A man of strength and wisdom, John Paul became an inspiration to generations of both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world by encouraging freedom, promoting peace and respecting all faiths.

Many individual growers now are growing organic fruit, and many are taking it upon themselves to market their own products to the public, as opposed to necessarily going through big processors, although, obviously, the bulk of the fruit still is dealt with that way.

In addition to hydropower, Oregon and the Northwest have pioneering companies leading the way in environmentally friendly energy technology.

As a lifelong Oregonian, I prefer our forests green, not black.

Operation Northern Star with Canada has made significant progress in battling meth from the north, and we are engaged in numerous training opportunities in Mexico to help curb the problem from the south.

Removing substantial fuel loads from our forests helps prevent catastrophic fire and better protects species, watersheds and neighboring communities that call them home.

I came away from the forums with a profound concern about the highly addictive and destructive nature of methamphetamine. Families are torn apart, lives are destroyed and treatment is difficult to get.