PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, DECEMBER 11, 2015
KeizerOpinion
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Security over privacy
We have all been hor-
rifi ed by scenes of carnage
in places not much dif-
ferent than Keizer. Mass
shootings have occured
in such varied cities as
San Bernardino, Newton,
Colorado Springs and
Aurora.
It doesn’t matter if the killings are
a result of mental health, political or
religious issues. The killings have oc-
cured in places local residents later
say, “I never thought it could happen
here.” That’s the problem: it could and
it did happen there. Though we live in
our quiet little corner of Oregon here
in Keizer, is it possible to say we could
not suffer a similar tragedy?
We should not say, “It can’t hap-
pen here.” It can because we can never
know what goes on in the hearts and
minds of others. After each of the re-
cent mass killings across the nation
reports come out that someone sus-
pected something but said nothing;
or, someone felt someone was acting
strangely and different than ususal. In a
society where privacy is paramount we
are loathe to invade another’s privacy.
After 9/11 the nation was told if
you see something, say somethng. A
neighbor of San Bernardino shoot-
ers Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen
Malik didn’t report suspicious activity
at their house because he didn’t want
to appear to be racially profi ling or
racist.
Could a report to police by the
neighbor have stopped the massacre?
That’s unknown. All bets are off when
terrorism hits the American heartland.
Safety and security trumps privacy. It
can be argued that at least one other
person knew of any of the multiple
shootings around the country.
Syed Farook’s mother
lived in the house with the
couple and their six-month-
old child. Investigators are
currently trying to uncover
what Rafi a Farook knew—
the couple had stockpiled
weapons and were building
pipe bombs in the house. For
cultural or familial reasons we can see
why Mother Farook did not report
anything, but political correctness
stopped the neighbor from fi ling a re-
port. The adage ‘better safe than sorry’
is as powerful today as ever.
The question of whether such a
tragedy could happen in Keizer is as
important as the question about pre-
pardness by our law enforcement
agencies, schools and gathering places
such as shopping centers and churches.
It is not prudent for law enforce-
ment to tip its hand and share its re-
sponse plans in case of a mass shoot-
ing. The public should be confi dent,
though, that all our local and state law
enforcement agencies do have a plan
in place. We want to be confi dent, also,
that the school district has plans on
how to respond to an active shooter in
or near any school.
We certainly do not advocate creat-
ing Fortress Keizer, but as we’ve seen,
these things can happen anwhere, any-
time. We’ve seen that this can happen
anywhere, anytime.
People that harbor the darkest of
impluses can lurk anywhere, even the
nicest and quaintest of communities.
We shouldn’t look over our shoulders
in fear, nor expect the worst in oth-
ers, but it is important for the public
and law agencies to understand that a
well-intentioned word can prevent a
tragedy too hard to imagine.
—LAZ
editorial
Trust him?
It is hard to ignore Donald Trump.
It is foolhardy to think that in the end
cooler heads will prevail and his presi-
dential candidacy will collapse under
the weight of his positions and pro-
nouncements.
While Republican establishment
candidates try to gain traction for
their campaigns, the Trump jugger-
naut continues to grow. The people
who attend his rallies and speeches
like what they hear—he speaks to
their fears and frustrations, even
though he offers few specifi cs other
than saying “trust me” and “it’ll be
great.”
His call for a temporary halt in the
acceptance of Muslim refugees into
the United States “until we know
what the hell is going on” fi red up
outrage from politicos and pundits,
but his supporters continue their
cheers.
Less than half of all eligible voters
cast ballots anymore in national elec-
tions. The people who do vote are
very motivated. If our democratic sys-
tem results in the election of Donald
Trump and his policies, that is a result
Americans will have to accept.
We deserve more than “trust me.”
—LAZ
To the Editor:
Thirteen years ago Dr. Bud
Pierce saved my life, so I cer-
tainly bear him no ill will—
nor grudges due to his party
affi liation, which he and I
used to converse about during
my course of treatment with him.
He and (wife) Selma have certainly
done a lot for the citizens of Salem/
Keizer; however, to name an actively
campaigning politician as grand mar-
shal of our hometown Christmas pa-
rade is simply wrong in so many ways.
How about our chief of police or
fi re captain or medics or
the caregivers for our el-
derly? Or the teachers we
entrust our kids too every
day? All are heros each and
every day.
Maybe the citizens
should be the ones to chose who they
want to be grand marshal of their
hometown parade.
Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year to one and all.
Carol Doerfl er
Keizer
letters
Patience is not a virtue vs. terror
By MICHAEL GERSON
In his address to the nation on
terrorism, President Obama warned
against “tough talk.” On this, at least,
no one can accuse him of hypocrisy.
In the aftermath of recent attacks,
Obama perfunctorily ticked off a se-
ries of inputs: airstrikes, arming and
training Iraqi and Syrian forces, co-
operating with allies on counterter-
rorism and pursuing a cease-fi re in
the Syrian confl ict. And then he is-
sued this directive: “I’ve ordered the
Departments of State and Homeland
Security to review the visa-waiver
program.” Who at the White House
thought it would be helpful for the
commander in chief, after a terror-
ist attack on the American homeland,
to order an interdepartmental review
process?
Obama gave a speech of reassur-
ance for a policy that appears to be
collapsing. The Islamic State has so-
lidifi ed control of vast territory and is
displaying many of the characteristics
of an actual nation. It has attracted ji-
hadists from around the world to the
confl ict in Syria and Iraq, many of
whom will return home with deadly
skills. With the Paris attacks, the Islam-
ic State has demonstrated the strategic
capacity to strike in Western capitals.
It counts affi liates in about a dozen
nations, including a particularly suc-
cessful Libyan branch operation. And
it has become a rallying point for self-
radicalization, as close as a Facebook
pledge of allegiance.
Before the events of the last few
weeks, it might have been possible to
argue that Obama’s anaconda plan of
slow strangulation could work in, say,
fi ve years. But is the threat revealed in
Paris and elsewhere acceptable for fi ve
years? In this
case, patience
is a dangerous
course.
In
his
s p e e c h ,
Obama talked
of a 65-na-
tion coalition
fi ghting the Islamic State and claimed
that France, Germany and the United
Kingdom “have ramped up their con-
tributions to our military campaign.”
But when France decided to take ac-
tion after the Paris attacks, it invoked
an obscure passage of the European
Union treaty to avoid a NATO com-
mitment that might offend Russia and
imply American leadership. Germany
has tested the boundaries of its consti-
tution to make a small military contri-
bution (six planes and 1,200 soldiers)
in solidarity with France, not the U.S.
And America has generally rejected
the Eisenhower role of supreme com-
mander in a coalition of the willing—
constrained by political commitments
(“no boots on the ground”) and high-
ly restrictive rules of engagement.
Obama’s strategy has many ele-
ments that any future president, Re-
publican or Democrat, would adopt.
The only things missing are urgency
and leadership. The president should
convene his security team and ask:
What would it take to degrade the
Islamic State’s capabilities to strike
in the west within one year? And to
defeat it completely in two? Then the
president should assemble a coalition
suffi cient to that task, comprised of
forces from European allies, boots on
the ground from Sunni nations and
a more aggressive U.S. support role
(much larger special forces to assist on
the frontlines, forward air controllers,
relaxed rules of engagement).
Obama is correct that a parallel po-
litical track is essential. Syria will re-
quire a Lebanon-like peace, in which
minorities (including the Alawites) are
granted protection and power. It will
be necessary to somehow re-convince
the Sunni tribal leaders in Iraq that, if
they fi ght the Islamic State, they will
fi nd protection and fair treatment in a
unifi ed country, instead of living un-
der Shiite despotism.
The complexity of this military and
diplomatic task would challenge any
president. It is pretty much inconceiv-
able that the “ender of wars” would
suddenly assume this role in his sev-
enth year in offi ce. Obama has con-
sistently done the minimal amount
necessary to avoid the charge of feck-
lessness.
Obama’s call for tolerance of the Is-
lamic faith is more than minimal; it is
essential. But even this is put at risk by
the broader crisis. “A continued failure
to recognize the scale of the challenge
and to construct the means necessary
to meet it,” says Britain’s former Prime
Minister Tony Blair, “will result in ter-
rorist attacks potentially worse than
those in Paris, producing a backlash
which then stigmatizes the majority
of decent, law-abiding Muslims and
puts the very alliance so necessary at
risk, creating a further cycle of chaos
and violence.”
This is the challenge of America’s
involvement in the Middle East. Be-
cause it is politically unpopular, there
is a natural temptation to disengage.
But after attacks, engagement will
come—with more anger, on worse
terms.
By DON VOWELL
All I got for Christmas was a new
front tooth. So far. Actually I needed
only to replace a chunk that broke
out on the back side of the tooth. It
takes the discipline of a Zen Master
to keep your tongue from ceaselessly
probing, massaging, and exploring
the jagged edge of a crater in the
back side of your tooth. That disci-
pline is beyond me.
I called the dentist soon after
the chunk went missing. I shud-
der to think where it might have
gone. Hopefully it’s not lodged in
some far-fl ung intestinal crevasse.
My ordinary practice is to wait until
my face is swelling before I actually
make a dental appointment, but my
restless tongue couldn’t just leave it
be.
There are a lot of reasons not
to go to a dentist. The fi rst is dis-
comfort. My chosen dentist is the
least threatening dentist in Oregon
and has never caused me any pain.
A wonderful man, he moves slowly,
precisely and gently. He also ex-
plains every step before he goes for-
ward. But there is more to pain than
pain. There is also anxiety that there
could soon be pain. With all that
skull-ringing drilling and grinding,
and the forced air and water spray-
ing rotted tooth fragments all over
your mouth it is not so far-fetched
to believe that you are one tiny slip
from bloody agony. It could happen.
By the way, whatever happened
to the little rinse and spit basin? A
little slosh of water allowed you to
clear the grit and spit it out. Mod-
ern practice has a cheerful assistant
operating a wet vac just before the
point where collected saliva and
construction
debris is about
to overfl ow
down
your
gullet. This
has the advan-
tage of allow-
ing the dentist
to keep your mouth open for up to
half a workday. If you helpfully try
to open very wide you quickly get
jaw fatigue. It’s too bad you have to
have your mouth open to get your
teeth fi xed. With so many medical
miracles now in everyday use you’d
think someone would develop ar-
throscopic dentistry. A tiny probe
equipped with cute little tools and
a camera could just be slipped be-
tween your lips.
Dentistry is an assault on all your
senses. Some of the compounds and
amalgams they use have an odd,
sweet antiseptic smell. Some of the
stuff they remove before all that may
be a little
foul. But
it is the
noise that
keeps me
from ever
wanting to
go back.
Perhaps if
my head
had a little
more solid
content it
would re-
ve r b e r a t e
less like the
sound box
of a qual-
ity acous-
tic instru-
ment. When I was a child the drills
turned at a low RPM and made
your head vibrate with a grinding
noise. Now it is more often the very
high-speed drills that make a lovely
high-pitched shriek/whine. Now
there’s progress.
There is something wrong with
insurance. If I had to choose, I’d
rather have enough sound teeth to
eat rather than, say, keep my appen-
dix. I don’t know what my appendix
does but I know I like to eat. If my
appendix was surgically removed,
(with no terror-inducing drill-
ing and sucking noises), insurance
would pay for the whole procedure.
Yet typical insurance companies pay
dentists at 1950s rates. Even if there
is something wrong with you and
you like going to the dentist you
can’t ignore the price you must pay.
I do have the best dentist in Or-
egon. I hope I never see him again.
other
views
(Washington Post Writers Group)
I never want to see my dentist again
Keizertimes
Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303
phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com
NEWS EDITOR
Craig Murphy
editor@keizertimes.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Eric A. Howald
news@keizertimes.com
ADVERTISING
SUBSCRIPTIONS
One year:
$25 in Marion County,
$33 outside Marion County,
$45 outside Oregon
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
Publication No: USPS 679-430
Paula Moseley
advertising@keizertimes.com POSTMASTER
Send address changes to:
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Andrew Jackson
Keizertimes
Circulation
graphics@keizertimes.com
142 Chemawa Road N.
LEGAL NOTICES
Keizer, OR 97303
legals@keizertimes.com
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Lyndon Zaitz
publisher@keizertimes.com
BUSINESS MANAGER
Laurie Painter
billing@keizertimes.com
RECEPTION
Periodical postage paid at
Salem, Oregon
Lori Beyeler
facebook.com/keizertimes
twitter.com/keizertimes
a box
of
soap
(Don Vowell gets on his soapbox
regularly in the Keizertimes.)