r/Coosbay

I don't remember it, but mom said it was incredible. She moved us to Illinois when I was 2 so yeah.

I am planning on making a special trip because I want to see where I was naturalized. Was hoping to maybe get hotel recommendations or maybe restaurant or stuff to do.

I live in Florida now so I don't want to come when it's too cold either. I'd also love to see some Orcas up close.

If anyone has any advice or whatever it would be appreciated.

The couple met in Coos Bay.

TLDR: Sky King was heavily into his faith which puts a lot of pressure on men to provide for their families. His specific church believed this and those around him did and this apparent fact has never been deeply explored, especially by the FBI. By not exploring it, we leave many stones unturned and potentially don’t understand the source of his pain, which could hurt other men.

Most people think they know the story of Richard “Beebo” Russell. I have been following this sad tale ever since it happened, since it is at the intersection of aviation and faith, two topics that I have long been interested in. In case anyone is wondering, my interest preceded the recent Hulu documentary, which I did watch with great interest.

I often find in life, like the late and highly controversial Donald Rumsfeld, that sometimes you have to look at what is not said, what questions are not asked, and consider what you do not know.

“As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know,” Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, 2002. Now I’m not a fan of Rumsfeld, but he is on to something here. Sometimes there are hidden truths in the unknown. Things that are important to understand, but are missing. The worst offenders are those things we need to know but do not know.

The story of Beebo goes like this. On August 10, 2018, a Horizon Air (Alaska Air owned) employee ground service employee named Richard “Beebo” Russell, stole a Bombardier Q400 commuter turboprop from Sea-Tac Airport. For 75 minutes, he flew around the Seattle area, before intentionally crashing into a remote island. The FBI issued a 567 page report into the matter, which was very serious, because while he was in the air, nobody knew his intentions, beyond what he was verbally saying, which was to not harm anyone. The FBI concluded that there was no single reason for his actions - but bear in mind, this was the 2018 FBI, and it is known that this was an FBI very reluctant to look at certain things, particularly Christianity.

During the flight, Beebo complained about the hard life of a ramp service worker briefly, had fun at times, but also said he was just a broken guy with a few screws loose. He also reportedly texted his wife that she deserves better.

We know that Beebo had owned a bakery with his wife Hannah Russell before selling it to be closer to Hannah’s family, the Stracener family of Sumner, Washington. We also know that he attended Gateway Chapel in Sumner, Washington, headed by Pastor David Odell, who was asked in the aftermath not to speak about Richard Russell. This is just one of many instances of the Hannah’s family, the Straceners, being secretive. They also declined to participate in the recent Hulu documentary and Hannah herself cut off contact with Beebo’s family, or so it has been reported. The Straceners are very quiet and Hannah has never given a direct interview, which is strange in cases like this.

“David Odell, pastor at Russell’s Auburn church, also declined to discuss Russell, citing the family’s wishes. “In the statement where it says it’s a complete shock, it’s just 100 percent true,” Odell said, as reported in the Seattle Times.

So everyone thinks that Beebo simply snapped and took a plan for a joyride. However, I propose this theory, based on the evidence:

Beebo and Hannah meet at a church function in Oregon when they are both going to school.

They get married.

They are both heavily involved in evangelical christianity, including CRU, Young Life and later Gateway Church, a small church that bounces around Washington before settling in Sumner, Washington, where Hannah’s family lives. The pastor at the time that Beebo and Hannah are attending is David Odell.

Beebo and Hannah are running a bakery in North Bend, Oregon. Eventually, they sell to be closer to Hannah’s family in Sumner, Washington. Beebo had wanted to move to Alaska, but Hannah was not on board.

Beebo goes from being a respected business owner, to being a low paid ground service agent for Horizon, making literally less than a McDonald’s worker.. As I will lay out as you read on, this created stress for Beebo, because his faith calls him to be a provider. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever,” 1 Timothy 5:8

Hannah’s family and the church and perhaps Hannah herself, pressure Beebo to be more than he is, and this pressure, along with working like an absolute dog at the airport, drive him to end it all. He was a bit of a goofy guy, married to a perfectionist (this was reported in interviews about their bakery in Oregon) and was crushed by the weight of the church’s expectations and perhaps the Stracener family.

So why should we care? There are approximately 80 million Christian men in the United States. In my own personal dealings with these men, many are somewhat reserved, and it is clear to me, since some have been my friends, that more lies beneath. As the economy continues to crush men (and women) it will be harder and harder for these men to make the grade called upon by their faith and those around them. Traditional families were often built under economic conditions that were possible in the past, but due to the relentless desire of the 1 percent to extract as much value out of us peons as possible, success is not always possible at the same level as it was for those men’s role models.

I now need to back up my theory, which to be clear is just that, a theory. Had the FBI done the type of job they would have done if Beebo was Muslim, for example, or even Sheik, we would not be here right now.

David Odell was, according to the Seattle Times, Beebo’s pastor. So what does David believe? What was he filling Beebo and Hannah’s head with? Fortunately, dear reader, we can get a good sense of this from Calvary Church in The Dalles, Oregon, where he is the head pastor today.

“We believe the Bible is God’s absolute, objective truth for all people for all times. It is without error in concept or detail in the original writings. It is breathed out in its entirety by God, divinely preserved, and, therefore, trustworthy,” reads the church’s website. Message me for links if you like, Reddit does not play nice with links so I don’t include them here. What Odell’s church is saying, is that everything in the Bible should be taken literally. This means when 1st Timorthy told Beebo that he was a worse than a non-believer for not providing enough, that was absolute truth. This might be why Beebo messaged Hannah mid-flight that she “deserved better.”

A sermon of Odell’s church where he is head pastor stated a year ago that men have a “responsibility to lead protect and provide for his wife.” There really is no daylight here in faiths that practice biblical literalness. The man MUST provide and that is a primary way in which he is judged. Beebo likely felt judged and that here was a test, from on high, that he was failing.

The church where Beebo’s funeral was held in August 2018, also believes in the same things. Lighthouse Christian Center recommends Stu Weber’s book, Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart, which pushes men hard to be “kings” of their own domain, which is their family and home. Loading bags onto planes does not accomplish this. Beebo was working at Horizon primarily for free flights to Alaska, where his family was. It’s not hard to imagine a traditional God fearing family like the Straceners being ashamed of a husband who works alongside the “dregs” of society in their eyes to make a pittance loading baggage.

What is the point of this? To suggest that Beebo’s story is not just about low pay, but about how faith often fails those who are mentally ill. You can’t pray away depression, at least not in a lasting way. Beebo needed help, and those who were around him, especially on Hannah’s side, may not have been ready to provide. Or I could be totally one hundred percent wrong here. This is also possible. But I doubt I’m not at least somewhat right. There should be a reckoning in the Christian community based on this and other incidents. But that cannot happen if people can’t talk freely, if they can’t question the bible, and if they hide behind a wall of silence, as it appears the Straceners are doing right now. Saying he was just a guy who snapped is likely leaving out the very important nuance of the environment that created his mindset. It deserves exploration. So what are the remaining mysteries?

1. Did the Straceners put pressure on Beebo? Do they know this and that is why they are so silent?

2. Did Hannah herself pressure him?

3. Did Beebo's church make him feel like a failure as a MAN?

I think I know the answers. What do you think?

Looking to meet up with other like-minded ladies of a certain vintage who are decidedly liberal, like to laugh and have fun, and have grown tired of the unnecessary drama the current state of the world is providing. Meeting this Saturday (5/16) at 10am at So it Goes.

Planning on being in the area, staying in Coos Bay itself, from the 11th through the 14th or 15th of June, and I'm hoping to find stuff to do while in town!

Specifically looking for a couple things...Recommendations for activities for Kids Elementary to Junior High age that may not be listed on events calendars yet? I'm also hoping to find a bar/restaurant that does Karaoke the 12th/13th/14th (If I'm still in town that evening?). Everything I seem to find that has Karaoke mentioned and actually on a schedule is located in either Coquille or Bandon. I don't mind making the drive, but I'm in Coos Bay to be in Coos Bay!

Thanks in Advance!

Hey everyone! I’ll be moving to Coos Bay for work and am looking at apartments. Currently looking at the Sea Mist apartments on the corner of Norman and Newmark.

How is the area? Pretty safe and kept up? Thanks in advance!

I plan on going tent camping at Bastendorff next month and wanted to see which is the "best" spot to reserve in loop A? We will have our dog with us and we like to use hammocks as well as tents for sleeping. It's been so long since I've been there I cant recall where best to be. I'm also open to loop B, but it appears they have much less availability. Is this because they're "better"?