From our weekly issue dated August 6, 2008

(Editor's Note: Views and commentary, including statements made as fact, are strictly those of the letter-writers.)

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Incredible I.V. firefighters
From David & Martha Hodges
Cave Junction

Three weeks ago our house in the 7000 block of Caves Hwy. burned to the ground; complete destruction. But I want to tell the community what an incredible job our volunteer firefighters did.

When they arrived, the house was fully engulfed. The efforts were put to saving my husband’s truck and a shed. Neither was damaged at all. A massive amount of water was pumped to keep the fire back. My car was parked in front of the house and the raging inferno. They put the water between the two.

Although the side of the car literally melted in places, the damage was cosmetic and is repairable. These people were awesome. Through the heat and the exhaustion, they kept on.

I know that my neigh-bors all realize that their homes remained safe only because of the efforts of our fire district. Without its firefighters, this huge fire could have become the epicenter of another Biscuit Fire -- in a populated area. Chief Rich reminded me that these men and women are all volunteers.

Perhaps if there were a regular crew, the 17-minute response time could have been shaved to eight to 10 minutes. Perhaps something else could have been saved. When our community is asked to vote for the opportunity to have a regular staff, I’d like for everyone to remember our fire.

I also want to extend our gratefulness to this community. We have been blessed beyond belief. We appreciate all for their prayers, time, hard physical work, stuff and donations, all expressing love. To be so saddened and overwhelmed by this loss, and then to be so overwhelmed by such kindness has been very healing. Our God has a plan.

(Editor’s Note: A volunteer firefighter notes that response times result because volunteers must first leave their homes and drive to stations to pick up apparatus, rather than already being in a station.)

Brown Barn Laundry
From Scott Hicks
Cave Junction

This is in reference to the recent Judy’s Brown Barn Laundry caper when the equipment was removed from Cave Junction’s only coin-operated laundry. Walls and plumbing were destroyed in the process.

My family and I met Judy Thomas, lessee of the Brown Barn laundry, last summer when we moved here. If not for help from Judy and her entire family, becoming established in Cave Junction might not have been possible for us.

She has helped many other people too. She ran her business as a community-minded business should be run. She always went out of her way to make everyone feel welcome, and provided many public services to the community, including donating free showers, etc. to the homeless and others, instead of just complaining that “someone” should do something.

I personally tried to speak to the mayor and he didn’t care. Wow. He has such a vendetta against the local street people, and has put a lot of effort into trying to rid Cave Junction of them. He apparently doesn’t realize that most of them have been here for a large part of their lives and won’t be leaving any time soon.

Losing the town’s only laundry doesn’t seem to be a problem to him. I thought he arranged for more law enforcement to protect the citizens. Apparently being drunk in public is more serious here than what happened at the laundry. It took almost three days for a deputy to even take a report.

The closest laundry is in Grants Pass. Not sure what people in Cave Junction will do when they need clean clothes, especially those without transportation. Bottom line: What’s wrong with this picture?

DeFazio on roadways
From Jay M. Clemens
President & CEO Associated Oregon Industries
Salem

On behalf of a great number in Oregon’s business community, we want to note Rep. Peter DeFazio’s important vote on July 23, when he joined his other Oregon colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to dedicate $8 billion to the Highway Trust Fund to ensure that our highways and public transportation systems are maintained and improved during the coming year.

Many in our community may not know that the federal government provides, on average, approximately 40 percent of the funding for our highway and public transportation, construction and maintenance efforts -- efforts that are vital to keeping our families safe, our businesses thriving and Oregonians working.

Increased investment in transportation stimulates the economy and reduces congestion, pollution and fatalities. Unfortunately, the main source of this funding is expected to have a significant shortfall over the coming year and that could result in a 34 percent cut in federal funds for our state highway program.  The passage of this bill is an important step in preventing such drastic cuts.

In a day when partisanship seems to get all the attention, it is good to see Oregon’s delegation setting an example of which we can be proud.