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Wednesday,June30,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
OPINION
The opinions expressed in the letters below are “your voice,” and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Columbia Gorge News, its staff, publisher or advertisers.
YOUR VOICE
Farmers Market
Thank you
Thanks to the photographer who
chronicled the recent graduation
at Hood River Valley High, from
the rainbow portend to hats in the
air celebrating (PHOTO GALLERY:
Hood River Valley High School
graduation in the Columbia Gorge
News, June 17).
Americans are lucky to have such
educational opportunities, not so
around the world. With COVID, 1.6
billion children were out of school,
many still waiting to restart.
Fortunately the Global
Partnership for Education (GPE)
is partnering with low income
countries to turn that around. The
GPE mobilized $500 million to help
countries during the pandemic
to keep kids learning, like a radio
school program in Zambia. The
GPE’s new five year plan will put
175 million more children in school
for the first time.
An American pledge of $1 billion
over five years will inspire other
donors to contribute the other 80%
of the money needed.
We can help by calling our mem-
bers of Congress (202-224-3121),
asking them to support this pledge.
It will give millions of children the
opportunity to graduate like the
Hood River students, going on to
healthier, happier, and more pro-
ductive lives.
Willie Dickerson
Snohomish, Wash.
Roses bloom in the Tucker Sherman memorial rose garden at City Park as The Dalles Farmers’ Market gets underway Saturday morning.
Oath violated
Sherriff Bob Songer of Klickitat
County has published his manifes-
to. Wherein, he claims to be the law
onto himself.
Sherriff Bob has violated his
oath to “the Supreme Judge of the
Universe … to protect (me) from…
threats to (my) liberties …” by
claiming, ultra vires, to be a tin pot
dictator.
THEREFORE, I hereby
PROCLAIM: Sherriff Bob does
not have the power to arrest me
anymore.
James Barrett
White Salmon
ballot gets cast and counted.
This bill deserves to be cham-
pioned by our Senators, who have
pledged to uphold and defend the
Constitution, which enshrines vot-
ing rights for all eligible Americans.
I urge them to make this their top
priority and get this bill passed by
whatever means necessary.
Kirsten Dennis
White Salmon
A Sad Story
I’m usually an upbeat person,
but this story is sad all around. I’m
writing on Saturday, June 19, and a
friend and I were planning to come
The Republican attack on
American democracy that led to an to The Dalles tonight to hear a mu-
insurrection at our Capitol, with the sician we’ve been wanting to hear.
intent of violently interfering with
She was playing at a place we didn’t
the peaceful transfer of power, con- know, so that was a bonus — maybe
tinues to threaten our nation today. I’d find a new favorite spot.
But then I read in the June 16
Republican state legislatures are
introducing (and passing) laws that issue of this newspaper that the Last
Stop Saloon in The Dalles was fined
would drastically limit access to
$9,000 by Oregon health inspectors
voting, allow partisan ‘poll watch-
for ignoring safety limits during the
ers’ to threaten and intimidate
pandemic — and it did so “willful-
voters, strip secretaries of state
of their powers and give partisan
ly,” not accidentally. That crossed a
state legislatures power to take
line for me and changed my plans,
over county elections and overturn and it also created a lot of sadness.
results they don’t like.
Sad for me, since I missed explor-
If the voter suppression laws from ing a new place and hearing a fine
Texas, Georgia or Iowa were passed musician.
here in our neck of the woods, it
Sad for the musician, since she
would look like most voters having lost my usually generous tips.
just one day to cast their ballot, in
Sad for the place , since it lost
person, on a work day, at a location $9,000 plus any money from me —
potentially an hour or more away
tonight or in the future.
from their residence.
Sad for the owner of the place,
And then when results come
who undercut his own claim in this
in that don’t look favorable to the
newspaper in August 2020 that he
current majority party in the state
wants to help “make The Dalles
(Democrats), the partisan legisla-
better for everyone” and “give back
to the community.”
ture could simply claim fraud and
Sad for other businesses in The
take over the counting, auditing
Dalles, since terrible publicity like
and certifying of the results from
this gives all of The Dalles a black
our county auditor and bipartisan
eye it doesn’t deserve.
canvass board.
Sad for the Wasco County health
I’m guessing my Republicans
department, which worked hard
friends here in the Gorge would
to fight the pandemic, only to have
have something to say about that.
The federal legislation known as a hole blown in the community’s
defenses.
the For the People Act would neu-
Sad for local residents, who were
tralize these partisan attacks on our
needlessly put at risk. It’s ironic
democracy by setting basic voting
that Wasco County reported five
practices for all elections.
new cases of COVID just today.
It contains provisions that are
That’s five more families now facing
broadly popular with Americans
the fear, disruption and financial
across the political spectrum, like
costs of a terrible disease that isn’t
the ability to cast your ballot by
finished killing Americans.
mail, early voting options, online
Finally, sad for our coun-
and expanded voter registration
time frames, ending partisan draw- try. David Brooks, the life-long
ing of legislative districts, enhanced Republican commentator, fears that
the USA no longer has the willpow-
security through voter ID require-
ments and requiring paper ballot
er to sacrifice our self-interests to
records and making Election Day a fight a common enemy. Sadly, the
federal holiday so working people
Last Stop Saloon case supports his
have the day off to make sure their
point.
Continued threat
Mark B. Gibson photo
thanks for the canal, its upkeep, and
This is all so sad. Can’t we start
my memories!
working together to eliminate sto-
Ricki Duckwall
ries like this?
Mt. Hood-Parkdale
Mike Hendricks
Hood River
Sad loss
the needs and well-being of all
the people, not only [those who]
believe as he does. His is supposed
to be a non-partisan position and
he claims accountability to no one
— not the board of commissioners,
not the mayor, not the governor
— only to the constitution as he
On June 17 Klickitat County
interprets it (not even the courts).
Sheriff Bob Songer posted a long
If laws are not enforced are we
letter on Facebook stating that
not living in a lawless society? If one
the Constitution of the United
man gets to decide if he likes a law
States and of Washington State
and whether or not he will enforce
as interpreted by him led him to
it, do we not live in a lawless soci-
believe he has the power and the
right granted by his God to ignore
ety? How can this person be in a
laws or regulations promulgated by position of “law enforcement?”
mayors, governors, county com-
It is time to re-evaluate how the
missioners or health departments. sheriff is elected and to whom he
reports. He must be held respon-
And therefore, he threatens to not
only ignore laws he does not believe sible to uphold and enforce the
in (such as gun laws passed by the
laws of Washington and the United
state legislature or COVID restric-
States.
If there is a law that requires
tions issued by the governor and
the public health department), but firearms training before purchas-
to arrest any government official
ing a gun, he must enforce it. If
that tries to enforce or encourage
there is a law stating a minimum
enforcement of such laws.
The sheriff is elected by the
people and needs to respond to
Continued next page
Respect the law
In 1978, I moved from Hood
River to the upper valley, my prop-
erty bordering East Fork irrigation’s
open canal.
Many miles I’ve logged medita-
tively walking, writing prose and
taking photographs, bike riding
with shepherds, and introducing
my little daughters to the wonders
of this natural world— butterflies,
bees, dragonflies, salamanders,
lizards, wildflowers, bear, cougar,
deer, elk, raccoon, towering trees,
otter, ducks, skinks, snakes, birds
and owls and bats — you get my
drift, I hate to omit any. And it is for
these, and those not mentioned,
that I dedicate this letter.
Because if the pipeline project
proceeds as scheduled, my little
piece of heaven, will drastically
alter beginning in 2023 when the
open canal will be no more. Yes,
technically the canal is drained
every fall, but only in subfreezing
weather is the canal dry. Water is
life and life abounds here!
So, although farmers and res-
idents may enjoy cleaner, pres-
surized irrigation — the pipeline
truly comes at costs perhaps
hidden. A cement wall I walk past
daily has my birth date, the year
1946, pre-dating my birth year.
Generation upon generation of
flora and fauna have relied upon
this stream for 80 years!
So when I read the celebratory
pipeline news in last week’s edition
(June 23) “enhancing fish and
wildlife habitat in the Hood River
watershed” I send out apologies
to the aquatic and other wildlife
that rely on the canal. Where the
term demise is more accurate than
enhancement.
When cruising Hwy 35, watch
out for increased elk, cougar, bear,
and deer crossing the road seeking
water from the true East Fork of the
Hood River in upcoming years. I
write prematurely and in remem-
brance of this wild and scenic place.
I am well aware of climate
change and drought, the critical
need for water conservation, and
livelihoods and food derived from
our orchards, and the plight of the
salmon. I’ve logged thousands of
miles traveling “bone ditch.” My
ghost will haunt these parts. I have
been blessed beyond belief, and
to East Fork Irrigation, I give my
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