Opinion
A4
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
OUR VIEW
Small
things
add up
T
he recent decision by the city of La
Grande to suspend enforcement of the
two-hour downtown parking limit is a
good example of common sense and holiday
spirit.
Elected and appointed offi cials can often
seem to be in the crosshairs of public discon-
tent. For sure that is part of the bargain when
someone decides to run for offi ce to take a
high-profi le appointed position. We live in a
democracy, after all, and part of that system
of government is an often freewheeling inter-
action between voters and those who do the
public’s business.
Yet, we must remember that our elected
and appointed leaders, for the most part, are
hardworking people who want to do a good
job. Usually, they do do a good job.
The suspension of the downtown parking
enforcement — through Christmas — is
designed to make it easier for people to do
their shopping downtown. It may seem,
within the bigger picture, to be a small item
but it isn’t.
That’s because offi cials could have easily
decided against such a move and potentially
made it more diffi cult for shoppers to get to
their favorite local store.
And we need people to shop local. The
community needs people fl ocking to down-
town businesses to do their holiday shopping.
Shopping local is a proven way to enhance
the local economy. The dollars spent while
shopping local turn over many times within
the city.
Small things do add up and the suspen-
sion of the parking enforcement mandate,
while small, is big in terms of helping boost
the local economy at a time when the nation
faces a potential recession and every dollar
we make is critical.
Our elected and appointed leaders should
be criticized when they make bad decisions.
They should also be lauded when they decide
to do something that helps the entire commu-
nity at a critical time.
The move by the city to suspend the
parking enforcement downtown until after
Christmas is a good idea and we applaud the
offi cials who made it a priority.
EDITORIALS
Unsigned editorials are the
opinion of The Observer editorial
board. Other columns, letters and
cartoons on this page express the
opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of The Observer.
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Memory of Pearl Harbor should never fade
ANDREW
CUTLER
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
ragic events seem to become
collective milestones in our
lives.
Think of the deadly Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist attacks and it is easy
to look at that date as a dividing line
between what once was and how we
live now.
For millions of Americans, the
attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7,
1941, delivered the same type of
feeling. The attacks by the Imperial
Japanese Navy sank four battleships
and damaged four others. The day
pushed America into World War II
and set the stage for a long, bloody
ordeal in the Pacifi c that ended only
when atomic bombs were dropped
on two Japanese cities in 1945.
The attack on Pearl Harbor held
a prominent place in the Amer-
T
ican collective consciousness for
decades. More than 2,000 Amer-
icans were killed in the attack, a
butcher’s bill that would not be rep-
licated until 9/11.
The day symbolized so much
for so many for so long across the
nation but, 80 years later, its signifi -
cance and impact has faded. Most of
the people who fought that day and
survived have passed on. The gen-
eration that lived through the attack
is also depleted by death, and with
their passing the meaning of the day
— the sacrifi ce, the bravery — has
faded as well.
Now, as a nation, the 9/11 attacks
are the most recent national tragedy,
and we remember that terrible day
with respect and honor each year —
as we should.
I hope, though, that somehow
Dec. 7, 1941, doesn’t become just
another date. It shouldn’t. That’s
because the day illustrates the
American quality of resilience, of
being able to respond to adversity.
YOUR VIEWS
Maxwell’s subjective
judgment of LHS football
team lacks facts
In Anna Maxwell’s screed to the
La Grande School District, her con-
fi rmation bias is hard to ignore (“An
open letter to the La Grande School
District,” Nov. 23).
Fact-fi nding should be indepen-
dent of our personal belief system.
A principled investigation should be
objective and based solely on facts,
gathering a number of testimonies to
make the best determination possible
to address a disputed incident.
Ms. Maxwell stated that there is
“little to investigate,” so she has con-
structed a pseudo-event scenario to
inform everyone involved what really
happened on the night of the football
competition between Gladstone and
La Grande and most likely was not in
attendance.
She has subjectively decided —
without factual information — that
Gladstone, its players, coaches and
parents would not fabricate a story
about being on the receiving end of
racial epithets. She has labeled La
Grande’s athletic team, its coaches
and referees as white supremacists,
pointing the fi nger of judgment of
guilt without qualifi cation.
Having taken a defi nite side,
she has not only implicated the La
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande offi ce: 541-962-7691
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton offi ce: 541-278-1129
Cliff Bentz
2185 Rayburn House Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford offi ce: 541-776-4646
REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
SENATOR
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
STAFF
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Grande team and its offi cials, but has
decided the parents are racist as well.
A detailed punishment and reeduca-
tion plan has been outlined by her.
There is no mention about the pos-
sibility of poor sportsmanship or an
exaggeration of events concerning the
Gladstone team who suff ered defeat.
Her letter has convinced me that
the mindset of prejudice will never
be remedied and is a cogent example
of ideology interfering with sound
reason. I do not believe racism is a
growing problem, except for those
who promote themselves using
racism.
Andrew Leigh Morse
Silverton
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The bombing of Pearl Harbor
caught the United States unpre-
pared for war. The attack shoved the
nation out of the Great Depression
and put it on a path to war and, after
the guns went silent, to decades of
economic growth.
The nation rebounded from
the attack, went on the off ensive
and emerged from World War II
triumphant.
What I hope we don’t forget,
though, are the brave acts of the
men on that fateful day. Many of
them died. For their sake, and really
for the sake of our country at large,
their sacrifi ce should not be allowed
to fade away into the pages of
history.
———
Andrew Cutler is the interim
editor of The Observer and the
regional editorial director for the
EO Media Group, overseeing The
Observer, East Oregonian and
four more newspapers in Eastern
Oregon.
Anindependent newspaper foundedin1896
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