Wednesday, June 21, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
DYING: Oregon has
dismal ranking
in suicides
Continued from page 23
political rumor floating
around the capital on June 8.
The gist of it was that MSG
Petry was only there as a
Republican stooge for the res-
urrection of SB1054, which
Representative Anthony
Meeker’s Chief of Staff con-
firmed to Greg Walker has
been “sent to die in the rules
committee.”
What he didn’t say, but
what he could just as well
have said, is that Oregon’s
deserving and honorable vet-
erans have been sent there to
die, too.
“I hope the veterans of
Oregon realize the demeanor
of their elected representa-
tives,” MSG Petry told me.
“The only reason I went there
was to give veterans a voice.
If they (Governor Brown and
Senator Manning) had just
talked to me they would have
known that. I volunteered to
be there. I was there of my
own accord.”
In other words, in the
manner befitting a Medal of
Honor recipient, he was no
one’s political lackey. He
was there in the continuing
effort to take care of his peo-
ple, who are dying for lack
of leadership — and cynical
stonewalling — by hyper-
partisan politicians. If any
single issue should rise above
the miasma of Salem swamp
gases, given the life-or-death
nature of the problem, men-
tal-health care for veterans is
surely it.
But even if MSG Petry
had been there solely to
advocate for a bill that the
Governor et al. happen to
disagree with, what minimal
historical appreciation and
political grace does it require
to step outside and offer a liv-
ing Medal of Honor recipi-
ent the professional courtesy
and acknowledgement he so
richly deserves?
In Manning’s case — the
same man who admitted in
front of Greg Walker and
Will Naugle’s sister, Julie
Terry, that he “hadn’t read
the bill closely enough” (it
is scarcely over a page long)
then supported it, then sud-
denly retracted his support —
it appears that hiding in his
office was the result of sheer
political cowardice.
The topper? Manning is a
retired Army Sergeant Major.
Senator Manning’s office
also refused my request for
comment.
SB1054 isn’t the entire
answer. But given the fact that
we have been at war for 16
years it’s a long-overdue step
in the need to deliver critical,
life-saving care to veterans
who are dying each and every
day. Those deaths aren’t polit-
ical hyperbole, they are real
human beings dying because
they can’t get care, and
because certain politicians in
Salem are, in the words of a
seasoned source in the state-
house, more concerned with
“holding Oregonians hostage
for tax-hikes.”
On a personal note, on
Saturday, June 10, I rode in
the veterans’ float during the
Sisters Rodeo parade. It was
a singularly humbling experi-
ence. Hundreds of our friends
and neighbors turned out, and
as our modest float rolled
along through the cheer-
ing crowd, countless people
offered heartfelt “Thank-
yous” to those of us riding by.
Deeply moved, I had to bite
my lip.
Oregonians care about and
deeply respect their veterans.
Some of our elected represen-
tatives in Salem seem to have
forgotten that. Or maybe they
never knew it to begin with.
A successful climb...
25
The Nugget Newspaper Crossword
By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service
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PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Cyclists enjoyed a perfect day to summit McKenzie Pass.
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