OPINION
6A
T HE
D AILY A STORIAN
Founded in 1873
STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher
LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor
BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager
Mistrust and
conspiracy theories
Herbicide spraying divides communities
H
erbicides are among the hottest of hot-button issues in
WKH UXUDO :HVW ZLWK VLJQL¿FDQW ¿JKWV DERXW FKHPLFDO
VSUD\V XVHG LQ LQGXVWULDO IRUHVWU\ FRPPHUFLDO VKHOO¿VK SUR-
duction and agriculture.
(PRWLRQV DQG SUR¿W PRWLYDWLRQV
ERWKUXQKLJK7KHVH¿JKWVEHWZHHQ
¿HUFH RSSRQHQWV DQG GHIHQGHUV RI
LQGXVWU\ SUDFWLFHV KDYH KXJH SROLW-
LFDO UDPL¿FDWLRQV 3ROLWLFLDQV GRQ¶W
enjoy being stuck between sparring
FRQVWLWXHQWV 8VXDOO\ KRZHYHU LW¶V
easy to predict who will come out
on top, based on campaign contribu-
tions and long-established connec-
tions between lawmakers and lobby-
LVWV7KHVHIDFWRUVGRQ¶WQHFHVVDULO\
lead to decisions that are inherently
“wrong,” but they do result in citi-
]HQVIHHOLQJWKHLUFRQFHUQVDUHJLYHQ
short shrift.
There is a fascinating case study
in the Monday Oregonian, in which
UHSRUWHU5RE'DYLVGRHVDJRRGMRE
exploring how southwest Oregon
citizens who worry about forest
spraying found their efforts at legis-
ODWLYHUHIRUPVVW\PLHGE\DSURFHVV
WKDWIDYRUVHFRQRPLFLQWHUHVWV6HH
tinyurl.com/o67f5qr)
,Q D GUDPD H[WHQVLYHO\ FRYHUHG
by statewide news media in the past
couple years, Curry County residents
object to forest spraying that either
negligently or accidentally also hits
SULYDWH KRPHV DQG QHLJKERUKRRGV
6RPHWRRNWKHLUFDVHWRWKH2UHJRQ
Legislature. They got a distinctly
cold shoulder from their own rep-
UHVHQWDWLYH EXW PDQDJHG WR FRQ-
YLQFH WZR 3RUWODQGDUHD 'HPRFUDWV
to sponsor a bill imposing no-spray
buffers around homes and schools,
public notice before spraying and
company disclosure of what and
where they spray.
All this seems perfectly reason-
able. But it ended up suffering the
pathetic three-quarters death that is
the fate of much reform deemed in-
FRQYHQLHQWWRWKRVHZKRJUHDVHWKH
OHJLVODWLYHSURFHVV7KHRULJLQDOELOO
sponsors were sidelined. Clatskanie
Democrat Brad Witt then watered
down what was left. Witt has re-
FHLYHG LQ FRQWULEXWLRQV
from forestry and chemical interests
VLQFH
(YHQ IHUYHQW DQG KHDUWIHOW ZRU-
ULHVDUHQRWDOZD\VYDOLG²ZLWQHVV
PLVSODFHG DQ[LHW\ RYHU LPPXQL]D-
tions. But the role of money in state
SROLWLFV²ERWKLQWKHIRUPRIFRQWUL-
EXWLRQVDQGLQGXVWU\¶VDELOLW\WRVWDII
IXOOWLPHOREE\LQJRI¿FHV²LVGHHS-
O\FRUURVLYHWRSXEOLFWUXVW
Mistrust leads to conspiracy
theories and feelings of powerless-
ness. In southwest Washington, for
example, forest spraying is widely
blamed for elk hoof-rot, despite a
ODFNRIHYLGHQFH8VHRISHVWLFLGHV
WR FRQWURO YHJHWDWLRQ DQG PXG
shrimp in Willapa Bay is blowing
XSLQWRD¿JKWWKDW¶VJHWWLQJQDWLRQ-
al attention.
6RPH ZLOO FKRRVH WR EHOLHYH
the most frightening theories irre-
VSHFWLYH RI WKH IDFWV EXW LJQRULQJ
their concerns only exacerbates the
SUREOHP 3DVW UHDVVXUDQFHV DERXW
WKH VDIHW\ RI FKHPLFDOV KDYH RIWHQ
HQRXJKSURYHQWREHIDOVHWKDWLW¶VQR
wonder there is skepticism.
(QYLURQPHQWDO UHJXODWRUV PXVW
be encouraged to pursue the truth
ZKHUHYHULWOHDGV3ROLWLFLDQVVKRXOG
VWD\RXWRIWKHZD\RIVFLHQWL¿FLQ-
quiry and act in accordance with the
IDFWV,QGXVWULHVVKRXOGHQGHDYRUWR
be good neighbors, working to less-
en their impacts on surroundings,
UDWKHUWKDQ¿JKWLQJWRDYRLGFKDQJHV
LQ KLVWRULF SUDFWLFHV WKDW PD\ KDYH
RXWOLYHGWKHLUWLPH
86ORRNVDEURDG
for rail solutions
O
f the transcontinental railroad
EXLOW LQ WKH V LW ZDV VDLG
The railroad was built on Indian
lands with British capital and Irish
and Chinese labor. That line from
&RXQFLO%OXIIV,RZDWR6DFUDPHQWR
Calif., was a major accomplishment
of the Lincoln administration.
Now America is eyeing foreign
technology and capital to bring our
nation into the modern era of rail
transport. The Wall Street Journal re-
SRUWHG 0RQGD\ WKDW -DSDQHVH 3ULPH
0LQLVWHU 6KLQ]R $EH LV WRXWLQJ KLV
FRXQWU\¶V EXOOHW WUDLQV GXULQJ D VWDWH
YLVLWWR$PHULFD
The three routes beckoning the
-DSDQHVHELGDUH6DQ)UDQFLVFRWR/RV
Angeles, New York to Washington,
D.C., and Houston to Dallas. The
Journal reported that Chinese and
European train manufacturers also
ZLOOYLHIRU$PHULFDQFRQWUDFWV
This news is bittersweet. It is one
more indicator that American manu-
facturing long ago forfeited an oppor-
tunity. On the other hand, at least our
most populated regions are doing a
VPDUWWKLQJE\ORRNLQJDWSURYHQWUDLQ
systems. The Amtrak Cascades train
WKDW GRHV WKH 6HDWWOH(XJHQH URXWH
uses a TALGO train whose base is
Italy, a nation renowned for railway
engineering.
America is not the only nation the
Japanese are prospecting for railway
GHYHORSPHQW7KH\DUHDOVRYHQWXULQJ
into India and Vietnam.
6RPH ZHHNV DJR 86 RI¿FLDOV
ZHUHUDWWOHGDWWKHQHZVWKDW&KLQD¶V
QDVFHQW LQWHUQDWLRQDO GHYHORSPHQW
bank was seeking to supplant the
,QWHUQDWLRQDO0RQHWDU\)XQGDFURZQ
jewel of the postwar era, based in the
86,WVHHPVWKDW$PHULFDQEDQNLQJ
will in some small way participate
LQ &KLQD¶V EDQNLQJ YHQWXUH :KLOH
discussing this news, the economist
)DUHHG=DNDULDVDLGRQ&11WKDWSHU-
haps the Chinese could supply the cap-
LWDOWR¿[$PHULFD¶VURDGVDQGEULGJHV
EHFDXVH&RQJUHVVZRQ¶WSD\IRULW
3UHVLGHQW/LQFROQ¶VWUDQVFRQWLQHQ-
WDOUDLOZD\PRYHGWKURXJK&RQJUHVV
EHFDXVH WKH 6RXWKHUQ VWDWHV KDG OHIW
the Union. Like the Morrill Act cre-
DWLQJ ODQG JUDQW XQLYHUVLWLHV WKH
railway act was part of a bundle of
SURJUHVVLYH QDWLRQEXLOGLQJ ODZV
6RXWKHUQ FRQJUHVVPHQ DQG VHQDWRUV
had blocked.
7RGD\WKH5HSXEOLFDQ3DUW\¶VEHG-
URFN OLHV LQ WKH 6RXWK DQG LWV GHIDXOW
response to large national needs is “no.”
7KHQDWLRQFDQ¶WZDLWRQFRQJUHV-
sional ideologues who are blind to as-
pects of America that are akin to the
Third World. A Japanese bullet train
sounds like a pretty good option for
our dense population corridors.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015
Europe’s Google problem
,QWHUQHWSODWIRUPV²RUDW
changes that it found cum-
the least, clip the wings of
EHUVRPHDQGLQWUXVLYHEXW
it wanted to get the case
WKHELJ86,QWHUQHWFRP-
EHKLQG LW DQG PRYH RQ
DYH \RX KHDUG WKH WHUP SDQLHV ZKLOH WKHUH¶V VWLOO
Instead, European politi-
time.
Gafa yet?
FLDQVHVSHFLDOO\LQ)UDQFH
I bring this up in the
,W KDVQ¶W FDXJKW RQ KHUH LQ WKH wake of the decision by
and Germany, and prodded
8QLWHG 6WDWHV ² DQG ,¶P JXHVVLQJ Margrethe Vestager, the
E\ *RRJOH¶V FRPSHWLWRUV
LWZRQ¶W²EXWLQ)UDQFHLWKDVEH- (XURSHDQ8QLRQ¶VUHODWLYH-
complained that Almunia
was being too accommo-
come so common that the news- O\ QHZ VKH WRRN RI¿FH LQ
dating to the company.
papers hardly need to spell out its 1RYHPEHU FRPPLVVLRQHU
Joe
“The offers by Goo-
in
charge
of
competition
Nocera
meaning.
JOH DUHQ¶W ZRUWKOHVV EXW
policy, to bring antitrust
(YHU\RQH WKHUH DOUHDG\ NQRZV charges against Google, the
WKH\¶UHQRWQHDUO\HQRXJK´
ZKDW *DID VWDQGV IRU *RRJOH$S- FXOPLQDWLRQ RI D ¿YH\HDU LQYHVWLJD- one such politician, Guenther Oet-
SOH)DFHERRN$PD]RQ
WLRQ7KHFDVHUHYROYHVDURXQGZKHWK- tinger of Germany, told The Wall
In America, we tend to think of HU *RRJOH WRRN DGYDQWDJH RI LWV Street Journal.
$W WKH WLPH 2HWWLQJHU ZDV VHUY-
these companies as four distinct en- GRPLQDQFHLQVHDUFKWRIDYRULWVRZQ
WLWLHVWKDWFRPSHWH¿HUFHO\ZLWKHDFK FRPSDULVRQVKRSSLQJ VHUYLFH RYHU LQJ DV WKH (XURSHDQ 8QLRQ¶V HQHUJ\
other. But, in Europe, which lacks a WKRVHRILWVULYDOV9HVWDJHUDOVRRSHQHG commissioner, making him one of the
single Internet company of compara- DQLQTXLU\LQWR*RRJOH¶V$QGURLGPR- FRPPLVVLRQHUVZKRZRXOGKDYHWR
ble size and stature, they “encapsu- bile operating system and said the Eu- DSSURYHDQ\VHWWOHPHQW%\6HSWHP-
ODWH$PHULFD¶VHYLO,QWHUQHWHPSLUH´ URSHDQ8QLRQZRXOGLQYHVWLJDWHRWKHU ber, he had been nominated for a new
MREFRPPLVVLRQHUIRUGLJLWDOHFRQR-
DV*LGHRQ5DFKPDQSXWLWLQWKH)L- SRWHQWLDOYLRODWLRQVLIQHHGEH
nancial Times on Monday. Nine out
Not long after announcing the my and society. At a hearing before
RI,QWHUQHWVHDUFKHVLQ(XURSHXVH charges, Vestager made a speech in D(XURSHDQ3DUOLDPHQWFRPPLWWHHKH
took credit for blowing up the Google
*RRJOH²DPRUHFRPPDQGLQJSHU- Washington.
FHQWDJHWKDQLQWKH8QLWHG6WDWHV²
³:HKDYHQRJUXGJHZHKDYHQR settlement.
As the digital commissioner, Oet-
to cite but one example of their utter ¿JKW ZLWK *RRJOH´ VKH VDLG ³,Q DOO
dominance in the countries that make our cases, we are indifferent to the na- WLQJHUKDVFRQWLQXHGWRDGYRFDWHIRU
up the European Union.
WLRQDOLW\ RI WKH FRPSDQLHV LQYROYHG what has become the German posi-
Not surprising-
Our responsibility is WLRQRQ*RRJOH²QDPHO\WKDW*RR-
ly, this dominance
to make sure that any JOH¶V SRZHU PXVW EH UHLQHG LQ ,Q D
The French
breeds worry in
company with opera- speech two weeks ago, he essentially
(XURSH KRZHY-
tions in the territory of said that Europe should begin regu-
fear … the
er fairly it was
the EU complies with lating Internet platforms in such a
way as to allow homegrown com-
DFKLHYHG
7KH
our treaty rules.”
imposition
)UHQFK IHDU DV
Well, maybe. But SDQLHV WR RYHUWDNH WKH 86 ,QWHUQHW
WKH)UHQFKDOZD\V
of U.S.
it is also true that, to giants. And last week, a document
do) the imposition
an unusual degree, OHDNHG IURP KLV RI¿FH WR The Wall
culture.
RI 86 FXOWXUH
WKLV LQYHVWLJDWLRQ HV- Street Journal that outlined just such
The Germans fear
pecially in its latter a plan, claiming that if nothing was
WKHULVHRIDQLQGXVWU\PRUHHI¿FLHQW VWDJHV KDV EHHQ GULYHQ E\ SROLWLFV done, the entire economy of Europe
²DQGPRUHSUR¿WDEOH²WKDQWKHLU The political rhetoric around Google was “at risk” because of its depen-
own. Industry leaders, especially in in Europe has been so heated that, had GHQF\ RQ 86 ,QWHUQHW FRPSDQLHV
publishing, telecommunications and Vestager decided not to bring a case, 7KHUHKDYHHYHQEHHQFDOOVLQ(XURSH
HYHQDXWRVIHDUWKDWWKH86,QWHUQHW KHU SROLWLFDO VWDQGLQJ PLJKW KDYH to break up Google.
(XURSHKDVHYHU\ULJKWWRUHJXODWH
companies will disrupt their busi- been weakened, “probably compro-
QHVVHVDQGVLSKRQDZD\WKHLUSUR¿WV PLVLQJKHUDELOLW\WRSXUVXHHIIHFWLYH- any company and any sector it wants.
Europeans worry about the use of O\RWKHUKLJKSUR¿OHDQWLWUXVWFDVHV´ And it can bring antitrust charges as
WKHLUSULYDWHGDWDE\86FRPSDQLHV wrote Carlos Kirjner, an analyst with LWVHHV¿W%XWJLYHQWKHUKHWRULFVXU-
URXQGLQJ *RRJOH DQG WKH RWKHU 86
a worry that was only exacerbated 6DQIRUG&%HUQVWHLQ&R
E\WKH(GZDUG6QRZGHQVS\LQJUHY-
Consider, for instance, what ,QWHUQHWJLDQWVVXVSLFLRQRI(XURSH¶V
elations. There is a palpable sense happened last year when Google UHDOPRWLYHVLVMXVWL¿HG
)URPKHUHWKH(XURSHDQFKDUJHV
among many politicians, regulators was close to settling the case with
and businesspeople in Europe that the 9HVWDJHU¶V SUHGHFHVVRU -RDTXtQ$O- against Google look a lot like pro-
&RQWLQHQW QHHGV WR GHYHORS LWV RZQ munia. Google had agreed to make tectionism.
By JOE NOCERA
New York Times News Service
H
/RYHPDUULDJHPXVLFDQGWKHKLJKFRXUW
By FRANK BRUNI
New York Times News Service
A
t some point in my child-
hood, just before my teens, I
was struck by the fact that almost
all of the songs that I was hearing
on the radio, half-consciously
humming along to or committing
WRPHPRU\ZHUHDERXWORYH
Different
shades
of
ORYH
\HV
and different
VWDJHV RI LW
the heat and
hunger of its
infancy, the
H [ S D Q V L Y H
warmth
of
Frank
its maturity,
Bruni
the bleeding
pain when all
WKDW¶VOHIWRILWLVVKDUGV
%XWORYHQRQHWKHOHVV
6WDUODQG 9RFDO %DQG PXOOHG WKH
naughty pleasures of an Afternoon
Delight. Daryl Hall pined for the
VZHHW YDOLGDWLRQ RI D VZHHWKHDUW¶V
gesture in Sara Smile. Don’t Go
Breaking My Heart, Elton John im-
plored Kiki Dee, and back then he
KDGQ¶W LQIRUPHG WKH ZRUOG RU IXOO\
accepted, that the people most likely
WRKROGWKDWNLQGRISRZHURYHUKLP
GLGQ¶WKDYHQDPHVOLNH.LNL
Those were all huge hits in 1976,
which is when I turned 12. And the
No. 1 single that year?
Silly Love Songs, ZKLFK3DXO0F-
Cartney thought that “people would
KDYH KDG HQRXJK RI´ 1R ZD\ EH-
FDXVHWKHUH¶VQRWKLQJVLOO\DERXWORYH
DQGZKHQLWFRPHVWRPXVLFORYHLV
almost all there is.
When it comes to life, too.
2Q7XHVGD\ORYHZHQWWRWKH6X-
preme Court, where the lawyers and
the justices spoke of “equal participa-
tion” and “equal protection,” of “due
process” and “animus,” of the Consti-
WXWLRQDQGVWDWHV¶ULJKWV
There were legal terms and points
RI UHIHUHQFH DSOHQW\ ,W¶V HDV\ WR EH-
come lost in them, and just as easy
to follow the leads of journalists who
are framing the proceedings as a high
GUDPDVWDUULQJHQLJPDWLFDFWRUV-XV-
tice Anthony Kennedy with his swing
YRWH&KLHI-XVWLFH-RKQ5REHUWVZLWK
KLVVHQVLWLYLW\WRWKHFRXUW¶VOHJDF\
%XWLW¶VLPSRUWDQWWRVWHSEDFNDQG
UHPHPEHU ZKDW WKLV LV UHDOO\ DERXW
the most exquisite emotion that any
RIXVFDQKDYHWKHPRVWH[DOWHGERQG
DQGZKHWKHUZH¶UHFRQWHQWWRWHOORQH
JURXSRI$PHULFDQVWKDWWKHLUORYHLV
AP Photo/Cliff Owen
Plaintiffs Rev. Maurice Blanchard, third from left, and his husband
Dominique James, center, of Louisville, Ky., and attorney Laura Land-
enwich with Justice Kentucky, second from right, join other plaintiffs
and legal attorneys celebrate in front of the Supreme Court after exit-
ing the court following arguments in Washington, Tuesday. The oppo-
nents of same-sex marriage are urging the court to resist embracing
what they see as a radical change in society’s view of what consti-
tutes marriage.
OHVV GLJQL¿HG ² DQG OHVV ZRUWK\ RI
6RZKLOHWKH\¿OOHGPHZLWKORQJ-
FHOHEUDWLRQ²WKDQDQRWKHUJURXS¶V
ing, as they were meant to, they also
7KHUH¶V QR DOWHUQDWH PHVVDJH IRU ¿OOHGPHZLWKDQXQLQWHQGHGVDGQHVV
gays and lesbians to read into prohi- :LWK HQY\ WRR EHFDXVH , NQHZ WKDW
bitions against same-sex marriage, be- IRURWKHUSHRSOH²VWUDLJKWSHRSOH²
cause our society, like so many others, ZRUU\ DQG VKDPH GLGQ¶W LQWUXGH RQ
decided long ago that marriage was the the melodies.
6RPXFKKDVFKDQJHG2QHRIWKH
PRVW IRUPDO UHFRJQLWLRQ RI ORYH WKH
PRVW ZLGHO\ SOD\HG ORYH VRQJV RI
ultimate blessing bestowed on it.
)RU PDQ\ \HDUV QRZ WKH WLUHOHVV last year, Stay With Me, is performed
GDXQWOHVV DGYRFDWHV ZKR EOD]HG WKH E\ 6DP 6PLWK ZKRVH IDQV DUH IXOO\
WUDLO WR 7XHVGD\ KDYH HORTXHQWO\ GH- DZDUH WKDW KH¶V JD\ 7KH\¶UH DZDUH
tailed the practical reasons for legaliz- too, that the “one-night stand” that he
ing same-sex marriage, the measurable mentions in the opening line is with
another man.
rights that it estab-
music festi-
lishes or ensures.
While love YDO At ODWHU a WKLV
\HDU KH¶V
It eliminates anx-
ieties and injustices songs filled scheduled to appear with
Elton John, now out of
regarding hospital
the closet, now knighted
YLVLWV PHGLFDO GHFL-
me with
and now with kids and a
VLRQVHVWDWHV6RFLDO
longing,
husband, whom he mar-
6HFXULW\ EHQH¿WV
under British law,
child custody, child
they also ried
which allows it.
care, immigration
86 ODZ UHPDLQV D
DQG PRUH ,W¶V WKH
filled
SDWFKZRUN HTXDOLW\ LQ
best way to replace
this state, inequality in
limbo with stability,
me with
WKDWRQH7KDW¶VZKHUHWKH
freeing good people
to get on with the unintended 6XSUHPH&RXUWFRPHVLQ
It can endorse incon-
UHVWRIWKHLUOLYHV
sadness. sistency.
Or the justices
But the expan-
FDQ GR ZKDW¶V ULJKW DQG
sion of marriage to
include gays and lesbians does some- ZKDW¶VQHFHVVDU\DFNQRZOHGJLQJWKDW
WKLQJ HYHQ EURDGHU DQG GHHSHU WKDQ WKHUH¶VQRZD\WRGLYRUFHDSHUVRQ¶V
WKDW ,W DOWHUV WKH YHU\ VRXQGWUDFN RI ZD\ RI ORYLQJ IURP KLV RU KHU KX-
RXUH[LVWHQFHVUHPRYLQJDUHIUDLQRI PDQLW\²WKDWWKH\¶UHHQWZLQHGOLNH
GLVDSSURYDOKRZHYHUPLQRUKRZHY- YHUVHDQGFKRUXVDQGWRWUHDWRQHDV
inferior is to treat both that way.
er muted.
:H¶OO SUREDEO\ JHW D UXOLQJ LQ
I long detected that refrain in all
RIWKRVHVLOO\ORYHVRQJVZKLFKGRP- June.
And with any luck, that judgment
inated the pop charts of my youth and
dominate the pop charts now, because ZLOOWXUQDOOWKHORYHVRQJVRI\HVWHU-
they traced a landscape that I would day, today and tomorrow into uni-
DOPRVWFHUWDLQO\KDYHWRWLSWRHDFURVV YHUVDO DQWKHPV WKDW PDNH WKH VDPH
that was only partly hospitable to the SURPLVH WR HYHU\ OLVWHQHU QR PDWWHU
the object of his or her affection.
likes of me.