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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2021)
Opinion 4A Saturday, March 27, 2021 Other Views Resurrecting Easter olidays are a big deal at my house. While raising our three daughters, my wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed Hal- loween costumes, visits from the Easter Bunny and Valentine’s Day parties — and we even let the kids join in most of the time. Seriously, though, now that our girls are teen- agers, some JASE of the holiday GRAVES magic might HUMOR COLUMNIST be slightly diminished, but we still try our best to get them excited about celebrating, usually by involving cash. I think I inherited my enthusiasm for holidays from my parents. Some of the best times of my childhood were the grand Easter celebrations with my mom, dad and big brother — when he wasn’t sitting on my head. There were always Easter bas- kets full of candy and small toys that we man- aged to destroy by noon. Then we attended church together in our chocolate-soiled finery, followed by an Easter lunch featuring a delicious baked ham — since turkey is apparently on the cancel culture hit list every spring. And I still can’t catch a whiff of vinegar without reminiscing about dyeing boiled eggs (and our fingers) with those little PAAS tablets that look like miniature Swee- TARTS. (Warning! They don’t taste so good!) One year, Easter fell on my birthday, and my mom threw me a huge bunny-themed party com- plete with jelly bean cupcakes and rabbit ears for everyone to wear. I can’t remember whether I turned 4 or 14 that year, but Mom has threatened to post the photos on Facebook if I don’t behave. I’ve always tried to carry on these traditions with my own children, but maintaining a fes- tive atmosphere was especially difficult at last year’s Easter celebration that came shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic started raging. The girls were so grouchy about missing their friends and extended family that I seriously considered swap- ping out their Easter baskets with brand-new laundry bins full of their unwashed bras and underwear. But I was determined to have fun, so the Easter Bunny came after all, followed by a homebound egg hunt, a worship service lives- treamed over YouTube, and an Easter brunch — all while we were sporting pajamas and acute cases of bed head. Despite our best efforts, though, the pall of the pandemic was tangible as we missed out on dinner with grandparents (and the ham), egg hunts with cousins, and fellowship with our church con- gregation. We still had Easter, and we celebrated the Resurrection, but it just wasn’t the same. Of course, I realize that I’ve been spoiled throughout my life by parents who wanted to make all major holidays special and fun. And I know I’m guilty of the same with my own chil- dren. Easter is, after all, primarily a religious observance, and believers like us should keep the Resurrection at the forefront of our celebrating — even if we have a mouthful of Whoppers Robin Eggs while doing it. We’re not sure what Easter will hold this year. The pandemic seems to be waning, but like that licorice jelly bean my big brother spit up on his new, baby blue Easter suit when we were tod- dlers, the virus still lingers, threatening to tarnish it — if we let it. Regardless of what happens, I choose to focus on the hope that Easter brings. Hope for the vac- cines. Hope for reunited families. Hope for a new beginning. And if I play my cards right, hope for a massive baked ham at Easter lunch. ——— Jase Graves is an award-winning humor col- umnist from East Texas. His columns have been featured in Texas Escapes magazine, The Shreve- port Times, The Longview News Journal, and The Kilgore News Herald. Contact Graves at susanjase@sbcglobal.net. H Other Views Women DAs protest Measure 11 repeal ost people don’t want to see the things we’ve seen. Most people don’t want to hear the stories that we’ve heard. And most people don’t want to talk about the things that we talk about. Not to 12 strangers in a jury box and cer- tainly not with a terrified kindergart- ener or the bruised and broken mother of three who must steel themselves to finally face their abuser in an intimi- dating courtroom. But we are prosecutors. And this is our job. It’s our job to meet people on their worst days, listen to their worst stories and be their champion as they seek justice. And while we can’t fix what happened to these vic- tims of crime, we have committed our careers to not making it worse. We have committed our lives to walking beside them in an attempt to hold their abusers accountable and then allow them to walk away from us as survivors. We are elected district attorneys. In fact, we are eight of the only nine female district attorneys from across our state. Together, we have person- ally handled innumerable cases of unspeakable violence against some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. Together we have over 120 years of prosecutorial experience, meeting often with women and chil- dren who bear both the visible and the invisible scars of horrific domestic violence and appalling physical and sexual child abuse. Together we have held countless hands and reassured countless victims that they were believed, they were not at fault and M they deserved justice. And together we understand the important role the voter-passed mandatory minimum sentencing law Measure 11 plays in giving these victims safety, security, certainty and trust in our criminal jus- tice system. By providing minimum sentencing for the most physically and sexually violent felony crimes, we know Measure 11 provides sur- vivors with the time and space they need to move on from their victimiza- tion without the threat of their abuser in their lives. As our Legislature contem- plates the full repeal of this crucial safeguard for victims, we feel it is important the public understands that such actions would make our commu- nities less safe. Repealing Measure 11 will result in significantly shorter sentences for those who prey upon our children and assault our neigh- bors. Repealing Measure 11 promises less certainty in those sentences as they can be further cut by more than 40%, undermining any faith or confi- dence victims may have placed in the system. Repealing Measure 11 will only encourage less reporting by vic- tims of intimate and family violence. The rigors of navigating the criminal legal process is deterrent enough. Vic- tims who have no guarantee of fair- ness and no hope for a reliable sen- tence will only have increased reasons to continue to suffer in silence. Our criminal justice system can always get better. And while we support smart, responsible policies that can make the process more equitable and fair for all, repealing Measure 11 does not do that. Letter to the editor County commissioners aren’t qualified to make life and death health decisions Union County Commis- sioners feel better qualified to make critical health decisions than the governor (“Union County seeks local control for managing COVID-19,” The Observer, March 20, 2021.) Popularity is virtually the only qualification for being a com- missioner. They certainly are not elected nor qualified to make life and death health decisions. If commissioners were health care professionals they would be fighting COVID-19 in our communities, not playing health tzar. State COVID-19 behaviors are determined by statistics to benefit the majority. I’ve felt comfortable shopping in stores that require masking. I suspect our commissioners would have allowed stores to operate without masking. Even more Union County citizens would have died. Others would have restricted their activities further to avoid the greater risk. My letter to Gov. Kate Brown supports her adherence to health experts’ advice. This is a time to respect and support one another in health. Mary McCracken Island City And the victims we serve deserve better. While the Legislature debates this issue, we ask our communities who care about their public safety, and especially that of women and chil- dren, to weigh in with your opinion. We should not return to the days when a rapist would merely receive a pro- bationary slap on the wrist or the man who nearly killed his wife would be simply admonished to “walk away next time she pushes your buttons.” Call your legislator. Send an email. Write a letter. Check in with them on social media. In the meantime, we will continue to hear the stories nobody wants to hear and fight for justice for victims of these crimes. We will continue to be there on the worst days of people’s lives. Because we are women who are built for this work. We are prosecu- tors. And it’s our job. Sincerely, Paige Clarkson, Marion County district attorney and Oregon District Attorney’s Association president Lanee Danforth, Lincoln County district attorney Rebecca Frolander, Wallowa County district attorney Beth Heckert, Jackson County district attorney Gretchen Ladd, Wheeler County district attorney Kelsie McDaniel, Union County district attorney Patty Perlow, Lane County district attorney Carrie Rasmussen, Hood River County district attorney Write to us EDITORIALS Unsigned editorials are the opinion of The Observer edito- rial board. Other columns, let- ters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of The Observer. LETTERS • The Observer welcomes let- ters to the editor. We edit let- ters for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We will not publish consumer complaints against businesses, personal attacks against private indi- viduals or comments that can incite violence. We also dis- courage thank-you letters. • Letters should be no longer than 350 words and must be signed and carry the author’s name, address and phone number (for verification only). We will not publish anonymous letters. • Letter writers are limited to one letter every two weeks. • Longer community comment columns, such as My Voice, must be no more than 700 words. Writers must provide a recent headshot and a one-sentence biography. Like letters to the editor, columns must refrain from complaints against busi- nesses or personal attacks against private individuals. Sub- missions must carry the author’s name, address and phone number. • Submission does not guarantee publication, which is at the dis- cretion of the editor. SEND LETTERS TO: letters@lagrandeobserver.com or via mail to editor Phil Wright, 911 Jefferson Ave., La Grande, OR 97850
