The INDEPENDENT, November 20, 2003
Page 3
Letters
People at fault were
those who didn’t vote
To the Editor:
In the November 6th issue of
The Independent, your Editorial
Opinion piece claimed that
Oregon voters were responsi-
ble for throwing away their right
to vote for or against issues
without interference. You were
only partially correct! Your
scorn however should have
been aimed at the needed 322*
votes (*roughly 1.71% of regis-
tered voters) who doomed the
9-1-1 measure by not voting at
all. That was all that was need-
ed Countywide to ensure pas-
sage.
Some years ago, Oregon
voters did vote in the require-
ment that a minimum of 50% of
registered voters must actually
cast their vote regarding issues
authorizing approval for tax in-
creases or levies. During the
campaign prior to that election,
one of the measure’s oppo-
nents prophesied that if needed
monies were needed to contin-
ue on-going operational ex-
penses, that a lack of voters
could crush such a measure as
forcibly as an overwhelming
“No” vote.
That prophecy has occurred,
yet I STILL favor the 50% rule.
Why? Because of the too often
used tactic used by tax-gob-
bling agencies and districts to
schedule such tax-and-bond in-
crease measures during off-
peak voting campaigns. Voter
turnout is typically smaller dur-
ing such elections, and wildly
unpopular tax and bond obliga-
tion increases were nearly ‘au-
tomatically’ approved by vari-
ous special interests ‘flooding’
the voting booths to pass such
levies. Only by a special initia-
tive petition did the voters
themselves decide that enough
was enough.
I feel that a lack of voters
during a election should not be
used as a means to pass tax
and bond measures. Instead,
such measures should be
placed in front of the voters dur-
ing traditional ‘Prime’ voting
Between the Bookends
By Nancy Burch, Librarian
Vernonia Public Library
Most of the activities
that take place in the library
and many of the materials
that have been and contin-
ue to be added to the li-
brary’s collection are possi-
ble only through the efforts
and generosity of commu-
nity members. The Friends
of the Library have become invaluable, with
some individuals and organizations having made
substantial donations to support the library
through this group. One lady continues to add
books to the library’s collection in recognition of
her family. She makes a list of her favorite reads
each year, and if these books do not yet exist in
the collection, she buys them and gives them to
the library. This collection entitled “The Sally,
Jane and Arthur Connolly Collection,” contains a
wide range of books—both fiction and non-fic-
tion. When this information is entered as a
search topic, the Athena Program will list all of
the titles in this collection. There are currently 44
books in this very eclectic collection which in-
cludes such titles as The House of Gentle Men,
The Coming Plague, Old Books, Rare Friends,
and Max Perkins-Editor of Genius. I love this col-
lection because it consists of “Judy’s odd
books”—books which are not written by trendy
authors or are not usually the bestsellers, but
books which are sorely needed to give library
patrons more variety in their reading selections.
Judy recently donated again and recommend-
ed American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from
America’s Back Roads, which I’m currently read-
ing and enjoying immensely. Written by Pascale
Le Dreaoulec, this book is full of great recipes
and notable people that she and a friend en-
counter as they travel the backroads of America
from San Francisco to New York with two rules—
stay off the big freeways and look for great pie.
This is a delightful book for people who love to
eat pie, bake pie or to reminisce over pies from
the past. Included in the book are 25 recipes for
such delights as Mildred Snook’s Sour Cream
Raisin Pie, Mamma Millsap’s Open-Faced Apple
Pie, and Fike’s Lemon Pecan Pie.
The Council on American Islamic Relations
has recently donated a valuable collection of
materials to the library. Consisting of books, Au-
diocassettes, Videos and DVDs, some of the ti-
tles are Ramadan, Gender Equity in Islam, Reel
Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People,
and Islam: A Closer Look.
Yet another set of donated materials has re-
cently been received—from the Department of
Health and Human Services Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. The focus of these ma-
terials is making parents aware of questions re-
lating to vaccine-preventable diseases.
Recent purchases also reflect a variety of top-
ics. A Measure of Endurance is the heartwarm-
ing story of Steven Sharp, of Crane, Oregon,
who, after being gravely injured while using a
farm machine, takes on its powerful manufactur-
er and wins. Three Weeks in October follows for-
mer Portland Police Chief Charles Moose
through the investigation of the notorious serial
sniper near Washington, D.C. Ann Rule’s latest
true crime, Heart Full of Lies, tells of murder in
Oregon’s Wallowa County. New fiction includes
The Known World by Edward Jones, Cry No
More by Linda Howard, Safe Harbour by
Danielle Steel, and The Keeper’s Son by Homer
Hickman.
Once again, through the cooperation of the
St. Helens Bookshop, a selection of books will
be available in early December for individuals to
adopt (purchase) as gifts for the library. These
materials will be at the 20% discounted price,
which will be displayed by each item.
Those of us associated with the library are so
glad to hear that Joel Glass is once again back
home and recuperating well. Joann (his mother)
has become so valuable to the library by filling in
for me and to the Friends of the Library in so
many ways. Not only is she involved in helping
with the library and its functions, but she has got-
ten the rest of her family involved, too, and we
wish them all well as Joel recovers.
Vernonia Public Library: 701 Weed Ave.
Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.;
Tues., Thur. 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Preschool Story Time: Mondays, 10:00
a.m., when school is in session.
Phone: (503 ) 429-1818
times (i.e.: presidential and
state elections.) Yes, we would
have more issues to decide at
one time, but it would be less
expensive than the excessive
number of elections we current-
ly have, and yes, from time to
time, issues that we feel will
benefit our community’s will not
pass. But as a voter, a citizen
and as a taxpayer, I would
rather suffer the occasional
loss through the ballot box,
than to once again have special
interests “Play the Ballot Box
Game” to worm their way into
my pocketbook.
Sincerely,
Roger Grimsrud
Vernonia
*Numbers derived from the Colum-
bia County website Nov. 4 voting
results.
the Christmas food boxes.
Questions? Come and see
me at the food bank (The Amer-
ican Legion Hall at 627 Adams
Avenue) or give us a call (503-
429-1414). We’re open Tues-
day and Thursday from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
Sometimes I feel a bit guilty
asking for food for Vernonia
Cares. When you’re providing
food for 325 people a month,
and add a Christmas meal to
that project, you learn to swal-
low your pride, smile, and just
ask for help! Vernonians,
whether Cub Scouts or senior
citizens, always are willing to
come forward with that help.
You’re a great bunch of people
who show that Vernonia Cares!
Thankfully,
Sandy Welch, Director
Vernonia Cares Food Bank
Thanks, to Scouts
and all who donated Holiday open house
at Vernonia Museum
To the Editor:
I knew it— Vernonia is full or
caring and sharing people! Dur-
ing the city-wide canned food
drive on Nov. 8, this local food
bank received 1479 lb. of food.
Thanks to Cub Scout Pack 201
(who sponsored the event), to
all the other Scouts who
helped, to Angie Taylor who co-
ordinated it, to each person
who helped pick up the food
around the city, and to those
volunteers who sorted the food
here at the food bank. Of
course none of this would have
happened unless you Vernoni-
ans set the food on your front
porch for pick up. Thanks, each
one of you. It’s so wonderful to
walk in Care’s pantry and see
full shelves!
The timing of this food drive
is especially appreciated as we
gear up at Vernonia Cares for
the Christmas meal food box-
es. Because the Christmas box
is in addition to the regular food
boxes, we distribute twice as
much food in December.
You may still notice the Vernon-
ia Cares food reception barrels
at Sentry Market, Vernonia
Hardware, True Value Hard-
ware, Creatures Pet Store, Ver-
nonia 76 gas station, and the
Bridge Street Mini Mart. These
businesses agreed to continue
to receive donated food for us
until Dec. 15. Also, we will also
gladly receive your donated
turkeys or hams at our drop site
in the Providence Family Medi-
cine Parking lot on Nov 15, 22,
and December 6 and 13 from 9
am to 3 pm. These turkeys and
hams will become the meat in
To the Editor:
Vernonia Pioneer Museum is
having a Christmas open
house on Saturday, December
6, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Please stop by on your way to
the Booster Bazaar or your way
back. We have a lot of nice Ver-
nonia memorabilia. Come learn
about the history of Vernonia. It
can be really fascinating and
fun.
The museum now has a
printer/scanner and has the
ability to make copies of some
of our old photos, etc. We
charge $5.00 per copy.
We are looking for someone
to volunteer their time to build
some boxes for the old flags
that we have on display. If you
are interested, please call Enid
Parrow at 503-429-8134.
Thank you,
Donna Webb
VPMA
Scout Cabin thrives
while serving youth
To the Editor:
The Scout Cabin continues
to serve the community. In the
last three years since it was re-
built it has averaged about
forty-seven rentals a year. So
far, Vernonia has been able to
support it financially. The rent
we receive pays for utilities, in-
surance and maintenance. We
receive no other funding for this
building. The most frequent
uses have been weddings, an-
niversaries, family and class re-
unions, birthdays, etc.
Please see page 20