With the onset of winter most of our feathered friends are basking in the sun down south. At least that’s how many of us imagine them.

The reality, however, is not so cozy. As with many other wild creatures, our spring and summer birds are losing their post-breeding habitat at alarming rates. Large coffee and banana plantations are clear cutting the forests to make way for production trees: more than 60 percent of these forests are already gone.

There are, thankfully, some growers who are planting coffee and banana trees within the remaining rain forests, thereby protecting essential habitat for birds and other native animals. Coffee and bananas that are grown on these “bird friendly plantations” are labeled: certified, shade grown, rain forest alliance, or other.

Simply take an extra minute to read the label. We can help assure a return trip of the birds we love by buying products grown in this habitat- saving manner.

Facts about schools

The Dec. 2 Sunday Oregonian front page story headlined “Schools Leave Dollars Behind” listed Cascade Locks School as one of 25 schools in Oregon that “turned down federal aid” after the school went into NCLB school improvement status, “to dodge the consequences and pressure to improve brought by the federal No Child Left Behind act.” This is untrue.

Hood River County School District left no funds behind. We get the same allocation of funds no matter whether we serve three or nine of our schools. We currently serve three schools with Title 1A funds: Mid Valley, Parkdale and Pine Grove elementary schools.

HRCSD has used the same formula to determine which schools to serve with Title 1A funds for most of the past 10 years or so. The formula provides funding to the elementary schools in the district that exceed the district percentage of students in poverty. In 2003-04, Cascade Locks School dropped below the district percentage and has not received Title 1A funds since then. In 2004-05, May Street Elementary School, which has never been in improvement status, also dropped below the district percentage and also no longer receives Title 1A funds.

Cascade Lock School failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2003-04 and again in 2004-05, one year after losing Title 1A funds. It lost Title 1A funds because the district percentage of free and reduced meal-eligible students rose and dropped Cascade Locks below the district average. Cascade Locks was NOT dropped from Title 1A funds because of its improvement status—the improvement status occurred ONE YEAR AFTER losing Title 1A eligibility.

The article implies that all schools on the list did not meet AYP standards because of test scores or attendance. In fact, Cascade Locks did not meet AYP because of the percent of economically disadvantaged students completing the tests. Two to four fewer economically disadvantaged students than the required 95 percent were tested in 2004 and 2005. Cascade Locks met the English and math achievement goals and the attendance and graduation rate targets in both years and in 2006.

We are sorry that The Oregonian reporters did not telephone us to check their facts.

What did I do?

Our soldiers spent another Thanksgiving in foreign lands fighting a war most no longer support. The following poem was written by Lieutenant Dean Shatlin and published in a book by Paul Fridlund called “Two Fronts, A Small Town at War.”

“What did you do today, my friend, from morning until night? How many times did you complain that rationing was too tight? When are you going to start to do all of the things you say? A soldier would like to know, my friend, what did you do today? We met the enemy today and took the town by storm. Happy reading it will make for you without a thorn. You’ll read with satisfaction the brief communiqué. We fought, but are you fighting? What did you do today? My gunner died in my arms today, I feel his warm blood yet; Your neighbor’s dying boy gave out a scream I’ll never forget. On my right a tank was hit; a flash and then a fire. The stench of burning flesh still rises from the pyre. What did you do today, my friend, to help with the task? Did you work hard and long for less, or is that too much to ask? What right have I to ask you this? You will probably say. Maybe now you’ll understand. You see. . .I died today.”

The soldier served in World War II where everyone was asked to contribute. Our military today has performed admirably for a president who cannot answer the simple question, “What noble cause?” and a nation that says, “Why should I vote?” Their Commander-in-Chief (The Decider) now states that if Congress doesn’t give him another blank check he will cut military daycares, housing, medical care and amputees may have to repay their enlistment bonus for failing to fulfill their contract.

Not one word from the Decider about cutting private contractors or finding the billions missing in Iraq, only fear tactics to encourage war with Iran. With supporters like King George our military personnel and their families cannot afford foreign enemies.

Please call or write your representative before more soldiers are sent to their death with a new war with Iran. The poor choices of this administration will haunt our nation for years. Our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be paying for the mistakes of this administration.

The future of our nation and our children are worth your vote, your voice, and some effort, so please ask yourself, “What did I do today?”

Revolution time?

“Do you believe in the violent overthrow of the government”? was one of the questions on the immigration form when I entered the U.S. over 60 years ago.

I answered YES and my answer startled the official, who asked me why I believed in the violent overthrow of the government. “Because,” I replied, “your country was born in revolution.”

At that time I believed that in this democratic country the government was formed by the people, of the people and for the people, and as a result, the citizens trusted their elected officials. Today we discover that our own President Bush has consistently lied to us and that most of our elected officials of both parties have been bought and paid for by major corporations.

I believed that in a democracy it was PEOPLE FIRST and the profits would follow. With President Bush’s democracy it’s PROFITS FIRST and we the people last. Whom do we trust now? Is it time for a regime change? A revolution? If not now, when?