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A ‘whiner’ responds
It’s always a little disappointing to see an Internet “urban legend”
gain credibility by being printed in a newspaper. I’m referring to
Wendell Ellis’ Nov. 18 letter in this paper, where he concludes that
“The U.S. should pull out of Washington” because the firearm death
rate in our nation’s capital is higher than the death rate among U.S.
troops in Iraq.
This legend is particularly galling because it diminishes the risks
and sacrifices being made by our troops in Iraq and their families at
home.
The problems with this legend are that it compares monthly rates in
Iraq to annual rates in Washington, and that it more than doubles the
actual Washington rate. Accepting Mr. Ellis’ reasonably accurate
assertion that the monthly death rate in Iraq is 60 per 100,000
troops, then the annual rate is 720 per 100,000 troops. By comparison,
the 2004 annual murder rate in Washington from all causes, not just
firearms, was slightly less than 36 per 100,000 residents (http://www.morganquitno.com/cit04r.pdf).
In other words, the risk of death to a U.S. soldier in Iraq is about
20 times greater than the risk of being murdered while living in
Washington, D.C.
As a side note: The murder rate in the nation’s capital is about 13
times higher than in our state capital, so a soldier from Salem is
about 260 times more likely to be killed in Iraq than if he stayed
home.
Guy Fenner
Hood River
A proud Lion
Jerry Routson was a proud man, but not prideful. He was proud of
his community and the people he lived among. There was no doubt he
was a “community player.” Seems that anywhere he could find a way
to help his neighbor improve their quality of life somehow, Jerry
was involved.
Jerry was extremely proud of his involvement with Lions
International. He was an original charter member since the Upper
Valley Lions Club first began in 1971.Throughout the years, his
generosity from donated fruit has helped contribute to the Lions’
ability to provide Upper Valley students with scholarships.
Despite failing health, Jerry continued to be involved with
monthly pancake breakfasts, as well as this year’s Harvest Fest.
Although we will miss his physical presence, his presence of
purpose and sense of community will remain always. I speak for
countless Lions in the county when I say it was an honor to serve
alongside Lion Jerry Routson.
I will miss seeing one of the best darned pancake grill cleaners
ever.
Leslie H. Lauble
Past president
Upper Valley Lions Club
Kids’ genius inspires
The kindnesses that we experience with each other in our community
in the coming weeks will be connected with, and buoyed by, the
vibrant energy our teens shared with us in the HRVHS production of
“Beauty and the Beast.” (And they are all “our” teens!) They
charmed the hearts several thousand of us over the past three
weekends with the dancing, singing story about the magic of the
healing, joyful, power of love.
They have raised Love’s energy level in our valley. Can you feel
it?
I for one re-dedicate my life to the work of creating a world that
is worthy of their great heart and creative genius.
Karen Harding
Mt. Hood
Comparative danger
Last week a letter to the editor claimed to show statistically
that Washington, D.C., was a more dangerous place than Baghdad.
His statistics, however, compared a monthly rate for U.S. soldier
deaths in Iraq to an annual rate for homicides in Washington.
The calculations both neglected all Iraq deaths not wearing a U.S.
uniform and also understated the comparative Iraq figure by a
factor of 12.
So if you are a parent and your school offers a field trip to
either Baghdad or Washington, D.C., study the matter carefully,
and the same is true for military recruiting letters.
The writer does bring up an interesting comparison for me,
however.
Over 3,000 were killed on 9/11, a fact we are constantly reminded
of in discussing this war. Since that 9/11 there have been over
80,000 Americans killed by homicide inside the U.S. (about 16,000
per year). The Iraq war has a consumed over half a trillion
dollars in resources that have not gone to our anti-poverty
efforts, our education system, or our mental health services.
David Rath
Hood River
Cold hard facts
I was pleasantly relieved to read Mr. Wendell Ellis’ letter to the
editor in the Saturday paper. My concern over the deaths of 2,112
Americans and tens of thousands of foreigners has been overblown.
I now find myself embarrassed that I was whining over a mere .6
percent death rate of American soldiers blessed to be away from
their families and in the line of fire.
I will not spin tales or rehash rhetoric about WMDs or al-Qaeda
connections. Apparently those facts are unimportant to someone of
Mr. Ellis’ capacity for numeric calculations.
Come on, Mr. Ellis, make Vice President Cheney’s day and help out
over there. I am certain they still need a few good men. Perhaps
your presence in Iraq and words of wisdom can make the current
death count even less significant.
In the meantime, I will continue to OPPOSE the war in Iraq.
Steve Kaplan
Hood River
A tall tale
Wendell Ellis’ letter of Nov. 18 is not only plagiarism, it is out
of date. This manipulation of statistics started circulating on
the Web back in July 2005. A quick search on the key words will
tell the “tall” tale.
Is there a way to screen for such material?
David Melody
Lyle, Wash.
Land use abuse
Oregonians’ land use laws are a direct reflection of the thoughts
and words of former Gov. Tom McCall. Remember his famous quote,
“Come visit but do not stay.” In current term that is NIMBY, Not
In My Back Yard.
Decades of abusive land use laws could have been avoided by two
simple words: Government, if my property is so important to you,
“buy it.” Don’t legislate the use of out of my property for the
benefit of the majority at the cost of the private property owner.
My wife and I fought Hood River County, the State of Oregon and
the environmental community for 10 years in order to build a home
on our property. We went through eight courts, including the
Oregon Supreme Court, the Nine Circuit Court of Appeals and to the
U.S. Supreme Court for review. Each time we were in court we could
look across the aisle and see five lawyers: two from the state,
two from the environmentalists and one from the county.
When we were before the Hood River Planning Commission in an
attempt to get a building permit the following groups testified
against us: Hood River County, the 1000 Friends of Oregon, the
Oregon Department of Forestry and the Hood River Valley Residents
Committee. A number of oral and written statements continually
stated the following: the Dodds’ home would have no rural fire
protection; the Dodds’ home would be a fire hazard in the forest.
In other words, the Dodds’ request for a permit should be denied.
We were required to buy 40 acres to build a single family
dwelling. We received notice from the Hood River Planning
Department that our property met all statewide land use laws.
Thirty days later they rezoned our property to forest land and we
could not build; we were never notified. Hood River County had
instituted a new comprehensive plan and if you had 40 acres or
more you could not build in the forest zone. If you had less than
40 acres there were no major restrictions on building in the
forest zone.
We know this for a fact, as years later we wrote to the Hood River
Planning Department and requested the list of homes approved to be
built in the forest zone since the new comprehensive plans went
into effect. The report stated there were 50 such homes which had
been approved; we went through the applications of such homes page
by page. We did not find one single word of objection from Hood
River County, the 1000 Friends of Oregon, the Oregon Department of
Forestry nor the Hood River Valley Residents Committee.
Only the Dodds’ property had been singled out for no rural fire
protection, only the Dodds’ property was a fire hazard, only the
Dodds’ property would start a forest fire. Hypocrisy, hypocrisy,
hypocrisy!
Hood River County and the State of Oregon’s land use problems can
be found in five simple words: “You reap what you sow.” It’s about
time, too.
Doris and Tom Dodd
Hood River
Letter lacks sense
In regards to Wendell Ellis’ sad letter comparing Washington,
D.C., firearm deaths to U.S. troop deaths in IRAQ: why? Why
compare over $350 billion dollars spent, over 2,800 U.S. troop
deaths, over 11,000 U.S. troops wounded, over 52,000 Iraqi
civilian deaths to an unconfirmable D.C. firearm death rate? It
just doesn’t make sense.
Ron Margheim
Hood River
Repeal Measure 37
Reading your article “Citizens’ group starts Measure 37 state
appeal” got my stomach churning again at the greed and stupidity
of my fellow citizens.
Measure 37, the “takings” law, is all about a few citizens taking
from the rest of the state. The only case in which a landowner
should get compensation for regulations imposed since the land was
purchased is if the land was purchased solely with the intent to
use it in the way that was barred by the new regulation.
Those situations could and should have been handled individually,
with the laws that already existed. Now most of the claims made
are get-rich-quick schemes. The measure is so flawed that it
couldn’t help but be a destructive, money-sapping, cheat.
I’ve got to say: I told you so the first time that measure was on
the ballot and now you see, I was right. You who voted for it were
duped by a few thieves who wanted to steal your tax money and mess
up your community for their profit. Open your eyes, everyone. That
measure must be repealed.
Adrian Fields
Hood River
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