OPINION
6A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2015
GUEST COLUMN
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
Children have right to protection
By MARGARET FRIMOTH
For The Daily Astorian
T
he topic of child sexual abuse
is always disturbing, and
often, more complex than can be
imagined.
Child sexual abuse is a commu-
nity issue that dramatically impacts
our schools, work environments,
places of worship and, too frequent-
ly, our personal relationships.
In response, let’s take a collective
deep breath and learn to deal effective-
O\ZLWKWKHVWDWLVWLFDOUDPL¿FDWLRQVVXU-
rounding childhood trauma.
Despite more than three decades
of work in this area, the statistics still
unnerve me. For instance, according
to the Oregon Department of Human
Services (2014), 10 percent of children
in Clatsop County have experienced
childhood victimization. The Rape,
mericans take farming for granted, believing it is static, Abuse and Incest National Network
(RAAIN) states that a sexual assault
unchanging.
We buy food in supermarkets, Retzlaff said that stamina is import- occurs in the U.S. every two minutes,
and that 44 percent of the victims are
often with little knowledge of where ant, but so is an array of knowledge children under age 18. The Center for
the food came from.
from soil science to insects to ac- Disease Control, reports that 200 mil-
Consumer attitudes and farming counting and marketing.
lion workdays are lost annually due to
are changing. Small farms are pop-
One measure of the vitality of unresolved childhood trauma.
If we truly care about children, we
ping up with some regularity in the the small agriculture movement is
cannot allow ignorance, despair, or sorry for the accused, or we may be
&ROXPELD3DFL¿F UHJLRQ %HKLQG Oregon State University’s response.
PDQLSXODWLRQ WR GH¿QH D FRPPXQLW\ unable to fathom the descriptions of
these ventures is a new generation of After decades of devotion to big pro- standard about sexual abuse. Recently, abuse. We may question children’s dis-
entrepreneurs. They are playing to a duction agriculture, OSU in 2013 es- defense attorney Jay Frank wrote an closures because they are too disturb-
new consumer base that cares deeply tablished the Center for Small Farms editorial that attempted to sway public ing to believe. News headlines rarely
about where their food source is.
and Community Food Systems, with opinions away from protecting chil- capture the pain, the betrayal, or the
dren by diminishing the
long-term consequences
Sometimes these people come to two faculty members.
actions of his client, now
of abuse. The normaliza-
farming with a degree in agriculture.
Retzlaff credits the OSU center a convicted sex offender.
Stand
tion of sexual violence
More often, farming is a second or with having programs that are rele- His words compounded
in popular culture means
up for
third life choice.
vant to the emerging farmer. These the opinions written in an
that only the most horren-
dous accounts of abuse
Teresa Retzlaff is one of the most programs are delivered through earlier editorial by Jack children.
Harris.
make headlines.
energetic and articulate examples of OSU’s statewide extension network,
6SHFL¿FDOO\ )UDQN
But statistically, we
Listen.
the new breed of farmer. Retzlaff’s which has been active in small farm-
used legal rhetoric to ob-
are surrounded by abuse,
odyssey that brought her to 46 North ing since the 1990s. One of the Center scure the uncomfortable Believe.
and in response, commu-
Farm in Olney is like that of many for Small Farms’ new programs is evidence — a child was
QLW\ PHPEHUV PD\ ¿QG
themselves divided be-
other self-taught business peo- titled Growing Farms: Successful sexually abused, bribed, Protect.
and threatened by a trust-
tween support of the vic-
ple. She told her story last week at Whole Farm Management.
ed
caregiver.
Frank
shifts
the
focus
tim
or
the
perpetrator.
When divisions
Columbia Forum.
Educational resources are essen-
away from the abuse by spotlighting take center stage, the devastation left
Every line of work has its barri- tial to any line of business. But the convicted offender, Michel Thom- by the abuse is shouldered primarily
ers to entry, many of which are based rarest part of entrepreneurship is as Mitchell, as not guilty because he by the child and nonoffending friends
on myth. One myth that Retzlaff the entrepreneur. That describes the plead “by Alford.”
and family members. Yet, honestly, we
Let’s
face
it,
most
sex
offenders
all suffer from the burden of abuse.
exposed and demolished is the be- value of Retzlaff and her husband,
deny
guilt.
That
is
to
be
expected.
Defense attorneys capitalize on our
lief that you can’t farm on the North Packy Coleman. Their persistence
Let’s not make offender denial news- confusion, our denial and our fatigue.
Coast. In her early quest, she heard is an example for others who might
worthy. Instead, as community mem- It is their job to chisel away at a com-
that shibboleth. She found it em- nurture the ambition to farm.
bers, we need to understand the role of munity’s resolve to safeguard children.
bodied in Clatsop County’s 1980
The emergence of small farms, GHIHQVH DWWRUQH\V ZLWKRXW VDFUL¿FLQJ Still, we must hold offenders account-
able while ensuring a community stan-
Comprehensive Plan, which says as well as farmers markets, on the our responsibility to protect children.
In actuality, the sexual abuse of dard that does not tolerate abuse. This
that the future of farming in this North Coast is one of the healthiest
county is not bright.
trends in our larger region — extend- children is a heinous crime. Its de- begins by acknowledging the reality of
structiveness extends well beyond a abuse.
Contrary to popular belief, run- LQJWR:DVKLQJWRQ¶V3DFL¿F&RXQW\ single court case. The statistical reality
A good illustration was the Astoria
ning a farm is a complex enterprise. and Puget Island.
of the crime may numb our responses Co-op Grocery’s immediate actions
and muddle our ability to act decisive- when employee Mitchell was arrested
ly on behalf of children.
and charged with child sexual abuse.
When this occurs, we may feel Had the co-op waited for a legal reso-
HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager
Small farm success
destroys a myth
A
Clatsop County 1980 plan
discourages farming
Fee was always
ready to rescue
lution before taking action, they would
have sent a clear message to all shop-
pers that safety was not their primary
goal. But the Astoria Co-op did not
respond this way.
Instead, the entire Board of Di-
rectors took swift action to remove
Mitchell, to protect children and
families, to speak out against acts of
victimization, and to ensure a safe
environment. Their actions are com-
mendable and I encourage others to
join me in supporting the Astoria Co-
op with our thanks and our purchases.
Perhaps more businesses and organi-
zations will follow suit.
Child sexual abuse thrives on three
major contributing factors — vic-
tim-blaming, victim-playing and si-
lencing. Watch for these strategies as
they are interwoven into sexual abuse
cases. Recognize them as ploys to mis-
lead and deceive. Don’t fall prey to the
tactics. Instead, stand up for children.
Listen. Believe. Protect.
If you get confused, remember
WKDWZHH[SHFW¿UHGHSDUWPHQWVWRUH-
spond immediately without waiting
WRFRQ¿UPZKHWKHUD¿UHH[LVWV,QDQ
emergency, we understand that due
process follows action. The sexual
abuse of children is no less an emer-
gency. Children have a right to safety
and protection as a primary obligation
of a healthy community. Let’s embrace
this standard of care for our children.
Astorian Margaret Frimoth is a
founder of Victory Over Child Abuse
(VOCA) Camps
Putin’s gambit, Obama’s puzzlement
infusion of battle tanks,
Europeans have no idea
armored personnel carri-
what to do. Putin offers a
ers, howitzers and hous-
way out: No war, no refu-
ing for 1,500 — strongly
gees. Stop the Syrian civil
war and not only do they
ASHINGTON — Once suggesting ground forces
harnelle Fee, who died last week hours and heartfelt effort goes. That’s
to
follow.
VWRSÀRRGLQJLQWR(XURSH
again, President Obama
at age 68, exhibited a level of just about as good as life can get,” she
4. To push out the
those already there go
and his foreign policy team are Americans. For Putin,
back home to Syria.
passion for her cause that was deeply told a reporter in November 1999.
stumped.
geopolitics
is
a
zero-sum
Putin says, settle the
admirable — the kind of thorough
Fee sank her life savings into the
game:
Russia
up,
America
war
with my client in
Why
is
Vladimir
Putin
pouring
engagement that considerably makes Olney property that is still home to
down. He is demonstrating
place
— the Assad regime
troops
and
weaponry
into
Syria?
Charles
up for the indifference of others.
the wildlife center, after having al-
whom you can rely on in
joined by a few “healthy”
Krauthammer
Her cause was useful and humane ready dedicated a decade to animal
After all, as Secretary of State this very tough neighbor-
opposition forces — and I
here at the dangerous interface be- rehab. Now operating as an IRS- John Kerry has thrice told his Rus- hood. Obama has given short shrift solve your refugee nightmare.
You almost have to admire the
WZHHQ1RUWK$PHULFDDQGWKH3DFL¿F UHFRJQL]HG QRQSUR¿W FRUSRUDWLRQ sian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, it is to the Kurds, shafted America’s al-
lies with the Iran deal and abandoned cynicism. After all, what’s driving
Ocean. She founded and played an the center’s board is committed to only making things worse.
But worse for whom? For the ad- the Anbar Sunnis who helped us win the refugees is the war and what’s
oversized role in the operation of the keeping it going. It is to be hoped ditional thousands of civilians who the surge. Meanwhile, Putin risks driving the war is Iran and Russia.
Wildlife Center of the North Coast, a they succeed. Without the center, eu- ZLOOGLHRUÀHHDVDUHVXOWRIWKHLQ- putting Russian boots on the ground They provide the material, the funds
kind of triage center and hospital for thanasia would often be the default HYLWDEO\ LQWHQVL¿HG ¿JKWLQJ 7UXH to rescue his Syrian allies.
and now, increasingly, the troops that
Obama says Bashar al-Assad has IXHOWKH¿JKWLQJ7KHDUVRQLVWSOD\V
sick and injured creatures around the response for most ailing wildlife and I’m sure Lavrov is as moved by
mouth of the Columbia River.
found on our beaches and elsewhere. their plight as by the 8,000 killed in to go, draws a red line on chemical ¿UHPDQ
After all, most of the refugees
Since Fee launched the center in
Like all who passionately believe Russia’s splendid little Ukrainian ad- weapons — and does nothing. Rus-
venture.
sia acts on behalf of a desperate ally. DUHQRWÀHHLQJWKH,VODPLF6WDWH,WV
the spring of 1999, it has rehabilitat- in their missions, Fee was not univer-
Kerry and Obama are serially Whom do you want in your corner? depravity is more ostentatious, but
ed thousands of seabirds, raptors and sally popular. Nor did all her positions surprised because they cannot fath-
5. To relegitimize post-Crimea it is mostly visited upon minorities,
other animals.
¿QGPDMRULW\VXSSRUWLQORFDOFRPPX- om the hard men in the Kremlin. Yet Russia by making it indispensable in Christian and Yazidi — and they
The center has often been in the nities. She was very much opposed, Putin’s objectives in Syria are blin- Syria. It’s a neat two-cushion shot. have already been largely ethnically
At the U.N. next week, Putin will of- cleansed from Islamic State territo-
news, for example when ocean con- for instance, to government efforts to dingly obvious:
1. To assert Russia’s
fer Russia as a core mem- ry. The European detention camps
ditions have resulted in dozens of se- lower the population of salmon-eat- LQÀXHQFH LQ WKH 0LG-
ber of a new anti-Islamic DUHRYHUÀRZLQJZLWK6\ULDQVÀHHLQJ
riously ailing birds washing ashore in ing birds in the Columbia estuary. dle East and make it the
The
State coalition. Obama’s Assad’s barbarism, especially his
a short time. Fee and a devoted cad- Some decried her as a do-gooder.
dominant outside power.
war — with attacks on civilians, using artillery,
arsonist Potemkin
its phantom local troops FKORULQH JDV DQG QDLO¿OOHG EDUUHO
re of volunteers met such demands
But in Fee’s case, it was always Putin’s highest ambition
(our $500 million train- bombs.
with dedication worthy of a Korean about the wildlife. Asked about her is to avenge and reverse
plays
Putin to the rescue. As with
Russia’s
humiliating
loss
ing program has yielded
War-era MASH unit, working count- relationship with the public, she said,
of superpower status a fireman.
¿YH ¿JKWHUV VR IDU DQG the chemical weapons debacle, he
less hours in the hope of saving and ³, EHOLHYH WKH SHRSOH RI WKH 3DFL¿F quarter-century ago. Un-
ÀDFFLGDLUFDPSDLJQ²LV steps in to save the day. If we ac-
returning to the wild as many avian Northwest care deeply about the derstanding this does not come easi- ÀDLOLQJEDGO\:KDW3XWLQLVSURSRV- quiesce, Russia becomes an indis-
victims as possible.
environment and its wildlife. I have ly to an American president who for ing is that Russia, Iran and Hezbol- pensable partner. It begins military
No job was too big or too small met individuals who have made ex- seven years has been assiduously cu- ODKVSHDUKHDGWKHDQWLMLKDGLVW¿JKW and diplomatic coordination with
Putin’s offer is clear: Stop us. (We’ve just agreed to negoti-
— bald eagles to ducklings were traordinary effort to rescue distressed rating America’s decline abroad.
2. To sustain Russia’s major and ¿JKWLQJ $VVDG DFFHSW 5XVVLD DV ations over Russia’s Syrian build-
rescued at the wildlife center, always ZLOGOLIHWKDWWKH\¿QG2XUFHQWHULV long-standing Arab ally. Ever since a major player, and acquiesce to up.) Its post-Ukraine isolation is
with the goal of returning them to here to help them complete that ef- Anwar Sadat kicked the Soviets out a Russia-Iran-Hezbollah regional lifted and, with Iran, it becomes the
their habitats.
fort by providing a place for wildlife of Egypt in 1972, Syria’s Assads hegemony — and we will lead the regional arbiter.
In the end, the Putin strategy may
³1RPDWWHUKRZPDQ\ZH¿JKWWR to receive medical treatment and re- have been Russia’s principal asset in drive against the Islamic State from
not work, but it’s deadly serious
the Middle East.
in front.
VDYHDQG¿QDOO\JHWWRUHOHDVHEDFNLQWR habilitative care.”
3. To expand the reach of Rus-
And there is a bonus. The clev- and not at all obscure. The White
nature, this is what it’s really all about:
In an age when most of us experi-
sia’s own military. It has a naval erest part of the Putin gambit is its House can stop scratching its collec-
releasing healthy wildlife back to their ence nature via television, Fee was a base at Tartus, its only such outside unstated cure for Europe’s refugee tive head whenever another Condor
natural homes while kids and parents hands-on advocate. Her absence will RI5XVVLD,WKDVDQDLU¿HOGQHDU/DW- crisis.
transport unloads its tanks and ma-
akia, now being expanded with an
and volunteers see where all the long be noticed.
Wracked by guilt and fear, the rines at Latakia.
S
Staunch wildlife advocate
left lasting legacy
By CHARLES
KRAUTHAMMER
Washington Post Writers Group
W