Established
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.
* * *Turkey donors help violence victims
From Christine Mallette
Illinois Valley Safe House AllianceThank you, Illinois Valley News, for donating a turkey to the Cave Junction Lions Club turkey bingo games.
As the recipient of the proceeds of this event, supported by many valley merchants, we are grateful for the support.
We worked with more than 1,000 survivors last year, and help like this means that we’ll be there for the next 1,000.
Congressman likes support he received
From Peter DeFazio
U.S. Representative,4th District of OregonI appreciate the strong support given me by the voters in Oregon’s 4th Congressional District in this year’s election.
Citizens in Southwest Oregon and across the country sent a strong message Nov. 7. Americans resoundingly said at the polls that they want new leadership and a new direction for America on a host of important issues.
I am looking forward to the opportunities that serving in the majority and becoming the chairman of a major subcommittee will bring. I will have the chance to set national transportation policy while continuing to vigorously advocate on Oregon’s behalf.
I urge citizens to stay engaged as we work toward a new direction for America. My staff and I remain ready to serve you if you need help with a federal program or agency. You can contact me at (800) 944-9603, or e-mail me at http://defazio.house.gov/.
Voters disenfranchised by commissioner choice?
From Nancy Jo Taylor
O’BrienAs I cleaned the bird cage election Tuesday morning, Nov. 7 I found it ironic that the old newspaper lining the bottom contained the ad for the primary election commissioners race forum showing the faces of the six candidates.
Led me to ponder the events resulting in the one-candidate-on-ballot “election” and to question who elected our commissioner. Was it the 45.66 percent of the people who returned ballots and voted for Dave Toler?
The 6,636 undervotes, voters who returned ballots but, for whatever reason declined to vote for commissioner (twice the number left blank for sheriff where there were two names on the ballot)? Or was it the apparently arbitrary decision (no statutes to cover the situation) by the county clerk to deny a second candidate a place on the ballot or in the voter’s pamphlet?
Prior to the election County Clerk Georgette Brown stated that no write-in candidate had ever won in Josephine County.
As I see Toler’s smiling face on the front of the “Courier” and read his proclamation that he “won” by a 58 percent vote, I wonder how one could be so proud to win under the circumstances. I suspect if the roles had been reversed, a lawsuit would have been filed.
I believe a whole lot of voters were “disenfranchised” and am surprised they are not more indignant. I suspect the 11,183 others, who cared enough about the democratic process to vote the “write-in” option, are as concerned as I am.
Maybe the first order of business for Toler should be to change the county charter so this will not happen again.
He sees arrogance in Bush administration
From Wally Hardie
SelmaThis is about the arrogance of the Bush administration in its bungled attempts to justify an ill-planned war that never had to be, and constantly changing the reasons, trying to make it legitimate, which it never was.
This administration has used every pretext it could create, and every lie which changed weekly to control and mislead the American people into believing they knew what they were doing. A war that has lasted longer than WW2, with no end in sight, and still this administration says it would do the same thing, the same way all over again.
And what is more amazing is that the extreme Right wing of the Republican Party wants to slog on and stay the course. Stay the course for what and how long? My God, is there no end to this insane endeavor to keep this protracted war going on indefinitely?
Finally enough Americans have been able to see this is a war too far. We have a Constitution put together by people with unbelievable foresight, who originated a means of checks-and-balances. Can you imagine if we had a dictatorship with Bush at the helm, just how long and how many dead Americans there would be?
A senator recently said, “This war has been immoral and dishonorable,” and Sen. McCain said on “Meet the Press” Sunday, Nov. 12, “that if we don’t stay the course in Iraq it will turn into a total disaster of violence.”
Tell me just what this war currently is, if not a disaster and a civil war of unbelievable violence. The end of this war has already occurred; it has imploded, and my government refuses to acknowledge it. It still has hopes of finding some way to salvage anything that will not leave it to be the abortion that it is.
‘Angel in the passenger seat’
From Alan Laurie
Cave JunctionThursday, Nov. 16 at about 2:15 p.m., I was driving Holland Loop near
the end closest to town going toward Caves Hwy.I probably was traveling 40 to 45 mph. Suddenly a frightened-looking dog appeared out of a ditch to my right. The dog was focused straight ahead to what I soon learned was its home across the street.
There was no time to react. In a fraction of a second I saw what was about to happen. The dog darted into the street. It did not look my
direction until just before my vehicle made contact.The wheels never struck the dog. In that second, I saw in my rear-view mirror the spinning body on the middle of the road.
By the time I could turn around and return to the scene, the first oncoming vehicle had already pulled over and an Angel in the
passenger seat had carried the dog to the side of the road, and with blood-soaked hands was stroking it.When I saw that the poor dog had not died instantly, I burst out crying. I am a huge lover of dogs.
Then, when I realized that at least there was no way the dog was conscious, I was able to kneel down and stroke the poor dog as the Angel spoke calming words to the dog and me as we watched its life pass away.
Then the Angel pulled off her sweater, wrapped the dog in it and carried it onto the property. We learned from the neighbor across the
street that the dog’s owners had just left and the dog apparently had followed them onto the street.I need to do more than the simple verbal “Thank you” I gave the Angel, and I hope that she will get my contact information from “I.V. News” and phone, write or email me.
My heart goes out to the family who owned the dog. But I need to use this forum to point out that dogs running into traffic is not an
uncommon occurrence around this area. This dog had lived on a property that appeared to be entirely fenced. The owners had not
closed the gate behind them.I ask all dog owners who love their dogs to be more diligent in their care and protection of them.
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