4A
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2019
The Observer
OUR VIEW
Trying to
get Brown’s
attention
The efforts to put a recall of Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown on the ballot is a visible sign of the rural-
urban divide.
There are two separate efforts underway —
one sponsored by the Oregon Republican Party,
the other by a self-proclaimed grassroots orga-
nization that goes by the descriptive moniker
“Flush down Kate Brown.”
To get a recall on the ballot, either group needs
to collect 280,050 valid signatures from regis-
tered voters by Oct. 14. Realistically, either effort
will need well over 300,000 signatures to survive
challenges.
Our colleagues at the Oregon Capital Bureau
talked with people signing the petitions at the
Oregon State Fair.
The majority of those interviewed at the fair
struggled to specify why they wanted to recall
Brown, and seemed to be doing so based on a gut
feeling. Most commonly, people brought up cap
and trade — a failed effort by the Legislature
that Brown backed to curb greenhouse gas emis-
sions.
“My understanding is that a lot of people just
don’t think Salem cares about them right now,”
said Linn County GOP Chair Adam Keaton.
Indeed. Many Oregonians feel that political
leaders such as Brown have not only abandoned
them but are actively working against their
interests.
Kate Brown is not a wildly popular governor.
As secretary of state, she ascended to offi ce when
John Kitzhaber resigned in 2015. She barely
won a majority of votes in the special election to
fulfi ll Kitzhaber’s remaining term in 2016 and
won just 50% of the vote in 2018 when she was
elected for her own four-year term. A recent poll
found her to be one of the least popular gover-
nors in the country.
Recall efforts are a long shot, even with offi -
cials of marginal popularity. In the absence of ac-
tual corruption or malfeasance, we question the
wisdom of trying to overturn legitimate elections
either by recall or impeachment. It’s a clumsy
way to reconcile policy differences.
Still, we understand the frustration that farm-
ers, ranchers, loggers, truckers, fi shermen and
other working Oregonians — rural and urban
— are feeling. They think they have no other
options left but to replace Kate Brown with the
next offi cer in the line of succession — state
Treasurer Tobias Read, a Democrat who is at
least as liberal as Brown.
What they really want is for Brown and other
urban leaders to hear their concerns and take
them seriously.
Do they have her attention now? We can only
hope.
My Voice
Remember those affected by war
F
riday, Sept. 20, is POW/MIA Recog-
nition Day. This special day and the
Prisoner of War/Missing in Action fl ag
are symbolic of our nation’s resolve to
never leave our warriors behind. Our
armed forces will look for the missing
until they are accounted for.
Sunday, Sept. 29, is Gold Star
Mother’s Day. A Gold Star Mother is
one who lost a son or daughter while
serving their nation in times of war or
confl ict. These two special days have a
great deal in common.
On Sept. 20, and Sept. 29, we should
all stop and ponder the losses of our
American families through the years.
After all, these losses and sacri-
fi ces were made to protect our nation.
Through the years, about 1 million
brave warriors lost their American
Dream so that we could live ours.
We should remember that:
• All totaled, there were over 130,000
American military personnel who
were prisoners of war in the 20th and
21st century wars, including 184 from
Oregon.
• About 7,500 warriors are missing
from World War I — 19 from Oregon.
• 72,676 warriors are missing from
World War II — 886 from Oregon.
• 7,634 warriors are missing from the
Korean War — 56 from Oregon.
• As of July 26, 2019, there are 1,587
still missing in Southeast Asia — 33
from Oregon.
Let us all keep these sacrifi ces at the
forefront. That is the purpose of the
POW/MIA fl ag. That is the reason there
are monuments and memorials. The
adage “Let us not forget” is appropriate.
We should support those who are
working to help us not to forget. Yes,
more monuments and memorials
should be built. There is a shortage of
memorials that specifi cally honor our
Vietnam veterans.
In Salem, on state properties, one can
fi nd memorials and monuments that
honor the veterans of every war except
Write to us
Write to us
MY VOICE
Steve Bates has resided in Boring
for 42 years and is a life member
of the Associates of
Vietnam Veterans of
America. He serves as
chair of the committee
on memorials &
remembrance and
president of the Vietnam War
Memorial Fund. He can be reached
by email at vietnamwarmem@aol.
com.
My Voice columns should be
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the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf
War of 1991. There are Vietnam War
memorials in Portland, Canby, Newport
and a new memorial is under construc-
tion in Medford. Many communities
have established memorials and parks
that honor veterans from all wars.
The community of Boring dedicated
a Vietnam War memorial at its Boring
Station Trailhead Park on Sept. 21,
2018, which was POW/MIA Recognition
Day. A portion of the dedication cer-
emony included the raising of the POW/
MIA fl ag for the fi rst time over Boring.
The dedication ceremony also paid trib-
ute to Gold Star Mothers and Gold Star
Families as the community honored 41
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A division of
Clackamas County warriors who gave
the ultimate sacrifi ce in Vietnam.
A group of Oregon residents is
proposing a Vietnam War memorial
on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds.
This proposed memorial will honor all
who served during the Vietnam War
era, regardless of their duty station.
Special reverence for those who served
in Vietnam and those Oregonians that
perished in Vietnam will be included.
Also, this memorial is planned to have
tributes to all Gold Star Families,
Oregon’s Prisoners Of War and those
Missing In Action.
For more information on the project,
visit www.vietnamwarmemorialfund.
org.
Those of us who never wore a
military uniform should give special
consideration to POW/MIA Recognition
Day and Gold Star Mother’s Day with a
resolve to honor all who served and sac-
rifi ced. We must also remember their
families. These sacrifi ces were made so
that we can live as a free people.
541-963-3161
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