A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Juniper Ridge
lacks security,
accountability
W
hen Juniper Ridge
Acute Care Center
opened in 2013,
citizens of Grant County
welcomed the jobs and mental
health treatment the facility
would offer. Both were
desperately needed in this part
of Eastern Oregon.
Our community’s
acceptance was based in no
small part on assurances
Juniper Ridge would be
secure. Those assurances have
been proven worthless.
In less than three years,
at least three known patients
have escaped the facility on
Ford Road in John Day:
• In April of 2013, a patient
broke out of his room and the
facility. He threw rocks at
staff, then took out his rage
on a transport car -- smashing
windows, tearing off mirrors
and caving in its roof – before
being subdued by police.
• This year, in January, a
patient entered the facility’s
fenced yard unsupervised. He
broke through a corner of the
fence and escaped. Local and
state law enforcement of¿cers
captured him after a ¿ve-hour
search.
• On Saturday, a patient
who is a sex offender escaped,
exploiting the same faulty
fence. He was captured by
Oregon State Police Of¿cers
more than 24 hours later near
Dog Creek outside of John
Day.
In each instance, the
executive director of
Community Counseling
Services, the non-pro¿t that
operates Juniper Ridge,
reassured the community
that the problem areas were
being addressed. However,
Kimberly Lindsay told the
Blue Mountain Eagle Monday
the integrity of the fence as a
whole has not been ¿xed and a
lawsuit has been ¿led against
the contractor.
We cannot judge the merits
of the lawsuit. But failing to
immediately ¿x an obvious
defect in security at a mental
health facility is an astonishing
act of neglect. Juniper Ridge is
supposed to be a secure facility
for a reason. Its patients are
people in mental distress who
are considered to be a danger
to themselves or to others.
Assurances and excuses
no longer are enough. Grant
County Commissioners should
demand an independent
review of security at Juniper
Ridge. State of¿cials should
assess whether Community
Counseling Services is the
right provider for mental health
services in Grant County.
Finally, the faulty fence
must be ¿xed – now. The
patients and community
deserve better.
Walden possible
Speaker candidate?
By Steve Tool
EO Media Group
With the sudden resignation of
U.S. Rep. John Boehner as house
speaker and the equally sudden
withdrawl of Rep. Kevin McCar-
thy of his candidacy for the role,
the House of Representatives ¿nds
itself with an immense vacuum to
¿ll with seeming no one willing to
take on the challenge. The Republi-
can majority is currently awash with
in-¿ghting between its establishment
and the more conservative and vocal
elements of the party.
The preferred candidate, Rep.
Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, says he
has no interest in the position. Ryan
was probably the only representative
who could garner the 218 House
votes needed to take on the role.
One of the names being bandied
about as an interim House Speak-
er is Oregon’s 4th Dist. Rep. Greg
Walden. Former Michigan U.S. Rep.
Mike Rogers touted Walden as a
possible candidate during an Oct. 8
interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN.
“One great candidate would be
Greg Walden the head of the com-
mittee responsible for electing the
conference of Republicans into
the majority. He’s been doing that
for a few years. He knows every
member; he knows the districts;
he knows there are challenges. He
knows their political bent and he’s
a seasoned hand which was miss-
ing in this leadership election. He’s
been around a long time,” Rogers
said.
Walden’s communications di-
rector, Andrew Malcolm, said in a
phone interview Walden currently
supports Ryan for the Speaker role.
“Greg thinks that Paul Ryan
would be a terri¿c Speaker of the
House, that he could certainly uni-
fy our conference,” said Malcolm.
“Greg believes that he is an articu-
late communicator, has incredible
policy depth, and cares deeply about
the future of this country.”
Malcolm added Walden would
consider running for the position if
the conference asked him.
“Greg has always been willing
to step in and serve Oregon and the
country when needed. That being
said, he has several big jobs already:
representing the Second District,
chairing the Communications and
Technology panel, and chairing the
National Republican Congressional
Committee,” Malcolm said.
The House Speaker’s role
The House Speaker role is de¿ned
in Article 1 , Section 2 of the U.S.
Constitution. Surprisingly, it is not a
requirement to be an elected repre-
sentative to ful¿ll the role, although
all Speakers thus far have been.
The Speaker is arguably the most
important and visible role in the
House. Besides acting as the inter-
mediary between the House and the
president, the Speaker does a large
portion of fundraising for their party.
The Speaker is also second in line for
the presidency behind the vice-pres-
ident.
Unlike the Senate Majority Lead-
Blue Mountain
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er, who needs only a majority of
votes from their own party, the House
Speaker needs a majority of the 435
members of the House. For obvious
reasons, Democrats are not interest-
ed in helping any Republican get the
necessary 218 votes.
The most powerful and important
role the Speaker plays is using his
power through the Rules Committee
to decide which bills and amend-
ments make it to the House Àoor for
discussion and vote, Many political
observers say it is this power that
contributes to congressional grid-
lock.
‘Wolf-friendly beef’ idea
patronizing to ranchers
There isn’t anyone who hasn’t
said something that sounded bet-
ter in their head than it did when
they said it out loud.
That’s what we thought when
we heard that conservation groups
in Washington participating on
the state’s wolf advisory pan-
el suggested helping ranchers
by creating a premium label for
“wolf-friendly beef” for pro-
ducers who employ Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife
wolf protection measures.
Dan Paul, state director of
The Humane Society of the Unit-
ed States, said as with cage-free
eggs, some consumers would be
willing to pay more for beef raised
with wolf protection measures.
Really?
First, we’d point out that all
beef raised on grazing land in wolf
country is “wolf-friendly.” It all
can fall prey. Ranchers in Wash-
ington and Oregon can’t legally
shoot a wolf, as they are protected
either by state or federal law.
In fact, we would argue beef
protected by extensive measures
championed by the panel is less
friendly to wolves. If the mea-
sures work — and producers say
the results are mixed at best —
Recognizing the
unsung heroes
management plan that includes a
full range of control options, in-
cluding lethal measures for prob-
lem wolves.
And this is why ranchers are
frustrated with efforts they find, at
best, patronizing.
The Cattle Producers of Wash-
ington has withdrawn from the
Wolf Advisory Group, calling it
“inept and pointless” and saying
it has prevented any action by
the state Department of Fish and
Wildlife in dealing with wolves
that kill livestock.
Though there are some with
more strident views, most ranch-
ers at least grudgingly accept that
the reintroduction of wolves into
the West is a fait accompli. They
know they’ll have to find a way
to survive in a new paradigm that
includes another predator.
Conversely, wolf advocates
and government wildlife agen-
cies must also accept that ranch-
ers can’t be expected to provide
wolves an unlimited buffet. The
tab must be paid, or the losses be
stopped.
State-sponsored elimination
of ranchers is no more palatable
than the wholesale extermination
of wolves.
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
I would like take a moment to
recognize those unsung heroes who
worked so tirelessly behind the
scenes, giving of their time and en-
ergy to help those who have been
displaced and effected by the Can-
yon Creek Complex ¿re.
I know Mary Weaver along with
a crew of people who came daily to
help wherever they were needed.
I am sure there was a loss of
revenue to the Grant County Fair-
grounds from events that had to be
canceled because the needs of the
community were put ¿rst and fore-
most above anything else.
We will never know the names
or faces of all those who spent
countless hours raising money and
sending much needed items to help
out.
The ¿re was a tragedy, causing
long term devastation and lasting
impact on our county.
It is a test of the human spirit
when faced with uncertainty to ¿nd
such support amidst the destruction.
We will forever be indebted to
those who opened their hearts and
their wallets to give in any way they
could.
I know I don’t live in the John
Day area, but I have family that
does, and this ¿re has affected all of
us in one way or another.
Linda K Hunt
Long Creek
Sad summer
of tragedies
It has been a sad summer for
sure. Homes lost, our beautiful
forests blackened, a tiny bear cub
left running frantically around
Prairie City looking for it’s soon
to be salami Mom, dead kittens
along the road where icy heart-
ed individuals threw them to rid
themselves of the problem they
created, and the deadly shooting
at UCC. Could it be there is a rea-
son or at least a partial cause be-
hind all of these heart wrenching
events that could be remedied?
The Forest Service, which man-
ages our “public lands,” threatens
the public with repercussions if
they stray with a shovel, or equip-
ment onto puplic land to put out
a ¿re that encompasses an acre,
only to act surprised when a strong
wind comes up and turns the acre
in to over 100,000, threatening
lives, and consuming a lifetime
of work, hopes and dreams in the
form of homes.
What was a tiny bear cub do-
ing without a mother? Starving
hunter, no doubt.
Who didn’t bother to neuter or
spay a cat, their cat, their neigh-
bor’s cat? Tough call.
Who put up the sign “gun free
zone” for the UCC shooter to see
(he went there, so he knew). Cal-
ifornia’s chief, Jerry Brown, just
declared all California schools
gun free. I hope he doesn’t make
the kids pay for making them a
target of the next round of nuts.
Don’t we get it that we can
and should be accountable for our
own actions, protection of our
own land and children, however
that looks, and whatever it takes?
We have delegated the care of our
public lands to people who need
a dictionary to look up the word
“management” just because they
call it wilderness, they don’t need
to make it beautiful or useful
again. If man wasn’t here, hands
off would be a given, duh. But we
are here, and sick of looking at
the black toothpicks where there
used to be beautiful trees, for de-
cades, we look at them.
We have become a sorry lot.
Electing and re-electing people to
represent us who do nothing the
way we want it done, or what is
really best for us all.
They just mess things up and
tell us to go sit down because we
don’t know what is best. The in-
credible idiocy of some of the laws
we are supposed to live by is just
astounding, and the lack of personal
integrity found in those we should
be able to trust.
The folks in Prescott, Arizona
are dealing with the same sort of
aftermath of their ¿re, only they
lost 1 young men due to a ¿re
that was “left alone” when it was
manageable. No wonder we are all
mad!
Mary Brown
Prairie City
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wolves have to work harder for
their meal.
Second, we think the number
of people who would pay more
for beef in order to somehow help
wolves would be small.
Though we don’t necessarily
think it’s true, people who buy
cage-free eggs believe they’re
getting a better quality product be-
cause of the way hens are treated.
The reasoning goes that cage-free
hens are exposed to less disease
and stress, therefore their eggs are
better.
But there is no corresponding
perceived quality enhancement
for “wolf-friendly” beef. The ben-
efits from such measures go ex-
clusively to the wolves and their
champions.
Ranchers are quick to point
out that to recoup the cost of the
suggested
counter-measures,
“wolf-friendly” products would
have to be priced 50 percent more
than comparable conventional
(wolf hostile?) products.
We’ll give the wolf advocates
the benefit of the doubt that they
are sincere in their desire to help
ranchers cope with wolves on the
range. But a new marketing ploy
is not a substitute for a viable
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