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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, January 21, 2016 OTHER VIEWS Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OTHER VIEWS An open letter from Malheur refuge staff By Malheur National Wildlife Refuge staff D ear Friends, Many have asked us to comment on the ongoing situation at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. We have refrained because we care deeply for the community, and want to ensure our words do not inÀame an already heated situation. However, we believe it is important that our views and position are known. We believe many in the media (as well as those sympathetic to the illegal occupiers) were surprised to hear that the community — while frustrated with the Hammond situation — did not leap to the support of the militants. We are not surprised. For over 100 years, our refuge employees have been members of this community. We study, watch our kids play basketball, worship, commune, and interact with our fellow Harney County citizens — not as a ‘we vs. they,’ but as an ‘us.’ In a community with nearly 40 percent of working adults engaged in some form of government, we are all touched or involved in the public process. In Harney County, that means we talk. We have cups of coffee. We have arguments. Together we knit our brows, and together we knit scarves. We understand what those in Washington, D.C., and those currently occupying the refuge don’t understand: that Harney County isn’t afraid of tough talk. We can have effective disagreements and either ¿nd resolution, ¿nd compromise, or simply agree to disagree. But we do it with respect for the rule of law, and know that our areas of agreement and cooperation are in¿nitely more powerful than the differences we may face. Mostly, we face those differences together with open dialogue and open gates — not intimidation and threats. We have access to each other, because we are not afraid to confront dif¿cult situations or have dif¿cult conversations. It pains each of us that we are missing our obligations to you — as church leaders, as 4-H advisers, as friends, and as school volunteers. We hope to be back soon and pick up where we left off. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your support. We know (as you do too) that it is not our refuge that has been occupied. This is Harney County’s and America’s refuge. We are excited to be part of the eventual healing process for our community. We believe that this dif¿cult situation will lead to even stronger bonds between the refuge and the community that has supported us. We feel for you, because we are you. We will get through this because We. Are. Harney. County. We can have effective disagreements and either ind resolution, ind compromise, or simply agree to disagree. Can Bernie Sanders change dynamics of Democratic race? D ES MOINES — It’s pretty a winner. (Notice Briggs said “do well” clear things have changed in the in Iowa, not “win.”) Sanders has always Democratic presidential race conceded that as a senator from a nearly when Hillary Clinton does a sky-is- all-white state, he doesn’t have deep falling routine for donors. roots in African-American politics. But “There are not one, but two new he’s tried hard to reach out, stressing not public polls out this week that have just his record but civil rights work that us down in Iowa,” Clinton campaign goes back to student days. manager Robby Mook wrote in an email I suggested to Briggs that all that Byron to small contributors Thursday. “Now, reaching out hasn’t paid off, since black York you should always take public polling Democrats still seem strongly behind Comment with a grain of salt. But if you thought Clinton. “It’s not that it hasn’t worked,” this race wasn’t going to be close, well, Briggs answered. “People didn’t know it is. This isn’t me claiming the sky is falling — about it.” If Sanders wins early contests, the these are just the facts.” theory goes, later-state Democratic voters, black Of the six polls taken most recently here and white, will take a look at him. And that’s in Iowa, Sanders leads in the two Mook where, again theoretically, the dynamic changes. mentioned — by Quinnipiac Truth be told, that still and ARG — while Clinton seems unlikely to happen. has progressively smaller But it seems less unlikely leads in the others. Back in than it did a few weeks ago, December, Clinton’s margins which explains Clinton’s over challenger Bernie increasing attacks on Sanders in the polls were 18 Sanders. It also explains points, or 14 points, or 22 the emergence of Chelsea points. Today, they’re two or Clinton, who is pretty much three points. universally admired by The bottom line is that Democrats, as one of the in Iowa, Clinton’s lead attackers. Chelsea’s hit on over Sanders is within the Sanders’ health proposal margin of error, and in — that it would somehow New Hampshire, she trails enable Republicans’ efforts Sanders by several points. to repeal Obamacare — Which leads to a question: struck a lot of Democrats as Could Clinton’s entire theory of the race be not just out of character, but Àat wrong, as well. wrong? Still, as a sign of Clinton anxiety, it was The theory is this: Of course Clinton wants pretty accurate. “I think they’re panicking,” to win Iowa and New Hampshire, but if she Briggs said of the Clinton campaign. doesn’t, she will still win the nomination Things are moving fast; Iowa Democrats because the race will move on to South Carolina are choosing quickly. In The Des Moines and other states with a signi¿cant black Register poll, 70 percent of Hillary population. African-Americans are a critical supporters, and 69 percent of Sanders part of the Democratic coalition, and Clinton is supporters, say they’ve made up their minds. undeniably strong with them. So in the long run, Just a month ago, those numbers were quite a she will win. bit smaller. More minds will be made up each It’s a persuasive theory; Sanders has tried and day. failed to make any real inroads into Clinton’s “Voters will caucus in Iowa in 18 days, black support. But now there’s the question: and the Sanders campaign is outspending us If Sanders were to vanquish Clinton in the on TV,” Mook wrote in that alarmed email ¿rst two contests of the campaign, would that to small donors. “Hillary’s been ¿ghting for change the dynamics of the race? families for decades — if you’re with her, this “It does change the dynamics of the race,” is the time to show it.” Mook then asked the Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs told me recipient to “Chip in $1 now.” by phone from a campaign event at Dartmouth It’s not surprising to see a campaign send College. “If you do well in Iowa and notch a out a poor-little-old-me appeal, asking for victory in New Hampshire, you’re going to see donations to ¿ght a big, bad opponent. But for Hillary Clinton, the unstoppable, inevitable, more and more people take Bernie’s campaign Democratic nominee-in-waiting, to say that seriously, and that will change the dynamics.” about Bernie Sanders? Now, that’s a change. But how speci¿cally? The theory — the Ŷ hope — is that the work Sanders has done trying Byron York is chief political correspondent to connect with black Democrats will start to for The Washington Examiner. pay off if Sanders comes out of the early states If Sanders wins early contests, the theory goes, later-state Democratic voters, black and white, will take a look at him. OTHER VIEWS The folly of ‘taking back’ the American West By TED WILLIAMS Writers on the Range D o 700 million acres of national parks, national monuments, national forests, national wildlife refuges and Bureau of Land Management units belong to you and your fellow Americans? No, according to the increasingly popular notion in the West that it’s time for states to “take back” federal land. “Taking back” property of Alaskans and Floridians and everyone between is even a plank in the GOP platform. A resolution, entitled “In Support of Western States Taking Back Public Lands” reads: “The Republican National Committee calls upon all national and state leaders and representatives to exert their utmost power and inÀuence to urge the imminent transfer of public lands to all willing Western states.” Taking back something that never belonged to you presents multiple problems, not the least of which is semantics. But this has never discouraged proponents whose ¿rst order of business is to ignore constitutional law. Here’s a fact they don’t want you to know: As a condition for entering the union, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Nevada disclaimed all legal right and title to unappropriated public lands. Nevertheless, in 2015 state lawmakers in the West introduced 37 grossly unconstitutional bills promoting seizure of lands belonging to all Americans. Utah’s Legislature has gone so far as to appropriate $2 million supposedly to oversee the land grab. And a commission of Utah legislators has voted to spend $14 million suing the federal government for control of public lands. The bills and litigation can’t possibly succeed, but that’s not their intent. They’re designed as messages to the U.S. Congress. That’s where the danger lies. The messages are getting through. Last February Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., introduced the “Federal Land Freedom Act of 2015,” which would transfer to the states management of energy production on millions of U.S. acres. In March the House and Senate passed a joint nonbinding resolution to help states seize and sell America’s public lands. The same month Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., introduced a bill that would authorize his state to sell your land. Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced legislation in 2014 that would have prohibited the federal government from owning more than half the land within one state. On the stump in Nevada last June, presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., drew thunderous applause when he declared: “I’d either sell or turn over all the land management to the states.” Leading the ovation, and granted a private audience by Paul, was take-back- the-West folk hero Cliven Bundy, who has intentionally trespassed his cattle on BLM range for more than two decades, amassing $1 million in unpaid grazing fees (almost four times more than the 16,000 other BLM grazing leasers combined). In March 2014, when BLM agents ¿nally mustered the resolve to impound Bundy’s cattle, he summoned a 300-man “militia” that ran them off at gunpoint. They then returned the cattle. Neither Bundy nor his militia has been prosecuted. The Department of Homeland Security had it right when it warned that Bundy’s “perceived success likely will embolden other militia extremists.” Jerad and Amanda Miller attended Bundy’s felonious standoff and spewed support for his cause on Facebook and YouTube (getting “likes” from the National RiÀe Association, Rand Paul and Ron Paul). Three months later the couple shot to death two cops and a civilian in Las Vegas. Then, on Jan. 2, 2016, an armed militia, led by Bundy’s sons Ammon, Ryan and Taking back something that never belong to you presents multiple problems, not the least of which is semantics. Mel, broke into and occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Building in Oregon, vowing to kill anyone who jailed two arsonists convicted of purposely setting ¿re to BLM land where they’d poached deer. Anyone who wonders what Western states would do with U.S. land should consider what they’ve already done with it. In exchange for relinquishing all claims on public property new states were awarded “trust lands.” Trust lands have generally been used to create revenue via oil and gas extraction, logging, mining and outright sale. For example, of Nevada’s original 2.7 million acres of trust land only 3,000 acres remain. In Colorado you can ¿sh and camp on virtually all federal land and hunt on most. But you can’t hunt, ¿sh or camp on most state land because it’s reserved for extractive industry. The attempted heist of your land in the West is about one thing only — private pro¿teering. If it succeeds, it will mean no-trespassing signs and death to much of your ¿sh and wildlife. Ŷ Ted Williams is a contributor to Writers on the Range, an opinion service of High Country News. He serves as Conservation Editor for Fly Rod & Reel magazine. 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 newspa- per reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual ser- vices 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.
