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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2015)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, December 2, 2015 Congress has a choice on Federal Forest Act T he time has come for &RQJUHVVWRSURYLGHWKH OHJDODQG¿QDQFLDOWRROV the U.S. Forest Service needs to better manage the 188.4 million acres of national forests. For decades the Forest Service did a world-class job of managing national forests under the multiple-use doctrine. 7KHQXQGHUWKH&OLQWRQ administration and now under the Obama administration, management of the national forests shifted to a doctrine of benign neglect, as timber sales and grazing tapered off DQGFDWDVWURSKLFZLOG¿UHV multiplied. 7KLV\HDUZLOG¿UHV burned 9.1 million acres of national forests — including DFUHVLQ*UDQW&RXQW\ — and the Forest Service spent ELOOLRQ¿JKWLQJWKHP As the understory became clogged with brush, logging slowed to a crawl and grazing was reduced, the forests became overstocked with fuels. Here’s the problem. The nation’s taxpayers are not only stuck with the bill for putting RXWWKH¿UHVEXWWKHPRQH\LV taken out of the budget used for clearing brush and treating areas that are vulnerable to ZLOG¿UHV The result has been a cycle RIELJJHUZLOG¿UHVDQGVPDOOHU budgets aimed at preventing them. A proposal in the U.S. House offers a starting point for breaking this cycle of neglect. The Resilient Federal Forest Act of 2015, HR 2647, would allow the Forest Service to get money from the Federal Emergency Management $JHQF\WR¿JKWZLOG¿UHV The bill also eases the yoke of environmental overkill that the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management struggle with as they try to manage IRUHVWVWRSUHYHQWZLOG¿UHV insect infestations and disease. The agencies are currently hobbled by federal laws that require expensive environmental reviews. HR 2647 would exclude from National Environmental Policy Act review parts of projects in areas up to 15,000 acres, allowing them to proceed without unnecessary and expensive delays. “Depending on funding, it can take a couple of years to complete projects and they can take up to 250 pages of environmental review,” said Nick Smith, executive director of Healthy Forests, Healthy &RPPXQLWLHV7KH)RUHVW Service alone spends $356 million a year to jump through NEPA-induced hoops. “This isn’t about taking away environmental protections, but making them faster and more HI¿FLHQW´VDLG7UDYLV-RVHSK president of the American Forest 5HVRXUFHV&RXQFLORQHRI organizations that support the legislation. When it comes to reducing ZLOG¿UHWKUHDWVWLPEHUKDUYHVWV are part of the picture. About 2.5 billion board feet are logged each year in national forests. That’s down from 8 billion to 12 billion board feet in the 1960s and 1970s. Though the bill has passed the House, its future in the Senate is less than certain. The current thinking as that it can be included in other legislation that &RQJUHVVQHHGVWRSDVVEHIRUH adjourning at the end of the year. &RQJUHVVKDVDFKRLFH,W can either pass this legislation, or a variation of it, or it can do nothing. If it chooses to pass the legislation and President Obama signs it, the Forest Service can more effectively manage the national forests. ,I&RQJUHVVFKRRVHVQRWWR pass the bill, you can count RQ¿QGLQJPRUHVLJQVVLPLODU to one seen recently in the Northwest: “Public lands. Log it, graze it or watch it burn.” American Dream is the reality of self-governance My dear friends, I write to you on the measure concerning the outlawing of canna- bis entrepreneurship. I am a leader. The truest and most effective form of leadership is leading by example. I know that my children will not become ad- dicts because neither their mother, nor I, am. Further, this is not due to biological relations nor physical presence on its own. I know this be- cause we raise our children. We raise them to become the strongest ver- sion of their selves. We do this from the front, by example, by always continuing in our quest to become the strongest version of ourselves. Addiction is victimhood, a foreign concept that is nearly non-existent in the mind of a true leader. There ex- ists no threat to our youth so long as we raise leaders. If you treat a child like an irre- sponsible, unintelligent, irrational and unaccountable fool, that is what you shall have. If you treat a child like an adult he’ll be more responsi- ble by the time he’s 12 than the ma- jority of “adults” you know. If you treat Americans like children, then you shall have a nation of “adults” who believe they are the embodi- ment of victims. If you start treating Americans for the good moral peo- ple that they are, that is exactly what you shall have. It is because I love my fellow Americans that I’m not only willing to let them fail, I want them to fail. I want this for them because I know WKH\ZLOOQHYHUVXFFHHGZLWKRXW¿UVW experiencing failure. If you yearn for the American Dream, as I do, if you believe in a country of individuals taking pride in their never-ending successes and failures in the pursuit of their unique forms of peaceful happiness, if you are a creature of integrity, this is the only position: Self-ownership. Belief in authority is a failure to believe in one’s self; a lack of con- viction in one’s own capabilities and actions. Through belief in ourselves and our compatriots, through respect of ourselves and our fellow citizens, we will bring America back to the greatness that Jefferson penned in 1776. Self-medication is not a foreign concept to this county. Nearly every hard-working rancher, farmer, log- ger and every other hard-working laborer that I know self-medicates. Whether it be drink, smoke or that prescription you allowed your doc- tor to give to you in order to treat the symptoms of a larger issue: hu- mans self-medicate. Whether it be your back, your knees, those joints you didn’t even know existed till you felt pain, or perhaps a simple short vacation from responsibility, to give them peace where it’s found wanting. The American Dream, is not a dream. It isn’t as simple as successes and happiness, rainbows and butter- ÀLHV ZKHUH HYHU\WKLQJ LV HDV\ DQG great. The American reality is about accountability. It’s about loving one’s self so much that we choose the decisions that will make us the happiest in life, it’s the pursuit of happiness. Through pain and suffer- ing we become strong. We create strength through the adversity that comes with making our lives. Americans used to understand that and they still understood it during prohibition. We can deduce this because there was no prohibition in reality. They said ‘This is ridic- ulous!’ We are individually respon- sible creatures. We own ourselves. We make our decisions, we will live or we will die by our own dis- tinctive choices. The problem is, as with most things in life, government. This belief in external authority. A belief that contradicts and under- mines self-ownership. The Ameri- can Dream is the reality of self-gov- ernance. 7RR PDQ\ KXPDQV YLHZ VHO¿VK- ness in a negative light. They have forgotten what other traits Americans have. We are a Socratic body of be- ings. We hold in the highest order of principles integrity and community. They have forgotten what human be- ings are. We’re loving beings, we’re compassionate, we’re pack animals and we have no strength when stand- ing alone. We must stand shoulder to shoulder as individuals. I believe in the American Dream. I know that my countrymen are compassionate, empathetic, loving, good, moral and HWKLFDO7KHUHIRUHWKHPRVWVHO¿VK decisions, the choices we take to make us who we are are the most compassionate, the most empathet- ic and the most loving. The most FDULQJ FKRLFHV ZH PDNH WR EHQH¿W PDQNLQGDUHWKHPRVWVHO¿VK*HQ- erosity is the ultimate happiness. I challenge you, my compatriots, WRPDNHWKHVHO¿VKFKRLFHLQHYHU\ facet of life. Be happy in the pursuit itself. James Vaughan Long Creek. W HERE TO WRITE GRANT COUNTY Grant County Courthouse — 201 S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541- 575-2248. Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu- rylink.net. Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541- 987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541- 575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net. /RQJ&UHHN — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@cityoÀongcreek. com. Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email: monument@oregontrail.net. 0W9HUQRQ — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax: 541- 932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net. Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax: 820- 3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net. Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca 97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161. Email: cityseneca@centurytel.net. SALEM *RY.DWH%URZQ' — 254 State Capi- tol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378-3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www.governor.state. or.us/governor.html. Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Web- site: www. leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes). 6WDWH5HS&OLII%HQW]5-Ontario Blue Mountain EAGLE P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY (District: 60), Room H-475, State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E., Salem OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1460. Email: rep.cliffbentz@state. or.us. Website: www.leg.state.or.us/bentz/ home.htm. 6WDWH6HQ7HG)HUULROL5 — (District 30) Room S-223, State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-986-1950. Email: sen. tedferrioli@state.or.us. Email: TFER2@aol. com. Phone: 541-490-6528. Website: www. leg.state.or.us/ferrioli. Oregon Legislative Information — (For updates on bills, services, capitol or messag- es for legislators) — 800-332-2313. WASHINGTON, D.C. 7KH:KLWH+RXVH 1600 Pennsylva- nia Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202-456-1111; Switch- board: 202-456-1414. 866HQ5RQ:\GHQ D — 516 Hart Senate Of¿ce Building, Washington D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Email: wayne_kinney@wyden.senate.gov Website: http://wyden.senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717. 866HQ-HII0HUNOH\'— 313 Hart Senate Of¿ce Building, Washington D.C. 20510?. Phone: 202-224-3753. Email: senator@merkley.senate.gov. Fax: 202- 228-3997. Oregon of¿ces include One World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; and 310 S.E. Second St., Suite 105, Pendleton, OR 97801. Phone: 503-326-3386; 541-278- 1129. Fax: 503-326-2990. 865HS*UHJ:DOGHQ5 — (Second District) 1404 Longworth Building, Wash- ington D.C. 20515. Phone: 202-225-6730. No direct email because of spam. Website: www.walden.house.gov Fax: 202-225-5774. Medford of¿ce: 14 North Central, Suite 112, Medford, OR 97501. Phone: 541-776-4646. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Give the wolf killer a medal or horse, or anything, for that matter, they heap misery, worry and a lot of expense on the receiver. Our big To the Editor: game animals are suffering more than This isn’t just a letter to the editor, any other and when they suffer, the but to everyone who might be con- ODFW suffers, because when there cerned with common sense justice. are no animals to hunt, hunters do not Recently, an individual shot and buy licenses and tags. What kind of killed a wolf while mistaking it for a message does the prosecution of this coyote. He was honest in that he told man having been honest deliver to the ODFW what he did. RXU\RXQJSHRSOH",WZLOOWHDFKWKHP He subsequently has been charged to shoot, shovel and shut up, and that with killing an endangered species is what will be done from now on. DQGLVEHLQJWKUHDWHQHGZLWKD¿QHRU So, instead of spending time and jail time, or maybe both – who knows money on a senseless prosecution, right now. just give the man a medal. ,QWKH¿UVWSODFHWKHVHDQLPDOVDUH Dean Elliott not endangered, never have been and Prairie City probably never will be. Isn’t that pa- thetic. Instead of prosecuting the man for being honest, he instead should Good news: Beer be given a medal for removing a kill- ing machine that, along with other calories, salt content members of its species, is costing our To the Editor: economy millions of dollars. These After all the bad news this past animals are the ISIS of the animal summer there were two items in the world. national news the past few days that Why in the world are wolves so PLJKWFKHHUWKHIRONVLQ*UDQW&RXQW\ JORUL¿HG" (YHU\ WLPH RQH RI WKHVH We sometimes forget the big picture killing machines kills a sheep or cow when we become so involved in the L etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244. Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper P UBLISHER ............................... M ARISSA W ILLIAMS , MARISSA @ BMEAGLE . COM E DITOR .................................... S EAN H ART , EDITOR @ BMEAGLE . COM A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT ........ K RISTINA K REGER , KRISTINA @ BMEAGLE . COM E DITORIAL A SSISTANT ................ C HERYL H OEFLER , CHERYL @ BMEAGLE . COM C OMMUNITY N EWS .................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM S PORTS ................................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM M ARKETING R EP ....................... K IM K ELL , ADS @ BMEAGLE . COM O FFICE M ANAGER ..................... L INDSAY B ULLOCK , OFFICE @ BMEAGLE . COM MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION mundane. Things like forest road clo- VXUHV¿UHZRRGUXOHVJUD]LQJSHUPLWV ZDUPLQJ VWUHDPV IRUHVW ¿UHV HWF ,W is nice to see that our dedicated gov- ernment representatives are constantly seeking ways to make our lives better. 7KH ¿UVW DPRQJ WKH LWHPV WKDW caught my ear was that our president just released 2,000 new regulations that will go into effect on Jan 1. Among the more important is a requirement that all beer brewers disclose the cal- orie count of their brew. The other is WKH VWDWH RI &DOLIRUQLD QRZ UHTXLUHV that restaurants list the salt contents of each menu item. Even though that will not affect us here in Oregon with any luck it will be picked up by the folks in 6DOHPRU:DVKLQJWRQ'&VRWKDWZH WRRFDQUHDSWKHEHQH¿WV It was mentioned in the item about calories in beer that this may bring about the closure of some micro brew- ers due to the cost. But as we sip our Budweiser and munch our fries we can all bask in the glow of knowing that someone up there cares about our well being! Claude Baker John Day 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .....................................$40 Everywhere else in U.S. .....................$51 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Periodicals Postage Paid at John 'D\DQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRIÀFHV POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 ZZZ0\(DJOH1HZVFRP Copyright © 2015 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. ZZZIDFHERRNFRP0\(DJOH1HZV @MyEagleNews