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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2008)
The INDEPENDENT, March 6, 2008 Page 3 Letters Join in 25 years of St. Patrick’s Day parades To The Editor: Twenty-five years ago this March 17, Jim and Dickie Brun- sman, Johnny B., Mickey Borst, my dog, Killer, and I took a walk down Bridge St. and began a tradition. The walk started at my house, ended at what was then City Hall and became the annual St. Patrick’s Day Pa- rade. It has grown each year and has become an event looked forward to by Vernoni- ans, young and old alike. Over the years I have re- quested the high school band take part in the festivities, in- cluding this year, but each time they have declined the offer. Af- ter the devastation this town experienced in December, this seems to me to be a particular- ly important St. Patrick’s Day. Especially for the kids. Al- though we all have been through so much, they have suffered especially hard. Many of them lost their homes, but all of them lost the daily normalcy provided by their schools. This year, I would like to make this the best parade ever. This can only happen with the involvement of the community. I encourage everyone to be- come involved, either by partic- ipating in the parade, or by at- tending as a spectator and en- couraging the participants. Even though the flooding came again, we survived and are stronger than ever. We need this day to celebrate all we have, not all we have lost. Children, adults, schools, church groups, clubs, groups or individuals, please contact me Where to Find Them US Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat-OR) 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 585 • Portland OR 97232 Phone: 503-326-7525 230 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. • Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5244 Website: http://wyden.senate.gov US Senator Gordon Smith (Republican-OR) One World Trade Center • 121 SW Salmon St., Suite 1250 Portland, OR 97204 Phone: 503-326-3386 • Fax: 503-326-2900 404 Russell Senate Ofc. Bldg. • Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Website: http://gsmith.senate.gov US Representative David Wu (Democrat-01) 620 SW Main, Suite 606 • Portland OR 97205 Phone: 503-326-2901 • Fax: 503-326-5066 1023 Longworth Building • Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-0855 • Fax: 202-225-9497 Website: http://house.gov/wu Senator Betsy Johnson (Democrat-16) PO Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056 Phone: 503-543-4046 • Fax: 503-543-5296 900 Court St. NE, S-314, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1716 • Fax: 503-986-1940 E-mail: sen.betsyjohnson@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or.us/johnson Representative Brad Witt (Democrat-31) 21740 Lindberg Road, Clatskanie, OR 97016 Phone: 503-728-4664 900 Court St. NE, H-277, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1431 E-mail: rep.bradwitt@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or.us/witt Representative Deborah Boone (Democrat-32) PO Box 926, Cannon Beach, OR 97110 Phone: 503-717-9182 900 Court St. NE, H-375, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1432 E-mail: rep.deborahboone@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or.us/boone at 503-701-2850 and make arrangements to take part in this very Vernonia affair on March 17, starting at 5:15 p.m. at State Ave. and Bridge St. Thank you, Pat Knight Vernonia Prophecy fulfilled by wolves in Oregon To The Editor: I have been watching with interest the development of the endangered specie act, and other developments with wild animals. A number of years back I read an article which said that Morse Strong of Canada want- ed to make a reserve in the Cascades, of Canada, and north Washington for Grizzly bear. When they had 500 breeding pair no human would be allowed in the area. I believe it was President Nixon who gave us the Endan- gered Specie act and as I have noticed practically the only ani- mals that they protect are carni- vore (flesh eaters). Also at the same time we have had Liberals (Communist) who have been fighting tooth and nail to take our guns away from us, with every kind of a sorry excuse they can think of, to make people defenseless. Policy on Letters The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters that include personal 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 ad- dress or phone number. Vernonia defaults on audit report From page 1 Secretary of State has, on file, an approved request for an ex- tension. That extension gave the city until February 28 to provide a copy of the audit to the state in accordance with ORS 297.405 - 555. Once the audit finally makes it to Vernonia, it will still need to make the journey back to Salem again. As of press time, there had been no further de- velopments. Today (Feb. 22) I heard that in Oregon they were going to turn loose 1300 pair of Wolves. FOLKS YOU ARE SEEING PROPHECY FULFILLED BE- FORE YOUR EYES. (Revelation 6:8 says, “And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was death, and hades fol- lowed with him. And power was given unto them over fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and hunger, and with death, and with the BEAST OF THE EARTH.”) From all that I see going on this is what is taking place. Time will prove me right or wrong. Keith Carpenter Scappoose Volunteer help needed to fence old cemetery To The Editor: Hey, this is Colten Patton, Eagle Scout project coordinator extraordinaire. The date has fi- nally been set for Saturday, March 8 for a community work day. We will start at 10:00 a.m. The project is at the old Pioneer Cemetery on Keasey Road. We will be mixing cement and put- ting fence posts into place. I need human power, shovels, cement mixers, and post levels. Everyone needs to bring safety goggles, gloves, and long sleeve shirts to comply with Boy Scout regulations. There will be pizza at the end of the day for all volunteers. I am grateful for all the assis- tance I’ve received so far with clearing out the old fence and undergrowth. I would really ap- preciated any and all help of- fered. I am excited about this and I think it will be a great oc- casion to improve the cemetery and preserve our rich heritage. Any questions, call 503-429- 0990. Sincerely, Colten Patton Vernonia Ike Says… From page 2 ago to reduce the elk popula- tion because it had grown too large. Sportsmen are filling that role and the economy benefits because of the outdoor activity and the food that the hunt brings to the hunters’ tables. Since the reintroduction of the wolf in Yellowstone Park, the northern elk herd has been in a steady decline to levels never before seen, and the down- ward spiral does not seem to be ending. Hunting has been severely curtailed. Many of the experts tried to lay the blame on other environmental factors, such as forage and drought. The truth, though, becomes clear as the herd plunges past levels that these factors cannot account for. Wolves are preda- tors and they can reduce prey more substantially than the re- covery plan anticipated. Livestock interests have been vocal critics of the recov- ery plan from the beginning, which is easy to understand because their livelihoods de- pend on raising livestock that wolves do eat. What many peo- ple do not know about the wolf recovery plan is that the Feder- al Wildlife Service kills scores of wolves every year; a part of the plan intended to limit dam- ages to livestock interests. There has also been a fund to compensate livestock owners who have confirmed wolf kills. To date, almost $900,000 has been paid in compensation. This fund comes mainly from environmental groups who use the program to help appease livestock interests. What is in- teresting, now, is that these same groups are filing suit to stop the delisting – and future payments to livestock growers are not guaranteed. Again, this was predicted by many at the beginning of the wolf recovery process. The bottom line is that the grey wolf has recovered in the Rocky Mt. recovery area; it is now time to honor the letter of the ESA law and turn over wolf management to the states. Leaders in the environmental groups that are now fighting the delisting should know they are painting themselves into a cor- ner which says that they can not be trusted. I believe the av- erage American will under- stand that point. Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Call 503-428-7193 for location.
