Make a difference in your own little way

Sometimes when watching state and national events unfold it feels daunting to me. Big things are happening in our country and in our state. It can make me feel small and powerless, especially when injustices and unethical behavior are unfolding in front of my eyes. Its easy to think that as one person, I can really do little to fix these things.

But that old wise man Confucious...he knew what he was talking about:

It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.

All politics is, of course, local. Local papers and local advocates are how foundations at the national level are often shaken. In that spirit I'd like our readers to consider a proposal from Kevin at Preemptive Karma.

Kevin quotes the outstanding Digby of Hullabaloo blog:

If the president was willing to authorize leaking of national security information to reporters for political purposes, why should we believe he won't authorize warrantless wiretaps on Americans for political purposes?

In an effort to keep the leak story from falling down the memory hole, buried by the new Natalee Holloway or Robert Blake, Kevin wants folks to write letters to the editors of their local papers, paraphrasing Digby in their own words.

This has the potential to create a powerful statement and continue to force the media to pay attention to this story.

Here are the email addresses for editors of various local papers around Oregon. Take a minute and write to them about this story:

Albany Democrat-Herald
Ashland Daily Tidings:tidingsopinion@dailytidings.com
Daily Astorian: editor@dailyastorian.com
Baker City Herald: news@bakercityherald.com
Bend Bulletin: news@bendbulletin.com
(Brookings)Curry Coastal Pilot:publisher@currypilot.com
Burns Times-Herald: draney@burnstimesherald.com
Canby Herald
Cannon Beach Gazette: tomcat@pacifier.com
Central Point Sun: submissions@centralpointsun.com
Clatskanie Chief: chief@clatskanie.com
Coos Bay World: theworldnews@theworldlink.com
Corvallis Gazette Times
Cottage Grove Sentinel:news@cgsentinel.com
Eugene Register-Guard:rgletters@guardnet.com
Grants Pass Daily Courier:letters@thedailycourier.com
Gresham Outlook:todell@theoutlookonline.com
Hermiston Herald: mjkane@hermistonherald.com
John Day/Blue Mountain Eagle:editor@bluemountaineagle.com
Hillsboro Argus:NewsClerk@hillsboroargus.com
Hood River News
Keizer Times
Klamath Falls Herald and News:smiller@heraldandnews.com
Lakeview: Lake County Examiner:news@lakecountyexam.com
Lebanon Express: lebanonexpress@proaxis.com
Lincoln City News Guard:vittek@thenewsguard.com
Madras Pioneer
McMinnville News Register:sbagwell@newsregister.com
Medford Mail Tribune:bhunter@mailtribune.com
Newberg Graphic:jpetshow@eaglenewspapers.com
Ontario Argus Observer
Portland Tribune
Oregonian:letters@news.oregonian.com
Polk County Itemizer
Pendleton/East Oregonian: eonews@eastoregonian.com
Prineville/Central Oregonian
Rogue River Press:rrpress@rogueriverpress.com
Salem Statesman Journal:vpanichk@statesmanjournal.com
Seaside Sun:info@seaside-sun.com
Sisters Nugget News:editor@nuggetnews.com
Wilsonville Spokesman
Wallowa County Chieftan
Willamette Week:mzusman@wweek.com
Woodburn Independent