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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2020)
4A WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020 The Observer OUR VIEW Resolve to be more involved A new year signals a new beginning for all of us. While many of us will make our standard new year resolutions, as a community there are several pledges we should make for 2020. In the upcoming 12 months, local voters will once again secure an opportunity to get more involved in their city, county and state govern- ment. Democracy should not chiefl y be a spectator sport. Instead, the founders designed a frame- work that, in large part, depended upon the commitment and interest of voters. Our nation is divided along partisan lines, which isn’t a good thing for democracy, but what could be even more troubling is a lack of interest in public busi- ness. Getting involved is never easy and can be, at times, a downright challenge. After a long day of work, who wants to eat dinner, and then attend a city council meeting? The truth is, though, that fi nding the time to participate in our government is crucial. We simply can’t vote a lawmaker into offi ce, and then turn our backs. Often that becomes the re- ality. We tend to make our decision at the ballot box, and then expect government to operate on autopilot. When a major issue seems to rise up like the phoenix we are shocked, and suddenly the seemingly mundane acts of city government became critical. Yet, most of those fl ashpoint issues that seem- ingly come out of nowhere are actually well- known to lawmakers and have been debated and discussed at meetings. They should be no surprise, but often are because not enough of the body politic is participating in our democracy. Becoming a small-town lawmaker isn’t like serving on a high school student body elected board. It isn’t a popularity contest. The job of a city council member or mayor is — or should be — serious business and our lawmakers need our input and our vigilance. That means voters must keep a close eye on what is going on. That is also where the news- paper comes in handy. We also have an obliga- tion to ensure the actions of our public leaders are well-known so that readers — voters — can debate them and fashion opinions. This year we should all refl ect on the state of our city and county and endeavor to work to en- sure we participate. The founders bestowed upon us a rich tapestry of democracy, but that fabric remains strong only if voters remain vigilant and get involved. Check those sources There’s an old journalism cliche that goes something like this: “If your mother says she loves you, get a second source.” The cautionary quip reminds reporters and editors to remain skeptical, double- check the information you’re going to relay to readers and question authority. That’s something we all need to keep in mind after the U.S. killed Qassem Solei- mani and other people in an airstrike. The facts from the White House have been less than sketchy on what led to Friday’s assassination of the top mili- tary leader of an enemy regime. Supporters of President Donald Trump don’t like the term “assassina- tion,” arguing this was a military strike. Some commenters on The Observer’s Facebook page expressed their discon- tent with the term. And Trump detrac- tors are hyping up the killing as illegal. We’re not weighing in on that. There’s nothing wrong with calling the strike an assassination. That’s just what it was. There were plots, after all, in World War II to assassinate Hitler. Not that Soleimani is anywhere on par with Hit- ler, but the point is newspapers need to call things what they are. And in times of crisis, reporters and the rest of us FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK PHIL WRIGHT need to stick to facts and be wary and critical of opinions no matter who gives them and particularly when they smell like propaganda. Since the killing of Soleimani, the political spin machine began working overtime. Here are some of the early assessments and statements that came out after Trump announced the killing: John Bolton, former Trump national security adviser, took to Twitter to praise the strike and express hope this leads to regime change in Tehran. Ari Fleischer, the press secretary for the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001-03, chimed in on Fox News how Iranians could end up celebrating the death. Fox News talking head Ainsley Ear- hardt on Friday called Soleimani a “bad guy,” and there is little to quibble with that. She also said Soleimani was re- sponsible for killing 600,000 U.S. troops. Bolton is about as hawkish as hawks get. He has advocated for the U.S. to use military force in Venezuela, North Korea and other countries. He has yet to meet a war he doesn’t like. Ari Fleischer is the guy who in the lead-up to the war with Iraq claimed the small county had weapon of mass destruction when it did not. He claimed the Saddam Hussein regime was in cahoots with al-Qaeda, when, again, the facts did not bear that out. And he lied about telling reporters that Valerie What a difference a president could make As we enter 2020, the year in which we will elect a new president of the United States, let’s pause to consider some differences a new president could make. There are key executive orders a new president could issue on day one: Set ag- gressive greenhouse gas and energy use reduction goals across the federal govern- ment, including the military. Establish an interagency task force to develop the framework for a Green New Deal. Stop lease sales for coal, oil and gas extraction and uranium mining on federal land. Bar from federal contracts any corporation with environmental violations during the past decade. Close federal private prisons including immigrant detention centers and end all federal contracts with private prison companies. Direct the Department of Justice to abandon mandatory mini- mum sentences in federal prosecution and to pursue alternatives to incarcera- tion for low-level offenders. Direct the U.S. Postal Service to begin Subscription rates per month: By carrier...............................................$11.80 By mail, all other U.S. .............................. $15 A division of offering public banking. Establish a task force to determine a real living wage across the United States and set the federal worker minimum accordingly. Direct the Secretary of Education to write off all student loan debt for which the federal government is the creditor. And much more. These are a few of the reasons I believe we need to elect Bernie Sanders president. Bill Whitaker La Grande STAFF Phone: SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE Stopped account balances less than $5 will be refunded upon request. — Phil Wright is the editor of The Observer. Your views SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION NEWSSTAND PRICE: $1.50 You can save up to 34% off the single-copy price with home delivery. Call 541-963-3161 to subscribe. Plame was a CIA covert agent until he received immunity from prosecution. Iranians admired Soleimani. Thou- sands of Iranians marched in funeral processions this weekend to honor him. The takes from Fleischer and Bolton look like opinions detached from reality. Earhardt’s assertion is dubious at best. The total number of U.S. Armed Forces that died or went missing in World War II is a little more than 407,000. The U.S. Civil War — our bloodiest war — had 620,000 military deaths. There is no way an Iranian gen- eral was responsible for the deaths of 600,000 U.S. troops. Even Farnaz Fassihi of The New York Times fell for misinformation. She tweeted on Friday the largest U.S. mili- tary base in Iran was under attack. She later tweeted that was not true. The ini- tial post garnered some 1,600 retweets before Fassihi deleted it. Her correction received less than 400 retweets. The point is the amount of misin- formation passing as fact and wishful thinking passing as expert opinion after Soleimani’s killing spread fast and can be all too easy to fall for, particularly on social media. And Iran’s retaliation Tues- day with a missile strike on U.S. bases in Iraq is going to add a fresh round of Facebook memes and hot takes. Don’t buy into the bogus mess. Don’t let confi rmation bias get in the way of critical thinking and reality. Find that other source before spouting off about how much your mother loves you. 541-963-3161 An independent newspaper founded in 1896 (USPS 299-260) The Observer reserves the right to adjust subscription rates by giving prepaid and mail subscribers 30 days notice. Periodicals postage paid at La Grande, Oregon 97850. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (except Dec. 25) by EO Media Group, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, OR 97850 (USPS 299-260) COPYRIGHT © 2020 THE OBSERVER The Observer retains ownership and copyright protection of all staff-prepared news copy, advertising copy, photos and news or ad illustrations. They may not be reproduced without explicit prior approval. Toll free (Oregon): 1-800-422-3110 Fax: 541-963-7804 Email: news@lagrandeobserver.com Website: www.lagrandeobserver.com Street address: 1406 Fifth St., La Grande POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Observer, 1406 Fifth St., La Grande, OR 97850 Periodicals postage paid at: 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 IT support ........................................Nicole Gilbride Chris Rush, Regional Publisher
