The 250th celebration of our nation’s birth provided a wonderful time to reflect on the formation of the United States and the foresight of our founders in establishing a republic to withstand the test of time.
We enjoyed a wonderful Fourth of July weekend with family members in Whatcom County, but when we returned home, I was exhausted — too tired to tackle writing a column.
I’ve reflected on the nation’s birth, the people who fought against oppressive British rule to ensure they had representation in their government. I considered how fortunate we are that they set into place a system of checks and balances — the executive branch to administer the government, the legislative branch to reflect the will of the people in creation of laws, and the judicial branch to ensure proper and equitable enforcement of the laws.
Although Pilgrims fled England seeking freedom to practice their religion without interference from the government, the founders didn’t set up this nation as a theocracy with one religion governing all.
Instead, they opted to protect religious freedom so people can practice their faith — whether it be Christian, Judaism, Muslim, Hinduism, Buddhism or another doctrine.
As a Christian, I understood fellow columnist and Timberland Regional Library Board President Brian Mittge’s list of desired outcomes in the library district that he shared with the executive director.
The list proposed, among other things, keeping materials that reference sexuality and gender identity out of the children’s section of libraries. Conservatives may see library support of gay pride and LGBTQ+ activities as using taxpayer dollars to promote a liberal agenda and, as Mittge put it, “hotbeds of activism.” He proposed libraries become politically neutral, focused on uniting rather than dividing, and family-oriented or beige rather than rainbow.
But at a meeting last month at the Ocean Park Timberland Library, I listened to dozens of speakers — many of them gay, lesbian or trans — share heartfelt stories of how they felt isolated and alone with nowhere to find information about the questions plaguing them over their identity and sexual orientation. Many found answers in books at the library, which they see as a reason to keep materials available for kids.
This is an example of the free speech guaranteed in the nation’s Bill of Rights: Mittge shared his vision of desired outcomes for the library with the executive director and people responded by voicing their objections to his list and why the libraries should welcome the LGBTQ+ community and homeless people.
By the way, Mittge gave the list as a discussion point to Interim Executive Director Andrea Heisel, who clearly shared it with other staff members. Thus, news headlines then focused on the list rather than the district’s $3.8 million deficit and the board’s hiring of an administrator who was party to putting the library in such a financial quandary.
I don’t know the answers, but I thought back to criticisms of the controversial Hamilton Farms sign along I-5 between Centralia and Chehalis that often blared contentious statements. I wrote a column years ago noting that the sign reflects freedom of speech, and those opposed have the freedom to post their own signs. Toledo’s Kyle Wheeler did just that, but unfortunately vandals destroyed his sign within a day.
The same is true with the library, where trustees and many of those speaking, said libraries should welcome everyone. They celebrate gay pride. So, see if it’s true. Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope, who endorsed Mittge’s desired outcomes, could decree a heterosexual pride day and see if the libraries celebrate that too. If they do, all is well. If they don’t, then library trustees and administrators are hypocrites who don’t welcome everyone but only those who lean politically to the left.
I found myself angry when people cast aspersions on Mittge’s character — and even his writing skills — during their public testimony. He is a devoted husband, a loving father, a dedicated volunteer who gives tirelessly of his time and energy to the community, and an excellent writer.
When they called for Mittge to resign, I thought, nope — if you want him to step down, then every single one of the trustees should resign because they allowed the library system to plunge $3.8 million into a deficit.
Taxpayers all must spend less in order to balance their household budgets; why don’t government officials do the same? Instead, the trustees failed to properly review the budget and trusted library administrators who had to have known of the shortfall but did nothing to correct it.
I wouldn’t support lifting the levy lid to increase the amount collected in taxes until the library district has trimmed costs and proven it can make tough decisions to balance budgets. I also believe trustees need to negotiate with the union to allow better and more extensive use of volunteers in the libraries.
We have a wonderful, volunteer-run library in Toledo with only a kiosk from Timberland despite the taxes I’ve paid for decades while living outside the city. Volunteers do a tremendous job in our library, but are they allowed to help out in Timberland libraries? If not, that needs to change.
Border crossing
Deciding to support our neighbors to the north, I booked an Airbnb across the border in Abbotsford, B.C., during our weekend trip. Although I realize it’s another country, I think of British Columbia the way I do Oregon — our neighbors — although I knew we needed passports to cross the border.
What I didn’t anticipate was in-depth questions from a Canadian border patrol officer who left me feeling like a criminal. Well, I did inadvertently pull up behind the car in front of me that evening as I would do when leaving a parking garage, failing to realize I was supposed to stop behind some yellow posts. The man leaned out and yelled, “What do you think you’re doing?” and then a woman gestured toward me to back up.
So, I probably put him in a sour mood, but still, when I handed him our passports, he scowled and pelted questions. “Do you have any fruit or vegetables?” No. “Do you have any prescriptions?” Yes. “Are they in their pill bottles?” No. I put them in a pill organizer by day. “Do you have your prescriptions with you?” No. But I can access them on My Chart. Do you want my phone?
I kept glancing at the fellow’s gun in his holster. Is he going to shoot us?
“Why are you staying in Canada?” Um … I wanted to support our Canadian neighbors. “Why didn’t you stay in Bellingham?”
By this point, I was baffled, and I didn't know what to say. I blurted out: “They all died.”
“What do you mean, they all died?” I explained that my husband’s dad died, so we couldn’t stay there anymore. Then his brother died, and we couldn’t stay there. Then his other brother died, so I booked an Airbnb.
He handed me a yellow slip and directed me to pull up near a building, which I did. Two other fellows approached the car, and one guy was so friendly, he put me at ease. That is, until I popped the trunk and saw one of the men tossing an apple. Oh, no. I groaned. My husband had brought a Cosmic Crisp with him. “I’ll need to dispose of this,” he said. Yes, by all means, take whatever you want.
I felt relieved speaking with the friendly fellow, who seemed like all the other border patrol agents I’ve met crossing the Canadian border throughout the decades.
Then he said, “We do need to ask why you have all those containers inside a cooler.” Gulp. My husband wants to pick raspberries on Sunday … for the experience. I kept asking Larry why we don’t just find a fruit stand, but he said it’s the experience. I’m a big fan of forging memories through experience, but when they questioned the margarine containers in the cooler, that fruit stand looked a lot better.
As we passed back through the border crossing on Sunday, after waiting in a line for 20 minutes, the U.S. border patrol officer asked a couple of questions. I told him it probably wasn’t my brightest move to book a place in Abbotsford. He said, no, probably not, especially on a holiday weekend with the Mariners playing the Blue Jays.
We live and learn.
Busy weekend
Last weekend proved busy too, starting on Thursday with fastpitch games during the Cascades National Softball Championship at fields in Chehalis. Our 15-year-old granddaughter from Woodland was playing in the 16U championship games with Cowlitz Elite, so I cheered for her.
Afterward, I drove her and our 25-year-old grandson to Kemp Olson Memorial Park in Toledo for Music in the Park, featuring Dakota Robins and Mason Gaul. Everyone enjoyed a scrumptious meal from Bonanza BBQ courtesy of realtor Paula Burrows at the Paula Burrows Team, who generously treated the community to a meal with Music in the Park to kick off Toledo Cheese Days. On the way home, we stopped at Betty’s Place for ice cream.
Seeing signs for the Seattle-to-Portland Bicycle Classic took me back decades to the time I pedaled in the 206-mile ride with colleagues from The Daily News in Longview. I had planned to spend the night in Centralia but arrived by 1 p.m. so figured I had time to make it home to my own bed in Kelso. I was so excited to see tan lines from a day in the sun on my bike—until I hopped in the shower and they washed away. I’ll admit, I appreciated the shorter ride the next day as I crossed the Longview bridge into Oregon. And, although my bicycle has done the STP several times, once was enough for me.
Friday brought more softball games and Sahara Pizza with stepdaughter Amanda Reeder and her daughter. That evening, I prepared for my Saturday presentation to the Oregon Sons and Daughters of Pioneers at Champoeg State Park south of Portland. I shared stories of my favorite pioneer, Matilda Kootz Jackson, as well as emigrants who crossed the Oregon Trail and settled in Marion County in Oregon.
Between the Cascade Nationals fastpitch tournament, Cheese Days, the STP, the Centralia Fantasy Festival at the fairgrounds, and the usual camping, fishing, and hunting fare offered in Southwest Washington, I don’t know how anyone could be bored.
Life is busy, and we are blessed.
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Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com.
