OPINION
6A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2015
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By TOM COLICCHIO
)or The NeZ YorN TiPes
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
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But, ban on exporting oil has
3aFi¿F NorthZest raPi¿Fations
ast Friday’s congressional approval of $1.15 trillion in
spending and $620 billion in tax savings for businesses
and low-income workers includes at least one deal that deserves
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With little if any input from
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eliminated a 40-year-old ban on
exporting American oil. This ac-
tion stands to have an oversized
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which is the beachhead be-
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energy-hungry Asian nations.
Backroom deal-making means
we will bear consequences in the
form of oil-spill risks; increased
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pacts from long oil trains; and
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the form of jobs and tax revenue.
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trade — including the oil-export
ban — tend to be an economic
drag.
But the overarching problem
with rescinding the export ban
and with other aspects of the
spending/tax-break deal is that
they are the product of a few fed-
eral legislators and staff members
working in concert with lobby-
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bill until details are deciphered in
coming days.
Legislating is about compro-
mise — a fact of life often forgot-
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lawmakers should interact with
citizens concerning decisions like
ending the export ban that have
Some lawmakers tried to insert lan-
guage into must-pass spending legisla-
tion that would block states from giving
consumers the right to know whether
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ingredients.
It was not in-
cluded.
Via Wikimedia Commons
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A snakehead murrel close-up from Banyumas, Central Java, Indo-
10 Americans
nesia. After its release in North American waters, this fish was often
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called Frankenfish because of its look, aggressiveness and ability to
disclosure on
live outside water. It is not genetically modified.
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according to a
2013 NeZ YorN
cals has increased 16-fold.
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TiPes SROO MXVW
*02DGYRFDWHVOLNHWRODEHODQ\RQH salmon that produce extra growth hor-
like consumers
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Tom
in 64 other na-
genetic technology has had an amazing ERWWRPIHHGHU WKH QRQ.RVKHU RFHDQ
Colicchio
tions. But pow-
impact on the development of medi- SRXW7KHUHVXOWLVD¿VKWKDWJURZVIDU
erful members of the agriculture and cine and the eradication of infectious faster and larger than nonengineered
DSSURSULDWLRQVFRPPLWWHHVDORQJZLWK GLVHDVHV,I*02IRRGVZHUHDFWXDOO\ salmon.
The U.S. Food and Drug Adminis-
their allies in agribusiness corporations SURYLGLQJDFOHDUEHQH¿WWRWKHSXEOLF
OLNH0RQVDQWRZDQWWRNHHSFRQVXPHUV OLNHLPSURYHGQXWULWLRQORZHUFRVWVRU WUDWLRQLQVLVWVWKHWUDQVJHQLF¿VKLVVDIH
in the dark. That’s why
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opponents of that effort
creating a spiral of ev- they have yet to prove AquAdvantage
This new
called it the DARK Act
er-increasing toxicity will be safe for the environment or oth-
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— or the Deny Ameri-
engineered LQRXUHQYLURQPHQW,¶G
cans the Right to Know
be all for them. And the use of antibiotics and pesticides to
Act.
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fish
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er on their promise to ish in high-density environments. The
of the food I serve. The
LPSURYHIRRGVHFXULW\ waste they release can decimate other
could be
idea that I would try to
which they have yet to marine life and contaminate the water
hide what’s in my food marketed as do in the more than 20 VXSSO\ )DUPHG ¿VK RIWHQ HVFDSH LQWR
from my customers of-
since they were ODUJHUZDWHUVHQGDQJHULQJQDWLYHVSH-
… Atlantic years
fends everything I be-
LQWURGXFHG,¶GEHRYHU cies. While these new salmon will be
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lieve in. It’s also really
the moon.
salmon.
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bad for business.
Vermont recently
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passed a law requiring \RX GRQ¶W OLNH WKH )UDQNHQ¿VK GRQ¶W
companies like Kellogg and groups like WKHODEHOLQJRIWKHVHIRRGV2WKHUVWDWHV buy it.
But there’s the rub. This new engi-
the Grocery Manufacturers Association are considering doing the same. That’s
spent millions in recent years to lobby the impetus behind this backdoor effort: QHHUHG¿VKFRXOGEHPDUNHWHGDV«$W-
DJDLQVWWUDQVSDUHQF\"7KH\VD\LQHI- 2SSRQHQWVZDQW&RQJUHVVWRSUHHPSW lantic salmon. There might be no way
IHFW³7UXVWXVIRONV:HORRNHGLQWRLW Vermont and other like-minded states for consumers to identify it as geneti-
cally engineered.
*02 LQJUHGLHQWV DUH VDIH´ %XW ZKDW from implementing these rules.
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they’re missing is that consumers want
The federal government already re-
WRPDNHWKHLURZQMXGJPHQWV&RQVXP- quires labeling of ingredients and basic food produced in accordance with their
ers are saying: “Trust me. Let me do nutritional information and regulates YDOXHVDQGQRWEHPLVOHGE\DQLQGXV-
my own homework and make my own against marketing that misleads the try’s strenuous efforts to keep them in
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,Q IDFW VRPH RI XV KDYH GRQH RXU makes sense.
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But that’s not what is happening. those rights.
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foods would be a step in the wrong di-
FRQVHTXHQFHV)RULQVWDQFHPRVW*02 engineered salmon.
crops are engineered to withstand blasts
Last month the Food and Drug Ad- UHFWLRQDZD\IURPJUHDWHUDFFRXQWDELO-
of a powerful weed killer that the World ministration approved for sale to the LW\DQGUHVSRQVLELOLW\&RQJUHVVVKRXOG
+HDOWK2UJDQL]DWLRQKDVGHFLGHGSURE- SXEOLF WKH ¿UVW JHQHWLFDOO\ HQJLQHHUHG reject these efforts to block our right to
DEO\FDXVHVFDQFHU1HZ³VXSHUZHHGV´ animal approved for human con- know.
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are appearing that require even more VXPSWLRQ²D¿VKWKH\DUHFDOOLQJWKH
CraIteG Hospitalit\ anG FoIounGer oI
lethal formulations. Since the introduc- AquAdvantage salmon.
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He’s right.
(in a letter to Rep. Mike
The
great
Paris
Pompeo of the House In-
achievement is supposed
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to be global “transpar-
deal “is not a treaty or an
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possibly amount to when
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you can’t even trust the
But don’t worry. Its suc-
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cess “will depend not on
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whether it is legally bind-
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accord. It follows his Iran nuclear JUHDWHVW FDUERQ HPLWWHU
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Charles
deal and awaits but the closing of
underreported its burning
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Guantanamo to complete his glitter- RI FRDO E\ SHUFHQW D Krauthammer
pacity to reimpose — and
ing legacy.
ramp up — our sanctions
staggering error (assum-
7R EH VXUH 2EDPD ZLOO QRW EH ing it wasn’t a deliberate deception) if Iran does not meet its commit-
submitting the climate agreement equal to the entire coal consumption PHQWV´
And how is that going?
of Germany.
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I’m a climate-change agnostic.
no chance of passing — as with But I’m realistic enough to welcome second test of a nuclear-capable bal-
WKH ,UDQLDQ QXFOHDU GHDO DOVR QHYHU prudent hedging against a possible listic missile in direct contravention
VXEPLWWHGIRUWKH6HQDWHUDWL¿FDWLRQ worst-case scenario. I’ve long ad- RIWZR816HFXULW\&RXQFLOSURKL-
vocated for a multilateral agreement ELWLRQV LQFOXGLQJ RQH WKDW LQFRUSR-
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(unilateral U.S. actions being climat- rates the current nuclear agreement
And if he does close Guantana- ically useless and economically sui- — which bans such tests for eight
PR LW ZLOO EH LQ GH¿DQFH RI RYHU- cidal) negotiated with the most im- years.
whelming bipartisan congressional SRUWDQWSOD\HUV²VD\,QGLD&KLQD
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opposition.
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<RX VHH YLVLRQDU\ WKLQNHUV OLNH LQJUHDOOLPLWVUHDOQXPEHUVDQGUHDO istration did nothing. A few words at
2EDPD FDQQRW EH ERXQG E\ QRUPDO enforcement. That would be a genu- WKH 8QLWHG 1DWLRQV :HUHQ¶W ZH UH-
peatedly assured that any Iranian vi-
constitutional stric-
ine achievement.
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What the cli- olation would be met with vigorous
Visionary
very unpopularity
mate-change con- DFWLRQ" 1R ZRUU\ DJDLQ $V 81
of his most cher-
ference produced Ambassador Samantha Power told
thinkers
ished
diplomatic
instead was hot D FRQJUHVVLRQDO KHDULQJ ODVW ZHHN
goals is proof of
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cannot
be
their prophetic far-
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The heart sinks.
sightedness.
ticipants. (Fourteen
bound by
It was obvious from the very
Yet the climate
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normal
deal brought back
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from Paris by Sec-
promises to be WUDWLRQSURPLVHRI³VQDSEDFN´VDQF-
UHWDU\RI6WDWH-RKQ constitutional ginreducing carbon tions was a farce. The Iranians knew
Kerry turns out to
emissions 15 years it. Hence their contempt for even the
strictures.
be no deal at all. It
from now. India prospect of American pushback: two
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announced it will illegal missile launches conducted
of carbon-reducing promises made EH WULSOLQJ LWV FRDO¿UHG HOHFWULFLW\ ostentatiously even before sanctions
individually and unilaterally by the FDSDFLW\ E\ 0HDQZKLOH WKH are lifted and before they receive
world’s nations.
2EDPDDGPLQLVWUDWLRQLVHIIHFWLYHO\ their $150 billion in unfrozen assets
1R HQIRUFHPHQW QR VDQFWLRQV dismantling America’s entire coal early next year.
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6XQGD\´³7KLVPDQGDWRU\UHSRUWLQJ U.S. will fare under this new envi- DQ\ YLRODWLRQ OHVW LW MHRSDUGL]H KLV
requirement ... is a serious form of ronmental regime? Take a glance at transformative foreign policy legacy.
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ments. The proliferators and the
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Does the American public know polluters are not bound. By our own
,I \RX WKLQN WKDW¶V JLEEHULVK that the Iranian parliament has nev- YROLWLRQZHDUH
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\RX¶UH QRW DORQH 1$6$ VFLHQWLVW er approved it? And that the Iranian
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FDUERQ DEROLWLRQLVW LQGHOLFDWHO\ is not legally bound to an\thing. As maining prisoners will be released.
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the State Department freely admitted 2EDPDZLOOQRWEHGHQLHG
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the presidency stirred many
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nority voting is among the most
short-sighted and debilitating.
Instead of competing for
Hispanic votes and responding to
workplace needs for immigration
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motivated by fear. That fear pro-
pels them to turn the clock back
– to defy the demographic wave
that is coming.
The war against Hispanic vot-
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just for presidential reasons. It is
also about local politics in states
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Ruttenberg of The NeZ YorN
TiPes focused on city politics in
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election was followed by a sud-
den return of restrictive new
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proportionately affecting mi-
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newly empowered Republican
legislatures throughout the
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re consumers smart enough
to be trusted with their own
food choices?
direct real-world impacts on our
lives.
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must be prepared to make full
use of all regulatory and politi-
cal mechanisms to make certain
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oil shipments fully internalize all
costs. This will include holding
them to ultra-strict safety stan-
dards and indemnifying commu-
nities for losses from spills.
Beyond eliminating the export
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er things in the bill:
• The Land and Water
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saved with a $450 million appro-
priation. This is a huge deal for
parks and recreation programs
throughout the nation.
• Planned Parenthood was left
alone.
• $610 million was approved
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come.
• Federal help for alternative
wind and solar energy was re-
newed.
Achieving fundamental legis-
lative tasks shouldn’t have to rely
on the kind of stealth that accom-
By CHARLES
KRAUTHAMMER
panied important aspects of this
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favors are certain to be sprinkled
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IUHVKLQJWRVHH&RQJUHVVPDQDJH second jewel in his foreign poli-
to do its job in any way at all.
cy triple crown: the Paris climate
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the demographic wave
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gutting enforcement provisions
of the Voting Rights Act. The
Roberts’ majority’s logic was that
America’s racist restriction of
voting was ended. But if you fol-
low Ruttenberg’s reporting out of
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and exclude minority citizens
from the ballot box is alive and
well in Texas.
Voting is the most basic
American right. The people
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timidate are citizens. All of this is
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and implied violence were used to
keep blacks away from the polls
in the South.
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Martin Luther King Day. Dr.
King’s legacy includes the libera-
tion of the South from a debilitat-
ing way of life in which political
control was achieved through vi-
olence.
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a healthy credo for a nation. It de-
means every citizen — the perpe-
trators as well as the victims.