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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2015)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, January 16, 2015 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher JENNINE PERKINSON Advertising Director DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW The Internet is an excellent place to learn new insults. But with so many options to go with, why do people gravitate to the same century-old barbs? Haven’t been privy to this one yet? Check out any online message board and you’ll see it can be brought out in just about every argument. If you don’t like the way someone did something, you just say they have no “class.” Burn! It pretty much means you are a better person than that other member of the unwashed masses because — well? — we guess it’s because you have more money or mink coats or you drink tea with your pinkie up. This is America, man! This ain’t feudal France or the caste system of India. You’re either right or wrong, and anything to do with it. Now, maybe they don’t mean the word literally. They use “class” to denigrate someone who isn’t behaving like a rich European with a deep knowledge of the works of Emily Post. And surely anyone who doesn’t agree with those high-class mores must be some barbarian from the hinterlands whose opinions and actions should be discarded. Class is about acting with dignity and respect. It’s about humility and campaign trail or any other forum in life, breaking out that epithet says more about you than the person you’re trying to label. If you call someone “classless,” you are really just lazy at making your arguments or — more likely — you don’t have a good case for why you think someone else is wrong. Speaking of vocabulary, In 2015 the department will operate behind the creed: “Without fear or favor and in partnership with our diverse community, we will create and maintain a safe environment with the reduction of crime through problem-oriented and community-based policing strategies. The quality of life for those we serve takes precedent over our individual needs.” with so much mumbo jumbo and vague promises, it’s nice to see some simple declarative sentences. If you live in Hermiston, you now know what your police are trying to do. Ergo, that’s a good mission statement — even if we word-count hawk editors think we could have whittled it down even further. Keep it classy, Hermiston! Since we published stories on a crackdown by Pendleton police on this gang, we’ve found some people who actually think these misguided felons are a good way to clean up our streets. Consider us not of that ilk. We agree with law enforcement, that the stated mission of the United Aryan Empire is a bogus one that hides their real intent of violence, intimidation and power. And anyway, how could these guys have time to chase down drug dealers when they spend most of their day trying to remember all the races they think they are superior to? Classless! Even if they were actually trying to do good, we certainly wouldn’t want these men making judgments about who deserves punishment and who doesn’t. That’s why we’ve got police and a justice system. We hope the Pendleton police continue their crackdown and they cut the legs off this nasty hate group before they get their feet under them. Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. OTHER VIEWS Can Mitch McConnell make the Senate better? T o outsiders, some of the changes But some Republicans see the new Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will bring to the for the majority party than for the Senate might seem like inside baseball. minority. “The reason why that But they could bring about a huge is so important is not because of improvement in the way the Senate Republican versus Democrat, but works. And that could in turn lead because of the tension between rank to a huge improvement in the way Washington works. GOP aide. “Outside the Senate, Byron McConnell’s restoration of what there might be some conservatives York is called “regular order” will give who say, ‘Why do you want to offer Comment both Republican and Democratic Democrats amendments when for lawmakers something they have not years Democrats didn’t offer them had in eight years under Harry Reid: the to Republicans?’ But what if there’s a big chance to have actual input into the making of immigration bill? Do you want the Republican laws. Reid famously used to offer amendments?” Senate rules and procedures In that sense, by opening to block most of his fellow up the Senate, McConnell senators from offering could be buying himself amendments to bills under some headaches from his consideration. Of course own party. Indeed, it could that frustrated minority be argued that the move Republicans, but it also will empower some of the frustrated a lot of majority Republican senators — Democrats, who didn’t get Ted Cruz and Mike Lee to propose changes even come to mind — who have though their party controlled sometimes antagonized the the Senate. leadership. Some might see Now, McConnell that as a green light for them promises to open up bills to make trouble. to proposed amendments, both in committee “Nonsense,” says an aide to Lee. “I wouldn’t characterize a senator exercising that will be the Keystone pipeline, and already his or her institutional rights as ‘making Democrats are lining up to offer amendments, trouble.’ What it will do is allow each senator something they rarely got to do under their the right to fully represent the interests of own leader. “We are going to introduce amendments substantive debate on policy reforms.” to make it more of a jobs bill,” Democratic That’s all good. And Republican leaders Sen. Charles Schumer said recently. Schumer hope the change will have other salutary said Democrats will offer amendments to effects. Committees will become more require American-made steel for the pipeline, active, with members taking a greater part to require that oil transported through the in shaping legislation. The work week will pipeline be used in America, and to add clean lengthen. (Under Reid, senators often came in energy jobs. on Tuesday afternoon and left late Thursday; Can anyone imagine Reid giving Republicans comparable freedom on any day week.) bill at all, much less a controversial measure With all that, the hope is, senators of both like Keystone? “There are people who have parties will actually work with each other worked in the Senate for seven or eight years more. “If people feel like they have the who have never seen this happen,” says one opportunity to make their points, the place GOP aide. becomes a more collegial body,” says one of How often will it happen in the new the aides. The hope is that “we’ll be able to regime? The majority leader has the power to turn this into a legislating body instead of a allow regular order, or not, on any given piece campaign studio, which is the way it has been of legislation. for eight years.” McConnell has not pledged to allow it Of course, it might not work. But there’s no 100 percent of the time. But he told Roll Call doubt Senate leaders need to institute reforms that not allowing amendments should be “an after Reid’s ugly and divisive tenure. And if exception rather than the rule.” things go as planned, McConnell’s restoration McConnell has also said that after last could become a ding-dong-the-witch-is-dead November’s elections, he received a lot of moment that revitalizes the Senate. calls from Democrats wondering whether he would really go through with his promise to Byron York is chief political correspondent restore their rights. The answer is yes. for The Washington Examiner. The majority leader has the power to allow regular order — or not —on any given piece of legislation. YOUR VIEWS Proposed Don Requa statue More comments on whether an extra-large statue of Pendleton High football coach Don Requa should go up on Main Street near the Main Street Bridge: As others have said, a sculpture of a with the downtown sculptures of those from the history of Pendleton or northeast Oregon. Other thoughts: • The Requa statue is to be 7.5 feet high, way larger than the bronzes already downtown. Requa, whom I enjoyed knowing, was not a city founder and might chuckle at a project that suggested otherwise. • Requa’s teams dominated the Blue Mountain Conference, but a coach does not have the far-reaching impact on Pendleton of a Roy Raley or a Wallace McCrae. The alternative idea of putting the Requa sculpture at Pendleton High seems to me a wise one. • Members of the Pendleton Arts Commission make recommendations on pieces of public art to the mayor and city council. But no rules or guidelines exist to help make those decisions. Seems to me it would be helpful to draft guidelines on from the early years of this area in comparison with subjects from, say, after World War II. LETTERS POLICY One way to give more perspective on doing a sculpture would be to require persons considered to have died more than 40-50 years ago. That delay would give an arts to contemporary ones. Although Don Requa compiled a great win-loss record, he attracted fair numbers of both fans and critics. Roberta Lavadour, director of Pendleton Center for the Arts, said the idea of drafting guidelines for public art has come up recently at Arts Commission meetings. That could be a constructive step. Mike Forrester Pendleton I am in complete agreement with Jerry Cronin. His letter of Jan. 14 restated the case of our dysfunctional city government. Years ago I laughed at the “antics” of Athena and Weston as they went through one recall election after another. I am no longer laughing. We need to replace our entire council and mayor. Their repeated errors in judgment have cost us time, money and infrastructure while only providing cosmetic patches. It’s time for a recall. Dale Hilding Pendleton The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
