Anglers say thanks

I want to thank the Hood River Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest for sponsoring the free Youth Fishing Clinic May 19 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The pond was stocked with 600 fish. The crew was on site with gift bags for all children who participated, prize drawings, fly-tying, casting demonstrations and loaner poles.

Everyone there was friendly, helpful and went over and above the call of duty. This is the first year that we attended. We had so much fun and felt so welcome and wanted that we look forward to next year’s fishing clinic already. And we are already planning other fishing trips in the area this year.

A big thank-you to all of you for your help re-tying our hooks, giving us casting lessons, introducing us to many varieties of fish bait, and for just being friendly.

‘Diary’ a milestone

Polly and I were at the “Diary of Anne Frank” performance May 19. Although we had seen Ashland’s production last year, the intimacy of the CAST venue, the cramped set that captured The Annex (which we visited in 1988), the use of music, sound and projected images, and the amazing performances of the ensemble, made for a much more impacting evening than we experienced there.

Congratulations — and thank you — to director Lynda Dallman for your vision and dedication that has resulted in a milestone production for CAST.

Walk in their shoes

I would encourage DeAnna Lainhart who wrote for the paper on May 5 to keep on trying!

You did not get very far with this attempt at understanding, but don’t give up. Trying to put ourselves in another’s shoes, to better understand someone that we are critical of, is the only way we will move out of the emotional gridlock of so many of our problems. You want to understand why someone would protest their treatment in the U.S., when they are here illegally.

I attended a talk in Hood River on April 18 about the complex and controversial issues surrounding free trade and immigration by Juan Manuel Sandoval and David Bacon, leading scholars and activists, one from each side of the border. They stressed that the waiting list is six or seven years long for Latino immigrants to begin the process of becoming an American citizen, with little guarantee in an unstable political environment. What would it be like to have to pay taxes, obey all the rules that are imposed on you from employers and government while living under constant threat of deportation all those years? What would it be like to be that vulnerable?

What would it be like to have U.S.-subsidized corn dumped into your markets in Mexico because of NAFTA, selling below the prices that it costs for you to grow the traditional varieties you count on to make your living and then to lose your land? What would it be like to be so desperate to feed and care for your family that you would risk your life crossing the border to enter an alien, indifferent or even hostile place to work for the lowest wages of all?

What would it be like loving the family, culture and place that I come from, to be so homesick, and yet try to fit into a new place that clearly only values my role as a cheap, disposable worker? What would it be like to know deep in my heart that I am being cheated of my rights as a human being, no matter what country I originate from?

Imagine the courage it would take to make a stand publicly on so small a street corner as Hood River fearing the threat of deportation raids.

Goodness, with thoughts and emotions like these connecting many more of us to each other, America might just have a chance of living up to her true promise.

Donate goods to Arc

The Arc of the Mid-Columbia is a volunteer organization that advocates, supports and serves children and adults with developmental disabilities. We are a small nonprofit organization that has been serving this community since 2002 and we need your help.

We understand that not everyone had time or money to volunteer. What we could use is your unwanted household items and nice used clothing for our huge garage sale to be held on June 1 at the Hood River Elks Club, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Just one donated box of items from every caring family would make such a big difference in the amount of activities and extra care these children and adults depend on. So, won’t you please join me in dropping off your unwanted items at Rosauers in Hood River or K-Mart in The Dalles on May 27, 1 to 5 p.m.?

Pickup trucks will be located in these parking lots; just look for “The Arc” signs.

The Arc will be glad to unload your items and give you a donation slip. If you miss this date, you can always bring your items down to the Hood River Elks the day of the sale. With just this little act of kindness, we can bring laughter and smiles to those who need our help.

Teens’ injustice

Black clothing, brooding teenage poetry and a love of heavy metal music may not pique anyone’s interest today, but on June 3, 1993, it was enough to cast suspicion on three teenage boys, eventually leading to their arrests, and subsequent convictions — life plus 40 years for Jesse Misskelley Jr., life without parole for Jason Baldwin, and death for Damien Echols.

The crime? The horrendous “satanic cult-related” murders of three 8-year-old boys. The story is true and heartbreaking, not only for the innocent little boys whose lives were so brutally cut short, but also for the three boys whose lives were just as effectively ended by their sentences.

Whether one is for or against capital punishment, any reasonable person can agree that in order to hand down such a sentence there must be proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused committed the crime. By no means should a rush to “satanic panic,” a botched investigation where other suspects were ignored, DNA evidence was “lost” and where none of the accused could be physically linked to the crime lead to such convictions or sentences. Yet in West Memphis, Ark., it happened. The case has been likened to the Salem Witch Hunts, a sad footnote in American history.

I’m not a lawyer and don’t claim to know all the ins and outs of the legal system. However, one doesn’t need a law degree to read the case files and conclude that the teenagers did not receive the fairness that everyone is entitled to.

Why should you care? Well, I remember being a teenager, listening to music adults hated, writing dark entries in my journal and painting my fingernails black.

This certainly didn’t make me satanic, nor did it make me a murderer.

I urge anyone who is interested in learning more about this case to visit www.wm3.org. And if you are compelled, as I was, to do something about this injustice there are many ways to help the West Memphis Three in seeking a new and fair trial. The victims, Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Stevie Branch, didn’t get the justice they deserved. And the three teenagers, now grown men, didn’t get what they deserved. Just thought everyone should know.