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Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, July 6, 2016 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Stevens’ family tired of Benghazi witch hunt It isn’t often that a remote the attack on them was underway. Paciic Northwest coast newspaper Democrats on the committee labeled igures in national affairs in even the entire enterprise a witch hunt. the smallest way, but Washington, Anne Stevens, sister of D.C.’s attention briely lickered Ambassador Stevens and chief of toward Paciic County, Washington, pediatric rheumatology at Seattle in the aftermath of U.S. Ambassador Children’s Hospital, cuts through Chris Stevens’ 2012 murder by thugs all the political gibberish in an in Benghazi, Libya. interview in the June Not only did issue of The New It would be much 28 the U.S. State Yorker. more useful for Department reach out Some high points: to provide a statement Congress to focus on • The Benghazi of condolence to compound wasn’t providing resources well enough the Chinook Indian Nation via the for security for all protected, but Chinook Observer, Congress itself State Department underfunded State but CBS News came around to see whether facilities around the Department security. there was any vaguely • The latest world. interesting local investigation turned information to report up nothing new. It about the ambassador, a member of and earlier efforts were blatantly the tribe. political. The State Department’s outreach • Clinton took full responsibility was an unanticipated but thoughtful and established a better security gesture, while national media program. However, danger is an interest was the sort of due-diligence inherent part of being a diplomat in one would hope for from Edward R. a tumultuous region. Chris Stevens Murrow’s organization. Unexpected and his family knew the risks and and unwelcome were efforts by were willing to accept them. some in Congress to use Chris • “It would be much more useful Stevens’ tragic death as a weapon for Congress to focus on providing to undermine the political career resources for security for all State of then-Secretary of State Hillary Department facilities around the Clinton. world — for increasing personnel, The Stevens family has shown language capabilities, for increasing remarkable patience and restraint staff to build relationships, as one investigation after another particularly in North Africa and the tried to pin blame on Clinton and/ Middle East.” or the Obama administration in Perhaps best of all in his general. Most recently, late last sister’s remarks, it is refreshing month Republicans who lead to be reminded of how bright and the House Select Committee on outward-looking Chris Stevens Benghazi issued an 800-page, $7 was. His openness to the world, million report. It lambasted the State his courage, intelligence and sense Department, the Pentagon and the of adventure all were exemplary. CIA for failing to adequately protect His Chinook ancestors would be the slain diplomats and respond once exceptionally proud. Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. Be heard! Comment online at eastoregonian.com OTHER VIEWS Choosing leaders: clueless or crazy T hese days, if you want to elect a campaign to become prime minister — leader, you generally have two an astounding feat of snatching defeat choices: a sensible, establishment from the jaws of victory that must make igure who is completely out of some of history’s all-time choke artists touch, or a populist outsider who is gape and applaud. incompetent, crazy or both. Gove, on the other hand, is earnestly That was the choice British Labour sincere, with a manner that would get Party members faced in 2015, when him kicked off many math teams for they were picking a new leader. being too nerdy. Two years earlier, David They went with the incompetent, Brooks Gove had expressed disdain for inexperienced outsider, Jeremy Corbyn. Johnson, reportedly telling a crowd Comment He recently lost a no-conidence vote after a long dinner: “Boris is incapable among members of Parliament in his of focusing on serious issues and has own party, 172-40. no gravitas. He isn’t a team player and plays That was the choice Republican voters in the to the gallery the whole time.” But during the states faced throughout the primaries. Passing Brexit campaign, Gove was Johnson’s deputy up the out-of-touch insiders, they went for an and seemed destined to be his No. 2 in the overlowing soufle of crazy incompetence in government. the form of Donald Trump. But sometime in the days after the victory And this is certainly the choice that confronts he decided that Johnson was wobbly and that members of the British Conservative Party. he himself should really be No. 1. Gove’s Calm cluelessness comes to them doubts were fortiied by an in the form of David Cameron. He email from his wife, the Daily Something was a good prime minister, but he Mail columnist Sarah Vine. called for a “Brexit” referendum fundamental is She reminded her husband that for short-term political gain, party members were skeptical shifting in our of Johnson but found him blithely unaware of what was happening in his own nation. “Do not concede any politics. The reassuring. Crazy incompetence comes ground. Be your stubborn best,” insiders can’t she wrote to him. in the forms of the two leading pro-Brexit campaigners, Boris How an email from a wife to a see it. Outsiders husband Johnson and Michael Gove. got leaked to the press is Johnson is a witty, rakish a question for another day. get thrown up showman who always puts Gove shockingly announced amid the tumult, that rather than support Johnson, himself at the center of attention and is willing to put up with a would run against him. This but they are he lot of scandal and disapproval in may have been an act of principle, order to stay there. too marginal, but it left the impression, as It’s not clear Johnson was Tory party leader told eccentric and one really in favor of Britain leaving The Telegraph, that Gove is a the European Union, but leading inexperienced to “Machiavellian psychopath” who a campaign for it seemed to be had planned to stab his friend in the quickest way to make himself lead effectively. the back “from the beginning.” prime minister. When his side of In any case, they are both now the referendum surprisingly won, he emerged thoroughly in disgrace, Johnson out of the race ashen-faced, like a boy who’d had fun playing and Gove languishing. with matches but accidentally blew up his own The big historical context is this: Something house. fundamental is shifting in our politics. The His irst response apparently was denial. insiders can’t see it. Outsiders get thrown up He had no post-referendum plan and canceled amid the tumult, but they are too marginal, a meeting with MPs 15 minutes before it eccentric and inexperienced to lead effectively. was due to start, but, according to British Without much enthusiasm, many voters newspapers, did manage to spend a day playing seem to be locking to tough, no-nonsense cricket with his friend Earl Spencer at Althorp women who at least seem sensible: Angela House, Princess Diana’s ancestral estate. The Merkel, Hillary Clinton and, now, the next day he hosted a barbecue at his house Conservative Party front-runner, Theresa May. in Oxfordshire that was described in The We probably need a political Pope Francis- Telegraph as “boozy, shambolic, disorganized type igure, who comes up from the bottom and ill-disciplined” — which sounds fun but and understands life there, but who can still maybe not for a politician in the middle of a make the case for an open dynamic world, with world crisis. free-lowing goods, ideas, capital and people. Then came the backpedaling. He wrote an Until that igure emerges, we could be in for a op-ed piece for The Telegraph headlined “I set of serial leadership crises. Cannot Stress Too Much That Britain Is Part ■ of Europe — and Always Will Be,” which David Brooks’s column on the Op-Ed page went beyond reassuring the markets and left of The New York Times started in September the impression that nothing very important had 2003. He has been a senior editor at The happened at all. Weekly Standard and a contributing editor at The week ended with him abandoning his Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly. YOUR VIEWS IP28 does not help public, businesses EOU making progress under new leadership It is likely Initiative Petition 28 will be on the November ballot in Oregon. Initiative Petition 28 is a tax on you and me as Oregon residents. The measure would raise the corporate minimum tax by charging certain corporations a 2.5 percent tax on their sales in Oregon above $25 million annually. If the measure passes, corporations making $25 million or more, such as Walmart, Century 21 or Paciic Power, have said they will increase their costs to their consumers, you and me, to make up the difference. They are not going to take the loss. If voters approve the measure it will bring an estimated $3 billion a year to the state. The state has made no indication as to how they would use this money. It will be up for grabs. Voters should realize these corporations do make millions and they will pass on the cost to us. Carefully read this Initiative Petition 28 for it does not favor the public nor corporations. See the story in the East Oregonian, June 17, 2016, pages 1A and 10A. Thank you for publishing an honest assessment of Eastern Oregon University on June 29, 2016. Eastern has made leaps and bounds progress in the past year thanks to the steady hand of President Tom Insko. His two mottos are (1) together it is possible and (2) what is measured is managed. Eastern will continue to expand its scope and inluence based upon the needs of students and families. A degree from Eastern opens the door to quality education at a reasonable price. Huge potential exists in the ields of education, agriculture, health care, business, arts and technology. Our faculty is focused on the teaching aspect by connecting with each of their students. They are dedicated to enrollment, retention and graduation. One-on-one instruction is the hallmark of Eastern. Possibilities are unlimited for students For example, Erica Hitzman of Pendleton is a recent graduate. Her art work is being juried in a best of show competition with six other inalists from other Oregon universities. Her progress and talent was stoked by the willingness of the faculty to expand her creative skills. Also Dorys Grover Pendleton she was able to have an international study experience in Germany while obtaining her degree. Excellence at Eastern Oregon University is within your reach. David Nelson, chair Eastern Oregon University Board of Trustees Pendleton The Pendleton money tree Seems the Pendleton Development Commission has found a money tree, money for the picking. They have found a solution for curing the blight problem, which in turn boosts available tax receipts in the Urban Renewal District and the funding to get the job done that the PDC was intended to do. Oops, guess they found that money tree to fund a boat ramp. With the placement of the boat ramp at the west end of town, I can only speculate that its use would be for providing an alternate means of transportation to Hermiston for shopping. “The goals of the PDC include securing grants to leverage investments and urban renewal dollars in the urban renewal district and to promote the central River Quarter plan as well as the master plan for the river walkway.” We only have two parks that provide somewhat adequate parking for activities. I have heard complaints from residents living around parks that at they are unable to provide a parking spot near their house for guests because of some activity taking place in the park. Perhaps the PDC can lead the Parks Department manager to that same money tree for some easy picking and put in some additional parking. A boat ramp? Really? Rick Rohde Pendleton LETTERS POLICY The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspa- per reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual ser- vices and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.