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PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, JUNE 23, 2017 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM Time for a good buddy tale By DEBRA SAUNDERS Americans needed a good buddy movie after a deranged gunman tar- geted Republicans practicing for a bipartisan ballgame to raise money for charities last week. The attack left House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., in critical condition and sent others to the hospital, including Capitol Hill police of- fi cers Crystal Griner and David Bailey, who fought off the shooter even after he wounded them. So while Griner and Bailey re- covered, Reps. Joe Barton, R-Texas, and Michael Doyle, D-Pa.—man- agers of the rival Republican and Democratic teams—showed Ameri- cans a side of Congress voters rarely see on the news: partisans who dis- agree but are still friends. Neither Doyle nor Barton used the violence to make a political point. Barton told PBS NewsHour, “We have an R or D by our name, but our title is United States Repre- sentative.” Thursday, President Donald Trump wondered if Scalise “in his own way may have brought some unity to our long-divided country.” Can something good happen from something so wrong? Doyle suggested a path toward civility. “When people see their leaders being uncivil toward one an- other, then you see the public being uncivil toward one another and to- ward their leaders.” He wasn’t blaming anyone for the lone-wolf shooter’s rampage. He was acknowledging how Americans look at Congress—and what mem- bers can do to restore their image. A recent Gallup poll found that 20 percent of Americans approve of Congress, while 74 percent disap- prove. And that’s up from December 2013 when fewer than 10 percent of voters approved of Congress. Mark Harkins, se- nior fellow of the Gov- ernment Affairs Insti- tute at Georgetown University, blames the jet airplane. Since the 1970s, as air travel be- came more ubiquitous, House members have gotten to know each other less and treat each other worse. Congressmen and women often spend so little time in Washington, said Harkins, a former staffer for House Democrats, that they talk to each other like users of “an internet chatroom.” Harkins noted that more than half of House members have been in Congress for less than eight years. Today’s congressmen and women, he said, “don’t have houses here. They don’t bring their families here, for the fear of seeming to have ‘gone Washington.’” House Speaker Paul Ryan built his image as an anti-Washington frugal spender because he slept on a cot in his offi ce and showered in the House gym. This is a model for many lawmakers who say their $174,000 salary cannot support two homes. Voters may well think that’s a good thing. After all, who wants an elected representative more behold- en to the machine than the people who sent him or her to Washington? The downside of the new or- der, however, is that members feel little loyalty to the institution they other views You can’t force people The goal of identifying Keizer as a welcoming, safe and inclusive city is one that can be embraced by all citizens. The plea from a small group of Keizer residents that went before the city council was for a Inclusivity resolution. Mayor Cathy Clark rightly asked the group to come back to the council with a plan of action the city could consider. The group (it doesn’t have a workable name yet) reported that other cit- ies around Oregon are working on their own inclusivity resolutions. The group is asking the city to spend precious resources to establish an offi cial body that would work on language to put Keizer on the correct side of the issue. Even the simplest of city task forces or com- mittees requires a meeting space, an offi cial recorder and printed reports and meeting mintues. Keizer and other local govern- ments operate under federal non- discrimination guidelines. Many federal mandates are written to as- sure rights of individuals and orga- nizations are maintained and pro- tected. What the inclusivity group is seeking is to legislate beliefs and be- havior. You can not force people to do what you want them to without the threat of consequences. Unfor- tunately, public messages meant to infl uence the actions of the public often falls deaf on the ears of those who are the message’s target audience. Plus, you cannot pass an or- dinance calling for the average citizen to welcome into their hearts and minds people they disagree with. The best the city council should do is assure that the city charter uses inclusive language from top to bottom. The truest way to af- fect change is through action rather than word. City leaders can work to invite underrepresented commu- nities into the civic fold—it is sad when almost a fi fth of Keizer’s pop- ulation is Hispanic and we’ve only had one Hispanic sit on the council in the city’s 35-year history. To be inclusive Hispanics and other groups need to be invited to the table, appointed to city commis- sions, invited to take leadership roles in both civic and private organiza- tions. You can’t change people’s hearts and minds with ordiances so you have to do it with persistent mes- sages of respect and invitation. —LAZ Fees our nation to control im- migration. Should such people be welcomed and made to feel included? A nation that doesn’t have respected and en- forced immigration con- trols, quite simply, cannot endure. The U.S. has clear borders, and a federal immigration system. Every person entering the U.S. is supposed to be inspected by federal agents before being admitted. The agents will check that the person is either a returning citizen, or has a valid visa or other offi cial proof of identity giving that person the right to enter. Anyone who sneaks in un- inspected, or overstays a visa, is by law defi ned as an illegal alien. Sadly, many Americans have died overdosing on drugs smuggled into the U.S. across our southern border by vicious illegal alien gang members now entrenched in Oregon. Our country has suffered deadly terrorist attacks made easy by poor immigra- tion controls. Excessive immigration has increased U.S. population beyond environmental carrying capacity, threatening natural resources. Our new president is dedicated to restoring integrity in immigration management. Oregon and Keizer should coop- erate in these efforts, not try to stop them. Elizabeth Van Staaveren McMinnville our opinion To the Editor: This is in regard to the city council imposing a free for additional money for police and parks in Keizer. After watching Police Chief John Teague’s presentation at the special city council meeting, I am inclined to encourage the council to go ahead now with the fee for fi ve police offi cers at $4 per month per city utility billing. I am also in favor of indexing the fee if approved by future budget committees. As for the fee for parks, I would not have any problem with a fee of $2 per month and allowing that to be indexed by future budget committees. I would strongly oppose at fee of $4 per month for parks at this time. Bill Quinn Keizer letters Why some people are unwelcome To the Editor: In the letter sent by “Concerned friends” to the Keizer mayor, most readers will notice a gaping hole in the “friends” argument for making Keizer a “welcoming and inclusive city.” “Inclusive” is a current buzzword used to obscure the fact that some people are defying the basic right of Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGING EDITOR Eric A. Howald editor@keizertimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Derek Wiley news@keizertimes.com One year: $25 in Marion County, $33 outside Marion County, $45 outside Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY ADVERTISING Publication No: USPS 679-430 Paula Moseley advertising@keizertimes.com POSTMASTER Send address changes to: PRODUCTION MANAGER Andrew Jackson Keizertimes Circulation graphics@keizertimes.com 142 Chemawa Road N. LEGAL NOTICES Keizer, OR 97303 legals@keizertimes.com EDITOR & PUBLISHER Lyndon Zaitz publisher@keizertimes.com BUSINESS MANAGER Laurie Painter billing@keizertimes.com Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon RECEPTION Lori Beyeler facebook.com/keizertimes twitter.com/keizertimes serve. They run for Congress trash- ing Congress, just as Trump ran for president promising to “drain the swamp” that is D.C. They visit their districts most weekends. They fl y into the capital on Monday or Tuesday morning and fl y home Thursday night. The House working calendar has adjusted accordingly. Last year after reviewing the congressional work schedule, Reuters found that mem- bers “have been spending fewer days working in Washington since the late 2000s.” In 2016, the House scheduled 111 workdays. The Bipar- tisan Policy Center’s Commission on Political Reform recommended 180-200 working days. It’s no wonder then that Washing- ton seems so dysfunctional. House members can’t get out of the belt- way fast enough. PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff was so taken with the team of Barton and Doyle that she wondered why news coverage didn’t refl ect their mutual admiration. “It doesn’t surprise me that Doyle and Barton are trying to do this kind of thing,” said Harkins; both men have been in the House for decades. Voters sent Barton to Congress in 1984 and Doyle was fi rst elected to the House in 1994. “Find me two guys who have been here for less than six years” who exhibit such friendship, said Harkins —then “you’ve got me in- terested.” For his part, Doyle fi ngered the media. He told Woodruff, “We tend to be not the ones the media’s inter- ested in interviewing ... maybe the news media too could refl ect a little bit more on that.” (Creators Syndicate) New tactics needed in Afghan war By GENE H. McINTYRE After 15 years of trying the same strategies and tactics to defeat the Taliban, would it not seem high time that something new is tried? Refer- ence is made to our ongoing, ap- parently interminable military-on- the-ground presence in Afghanistan where draining the U.S. treasury and losing many young American lives goes on year-in and year-out to what’s now recognized as a protracted stalemate with neither side in the win column. This condition of futility goes for Iraq, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, too. We went into Afghani- stan for what was argued a good reason after 9/11, when the origin of that dastardly attack was determined to be al-Queda training camps located there. The U.S. in- tent also was to exterminate the Taliban. What began as an effort to exact revenge for killing thousands of Americans in New York City and Washington, D.C., and prevent a re- peat, has turned into a war without victory for us and no end to resur- gent activity by a deeply dedicated, and extremist-entrenched terrorist movement . Now, American media report that there’s serious thought being given to increasing the number of U.S. military trying to end the Taliban, U.S. military numbers hav- ing waxed and waned to a present several thousand (8,400) with sev- eral thousand more under consid- eration. Yet, the average taxpayer and the peace-loving American, with a heavy heart and moral con- science, wonders what, for heaven’s sake, is to be gained with the same performance repeated again and again. Should U.S. num- bers and accompa- nying NATO forces (13,500) leave Afghani- stan, would those resur- gent elements not turn from the fi ghting there to plot and scheme again, acts of violence in America and throughout Europe? The an- swer is most likely, yes. Neverthe- less, a withdrawal by the U.S. and NATO would most surely be less expensive in most every way than the slippery slope of more-involve- ment-is-better U.S. actions now practiced in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, technology in abun- dance has been developed by so- phisticated spy satellites, drone-car- rying cameras and CIA informants to maintain surveillance on what those people are up to. So, what’s keeping us from approaching the Afghan problem this way? Once guest column we’re gone, and NATO, too, keep a sky-eye on them and destroy activi- ties that are judged by photo-analy- sis to be preparing to attack the U.S. and our allies. As usual, this plan of surveillance- and-destroy accordingly presents a ‘fl y in the soup’ of war. There’s a huge military-industrial complex in our nation that makes monumen- tally large profi ts by building arma- ments and all the doodads that go to putting an army into the fi eld and keeping it supplied with every pos- sible support. Then there are those politicians and military personnel who keep themselves safe and en- trenched in Washington, D.C. by supporting and beating the war drums so we can remain “safe.” We could do much, much better at the ways and means we manage our human and material resources for national defense. However, as long as a majority of the American people are willing to let those who keep us warring-by-feet-on-the- ground in Afghanistan and the like, even those who campaign against it when running for public offi ce (re- member what current Oval Offi ce occupant repeatedly promised and his comments about Iraq before we invaded) while soon thereafter re- veal their real intentions and thereby provide no light at the end of this tunnel. (Gene H. McIntyre lives in Keizer.) When it’s time for me to leave this mortal coil Retirement has freed up a lot of time. I’ve decided to use some of it for growing up and doing mature things. It’s come to my attention that most responsible adults fi ll out wills in or- der to simplify life for their survivors. Our chosen attorney says we should create the will, assign durable power of at- torney to a trusted family member/friend, and leave an advance directive. It’s the advance directive that excites the imagination. The fi rst thing we learned is that the attor- ney wants $250 an hour. American pay scales aren’t associated in any way with stress levels. Our daugh- ter makes a fraction of that teaching math and science to middle-school- ers. Never mind. We are a family of modest means—an uncomplicated estate. The will was simple. We assigned du- rable power of attorney to each other, then to the eldest child. The advance directive provoked the interesting discussions. Our advance directives came in a helpful booklet. The opening pages suggest different scenarios to jump- start conversation about miserable ways to die. Can you talk about it? Does money matter? Religion? Do you worry about being a burden to your family? Persistent vegetative state? Incurable illness? Then you are to discuss what measures should be taken to keep you alive even fac- ing no hope of recovery. As of this writing I don’t think I want any fam- ily member patiently keeping a bedside vigil, wishing they were somewhere else. At my fi nest I am not a particularly responsive individual. If I am to- tally unresponsive, pull the plug. Then there is a worksheet to record your decisions. They saved the best for last. About my death: Would I rather die at home or in a medical facility of some sort? Ideally I would vanish unnoticed into the forest. Then you fi gure out who you would like present at your death. The people I care most about should not feel obligated to attend. Instead I would like mandatory attendance by people who repeatedly take a full cart of groceries through the express lane, people who don’t say please and thank you, and people who post stuff that is vile and/or untrue. At last you are asked to discuss what should be done with your re- mains. There are only two listed choices: burial or cremation. Nei- ther of those is very celebratory. One a box of soap thing that came to mind was a funeral pyre. I know that outdoor burning is prohibited in Keizer, but maybe we can make an exception. I am hop- ing we can build a nice tall wooden structure with plenty of fuel in the center of our new roundabout. Wrap me in plain linen and light me up. Allow people to slowly circle and add combustibles that commemorate my existence. If that seems too much to ask then we can go with my real fi rst choice. Wrap me in linen and set me on an Oregon beach atop a substantial pile of explosives. There is precedent for this rite of passage. We may be able to raise funds for charity by auctioning off the right to press the detonator. My only other wish is to have Sean Spicer as funeral spokesperson. That will allow reports boasting the largest crowd ever to witness a fu- neral pyre in Keizer, or certainty that my remains will be blown to altitudes never reached by any stupid whale carcass. (Don Vowell gets on his soapbox regularly in the Keizertimes.) Share your opinion Email a guest opinion or a letter to the editor by noon Tuesday. Email to: publisher@keizertimes.com