Letters to the Editor: March 25, 2016

Reaction was not slow

Newberg High School’s averted tragedy draws slow reaction? Hardly.

We have two grandchildren attending Newberg High. It was a paralyzing experience for all of us, a horror film brought into out homes. What Jeb Bladine (in his March 18 column) terms no reaction is in truth a mental stupor of nightmare proportions. There is nowhere to turn. It was overwhelming. The troubled teen years are like a roller coaster, full of highs and lows of the emerging adult. The troubled child has found that this is one way to solve his problems and this has found good press. High school officials report that they have returned to normal, and I am sure they would like to think that true.

It will take a long time for the fear and horror of the possibility disappears. So the challenge is what are we going to do about it and where we start.

This story had a happy ending without funeral notices. We also are grateful beyond measure for the young person who came forward, overcame the fear of peer pressure, and let their conscience be their guides as they contacted police. That took thought and courage.

We can make blanket statements about cleaning up the violence on TV, movies and other broad pronouncements. What saved the day was the cooperation between school officials and police.

As our granddaughter said the day after, “The place was crawling with police, and I was glad to see them.”

Encourage the school district to have plans in place and encourage students to come forth with troubles. It is in the local area that we can make a difference and we each are responsible. Gun control anyone? Thank you, Newberg High School, for your fast response and thank you, Newberg-Dundee Police Department, for being up to the task.

Donna Jean and Jim McDaniel

Dundee

Senate shirks its job

It is the sworn duty of the president of the United States under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution to nominate and appoint judges to the Supreme Court.

President Obama took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and he is adhering to that oath by nominating a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia. Every U.S. senator also took an oath to uphold the Constitution. It is the sworn constitutional duty of the Senate to advise and consent on any Supreme Court nomination.

If the Senate withholds consent after holding confirmation hearings, that is its prerogative and another nominee must be put forth for consideration. By refusing to consider any nomination, Republican senators are not only refusing to perform their constitutional duties, they also are obstructing the president of the United States in the conduct of his constitutional duties. The Founding Fathers knew very well that when one party controlled all three branches of government, the outcome would likely be tyranny. Thus they instituted our unique system of checks and balances. The Supreme Court, with its lifetime appointments, is the ultimate check against the tyranny of popular opinion and is the nation’s defender of the rule of law.

The Supreme Court was never intended to reflect the latest poll or election. It is bizarre and sad that the party of Lincoln has taken the position that the great constitutional principle of checks and balances — and the Constitution — can be ignored for political purposes.

When Franklin Roosevelt tried to create a captive court, the outcry was universal — as it should be now. The tendency of both parties over the last 30 years to elevate political gain over service to the nation has created the current poisonous climate and contempt for the institutions of government.

Shame on those politicians who view the Constitution as simply a piece of paper and shame on the people who vote for them.

Margaret Cross

McMinnville

Olson deserves your vote

A vote for Allen Springer is a vote for another four years of bully-style management on the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners. Vote for Mayor Rick Olson as our next commissioner. Olson will honor all who come to meetings, respect everyone’s right to be heard, and he will use his considerable experience and skills to work with the county staff and county finances. He will be fully focused on his duties to the county and will not be running a family business while being paid by the citizens. That is because he has integrity and focus.

Kris Bledsoe

Dayton