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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2016)
OPINION 4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2016 $WDOHRIWZRVKHULIIV 6KHULII:DUGVWRRG up for his community while Sheriff Palmer subverted his W hen a tough guy loses his composure, LWVWDUWOHVXV7KDWKDSSHQHGODVWZHHN at the FBI press conference following WKHDUUHVWRI0DOKHXU1DWLRQDO:LOGOLIH5HIXJH RFFXSLHUV )ROORZLQJ DQ )%, DJHQW DQG D GHSXW\ 86 SURVHFXWRU IRU 2UHJRQ LW ZDV +DUQH\ &RXQW\ 6KHULII 'DYH :DUG¶V WXUQ DW WKH PLFURSKRQH 6SHDNLQJZLWKRXWQRWHV:DUGIRXJKWWRFRQWDLQ his emotions as he described how the armed occupation had torn the WRZQRI%XUQVDSDUW Beneath the national story of armed occupiers versus the feds were two VLJQL¿FDQW VXESORWV 2QH RI WKHP ZDV MXVW ZKDW 6KHULII:DUGGHVFULEHG² the stress of feeling incip- ient violence in the midst RIDVPDOOUXUDOWRZQ7KH other subplot was the tale Steve RIWZRVKHULIIV Forrester :KLOH6KHULII:DUGZDV one of the solid, impres- VLYHSOD\HUVLQWKLVGUDPD6KHULII*OHQQ3DOPHU RI DGMRLQLQJ *UDQW &RXQW\ ZDV DW EHVW HPEDU- rassing, and at worst, an enabler of lawbreakers, SXWWLQJKLVRZQFRXQW\¶VUHVLGHQWVDWULVN Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian $PDMRUPRWLIRIWKHP\WKRORJ\RIWKH:HVW is the sheriff who defends his community from Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward speaks at press conference at the Harney County Community Center in Burns, Jan. 27. DUPHG LQYDGHUV 3DOPHU HIIHFWLYHO\ WKUHZ KLV support to the outsiders, preferring hotheads Unwittingly, it was LQVWHDGRIWKHUXOHRIODZ Unwittingly, it was Palmer’s invitation to Palmer’s invitation $PPRQ%XQG\WKDWGUHZ%XQG\DQGKLVOHDGHU- to Ammon Bundy ship core to John Day on the fateful afternoon of -DQ7KH)%,VHWXSDKLJKZD\EORFNDWWKH that drew Bundy county line, arresting Bundy and seven others DQGNLOOLQJRQH KHULIIV RFFXS\ D XQLTXH SODFH LQ$PHULFDQ ODZHQIRUFHPHQW:KLOHWKH\PXVWEHFHUWL- ¿HG E\ WKH 2UHJRQ %RDUG RI 3ROLFH 6WDQGDUGV and Training, they are not hired in the manner RIDSROLFHFKLHIRU)%,DJHQW7KH\DUHHOHFWHG DW WKH EDOORW ER[ 7KDW DOORZV PDQ\ RI WKHP to assume they have leeway that police chiefs GR QRW$QG LW JLYHV D VKHULII WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ to make boneheaded moves, unchecked by a VXSHULRU 3ULRU WR WKH DSSHDUDQFH RI WKH 0DOKHXU refuge occupiers, Sheriff Palmer decided last September that he would write a natural resource PDQDJHPHQWSODQIRU*UDQW&RXQW\7KH&RXQW\ Court (its governing body) reminded Palmer WKDWKHKDGQRDXWKRULW\WRGRVR7KHQ3DOPHU made sheriff’s deputies of a group of 11 citizens WRH[HFXWHWKHWDVN In his remarks beckoning the lawbreakers LQVLGH WKH 0DOKHXU 5HIXJH 6KHULII 3DOPHU H[KLELWHG WKUHH VHOIGHVWUXFWLYH FKDUDFWHULVWLFV and his leadership core to John Day on that fateful afternoon. S $VZLWKKLVEDVHOHVVDWWHPSWWRZULWHDFRXQW\ natural resources plan, Palmer acted as though KHZHUHDODZXQWRKLPVHOI$QGE\LQWLPDWLQJ that the armed lawbreakers would be welcomed LQ *UDQW &RXQW\ KH XQGHUFXW WKH VKHULII RI +DUQH\&RXQW\7KLUGO\3DOPHUFKRVHWRGHVWD- bilize the communities’ security and stability for ZKLFKKHLVUHVSRQVLEOH enforce and who to enforce them against (Think VKHULIIVLQWKH-LP&URZ6RXWK Sheriff Palmer aligns himself with the so-called “constitutional sheriff” movement, Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer in which mainly rural sheriffs and others like the Bundys designate themselves as the ulti- ecause they are elected by local people and borhood boss or “shire-reeve” originated, they mate authorities on what is and is not “consti- thus particularly accountable to them, sher- have long since ceased to be the top elected WXWLRQDO´6HOGRPSRVVHVVLQJDQ\DFWXDOWUDLQLQJ iffs and the deputies they employ are often the RI¿FLDOV LQ WKHLU FRXQWLHV %RDUGV RI FRXQW\ in constitutional law, they presume to interpret PRVW ZHOOOLNHG ODZ HQIRUFHPHQW SHUVRQQHO commissioners — who themselves must follow LWIRUWKHLUFRXQWLHV7KLVDUURJDQFHÀLHVLQWKH (VSHFLDOO\ LQ UXUDO DUHDV ZKHUH WKHLU PLVVLRQ VWDWHDQGIHGHUDOODZV²VHWORFDOSROLF\ IDFHRIHYHU\WKLQJWKDWPDNHVRXUQDWLRQJUHDW This evolution in local government partly often includes search and rescue, sheriffs are 2QHRIWKHSULPDU\VWUHQJWKVRIRXUQDWLRQLV ULJKWO\FRQVLGHUHGWREHRQWKHVLGHRIWKHSHRSOH came in response to sheriffs who acted like RQHODZIRUDOO:HFDQ¶WDIIRUGWRUHPDLQVLOHQW However, unlike a thousand years ago in SRZHUVXQWRWKHPVHOYHV$WZRUVWWKH\EHKDYHG ZKHQORFDORI¿FLDOVDFWRXWVLGHWKLVV\VWHP $QJOR6D[RQ(QJODQGZKHQWKHUROHRIQHLJK- like gangland bullies, choosing which laws to — S.A.F. B Two questions for Sen. Bernie Sanders By NICHOLAS KRISTOF New York Times News Service hen Bernie Sanders won election as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in 1981, ,FDOOHGKLVRI¿FHWRVHHLIWKHUH was a story there about a socialist HOHFWHGRI¿FLDO W I was interning at The Washington Post (I didn’t mention the intern part!) and spoke at length to some assistant who answered the SKRQHLQWKHPD\RU¶VRI¿FH I asked about Sanders’ plans, and the aide kept answering with “we” — which I thought a nice glimpse RIFRQWDJLRXVRI¿FHVRFLDOLVP$IWHU half an hour, I had enough to check with my editor, so I asked the aide’s QDPH³2K´KHVDLGDELWVKHHSLVKO\ ³DFWXDOO\,¶P%HUQLH6DQGHUV´ Sanders’ lack of political airs has helped catapult him forward in the presidential race, overcoming D SRLQW GH¿FLW WR MXVW DERXW WLH +LOODU\ &OLQWRQ LQ ,RZD +H FRPHV across as winningly uncalculated: 2WKHUFDQGLGDWHVNLVVEDELHV6DQGHUV seems to fumble for a baby’s “off” switch, so he can tell you more about LQHTXDOLW\LQ$PHULFD0RVWSROLWLFRV VZHHWWDONYRWHUVKHEHOORZVDWWKHP I admire Sanders’ passion, his relentless focus on inequality and his FRQVLVWHQF\ :KHQ KH ZDV VZRUQ LQ as mayor of Burlington, he declared: “The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and the millions WR WKH ,UDT :DU %XW WKHUH of families in the middle remains this open question are gradually sliding out of how he could achieve of the middle class and KLVDPELWLRXVDJHQGD LQWR SRYHUW\´ 7KDW KDV I also wonder if his remained his mantra across age may be relevant here: \HDUV $QG \HW , VWLOO Sanders would be 75 when have two fundamental KH WRRN RI¿FH E\ IDU WKH questions for Sanders: oldest person to become Can you translate your SUHVLGHQW5HDJDQZDV bold vision into reality? Clinton would be a slightly 2Q WKDW IUDQNO\ ,¶P Nicholas \RXQJHU6DQGHUVQRZ VNHSWLFDO,¶PIRU0HGLFDUH Kristof is indefatigable, but IRU $OO EXW LW ZRQ¶W people often slow KDSSHQ $QG LI LW GLG Can down in their late 70s the Committee for a DQGWKHLUV Responsible Federal Sanders $QRWKHU UHDVRQ Budget, a bipartisan group, found that accomplish for skepticism is his congressional Sanders’ sums come up short by $3 trillion his goals, UHFRUG ,Q \HDUV LQ Congress, Sanders has RYHUDGHFDGH and is he been primary sponsor Likewise, Sanders RI MXVW WKUHH ELOOV says he would prod that became law, and $PHULFD¶V DOOLHV LQ WKH electable? two were simply to 0LGGOH (DVW WR OHDG WKHFKDUJHWRGHIHDWWKH,VODPLF6WDWH UHQDPH SRVW RI¿FHV LQ 9HUPRQW KH Yes, but how? The United States has GLGEHWWHUZLWKDPHQGPHQWV&OLQWRQ already been trying unsuccessfully to wasn’t particularly effective as a JHWWKHVHDOOLHVWRGRPRUHDJDLQVW,6,6 legislator, either, but to me Sanders’ record suggests that his strength is as :KDWQHZOHYHUDJHGRHVKHEULQJ" The Washington Post last month a passionate advocate, not as a deal- published a scathing editorial head- PDNHUZKRJHWVUHVXOWV &DQ \RX JHW HOHFWHG" 2U ZRXOG lined “Bernie Sanders’s Fiction-Filled &DPSDLJQ´,WGHULGHGKLV³IDQWDVWLFDO your nomination make a President claims” and added: “Sanders is not a Cruz more likely? :KHQ YRWHUV DUH SROOHG WRGD\ EUDYH WUXWKWHOOHU +H LV D SROLWLFLDQ about how they would vote in a VHOOLQJKLVRZQEUDQGRI¿FWLRQ´ I think that’s too harsh, for Sanders general election, Sanders does pretty panders less than other politicians (a ZHOO)RUH[DPSOHKHEHDWV7HG&UX] very low bar), and he has often staked in the RealClearPolitics average, out lonely positions that turned out to ZKLOH &OLQWRQ ORVHV WR &UX] %XW DW be correct — such as his opposition this stage that’s almost meaningless: Todd Heisler/The New York Times Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally in Claremont, N.H., Tuesday. Sanders’ lack of political airs has helped catapult him forward in the Democratic presidential primary. Republicans are blasting Clinton ZKLOHLJQRULQJ6DQGHUV,IKHZHUHWKH QRPLQHHKHZRXOGEHVDYDJHG 2QHSDUWLFXODUO\VREHULQJLWHPIRU 6DQGHUVVXSSRUWHUV$*DOOXSSROOODVW year asking voters what kind of person they would be unwilling to consider YRWLQJIRU6L[SHUFHQWRI$PHULFDQV say they wouldn’t vote for a Cath- olic, and 7 percent wouldn’t support D EODFN RU D -HZ 6RPH SHUFHQW wouldn’t vote for a gay candidate, and more than a third would refuse to YRWHIRUD0XVOLPRUDQDWKHLVW +RZHYHU WKH PRVW REMHFWLRQDEOH NLQGRISHUVRQE\IDUZDVDVRFLDOLVW )LIW\SHUFHQWRI$PHULFDQVVDLGWKH\ would be unwilling to consider voting IRUDVRFLDOLVW 0D\EH 6DQGHUV FRXOG FRQYLQFH them that a “democratic socialist” LVQ¶W H[DFWO\ D VRFLDOLVW RU PD\EH he could charm some voters into UHWKLQNLQJ WKHLU EHOLHIV +H KDV GRQH MXVW WKDW YHU\ VXFFHVVIXOO\ in Vermont, a state where he now wins elections by overwhelming margins, and skeptics have been XQGHUHVWLPDWLQJ KLP IRU \HDUV But if a Democratic nominee starts off with half the voters unwilling to consider someone like him, that’s a huge advantage for the Republican QRPLQHH So can he accomplish his goals, and is he electable? Lots of us admire Sanders and we would like UHDVVXUDQFH 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 Founded in 1873
