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Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, October 7, 2015 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW OTHER VIEWS AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin speaks during a news conference, Saturday in Roseburg. Important to identify shooter Of all the terrible things that happened last week in Roseburg, the Douglas County Sheriff’s decision to withhold the name of the shooter is not among the worst. But it is something that deserves an explanation from media, like ours, who published the name and photo of a hateful human being — and as much of a life story as we could. In the ¿rst press conference Sheriff John Hanlin gave to both local and national media, he said no one in his of¿ce would utter the name of the murderer. “I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horri¿c and cowardly act,” the sheriff said. We can certainly understand Hanlin’s motivation, and for a moment it seemed a pretty Southern Oregon thing to do. But after further review, Hanlin’s reasoning sets a dangerous precedent. It is the media’s job to tell you the truth — when it is good news but even more importantly when it is bad. Certainly, some take that job more seriously than others. Watching national television stations report on the shooting in the immediate aftermath, without anyone from their company having even set foot in Douglas County — much less the campus of Umpqua Community College — was brutal. The assumptions and accusations were Àying, but facts were few and far between. But responsible and professional media worked hard to learn what happened — and refused to publish and pass along rumors and gossip. Sure, there are still things we don’t yet know about what happened inside that school. The story will continue to be tweaked and re¿ned and the truth — as best we will ever know it — will be released when it is known. That will take months, if not years. The identity, motivation and mental health of the shooter is not just relevant to the story, it is the crux of this tragedy. Understanding the shooter is extremely important to trying to reduce and guard against future mass shootings. It doesn’t glorify the act, but it does shine light into the complex soils that produce mass murderers. And timely, true information helps combat the crazies out there. Already, the same people who argue that Sandy Hook and Columbine were conspiracies faked by the government have their same theories about Roseburg. Any information that authorities try to hide just fuels that kind of thinking. On the Àip side, it is the media’s job to make this a better world. And there are times when we will not publish information that is debilitating and dangerous to a community. Teenage suicide is one such instance. The science is clear that media coverage can spur copycats, and we adjust our coverage with that in mind. Still, in most cases ignorance is the enemy. Professional media organizations and our readers deserve the whole and complete truth. In order to do that, we require that public of¿cials not hide important details. 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. The big university M any American universities logic, and so on. were founded as religious Colleges can insist that students institutions, explicitly at least become familiar with these designed to cultivate their students’ different moral ecologies. Then it’s spiritual and moral natures. But over up to the students to ¿gure out which the course of the 20th century they one or which combination is best to became of¿cially or effectively secular. live by. Religious rituals like mandatory Second, foster transcendent chapel services were dropped. experiences. If a student spends four David Academic research and teaching Brooks years in regular and concentrated replaced character formation at the contact with beauty — with poetry Comment core of the university’s mission. or music, extended time in a Administrators and professors cathedral, serving a child with Down dropped spiritual language and moral syndrome, waking up with loving friends on a prescription either because they didn’t know mountain — there’s a good chance something what to say or because they didn’t want transcendent and imagination-altering will to alienate any part of their diversifying happen. constituencies. The humanities departments Third, investigate current loves and teach became less important, while parents ratcheted new things to love. On her great blog, Brain up the pressure for career training. Pickings, Maria Popova quotes a passage from Universities are more professional and Nietzsche on how to ¿nd your identity: “Let glittering than ever, but in some ways there the young soul survey its own life with a view is emptiness deep down. Students are taught of the following question: ‘What have you how to do things, but many are not forced to truly loved thus far" What has ever uplifted reÀect on why they should do them or what your soul, what has dominated and delighted we are here for. They are given many career it at the same time"’” Line up these revered options, but they are on their own when it objects in a row, Nietzsche says, and they will comes to developing criteria to determine reveal your fundamental self. which vocation would lead to the fullest life. To lead a full future life, meanwhile, But things are changing. On almost every students have to ¿nd new things to love: campus faculty members and administrators a ¿eld of interest, an activity, a spouse, are trying to stem the careerist tide and to community, philosophy or faith. College is widen the system’s narrow de¿nition of about exposing students to many things and achievement. Institutes are popping up — with creating an aphrodisiac atmosphere so that interdisciplinary humanities programs and they might fall in lifelong love with a few. even meditation centers — designed to Fourth, apply the humanities. The social cultivate the whole student: the emotional, sciences are not shy about applying their spiritual and moral sides and not just the disciplines to real life. But literary critics, intellectual. philosophers and art historians are shy about Technology is also forcing change. applying their knowledge to real life because Online courses make the transmission of it might seem too Oprahesque or self-helpy. information a commodity. If colleges are They are afraid of being prescriptive because going to justify themselves, they are going they idolize individual choice. to have to thrive at those things that require But the great works of art and literature physical proximity. That includes moral and have a lot to say on how to tackle the concrete spiritual development. Very few of us cultivate challenges of living, like how to escape the our souls as hermits. We do it through chains of public opinion, how to cope with small groups and relationships and in social grief or how to build loving friendships. contexts. Instead of organizing classes around academic In short, for the past many decades colleges concepts — 19th-century French literature — narrowed down to focus on professional more could be organized around the concrete academic disciplines, but now there are a challenges students will face in the ¿rst decade series of forces leading them to widen out after graduation. so that they leave a mark on the full human It’s tough to know how much philosophical being. instruction anybody can absorb at age 20, The trick is to ¿nd a way to talk about before most of life has happened, but seeds moral and spiritual things while respecting can be planted. Universities could more diversity. Universities might do that by taking intentionally provide those enchanted goods responsibility for four important tasks. that the marketplace doesn’t offer. If that First, reveal moral options. We’re the happens, the future of the university will inheritors of an array of moral traditions. be found in its original moral and spiritual There’s the Greek tradition emphasizing mission, but secularized, and in an open and honor, glory and courage, the Jewish tradition aspiring way. Ŷ emphasizing justice and law, the Christian David Brooks became a New York Times tradition emphasizing surrender and grace, the Op-Ed columnist in September 2003. scienti¿c tradition emphasizing reason and YOUR VIEWS Arm teachers, end gun-free zones Gun-free zones are bad for everybody. They are good in theory, but the reality is that they only amplify the carnage in a mass shooting. The only gun-free zones that have been a success are ones with screening and armed police present. Whether you support the Second Amendment or not, you must accept the fact that guns are everywhere in our society. You can’t protect people with a sign and an invisible bubble. Gun-free zones only stop the people who follow the rule of law and do not intend to kill anyone. They are a prime target for the psychos that carry out mass shootings in this country, and it is their ¿rst choice for ¿nding fame and victims who can’t ¿ght back. The mass shooting that happened Oct. 1 in Roseburg took the police six minutes to respond. I have to ask, if your loved one were in that building would you rather they had a cell phone in their hand, or a means to ¿ght back" The shooter even had the time to ask people their religion before shooting them in the head. I am the parent of a college freshman and have children in primary and secondary schools, so I am as concerned as any other parent would be when I see something bad happen. I personally would sleep better at night if I knew their teachers were armed and trained to respond. Armed teachers would deter the cowards who carry out these terrible acts. It’s sad that the staff in our schools currently train to run and hide. That may save a few lives, but it does not stop a killer who is allowed to hunt his victims until police respond. The sad truth is that there is no way to stop someone who intends to take another life, but you can sure cut the number of victims by a rapid armed response. We as a society need to get some common sense and do what’s right by allowing concealed cary permit holders to exercise their right in our schools, local hospitals, etc. We cannot prevent the evil act that happened last week, but together we can limit it in the future. The only way to insure the safety of the people in an armed society is to eliminate unenforceable gun-free zones. John Walker 6WDQ¿HOG :KHUH¶VDSROLFHRI¿FHU when you need one? Recently my neighbor came over to say that he had just come out of the Mexican restaurant on Main Street and saw a car do a U-turn on the speed bump in the 300 block of Main. My question is, why is it that we never seem to have a police of¿cer patrolling Main Street anymore" Mid-block U-turns are illegal anywhere in the state of Oregon, so why is it that it is legal in the city of 3endleton" And what about speeders in school zones such as Southeast Alexander" Maybe we need to consolidate the police agencies in the county so we can have better police protection. Barbara Wright Pendleton Visits by foreign dignitaries are too expensive, should stop The recent visit by the Pope was unbelievably expensive. He visited just three cities — Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C. Some estimate the cost just for security in Philadelphia at $48 million. The World Meeting of Families is attempting to raise $45 million to help offset these papal expenses. If they do, think of the dozens of really great projects that could be paid for by this money instead of a papal visit. Some say the million visitors coming to see the Pope will spend a lot, but others say these faithful servants are mostly poor and won’t spend much at all. And by the way, almost none of them will actually see the Pope or even get close. Whatever economic bene¿t that might be realized will only bene¿t the cities he visits, not the taxpayer. I realize this Pope has made great strides for the Catholic Church compared with his predecessors. If you go back far enough you ¿nd popes who, for example, had their enemies skewered with sharpened wood poles surrounding the courtyard, doused with oil, then burned to provide light for the Pope’s parties. You don’t have to go back that far to remember the dozens of priests who abused young boys and were simply sent to other locations so they could ¿nd an entire new batch of victims. The church knew it was going on and did nothing for many years. With the violent insanity and threats of Muslim extremists ever- present, let’s just stop the non-vital visits along with the huge costs and security nightmares they cause. Let’s just declare a moratorium on visits by all foreign dignitaries for a couple of years. This recent visit by the President of China was mostly lavish dinners and pomp and circumstance. I doubt much of substance was accomplished. The taxpayer picked up the bill. Our country is $19 trillion in debt. Let’s have these summits on Skype. If they insist on coming, they pay for their own security. A fair amount is deposited to the U.S. government in advance of their visit with the stipulation that if they go over that amount, they are liable for the balance. While we are at it, let’s eliminate the amnesty for rotten foreign dignitaries and their offspring who murder U.S. citizens, drive drunk, and just get away with it. LETTERS POLICY David Burns 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 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.
