Letters to the Editor: July 20, 2018

Rename, rebrand

I am motivated once again to comment on Turkey Rama, this time inspired by the editorial in the July 13 edition titled, “Community response to script Turkey Rama’s next chapter.” I continue to believe the next chapter should have a new name and be reshaped and retooled to more accurately represent what our community stands for now, not 30 or so years ago.

I am all for remembering, and celebrating, the past but not to the point where it exceeds being reasonable. Look around, what do you see? Not turkey farms but, instead, vineyards, hazelnuts (filberts to some), farms with a variety of crops (we see at the Farmers Market), and one of the best main streets in America (Third Street).

From the editorial, “Encouraged by a group of longtime residents, businesspeople and volunteers, the Chamber was encouraged not to let the event be completely erased.” Business owners on Third Street I talk to were not happy with the event, citing a variety of reasons why, but many feel a name change would be a step in the right direction.

I think most people would agree with your conclusion, “We witness every summer how the annual small town festivals create a sense of community pride. It would be a shame if McMinnville considers itself to have outgrown such an experience.” The sense of community pride is no longer Turkey Rama; yes, have a festival, and ours should be rebranded.

From discussions I have had with people, a couple of probable new names stand out: Filberts and Fine Wine, or how about Meet McMinnville. Keep it simple. Carlton has Carlton Fun Days and Newberg has Newberg Old Fashioned Festival.

Linda O’Hara

McMinnville

Writer’s personal agenda

Here we go again with the liberal, Democratic Party lies. Mr. Henderson wrote an article about a nut with a shotgun (“Literally shooting the messenger” July 6) who murdered five people in an Annapolis newsroom. In the second paragraph he says, “Our Commander in Tweet and various members of the Fox News Glee Club.” Mr. Henderson is showing his bigotry. What has President Trump and Fox News have to do with any of this? 

Then he goes back to an interview of Dana Loesch, an NRA spokeswoman, in Nov. 2016 where she called journalists, “the rat bastards of the earth.” Again, what does this have to do about a mass murder? The NRA has never had a member involved in a mass murder. 

Then halfway through his rant he gets to this: “Maybe hostile rhetoric toward the press gave Ramos the final push from grumbling malcontent to full-blown murderer. A direct connection will probably never be made, but it doesn’t really matter.”

This implies President Trump and the people who elected him are somehow responsible. More puke from a liberal.

Then: “If Trump and Company didn’t create Jarrod Ramos, he is certainly one of them.” This implies Trump is a murderer. More puke. 

Read the whole article and you will see this story is not about mass murder, it is about one’s personal agenda: anti-Trump, anything that they can twist or turn to their advantage. I was a member of the Democratic Party until all the Clinton corruption and impeachment. The best they could do was Hillary Clinton.

Since the author of this is employed by the News-Register, the management must be complacent with its intended bigotry and fake news. Thank God we live in a republic and not a democracy. 

Michael Barnett

McMinnville