Debate thoughts
I watched the Democratic debate last night (Oct. 13, 2015). Frankly, I want a president who has the spine to say “ALL lives matter;” that would include white me, my mixed-race children, my legal immigrant wife, my Yakama nation friend, my black ex-girlfriend and her family, my gay restaurant mentor and gay coworkers, and my Mexican friends who are both legal residents and illegal aliens. Enough of the Democratic party pandering to the minority groups.
Hillary stated she did not want to break the banks up … sounds rather Republican.
Bernie was spot on when he stated one of the biggest economic crises we face is the evaporation of the middle class. I suspect, though, we may differ in how we might reverse/change that problem. And he was absolutely correct in stating there are difference is rural and urban areas, requiring different approaches and solutions, referring to gun control. Sounds rather “states’ rights,” but that may not be a Democratic tenant.
And Lincoln Chafee was absolutely correct in stating that we should have a president without trailing scandals behind them. Integrity would be important, don’t you think? And I would add that would and should apply to either Democratic or Republican or Independent.
Steve Nybroten
White Salmon, Wash.
Public health
Every year, healthcare providers spend several months and millions of dollars preparing for flu season. They do so because the flu virus has the potential to kill a lot of people at risk.
Public shootings have become the next public health and safety issue and are not bound by seasonal limitations. I do not know if the problem is one of gun control, mental health, or is media-generated. However, I firmly believe that we as a community need to take an immediate, closer and more serious look at the issues surrounding violence.
Many local people may not be aware there was a threat of a gun shooting at our own high school just one week ago. Threat or not, law enforcement and school officials took the situation very seriously.
We live in a time of social media, which breeds a rather dysfunctional belief among young people that constant attention and positive feedback are as essential as oxygen. This seems to be a breeding ground for many negative behaviors, including cyberbullying, suicide, and the creation of movie-like characters who want to go down in a blaze of gunfire and glory.
School officials and law enforcement have already proven they are engaged in the process. I wonder if the rest of us are taking the situation just as seriously, or are our heads in the sand? We do not want to be among the list of communities stunned and feeling guilt when it is too late.
There is one school in this town which keeps only one door unlocked for outside entrance. I am starting to wonder if this is one simple, intelligent step toward protecting our children. I encourage everyone to consider this problem now and offer your thoughts to law enforcement and the school district before we have to bear the guilt of not acting sooner.
Steve Kaplan
Hood River
Willing to learn
Thank you to all of those who had a part in the planning of the event at Overlook Memorial Park on Oct. 12 in observance of Indigenous Peoples Day! Thank you to all those who came to participate in the event on very short notice! Thank you to Kirby Neumann-Rea for an excellent front-page article in the Hood River News on Oct. 14, which enabled people who could not attend to learn about it! Thank you to Paul Blackburn, Mayor of Hood River, for doing and saying what he said and did on that occasion! I am most grateful to all of you, and I wish I could have been present for that important event.
I hope this will become an annual event here in Hood River and that many more of us will make plans that include participating in it. I hope that many of us will have the courage to speak honestly about the ways in which we live our privileged lives while many of those who once lived on this same land are living in dire poverty. Our mayor spoke eloquently about the situation and what he chose to do. Thank you Mayor Blackburn for setting a fine example for all of us. And thank you Lana Jack for your gracious response. We all have much to learn with and from each other. May we have the grace to be willing to learn.
Ruth Tsu
Hood River
Arts goldmine
Hood River County turns up the dial on the arts again this weekend. The Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association debuts its Beethoven concert, featuring the Sinfonietta, Voci Choir, and guest performers, on Friday, Oct. 23 (7 p.m.), with a second performance on Sunday, Oct. 25 (2 p.m.), both at the beautiful performing arts center at Wy’east Middle School in Odell. Romeo and Juliet finishes its run at the CAST Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And the Columbia Center for the Arts is also hosting the rare public performance of a Japanese Tea Ceremony, with readings and a book signing by a special haiku artist, on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
(And these are just the events I’m going to be lucky enough to enjoy! I know there are other opportunities elsewhere in the Gorge, and even in Hood River, that I haven’t mentioned and unfortunately must miss.)
We’re so lucky to be in a community where our health and wellbeing are so enriched by the arts. Let’s leave our TVs and computers behind and partake of them!
Tina Castañares
Hood River
Wear seatbelt
I was recently pulled over and ticketed for wearing my seatbelt incorrectly. By incorrectly, I mean I had it tucked underneath my armpit instead of over the shoulder. The police officer explained that wearing it under my armpit is the same as not wearing it at all. Honestly, I sometimes wear it like this to save myself some minor “discomfort,” while believing that I am safe and protected because I do have my seatbelt on. Now that I have a ticket worth $110, I’ve had to rethink how I wear my seatbelt and have come to the conclusion that complacency is at the heart of my faulty thinking.
“Complacency” as defined by Merriam-Webster online is “marked by self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.” Aren’t we all guilty of being complacent in our lives? We know the excuses: it’s only down the road; it is a small town and everybody drives safely; nothing is going to happen. Complacency is the basis for the kind of rational that says, “It won’t happen to me,” except that it could happen and it does. Failure to wear a seatbelt continues to be one of the top three contributors to crash fatalities and injuries, with teens, men and those living in rural areas identified as less likely to wear a seatbelt. In 2012, of the teens that died in crashes nationwide, approximately 55 percent of them were not wearing seatbelts (CDC, online, 2015). That’s a startling figure to me.
According to ODOT (online, 2015), Oregon crash fatalities and injuries have dropped from 58 percent to 24 percent since seatbelt laws became strictly enforced in the early ‘90s. Seatbelts clearly save lives, if not a lot of heartache. We all could use a much-needed “wake-up call” from time to time. We can only hope that they come as small reminders to check ourselves rather than loud sirens that go off after something catastrophic has happened. I’ll let my experience act as a small reminder to keep choosing safety over ego, and to keep my seatbelt on always … over my shoulder.
Jessica Krainik
Hood River
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