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PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, FEBRUARY 26, 2016 KeizerOpinion KEIZERTIMES.COM Privacy vs. security The Federal Bureau of Investigation is ordering Apple to break into the cell phone of the San Bernandino shooters to get what could be vital information. The information that is now locked away inside that iPhone could reveal important data that would help authorities get a clearer understanding of the movements and contacts of Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik. The couple killed 14 people and injured 22 others in December. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that hacking into that phone would set a dangerous precedent involving issues of privacy rights. The situation has drawn battle lines between those who say that citizens privacy rights are paramount against those who say that hacking one cell phone in the battle against terror is not the fi rst step on a slippery slope of widespread and random hacking of phones of American citizens. If pressed, most people would say that the number one job of the U.S. government is to protect Americans. For a government that has gathered billions of phone messages after Sept. 11 as well as surveil communications from around the globe, hacking into the phone of a terrorist would seem to be child’s play. In a world in danger from lone wolf terrorists and terrorist organizations, any weapon that allows us to get in front of any terrorist threat—foreign or domestic—should be used. There should be no open season on the feds getting their hands on information from any phone or computer. Harvesting the information from Farook’s iPhone should be done with the full participation of Apple, the FBI, the National Security Agency and the ACLU. There should be an iron-clad agreement that this would be a one- and-done operation. The American people want to be safe but they also want their privacy rights secure. The phone’s information should be gathered but it should not be an invitation for the government to use as a fi rst step to tap into anyone’s phone at any time. Given a choice between privacy in a time of social media and stopping another terrorist attack most people would rather be safe. —LAZ editorial Short session plus one party control If you have been following this portant issues that need time to vet “short” legislative session in the news and to understand and 35 days is not enough time. over the past few weeks, I love it when you visit you may have seen con- and involved. This is fl icting reports on what from the your get building, and your has transpired. I can tell you one thing, the pace capitol process and our nation suffers when people like of this session is incredible By BILL POST you give up expressing and even longtime legisla- deeply held beliefs. So tors, lobbyists and staff in thank you. I know you the building have said so. I am honored to represent you in the have busy lives and you have to work legislature, but I have grave reserva- and take care of your families, but I tions about what is happening here. want you to know how much I ap- In 2010, the people of Oregon preciate your involvement. I wish I could say that the testi- voted to approve the legislature’s suggestion to have “short sessions.” mony of these involved citizens has Both in the ballot explanation as impacted the legislation that is pass- well as in the resolution that formed ing out of this session. Sadly, these the ballot measure, it is clear that the “short” sessions have turned into purpose of the short session was to political grandstanding as they are in deal with emergencies in the budget an election year. Many people here and any other fi xes needed to previ- fondly remember the 2011 and 2012 sessions when the House of Repre- ously passed legislation. As you can see, that’s not what has sentatives was split with 30 Demo- been happening here, as we are vot- crats and 30 Republicans. That was ing on very complicated and con- a session where people had to come troversial bills. In spite of all that, I to a consensus to get anything done. want to tell you how proud I am of Middle ground had to be achieved. Keizer. I can’t tell you how many No matter which party it is, the state Keizer residents have come down as a whole suffers when that one here to the Capitol multiple times, party has complete control. When to share their thoughts and opinions one party controls all the commit- on these important topics. Business tees, all the bills and all the processes, owners have come down to explain Oregon is not being properly repre- how the proposed minimum wage sented. (Bill Post represents House Disd increase will impact their business- es, farmers have testifi ed about seed trict 25. He can be reached at 503d or via email at rep.billd regulations and how minimum wage 986d1425 post@state.or.us.) will affect them. These are very im- Keizertimes Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com SUBSCRIPTIONS NEWS EDITOR Craig Murphy editor@keizertimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eric A. Howald news@keizertimes.com One year: $25 in Marion County, $33 outside Marion County, $45 outside Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY ADVERTISING Publication No: USPS 679d430 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 Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon RECEPTION Lori Beyeler facebook.com/keizertimes twitter.com/keizertimes Trump and the Megyn Kelly effect By DEBRA J. SAUNDERS During a recent CNN town hall Donald Trump offered up that he probably works too hard and if he had worked “a little bit less,” he “probably wouldn’t have had two marriages that didn’t work out.” Moderator Anderson Cooper then thanked Trump for participating in the event, and the last town hall be- fore South Carolina Republicans hit voting booths was over. There were no follow-up questions about the role of Trump’s—so public it was front-page news—affair with second wife, Marla Maples, in the breakup of his fi rst marriage. I understand CNN’s rationale for staging one-on-one interviews in lieu of a debate to give the public a peek at the more personal side of each GOP hopeful. As a journalist, I appreciate the delicate balancing act of trying to ask probing ques- tions without being so confronta- tional that you become part of the story. But Cooper shouldn’t have let Trump turn his airtime into an in- fomercial. I sympathize with the plight of any journalist who interviews the reality TV star. Trump tells so many whoppers that the relentless modera- tor would have to challenge practi- cally everything he says. On Sunday, I watched CNN’s Jake Tapper and Fox News’ Chris Wallace ask Trump about some- thing he said at the CNN town hall: “I like the mandate,” Trump had said, even though he wants to repeal Obamacare. That Sunday, Trump ran from that quote, saying that he and Cooper were talking at the same time. “There’s no mandate, no man- datory anything,” Trump told Tapper. In fact, Trump had volunteered to Cooper that he supported the man- date, because he supports health care for all. Tapper and Wallace are no push- overs, but eventually they let it slide and moved on. That’s how Trump gets away with his endless fabrica- tions. He is such a constant and shameless liar that there’s no way to pin him down without throwing out interview decorum. In South Carolina on Friday, Trump told the story of an American general who is said to have captured 50 Muslim prisoners and ordered his troops to shoot 49 of them. The gen- eral told the 50th, “Go back to your people and you tell them what hap- pened.” There were no problems for 25 years, Trump concluded. That seems to be the template for his strategy with TV news. Trump fa- mously went after Fox News’ Megyn other views Kelly for asking him about com- ments —fat pigs, dogs, slobs—which “The Donald” made about women. To retaliate against Kelly for report- ing what he said, Trump waged a Twitter war, boycotted her Fox News show and even passed on a later de- bate because Kelly was a moderator. Watch other shows and you see the “Megyn Kelly Effect.” It sure seems as though some TV newsers shrink from pinning down Trump because they fear his fi re, while oth- ers play up to Trump to boost their ratings. “Le Show’s” Harry Shearer aired audio of off-air banter in which Trump teased “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzez- inski: “You get all the ratings and a raise. Me, I get nothing.” Actually, he gets guests and hosts who marvel at his ability to break the rules without breaking his campaign. I think back to the 2008 media feeding frenzy that bloodied GOP runningmate Sarah Palin. She didn’t have the gravitas to be on the ticket, critics asserted. It was the media’s job to expose her shortcomings for the good of the country. Where she was greeted with disdain, Trump enjoys accolades. It turns out Palin’s biggest weakness was not that she was un- worthy, but that she wasn’t as good as Trump at kicking back. (Creators Syndicate) Which candidate can allay our fears? Is there anything to worry about today in the United States? There just may be a few reasons to feel some fear. President Obama is a silver- tongued orator but has let us down in so many ways from what we thought he would do. Sure, he’s put some Americans back to work as there are more now tossing burgers, baking pizzas, and growing/selling marijuana. But what about the drugs that keep fl owing in from Mexico; the family wage jobs that have gone overseas; companies that have taken them there and pay no U.S. taxes; threats from North Korea that could become real any day; the promise of the Affordable Care Act that serves a few Americans but has become too expensive for the families it was in- tended to help. Among so many letdowns, Wall Street and investment fi rms all over the land can any day now return us to the Great Recession from which we’ve never fully recovered while not one of the perpetrators has gone to jail. We could put more of our citi- zens to work in living-wage jobs. For example, in public infrastruc- ture projects, if we didn’t continue to fi ght winless battles in the Middle East while our national debt contin- ues into the stratosphere. Too often our military members come back in coffi ns or so destroyed mentally and physically that they can only sit and wish they hadn’t gone to “free” Iraqis, Syrians and others who want no American-style freedom. Too many Arabs only want more Sharia law imposed and when our mindless politicians allow too many of them to enter the U.S. they break our laws with impunity, eschew our customs and traditions, practice fe- male genital mutilation and have no interest in becoming Americans like immigrants of yesteryear. Our military has proven it can- not defeat these religious zealots but is directed by war-hungry American politicians to do more of the same, guaranteeing more failure. Obama made promises about getting us out of these never-ending commitments but has ap- parently lost his way or simply can’t say no to the war hawks. Banging on the White House door are a set of candidates who promise as the Commander-in-Chief, most poignantly Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, to carpet bomb the Middle East, killing everyone in sight. Are any of the GOP candidates for presi- dent mature enough to act rationally? The race to replace Obama is un- derway. Senator Bernie Sanders does not appear to be the sort of Com- mander-in-Chief who’d do more than talk a lot and utter vague threats to our adversaries. The Bern, as he’s fondly called, promises to provide qualifi ed American youth with a free college education and no-cost health insurance for all Americans. How- ever, we Americans do not appreciate a nation where those with the means to accumulate considerable wealth are willing to share in the costs of what he promises by paying their fair share in taxes. This means that if the Bern’s plans were to take living form, the costs would be laid on the backs of the shrinking number of members of the middle class. Under the terms of the American reality that those who vote for the Bern will be let down like those in the past who’ve been promised big this and that, nev- er to see such things come true fol- lowed by wholesale disillusionments. As for The Donald, Trump’s re- sounding position among a crowded fi eld of more experienced and ac- complished candidates is a stunning turn of events for a party that vowed four years ago to be more inclusive after failing to unseat Obama in 2012. The Donald cannot specify in any detail how he will fulfi ll all that gene h. mcintyre he says he will do. If elected, those items on which he promises to act are only vaguely known and most likely will not materialize unless Trump can become a dictator, doing away with the Constitution. What arouses interest, though, is why so many of U.S. super rich want Trump stopped? Is the obvious answer that when they can’t buy a president to do their bid- ding they are terrifi ed he’d choose his own agenda, leaving them to fend for themselves. There are other GOP candidates running to be our president who do no better than Trump. John Ka- sich tries to make himself into a per- son who’s folksy. Ben Carson should try to get a “clue” on what’s real outside an operating theatre. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio with re- cords of accomplishments that are short and weak, a person has to ask whether these guys lacking relevant experience would do any better than “shorfall” Obama has done. Fear abounds in these United States not unlike those fears that have faced Americans over the past two centuries. However, one won- ders nervously whether we’ll survive intact this time what with North Korea promising to send us hydro- gen bombs, ISIS cancer spread- ing throughout a huge chunk of the world while promising to visit the U.S. destructively, the number of Americans on addictive drugs, a Congress that’s stalemated into near total dysfunction, bands of anti-gov- ernment Americans in lawless mili- tias ready to spring into taking over federal property and shooting any other American who gets in their way, and many a wealthy American who wants to use the riches accu- mulated from the freedoms afforded them in this nation to destroy all vestiges of this nation’s 235-year ex- periment to establish and maintain a democracy. (Gene H. McIntyre’s column apd pears weekly in the Keizertimes.)