The INDEPENDENT, February 15, 2007
Page 3
Letters
Saudi Arabia is far
worse than Iraq
To the Editor:
15 of 19 of the 9/11 hijackers
were from Saudi Arabia. The
Reagan administration used
Saudi Arabia to channel money
to the Contras. The Bush fami-
ly has close and public ties to
the Saudi Royal family; George
Bush Jr. held the hand of a
Royal prince on a recent visit.
The Afghani Mujahadeen
was supported by the U.S. via
Saudi Arabia during the Soviet-
Afghan war. The Mujahadeen
became the Taliban.
Osama bin Laden, a Royal
Saudi, was sent to Afghanistan
with American assistance to re-
construct the roads after the
Soviet war. Osama became the
architect of 9/11.
Saddam Hussein was our
ally in the Iran-Iraq war. Sad-
dam held the three factions of
Iraq (a country created artifi-
cially by Britain) together with
terror. Saddam is gone; the fac-
tions are free to fight with only
Americans in the way.
Go to DailyMotion.com and
Salem Scene
By Representative Brad Witt
Oregon District 31
The 74th Session of the
Legislature convened Jan-
uary 8th and I couldn’t be
more enthusiastic and op-
timistic about this session.
I have two fabulous com-
mittees: I am Chair of the
Workforce and Economic
Development Committee,
and a member of the Rev-
enue Committee. Both of these offer a substan-
tial voice for the district and I look forward to
keeping you updated on matters of interest to
you.
Additionally, I am on the Regional Maritime
Security Coalition (RMSC), a public-private part-
nership of maritime and land transportation
stakeholders in the Columbia-Snake River re-
gion. The RMSC exists to improve security for
the Columbia River system and beyond. The
area covered extends from Lewiston, Idaho, to
Astoria, through eight locks and dams, 12 inter-
state bridges, and 26 ports in Washington and
Oregon. It encompasses more than 400 miles of
Pacific Coastline, including dozens of small pub-
lic ports, from Grays Harbor, Washington, to
Brookings. The Coalition provides a uniform re-
gion-wide system for notifying stakeholders of
threats or vulnerabilities and for coordinating in-
formation and resources.
I am proud of a recent security exercise con-
ducted by the RMSC. The tri-state, multi-juris-
dictional exercise was a test of our ability to trace
the movements of four hypothetical terrorists in-
volved in the placement of a “dirty bomb.” Secu-
rity experts from all around the country, including
the FBI, TSA, Office of Homeland Security and
various branches of our military, attended this
exercise. Using real supply chain movements
over a mock 12 day period, we were able to
identify the location of the threat without disrupt-
ing the flow of either passengers or freight. The
visiting officials were so impressed that a pilot
project is being developed to assess adopting
RMSC’s security plan in major ports across our
nation.
There is also another type of security that is
much closer to home. Gov. Kulongoski has chal-
lenged the Legislature to approve dedicated
funding to add 139 troopers to the Oregon State
Police. In the past 20 years, the number of troop-
ers patrolling our state’s major highways has de-
clined from 665 to 310, while our population has
surged 40% and the number of vehicles is up by
60%! We are putting ourselves and our officers
at risk. The Legislature must find a way to re-
store reliable, dedicated funding so our State
Police can again provide 24/7 coverage.
As many of you know, District 31 is going to
be the new home of Cascade Grain, an ethanol
production plant that is in the process of site
preparation at Port Westward, just outside of
Clatskanie. I am enthusiastic about this facility,
which is part of a growing industry that will help
reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Ethanol is a cleaner burning renewable fuel that
is blended with gasoline to reduce carbon
monoxide and exhaust pollutants that contribute
to smog.
Some of the raw materials – called “feed
stocks” – used to make ethanol and biodiesel,
are canola and mustard, recycled cooking oil,
corn, soybeans, sugar, palm oil and wheat.
Emerging technology will allow ethanol to be
produced from cellulosic feed stock, such as
wood waste and agricultural residue, both abun-
dant in Oregon. This will create new markets for
Oregon crops and new jobs for Oregon workers.
This new industry will require a commitment
from local and state governments for limited tax
incentives and tax credits. The economic return
that such incentives provide is exemplified by
the State of Minnesota. Since Minnesota enact-
ed incentives and a renewable fuel standard
(RFS) in 1997, renewable fuels production has
resulted in over $1 billion in economic benefits
and supports over 5,000 jobs there. Every dollar
of state incentives creates $12 in economic ac-
tivity in rural Minnesota. These are tremendous
returns, not only for taxpayers, but also for our
communities, the environment and the overall
economy. House District 31 is fortunate to have
attracted such a promising new industry.
Remember those terrible wind storms on De-
cember 14th and 15th? Both of the counties that
I represent really took a beating, so I asked the
Governor to request some relief from FEMA.
I’m pleased that the Governor has made that re-
quest, and we are waiting to see if we will quali-
fy under the Stafford Act. This act would provide
supplemental grants for the repair and restora-
tion of publicly owned facilities and those of cer-
tain non-profit organizations. A recently complet-
ed survey of the damaged areas found several
million dollars in damage.
Don’t hesitate to contact my office if you have
questions or comments about this article or any-
thing thing else regarding state government. The
office phone number is 503-986-1431; the ad-
dress is Capitol Building, 900 Court Street, NE,
Room H277, Salem, OR 97301; or email
Brad.Witt@state.or.us
search “juba” or “ied”. You will
see what Iraq is like first-hand.
Is there anything in Iraq worth a
single American life? Haven’t
some of our past influences in
the Middle East come back to
haunt us? Iraq had nothing to
do with Al Qaeda. Saudi Arabia
and Pakistan are associated
with Al Qaeda.
Some guy in Scappoose
may know all, now and in the
decades to come, but I do not.
I am not sure that we are being
effective in our defense of
America and use of our military.
I am suspicious of people
who are sure.
Roger Lindsley
Vernonia
unanswered questions regard-
ing the work completed or the
costs. We will continue to hire
the Watts for any future proj-
ects and also recommend them
to others.
Robert and D’Lisa are hard
working people who offer an
excavation business that is
honest, fair, and quality driven.
Anyone needing earthwork
should consider the Watts as
their full service excavation
contractor. Thanks again to The
Independent for supporting and
promoting our local business-
es.
With Gratitude,
Chris and Leslie Barnes
Vernonia
Appreciate knowing Big business good,
of local businesses big government bad
To the Editor:
We would like to express our
gratitude to The Independent
newspaper for printing last
year’s article about Robert and
D’Lisa Watts and their new ex-
cavation business. We were
just beginning the process of
building a house when we read
the article and had already
turned down two bids from oth-
er excavation companies. Hir-
ing local is important to us so
when we read the article we
contacted the Watts immedi-
ately; this could be the smartest
homebuilding decision we have
made.
To date, Robert has done
many jobs for us including sep-
tic test holes, driveway cut in
and rock spreading, excavation
for foundation, and stump re-
moval. In every case the fin-
ished product exceeds the re-
quired specifications for the
job. Robert has the ability to vi-
sualize what you need/want
and complete the job profes-
sionally, quickly and accurately.
The billing is also very detailed
and accurate and leaves no
To the Editor:
My wife and I attended Sen-
ator Wyden’s town hall Satur-
day, the 27th. We noticed there
was no American flag in sight.
The senator correctly noted
we need a fence on the border
to keep people out of the U.S.,
not to keep them in. This is a
fact. I was disappointed the
Senator did not speak of free-
dom and liberty, or our duty as
a nation to promote freedom
and liberty in the world. Free-
dom and liberty for all is the ba-
sis of our national greatness.
Please think about this.
There was a diverse crowd
present and a lively discussion
of several issues. Katrina,
FEMA and New Orleans were
brought up. No one compared
the differences in rebuilding the
damaged parts of Alabama and
Mississippi with the slower re-
Please see page 24
Between the Bookends ,
the Library column, has
been moved to page 10.
Opinion
From page 2
real. It’s not easy sitting through hours of financial in-
formation and people’s lives are often busy.
But those people who do take time to attend and be-
come educated, get real information. This is not a silly
popularity contest. It’s not a game show. It’s our city,
and what happens in those meetings impacts our lives.
If we don’t all pull together, pay attention to what is go-
ing on and get involved, we could all be voted off the
island.