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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2015)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, January 29, 2015 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher JENNINE PERKINSON Advertising Director DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Move forward, not backward No one seems pleased with where engaged with the public, tweaking the Blue Mountains Forest Plan alternatives but pushing forward is headed, but back to square one toward completion. seems like an even worse direction. Not one of the current alternatives It is admirable makes everyone that the U.S. Forest happy, and we doubt There should that a new one will Service realizes the gulf remains a different be no debate: bring wide and that they conclusion. There are considering will still be a burr the Blue restarting the process under the saddle of Mountains and creating a new PDQ\¿JKWLQJWKH preferred alternative. Forest Service’s Forest Plan Yet that moves range of proposals — must put the everyone from county us backward, not forward, in what commissioners to forest first. has already been a motorized use groups decade-long slog to environmentalists toward creating a workable plan. and the timber industry. We’re usually reticent to move All of the above squeaky wheels backward, especially when so much have competing priorities and time and energy has already been legitimate concerns, and there is no expended. And it is hard not to stay magic plan that will appease them principled in this instance, despite all. the pushback the USFS has received The Forest Service should trust to all of their proposed alternatives. their work, tune out the haters and At the pace the process was try to satisfy as many demands as moving, the Forest Service was WKH\FDQZLWKRXWVDFUL¿FLQJWKH hoping to have a plan in place by health of the forest. late 2016. Going backward would And strangely, that is one truth postpone that by at least a year, that some interested parties just can’t probably more. seem to grasp: the forest plan must Therefore, we recommend staying SXWWKHIRUHVW¿UVW 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 Edible marijuana needs VWULFWDQGVSHFL¿FOLPLWV (Medford) Mail-Tribune A Washington state woman who suffered an apparent overdose after eating candy containing marijuana has police concerned, and a state legislator who heads the committee charged with implementing legal marijuana in Oregon has vowed to move slowly when it comes to approving edible marijuana products. Moving slowly may not be enough — legislators should take steps to SXWVWULFWDQGVSHFL¿F limits on the types of marijuana “candies” allowed to be sold in the state. Edible forms of marijuana can contain extremely high concentrations of the active ingredient in marijuana, posing a hazard to users inexperienced with ingesting marijuana and unfamiliar with its effects. Several incidents of overdoses have been reported in Colorado, where voters legalized recreational marijuana a year ago. Most concerning is the increase in cases of children treated after ingesting edible marijuana products, which are indistinguishable from ordinary candy and cookies. In Colorado, at least 14 children ages 3 to 7 were sent WRKRVSLWDOVLQWKH¿UVWKDOIRI for accidentally ingesting marijuana products, compared with eight in all of 2013 and four between 2008 and 2011. In the Oregon incident, a 37-year-old Washington state woman ate three small gummie candies provided by a friend who had purchased them in Washington. The woman was slumped over, pale and OHWKDUJLFDQGKDYLQJGLI¿FXOW\EUHDWKLQJ She refused transport to a hospital and apparently suffered no lasting effects. Drug specialists warn that, while the effects of smoking marijuana are quickly apparent, it takes much longer for the effects to be felt when the drug is swallowed, so users may eat more while waiting. This is an example of the advantage Oregon has by being the third state to legalize recreational marijuana. The drug does not become legal to possess here until July, and won’t be available for retail purchase until January 2016. That leaves plenty of time to craft limits and regulations to protect consumers. In the case of “edibles,” lawmakers should adopt strict rules for appearance and packaging to keep the products out of children’s hands, and require detailed warnings for adults on how to avoid ingesting too much. There is no need to allow more than a bare minimum of the edibles to be sold; the risks far outweigh DQ\EHQH¿WWRFRQVXPHUVRUUHWDLOHUV Most concerning is the increase in cases of children treated after ingesting marijuana products. OTHER VIEWS Czar Putin’s next moves Z URICH — Last March, former Monetary Fund. Ukrainians had dug Secretary of State Hillary themselves into a deep, deep hole Clinton was quoted as saying with their 20-plus years of industrial that Russian President Vladimir levels of corruption from a series of Putin’s attack on Ukraine, supposedly bad governments after Kiev became in defense of Russian-speakers there, independent of the Soviet Union. The was just like “what Hitler did back in reason for hope is that the revolution the ’30s” — using ethnic Germans and latest elections in Ukraine to justify his invasion of neighboring Thomas have brought in a new generation lands. At the time, I thought such Friedman of reformers, who are rapidly a comparison was over the top. I transforming ministries and passing Comment don’t think so anymore. I’d endorse tax and transparency regulations. They Clinton’s comparison purely for the are actually welcoming hardheaded, shock value: It draws attention to the awful good-governance benchmarks as a condition things Putin is doing to Ukraine, not to for Western aid. But if they deliver, we must mention his own country, whose credit rating deliver. was just reduced to junk status. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has been Putin’s use of Russian troops wearing traveling across Europe this week in part to uniforms without insignia lock in the aid package to invade Ukraine and to for Kiev. The U.S. has covertly buttress Ukrainian committed its share, but rebels bought and paid the European Union is still for by Moscow — all balking a bit. Putin’s aim is disguised by a web of lies to sow enough instability that would have made that the West will hold back Nazi propagandist Joseph aid so the Ukraine reformers Goebbels blush and all for will fail to deliver and be the purpose of destroying discredited. That would be Ukraine’s reform movement a shame. before it can create a *OREDO¿QDQFLHU*HRUJH democratic model that Soros, who’s been helping might appeal to Russians foster Ukrainian reform, more than Putin’s kleptocracy — is the ugliest told the Davos gathering that “there is a new geopolitical mugging happening in the world Ukraine that is determined to be different today. from the old Ukraine. ... What makes it Ukraine matters — more than the war in XQLTXHLVWKDWLWLVQRWRQO\ZLOOLQJWR¿JKW Iraq against the Islamic State, aka ISIS. It is but engage in executing a set of radical still not clear that most of our allies in the war reforms. It is up against the old Ukraine DJDLQVW,6,6VKDUHRXUYDOXHV7KDWFRQÀLFW that has not disappeared ... and up against a has a big tribal and sectarian element. It is very determined design by President Putin unmistakably clear, though, that Ukraine’s to destabilize it and destroy it. But it is reformers in its newly elected government determined to assert the independence and and Parliament — who are struggling to get European orientation of the new Ukraine.” free of Russia’s orbit and become part of the Ukraine could also affect the price of oil. European Union’s market and democratic The two biggest actors who can shape that community — do share our values. If Putin price today are Saudi Arabia’s new king, the Thug gets away with crushing Ukraine’s Salman, and Russia’s czar, Putin. If the Saudis new democratic experiment and unilaterally GHFLGHWRFXWEDFNSURGXFWLRQVLJQL¿FDQWO\WKH redrawing the borders of Europe, every pro- price of oil will go up. And if Putin decides Western country around Russia will be in to fully invade Ukraine, or worse, one of the danger. Baltic states, and test whether NATO will “Putin fears a Ukraine that demands to UHDOO\¿JKWWRGHIHQGHLWKHUWKHSULFHRIRLO live and wants to live and insists on living on will go up. With his economy in shambles, European values — with a robust civil society Putin’s government is now almost entirely and freedom of speech and religion (and) dependent on oil and gas exports, so he’s with a system of values the Ukrainian people really hurting with the oil price collapse. The have chosen and laid down their lives for,” odds of Putin fully invading Ukraine or the 1DWDOLH-DUHVNR8NUDLQH¶V¿QDQFHPLQLVWHU Baltics are low, but do not rule out either. told a Ukraine seminar at the World Economic Triggering a big geopolitical crisis with Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week. NATO is an easy way for Putin to shock the The U.S. and Germany have done a good oil price back up. Putin’s covert Ukraine job organizing the sanctions on Russia. While interventions up to now have not succeeded the Obama administration recently decided in that. In sum: Today’s oil price will be most to deploy some U.S. soldiers to Ukraine in affected by two men — King Salman and how the spring to train the Ukrainian National he uses his spare capacity to produce oil and Guard, I’d support increasing our military aid Czar Putin and how he uses his spare capacity to Ukraine’s army now so it can better defend to produce trouble. itself from the estimated 9,000 troops Putin Ŷ KDVLQ¿OWUDWHGLQWR8NUDLQH Thomas L. Friedman won the 2002 Pulitzer Ukraine also needs $15 billion in loans and Prize for commentary, his third Pulitzer for grants in the next year to stabilize its economy, The New York Times. He became the paper’s in addition to its bailout from the International foreign-affairs Op-Ed columnist in 1995. Ukraine matters — more than the war in Iraq against the Islamic State, aka ISIS. YOUR VIEWS Tear down Tamastslikt, it’s a drain on tribal resources City council made mistake in DSSURYLQJ%URZQ¿HOGEURQ]H So Tamastslikt will be installing solar carports, which will allegedly save lots of money. I have a money-saving and waste prevention recommendation: Let’s shut the place down and raze it. It should not have EHHQSXWXSLQWKH¿UVWSODFH The times I visited the place, it was about 80 percent devoted to the Pendleton Round- Up. What connection does the rodeo have with our culture and history? We’ve been here for a few thousand years, the rodeo 105 years. The museum is a tremendous drain on our resources with nothing in return. Whenever I choose to direct my daily walks in that area, I see maybe three or four cars in the visitors’ parking lot! Our endeavors should have a positive effect on the lives of our tribal members. The question concerning bronzes placed on Main Street should be what really represents Pendleton’s unique and colorful past and what bronzes will attract and be more apt to hold visitors and tourists in downtown Pendleton for the betterment of our economic health. The Requa bronze is well deserved but it belongs at the high school. I believe the city council has made a mistake in approving the placement of the Requa bronze on the most historic site in Pendleton, the Oregon Trail crossing the Umatilla River at the present site of the Main Street Bridge. If I were on the city council I would rather admit a mistake and correct it now instead of trying to justify it over and over and over again in the future as with the rusty stirrup now sitting at Main and Dorion. John Shippentower Pendleton LETTERS POLICY )ULW]+LOO 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.
