OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015
Terrorists want us to fear fear itself
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
O
Salem errs in cuts
to police research
regon legislators say they want to curb and decrease the
size of our prison population. Policing is part of that
solution.
But Keizer Police Chief
John Teague has exposed a gap
in the Legislature’s initiative.
Speaking to a meeting of Oregon
counties, Teague criticized leg-
islators for not fully staf¿ng the
Center for Policing Excellence,
which they created in 2013.
Speci¿cally, they have not fund-
ed the research position. Law
enforcement professionals such
as Astoria Chief Brad Johnston
say that research is essential to
improving and driving forward
the concept of evidence-based
policing, which is an element in
preventing crime.
Johnston also points out
that lack of funding forced the
I
Center for Policing Excellence
to cut its leadership training
programs, which certify new
administrators, such as chiefs
and deputy chiefs. “Astoria con-
fronted this and had to ¿nd its
own training in various places,”
said Johnston. “That lacked co-
herence and cost more.” The
other important thing about
centralized leadership training,
said Johnston, is that “You want
everyone to get the same mes-
sage.”
In its funding cut at the
Center for Policing Excellence,
the Legislature has been exceed-
ingly short-sighted. It’s time to
correct the error.
Death with dignity
harder in rural areas
n 1997, the last time Clatsop
County voters were asked about
it, 61 percent favored keeping
Oregon’s law allowing terminally
ill adults to obtain a lethal pre-
scription. When Washington state
authorized the same law in 2008,
64 percent of Paci¿c County vot-
ers supported it.
Despite these strong endorse-
ments for the concept that rational
adults deserve to control their own
fates when it comes to end-of-life
decisions, it remains stubbornly
dif¿cult for terminally ill residents
of the Columbia estuary counties
to obtain physicians’ help in end-
ing their suffering. In fact, this gap
between the law and pragmatic
reality is an issue throughout the
rural Paci¿c Northwest.
Many of the Northwest’s hospi-
tal systems are af¿liated with the
Catholic Church, which has strong
doctrinal objections to suicide in
any form. This takes Providence
Seaside Hospital out of the equa-
tion. Columbia Memorial Hospital
is Lutheran-af¿liated and also opts
out of participation. In other cases,
many pharmacies, publicly owned
hospitals and their medical staffs
have chosen not to participate in
“aid in dying.”
This means, as a practical mat-
ter, that the ability to conveniently
obtain this form of help is limit-
ed to patients in urban areas with
abundant healthcare choices.
As EO Media Group journal-
ist Natalie St. John reported last
week, a recent report found that
in Washington state few minority,
lower-income and rural residents
have taken advantage of the law.
According to the report, 92 percent
of participants were white, 93 per-
cent had some form of insurance,
and 76 percent had at least some
college education. More than half
were married, and 95 percent lived
west of the Cascades. In Oregon,
participation trends have been very
similar to those in Washington —
white, well-educated, insured, west
side. But only 7 percent were from
Oregon’s coastal counties in 2014.
A common challenge is that
people who don’t live in major
cities may have to travel out of
their area to have the two required
consultations and pick up the med-
ication. That can be a serious hard-
ship for people who are low-in-
come, don’t have transportation or
are too sick to travel.
It’s time for rural healthcare
providers to reassess their posi-
tions by expanding access to aid
in dying. Measures supported by
strong majorities of local voters
deserve deference.
Good news on Amtrak’s
Willamette Valley route
T
he Amtrak Cascades has been
a hit, with one exception —
the Willamette Valley. For years, as
ridership soared between Portland
and Seattle, it languished between
Eugene and Portland.
Oregon legislators were con-
cerned about that dead zone, be-
cause Oregon buys train sets and
funds that route, just as our neigh-
bor Washington pays an even
larger share. Legislators identi-
¿ed scheduling as the Willamette
Valley route’s main problem.
Hillary Borrud of our state-
house bureau reports that after
moving the morning train’s start
time from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.,
ridership jumped. And the on-time
record of the Eugene-Portland
train has improved markedly.
Rail must be part of the inter-
city transportation solution. The
rail route between Portland Seattle
has gained popularity over the past
decade, and it is easy to see why.
Interstate 5 between the two cities,
especially into Seattle, is a night-
mare.
Many in Congress want to see
Amtrak fail. We out here cannot
afford that.
By PAUL KRUGMAN
New York Times News Service
L
ike millions of people, I’ve
been obsessively following
the news from Paris, putting
aside other things to focus on the
horror. It’s the natural human re-
action. But let’s be clear: It’s also
the reaction the terrorists want.
And that’s something not every-
one seems to understand.
Take,
for
example, Jeb
Bush’s declara-
tion that “this is
an organized at-
tempt to destroy
Western civili-
zation.” No, it
isn’t. It’s an or-
Paul
ganized attempt
Krugman
to sow panic,
which isn’t at
all the same thing. And remarks like
that, which blur that distinction and
make terrorists seem more powerful
than they are, just help the jihadis’
cause.
Think, for a moment, about
what France is and what it rep-
resents. It has its problems — what
nation doesn’t? — but it’s a robust
democracy with a deep well of pop-
ular legitimacy. Its defense budget
is small compared with ours, but
it nonetheless retains a powerful
military, and has the resources to
make that military much stronger
if it chooses. (France’s econo-
my is around 20 times the size of
Syria’s.) France is not going to be
conquered by ISIS, now or ever.
Destroy Western civilization? Not
a chance.
So what was Friday’s attack
about? Killing random people in
restaurants and at concerts is a strat-
egy that reÀects its perpetrators’ fun-
damental weakness. It isn’t going to
establish a caliphate in Paris. What
it can do, however, is inspire fear —
which is why we call it terrorism,
and shouldn’t dignify it with the
name of war.
The point is not to minimize the
horror. It is, instead, to emphasize
that the biggest danger terrorism
poses to our society comes not from
the direct harm inÀicted, but from
the wrong-headed responses it can
inspire. And it’s crucial to realize
that there are multiple ways the re-
sponse can go wrong.
It would certainly be a very bad
thing if France or other democracies
responded to terrorism with appease-
ment — if, for example, the French
were to withdraw from the interna- ians wouldn’t remove the limits to
tional effort against ISIS in the vain American power. It would, howev-
hope that jihadis would leave them er, do wonders for terrorist recruit-
alone. And I won’t say that there are ment.
no would-be appeasers out there;
Finally, terrorism is just one of
there are indeed some people deter- many dangers in the world, and
mined to believe that Western impe- shouldn’t be allowed to divert our at-
rialism is the root of all evil, and all tention from other issues. Sorry, con-
would be well if we stopped med- servatives: when President Barack
Obama describes climate change
dling.
as the greatest threat
But real-world ex-
face, he’s exactly
amples of mainstream
Terrorism we
right. Terrorism can’t
politicians, let alone
won’t destroy our
governments, knuck-
can’t and and
civilization, but glob-
ling under to terrorist
al warming could and
demands are hard to
won’t
might.
¿nd. Most accusa-
So what can we
tions of appeasement destroy our
say about how to re-
in America seem to
be aimed at liberals civilization, spond to terrorism?
the atrocities
who don’t use what
but global Before
in Paris, the West’s
conservatives consid-
general response in-
er tough enough lan-
warming
volved a mix of po-
guage.
could and licing, precaution,
A much bigger
and military action.
risk, in practice, is
might.
All involved difficult
that the targets of
trade-offs: surveil-
terrorism will try to
achieve perfect security by elimi- lance versus privacy, protection
nating every conceivable threat — versus freedom of movement, de-
a response that inevitably makes nying terrorists havens versus the
things worse, because it’s a big, costs and dangers of waging war
complicated world, and even super- abroad. And it was always obvious
powers can’t set everything right. that sometimes a terrorist attack
On 9/11 Donald Rumsfeld told his would slip through.
Paris may have changed that cal-
aides: “Sweep it up. Related and
not,” and immediately suggested culus a bit, especially when it comes
using the attack as an excuse to in- to Europe’s handling of refugees, an
vade Iraq. The result was a disas- agonizing issue that has now gotten
trous war that actually empowered even more fraught. And there will
terrorists, and set the stage for the have to be a post-mortem on why
such an elaborate plot wasn’t spot-
rise of ISIS.
And let’s be clear: this wasn’t ted. But do you remember all the
just a matter of bad judgment. Yes, pronouncements that 9/11 would
Virginia, people can and do exploit change everything? Well, it didn’t
terrorism for political gain, including — and neither will this atrocity.
Again, the goal of terrorists is
using it to justify what they imagine
will be a splendid, politically bene¿- to inspire terror, because that’s all
they’re capable of. And the most
cial little war.
Oh, and whatever people like important thing our societies can do
Ted Cruz may imagine, ending our in response is to refuse to give in to
reluctance to kill innocent civil- fear.
The most revealing debate yet
Paul had his best night. He
Which leaves the two
certainly deserves credit
outsider front-runners. Ben
for courage. His noninter-
Carson had an awful night
— the Chinese intervening
ventionist foreign policy is
in Syria? But it was book-
ASHINGTON — The far outside the GOP main-
ended and thereby saved
stream,
which
is
why
Marco
Republican debate on
by two good moments: his
Rubio won the room in their
CNBC was riveting, the way a exchange on defense spend-
¿rst answer, the pre-emptive
train wreck is riveting — you ing and intervention. But
“Thank you for not asking
me what I said in the 10th
Paul
defended
his
minori-
can’t take your eyes off it. The
grade,” and his closing state-
ty
view
stoutly,
regardless.
Charles
Fox Business Network debate was
ment about the suffering in
Give him points for princi-
Krauthammer
merely satisfying. A serious politi- ple.
the country being overcome
cal discussion requires a bit more
In a year when showmanship is by America’s inner strength.
Trump shares with Carson the
king, however, principle won’t help
work, but it repays the effort.
GOP’s
vast anti-politics constituen-
him
much
to
get
out
of
single
digits.
The CNBC affair was a contrived
You could almost see Paul on the far cy, now fully half of the Republican
food ¿ght during which substance oc- right of the stage and Kasich on the far electorate. Carson’s antidote to the na-
casionally broke out (such as the brief left dropping through a trapdoor, leav- tion’s failed politics is moral strength.
exchange between Chris Christie and ing six ¿nalists.
Trump’s is unapologetic brute strength.
Trump did not have a particular-
Or perhaps not six. Jeb Bush, too,
Mike Huckabee on entitlement re-
ly
good
night, either. He was again at
had
his
best
night.
He
was
competent
form). FBN, on the other hand, con-
and solid but, unfortunately, still inar- sea on foreign policy. And when asked
ducted a meaty debate during which ticulate. You almost feel sorry for the about the Trans-Paci¿c Partnership, the
a tomato or two was occasionally travail he is about to endure on his in- 12-nation trade deal he opposes root
tossed. John Kasich came itching for creasingly long-shot campaign.
and branch, Trump did his riff on the
Carly Fiorina, strong on stage but Chinese economic menace — to which
a ¿ght. Donald Trump pitched back
with his usual high-mindedness, re- weak on campaign infrastructure, Rand Paul calmly pointed out that
showed herself tough China is not party to the TPP. Indeed,
sponding at one point
as nails — the perfect the main strategic purpose of the TPP
to Kasich with “I’ve
The CNBC VP. She can say things is precisely to contain China by bind-
built an unbelievable
Hillary Clinton ing its Paci¿c neighbors to the United
affair was about
company worth bil-
that no man can. And States, thus blunting Beijing’s reach for
regional hegemony.
knows it.
lions and billions of
a contrived she Tuesday’s
Never mind. As long as the anti-pol-
best
dollars. I don’t have to
performers, unsurpris- itics mood prevails, neither Trump nor
food
fight
hear from this man.”
ingly, were Rubio and Carson is even dented by such policy
By CHARLES
KRAUTHAMMER
Washington Post Writers Group
W
during
Despite such ex-
Ted Cruz, the 44-year-
ceptions, the FBN de-
old, silver-tongued,
which
bate marks the point
Cuban-American,
at which the GOP
¿rst-term
senators.
substance
campaign begins leav-
Imagine them as a
ing the entertainment occasionally ticket. In 1992, Bill
phase and entering the
Clinton’s choice of Al
broke out. Gore was as strategi-
serious season. The
moderators’ modesty
cally brilliant as it was
and straightforwardness created an at- counterintuitive. Instead of balancing
mosphere of transparency that allowed that ticket — old with young, Northern
the candidates to reveal themselves, ad- with Southern, experience with energy
vertently or not.
— Clinton doubled down with his own
Kasich did. Unfortunately, it was mirror image. The “Young Guns,” as
an irritable self-righteous Kasich who Newsweek memorably dubbed them
showed up, doing himself no good. on its cover, proved irresistible. (Others
At the other end of the podium, Rand called it “Double Bubba.”)
misadventures.
Tuesday night did not radically alter
the trajectory of the Republican race.
But it will hasten the winnowing of the
¿eld. If you narrow the view¿nder, the
debate stage shrinks from eight to six
to a possible ¿nal four: Cruz, Rubio,
Carson, Trump. (Chris Christie, who
shone in the undercard debate, has the
best outside shot at crashing this group.)
On Tuesday, all the contenders were
required to show their hand. We saw
character and we saw policy. Substance
is never sizzling, but the FBN de-
bate was both revealing and sobering:
Which one of these can you actually see
inhabiting the Oval Of¿ce?