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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1995)
The INDEPENDENT, February 22,1995 lor« Betwee»theBookend< throughout the 1950s and ’60s. Contributions and proceeds from these events were used to “buy the books desired by the public” that would provide a larger selection than could be purchased with the money provided by the city. There have been many groups and individu als throughout the years who wanted library materials, services, and facilities in Vernonia and who were willing to work hard at seeing these goals were attained. The Lions’ Club has generously seen needs and provided so lutions; Library Boards have given time and support; City Council and Budget Committee members have done th e ir best to provide monies to operate the library; local businesses have donated materials; individuals too nu merous to mention have offered and given help and, of course, the patrons—the day-to- day library users—continue to provide purpose and direction to the local library. From the earliest, developmental stages of Vernonia’s library, right to the present day, needs have been identified and solutions were found. When a request was recently made by the Library Board to spruce up the interior of the library, a member of Vernonia Pride recog nized the need and, with the help of other members of this hard-working group, is seeing that this request becomes a reality. We can all take "pride” in living in a commu nity that works together to achieve goals for the benefit of “everyone in the city,...schools, By Nancy Burch, Librarian Vernonia Public Library On May 1, 1925, the City Council of Ver nonia set aside space in the city hall for a li brary and appointed com m ittees to “solicit books, subscriptions, money and the general support of all the people of Vernonia as the li bra ry is fo r eve ryon e in the city, cam ps, schools, etc.” During 1926, donations of books and money to purchase books came from the Pythian Sisters, Oregon-American Lumber Company, Miller Mercantile Company, Lindsey Mill & Lumber Company, Staggs Safe way Stores, as well as from Mrs. Judd Green- man and many other individuals. The pro ceeds from various social affairs were donated during this year, while Camp Fire Girls mend ed broken and torn books and Boy Scouts helped collect delinquent books from forgetful or careless borrowers. During the 1930s, fund raisers included newspaper and magazine drives and a Book Week. S ilver Teas, sponsored by the Vernonia Study Club, were held as public benefits for the library in 1948 and 1949. Carnivals, with booths sponsored by Rainbow Girls, Pythian Sisters, American Legion Auxiliary, Rebekahs, V.F.W. Auxiliary, Neighbors of Woodcraft and Business & Professional Women, were held with the proceeds placed in a fund for “im provement of the Vernonia Public Library.” by the Mt. Heart Social Club, and from a com munity rummage sale were added to the li brary improvement fund during 1949. Silver teas, coffee hours, and rummage and book sales, sponsored by groups such as the Vernonia Study Club, were held regularly From page 2 and careful reasoning. I am reminded of a 1956 study by psychologist Leon Festinger and others, on the behavioral effects of deeply held beliefs. One quote is particularly apt: “When people are committed to a belief and a course of ac tion, clear disconfirming evi dence may sim ply result in deepened conviction and in- creased proselyting.” 5 y b ra ry Hours: ,;Mond&y «nd F rfd a y ^ p : 5 p.m., Wednesday » a.nySp.m.,Saturday#. B M P » ® » * s,orV Time: Thanks for the offer to de bate, Mr. C hristiansen, but one cannot debate a “believ er” . Logic and the Scientific Method are of no use in this case and, since those are my tools of choice, I’ll pass. Bob Ragsdale Vernonia In d u stry prefers no scientific discussion To the Editor: Biology is called the Sci ence of Life. I am not a biolo gist but have always been in- WATER - WATER at VERNONIA HARDWARE Presents C A S IN O N IG H T March 4th, 1995 - 7-11 p.m. 5-gal...........$4.95* 3-gal.......... $3.95* $8.00 Deposit Crock.......... $35.00 Stand.......... $25.00 4 2 9 -5 6 5 1 1026 Bridge St, Vernonia Lew's Place 934 Bridge St., Vernonia of life. It seems to me that Life lies at the heart of this d e b a te [w ith Larry C h ris tiansen, The INDEPENDENT, Feb. 8, 1995]. Mr. Christiansen says he would have little difficulty re futing my biological assump tions, then he dances away fom the subject. Biology and ecosystem science, in partic ular, are topics that industrial foresters prefer not to d is cuss. They com plicate the liv e s of th o se who would rather concentrate on getting out the cut. In d u stry p ro p a g a n d ists strive to keep the rural politi cal base and labor pool in line, ignorant and angry. Per tinent information that is not conducive to these ends must be discredited as “driver. Pressure exerted by the general public through con servation organizations and laws, are the only reasons we have any degree of protection for wildlife, water quality, old gro w th fo re s ts or hum an habitat. Industrial forestry has al ways resisted any initiative that sought to balance high timber production and the en- BOOKS Ticket Information: S P E C IA L O R D E R S — YES! $15 Single - $25 Couple CHAPTER II BOOKS Proceeds will Benefit Vernonia Preschool 10 am - 5:30 pm, Mon - Sat. 429-9991 or 429-9919 2038 M a in Street Forest G rove • 359-5673 vironm ent. It is no wonder that, increasingly, Americans have lost confidence in the credibility of this destructive juggernaut. As new in fo rm a tio n b e com es available, it is clear th a t the tre n d tow ard in creased protection for natural resources must continue. Obviously, we will always harvest timber in Oregon, but an industry currently dominat ed by a raw-material-mining mentality must give way to a more environmentally friendly one. Sustainable, ecologically sound fo re s try w ill m ean sm aller harvest levels and more habitat area left to natu ral processes. Remaining old growth forests are both the laboratories and the cla ss rooms from which the new forestry will emerge. Dennis Nelson Vernonia S p e a k o u t a g a in s t discrim ination To the Editor I guess I am an optimist or just gullible, but I see good in all people. Even the people who do evil or bad th in g s have good points. I som e times wonder where are all the good pe op le and why a re n ’t th e y speaking out? Even Jesus had supporters and people who spoke out. It is scary to speak out. Jobs or reputations could be at stake. Your pursuit of hap piness could be at stake. Je sus spoke out for what was right. None of us like unpleas ant thin gs but that do esn’t mean they don’t happen. Dis crimination is a violation of Ti tle VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and is against the law. Discrimination does hap pen and even in this commu nity. In 1992, [O regon] Labor Commissioner Mary Wendy R o be rts file d a co m p la in t against Boise Cascade in St. H elens, on b e h a lf of fiv e unidentified female workers. Boise agreed to 13 things to settle the disputed claim. On Dec. 15, 1994, there was a law suit filed in Federal Court against this same company, Boise Cascade, alleging dis crim ination. Seems strange that I didn’t read about this lawsuit in the newspaper. Feb. 1, 1995, I read an ar ticle about a Hispanic man who file d a lawsuit against Cascade Concrete Products of Scappoose, alleging d is crimination. I applaud coura geous people for standing up for their rights. They should go down in history as helping to make a better world and better conditions for all workers. Discrimination is a power issue, where someone with m ore p o w e r trie s to ta ke away the power of another. D is c rim in a tio n is a lso the knowing looks, the side com m e n ts to o th e rs , and the jokes or cartoons of question ab le ta s te ag ainst anyone Page 3 perceived as different. Dis crimination is also anti-union. There is a group, Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity, that works toward ba sic civil rights and human dig nity for all citizens. They be lieve bigotry flourishes when good people do or say noth ing. If you can donate one hour a week, or five dollars a month to speak out against bigotry, then call 543-3978. In unity we’ll have the power so we won’t be scared to speak out. In Unity, Elizabeth Beardslee St. Helens S u p p o rt e x p re ss e d fo r Bruce Hugo To the Editor: We w ere shocked and saddened to hear of County Commissioner Bruce Hugo’s gambling problems and relat ed misuse of County funds. As County employees, this tragedy affects us personally because Bruce has proven to be an excellent public admin istrator. While we in no way condone the misuse of Coun ty fu n d s (and expect the C ounty to be reim bursed prom ptly for inappropriate charges), we sincerely be lieve it would only make a dif fic u lt situ a tio n w orse if he were to leave office at this time. Bruce deserves a sec ond chance and, with all due respect to other commission ers both past and present, we w ould lik e to m ake a few comments and offer our sup port for Commissioner Hugo. S ince ta k in g o ffic e tw o years ago, Bruce has made a real difference. From the first day he took office he rolled up his sle e ve s and began w orking extrem ely hard at putting Columbia County gov ernment on solid ground. He has concentrated on the less glamorous areas of day-to- day administration, such as budgeting, labor relations and courthouse facilities. More than most com m is sioners, Bruce has been pro active in finding solutions to problems. Rather than wait ing for a crisis to occur, he has sought advice from em p lo ye e s and d e p a rtm e n t heads on how to m ake C olum bia C ounty fu n ctio n better. It has been refreshing to work with a commissioner that asks for our advice and listens to our concerns before making a decision. Bruce has done more in tw o years than many com missioners do in four. Some of his accomplishments are: 1. As budget officer, Bruce made sure the 1993-94 bud get was put on solid ground, insisting that expenditures match revenues (in the three prior years, cash carry-for ward had been used to make up budget shortfalls, thereby reducing those funds to unac ceptably low levels). To ac complish this, spending was Please see page 11
