Unruffling feathers
Working in education is a difficult job. Although teachers and staff are often rewarded by seeing their students achieve and receive thanks from individual parents, they are not so often recognized for their work in a public forum. It appears that my expression of congratulations for the “exceptional” work achieved at the Mosier Community School, as designated by the Oregon Department of Education, ruffled a few feathers.
Please allow me to apologize for any offense I may have caused. I am extremely happy with the school that my children attend, as are my friends whose children attend school in Hood River. Let us all be happy that we live in an area where the education system works and remember that improvement is something to be celebrated, as well as consistent good marks.
Peg Bogard
Hood River
Help grads’ party
Every year Hood River Valley High School graduating seniors have an all-night drug and alcohol free party the night of their graduation at the Hood River Elks Lodge.
This party is hosted by local parent volunteers along with community donations.
In order to make this party a success donations are requested early.
Please mail all donations to Project Graduation 2006, P.O. Box 1252, Hood River, OR 97031, or contact the committee chairperson, Tina Dye, at 386-6819.
Tina Dye
Hood River
TESRA for whom?
The Endangered Species Act was enacted under President Richard Nixon in 1973 to curb human actions having no regard for any other species inhabiting this earth. It was enacted to counter the human philosophy that puts personal and corporate gain above all else — at any cost to any thing but themselves.
This is no time to feel all warm and fuzzy about Rep. Greg Walden’s support of the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005.
Greg Walden consistently votes against legislation and amendments protecting environmental laws. He votes just as consistently for restrictions on judicial reviews of environmental protection rules and citizen action to have these rules enforced. He votes for changes that weaken environmental rules every time he gets the chance.
The TESRA of 2005 is Republican California representative Pombo’s initial attempt to gut and destroy the Endangered Species Act protecting habitat and species in this country. Walden helped pass this travesty of a bill in the House.
Walden claims to be an advocate of peer reviewed science. He claims to want “data that can withstand the rigors of the scientific community.” What he has not told us is TESRA 2005 has deliberate built-in loopholes to allow oil and timber companies, developers, mining corporations, special interest groups, federal agencies and individual property owners to dodge ESA rules and laws. The bill will eliminate the requirement for “critical habitat” for endangered species and make the government pay developers and polluters not to kill publicly owned fish and wildlife. Even worse is TESRA 2005’s provision allowing political appointees to make some “scientific determinations.” Is this what Walden deems “scientific peer review”? Greg Walden says he wants the ESA to work better. Work better for whom? TESRA 2005 definitely does not work better for endangered species and their habitats.
Gary J. Fields
Hood River
Keep reading
Come into the Hood River County Library with your child and tell us their favorite children’s book. I’ll put all the names in a drawing for a $20 gift certificate at Waucoma Bookstore! Kids can go into our branches in Parkdale and Cascade Locks to enter.
Visit the library Nov. 14-19 to qualify.
I’m reading “Wizards at War,” by Diane Duane and listening to “Eragon,” by Christopher Paloni and Sammy Keyes and “The curse of Moustache Mary,” by Wendelin Van Draanen and “East,” by Edith Pattou. What are your kids reading or listening to?
Jayne Guidinger
Children’s Librarian
Hood River
Give military chance
I was really amazed, or, I might say, flabbergasted to recently learn that the Hood River County School Board will allow religious groups to counsel our high school students but will not our military recruiters.
It seems they think the military is responsible for our wars. Wake up, people, our troops are fighting and dying because our president, who did everything he could to stay out of Vietnam, and a vice president who did everything he could to dodge the draft, sent them there.
If you don’t want a draft reinstated you better get behind and support our all-volunteer military. Actually, if you keep politics and religion out of the works the military is really a pretty good life.
Max R. Linder
U.S. Army Ret.
Hood River
Hidden factors
I enjoyed reading the personal background on the family life of the person who will play the trumpet for Veterans Day. It had some characteristics that could be seen as similar to historical German or Prussian values. There are some similarities to the family I grew up in which had some roots in Germany. It has taken me half a century to see more clearly some of the hidden factors in such a situation.
The book “For Your Own Good,” by internationally known author Alice Miller, has cogent and hard-hitting explanations of child-rearing dynamics. It also has one of the best explanations I’ve read about how German childrearing philosophy before World War II — including the importance of rigidity, following rules, and unquestioned adherence to strong authority figures — may have enabled National Socialists, Nazis, to have such a following.
Humans have a relatively long dependency period of lifespan, and that dependency can and is exploited, even if unwittingly, and even after a person’s grown up. In the trumpet article it reads, “It didn’t matter how we felt about what we were asked to do, we just needed to do what we were told.” It reminds me of the saying that some people have a character structure with a screw too loose, but many Germans could have been said to have a screw too tight.
Tom Hons
Hood River
Also were patriots
I was proud to attend the Veterans Day observation at Overlook Park. My brother, my father, all of my uncles, six of my cousins and one nephew have served in the United States military. Over the years, I have seen the military take a lead in recruiting minorities and women, job training, education and leadership. I have tremendous respect for people who choose to serve our country in the military, and for our military leaders.
I do not support the current war. Neither do my brother, my dad, half of my uncles, half of my cousins or my nephew. I was very upset at the Veterans Day ceremony when one speaker spoke against protestors of this war, and stated that if you believe in the United States and support its military, then you have to support this war.
The first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence says:
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
To my mind, people who dissolved those political bands were protestors. People who stood up against slavery, for women’s rights, against segregation … all of these people were protestors. Historical perspective shows that they were also patriots.
I honor the people who’ve served this country, including my family members. I believe in America and its ideals. And I don’t support this war.
Nancy Roach
Hood River
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