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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2009)
Page 20 The INDEPENDENT, July 16, 2009 Letters From page 14 ty. Our freedom would be lost if ment ever takes this right away from us. Everything our found- ing fathers have fought for and everything we all have fought to maintain over the past two cen- turies would be lost. This is something that we all should remember and pay tribute to when July 4th rolls around, be- cause this is what our inde- pendence and freedom is all about. The Oregon Supreme Court reaffirms our first amendment right in the “State of Oregon v. William Charles Johnson” by city Article 1, section 8, of the Oregon Constitution: “No law shall be passed restraining the free expression of opinions, or restricting the right to speak, write, or print freely on any sub- ject whatever; but every person shall be responsible for the abuse of this right.” A city council member who doesn’t agree with this funda- mental right should resign. A word specifically for Kevin, Cindy, and Brett: I don’t think I ever really said you didn’t ques- tion. I believe I said you rarely vote against the VPD. Even if you are friends with Mike you should refrain from showing any bias of favor for the VPD…it doesn’t look good. Furthermore, the questions you do ask are rather shallow. As a council person, I personally wouldn’t accept just an answer. I would place all requests under the microscope and require a “Show Me” or a “Please Pro- duce Documentation.” With this I close and it’s time to move on. I’m sure everyone is getting tired of hearing about this. Edward Johnson Vernonia Citizen appreciates Vernonia police work To the Editor: I sincerely wish to apologize to the fine officers of the Ver- nonia Police Department for the letters written by Mr. John- son and Ms. Brasure. Their words and sentiments do not represent all the citizens of Ver- nonia that you protect and serve. We are fortunate to have officers of your caliber. I, for one, truly appreciate your serv- ice to our community. I do have one suggestion, however, and that would be to have Ms. Brasure submit your next shift schedule. She appar- ently knows a way to cover 24 hours a day for seven days with four police officers. (Ms. Bra- sure, don’t forget they each need two days off a week when planning that schedule.) Mr. Johnson and Ms. Bra- sure think that because Ver- nonia is a small town our crimes are somehow less sig- nificant then larger cities? I work for a larger city (yes, I commute) and the crimes are the same, just on a smaller scale. Police officers are trained to handle different crimes requiring different stan- dards of force. I don’t know of any police academy that in- structs their recruits to use force based on the size of the town. In Vernonia, and in larger cities, it is typical for parents with problem children to blame the police (and the schools), rather then take responsibility themselves. Most children grow up and never have contact with police, unless in a positive manner. If your child is having negative contact with police, there is most likely a reason for it. Implementing a School Re- source Officer (SRO’s) Pro- gram in the Vernonia School system would address juvenile crime and safety concerns. SRO’s promote a safe, secure, and orderly learning environ- ment, as well as, facilitate youth programs to address ju- Alley Auto Wrecking ✮ ✮ Gasoline 503-429-7581 Most parts under warranty Open Tuesday-Saturday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Closed Sunday and Monday 54372 Nehalem Hwy South, Vernonia, OR 97064 6 miles south of town on Hwy 47 Buying unwanted vehicles with clear title venile needs and the opportuni- ty to succeed. Isn’t that what we want as a community? I know what it means to be a police officer, as my grandfa- ther was Vernonia’s first “paid” law enforcement officer. His name was Acel Dallas Lolley. I am extremely proud of his serv- ice and dedication to this com- munity. He made many sacri- fices in order to “serve” this city, most of which went unnoticed and unappreciated. I missed my grandfather while growing up because he was serving and protecting people like Mr. John- son and Ms. Brasure while the rest of his family attended a school function, enjoyed a holi- day, or went to Church. VPD, I thank each of you for your sacrifice, service and tire- less dedication to preserving our communities’ safety. I do notice and appreciate you. Proud Granddaughter of Former Chief Lolley, Allyson Cameron, Evidence Technician Vernonia Many enjoyed great 4th of July parade To the Editor: We want to thank all who participated in the 4th of July Parade. It seems every year it gets bigger and better. Don and I followed the pa- rade through town and couldn’t believe all the people who came out to watch it. The side- walks were full from Weed to State Ave. You would have thought it was the Jamboree. If you enjoyed the fireworks, and I’m sure you did, you can still donate towards them. You can donate at Wauna in a Tom Ramsey Fireworks account. The fireworks this year cost $4,500 and your donation would be greatly appreciated. De Loris Webb Vernonia Pride Thanks for helping support fireworks To the Editor: Thank you to everyone who donated money for Vernonia’s 4th of July fireworks show. To- gether we raised over $4500. All of the money that was raised went to the purchase the fireworks only. I also want to say a special thank you to Lily Buchanan and Sara Rhodes for taking the initiative and coming up with the dog wash idea to help raise money for the fire- works. These young girls demonstrated to me the true spirit of America and patriotism. I am proud to say that our fire- works show was put on by our community and as long as we keep this up we will have future fireworks shows on the Fourth of July. Tom D. Ramsey Vernonia Fire Works Crew Lead Pyrotechnician Community Garden prize was fantastic! To the Editor: Thanks to the Vernonia Community Garden Project. Thanks for the great raffle prize I won. What a great job you guys did. The yard has never looked better. Where do I buy the next ticket? Thanks to Nikki and Zachary Larke, Kelli and Ben Schulte, Mark Lemay, Jeana Gump, Marilyn, Abigail and Hannah Nicks. Thanks, Gang. Ann Mitchell Vernonia Good law enforcers don’t commit crimes To the Editor: We expect our law enforce- ment to protect and serve, not eavesdrop and commit acts of voyeurism. But that is exactly what two Federal Bureau of In- vestigation Agents recently did in Fairmont, West Virginia. The non-profit organization Hospice International, which provides health care to low in- come elderly in need of medical treatment, hosted an event to provide inexpensive prom dresses to West Virginia teenage girls. Two FBI agents, Gary Sutton Jr., 40, of New Milton, WV and Charles Hommema of Buchan- nan, WV, moved a surveillance camera above the dressing room. They zoomed in on the teenage girls while they changed clothes. Both were charged with criminal invasion of privacy and conspiracy. Their trials were recently postponed. More than a hundred girls were violated by the FBI agents. “I can’t even begin to put words around what I consider an unspeakable act: the mis- use of surveillance by a branch of our government in a place we felt so secure,” said Cynthia Woodyard, organizer of the event (AP, April 2009). “Never in a million years would we have thought something like this would happen. We’re in shock.” Technology has made video cameras much smaller. They can be nearly impossible to de- tect. Taking from statistics by criminologists, it is likely that hundreds of times more crimes like the one in West Virginia have occurred, but the FBI cul- prits were not caught. We need greater oversight of law en- forcement, and the creation of a Department of Civil Liberties Protection. Having personally been beaten nearly to death for merely participating peacefully in a demonstration in Washing- ton, DC, for action on climate change, I know first hand the horrors of a police state without checks and balances. We need major changes to prevent civil liberties violations from occur- ring again. Repealing the Patri- ot Act, which creates a secret, Gestapo police force, is a criti- cal first step. It is the lack of transparency that the so-called Patriot Act creates, that opens the doors for crimes like the horrific viola- tions of teenage girls that re- cently occurred in West Vir- ginia. These crimes are now regularly committed by “law” enforcement. Chad Kister Nelsonville, Ohio Wants Elliot Forest protesters prosecuted To the Editor: To State Attorney General John Kroger: This is an excellent opportu- nity for you to “walk the walk” on your pledge to get tough on environmental crimes. Unless you intend to main- tain a double standard in your treatment of Oregonians under the law, the actions taken by protesters on the Elliot State Forest certainly qualify as envi- ronmental crimes including trespass, destruction of proper- ty and physical damages caused by overturning a vehi- cle to use as a barricade. These crimes occurred on state lands. Please see page 22