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in 1937
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Letters to the Editor
(Editor’s Note: Views and commentary, including statements made as fact, are strictly those of the letter-writers.)
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Typed, double-spaced letters written solely to this newspaper and/or Website are considered for publication. Hand-written letters that are double-spaced and legible also can be considered.
Cards of thanks are not accepted as letters.
* * *A ‘mother in pain’ tells of son’s beating
From Catherine Kuhn-Taylor
Cave JunctionFriday, June 9 at approximately 5 a.m., my son was walking across the bridge south of Cave Junction on 199 headed to Cave Junction to spend the weekend with me.
He was attacked from behind by three guys, knocked to the ground, beaten, robbed and left for dead. As of Tuesday, June 12 my son was hospitalized with no definite date of release because the doctors have been unable to get the swelling down in his face.
I was called (not visited) by a deputy from the sheriff’s office who stated that he was unable to do anything because my son was unable to identify the attackers.
These attackers assault their victims from behind, leaving the victims unable to identify them. There are three of them, one big man and two medium-sized men, all with horrible body odor, and there have been prior attacks in this same area with descriptions given that matched my son’s description of his attackers.
These guys came out from under the bridge when they attacked my son because they were not behind my son when he started to cross the bridge.
There has been enough information given to law enforcement for them to know these guys run in threes; they are probably homeless; and obviously living in the “Forks” Park area due to the fact that the attacks have all happened in the same area. But they say they can’t help me.
Before my son slipped into unconsciousness he counted seven vehicles pass by while he was being beaten: Not one of the drivers stopped to help him.
I can understand being afraid to stop and get out of your vehicle because of not knowing if there are guns involved, etc. But it’s amazing what honking a horn or the flashing of headlights will do even if you are to afraid to stop and get out of your vehicle.
If anyone has any information about these attackers or saw anything Friday, June 9 at approximately 5 a.m., on the bridge south of Cave Junction, they can contact me at 592-3303. Their identity will be kept confidential.
Guard to Afghanistan ‘unconscionable act’
From Kaly McRogan
Illinois ValleyYou printed an article on page 13 of the June 7 edition of “Illinois Valley News” headed “41st Brigade sent to East.”
The article was printed in the right-hand column, adjacent to photos of children playing and a man juggling in Jubilee Park. I nearly passed it up until I realized that the article was not referring to eastern Oregon, but to the Middle East.
It seems that Gov. Kulongoski has seen fit to send 1,000 members of the Oregon National Guard to Afghanistan to “train” the Afghan army. Thank you for printing the article; otherwise I may not have known.
However, this is a local issue that affects us all. To hide such an article on page 13 (continued on page 18) under a cloaked banner seems a minor act of deception in itself. Here is the text of my letter to Kulongoski:
“I see that you have sent 1,000 of our National Guard to Afghanistan for the purpose of ‘training’ the Afghan army.
“In my view this is an unconscionable act given the lies and deception surrounding the reasons for the war in Afghanistan and the situation we find ourselves in after 15 years of continuing war in Iraq.
“By now you must be aware that we sent troops to Afghanistan during the Russian invasion of that country to help ‘train’ the Mujahadeen, producing such unsavory characters as Osama, a family member of George Bush senior’s business partners, the Bin Laden group.
“Your support of these failing, debilitating war(s) and the so-called ‘War on Terror’ should have been on the front page, above the fold. I had to discover it on page 13 in a small local newspaper.
“You have placed good people in harm’s way for nothing. Sleep well.”
A praise report from tumor good news
From Rasha Smith
Cave JunctionThe Lord continues to show me His faithfulness on a daily basis. Last week I received the results of my spinal MRI. They proved to be negative. Praise God.
Furthermore, I will not have to go to UCSF in San Francisco. (Again, praise God). The local Tumor Board has taken my case and discussed what measurers to take for treatment.
Although the tumor was completely removed, they have determined that radiation will be beneficial. I know that I first said erroneously that this particular tumor doesn’t react to radiation, when in fact, it doesn’t react to chemotherapy.
My treatment began Monday, June 19. The treatments will be five days a week for five weeks. Thank the Lord that my treatments will take place in Grants Pass and not Medford.
I appreciate the love and concern, and every blessing the community has bestowed on me. God’s provision has been truly amazing.
Couples will enjoy topless bar, she feels
From Marlee Evans
Cave JunctionI am a woman. I am a heterosexual woman. I am a wife and a mother. And I am not opposed to Larry Goynes opening a topless bar.
As a matter of fact, I would love to have a topless bar in this area. People keep mentioning “the fathers” as the only people who would be patrons of this new establishment. Fathers aren’t the only ones who would go there. It would provide entertainment for couples too.
My husband and I would love to be able to go somewhere local to see exotic entertainment; and so far the only entertainment in this town for adults is watching whoever’s decided to beat whoever else up at a certain bar known for its brawls, its drunks, and its late-night drug-dealing. But I don’t hear anyone complaining about that business.
It’s a business that’s keeping all the “drunks” around. There are drunks all over town. We all know the stores that sell alcohol, yet no one is complaining about those businesses.
Goynes wants to sell beer and wine at higher prices. Does anyone think that the “drunks” from any of the other establishments are going to run over to Sugars, and pay a higher price for alcohol that they’re already getting somewhere else? Nobody complains about a rowdy bunch of intoxicated football fans. They can act just as any other drinkers when a good game is on. But no one complains about that. That’s acceptable. It’s normal.
Everyone freaked out when Midnight Oasis was rumored to be coming into town. People all over town were complaining, and saying what a tragedy it would be to have an adult novelty store in our precious family oriented community. I’m sure people back then were complaining about the “transients in town” and the horrible mess our Jubilee Park has turned into.
But Midnight Oasis has been going strong for a few years now, and the transients are still here. And of course, the park is still just as bad. Midnight Oasis didn’t bring a bunch of unwanted creeps to our town. It didn’t bring outright filth and lewd behavior to our streets.
And no one has bothered that company since it opened. It’s doing just fine. The people who want to shop there do, and the ones who don’t like it stay away.
Just because Larry Goynes is opening Sugars in our town doesn’t mean that
everyone is going to be forced to go there. It’s our choice to go there. It’s not like some cosmic force is pulling everyone in there. A person would have to want to go in there.Larry’s not going to have some Guido character forcing people in. We aren’t going to be walking down the street and run into witches who are going to cast spells on us to enter the bar against our wills. I mean really, that’s how people have been sounding.
Larry Goynes has said that if the topless dancers aren’t in demand, he is thinking about changing the entertainment to live music or something else. I say we should just give him a chance.
If so many people don’t want this business in town, then obviously no one is going to be going there. If no one goes there, then the business will have to close. It’s just that simple.
If you don’t like something, you don’t have to be there. I mean, we are all grown-ups here, aren’t we? It really doesn’t have anything to do with the children. Larry isn’t opening a topless bar for under-age dancers.
I for one am looking forward to Sugars’ grand opening, and I want Larry to know that he has my full support in his endeavor. I’ll see him on opening night, and will ask if there’s any chance of a girls night with male dancers.
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