OPINION
6A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2015
GUEST COLUMN
Death penalty high in voter approval
Founded in 1873
in the last decade of the
its outrage at the heinous
20th century. Yet the mur-
gravity of a particular
STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher
der rate dropped by more
crime.”
than 20 percent in the sec-
What
kind
of
people
LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor
ond 10-year period.
are on death row?
BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager
What has happened
In Nebraska, before
to slow down executions
the 1990s, the last per-
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
is that the one drug most
son executed was Charles
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
commonly used, sodium
Starkweather, who mur-
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
thio pentol, is now con-
dered 11 people in two
trolled by a European Phar-
They also suggested that Neb. states. Currently on death
Josh
HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager
ma giant that has decreed
row
in
Nebraska
is
John
Marquis
Gov. Pete Rickett’s unsuccessful
they will not allow the bar-
/RWWHU
NLOOHU
RI
WKUHH
veto showed he was “out of touch
known to many because the case EDULDQ$PHULFDQVWRXVHWKHGUXJWKXV
with Nebrasakans.” Yet in Nebraska, PDGHZHOONQRZQE\WKH$FDGHP\ This is the exact same drug available
DV PRVW RI $PHULFD WKH PDMRULW\ $ZDUGZLQQLQJ¿OPBoys Don’t Cry. LQYLUWXDOO\HYHU\YHWHULQDULDQ¶VRI¿FH
of voters — if given the chance —
In Oregon, death row includes LQ$PHULFDWRHXWKDQL]HEHORYHGSHWV
would have voted for the death pen- Conan Wayne Hale , who murdered The ban has also created a crisis in the
three kids near Eugene in 1995, Jes- Death with Dignity movement in Or-
alty.
se Caleb Compton, who tortured a egon and Washington where sodium
In fact the centuries-long debate 3-year-old child to death in 1997, thio pentol was the most favored drug
over capital punishment does not DQG 5DQG\ /HH *X]HN ZKR ZDV D to be prescribed for physician-assist-
follow either party lines or tradi- true Big Man on Campus at Red- ed suicide.
The hard, cold truth is that oppo-
tional liberal/conservative goalposts. mond High School in 1987 when he
sition to the death penalty is cham-
Oregon is constantly talking about VODXJKWHUHG5RGDQG/RLV+RXVHU
hat makes something in popular culture a fad, a trend or a FDSLWDO SXQLVKPHQW $V UHFHQWO\ DV
Guzek has been sentenced to pioned by the wealthier elites in
phenomenon is unpredictable. It is not what the public will WKH8QLYHUVLW\RI2UHJRQ/DZ death four times. The last three trials $PHULFDQVRFLHW\ZKLOHWKRVHPRVW
School hosted a conference heavi- — in 1991, 1997 and 2010 — I was victimized by the most vicious mur-
embrace at any given moment — but how long that embrace lasts. ly weighted toward those opposed. the prosecutor. The retrials were not derers are often the most vulnerable
Film critic Roger Ebert wrote at ing jailbreak scene from The Goonies. Speakers included Sister Helen because police or prosecutors with- citizens.
%XWZKHQDFWXDOYRWHUVLQ$PHULFD
held evidence or some-
the time of its 1985 release, “Goonies, Poignant notes written in its guest book Prejean of Dead Man
are
allowed to decide the death penal-
Walking
fame
and
soon
one
came
forth
with
walks a thin line between the cheerful indicate it is a place of pilgrimage for
There
ty,
they
have, without exception, vot-
to
be
federal
felon
(then
new
evidence.
They
and the gruesome, and the very scenes fans from around the world.
Illinois Gov.) George
happened because, as ed to retain, and in one case to restore
the adults might object to are the ones
Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy and The Ryan, who had been are many one Supreme Court jus- the ultimate penalty. Oregon was the
the kids will like the best.”
Ring were among other movies filmed trying to avoid discus-
put it, we accord last state to vote to abolish the death
reasons tice
Whatever the psychology of this here, but none has that Goonie cachet. sion of his own corrup-
these murderers “super penalty by popular vote in 1964. Then
¿UVWLQWKHQDJDLQLQ2UH
phenomenon, we frankly don’t care. Mikey, Mouth, Chunk, Data, the Fratellis, tion by commuting all
to have due process.”
There are many gon voters voted to return it. In 2006,
Thousands of people love The Goonies, Sloth and One-Eyed Willy have a special 164 murderers on Illi-
the
nois’ death row.
reasons to have the ul- voters in Wisconsin, which hasn’t had
DQGLWZDV¿OPHGULJKWKHUHLQ$VWRULD place in our consciousness. In a maritime
In the face of con-
penalty. Most capital punishment since the Civil
ultimate timate
and Cannon Beach.
town, who can resist the appeal of finding sistent public support
states have chosen to :DUYRWHGWRUHWXUQLW7KH/HJLVOD
That’s enough for us — and it was pirate treasure and a 1632 doubloon?
for the ultimate pen-
it and some have ture ignored them. Most recently in
penalty. offer
chosen not to. There is California in 2012, massive campaign
delightful that the community could
The 1980s-themed anniversary alties in limited cases,
no particular correla- contributions for abolition dwarfe,d
host a four-day party to celebrate the 30- HYHQWVZHUHOHGE\WKH$VWRULD:DUUHQWRQ opponents claim it’s
nothing
but
atavistic
hunger
for
re-
tion
between
death penalty states efforts of retentionists, but voters in
year anniversary of its release.
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venge. There is a distinct difference having low murder rates (as Or- very blue California voted to keep the
The lovable adventure-comedy is bonfire in Cannon Beach, the hilarious EHWZHHQUHYHQJHDQGUHWULEXWLRQ$V egon does) and non death penalty death penalty.
about a ragtag bunch of youngsters who Truffle Shuffle dance at John Warren Pope John Paul II said, “Protecting states having high murder rates (as
In a nation that values democracy
save their Uppertown homes from be- Field and other fun events have helped society is not the primary purpose of does Michigan). Those claiming the elites need to allow the voters to
ing razed for a country club golf course. boost the visibility of our community — punishment. The primary purpose of the “death of death” cannot explain decide this issue, and then be willing
On a deeper level, is it a metaphor for The New York Times and the BBC are punishment is retribution, by which ZK\ LQ WKH ¿UVW GHFDGH RI WKH VW to take “Yes” for an answer.
Josh Marquis is the Clatsop
we don’t mean revenge, but by the century, more than 25 percent more
WRGD\¶V $PHULFD ZKHUH XQIHHOLQJ among those who have covered the fes- society expressing its moral outrage, juries returned death sentences than County district attorney.
greedy carpetbaggers are gobbling up WLYLWLHV$QGWKHIDQVZKRYLVLWHG
what small towns once held dear?
this past weekend injected thousands of
$QGLVLWVLJQL¿FDQWWKDWLQDFRXQ dollars into the North Coast’s early sum-
try where some feel its adult leadership mer economy.
may be losing its way, kids are the ones
The oldest U.S. settlement west
who remind us what’s important?
of the Rockies was made famous by
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
keynote address, noted,
developers?
Carnegie
Perhaps those ideas are too high fa- Washington Irving’s book about John
New York Times News Service
³$OPRVWSHRSOHDUHUXQ
Mellon, Caltech and Cor-
OXWLQ¶IRUQRZEXWVXI¿FHWRVD\ZHDUH -DFRE$VWRU7KHUHWHOOLQJRIWKH/HZLV
ning for president — and it
nell. Whether you want to
is
remarkable
to
me
that
be a plumber or surgeon,
ere’s
an
interesting
sta-
grateful the genius of Steven Spielberg and Clark story, and the 2005 bicen-
not
one
of
them
is
talking
it is useful to know which
tistic from a 2014 labor
created something memorable that tennial, have contributed to that fame.
about these issues.”
schools’ alumni keep ris-
helps put our community on the map.
$VWRULD¶V GRZQWRZQ UHELUWK FHQWHUHG survey by burning-glass.com:
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7KH 0F.LQVH\ VWXG\
Of course, thanks to the vision of RQ WKH /LEHUW\ 7KHDWHU SOXV LWV FRP 65 percent of new job postings EHJLQV ³/DERU PDUNHWV
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0F$QGUHZ %XUQV DQG WKH &ODWVRS munity wide commitment to historic for executive secretaries and around the world have not
ing work and commerce,
and if we’re smart it can
&RXQW\ +LVWRULFDO 6RFLHW\ $VWRULD LV SUHVHUYDWLRQ DQG WKH VSOHQGLG$VWRULD executive assistants now call for kept pace with rapid shifts
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in the global economy, and
home to the Oregon Film Museum. Music Festival, all add to our appeal.
Thomas
L.
a bachelor’s degree, but “only WKHLU LQHI¿FLHQFLHV WDNH D
for employment and ad-
Friedman
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But a small movie with a big heart is
19 percent of those currently heavy toll.” Millions of
vancement so everyone
in the old county jail used in the open- right up there, too.
employed in these roles have a SHRSOHFDQ¶W¿QGZRUN³\HWVHFWRUV can monetize, or improve, any skill
from technology to health care can- and connect with any employer in
%$´
QRW¿QGSHRSOHWR¿OORSHQSRVLWLRQV need of it. “Up to 540 million peo-
6RIRXU¿IWKVRIVHFUHWDULHVWRGD\ Many who do work feel overquali- SOH FRXOG EHQH¿W IURP RQOLQH WDO
would not be considered for two- ¿HGRUXQGHUXWLOL]HG´
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“The skills gap is real,” explained said. It is not that hard. We need to
thirds of the job postings in their
RZQ¿HOGEHFDXVHWKH\GRQRWKDYH $XJXVWH³EXWLWLVDV\PSWRP²QRW be making much better use of the
a four-year degree to do the job they the cause — of a dysfunctional labor federal government’s labor market
market, along with stagnant wages data and that of websites like Mon-
alifornia water regulators last Friday drought. Storing the water that does fall are already doing!
and declining job mobility.” While VWHUFRP +LUH$UWFRP DQG /LQNH
accepted an offer from farmers with would go a long way toward getting farm-
The study noted that an “increas- it’s true that more people need to dIn, and even consider creating
the state’s most senior water rights to ers through the driest parts of the year.
ing number of job seekers face being master digital skills today, there are, skill equivalents of the Obamacare
reduce their water use.
But construction of new reservoirs, shut out of middle-skill, middle-class he noted, a lot of people with skills health exchanges. Online talent
Those farmers, who hold riparian dams, lake taps and other storage proj- occupations by employers’ rising de- employers are seeking — like cod- platforms — that can link every-
water rights in the Sacramento-San ects will take years, if not decades. mand for a bachelor’s degree” as a ing skills — but who may lack the one’s CV with every job opening,
Joaquin River Delta, told state officials Californians have already approved bor- job-qualifying badge — even though traditional credentials to be consid- with the skills needed for that job,
it may be irrelevant, or in no way ered for the jobs. There are people with the online and campus-based
they would voluntarily reduce their con- rowing billions of dollars to build two capture someone’s true capabilities, who would be happy and able to schools offering those skills with
sumption by 25 percent.
more reservoirs, but the start of construc- or where perhaps two quick online master these skills but don’t have the data showing which schools do it
By doing that, the farmers demon- tion is nowhere in sight.
FRXUVHVZRXOGEHVXI¿FLHQW
information on what they are, where best — create more employment,
This is just one of the problems best to learn them, or access to new more relevant skills and the right
strated to their fellow Californians that
Other projects will rely on federal
learning platforms that are education for them.
the burden created by four years of and state backing. Considering that the contributing to unemploy-
Congress needs to create the le-
ment
and
underemploy-
not covered by traditional
drought needs to be shared.
federal treasury has been running in the
‘The
ment today. It was the
government loans or grants; JDOSULYDF\DQG¿QDQFLDOLQFHQWLYHV
It is an attitude that others around the red since the 1990s and most states are subject of a seminar last
have employees to nurture this new social contract,
skills companies
West would do well to emulate.
tapped out, financial help for these proj- week jointly convened by
in their warehouses, call Warner argued: “The biggest chal-
1HZ $PHULFD 0F.LQVH\ gap is
It’s dry in California — and much of ects may not be forthcoming.
FHQWHUVDQGUHWDLOÀRRUVZLWK lenge for this labor force, and for
the motivation and aptitude federal policymakers, is the change
the West. Parts of Oregon and Idaho are
In the meantime, farmers and others /LQNHG,Q DQG 2SSRUWX
real.’
nity@Work,
a
new
civic
to learn the skills for new in the traditional employer-employ-
parched, and drought has been declared in agriculture need to ponder their future.
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jobs, but too few employers ee relationship.” If we used all our
across all of Washington state. Making Innovation, efficiency and re-thinking guste, who headed President Barack identify them or offer them online WHFKQRORJ\ UHVRXUFHV VDLG $QHHVK
matters worse — much worse — is cropping systems need to be a part of the Obama’s recent efforts to reform training opportunities; and there are Chopra, former chief technology of-
the fact that most of the scant mountain overall conversation.
the education-to-work pathway in rural and urban areas where tapping ¿FHURIWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVZHFRXOG
snowpacks melted during abnormally
In Idaho, for example, University $PHULFD7KHPHHWLQJ¶VIRFXVZDVD into the potential of less-credentialed actually give people “personalized
warm winter and spring weather. Some of Idaho Extension irrigation specialist QHZ0F.LQVH\VWXG\RQKRZZHFDQ workers could bring IT jobs back to recommendations for every step of
your life — at every step of your
reservoirs are starting the irrigation sea- Howard Neibling is helping farmers use big data and online talent plat- U.S. shores.
forms to better nurture talent in the
Check out linkedin.com/edu. OLIH´ $GGV $XJXVWH ³:H FDQ XVH
son well below their normal levels, and avoid a water call by reducing their con- ZRUNIRUFH ¿QG LW ZKHUH LW DOUHDG\ /LQNHG,QKDVDJLDQWGDWDEDVHRIPLO technology to do more than automate
forecasters are reminding irrigators that sumption. He said in some irrigation sys- exists but may not be “badged” by lions of workers, which it analyzed tasks. We can use it to accelerate
they will not be replenished by snow tems 16 percent of water losses are due to a college degree and connect it both to see which schools are launching learning, optimize talent, and guide
melt, as they normally are.
leaks. In others, worn nozzles, evapora- with the real demands of businesses WKHPRVWJUDGXDWHVLQWRWKHWRS¿UPV people into better jobs and careers.”
The robots will only take all
Irrigation districts are making the tion and uneven distribution waste water. and with colleges looking to make LQDYDULHW\RI¿HOGV7KH\¶UHQRWDO
their curriculum more relevant to ZD\V ZKDW \RX¶G H[SHFW $FFRXQW the jobs if we let them — so let’s
difficult choices between shutting down
Researchers are developing low-wa- FKDQJLQJ ZRUNIRUFH QHHGV$V 6HQ ing? Villanova and Notre Dame. use technology to keep the middle
for part of the season to conserve water, ter techniques for irrigation, breeding Mark Warner, who delivered a smart Media? NYU and Hofstra. Software skilled in the middle class.
pumping groundwater, fallowing land or drought-resistant crops and building
carrying on and hoping for the best.
high-tech monitors to determine which
In Washington state, some irrigators plants need moisture. Some in California
have offered other farmers $500 an acre have developed ways to save as much as
• U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici ington, D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224- 1431. Web: www.leg.state.or.us/witt/
to use their water just to get through the 50 percent of water use.
(D): 2338 Rayburn HOB, Washington, 3753. Web: www.merkley.senate.gov
Email: rep.bradwitt@state.or.us
growing season.
Before, such research was interesting. D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225-0855.
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D):
• State Rep. Deborah Boone (D):
)D[ 'LVWULFW RI¿FH 'LUNVHQ 6HQDWH 2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ 900 Court St. N.E., H-481, Salem,
More than anything, the Big Dry of Now, it’s vital.
2015 points out the desperate need for
This drought will eventually give 12725 SW Millikan Way, Suite 220, Washington, D.C., 2050. Phone: 202- OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1432.
PRUHZDWHUVWRUDJHDURXQGWKH:HVW$ way to a more normal precipitation pat- Beaverton, OR 97005. Phone: 503- 224-5244. Web: www.wyden.senate. Email: rep.deborah boone@state.or.us
326-2901. Fax 503-326-5066. Web: gov
'LVWULFW RI¿FH 32 %R[ &DQ
JODQFH DW WKH 86'$ 'URXJKW 0RQLWRU tern. But there will be other droughts. bonamici.house. gov/
• State Rep. Brad Witt (D): State non Beach, OR 97110. Phone: 503-
shows that only a few areas west of the They are an unfortunate part of Western
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D): 313 Capitol, 900 Court Street N.E., H-373, 986-1432. Web: www.leg.state.or.us/
Rocky Mountains have escaped the agriculture.
+DUW 6HQDWH 2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVK Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986- boone/
S
By JOSH MARQUIS
ome commentators are us-
ing the actions of the tradi-
tionally conservative Nebraska
/HJLVODWXUH WR DEROLVK WKH
death penalty as a call for a
“long-overdue debate” on capi-
tal punishment.
North Coast savors
the phenomenon
W
The appeal of ‘The Goonies’
is not really a mystery
Advice on how to beat the bots
H
Research will help
ag survive droughts
C
Where to write