PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, FEBRUARY 12, 2021
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Equal opportunities
The noblest virtue
We all must be patient a while general population.
The presence of vaccines does
longer. There is optimism in the
country as the COVID vaccines not mean we are out of danger. Ex-
have been jabbed into more than 30 perts say that COVID will be with
us for years to come, but much less
million arms thus far.
deadly once 100% of us are
Yet vaccinations have
vaccinated.
been frustratingly slow;
We cannot assume that
state rules regarding who
one shot of the vaccine
is eligible seem to change
makes us immune. Most
weekly. Why, some ask, editorial
were developed as a two-
are inmates at state cor-
shot regimen.
rectional facilities getting
While many of us wait
shots before many others
who are vulnerable in society—se- for our turn to get vaccinated, we
must stay vigilant, especially with
niors, for one group.
Inmates are wards of the state. the COVID variants that have
The fi nancial consequences of al- been identifi ed in other parts of the
lowing COVID to surge freely world – it’s just a matter of time un-
through our prisons is just too great til those variants arrive in Oregon.
to ignore. We understand that. We That means we just continue wear-
understand, too, that Oregon has ing masks regardless of how much
not been getting the number of we dislike them. We must maintain
vaccines necessary to provide the social distance. We must assure we
fi rst of two innoculations for the do not take part in a superspreader
events.
We all want to greet the spring
season without masks and start
planning for travel once again. Go-
ing out to dinner with others, inside
a restaurant no less, is a goal that is
very doable.
COVID is real and has killed
almost 500,000 Americans. It may
kill thousands more, but each of us
must do out part to slow the spread.
Easing of restrictions must be a slow
process but those making those de-
cisons must have the livelihoods of
Oregonians and Americans in mind.
Science will slow and eventually
curb the coronavirus. A vaccine was
developed in an amazingly short
window of time. We must help sci-
ence along, be patient and realize
we are all in this together.
There is light at the end of the
tunnel.
—LAZ
Liz Cheney: The future in modern GOP
By DEBRA J. SAUNDERS
“I was allowed to believe things
that weren’t true,” Rep. Marjorie Tay-
lor Greene, R-Ga., told her colleagues
last week.
It was a non-apology for repeating
vile disinformation—which result-
ed in Democrats stripping her com-
mittee assignments. In 2017, Greene
wrote that that gun control “could be
the very motive of the Las Vegas
Massacre” that, ultimately, killed
60. In 2018 she spoke of a “so-
called plane that crashed into the
Pentagon” on 9/11.
Greene denied those asser-
tions, as she argued that those
remarks should not be an issue
because she made them before
she ran for offi ce.
Be it noted, Greene wore a
“TRUMP WON” mask on the
House fl oor, so she hasn’t exactly
seen the light.
The moment presented a
sharp step down for the newly
minted House member. Only
Monday, she posted a tweet in
response to Senate Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell’s re-
marks about “loony lies” being a
cancer on the GOP.
“The real cancer for the Repub-
lican Party is weak Republicans who
only know how to lose gracefully,”
Greene responded.
It turns out that spouting off what-
ever half-baked ideas you think might
be true in order to show you are a
fi ghter has its limits. And so the GOP
rump that prides itself in not listen-
ing to party graybeards is reduced to
whimpering about being “allowed
to believe” things which those gray-
beards warned them were not true.
I watched Greene and thought
about all the Trump supporters who
face prison time, job losses and end-
less shaming because they attended
the Jan. 6 rally. I’m not referring to
the armed thugs who broke into the
Capitol and assaulted Capitol Police
Liz Cheney
—they deserve to be prosecuted.
I’m thinking of the city cop or the
public school teacher who went to
the National Mall to listen and march
for Trump—with little understanding
that it was wrong to try to pressure
Congress to nullify fellow citizens’
legally cast votes. Greene seemed to
cast herself as a victim, when she was
stoking the dishonesty.
Keizertimes
Lyndon Zaitz
publisher@keizertimes.com
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EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Then I think about Rep. Liz
Cheney, R-Wyoming, who rep-
resents the future of the Republi-
can Party. She was one of ten House
Republicans who voted to impeach
Trump. Her vote was a statement of
conscience. “There has never been a
greater betrayal by a President of the
United States of his offi ce and his
oath to the Constitution,” Cheney
wrote. And unlike Greene, she won’t
be walking away from her remarks.
Purists can argue that Cheney
shouldn’t have voted to impeach
someone who would soon be out of
offi ce, but there was an economy in
ignoring the niceties to make a state-
ment against Trump’s egging on the
mob.
To her credit, former Vice Pres-
ident Dick Cheney’s daughter not
only refused to back down when the
Trump base tried to get her kicked
out of No. 3 House GOP leadership
position to punish her for that vote,
but also won the support of the ma-
jority of House Republicans who
voted 145 to 61 to keep her in power.
For the last fi ve years, the Trump
base pounced on any Republican
who dared criticize the 45th presi-
dent, because no dissent was allowed.
It made Trump arrogant and careless
and emboldened rallygoers to em-
brace whatever half-truths Trump
dished out.
Sure the true believers are as spir-
ited as ever, but they are clinging to
the past and an election they lost un-
gracefully. Their ranks are hedging
and thinning and Liz Cheney is rising.
politics though and impact Keizer
By RAMIRO “RJ” NAVARRO
Is it divisive to want equal treat- BIPOC business owners.
COVID-19 has laid bare the
ment? Not more, just equal. Not
failure of the Chamber to network
better, just equal.
In a recent conversation I had with Latino businesses resulting in
with an elected offi cial, I was ac- community members having to step
in to support those not af-
cused of being divisive
fi liated with the Cham-
for wanting a commu-
ber. None of whom were
nity that cares for ev-
guest
compensated by the grant
eryone equally. This re-
the Chamber re-
minded me of a quote
column funding
ceived to specifi cally offer
I read which states,
such support. The reason
“When accustomed to
I bring this up now is be-
privilege equality feels
cause, as a small business
like oppression.” Equal-
ity shouldn’t be divisive, especially owner in Keizer, I now have hope
if we are supposedly already offer- with the Chamber changing lead-
ing everyone the same opportuni- ership.
We’ve heard the gripes about
ties. But this highlights the fact that
KeizerFEST’s Familia Day lacking
we’re not.
A good example is this last elec- any “Familia.” We’ve seen the high
tion cycle where I was denied an turnover rates of Latino leaders on
opportunity to be interviewed by the Chamber board. And so I hope
the Keizer Chamber of Commerce the Keizer Chamber will offer the
while all other candidates for state equal opportunity to all qualifi ed
representative and Keizer City candidates in their search for a new
Council got the equal opportunity executive director. Because busi-
nesses are going to need all the help
to apply for endorsement.
I’m not going to sign a letter they can get coming out of this
to the Supreme Court invalidating crisis, and that means tapping into
voters over it, but it is an insult to Latino-owned businesses which are
say the very least – that someone the fastest-growing sector of the
can fi ght and almost die for the U.S economy, representing a pur-
creed that all are created equal yet chasing power of over $7 Billion in
be denied those very same equal Oregon alone.
(Ramiro “RJ” Navarro owns a
opportunities coming home. These
microaggressions extend outside of business in Keizer.)
BUSINESS MANAGER
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