Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 2009)
The INDEPENDENT, March 5, 2009 Page 3 Letters Some misunderstand peaceable assembly To The Editor: In the Letters section of the Chronicle (Feb. 25, 2009), Rick Demings makes a number of statements about the February 18th Procession for Respect and Dignity in St. Helens. I feel that many of the state- ments made in Mr. Demings’ letter misrepresent the motives and goals of the organizers and attendees. I won’t answer each point individually in this letter because I believe that readers can distinguish between as- sumptions and opinions as op- posed to facts, but there are some points I would like to ad- dress. Both in his letter to the editor and in previous press coverage Mr. Demings states that most of the marchers were not Colum- bia County residents. What is present in the previous press coverage, but not his letter, is his stated reason for that belief – that he was unable to recog- nize more than a couple dozen of the marchers. I am not able to arrive logically at the same conclusion based on such sub- jective evidence. Mr. Demings seems disap- pointed in the quality of the news reporting because the re- porter used quotes from some of the marchers. Since Mr. Demings and others who op- posed the procession had their quotes printed also, I think the reporter did a good job of pro- viding balance to the article. To specifically address point number 6, I’d like the communi- ty to know a couple of facts. All of us, whatever our first or sec- ond language, were chanting at times in both Spanish and Eng- lish, and sometimes we walked quietly, too. It’s pretty standard to chant or sing during a march or rally. However, you may not know that on several occasions the chanting started up in direct response to rude and hateful comments being spoken, and even shouted, at us by the handful of counter-protesters. It’s perfectly okay with me if people voice opposing opin- ions, but if it is done rudely and hurtfully, I feel no obligation to just stand there and listen. I much prefer hearing a group of voices chanting a message of unity, respect and dignity. Lastly, Mr. Demings had some questions about how to determine if the event was suc- cessful. Most undertakings are deemed a success when a pre- determined goal, or set of goals, are met such as: The constitution provides for peaceable assembly and the organizers and attendees de- sired a peaceable assembly. The event was peaceful throughout. Goal accom- plished. The stated objectives for the procession were to allow the community to see their Lati- no neighbors, to ask communi- ty members to afford all per- sons the same level of respect and dignity, and to bring aware- ness to the fact that ballot measure 5-190 has already caused a negative impact on people in this community. Goals accomplished. Pratiti Fullerton Deer Island Group helps county in varying projects To The Editor: Re: A Guest Opinion piece published in the South County Spotlight (Feb. 25, 2009) writ- ten by Jim Lewis of Warren Mr. Lewis posed several questions as to how Rural Or- ganizing Project (ROP) and its local member group Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity (CCCHD) had con- tributed to Columbia County. Well let me count the ways: In 2006 we handed out $2,605.00 in grant money to the following organizations; Community Action Team $1,000, CC Safe Kids coalition $405, St Helens Senior Center $300, St Helens Alano Club $200, Turning Point Service Center $400, Marcus Brown (New Orleans artist and flood survivor) $300. In 2007 we handed out $2,375 in grant money to the following organizations; Scap- poose Public Library $225, CC Commission on Children and Families $300, Scappoose Se- nior Center $750, Community Salem Scene By Representative Brad Witt Oregon District 31 On February 20th, we received Oregon’s March Revenue Forecast and it is a very sobering report. Also, the State’s econo- mist spoke to a joint ses- sion of the House and Senate and indicated that our budget is in the red by approximately $855 mil- lion through the end of June. Oregon’s Constitution requires that this budg- et gap, as large as it is, be balanced by the end of our budget cycle. This gives us only four months to plug nearly a $1 billion hole. That is why my legislative colleagues and I have been so focused on rebalancing the budget during the past several weeks. Oregon’s budget shortfall is largely the result of our state’s heavy reliance on the income tax. With 86 percent of our general fund revenue coming from personal income tax- es, when times are tough and lots of people are out of work, state revenues plummet. Worse yet, during a recession, our state budg- et suffers what I refer to as a “double whammy” in that revenues decline precisely when the de- mand for state social services skyrocket due to collapsing family incomes. But, because of some very hard work by the Ways and Means Commit- tee co-chairs, we have a blueprint to get through the current budget cycle. While this involves some additional work, we are very close to bal- ancing this biennium’s budget. We are not alone in this struggle. Every state is facing severe budget shortfalls due to the global recession. But because we have the fed- eral stimulus, over $362 million in state budget cuts and, due to our fiscal responsibility in 2007, we’ll have some additional resources to help us through these tough times. Nevertheless, we are facing some very severe program and service reductions through the end of June. And the sit- uation will only worsen as our state faces a pro- jected $3 billion decline in revenue for the 2009- 2011 budget cycle. Please see page 20 Action Team $375, H.O.P.E Emergency Food Cupboard $375, Friends of the St. Helens Library $350. That is a total of $4,980 in the 2-year period. I will leave it up to Mr. Lewis and the read- ers of the Spotlight to deter- mine whether or not the above groups have used the money to benefit families who have lost their jobs, supported local rural economics, supported re- turning Vets and their families or invested in the needs for all Oregonians in the realms of education, healthcare, living- wage jobs and affordable housing. This money was raised through our Winter Gala din- ners. All the work is performed by volunteers; most of the food is raised by our members or donated by local farmers, mar- kets and businesses. In addition to the above monetary funds, several of our volunteers have lent a hand to the community, such as the cleanup during the Vernonia floods, volunteering at the Co- lumbia County animal shelter, the food bank and the senior centers, just to name a few. As a group we are productive members of Columbia County. We are nurses, health care providers, family service pro- viders, accountants, small business owners, restaura- teurs, teachers, and small business owners. Numerous members belong to local civic clubs and churches where our donations and volunteer time are comparable to those of oth- er members. Lastly I would ask Mr. Lewis to please add my name to the illustrious list of donors to the NO on Measure 5-190 and 5- 191 in the amount of $55. Eloise Bates St. Helens Policy on Letters The INDEPENDENT will not publish letters that in- clude 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. Where to Find Them U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Senator Betsy Johnson (Dem) 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 585 Portland OR 97232 Phone: 503-326-7525 223 Dirksen Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510-0001 Phone: 202-224-5244 E-Mail: http://wyden.senate.gov/ contact Website: http://wyden.senate. gov (Dem) Senate District 16 PO Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056 Phone: 503-543-4046 900 Court St. NE, S-314 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1716 E-mail: sen.betsyjohnson@ state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/johnson U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley Representative Brad Witt (Dem.) One World Trade Center 121 SW Salmon St., Suite 1250 Portland, OR 97204 Phone: 503-326-3386 B-40B Dirksen Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3753 E-Mail: senator@merkley.senate. gov WebSite: http://merkley.senate. gov (Dem) House District. 31 21740 Lindberg Road, Clatskanie, OR 97016 Phone: 503-728-4664 900 Court St. NE, H-373 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1431 E-mail: rep.bradwitt@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or. us/witt U.S. Representative David Wu (Dem) OR District 1 620 SW Main, Suite 606 Portland, OR 97205 Phone: 503-326-2901 2338 Rayburn House Ofc. Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-0855 Website: http://house.gov/wu Representative Deborah Boone (Dem) House District 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