FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2017
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion / Politics
ORP applauds travel ban
The Oregon Republican
Party issued the following
statement from Chairman
Bill Currier in reaction to
today’s ruling by the U.S.
Supreme Court (SCOTUS)
lifting the lower court in-
junctions against President
Trump’s Executive Order
suspending the entry of
travellers and refugees
from six nations identified
by by both Congress and
the Obama Administration
as providing insufficient
vetting information to keep
terrorists out of the U.S.
“We applaud the Su-
preme Court's Nine to
Zero ruling restoring the
Presidential prerogative to
enforce immigration laws
and protect the country
from threats such as ter-
rorism that were clearly
delegated by Congress, but
which the misguided lower
courts ignored. It is not,
and never was, a "Mus-
lim" ban, but rather an
effort to ban terrorists and
their sympathizers from
taking up residence in our
neighborhoods where they
can do massive harm to
innocent civilians,” stated
Oregon GOP Chairman
Bill Currier.
The Trump Administra-
tion asserted that it has
clear legal authority under
8 U.S. Code § 1182 (f)
Suspension of entry or
imposition of restrictions
by President. However,
this authority was largely
ignored by lower courts
in their rulings blocking
implementation of Presi-
dent Trump’s Executive
Order.
“Lower courts, such as
the frequently reversed
9th Circuit Court, should
never have tried to substi-
tute their discretion and
authority for that expressly
delegated to the Executive
Branch on national secu-
rity,” said Currier. “The
ruling also rejects judicial
overreach by reaffirming
the importance of leaving
it to the Executive Branch
to negotiate with countries
who are either unable or
unwilling to give the U.S.
Government what it needs
to vet visitors and refugees
before granting them entry
to our country.”
The six countries affect-
ed comprise only a small
fraction of the world’s 42
Muslim-majority nations
and population, and were
cited as being one or more
of the following:
A state sponsor of ter-
rorism.
Significantly compro-
mised by terrorist organi-
zations.
An active terrorist con-
flict zone(s).
“We live in a new era in
which terrorist groups like
ISIS have vowed to, and in
Europe, have succeeded in
covertly infiltrating terror-
ists as refugees and visitors
into countries they have
targeted for attack," noted
Chair Currier. “Today’s
SCOTUS ruling rightly
puts the safety and security
of America First."
Eastern Oregon crime lab
to remain open
Submitted by Rep.
Greg Smith’s Office
Representative Greg
Smith (GOP-Heppner)
joined with members
of the Oregon House of
Representatives to pass
HB 5031-A the 2017-2019
budget for the Oregon
State Police (OSP). The
budget restores funding
for the Eastern Oregon
Forensic Lab in Pendleton,
which was slated to be
eliminated in the Gover-
nor's Proposed Budget.
HB 5031-A, allocates
$427,865,128 to the Or-
egon State Police Depart-
ment, equaling a 4.3%
increase over the agency's
2015-2016 budget. In addi-
tion to current service level
funding, the Joint Com-
mittee on Ways and Means
restored funding for the
Eastern Oregon Forensic
Laboratory in Pendleton.
The committee also
funded Policy Option
Package (POP) 121, which
provides $1,005,000 ad-
ditional funding to the lab.
$370,645 will be additional
on-going funding on top of
their current base funding.
The remaining POP fund-
ing is one-time expenses
for moving the Eastern Or-
egon Forensic Laboratory
from its current location
into space more suitable
for laboratory operations.
Funding for this package
was taken from marijuana
tax revenue.
“Restoring funding of the
Eastern Oregon Forensic
Lab was a primary focus
for myself and many who
testified at the Joint Ways
and Means public hearing
in Hermiston earlier this
year,” said Representative
Greg Smith (GOP – Hep-
pner). “The facility is the
only forensic lab in all of
Eastern Oregon, and a sig-
nificant tool for our local
and regional law enforce-
ment departments."
The functions of the Or-
egon State Police include
patrol services, criminal
investigations, forensic lab
services, fish and wildlife
law enforcement, law
enforcement information
management and gam-
ing law enforcement. The
agency also houses the
offices of the State Medical
Examiner and State Fire
Marshal.
“Our OSP troopers and
their families are dedicated
members of our communi-
ties. I am proud to support
this budget which includes
investments to protect
individuals, our communi-
ties, and our troopers,”
said Smith. “Thank you
to House leadership for
working with us to develop
a budget that supports our
troopers and the good work
they do.”
Representative Greg
Smith serves at the Co-
Vice Chair of the Joint
Committee on Ways and
Means. Smith represents
House District 57, which
includes Umatilla, Mor-
row, Gilliam, Sherman,
and Wasco Counties.
Walden talks about self-
driving vehicles
Submitted by Rep.
Greg Walden’s Office
Rep. Greg Walden (R-
Hood River), Chairman
of the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, led
a hearing to discuss self-
driving vehicle legislation
that will capitalize on this
technology’s potential to
save lives, clarify state and
federal roles, and foster ad-
vancement in innovation.
The hearing focused on
how to promote the safe
deployment of self-driving
vehicles and continue ex-
panding economic oppor-
tunities for Americans.
During the hearing,
Walden emphasized the
importance of continued
advancements in self-
driving technology to help
make America’s roads
safer.
“We’ve been on the
cutting edge, and we can
continue to be on the cut-
ting edge. But the long
and short of it is that this
new technology has great
opportunity to save lives,”
said Walden. “I’ve seen it
first hand in the vehicle my
wife has...I believe we are
on the cusp on something
big, and I think that future
generations will look back
and say, ‘What a bunch
of barbarians. You drove
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The hearing comes as
Oregon is facing an uptick
in traffic fatalities. On Or-
egon’s roads, 2016 was the
deadliest year in more than
a decade with traffic fatali-
ties up 20 percent from the
year before. Nationwide,
over 40,000 people lost
their lives in vehicle-relat-
ed deaths last year alone --
a six percent increase from
2015. Walden has touted
self-driving vehicle tech-
nology as a 21st century
solution to a 21st century
problem that is affecting
Oregon and the country as
a whole.
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— Special Column —
So I was
thinking ...
Common
phone apps
and what they
really are
By Jimmy Ingram
Special to The Baker County Press
A quick look at the apps on your
smartphone can tell you a lot about
yourself. We download “apps” to
pass the time, shop, stay in touch via
social media, and just generally waste
time we really don’t have to waste.
Let’s take a look at some of the more
common apps and what they are really
good for.
Amazon: The mother of all shop-
ping sites. If Amazon was an actual
brick and mortar store no human
would have the time or energy to navi-
gate through it. Size 2 diapers? Check.
A starter for an 84 Ford pickup?
Check. Shock and awe when you get
your credit card bill. Check.
I had the notion once to add up the
money I had spent on Amazon over a
one-year period. I ultimately chose not
to because like most people a stroll
through my “purchase history” would
have been an hour of me saying to
myself, “I bought what!?” It’s nice
to have your shopping needs at your
fingertips but any app that has “one-
click” ordering knows they already
have one hand in your pocket.
Pandora: An instant reminder of
how many tapes or CDs you bought in
your life and how you wished you had
the money back. Sure, sitting through
ads every couple songs is annoying,
but being able to listen to Johnny Cash
one minute and Metallica the next is
a real luxury. No fast forward, re-
wind, batteries, or giant carrying case
required.
Instagram: Shameless self promo-
tion with special effects. Instagram is
like Facebook’s younger more im-
mature sibling. It’s the place where
people share pictures of their food,
take bathroom selfies, show off their
vacation pics, and use hashtags to de-
scribe life’s experiences. Color filters
allow you to wow everyone with your
breakfast omelette in black in white,
which looks more rustic.
Turn your out-of-focus photo of a
below average sunset into a work of
art with magic of the “Valencia” filter.
After all, sharing all your vacation
selfies from the car on one social
media platform wouldn’t be enough.
Submitted Photo
Jimmy Ingram is a local farmer and
father of two who enjoys people
watching within our wonderful
community and beyond.
Really rub it in that you get two weeks
off by sharing it on Facebook and
Instagram.
YouTube: Video highlights on the
go. When you need a three-minute
video of cats doing funny things, a
replay of your favorite sports moment,
or a guitar lesson from a 13 year-old,
YouTube is the place to go. It also
allows your wonderful sense of humor
to come through in the clutch when
you ask your friends, “Did you see
that video where—?” Everyone will
gather around your phone and share
a laugh. You can pat yourself on the
back for spreading good cheer. And
where else can you find helpful 15
minute long reviews for things like
paper towels, Michael Bolton albums,
and all 72 of “The Fast and the Furi-
ous” movies. YouTube is one stop
shopping for everything you need to
know, and even more that you didn’t
yet know you needed to.
Google: The answer to everything.
Let’s face it—in at least one point in
your life, Google has made you look
like a genius. Maybe it was at a dinner
party where you overheard people
arguing in the next room over who
was the eighth President of the United
States. You just casually walked in,
grabbed a Dorito, and mumbled,
“Martin Van Buren.” As you leave
the room the everyone checks their
phones... You were right. “That guy is
so smart,” they say. No, you just used
Google. If looking up information
quickly was an old-fashioned quick-
draw gunfight, you, my friend, are
Wyatt Earp.
Bad with directions? Not any more:
Google maps. Want to see the cable
layout on the Golden Gate Bridge but
don’t want to drive to San Francisco?
Save your gas money: Google images.
Need a new pair of running shoes and
too lazy to shop for the lowest price?:
Google shopping.
Like your crazy Uncle Ned, Google
has the answer to pretty much every-
thing. Difference being, of course,
Google is typically right and doesn’t
offer unsolicited advice starting with
the phrase, “Listen and you might
learn something.”
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