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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2015)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, June 19, 2015 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Tip of the hat; kick in the pants A tip of the hat to Treasury Department, who will put a woman on the $10 bill by 2020. Now for the hard part: what woman should be bestowed with the honor? Harriet Tubman seems to be the early favorite for gracing the bill. (In case you need a refresher, Tubman was an Africa-American who helped organize and operate the Underground Railroad, shuttling slaves from the south into the free north. After the Civil War, Tubman became a major proponent of women’s suffrage.) Other possibilities include Eleanor Roosevelt, Sally Ride, Susan B. Anthony, Sacajawea, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Wilma Mankiller, Rosa Parks or Clara Barton. The country has time to decide, and it’s great to know the Treasury Department will take the nation’s choice into consideration when it changes the YLVDJHRQDELOOIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHVLQFH On the other side of the bill, we have to say goodbye to Alexander Hamilton, a pretty darn righteous dude and one of the great Founding Fathers of this country. We imagine in today’s age of enlightenment, he would be open to stepping aside and making room for a Founding Mother. A kick in the pants to Rachel Dolezal, the Spokane woman who lied about her race. This is a sensitive subject, and nuance is required rather than just harsh rebuke. But there is no way to get away from a pants-kicking if you lie about your race to forward your career. Don’t get us wrong. It’s admirable for a white woman from northwest Montana to study and teach African studies and work for the NAACP. But Dolezal’s actions did not advance the cause she purported to promote, and only leads to suspicion and resentment. Although it is tempting to draw larger parallels here, it can’t be done. This is one woman with an incomprehensible story, and some severe family and identity issues. She rightfully is no longer a professor or directing the NAACP. Let’s hope she tells the truth moving forward. 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 Birth control legislation will result in fewer unwanted pregnancies The (Medford) Mail Tribune Gov. Kate Brown signed the nation’s ¿UVWODZUHTXLULQJLQVXUDQFHFRPSDQLHV to provide a full year’s worth of prescription contraceptives at a time, making it easier for women to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Lawmakers should also pass a second measure, which would permit pharmacists to dispense birth control to adult women without a prescription. The measure that becomes law today should reduce the odds of unplanned pregnancies by 30 percent when compared with dispensing contraception every 30 or 90 days, according to supporters. The second measure, still making its way through the legislative process, would empower pharmacists to dispense birth control pills without a prescription WRZRPHQDQGROGHU0LQRUVVWLOO ZRXOGQHHGWRVHHDGRFWRUIRUWKHLU¿UVW SUHVFULSWLRQEXWFRXOGREWDLQUH¿OOV without a subsequent visit to a doctor. 7KHPHDVXUH+RXVH%LOO cleared the House last week on a bipartisan 50-10 vote. It is sponsored by Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, a physician, who said he was prompted to introduce it because women could obtain the “morning-after pill,” or emergency contraception, without a prescription but not ordinary birth-control pills. He also notes that men can obtain contraception over the counter, but women cannot. Although some lawmakers have raised concerns about health risks, a committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2012 recommended on-demand birth control pills as a way to reduce unplanned pregnancies up to 25 percent. HB ZRXOGUHTXLUH women to complete a 20-item health screening questionnaire before obtaining contraceptives, a step recommended by the panel. The panel also noted that the risk of blood clots from newer types of birth-control pills is quite low, and in fact is less than the risk of the same complication in women who are pregnant or have just given birth. The important thing here is that both of these pieces of legislation will make it easier and less expensive for women WRREWDLQFRQWUDFHSWLRQLQWKH¿UVWSODFH and to continuously protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy thereafter. The fewer unwanted pregnancies, the fewer abortions. That’s an outcome everyone can agree on. OTHER VIEWS For Hillary, a new Iraq war trap P resident Obama’s decision to So where does that leave Clinton? send 450 more American troops Very, very quiet. “Just remember this to Iraq has put Hillary Clinton in about Hillary,” says a Democratic a tough spot. What will she say about VWUDWHJLVWQRWDI¿OLDWHGZLWKDQ\ WKH¿JKWDJDLQVWWKH,VODPLF6WDWHRI campaign. “She thinks she’d be Iraq and Syria? ¿QLVKLQJKHUVHFRQGWHUPLQWKH:KLWH The answer, beyond a few House if she’d been right about the boilerplate remarks, is nothing. There ZDUWKH¿UVWWLPH6RVKH¶VQRWJRLQJWR is no topic more radioactive in the wander into this eagerly or quickly.” Byron Clintonworld psyche than Iraq. Look When Clinton is asked about York for her to avoid taking any clear, Iraq — and that might not be for a Comment decisive position, at least for now. while, given her avoidance of the press No, it wouldn’t be hard for Clinton and unscreened voters — it’s not hard to stand against Republicans who have to imagine her answering that the president is denounced Obama’s move as an ineffective looking at all the intelligence, that he’s making half-measure — a “duct tape approach,” in the a judgment based on that intelligence, and words of Sen. Lindsey Graham. Clinton, or that she would have to know more to make an at least her surrogate spokesmen, can accuse informed judgment herself. them of wanting yet another war in Iraq. That won’t satisfy anyone. But Clinton It’s Clinton’s fellow Democrats who are might well decide that suffering a little bad the problem. On the one hand, the White press would be better than taking a strong House presents the new position and having it blow deployment of troops as part up in her face. of an ongoing “train, advise “Can she avoid taking and assist” mission that will a stand? Yes,” says the KHOS,UDTLV¿JKWWKH,VODPLF strategist. “Will it cause her State without the presence some damage? Yes. Will she of a large number of U.S. do it anyway? Yes.” ground troops. On the other Clinton’s Democratic hand, some Democrats are opponents won’t be so increasingly worried about cautious. Both Bernie “mission creep” in Iraq and will not support Sanders and Martin O’Malley opposed the Obama’s policy. invasion of Iraq back in 2003. They can both “I am very concerned about mission creep say Clinton was wrong then and is wrong now. in Iraq,” Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen The reason Clinton does not have to told MSNBC recently. While Van Hollen said respond, at least quickly, is that she currently he supports Obama’s air war in Iraq, “Putting enjoys a 47.5-point lead over Sanders, and more U.S. troops on the ground and putting a 56.7-point lead over O’Malley in the them in harm’s way is something that would RealClearPolitics average of national polls. give me grave, grave concern.” Given the caution her campaign has exhibited “It represents an escalation ... incremental so far, there’s no reason to expect her to mission creep,” Democratic Rep. Jim engage such a dangerous topic with such a McGovern told Politico. “This won’t be the comfortable lead. last deployment. It will continue to increase.” Anyone who thinks Clinton won’t, or can’t, Another Democrat, Sen. Chris Murphy, is stay away from the subject should ask this urging Congress to constrain Obama’s ability question: What is her position on the giant to wage war in Iraq. “I support the president’s 3DFL¿FWUDGHGHDOFXUUHQWO\EHLQJQHJRWLDWHG mission to try to assist in the training of by the Obama administration, a deal about the Iraqi forces, but I’d be much more which many Democrats have passionate comfortable in supporting that mission if I feelings? She hasn’t said. knew what the limits of if were,” Murphy said “This is not a campaign that is taking any on MSNBC. “Congress has to vote next week risks,” says the Democratic strategist. “She’ll on a prohibition on the large scale deployment do nothing for as long as she can get away of ground troops, so that that creeping number with it.” of hundreds-at-a-time doesn’t become a Ŷ second Iraq war before we have anything to Byron York is chief political correspondent say about it.” for The Washington Examiner. It’s Hillary Clinton’s fellow Democrats who are the problem. This legislation will make it easier and less expensive for women to protect themselves. YOUR VIEWS Like mullahs, Forest Service wants to keep public ignorant The U.S. Forest Service has sunk to a new low in Eastern Oregon, that is, they have decided that you are too dangerous a group of people to be informed as to what roads they plan to close in your mountains. How do I know that? Because I have received a response telling me so. While they put out propaganda of how they want to engage with you on the national forest, when I or anyone else requests documents to engage, we are told we may cause “injury to the quality of the agency decision.” Let me emphasize: We, the people of Eastern Oregon, may cause injury because we received a document to educate ourselves with. Much like the mullahs in the mosaics of Afghanistan, the U.S. Forest Service means to keep you ignorant as to what is going on around you. Communities and citizens are easier to control if they are kept from the truth of what’s going on around them and the decisions a few are making for the larger population. See, you/we/I are too dumb, too backward, too unenlightened to understand the complexities of such ecological process — or are we? I have a college education in natural resources, I know that water ÀRZVGRZQKLOODQGWKDWDFWLYH management techniques play a greater role in meeting the public’s needs than exclusion of use. I know that there is a “tread lightly” campaign being pushed by a small minority on the upper echelons of the U.S. Forest Service where man is looked at as a disease on the landscape and not a part of it. But most importantly, I know this: You and I are not dumb, backwards or unenlightened. It’s a lie. If you want to keep your mountains open you are going WRKDYHWRGLJLQDQG¿JKWDUH you willing to do that? I hope so, because your kids’ and grandkids’ right to access depends on it. LETTERS POLICY John D. George Bates, Ore. 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 resi- dence 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.
