FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion
— Editorial —
Maybe ... if
we were
Pravda
The lack of transparency on the
part of the Federal Bureau of Inves-
tigation (FBI) and the government
in general has been disturbing at
best these days.
Case in point: The Harney County
slash National Wildlife Refuge situ-
ation.
Just released was a second record-
ing of the LaVoy Finicum shooting,
autopsy reports, etc, which do not
corroborate many of the “official”
statements previously released by
the FBI.
The disparities highlight the con-
tinued need for unbiased, unrestrict-
ed media in this country.
While the situation was unfolding
in Burns, it was nearly impossible
to get statements that had not been
filtered first through the FBI.
Just as troubling was that agen-
cy’s attempt after the refuge was
vacated, to continue to monitor and
control the efforts of the media.
We were “invited” along with
other Oregon-based media to tour
the site late last month. However,
we were told where we would walk,
how many of us would be allowed
near the scene, what we could view
and even what kinds of questions
could be asked—the rest would be
off limits.
The entire tour was pre-planned
and staged—a useless waste of gas
in our estimation, so we ultimately
passed.
The invitation came only hours
before the FBI tour was to take
place, which meant only the larger
news outlets that were already on
site, such as OPB or The Orego-
nian, and maybe a local paper or
two, would realistically have access
even to the controlled situation that
was offered up.
We were amazed when not a word
of outrage was spoken in the media
outlets that did attend, about the
blatant attempt to censor them.
Those on the ground in Burns also
reported hearing FBI agents declare
which credentialed media outlets
were to be considered actual media,
and which were not to be recog-
nized. Who gave them the power to
make that call?
All of this would be acceptable
if we lived in Russia and were
Pravda.
But we don’t.
And we aren’t.
And it isn’t—acceptable, that is.
—The Baker County Press Editorial Board
— Letters to the Editor —
Rights vs. Privileges
Coordinating and Cooperating
To the Editor:
Writing or speaking on political issues is
a privilege, not a right.
Owning a gun is a privilege, not a right.
Your choice of education for your chil-
dren is a privilege, not a right!
If I can make you believe your rights are
merely privileges, then I can easily strip
you of those privileges. Many Jews be-
lieved that if they just showed their travel
papers, if they just wore the patch on
their clothing, if they just submitted to the
government they would be fine. Approxi-
mately six million Jews were killed.
Hitler didn’t just target the Jews he
also used his power to kill an estimated
five million others including mentally or
physically disabled, Gypsy, Jehovah’s
Witnesses, homosexuals, Communists,
and trade unionists. The only thing many
of these groups had in common is that
their government didn’t like them.
Once we give the government power
they will not stop at dealing with the
issues we wanted them to handle. The
leaders will change, the issues will change
but their power over you will not.
I have always preferred to stay out
of politics but as I hear more and more
politicians tell me that my right to choose
my daughter’s education and my right to
protect my daughter are a privilege, to
this, I cannot and will not comply. My
daughter deserves the rights that I have
been blessed with and I will learn how to
stand for her freedom.
I may not be as educated or as well-
spoken as some but that does not make
my rights as an American any less. It also
doesn’t make my responsibility to stand
against injustice any less. I will no longer
be content to merely vent to those who are
in agreement with me. We must educate
ourselves and vote for local representa-
tives who will protect our rights. By elect-
ing and supporting county leaders that
will protect my daughter’s liberty instead
of blindly submitting to unlawful federal
rules, I can make a difference. For this
very reason, I’m voting for Kody Justus as
County Commissioner and John Hoopes
for sheriff.
Rachel Hearne Brown
Halfway
To the Editor:
Coordinating or cooperating? Those are
two terms that are used a lot in land use
planning but there is a big difference in
how they are applied when you deal with
a public land agency like the Forest Ser-
vice or the Bureau of Land Management
and you are a local government unit. One
of the biggest differences is that the public
is engaged and informed with coordina-
tion. As Commissioners we get to voice
our citizens’ point of view as an equal seat
at the table. The County Commission has
certain rights and authorities in the rela-
tionship as it is written in the federal law
but a lot of counties don’t exercise it to its
maximum usefulness.
As a Baker County Commissioner, I
represent a county that is going through
the process of making sure that we are
engaged with the federal government and
land agencies as a coordinating agency. In
contrast, when you become a cooperating
agency you have to sign a Memorandum
of Understanding in order to participate
and the meetings become private and
confidential. The public is no longer
engaged.
Counties have a much more power-
ful and effective tool if we exercise our
Coordination rights so we can represent
and protect our local people and their
desires with regards to local management
and planning. The reason this is impor-
tant is clear: Local governments have the
responsibility of funding public services
with revenue from property taxes and pro-
vide necessary services to the citizens and
local governing boards. Baker County
Commissioners have the duty to provide
for the public safety, health and welfare,
so must be involved in development and
early stages of plans and policies that
affect the human and natural environment
and resources with Baker County.
Through coordination, local government
can place emphasis on the “Human Envi-
ronment” often ignored by those interest
only in the “Natural Environment”.
Coordination is a win-win situation for
Baker County and Federal Agencies.
Bill Harvey
Baker County Commission Chair
Haines
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— Guest Opinion —
The short
session and
your guns
By Kevin Starrett
Special to The Baker County Press
The 2016 “short session” in the
Oregon Legislature was, as you
now know, a sprint to ram through
complex, costly, and poorly vetted
measures to pay back the left for a
Democrat majority.
Some of these bills have received
extensive coverage from the main-
stream media. Less well reported
were the attempts to erode what is
left of gun rights in Oregon.
Fortunately none of the bills
aimed at attacking gun owners were
successful. But the ones that were
proposed demonstrated, once again,
the true intention of the anti-gun
majority.,
Perhaps the most outrageous was
Floyd Prozanski’s Senate Bill 1551.
In an effort that would have made
the Kremlin proud, Prozanski’s
bill would have allowed certain
people, some of whom may never
have even met you, to make secret
accusations about your “mental
health” to the Oregon State Police
who would then deny you the right
purchase a firearm.
You would not even know this
“hold” had been placed on you
unless you tried to buy a gun. Then
you would be denied, and would
only know why when a OSP Troop-
er showed up at the gun store to let
you know you were having a “men-
tal health crisis.” The duration
of the hold would be kept secret
from you as would the identity of
the person making the accusation.
The way the bill was written, you
could be denied the ability to buy a
firearm for self defense, by the very
person who was threatening your
life!
There was no requirement that
any investigation be done to deter-
mine if the accusation was true, the
hold could be repeated forever, and
there was nothing in the bill to offer
assistance for a person who actually
had mental health issues.
The other really dangerous bill
was HB 4147. This bill was spon-
sored by Portland liberal Jennifer
Williamson and eliminated the one
small safeguard Oregonians have
against the failures and abuses of
Submitted Photo
Kevin Starrett is the president and
founder of Oregon Firearms Fed-
eration, fighting to protect Second
Amendment rights in the state.
the Oregon State Police “back-
ground check system.”
Oregon law (and Federal law)
allow a person who is attempting a
firearm’s purchase to legally take
possession of a gun if the police
cannot complete a background
check in three business days.
That is still a very long time to
wait if you are woman alone facing
a stalker, and in fact, most dealers
will not transfer without an ap-
proval. But, it does give a dealer the
option to complete the transfer if, in
his estimation, it was a good idea.
Williamson’s bill would have
prohibited a transfer forever, if that
is how long the OSP decided to take
to complete the check. Even Wil-
liamson admitted that 95% of OSP
delays are unjustified.
An amendment that would have
created an exception for victims of
domestic violence was voted down
by the Democrats on the House Ju-
diciary Committee, the very people
who are always expressing their
“support” for battered women.
An amended version of the bill
squeaked through the House with a
one vote margin after being delayed
to allow Brent Barton, the decid-
ing vote, to return to work after an
absence, and the bill was moved
immediately to the Senate Rules
Committee. All but three House
Democrats voted for the bill, all
House Republicans voted no.
Thankfully, because of an outpour-
ing of opposition by Oregon fire-
arms owners, that bill, like SB 1551
died in the Senate.
But make no mistake, the people
behind these bills have promised to
come back and demand even more.
For Oregonians who cherish their
Second Amendment Rights, it’s a
good time to remember that elec-
tions do indeed have consequences.
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