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Letters to the Editor: Sept. 7, 2018

Celebrating car culture

Why is it that some people find car shows inappropriate in downtown McMinnville and undeserving of community support?

Car culture thrives in Yamhill County, as it does throughout the U.S. Car-related activities and events draw both Republican and Democrat, rich and poor, Anglo and Latino, young and old.

The work that goes into maintaining, restoring, or hot-rodding cars and trucks draws people together without regard to what bubble or tribe normally earns their allegiance. The people who keep cars running, enhance driving characteristics, and design and fabricate hot rods or restore antique cars, are artists, craftsmen, engineers and scientists all rolled into one.

Car people, both male and female, join forces in clubs, shows and workshops. And they invite others in.

Their workmanship is often displayed at shows for all to see and appreciate, no matter who or what they believe in. Whether they work alone or with friends, a common interest in cars binds them.

In this day and age, we need to support those things we can share for the sheer joy it brings.

Arnie Hollander

McMinnville

 

Voices of true America

Last week we said goodbye to two true American icons from extremely different sectors of society. Although they came from different callings, they had a common thread.

Each was a true American. They spoke for their country in a passionate and loving way and toured the world to help spread the true meaning of America.
One spoke through her magnificent singing voice, the other through his political voice. Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, and Sen. John McCain, American Hero, could both be called true ambassadors of their country.

What truly impressed me was that even though they were silenced by death, they both spoke loudly and clearly through their works and deeds. Th

is was expressed for an entire week by family, friends, colleagues and numerous ordinary Americans. Their words of honor, respect, compassion and friendship drowned out the ever-so-familiar voice of disrespect, hatred, lies and personal adoration we hear in today’s world.

This was a week of listening to hear about American citizens who voiced their American principles, morals and patriotism through song and political statements. As I learned from listening to interviews with family members and others touched by their lives, they loved their country — Aretha Franklin through her numerous world tours as America’s ambassador of song and patriotic activism, John McCain through his patriotic service to his country as war hero and senator.

There are many Americans whose names and actions we may never hear or read about who stand for the same principles — the ones this country was built on. My hope is that this week of honor does not fade, but instead explodes into a rekindling of who and what America is and always was.

Jim Frelka

McMinnville

 

Woes continue in Kingwood

Mayor Scott Hill and Councilors Adam Garvin and Remy Drabkin:

The people of Kingwood Estates would like to thank you for your valiant effort on our request to address safety and livability issues at the development you approved next door on Cumulus Avenue.

We asked you to make it safer for our kids, so you replaced a front-end loader with a water truck — still an unsupervised piece of heavy equipment on what serves as a playground for young kids.

Safe? No way!

We asked you to have the dust bowl you created watered down, so you provided a water truck that just sits stationary. Once again, government in action!

Robert Griffin

McMinnville

 

Backing Chapman for judge

I work in the wine industry, and am writing to express my support for Jennifer Chapman for Yamhill County judge. I appreciate Jennifer’s civil law experience,  because civil law is what affects our business community the most.

I appreciate the breadth of Jennifer’s experience with industries and professions around Yamhill County. She gets how Yamhill County works.

I am lucky to know Jennifer personally. When I moved to McMinnville with my family, she was one of the first members of the community to reach out and make us feel at home.

Watching her campaign for judge during a politically fraught moment in our history, I am impressed by her efforts to reach out and connect with people from across the political spectrum. Her unbiased attitude is especially critical for a judge, who must be impartial.

As a father of young daughters, I also appreciate Jennifer’s positive, inclusive campaign. She is an excellent role model for our future leaders.

Aaron Kirschnick

McMinnville

Comments

T.W.S.

Aaron Kirschnick - Yamhill County Courts hear far more criminal cases than civil, fact. That's why the judges on the bench now are more experienced in criminal law matters, and yet have the experience (as it is always a part of their training, initially and ongoing) to hear civil cases to when needs be.

Civil cases have the lowest burden of proof, whereas criminal cases have the highest burden of proof. More than that, criminal law is far more complex and the sentencing guidelines are highly detailed as well.

Chapman may be a great civil attorney, but she is no criminal attorney by any means and has admitted as much in various publications.

Think of it this way, Paralegal to Attorney. Paralegal being the civil law and Attorney being the criminal law. There is a distinct dichotomy of knowledge and experience, licensing aside, between civil and criminal law.

And fact is, you stand a better change of being a victim in a criminal matter than a civil one.

Being a judge has nothing to do with being a role model. A judge is an arbiter making impartial yet sound legal decisions. They sit on a bench. They made what we hope are logical, rational yet fair and decisive decision based on the law set down by the state legislators. It's a position to aspire to through experience, not wishful thinking (i.e. role model).

Lisl Miller is unbiased, has no ego, impartial, fair, detailed, and very knowledgable in criminal law, and can easily transcend to civil matters just the same.

There simply is far more education and knowledge required to become a sitting judge on a Circuit Court that hears criminal cases far more than civil cases. Yamhill County needs an experienced jurist in criminal law, not civil law (which comes easy for an experienced criminal jurist).

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