The INDEPENDENT, February 1, 2007
Page 3
Letters
Family hurt by urgent
medical expenses
To the Editor:
Living in a small town we
tend to look out for one anoth-
er. Presently, a local family
needs our help. The Schirmeis-
ter family had an unexpected
way to spend their Christmas
this last year, and have en-
dured much emotional and fi-
nancial burden. When Hyrum,
a husband and a father of two
young ladies, went to the doc-
tor because he wasn’t feeling
well, he was unexpectedly
rushed to the hospital by ambu-
lance. Once he got to the hos-
pital he suffered further compli-
cations. Hyrum stayed in the
hospital for several weeks.
Though they had health insur-
ance, it has not covered all the
necessary expenses, nor will it
cover an additional surgery that
is needed.
An account has been set up
at Wauna Federal Credit Union
in Vernonia to help with all the
additional medical expenses for
Hyrum Schirmeister. Your do-
nations and support would be
greatly appreciated. Plans for a
can and bottle drive are in the
making, please watch for fur-
ther notice. Thanks,
Camrin Eyrrick
Vernonia
Senior Spelling Bee
wasn’t frozen out
To the Editor:
The 5th Senior Spelling Bee
was held at the Senior Center
recently, and despite the cold
weather, there was a good
turnout. Fourteen spellers com-
peted for trophies, and the win-
ners were: first place – Andy
Nebergall; second – Jim Bux-
ton; and third – George Gans.
The fourth-place speller was
also a male, Greg Kintz. How
about those guys?
Thank you to the Senior
Center for hosting the Bee, and
to Betty and Pauline for sticking
around all afternoon to help
out; to past winners Tobie
Finzel, Carol Sawyer, and Noni
Andersen – they presented the
words and checked the an-
swers; and to Bob Wagner for
his support and computer
know-how. And, as usual, Sen-
try Market for their generosity in
providing refreshments for us.
We apologize to those who
couldn’t make it because of bad
roads – we promise to pick a
better date next time.
Audeen Wagner
Vernonia
Peace requires loss
of life for all sides
To the Editor:
PEACE TAKES WORK AND
SACRIFICE! Sixty-one years
ago the WWII generation fought
a massive war which killed near-
ly 250,000 Americans and 30
million people world wide. To in-
sure that the War was not in
vain, Germany and Japan were
occupied by America for seven
years, and American troop pres-
ence remains in these countries
even today.
Immediately upon the sur-
Between the Bookends
By Sarah Vandehey, Library Assistant
Banks Public Library
Join Miss Kathy for
Preschool Story Time on
Wednesdays at 10:15 am.
Upcoming themes are:
February 7, Wacky Ways
February 14, Hugs
and Kisses
February 21, Noise
February 28, Dragon
Tails
Want to look as hip as the librarians? Come
and order your Summer Reading gear. We have
t-shirts and denim shirts for sale. This year’s
theme is “Get a Clue at Your Library.” Please
place your orders by March 1st.
Want to really impress your sweetheart this
year? Come check out some poetry to inspire
you before Valentine’s Day. We also carry a va-
riety of cookbooks, including some on preparing
chocolate treats.
Some of our newest books include:
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder. The author
of Poison Study returns with this story of intrigue
and turmoil. Yelena is free, her fiercest enemy
dead and she can return to her family. But her
brother is out to get her and she has only a year
to prove her magic talents or be put to death. Will
her family accept her Ixian background and will
she be able to help a lost Ixian prince regain his
throne?
Inès of My Soul by Isabel Allende. The read-
ers learn of Inès Suàrez in this work of historical
fiction. She starts life as a poor, Spanish seam-
stress in the 16th century, but when she goes to
find her husband in the New World, she learns he
is dead. She takes up with Pedro de Valdivia, a
gutsy field marshal under Pizarro. He seeks to
conquer Chile despite the fierce warriors and lack
of natural resources it holds. Will he succeed and
will Inès and Pedro’s fate pull them apart?
Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich. This best-
selling author returns with a Stephanie Plum
novel. Our heroine is looking for relationship ex-
pert Annie Hart—lately convicted of armed rob-
bery and assault. Diesel knows where she is, but
will tell only if Stephanie helps Hart’s most diffi-
cult clients. These two better act fast before an-
other very hot-tempered person finds her.
Death on the Family Tree by Patricia Sprinkle.
Katherine Murray is all alone, except for her
aunt, Lucy. When Lucy dies, she leaves behind
an invaluable Celtic necklace and a diary written
in German. These items are a mystery to Kather-
ine and reveal a branch of her family tree previ-
ously unknown to her. It turns out she had an un-
cle, Carter, who was murdered after a peculiar
trip to Austria over 50 years ago. The mystery
continues when these relics are stolen and the
suspected thief ends up murdered. Katherine
works to piece together this puzzle before more
of the family history is obscured.
Banks Public Library: 111 Market Street.
Hours: Tues., Wed., Thurs., 12 - 7:00 p.m.;
Fri. and Sat. 12 - 5:00 p.m.
Preschool Story Time: Wednesdays, 10:15 a.m.
Phone: (503 ) 324-1382 for information
(503) 846-3245 to renew material
Internet: <www.WILInet.wccls.lib.or.us.>
Browse library resources, reserve or renew
materials online. Call for information.
render of Germany and Japan,
the Soviets sent troops into Ko-
rea (a Japanese possession),
and in retaliation, General
McArthur likewise sent Ameri-
can troops and met the Com-
munists at the 38th parallel. A
standoff ensued until five years
later when the Communist
forces of the north invaded the
south, and the Korean War be-
gan. However, the American re-
solve was firm for winning the
peace that we had gained with
Germany’s and Japan’s surren-
der. We forced the Communist
forces back above the 38th par-
allel where the war ended, and
to this day, American troops still
have a presence in Korea to in-
sure the peace.
We now have defeated the
main force (Hussein) in the Mid-
dle East which has indirectly
supported Muslim terrorism
against the West since the 1972
Munich Olympics attack. Like the
Soviets in 1945, AlQuida has
tried to undermine the victory
against Hussein and wants to re-
enslave the Iraqi people. As in
the Korean War, the enemy has
tried to create a “civil war” and
hope the U.S. resolve is “soft.”
America stands at a critical
crossroad. In 1945 we ended
the constant “rattling of the
swords” that came out of Ger-
many and Japan. Those coun-
tries are now some of our
strongest allies, and those ar-
eas are at peace. It is impera-
tive to keep the peace and end
terrorism in the Middle East to
protect our American way of
life. This peace could require
the presence of American
troops for the next 61 years
also. A lasting peace in the Mid-
dle East, as with Germany,
Japan and Korea, is well worth
the work and sacrifice! The
naysayers say it is impossible
to pacify Iraq; the naysayers
said the same thing in 1945
and were wrong. Now we have
three very powerful allies in
these nations. It is my hope that
Iraq would join this group of dis-
tinguished allies!
This is no time for partisan
politics and bickering. An ab-
sence of peace in the Middle
East caused the World Trade
Center attack. The motto of
“Peace Through Strength”
drove America to insure peace
in Germany, Japan and Korea
in the 1950’s. The same is pos-
sible today.
Fred Yauney
Scappoose
Policy on Letters
The INDEPENDENT is happy to accept letters for publication. To be
sure your letter is published, follow the guidelines listed below.
• All letters must be signed and have a verifiable address
and phone number.
• Short letters (150-200 words) will receive priority.
• Letters about public officials must refer to their public
functions; personal attacks will not be published.
Submit letters in person, by mail, fax or email to the address-
es/numbers listed in the masthead box on Page 2.
Ike Says…
From page 2
of us old timers know it is a
fact. More and more people I
talk to now are starting to see
this decline also and are be-
coming alarmed. Many of us
know that the Doe seasons of
the past had a role in keeping
the deer population down, then
there was the Hair Loss Syn-
drome that is slowing recruit-
ment of new animals into the
herd, but there has always
been a nagging feeling that
there was another piece to the
puzzle.
Some blamed current forest
practices, which include mas-
sive clearcuts and spraying, yet
science seems to dismiss
these factors as a problem. I
tend to agree, we have had
massive clearcuts and spray-
ing since the 70s, yet the deer
herds back then were the high-
est we have seen since the
Tillamook burn era. No, there
was something else keeping a
check on the herds and now
something that is causing the
deer herds to fall to very low
levels. What could that be?
Predators. Yes, I shook my
head when I first theorized this
idea, we have always had
predators. Yes, cougars are in-
creasing but are still too few to
Please see page 21