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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2019)
4A MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2019 The Observer OUR VIEW Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus T he following letter is perhaps the most famous example of a child wanting to know if Santa is real. Letter to the editor The New York Sun, 1897 Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? — Virginia O’Hanlon Virginia: Your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the won- ders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. Your views Dutto: Quiet Zone good for public safety, public health To the Editor: I am responding to Curt Howell’s letter to the editor, “Quiet Zone is a ter- rible waste of our tight tax dollars” (The Observer, Dec. 20). The city’s invest- ment in our road/tracks infrastructure will be a good investment for several reasons and would like to address Mr. Howell’s points. The less than $200,000 spent came out of the general fund, which does not fund our “crumbling streets,” for which repairs come out of the public works budget. We are not sacrificing any street paving to make improve- ment at our intersections with the railroad. Statistics show the Quiet Zone improvements made will reduce the likelihood for an accident at the seven intersections in town. Train opera- tors will absolutely be able to blow the horn if there is a safety concern on the tracks. If a pedestrian trespasses on the UP tracks, the whistle can blow at the operator’s discretion. As a city councilor, one of my focuses has been on economic development. A quick review of online hotel reviews or speaking with hotel or bed-and- breakfast operators in the downtown area shows that the whistles adversely impact their businesses. One hotel actually gives guests earplugs for their stay. The unnecessary whistles are negatively impacting some of our busi- nesses and a Quiet Zone will help those businesses. In addition, the regular interruption of sleep caused by the train whistles are a public safety and public health concern. Citizens have complained to me that train whistles are waking them up at night. We have an average of 23 trains passing through La Grande every day, with each train requiring to blow the whistle seven times, including at night. According to the National Safety Council, fatigued worker productiv- ity costs employers $1200 to $3100 per employee annually. Chronic sleep deprivation causes accidents, depres- sion, obesity, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. It is good for the health of our citizens and our visitors to have a Quiet Zone. I am confident that our decision to pursue and fund a Quiet Zone is good for public safety, public health and the economy of La Grande. Corrine Dutto La Grande city councilor Gilbert: Energy Siting Council is not looking out for public To the Editor: I just attended the Energy Facility Siting Council meeting in Pendleton. Following is what I learned: 1. The Oregon Department of Energy and the Energy Facility Siting Council are restoring the amendment rules that the Oregon Supreme Court determined were illegal. They allowed the public to comment but are not going to act on those comments until 2022. That means the public will have no opportu- nity to object to their decisions for three years. 2. ODOE and EFSC used the tempo- rary rules, which are the same as those referenced above, to approve a change to the Shepherd Flat Wind develop- ment. These rules allow them to com- plete an amendment without allowing the public any opportunity to request a contested case. This change resulted in more than 14 new site certificate condi- tions as well as multiple changes to the current requirements. One of the things approved will allow the developer to have 12 turbines infringe upon the setback required for Bonneville Power transmission lines. 3. The report on the Boardman to Hemingway transmission line from the ODOE indicates they plan to ap- prove roads outside the location the de- veloper identified as the transmission line “site.” This would mean that more than 100 miles of new roads would be allowed across forests, farmlands and public land without any notice to the landowners, disclosure of impacts or disclosing where they would be located. All costs for wages, benefits and sup- plies for the Energy Siting Division are billed directly to developers proposing and building these energy develop- ments. Do you think recommendations from the Energy Siting Division of the De- partment of Energy are looking out for SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Stopped account balances less than $5 will be refunded upon request. Subscription rates per month: By carrier...............................................$11.80 By mail, all other U.S. .............................. $15 A division of Irene Gilbert La Grande Co-chair, STOP B2H Coalition Whitaker: Should the president be above the law? To the Editor: Articles for the impeachment of President Trump will soon go to the Senate from our United States House of Representatives. Conversations are taking place throughout Eastern Oregon: He didn’t do it. Well, maybe he did it. But it’s OK because everyone does it. OK, he did it. But it’s OK because he’s the president. So what? It’s not a crime. So who cares about Ukraine anyway? If we care about the future of Ameri- can democracy, we have to have these conversations. But it’s super confusing and the GOP is trying to take advan- tage of our confusion. So, let’s simplify things. Presidents are public servants. They work for us. Their work should benefit the country, not their own personal gain. Asking a foreign country to interfere in our elec- tions for the president’s personal benefit is an abuse of power, an impeachable of- fense. As is withholding military aid to prod that country to do the president’s dirty work. A president who does this and helps cover up by refusing to permit testimony and refusing to provide relevant docu- ments to a congressional investigation is committing another im- peachable offense — obstructing Congress. The questions to ask in your next conversation with your friend, your neighbor or your family are these: Do you think it’s OK for a president to pressure a foreign power to take action to benefit his own political campaign? Do you think the president should be above the law? Do you think U.S. sena- tors should take seriously their oaths to defend the Constitution and to serve as impartial jurors in the Senate impeach- ment trial of President Trump? Get “yes” or “no” answers. The future of American democracy is at risk. Bill Whitaker La Grande STAFF Phone: SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE NEWSSTAND PRICE: $1.50 You can save up to 34% off the single-copy price with home delivery. Call 541-963-3161 to subscribe. the public and resources of this state, or are they looking out for their jobs? 541-963-3161 An independent newspaper founded in 1896 Toll free (Oregon): 1-800-422-3110 (USPS 299-260) Fax: 541-963-7804 Email: The Observer reserves the right to adjust subscription news@lagrandeobserver.com rates by giving prepaid and mail subscribers 30 days Website: notice. Periodicals postage paid at La Grande, Oregon www.lagrandeobserver.com 97850. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Street address: 1406 Fifth St., La Grande (except Dec. 25) by EO Media Group, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, OR 97850 (USPS 299-260) POSTMASTER COPYRIGHT © 2019 THE OBSERVER Send address changes to: The Observer retains ownership and copyright The Observer, 1406 Fifth St., protection of all staff-prepared news copy, advertising La Grande, OR 97850 copy, photos and news or ad illustrations. They may Periodicals postage paid at: not be reproduced without explicit prior approval. La Grande, Oregon 97850 Publisher........................................Karrine Brogoitti Classifieds ........................................ Devi Mathson Regional circulation director ....................Kelli Craft Home delivery advisor.................Amanda Fredrick Editor .....................................................Phil Wright Customer service rep ......................... Mollie Lynch News clerk....................................Lisa Lester Kelly Advertising representative...............Juli Bloodgood Sports editor .......................................Ronald Bond Advertising representative...................... Amy Horn Reporter................................................Dick Mason Graphic design supervisor................Dorothy Kautz Reporter....................................Sabrina Thompson Graphic design ..............................Cheryl Christian Chris Rush, Regional Publisher
