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Letters to the editor: Aug. 7, 2020

Action required

Please help us understand why this carnage in Portland — the burning of structures, destroying of statues and so forth — is not addressed by state and local officials.

Yes, we have a right to address grievances, but it should be peaceful, as were the demonstrations of Martin Luther King. Yet these non-acting officials have the gall to call down the president for his concern for the lives and safety of the citizens.

The reason for this unrest and carnage appears to stem from Black Lives Matter and reparations. Should whites also demonstrate for reparations, because they, too, were slaves?

That raises another question, as nowhere in the U.S constitution is there an allowance for non-government use of money.

This shows the disregard or ignorance of our officials of the oaths they swore to uphold and enforce the Constitution. It appears it’s the proper time now to replace these officials with accountable, law-abiding officials.

Mary Novak,

Yamhill

 

Schools have no choice

When your house is on fire, you don’t invite people over for Thanksgiving dinner.

It’s already August, and parents are agonizing over whether or not to send their children back to school. Actually, though, there shouldn’t be any agony. It’s quite simple and obvious.

The world is on fire, being devastated by a ravenous invisible plague. So the decision comes down to four main factors: the math, virus, children and schools.

I understand the math, having earned two college degrees in mathematics. It’s multiplication, subtraction and the multiplier effect.

I understand the virus and how it acts.

I understand children, having been around them my entire life.

I understand schools, having either attended them or taught in them my entire life.

I get it. I get it all.

There will be no back to school as we have known it, anywhere in the world, this school year — and especially not in the United States. There will be no sports or extra-curricular activities.

Let’s bring this to the local level.

There will be no schools with person-to-person contact or sports anywhere in Yamhill County this year. Why, you say? There is no school or district  capable of keeping a facility’s inhabitants or their families safe and healthy.

I read in the latest edition how some local education leaders “wish” or “want” or “hope” they could welcome students back this fall. However, no amount of wishing or wanting changes the reality of the facts we are all facing.

When and if any schools do try and open, they will close soon thereafter, as they find it just isn’t possible.

I get it, and so should you. The answer is simple and obvious.

Would you invite people into your burning house?

Bill Bordeaux

McMinnville

 

Our nation not racist

Is America really a racist nation? Based on the history during my years of living in America, I say no.

Would a racist nation fight a war, losing thousands of federal soldiers, to free the oppressed? America did.

Would a racist nation actually pass legislative acts such as the Civil Rights Act if it were a racist nation? America did.

Would a racist nation enact laws terming vile acts against minorities hate crimes? America did.

Would a racist nation desegregate its schools? America did.

Would a racist nation elect a Back president? America did.

Would a racist nation elect minority mayors in many of the nations largest cities? America did.

Would a racist nation elect numerous minority leaders at the highest federal and state levels? America did.

You see, America is not a racist nation. It certainly is not systemically racist.

Are there racists in America? You bet. But we remain the only nation in history to acknowledge its own racial problems and then try to do something about them.

As long as we are a free people, we can think anything we want. It is when we act on that thinking that problems arise.

Dennis Carmody

Sheridan

 

Baca needs to resign

If Mr. Baca loves Linfield, as he says, he needs to resign. The university needs to recover. Whether or not he is in the wrong is moot. Whether or not anything was based on fact is moot. No one will trust the safety of their daughters at Linfield until he resigns. It’s unfortunate, yes. Things like this always are.

Truth doesn’t matter. Mr. Baca’s leaving will enable the communities to heal. Thank you, Mr. Baca, for your service, dedication and love of Linfield. Time to move on.

Sheila Hunter

McMinnville

 

Walk in the park

On these hot days, I have found a wonderful walk — Airport Park, off Three Mile Lane near the airport.

A few years ago, a local service club brought it back to life. And the Parks Department has done a great job in maintaining and improving it.

The walk is a mile totally in the shade and trees. It’s great for kids, dogs and adults of all ages.

McMinnville truly is a great place to live.

Dean Klaus

McMinnville

 

Uneven enforcement

I was dismayed after reading that the county has decided to flex its food safety muscle and shut down Miguel Lozano’s street-corn food cart.

The county has a history of getting bullied around by restaurants refusing to comply with food and health safety regulations and/or repeated failed inspections. It seems the county finally saw an opportunity to stand tall and took it, at the expense of a young entrepreneurial upstart.

Is the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce now rushing to protect all the lemonade stands it plans to roll out on Lemonade Day, or does each stand have its own $1,415 operating permit? Perhaps just their sheer whiteness will save them.

Ernest Bixby

McMinnville

 

Raw facts of meat

What if enough people cared about the more than 30,000 slaughterhouse workers infected with COVID-19 and decided not to buy meat for a while?

And what if they cared about the 113 workers dying of the virus just since June 30 to reconsider takeout from their favorite fast-food restaurant?

And what if they cared about industry workers being 80% people of color, 51% immigrant, 45% low-income and 42% female? Might they abstain from adding to the bottom line of the three multinationals dominating our country’s meat market — Brazil’s JBS, Arkansas’ Tyson Foods and China’s Smithfield Foods?

And what if they didn’t believe there’s a meat shortage in this country, knowing a record 2.5 billion pounds of meat and poultry were sitting in American cold storage and 258 million pounds of U.S. pork was shipped to China in April alone? Could they maybe begin to support the low-paid non-union workers risking maiming, mangling, amputation and even death from speeded-up production lines?

And what if they didn’t approve of the demand that these workers return to unsafe conditions in order to put meat onto America’s tables and dollars into corporate CEO and shareholder pockets? Might they then decide to boycott these corporations and/or protest with their ballots?

Linda Werner

McMinnville

 

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Comments

tagup

Mary Novak-
“Certain conditions continue to exist in our society,which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots.....but in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard.
and what is it that America has failed to hear?.......It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality,and humanity......
Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”

Dr. Martin Luther King
Stanford University 1967

RobsNewsRegister

Martin Luther King Jr's 'The Other America' speech was about 45 minutes long. Right before that quote is this:

"Let me say, as I’ve always said, and I will always continue to say, that riots are socially destructive and self-defeating. I’m still convinced that nonviolence is the most potent weapons available to oppress people in their struggle for freedom and justice. I feel that violence will only create more social problems than they will solve..."

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/the-other-america-speech-transcript-martin-luther-king-jr

RobsNewsRegister

Also, what we're seeing in Portland is more than just your average, every-day (it now seems) rioting. The 'peaceful protestors' tried yet again to set a building on fire in Portland in which they had barricaded officers inside. This is why our sworn officers want fencing around buildings, to prevent the rioters from getting close enough to burn the building down with them inside.

This week: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/portland-mayor-condemns-rioters-for-attempting-to-commit-murder
Last Month: https://nypost.com/2020/07/22/portland-protesters-barricade-courthouse-with-federal-officers-inside/

tagup

So the question is...do you condemn the conditions that exist as vigorously as you condemn the riots?......appears most posters on this forum do not....

RobsNewsRegister

Things are far different than 1967. The officers involved in Mr. Floyd's death face murder-2 or accessory to murder 2 charges. Does this country have problems - it sure does - but we've come a long way (see Dennis Carmody's letter) and are the best country in the world. I've known far too many immigrants to believe otherwise.

Instead of using vague terminology like 'conditions' our representatives need to be specific and then offer solutions. One specific thing I find appalling is that there are actually high schools in this country serving majority minority communities where not one child is proficient in math. Not one. It is as astonishing as it is unacceptable in the modern STEM economy. These kids don't have a chance competing against their international counterparts.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/13-baltimore-high-schools-no-students-proficient-in-math-report-says

tagup

I think the “conditions” behind the unrest have been pretty well identified as systemic police racism & misconduct......my cynical side tells me that the deeply embedded problems with policing will be handled by our leadership in much the same way as gun violence in this country. Lots of talk and few constructive improvements...

Bill B

So Tagup; you continue condone the continuing riots because they are justifies. Sad!

tagup

Bill, As I have posted previously, no one condones the violence. So your statement is false.

You seem to equate support for the core reasons behind the demonstrations with approval of violence....that is flawed logic.

Interestingly, you have posted nothing condemning the injustice and misconduct by law enforcement towards minorities that has been documented across the country.....do you not believe change is necessary?

madmacs

Mary Novak: See Article 1, section 8, clause 1 of the US constitution.

Bill B

Tagup, my point is that by not addressing the violence, you and Oregon leadership are condoning it. That is not a false statement. As Ms. Novak points out, everyone has the right to peacefully protest and the recent acts by certain police officers, warrant those protests. As to your assertion that there is systematic racism and brutality by police, I do not agree. Certainly there is in some cities, but I do not believe it is a wide spread as you think,

tagup

So using that logic, with your failure to “address” racism and police misconduct, I should assume you condone it?...

Finch

Violence garners no sympathy for their supposed cause. It's only an excuse for getting away with destroying property that they otherwise would not be allowed to destroy. I don't know how these officers put up with it night after night with no support from the authorities that should have stopped it immediately.

RobsNewsRegister

It's got to be tough to be a police officer. Now it looks like you can injure a cop in Portland and not get charged. What's going under-reported is the number of injuries sustained by police in Portland during the 'peaceful protests'. There have been hundreds of injuries.

Portland Prosecutor Likely To Drop Charges Against Rioters Who Injure Cops, Citing "Instinctive Reaction" To Police
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/portland-prosecutor-likely-drop-charges-against-rioters-who-injure-cops-citing

tagup

And if you substitute “minorities & people of color” in place of “police/cop” your post would also be a true statement....

RobsNewsRegister

Its easy to forget that a significant percentage of the police forces in our major cities are themselves minorities. The black female police chief in Seattle just resigned because politicians didn't allow her to do her job (first link).

Who can forget them ordering her to abandon a precinct that later became part of CHAZ. in the short time that police have been forced to pull back from the “minorities & people of color” communities they protect, these communities have become war zones with double and even triple digit percentage increases in shootings/murders. Even Portland just hit a three decade record (second link).

So in the end you are right. It must be tough to live in any of these minority communities where your children can't play in the front yard, its not safe to walk at night, neighborhood stores previously looted are closed, etc., etc.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2020/08/13/the-disturbing-part-about-seattles-police-chief-walking-away-n2574191
https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/07/portland-police-record-highest-number-of-death-investigations-in-single-month-in-more-than-three-decades.html

tagup

Apparently, it’s also easy to forget the decades long litany of egregious incidents that triggered the demonstrations to in the first place....

tagup

** begin**

Finch

I cannot even conceive why you continue to act like this is justified. Broad generalities of anything is wrong. You cannot justify this radical and destructive behavior because of a few. What happened to the "Coexist" that's plastered all over on bumper stickers and the signs of In My America . . . We're told not to judge people by whatever differences there may be but now there's this overall in our face non-stop 24/7 attitude that this is acceptable and it is not. We can't judge all people for the behavior of a few. I've said before that I will never accept someone telling me that I'm racist somewhere deep inside and I have to apologize for it. I'm calling BS on this whole movement or anarchy. These police officers are endangered every single day that they begin their shifts. This is absolute craziness. And then to top it off the morons in charge say none of those arrested will be prosecuted. Really? In Chicago that gal was on camera saying that this destruction and theft on the Miracle Mile they now consider 'reparations'. Hmm, so now there's a value they feel is theirs through theft. Really, a large flat screen TV or cases of booze now will settle the injustices done generations ago? This is complete insanity and will continue until the election because the people that have organized it have said that their intention is to take down the Trump administration. And I want to also know why there is no coverage of that little boy on his bicycle shot and killed point blank by that guy. The colors of each don't fit the narrative. The reporting only goes one way. We're supposed to acknowledge ALL lives and not just report on the ones that fit the narrative on the cable and ABC channels. Why is there no outrage about all these children being shot and killed in these cities? CHILDREN?? What did they do to deserve to have their lives taken from them? Justify that.

RobsNewsRegister

Finch - check out the 2 minute and 20 second video in this story. The guy drives through Manhattan. Its all boarded up with plywood covering where the glass was broken or what's left. Its a ghost town. Amazing. The media has done a fantastic job not covering what the downtowns of our major cities look like. But remember - there's no bias.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ghost-town-shocking-dystopian-video-nyc-shows-abandoned-and-boarded-5th-avenue

Finch

Rob - so you're telling me you believe in myths and fairy tales? Ha Thank you for sharing that. Heartbreaking. I stayed in Manhattan years ago and it was amazing and packed and crowded and the city was alive. Yep, all that peace and quiet caused those windows to break automatically. A true shame that this is what things have come to and people don't even see it.

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