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OPINION
East Oregonian
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
Advertising Director
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
Videos continue to
show body cameras
carry powerful
messages
driver is evasive when asked to
The law enforcement body
produce his ID. But there seems to
camera debate never seems to
be no escalation from the of¿cer,
cease. We wrote back in April that
who calmly repeats his commands.
video technology is everywhere in
That has to be frustrating, and
American public life, and it was
police of¿cers deal with such
bound to be part of policing in the
people over and over again in the
future.
course of a shift and a career. But
We still think that’s the ultimate
this encounter turned deadly just
route.
moments later when the man tried
But the Oregon Legislature put
to start the car and the of¿cer shot
the cart in front of the horse. Police
chiefs in small cities like Hermiston him in the head, killing him. The
of¿cer claimed initially that the man
and Pendleton, who were already
was trying to run him over with
using the technology or about ready
the car, but the body cam clearly
to try it, have had second thoughts
shows that’s not the case. The of¿cer
because of the cost. Some of the
was ¿red and charged with murder
state regulations are unnecessarily
shortly after the video was released.
burdensome, but we do think it’s
These videos make us cringe.
important that cops have their
And each one that is released should
cameras on during all interactions
remind us how powerful they can
with the public. Serious questions
about anonymity and right to privacy be to move public opinion and, we
hope, improve policing.
do then exist, and
It bears repeating:
we imagine it will be
Cameras
police of¿cers up and
extremely rare that the
video would ever see
on cops are down the line are some
of the best men and
public eyes — maybe
important
women we have in this
once or twice in a cop’s
But even they
career, if that. But if it
for the public country.
can bene¿t from a close
should become public
and police. eye on their work and
concern, that video
the understanding that
must be public record.
as employees out¿tted
In Oregon right now,
and armed by the government, they
that might not be the case.
must be held accountable for their
In just the last few weeks, two
more videos have surfaced that show actions. The faster bad apples are
removed, the healthier the rest of the
how increasingly important body
bunch is.
cameras are.
Hermiston police chief Jason
The ¿rst, in Texas, is a simple
Edmiston told the East Oregonian
dash cam video, common
that policing is not a black-and-
technology in most police
white job, it’s all shades of gray. And
departments across the country. But
he worries that the nuance of the job
what it shows is dif¿cult to watch.
does not come through on just a few
The of¿cer seems unnecessarily
combative after pulling over a black moments of video. He and Pendleton
woman for changing lanes without a chief Stuart Roberts worry about
the cost and the labor needed to
signal. After expressing displeasure
make sure the video collection and
for being pulled over, she is soon
dissemination is done in accordance
pulled from the car and shot with a
with state laws.
Taser, though she had no weapons
It’s understandable. Certainly, it’s
and was not violent toward the
an insanely dif¿cult and complicated
of¿cer. The woman, Sandra Bland,
job. But video can actually cut
was later found dead in her jail cell.
through the complications pretty
Coroner’s report: suicide.
darn well. It can capture in black
Another, in Cincinnati, shows a
and white when police of¿cers
campus cop doing his job well and
screw up. The more they are in use,
then making a fatal error.
though, the cameras could actually
He pulls over a driver for not
help show that serious errors are
having a license plate. He ¿nds a
pint of gin at the driver’s feet. The
becoming more rare.
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.
LETTERS POLICY
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.
Trust scientists, not
activists on issues
There are continued articles
about marijuana and GMO
labeling. Both views are about
products we consume. As a wheat
farmer I’m very concerned about
how much science is not readily
known.
We, as farmers, are very aware
of the current science that relates to
pesticides and the varieties that are
developed for wheat. They have
changed much over my lifetime
and we as producers are very
dependent upon the latest research
that is being done. When we study
chemistry we learn some about
what scientists do.
It seems that leaders of some
groups look for issues that will
enable them to be a spokesman for
others while looking for money
and power. This has resulted
in political bills such as Ballot
Measure 92 in Oregon, which was
defeated after much money was
spent in the last legislature. In the
meantime, the U.S. House has just
recently passed a bill called the
“Safe and Accurate Food Labeling
Act of 2015 (HR 1599).” This bill
creates a federal standard for the
voluntary labeling of foods, which
can counter state and local laws.
All this activism makes me
nervous, as I believe that our
current scientists are fully full-time
working at it and know what they
are doing. Just believe them.
Donald Peterson
Pendleton
Council created crisis
to get taxpayer money
The ¿rst thing politicians do
is create a crisis, then ask for
more money. The Pendleton City
Council made no effort to cut
anything in this year’s budget.
They knew long before they
approved the budget that the city’s
priorities needed to be changed.
Are we to believe that we had to
pay consultants to tell us that some
of our water and sewer lines are
100 years old? In addition, I guess
we had to pay another consultant
to tell us our roads need repairs.
Don’t we have two city engineers
OTHER VIEWS
Guns and the two Americas
T
he waves of mass shootings
This scenario almost never
continue to roll over the United
happens. The logic is nonsense, the
States like surf on the ship of
odds of a perfectly timed counter-
state’s prow. Every few weeks now
killer getting the drop on the evil
we get hit with a jolt of cold water.
killer unlikely. And even when such a
We shake and shudder, and then brace
situation does happen, as in the Tucson
ourselves for the next one.
shooting of 2011, the armed citizen
So we beat on — a nation whose
who jumps into the melee can pose a
people are 20 times more likely to
Timothy mortal threat to others. In Tucson, an
die of gun violence than those of
innocent person came within seconds
Egan
most other developed countries. The
of getting shot by an armed bystander
Comment
only thing extraordinary about mass
who wasn’t sure whom to shoot.
shootings in America is how ordinary
Most gun-free zones, like the
the killing grounds are — elementary schools, theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, are not
high schools, colleges, military recruitment
gun-free at all. They have no metal detectors
centers, theaters, parks, churches.
or screening — that would cost too much, the
Is no place safe? Actually, several places
theater owners claim. Gun-free is a suggestion,
and therefore a misnomer. Eventually, the
are. You want protection in a country that
more prosperous theaters
allows a deranged man to
in better communities will
get an assault weapon to
pay for metal detectors,
hunt down innocent people
further setting apart the two
in a public space? Go to the
Americas in our age of mass
airport — that bubble of
shootings.
gun-free security. Or go to a
The Mall of America —
major league baseball game,
more than 500 stores in 4
or a stadium in the National
miles of retail space, drawing
Football League.
40 million annual visitors to
Our big league venues
a climate-controlled part of
may be engaging only in
Minnesota — is trying to be
security theater, as critics
a gun-free zone. “Guns are
assert, but their owners don’t
banned on these premises” is
think so. They now mandate
the mall’s of¿cial policy.
metal detectors to snag
If the mall took up Rick
weapons, and most of them
Perry’s suggestion, shoppers
even ban off-duty cops from
could roam among the chain
bringing guns to the games.
stores packing heat, ready for
Nationwide, if you want
a shootout.
to lessen your chances of
The owners of that vast
getting shot, stay out of the
operation, similar to those
South. The South is the most
who stage concerts and
violent region in the United
pro sports, think otherwise. The mall has a
States and also the place with the highest rate
security force of more than 100 people. Yeah
of gun ownership. More guns, easily obtained
— I hear the joke about the feckless mall cops.
by the mentally ill, religious fanatics and
But the Mall of America trusts them more than
anti-government extremists, mean more gun
well-armed shoppers to protect people, as they
deaths.
should.
Better to go to a city or state with gun
Surprising though it may seem, gun
restrictions, at least if you’re playing the odds.
ownership is declining overall in the United
Most of the states with tighter gun laws have
States. We are still awash with weapons —
fewer gun deaths.
nearly a third of all American households have
That’s one America, the slightly safer one.
an adult with a gun. But that’s down from
It includes government gun-screened zones
nearly half of all households in 1973.
like airports, courthouses and many high
What we’re moving toward, then, are
schools. But more signi¿cantly, it also covers
regions that are safer than others, and public
property used by our most popular obsession,
spaces that are safer than others, led by private
pro football — the free market at work.
enterprise, shunning the gun crazies who want
The other America is an open-¿re zone,
everyone armed. The new reality comes with
backed by politicians who think it should
the inconvenience and hassle of screening
be even more crowded with average people
and pat-downs similar to the routines at
parading around with lethal weapons. Just
after the tragedy in a Louisiana theater a week airports — enforced gun-free zones, not mere
suggestions.
ago — a shooting by a hate-¿lled man who
As a way to make everyday life seem
was able to legally obtain a gun despite a
less frightening, the new reality is absurd.
history of mental illness — Rick Perry called
But that’s the cost, apparently, of an extreme
gun-free zones a bad idea.
interpretation of a constitutional amendment
In his view, echoing that of the fanatics
designed to fend off British tyranny, a freedom
who own the Republican Party by
that has become a tyranny in itself.
intimidation, everyone should be armed,
Ŷ
everywhere. Once a shooting starts, the bad
Timothy Egan worked for 18 years as a
guy with the gun will be killed by the good
guy with the gun, somehow able to get a draw writer for The 1ew <ork Times ¿rst as the
3aFi¿F 1orthwest ForresSondent then as a
on the shooter in a darkened theater or behind
nationaO enterSrise reSorter
a pew in church.
What we are
moving toward
are regions
that are safer
than others,
led by private
enterprise,
shunning gun
crazies who
want everyone
armed.
YOUR VIEWS
for this?
On another matter, it seems
as some on the city council do
not want input from anyone,
except someone who agrees
with them at council meetings.
Council President Neil Brown and
Councilman Al Plute want me to
go to the city staff before talking to
the council.
Even the San Francisco City
Council lets Fox News speak at its
meetings.
Rex J. Morehouse
Pendleton
Starkey Forest
essential to science
Since it was founded for
research purposes in 1940, much
has been said about the Starkey
Experimental Forest & Range
in the Blue Mountains near La
Grande.
It has not ignored controversy
in its research. Indeed, ongoing
research on motorized and
non-motorized access to our
public lands, road densities, and
the response of elk to these human
activities has stirred up a hornet’s
nest in some circles.
Groups such as Backcountry
Hunters & Anglers appreciate
Starkey’s science-based approach
to the management of our national
forests and we strongly support its
continuing efforts.
Our members know that
those of us who generally avoid
motorized areas to hunt elk have
better success rates. These areas
also represent the best of the
backcountry solitude we seek and
want to hand down to the next
generation.
While access is essential, we
strongly urge land managers at the
USFS to reduce road redundancies
where possible as they consider
revision plans for the Blue
Mountain forests.
Motorized travel in our forests
must be compatible with the
needs of wildlife and the health
of the habitat. There is a place for
motorized use as well as a place for
non-motorized. We urge ATV users
to stay on designated trails and
avoid illegal cross country travel.
New Starkey research into
the mule deer population decline
is also welcome news. And
new research into the impact of
predators such as bear and cougar
can’t and won’t be ignored at
Starkey and could have a major
impact on hunters.
Research is never perfect,
but the bottom line is Starkey is
adding value to our public lands by
providing a roadmap for their best
use by all groups. We thank them
for their efforts.
Brian Jennings, outreach
coordinator
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
Bend
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