FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion
— Editorial —
Starbucks and
the red
holiday cup
controversy
There are so very many reasons to
boycott Starbucks: We prefer to sup-
port local businesses. We detest their
anti-gun policies. We dislike Howard
Schultz’s ultra-politically correct,
über-liberal stances on pretty much
… everything. We don’t agree with
the fact this company donates money
to Planned Parenthood, which in turn
harvests and sells baby parts …
However, this year’s silly red cup
controversy isn’t included in the
reason-to-boycott list.
Starbucks’ 2015 holiday cup is a
red ombre design, lighter red on top,
darker red on the bottom, with white
and green on the logo and lid. Fes-
tive enough. In years past, the cup has
boasted red pine bows, ornaments,
reindeer, etc. This year’s cup isn’t re-
ally a change of pace for that com-
pany; it remains brightly colored with
no tribute to any religion.
Just like it’s our right not to frequent
a business whose practices we oppose,
it’s Starbucks’ right to not practice
or promote any particular religion,
including Christianity.
We don’t think the red cups are
exactly an attack on our religion of
choice anyway, an opinion that seems
to fall in opposition to that of at least a
few folks out there. We don’t believe
most Christians give a darn about the
red cup, though. After all, how many
of our local restaurants print “Jesus
Saves” on their to-go boxes or paper
coffee cups?
The frustrating part about this social
media-driven brew-haha (lame pun
intended) is that in so many areas,
Christians are actually being perse-
cuted. They are targeted, tortured,
beheaded, forced from their homes,
imprisoned and uprooted from their
lives.
When something so silly as a coffee
cup garners so much attention, the
biggest shame in the situation is that
the controversy almost always serves
to deflect from an actual issue, and
makes those who wish to speak out
on that actual issue hesitant for fear
of being lumped in with the type who
would complain about the design of a
paper cup.
We think if a red paper cup some-
how makes a person feel persecuted,
then they probably have no idea what
the word really means.
—The Baker County Press Editorial Board
— Letters to the Editor —
FOIA Response Disappointing
To the Editor:
It was disappointing to receive a pre-
liminary cost assessment for a Freedom
of Information Request to the Malheur
National Forest from Supervisor Steve
Beverlin on my request as to the contact
his forest has attempted with Sheriff
Palmer.
It’s disappointing to see the County
Court lining up in a feeding frenzy to
marginalize a man so well respected in
our community, but is more disappointing
to see the Supervisor Beverlin hide behind
excessive fee gouging to hid the truth.
I submitted my request as a member of
Citizens for Public Access so that I could
make sure the full story was told, whether
or not it was in the Sheriffs favor or not,
but obviously, Supervisor Beverlin would
rather hide behind $1,680 worth of fees in
order to keep the truth from coming out.
Just so everyone is clear, you pay your
taxes to employee people, and that is not
enough to retain public information that
has already been paid for, but again, when
you can hide the truth with excessive fee’s
it’s pretty simple to justify.
Law Enforcement: 6 hours @), $45/
hour = $270.00
Fire Staff Officers: 4 hours a $45/hour =
$180.00
District Rangers: 18 hours a $45/hour =
$810.00
Forest Supervisors: 7 hours (a $50/hour
= $350.00
Freedom of Information Act: 2 hour@
$35/hour = $70.00
For a total estimated cost of $1680.00
There is no freedom of information at the
Malheur National Forest, especially when
dealing with men that threaten to stop
vegetation projects (i.e. logging) if roads
are not closed along with them.
Don’t you wish you were making that
$45 or $50/hr. to develop all those sup-
posed meeting request to then stand back
and thumb your nose at the public and
keep them from the truth?
John George
Bates
Owyhee Canyonlands thoughts
To the Editor:
I’m becoming increasingly concerned
we are going to end up visitors to areas
our families have freely accessed since
settling in Eastern Oregon.
Letter to the Editor Policy: The Baker
County Press reserves the right not to pub-
lish letters containing factual falsehoods or
incoherent narrative. Letters promoting or
detracting from specific for-profit business-
es will not be published. Word limit is 375
words per letter. Letters are limited to one
every other week per author. Letters should
be submitted to Editor@TheBakerCounty-
Press.com.
Advertising and Opinion Page Dis-
claimer: Opinions submitted as Guest
Coming away from the public meeting
in Adrian, on the latest threat of over 2
million acres being signed into a monu-
ment, I’ve switched my attention to a co-
alition between the green machine Oregon
Natural Desert Ass., Pew Charitable Trust,
and Sierra Club joining with recreation
based businesses such as Keen Footwear.
This is some of the principles, but not all,
pushing the Owyhee monument.
Is it about saving the Canyonlands or
selling more sandals to fill the coffers of
private companies. Self-serving coalitions
with no interests to the negative impacts
imposed on the local population that will
result in families being displaced. No
recreationists are being held back from
enjoying the Owyhee Canyonlands at the
present time.
If you were to believe the presentation
from Oregon Natural Desert Association
everyone comes out a winner. Access
would remain, but failed to mention clos-
ing the scores of spur roads locals have
historically used for sustenance. Failed
to mention grazing will be negatively af-
fected. Economic values from the mineral
resources would be lost. Urbanites all
decked out in their subtle, “look at me
attire,” could breeze in, spend a few days
and dollars, and be gone just as they are
free to do presently. Is it hard to under-
stand, we are not for sale, our historical
cultural access is not for sale. We are
doing just fine without your money.
A new Presidential Memorandum, “miti-
gating impacts on natural resources from
development and encouraging related
private investment.”
Encouraging related private investment,
what in the world does this mean? The
term “invest,” means putting money in
business etc, in order to get a profit, this
implies our public lands are for sale. This
is a general term that can and will be used
to implement more redundant regulations
from out of control bureaucratic agencies.
Will people push back, I hope so. Noth-
ing has worked to stop the land grabs
swirling around us. We desperately need
representatives to serve the people they
represent, be our voice at the table. Play-
ing politics, has not been a winning hand,
time to quit bargaining away the very
items you are entrusted to protect.
Wanda Ballard
Baker City
Opinions or Letters to the Editor express
the opinions of their authors, and have not
been authored by and are not necessarily
the opinions of The Baker County Press, any
of our staff, management, independent
contractors or affiliates. Advertisements
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endorsement of or fulfillment obligation
by this newspaper for the products or
services advertised.
— Guest Opinion —
Old-fashioned
conservation
methods
By Sandra Ghormley
Special to The Baker County Press
I vividly remember how annoyed I
became after hearing my dad shout,
“Don’t forget to turn the lights off
when you leave the room.”
“Okay, Dad, I got it. You’ve said it
100 times!” I’d reply.
You see, Dad grew up in the 1930s
when electricity had not reached every
neighborhood in America and many
homes where lit with oil lamps. Back
then only 10% of the farms had elec-
tricity and flipping a switch to light
a room was still considered a luxury.
Yet, even then, people realized how
important it was to conserve energy.
Decades later, shutting off lights may
be a little old-fashioned—but it is still
a good idea. Combine it with new
lighting technology and real savings
result.
In the 1960s, the economy was
booming and energy was abundant.
Consumers gradually moved away
from thinking about conservation and
developed an insatiable appetite for
electricity. From the early days in the
1940s to 2007, electric usage in the
U.S. more than doubled. America
became the largest consumer of every-
thing electricity could offer.
As a result, more dams were built
and more petroleum, coal and natural
gas powered electric generation plants
were needed to satisfy the growth.
New transmission and distribution
power lines were constructed con-
necting, expanding and crisscrossing
the countryside in order to handle the
increased loads and keep pace with
customers’ expectations. This increas-
ing demand for electricity was met
with building more generation and
power lines.
Today, we cannot image our lives
without electricity. It is no longer a
luxury but a way of life. According to
a 2013 report from the US Department
of Energy, the U.S. is now the 2nd
largest energy consumer and producer
of electricity in the world, following
behind China which has moved ahead
to first place.
The good news is if you are a mem-
ber, Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative
(OTEC) can help you find ways to
take action on that inner voice. Since
1990, OTEC has offered conservation
programs to teach responsible electric
use and to help members make wise
energy choices in their homes and
businesses. We joined with Bonnev-
ille Power Administration (BPA), our
power producer, to offer many attrac-
Submitted Photo
Sandra Ghormley is a 20-year vet-
eran of the electrical utility industry.
In 2013, she joined OTEC as the
Director of Member and Program
Services. Before coming to OTEC,
Sandra served as the Manager of
Member Relations at Homer Electric
Association in Kenai, Alaska.
tive *rebates that can offset the cost
of purchasing lights and upgrading
fixtures to more efficient, energy sav-
ings devices.
Over the last two years, OTEC has
assisted more than 150 local business-
es to upgrade their lighting systems
to a variety of Light Emitting Diode
(LEDs).
Many of the new LED lighting prod-
ucts offer brighter, more widespread
illumination of areas while at the same
time use 1/10 the energy to achieve a
greater output.
LEDs last much longer than incan-
descent or compact fluorescent bulbs,
light quickly, and do not radiate as
much heat. There is a wide range of
LED lamps and fixtures on the mar-
ket today to customize your specific
lighting solutions. The last two years,
OTEC has made it worth the invest-
ment by helping members save over
four million lighting kilowatt hours,
reducing electric consumption, and
lowering electric bills.
OTEC has the proof—listening to
that inner voice and taking action to
conserve makes a difference.
Today, most everyone recognizes
the importance of conserving electric
energy. Although our motivation for
conserving electric energy may differ
from altruistic to personal gain, every
time we act on that small inner voice,
we lower our electric bill, put less
pressure on building any new electric
infrastructure, and make the world a
little better for the next generation.
Combining old-fashioned ideas for
conserving electricity with new light-
ing solutions is good advice. I must
admit Dad got a few things right.
And, yes, I catch myself offering
similar advice to my children, “Let’s
change it out to an LED bulb, and, oh,
before you leave the room, turn the
lights out.”
*Rebates subject to available funds
and program criteria.
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