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The
The INDEPENDENT, August 19, 2004
INDEPENDENT
Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published on the
first and third Thursdays of each month, by Public Opinion
Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge St., Vernonia, OR 97064, as a
free newspaper. Publishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen. Editor,
Noni Andersen. Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410, email: noni@
the-independent.net Display Advertising, Clark McGaugh,
email: clark@the-independent.net Classified Advertising,
Rebecca McGaugh, email: rebecca@the-independent.net
Opinion
A great effort was enjoyed
by everyone at Jamboree
This year’s Friendship Jamboree was everything the
community could wish for — it was fun, it was busy,
there were activities for all ages, the crowds were huge
— and best of all…it was friendly!
The atmosphere carried right on through the week-
end and into Monday morning, too. If you were down-
town early on Monday, you might have noticed that the
streets, school grounds and parks were clean and
most sidewalks had been cleaned, too.
Congratulations to all of the volunteers who worked
both before and after Jamboree, to the groups who
took on the cleanup, and to the city public works crew.
You did a great job!
School will soon start, so
please, drive carefully!
Some kids love school, some feel differently, but
they all have one thing in common: Young children
(and occasionally older ones) forget to watch for traffic.
They are exuberant, excited and careless, in other
words, they are children.
Changes in speed laws now in effect, already make
it mandatory to drive no more than 20 miles per hour in
both Banks and Vernonia school zones. Drivers need
to be alert to kids dashing into the street and to be
extra careful at crosswalks.
Kids act like kids, so please drive carefully.
Waste Management plans
to close transfer station
The City of Vernonia was informed this week that
Waste Management plans to close the local transfer
station. This multi-national company has given our
small town about six weeks to come up with a way to
keep the transfer station open.
This topic will, of necessity, be on the agenda at the
September 7 council meeting. Undoubtedly, all ideas
will be open for consideration and anyone interested
should be sure to attend the meeting.
Letters
Changing one’s mind
is better than rigidity
To the Editor:
Once again, the President is
charging Senator Kerry with
“flip-flopping.” The president
seems to think Kerry’s ability to
take in new information is a bad
thing. (Next thing you know, the
president will be saying nasty
things about Kerry’s distin-
guished military service.)
There have been many
times in my life when I’ve
changed my opinions due to
new information. Maybe you
have, too. I think that’s a good
thing. Anyone so rigid in his
beliefs that he cannot change
his mind or admit a mistake –
even when given new facts – is
not someone I want as the
leader of our great country.
Diana Boom
Scappoose
Intolerance is recipe
for a divided nation
To the Editor:
As an Independent voter my
presidential voting history goes
like this: For Nixon in ‘72, Ford
in ‘76, Reagan in ‘80, Mondale
in ‘84, Bush in ‘88, Perot in ‘92,
Clinton in ‘96; and Gore in
2000. I am also a 60’s era U.S.
Army veteran who believes
firmly in a strong national
defense that should be applied
forcefully when the citizens of
our country are in imminent
danger or, in the case of
humanitarian need, when a
concert of nations concur that
military action is warranted or
required.
Regarding “tolerance,” I
have no doubt that tolerance
and acceptance of other cul-
tures, points of view, and
philosophies is a requirement
for our long term survival as a
nation in this increasingly com-
plicated world. I view the 2004
election cycle as arguably the
most important one since the
election of Abraham Lincoln.
Tolerance versus intolerance
seems to me the bottom line in
this election.
I suppose that there is an
argument for creating two
Americas: one nation for those
who cannot compromise or
accept the views of others and
a separate nation for everyone
else. But, I can’t help think that
a nation of homogenous-think-
ing folks would be seriously
lacking in terms of ability to
interact successfully with other
nations; in creativity and inno-
vation; and being an engaging
place to live. The current notion
of blending a certain flavor of
religious ideology with govern-
ment, I think, is a recipe for dis-
aster. Those who will take the
time to look at the historical
consequences of nations who
blend a particular ideology, phi-
losophy, or dogma into govern-
ment will likely agree.
Hopefully, the voters this
year will be diligent in pursuit of
the facts before making their
November election choices.
Joel Haugen
Scappoose
Attackers mean to
force us to leave Iraq
To the Editor:
I am writing concerning the
war with Iraq and the public’s
growing negative opinion of our
involvement in “Iraq’s affairs.”
We are all grieved when
Saddam-loyalists attack our
soldiers and take the lives of
some of them, and we often
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