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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Wednesday, February 10, 2016 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW 7LPHLVQRZWR¿OH for Pendleton seats Pendleton residents interested in additions to the council. serving out the ¿nal year of -ane Pendleton City Council is heading Hill’s city council term have only into a season of dramatic change. a few days to throw their hat in the 1ext year, ¿ve seats — including ring. the mayor’s — could be ¿lled by They should still consider it. new faces. That’s a maMority of Because though Pendleton City the council, and such a powerful Council currently has ¿ve choices wave of new thought can have deep for the seat, there are few good ones. effects. Thankfully, Umatilla County But so far, a wave of quali¿ed Assessment and candidates have not Taxation director stepped forward to Paul Chalmers campaign for those The deadline put his name seats. is Monday to into the mix on Pendleton Tuesday. As a police Stuart apply to finish Roberts Chief ¿scally responsible, aptly former councilor noted Wednesday: community-oriented person who is you’re doing Jane Hill’s term. “If familiar with the the Mob the right problems Pendleton way, you’ll have city government is people in leadership facing, Chalmers would be a good positions.” He was talking about choice for a ¿ll-in position. Pendleton police, but may as well The city must feel lucky to have have been talking about Pendleton at least one good option, because city government. for a while it looked like the council It’s clear Pendleton needs to was between a rock and a hard rebound off the Àoor into more place. They would have needed to active, engaged civic life. Let’s hope choose a replacement from a quartet it happens now, before voters have that included a man convicted of to learn a hard lesson about how a hate crime and another who is important city council seats can be. actively working to a remove a The deadline to apply for Hill’s sitting councilor. at-large seat is Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. at Both would clearly be terrible city hall. 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 Readers should wait for facts on Finicum’s death The (Eugene) Register-Guard A fter the shooting death of Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, one of the occupiers of the Malheur 1ational Wildlife Refuge, social and mainstream media sites lit up with rumors, speculations and allegations. People claiming to be eye witnesses, or to have talked to eyewitnesses, insisted that Finicum was shot in the face, while kneeling on the ground, with his hands in the air. The FBI took the unusual step of releasing unedited aerial video of the shooting. The special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon said: “We know there are various versions of what occurred during this event: most inaccurate, some inÀammatory. To that end, we want to do what we can to lay out an honest and un¿ltered view of what happened and how it happened.” While the video put paid to some of the alleged facts, showing for example that Finicum was not kneeling with his hands on his head when he was shot, it became something of a Rorschach test. Many people saw in it what they wanted to see. Some said it proved that of¿cers had acted properly, that Finicum was reaching toward a pocket that held a loaded gun. Others said it showed he was reaching across his body to regain his balance in the deep snow. At least one viewer insisted that Finicum was reaching ¿rst to his hip, in response to a gunshot wound, and then to his shoulder, in response to a second gunshot wound — although police have not said where, or how many times, Finicum was shot. Finicum’s family reportedly obtained a private autopsy but has not released the results. Some viewers of the video purport to know what Finicum was saying to of¿cers, although there is no audio on the video, which was shot from a police airplane overhead. One person riding in the truck where Finicum had been riding claimed that more than 100 shots were ¿red into the truck, although none of the occupants were hit and the truck did not appear to be riddled with bullet holes. While some of these “eyewitness accounts” quietly faded away after the video was released, others continue to spread, usually as part of a call to action. An of¿cial investigation of the shooting, which was by an Oregon State Police trooper, is now underway, in accordance with state law. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Of¿ce is leading the investigation, with help from the Bend Police Department, Redmond Police Department, and Oregon State Police. Everyone else should wait for the results of this investigation, and information that will surface in court hearings for the occupiers who have been arrested, before rushing to Mudgment. The people of Harney County have reacted with great grace and restraint in response to the inÀux of occupiers, protesters and counter-protesters, and media into their community. They did not seek this spotlight, nor have they indicated they welcome it. Quite the contrary. At this point, they deserve to be left alone while the legal and public safety systems deal with the remaining few occupiers and complete the of¿cial investigation. OTHER VIEWS I miss Barack Obama A of the situation. Bernie Sanders, by s this primary season has gone contrast, has been so blinded by his along, a strange sensation has values that the reality of the situation come over me: I miss Barack does not seem to penetrate his mind. Obama. 1ow, obviously I disagree Take health care. Passing with a lot of Obama’s policy decisions. Obamacare was a mighty lift that I’ve been disappointed by aspects led to two gigantic midterm election of his presidency. I hope the next defeats. As Megan McArdle pointed presidency is a philosophic departure. out in her Bloomberg View column, But over the course of this David campaign it feels as if there’s been Brooks Obamacare took coverage away from only a small minority of Americans. a decline in behavioral standards Comment Sanderscare would take employer across the board. Many of the traits of coverage away from tens of millions character and leadership that Obama of satis¿ed customers, destroy the health possesses, and that maybe we have taken too much for granted, have suddenly gone missing insurance business and levy massive new tax hikes. This is epic social disruption. or are in short supply. To think you could pass Sanderscare The ¿rst and most important of these is through a polarized Washington and in a basic integrity. The Obama administration country deeply suspicious of government is to has been remarkably scandal-free. Think of live in intellectual fairyland. the way Iran-Contra or the Obama may have been too Lewinsky scandals swallowed cautious, especially in the years from Reagan and Middle East, but at least he’s Clinton. able to grasp the reality of the We’ve had very little of situation. that from Obama. He and his Fourth, grace under staff have generally behaved pressure. I happen to ¿nd it with basic rectitude. Hillary charming that Marco Rubio Clinton is constantly having gets nervous on the big to hold these defensive press occasions — that he grabs conferences when she’s trying for the bottle of water, breaks to explain away some vaguely out in a sweat and went shady shortcut she’s taken, robotic in the last debate. or decision she has made, but It shows Rubio is a normal Obama has not had to do that. person. And I happen to think He and his wife have not overcon¿dence is one of Obama’s great Àaws. only displayed superior integrity themselves, But a president has to maintain equipoise they have mostly attracted and hired people under enormous pressure. Obama has done with high personal standards. There are all that, especially amid the ¿nancial crisis. After sorts of unsightly characters Àoating around Saturday night, this is now an open question politics, including in the Clinton camp and in Gov. Chris Christie’s administration. This sort about Rubio. Fifth, a resilient sense of optimism. To has been blocked from team Obama. hear Sanders or Trump, Cruz and Ben Carson Second, a sense of basic humanity. Donald campaign is to wallow in the pornography of Trump has spent much of this campaign pessimism, to conclude that this country is on vowing to block Muslim immigration. the verge of complete collapse. That’s simply You can only say that if you treat Muslim not true. We have problems, but they are less Americans as an abstraction. Obama, serious than those faced by Must about any meanwhile, went to a mosque, looked into other nation on earth. people’s eyes and gave a wonderful speech People are motivated to make wise choices reasserting their place as Americans. more by hope and opportunity than by fear, He’s exuded this basic care and respect cynicism, hatred and despair. Unlike many for the dignity of others time and time again. current candidates, Obama has not appealed to Let’s put it this way: Imagine if Barack and those passions. Michelle Obama Moined the board of a charity 1o, Obama has not been temperamentally you’re involved in. You’d be happy to have perfect. Too often he’s been disdainful, such people in your community. Could you aloof, resentful and insular. But there is a say that comfortably about Ted Cruz? The tone of ugliness creeping across the world, quality of a president’s humanity Àows out in as democracies retreat, as tribalism mounts, the unexpected but important moments. as suspiciousness and authoritarianism Third, a soundness in his decision-making process. Over the years I have spoken to many take center stage. Obama radiates an ethos of integrity, humanity, good manners and members of this administration who were elegance that I’m beginning to miss, and that disappointed that the president didn’t take I suspect we will all miss a bit, regardless of their advice. But those disappointed staffers who replaces him. almost always felt that their views had been Ŷ considered in depth. David Brooks became a New York Times Obama’s basic approach is to promote his Op-Ed columnist in September 2003. values as much as he can within the limits Obama radiates an ethos of integrity, humanity, good manners and elegance. YOUR VIEWS Rep. Walden on wrong side of Malheur occupation An open letter to U.S. Rep Greg Walden: I’ve read with interest your recent guest column. You take the focus off Hammond, Bundy and the armed thugs who are the real culprits, and you shift the blame onto the BLM, the Forest Service, even the President. Bingo! It’s all the fault of the arrogant federal government. Lots of us in Eastern Oregon have complaints against the Forest Service and BLM. And we have frustrations with you in the Congress too, for the high taxes you’ve caused by unfunded wars, high agricultural subsidies and low grazing rates. But we don’t carry our guns into your of¿ce and occupy it. 1o, you don’t condone the actions of the armed occupiers or the “mistakes” the Hammonds committed. But you don’t condemn their crimes either. The Hammonds, you say, made a mistake. 1ot a federal crime, mind you, Must a mistake. Ask any Mudge, ask any prosecutor or probation of¿cer. How many times have they heard criminals describe their crimes as “mistakes”? Criminals shift the blame and minimize the wrong. You’re doing the same. Lovely words, “those not familiar with the high desert of the West,” make it sound as though Bundy, his friends, and the Hammonds are victims of those far-away city folk from 1ew York or Washington, or even Portland. You ignore the Mury of high desert folks from Eastern Oregon, who do understand the culture and the lifestyle of the great American West, who also live in this vast beautiful harsh landscape, who — after two weeks of hearing evidence — convicted Hammond of desecrating this beautiful land by intentionally setting ¿res while he and his hunting party were illegally killing deer, not as part of the “culture and the lifestyle of the great American West” but as part of the tradition of “take the law into your own hands,” take game when you want, burn the land when you want. If only a couple of Murors had believed the Hammonds, there would have been no conviction. But after two weeks of evidence and testimony, the Hammonds’ Eastern Oregon peers found them guilty, not of making a mistake but of committing crimes. Well done, congressman. You’re siding with the right people. And your article only encourages criminals like Bundy and Finicum. Martin J. Birnbaum, retired district attorney and public defender, La Grande 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. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.
