The INDEPENDENT, February 21, 2008
Page 3
Letters
Is there a limit to All
the Help I Can Stand?
To The Editor:
All The Help I Can Stand:
Ain’t there a limit
To what a man can take
I’ve been bent clean over
And I’m about to break
I’m Travel Trailer Trash now
About a hundred square feet
of hell
But I can thank the good
Lord
I’m alive and well
Uncle Sam came to me
His top hat in his hand
He said, I’m here to help you
Restore and save your land
If you could only fill out
The forms on this hand truck
here
Then we can get back to you
Sometime before the next
year
He said, “I see you you
gotcha a trailer
Ain’t that a beauty fer shur
Be careful that ya don’t plug in
To that receptacle there
We’d hav‘ta call it a dwelling
And tax you just a little bit
more
George needs that money
For the Iraq War.”
Now ain’t there a limit
To what a man can take
I’ve been bent clean over
And I’m about to break
I’m Travel Trailer Trash now
Even Knott Street wouldn’t
have me
It’s OK to be homeless
As long as they don’t see
And so I took a vacation
Down to the welfare line
Between the Bookends
By Nancy Burch, Librarian
Vernonia Public Library
The latest issue of
Reminisce magazine fea-
tures an article about the
Saturday matinees of the
1940s and ‘50s. This
brought back some of my
favorite memories, of time
spent in the theater where
for $.12 one could spend
the afternoon watching
cowboy shows, cliffhanger serials and cartoons.
So – this is something we are going to offer in
the library on Saturdays beginning February 23,
but without the admission fee and with free pop-
corn. Promptly at 3:00 p.m., each Saturday (at
least through April) a children’s movie will be
shown, then at 7:00 p.m. a family movie will be
offered. Family movies will include High Noon,
The Wizard of Oz, Grumpy Old Men, Little
Women, McLintock, and Cheaper by the Dozen,
while youngsters will be choosing from the li-
brary’s collection of such titles as Mary Poppins,
The Jungle Book, Charlotte’s Web, The Incredi-
bles, and Curious George. I’m hoping that a cou-
ple hours of relaxation on Saturdays will be
something that residents can use at this time
and that these movies will be well attended.
The next Chautauqua presentation will be
Tuesday, March 18, at 7:00 p.m. This program,
entitled The Witch’s Garden: The Hidden Meaning
of Fairy Tales, is sponsored by the Oregon coun-
cil for the Humanities, the Friends of the Library,
and the library board and is free to the public.
Children’s programs at the library have re-
sumed with preschool story time on Mondays at
10:30 a.m. and afternoon story/activities on
Mondays at 3:30 p.m.
This is the time of year when memberships in
the Friends of the Library may be renewed or ini-
tiated at $5.00 for an individual or $10.00 for a
family membership. All funds received by this or-
ganization are used to supplement library pro-
grams and materials. There will not be a spring
book sale this year because the usual space in
the meeting room is not available. Watch for a
BIG sale during Jamboree! Books may still be
donated to be stored until August. Two of the
most popular uses of funds from the Friends
have been passes to the Children’s Museum and
to OMSI. Be sure and take advantage of these
passes. A family of six may visit OMSI free by us-
ing this pass. Discounts to OMNI-MAX and to
the planetarium are also allowed when using this
family pass. These passes will be renewed only
if enough use justifies the renewal.
The book group will meet Monday, February
25, at 5:30 p.m. with God of Animals by Aryn
Kyle being the topic of discussion. New mem-
bers are always welcome to join this informal
group.
New acquisitions include People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks, L.A. Outlaws by T. Jeffer-
son Parker, Death Song by Michael McGarrity,
Judas Horse by April Smith, The Appeal by John
Grisham, Duma Key by Stephen King, Prepared
for Rage by Dana Stabenow, Nameless Night by
G.M. Ford, The Secret Between Us by Barbara
Delinsky, Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah, The
First Stone by Judith Kelman, Stolen in the Night
by Patricia MacDonald, Every Last Cuckoo by
Kate Maloy, and Blue Heaven by C.J. Box.
Of these, I’ve just begun Blue Heaven , with
siblings Annie and William Taylor, ages 12 and
10, witnessing a murder in the woods outside a
small Idaho town, nicknamed Blue Heaven for its
abundance of retired LAPD officers. It becomes
evident to the reader early in the book that four
of these retired policemen were the killers wit-
nessed by Annie and William, and who also
committed a complicated robbery before moving
to Idaho. Pursued by these men, Annie and
William take refuge with rancher Jess Rawlins
who becomes the only hope for their survival.
I’ve enjoyed all of Box’s previous novels with
Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett as protago-
nist and am anxious to see how this compares.
Not always mentioned by title are the newest
books for young adults and children. These are
usually displayed prominently. Be sure to look for
these as well as the library’s extensive selection
of audio books, music cds, DVDs, and maga-
zines.
Vernonia Public Library: 701 Weed Ave.
Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tues., Thur. 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Preschool Story Time: Mondays, 10:30
a.m., when school is in session.
Phone: 503-429-1818
fying people? I checked every-
one who lives on Adams Ave.
and in the trailer park at Ander-
son. With one exception they
all verified NO police notifica-
tion. Not even to West Oregon,
where the flood water took
longer to arrive than it did on
my property. I know this be-
Now ain’t there a limit
cause I was in the raised house
To what a man can take
next door and watched. I could-
I’ve been bent clean over
n’t find anyone in the residential
And I’m about to break
I’m Travel Trailer Trash now area across from the high
Even Knott Street wouldn’t school who was notified, either.
I’m sure the excuse is “it
have me
happened so fast.” It did. How-
It’s Ok to be homeless
ever, had there been sirens like
As long as they don’t see
I’m Travel Trailer Trash now the one they had here 5 years
About a hundred square feet ago, police sirens or SOME-
THING, many could have had a
of hell
But I can thank the good precious hour to save valu-
ables, KNOWING that they
Lord
needed to evacuate. The water
That I’m alive and well
was about 8 inches when I left
And I thank the good Lord
to go next door at 10:30. I
That I’m alive to tell.
talked to Fire about 9:30. There
For all the sore backs and could have been some time to
broken hearts of Vernonia. God save things. I wasn’t physically
bless you.
strong enough to save much.
Sincerely,
December 3 was Shannon’s
Kevin Scott Stevens first day working for the City. It’s
Vernonia not her fault that there was no
one in charge to let her know
No notification about there was an emergency. I
needing to evacuate heard that the City Manager
“works at home in Cornelius” a
To The Editor:
As I write this, it is 3 a.m. I lot and I am assuming he was-
can’t sleep because there is a n’t at work the morning of Dec.
flood watch and I am worried 3rd, because he wouldn’t have
that I will be asleep when it ar- been able to get out until the
rives and not be able to make it next afternoon. City taxpayers
out of here. I know from experi- should be better served.
Even in the raised house
ence neither our 5 policemen,
next
door the water was getting
the County, nor Fire will notify
too
close
for comfort, (about
me. This isn’t the first time. I of-
2:30-3
p.m.)
so I summoned a
ten awaken to see if there is
rowboat.
I
couldn’t
get to the
flood water in the yard.
shelter
because
Bridge
Street
You see, the morning of the
was
totally
flooded
near
the
flood I looked at Rock Creek at
high
school.
I
don’t
know
who
8:30 a.m. and it was up to the
bank. So I packed some those rowboat heroes were, but
clothes, called the City and told I thank them. They did NOT
Shannon that I had never been know that there was another
through a flood before, and shelter on this side. Contrary to
asked if there was an evacua- what I read in The Indepen-
tion notice. She said she had a dent , these guys weren’t part of
few calls with that inquiry, but the “informed rowboat res-
she didn’t know and told me to cuers” and I don’t think they got
call Fire or Public Works. I certificates of commendation.
called Fire who told me to evac- In any case, I am so grateful to
uate immediately! So why did- them, as I am to Ray and Rose
n’t someone notify the City? Foster for giving me a place to
Why weren’t the police out noti-
Please see page14
I filled out a stack of papers
They treated me real kind
That said that it was a sin
The way my family was done
Go out and spend some
food stamps
And have yourself some fun!
Policy on Letters
The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters that include per-
sonal attacks on private citizens. Because of space limitations,
preference will be given to brief letters, 300 words or less.
All letters must be signed and include a verifiable address or
phone number; all letters are subject to editing for clarity or length.