP concern not idiotic
To the Editor:
To Jeremy Rietmann, lone, and
Monika Hunter, Heppner: your
referrals to (concerns about) the
Harry Potter series as idiotic and
being "overly protective" of
worldly ways, I ask you both, do
you know what God says about
those who offend any child? Our
loving Jesus has some quite
harsh and blunt words for those
by whom these offenses come.
Please read Matthew 18:1-14,
Mark 9:42-50, Luke 17:1-2.
In John 17:9-19, Jesus prays for
his disciples and I quote Jesus,
verse 9: "I pray for them: I pray
not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me; for
they are mine." Verse 14, "I have
given them thy word; and the
world hath hated them, because
they are not of the world, even as
I am not of the world." Verse 15:
"I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but
that thou shouldest keep them
from the evil."
Jesus Christ is, "God almighty"
manifest in the flesh: John 1:1-
14. I If either of you truly have
any fear of God, Ecclesiastes 12:
13-14, you would clearly
understand the concern of parents
who know that young children
are vulnerable, impressionable,
and innocent. Sin came into this
world when man disobeyed God
by reasoning that the fruit would
make them wise. It was Satan
who misrepresented God's word.
Genesis 3:1-6.
As a Christian parent of 11
children, I take my responsibility
to teach my children God's word,
Deuteronomy 6:7, with great
respect to my God: Children who
leam to obey God through
obedience to parents make good
citizens, respect authority and
will not be led astray by peers,
but will be leaders and teachers
of good, not evil.
The Apostle Paul had a great
concern about the teaching of
God's word, that is that the whole
counsel thereof would be taught.
Paul warned about taking heed
unto ourselves and all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed
the church of God. Hebrews
20:21-29. "For I know this, that
after my departing shall grievous
wolves enter in among you, not
sparing the flock." Jesus spoke of
being aware of false prophets
which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly are
ravening wolves, Matthew 7:15.
James, the brother of Jesus wrote
in James 1:27, "Pure religion and
undefiled before God and the
Father is this, to visit the
fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world." James
warned in 3:1 "My brethren, be
not many masters (teachers)
knowing that we shall receive the
greater condemnation."
This concern over the Harry
Potter senes is not idiotic and
protecting our children from
wntten matenal which is occultic
in nature is o f the greatest
concern. By no means is this an
isolated concern to Morrow
county. I read in the February
2000 issue of 'Charisma'
magazine about the concern of
parents in Ohio, South Carolina
and Georgia. From this article,
Harry Potter is an orphaned boy
at a school for wizards.
According to this article, a pastor
named Paul Wesler says author
J.K. Rowling deals with the
occult in a fantasy way. "In the
books you find animal sacrifices,
threats of human sacrifices,
witchcraft,
wizardry
and
divination.” (pg. 61.) All of these
practices are abomination unto
God who is the author of life and
what is sin and sinful.
Deuteronomy 18: 9-13, Leviticus
19:31.
.......
I ask you both and all who read
this to look at the big picture,
what is the overall condition of
American public schools? I've
read in many articles of these
young killers who hear voices in
their heads telling them to kill.
Do we need something like this
to happen? Don't say it can't.
Remember Thurston High and
Columbine. The Titanic could
never be sunk, but it went down
on its maiden voyage. Remember
what happened to Israel's first
king, Saul. He was disobedient
and God refused him as King.
Eventually, he went to a woman
at Endor who had a familiar
spirit.
Jesus Christ said in John 14; 15,
"If ye love me, keep my
commandments." He also said in
Matthew 7:21, "Not every one
that saith unto me Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the Kingdom of
heaven: but he that doeth the will
of my Father which is in
heaven." In Matthew 10;34-36
Jesus states, "Think not that I am
come to send peace on earth: I
came not to send peace, but a
sword," (that is, God's word); 35;
For I am come to set a man at
variance against his father, and
the daughter against her mother,
and the daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law. And a man's
foes shall be they of his own
household."
What is being said here is what
Saul failed to understand as
Samuel told him: I Samuel
15:22-23. God doesn't want our
sacrifices,
he
wants
our
obedience. Thus Samuel told
Saul, "For rebellion is as the sin
of witchcraft, and stubbornness is
as iniquity and idolatry."
This is no trivial matter and the
silence of pastors speaks clearly
to why America is failing; we
fear people and not God. Revival
will only come when we see bur
true condition, and only God's
pure unpolluted word will set his
people free. If we want safe
streets and neighborhoods, let us
turn back to our God and his
word. Otherwise in our humanly
efforts we will continue to see
violence. We need God's counsel,
not man's, for God is absolute
and unchanging and so is his
great love for us all.
(s) Beryl Stillman
Lexington
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U S P S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
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under the Act o f March 3,1879 Periodical postage paid at Heppner, Oregon Office at 147
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the Heppner Gazette-Times. P O Box 337, Heppner. Oregon 97836 Subscriptions: S22 in
Morrow County, $16 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 62 years or older); $29 else
where.
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April Hilton-Sykes......................................................................................................... Editor
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Be a blood donor
To the Editor:
To the people of Morrow
County,
Many of you have seen the
posters for the Red Cross Blood
Drive. But did you make an
appointment to donate blood?
How many of you have families
who have had surgery-or maybe
yourself? Do you know anyone
who has had a car accident? How
about had a baby?
The point I'm trying to make is
all these people may need your
help; they might die without your
blood.
Now don't panic, it is only a
pint. You won't even miss it. And
just think about the lives you
might save by donating.
I am a real live person whose
life has been saved by someone
taking the time to donate. Also
my daughter, who had open heart
surgery when she was 18 months
old, probably wouldn't have
made it through surgery without
someone donating.
My father is 73 now and is in
bad health but he is a lifetime
donor of 16 gallons of blood.
That seems like an incredible
number, but that added up one
pint at a time. I can remember
when I was a child the phone
would ring, sometimes in the
middle of the night, and my Dad
would rush to the hospital. No,
he wasn't a doctor, but he was a
rare blood type.
So here we are many years later
and I donate every time I can.
Why? you might ask. I only have
to look at my little girl to answer
that
question.
Someone,
somewhere gave the gift of life,
not only to me but to an innocent
18 month-old who had a hole in
her heart and would not have
lived to be my rowdy little three .
year old that I thank God for
every day.
This could be someone in your •
family's life you save. It only
takes a little while to donate; it
only hurts for a minute - no, I’m
not going to tell you it's painless,
but it isn't the most painful thing
I've ever experienced either.
Then you can have snacks after
you are finished, usually cookies
and juice or punch.
I can promise that you will feel
much better afterwards. I'm not
sure it's the cookie though.
(s) Cassie Rhode
Heppner
St. Pat’s committee plans meeting
All interested persons and
committee chairs are encouraged
to attend the next St. Patrick's
Committee meeting on Tuesday,
Jan. 30, at 6 p.m., upstairs at
Kate's.
The schedule of events for Wee
Bit O'lreland 2001, to be held
March 16-18, will be finalized at
this time and decisions will be
made
regarding
Celtic
entertainment. The committee
has a number of excellent
options.
The committee is trying some
new things this year with the
auction scheduled for Friday
evening following the stew feed.
Tentatively,
Sunday
will
feature the Sheepdog Trials and
special Irish entertainment, free
to all the hardworking groups
and individuals who make the
event happen, as well as for those
visitors still in Heppner for the
event and the public at large.
Saturday will again feature the
Coffee Hour, Parade. Sheepdog
Trials, the Kiddee Carnival and
the Ceili featuring The Irish
Singers, Little Fiddlers, bagpipes
and stepdancing, plus much more
in Heppner to whet the appetites
of the Irish and Irish for a day.
Organizations interested in
having concessions at the
Sheepdog Trials or serving
dinner on Sunday in conjunction
with the Irish entertainment are
asked to contact Claudia Hughes
or Cara Osmin or attend the
meeting.
Super Bowl Party!
07671803
»............
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