Letters to the Editor: February 23, 2018

End Oregon’s sanctuary policy

On May 1, 2013, Gov. John Kitzhaber signed into law a bill to grant illegal aliens official Oregon driver cards. As soon as the ink was dry, Oregonians for Immigration Reform, with which I have long been affiliated, filed paperwork for a referendum to overturn the bill.

No one gave us a chance. Every newspaper in Oregon, including the News-Register, came out in opposition. And we were outspent 10 to 1 in the campaign.

In the end, though, Oregon voters overturned the law 66 percent to 34 percent. Thirty-five of Oregon’s 36 counties voted against driver cards for illegal aliens.  Seventy-three percent of Marion, Polk and Yamhill voters said no to Oregon driver cards for illegal aliens.

Recently, when federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement asked Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese to provide the release date for multiple-time illegal alien deportee Sergio Martinez, who had been charged with 18 separate crimes, he refused. Upon release, Martinez went on to rape one woman and sexually assault another.

Martinez has since been convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison. The incarceration cost, an estimated $1 million, will be borne by Oregon taxpayers.

These brutal assaults on two women and the cost of the illegal alien’s subsequent incarceration are directly related to Oregon’s sanctuary policy, which protects illegal alien criminals from being turned over to ICE for deportation. To remedy that, Stop Oregon Sanctuaries is collecting signatures on a repeal measure, Initiative Petition 22.

Oregon voters can help protect citizen safety by signing IP 22.

A single signature sheet can be downloaded at stoporegonsanctuaries.org. Simply print out the sheet, sign it and mail it.

Jim Ludwick

McMinnville

Better regulation now

Now is the time for gun regulation.

Gun violence in schools and communities must end. Our young people should not die in their schools.

As a retired high school and community college mathematics teacher, I know statistics. Americans are no more mentally ill than the people of any other country.

As a retired Army National Guard veteran, I know what a well-regulated militia is. Assault weapons should be banned for all but law enforcement and the military. A deer hunter does not use an AR-15.

We need to regulate the types of weapon available, impose much tougher background checks and limit the size of ammunition clips.

Politicians should represent we the people, not the NRA, gun manufacturers or any of the donor class. If necessary, we must demand gun legislation peacefully, emulating Gandhi.

The political climate in the U.S. is the worst ever. Get educated, go to a wide variety of sources and know when you are Russian-trolled.

Richard Lund

McMinnville

Enough is enough!

I think every American who follows the news has heard the words “enough is enough” many times over.

It’s a common cry from people when another mass shooting happens in America. And in Parkland, Florida, we heard it again.

Guns seem to be an American obsession.

While we represent only about 5 percent of the world’s population, we own approximately 48 percent of the world’s civilian guns. It’s no wonder ours is such a violent nation.

Guns play an essential part when it comes hurting and killing other human beings. Add assault-type weapons and their accessories, such as bump stocks and large clips, and the carnage gets even worse.

We know many recreational gun owners, and they don’t seem to need a weapon of war to fulfill their objective.

Our own kids, now grown, enjoyed the carefree years of childhood. Today, we see more and more kids lose the opportunity for a full life.

They now are saying enough is enough. I hope, as parents and grandparents, that we hear their cry and join them to take action.

I am not advocating taking guns away from law-abiding citizens. I just ask everyone to reasonably approach gun ownership.

Make gun ownership a responsibility, and not just a Second Amendment right. After all, rights and responsibilities go hand-in-hand.

Isn’t it reasonable to have good gun control laws to keep guns out of the hands of those whose purpose is to harm others? Isn’t is responsible to keep weapons of war, designed for the battlefield, out of our homes and off the streets of our communities?

Do you agree? Then stand with our kids and say, “Enough is enough.” Take Action!

Jim Frelka

McMinnville