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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, February 26, 2016 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 $NLFNLQWKHSDQWVWR.DWH%URZQ¶VRI¿FH for the second week in a row. A re-kick, if you will. Last Friday we lamented the governor’s lack of follow-through on a promise to increase transparency in state government DQGWKHJRYHUQRU¶VRI¿FHLQSDUWLFXODU:H noted the recent example, spotlighted by The Oregonian newspaper, of public utility commissioners feeling muzzled by the JRYHUQRU¶VRI¿FHZKRLQHPDLOVDVNHGWKHP to stay out of the debate until the legislature had passed a bill. The governor’s director of communications, Kristen Grainger, sent us a “correct the record” request, DVNLQJWRUHWUDFWRXURSLQLRQ:HZHUHQ¶WWKHRQO\RQHWRUHFHLYHVXFKD message. Grainger sent a similar note to our sister paper The Daily Astorian, as well as The Oregonian and others. The O responded with an oh-no-you-didn’t editorial titled “Kate Brown doubles down on muzzling of no-coal plan critics.” They argued that %URZQ¶VRI¿FH¿UVWPX]]OHGFULWLFVRIWKHSODQDQGLVQRZWU\LQJWRPX]]OH the media to stay quiet about it. 7KDWLVQ¶WJRLQJWRÀ\LQPRVWQHZVURRPVDQGLWVXUHLVQ¶WJRLQJWRÀ\ here. )URPRXUYLHZLWVHHPVWKDW%URZQ¶VRI¿FHLVPRUHFRQFHUQHGZLWK giving off the appearance of transparency than just being transparent. OTHER VIEWS The devil in Ted Cruz : hen Ted Cruz announced this And where was that “civility or ZHHNWKDWKHZDV¿ULQJKLV respect” during subsequent Senate campaign’s communications KHDULQJVWRFRQ¿UP&KXFN+DJHO director for circulating a false as the secretary of defense? Cruz’s insinuation that Marco Rubio had repeated suggestions that Hagel belittled the Bible, he told reporters, had been corrupted by money from “Even if it was true, we are not a America’s enemies were so out of campaign that is going to question the bounds that senators from both parties faith of another candidate.” were appalled. Frank Really? Huh. Then I must have Cruz continues to congratulate his Bruni been hallucinating last month at a campaign for its high-mindedness even Comment though his allies and operatives spread Cruz event in Iowa where several an erroneous report, during the Iowa of his hand-picked supporters, who caucuses, that Ben Carson was dropping out spoke just before him, mocked and dismissed of the race. And they had the niftiest bit of Donald Trump’s professed Christianity. counsel for Carson voters. Switch to Cruz! They marveled at a past comment Then, in South Carolina, Cruz operatives of Trump’s about never asking God for doctored a photograph so forgiveness. One of them that it showed Rubio shaking chose a bizarre, religiously hands with Obama in front of coded analogy for a boast the U.S. Capitol. Trump had just made about These shenanigans how much voters loved him, profoundly contradict the saying that the billionaire’s godly styling of a candidate bragging was an echo of John ZKRZDVWKH¿UVWHYHUWR Lennon’s infamous claim announce a presidential — an outrage to American campaign at Liberty Christians in the 1960s — that University, the largest the Beatles were more popular Christian university in the than Jesus. world, and who incessantly But no, Cruz’s campaign invokes the Bible, Jesus and would never question the faith morality. of another candidate. $QGWKH\VXUHO\UHÀHFWWKHFDPSDLJQ The Texas senator is some piece of culture that Cruz has created. Political allies GRXEOHWDONLQJGLVLQJHQXRXVZRUN:KLOH and aides tend to behave in a manner largely the so-called dirty tricks that he and his consistent with their boss’ directives and lieutenants have been charged with aren’t all understood values. that shocking by the standards of bruising Or they’re brought aboard a campaign presidential campaigns, they really do stand RXWLQWKHFRQWH[WRI&UX]¶VÀDPER\DQWFODLPV because they behave that way. As Matt Flegenheimer reported in The Times this week, of rectitude and righteousness. Cruz hired a campaign manager, Jeff Roe, He directs you to his halo as he who is widely known for destructive gossip, surreptitiously grabs a pitchfork. His rivals for malicious tactics — and for winning. aren’t so diabolically hypocritical. Cruz’s hypocrisy may be catching up At a town hall in South Carolina that CNN with him. In Iowa, he drew more evangelical televised, he answered a question about his Christian voters than his rivals did, but in miserable relations with fellow lawmakers in South Carolina, Trump beat him among those :DVKLQJWRQE\DVVXULQJYRWHUVWKDW³LW¶VQRW voters, and Rubio wasn’t far behind. Some of that I speak with a lack of civility or respect.” them told reporters, including me, that they’d “The Bible talks about if someone treats been turned off by behavior of Cruz’s that they you unkindly, repay them with kindness,” he deemed un-Christian. added. “That has been the standard I’ve tried This dynamic could cripple him in the to follow. That’s how I’ve approached it in 6RXWKHUQVWDWHVWKDWYRWHLQWKH¿UVWKDOIRI the Senate. So I have not attacked or insulted March, and his strategy hinges on those states. my colleagues in the Senate, Democrat or :LWKWKHLUHYDQJHOLFDOYRWHUVLQPLQG Republican.” he frames himself as the candidate truest to Is he suffering from delusions? Amnesia? 6FULSWXUHDQG¿HUFHVWLQWKHEDWWOHDJDLQVWVXFK 2QWKH6HQDWHÀRRUKHFDOOHG0LWFK scourges (in his estimation) as gay marriage. McConnell, the Republican majority leader, a That framing implicitly questions rivals’ liar. He also likened Senate Republicans who devotion. recognized the impossibility of defunding And his onetime proclamation that “any Obamacare to Nazi appeasers. :KHUHZDVKLVYDXQWHG³FLYLOLW\RUUHVSHFW´ president who doesn’t begin every day on his when, on the heels of his election to the Senate NQHHVLVQ¶W¿WWREHFRPPDQGHULQFKLHI´LV in November 2012, he derided Mitt Romney’s a summons to rivals to prove their faith. He should focus instead on conduct that proves failed presidential bid — to an audience his own. including Romney supporters — by saying Ŷ that during one presidential debate, “I’m pretty Frank Bruni has been an Op-Ed columnist certain Mitt Romney actually French-kissed for The New York Times since June 2011. Barack Obama.” Cruz directs you to his halo as he surreptitiously grabs a pitchfork. Courtesy photo Members of the Hermiston fire and police departments help clean up a Hermiston yard after the homeowner fell off a ladder and broke his neck trying to trim the tree. $WLSRIWKHKDWWRWKH+HUPLVWRQ¿UVWUHVSRQGHUV who helped clean up a mess left in a local front yard after a terrible accident. A Hermiston homeowner fell off a ladder and broke his neck recently while trying to trim a big pine tree on his property. The man required emergency transport and — though he did survive — a long recovery in the hospital awaited him. He wasn’t going to be up on a ladder anytime soon, or able to pick up the branches left behind. So members of the Hermiston Fire 'HSDUWPHQWDQGRIIGXW\SROLFHRI¿FHU7LP Myers returned to the yard to trim, cut and buck the unwieldy tree, and remove the detritus. Hermiston Fire District Chief Scott Stanton said the work is the kind of community service he wants his crews to be known for. ³:HZDQWSHRSOHWRWKLQNRIXVDVWKHSHRSOHZKRKHOS´6WDQWRQWROGWKH editorial board. In this instance, they did help. Not only by helping stabilize and save a life, but by spending time and energy offering assistance to a family in need. 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 State should protect whistleblowers The (Bend) Bulletin O regon law already offers some protection to whistleblowers. (PSOR\HUVFDQ¶W¿UHRUUHWDOLDWH against employees who report what they believe to be violations of the law. But House Bill 4067 in the Legislature takes that a needed step further. It would provide protection to SXEOLFDQGQRQSUR¿WHPSOR\HHVDQG board members. The sponsors of the bill include Reps. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, DQG*HQH:KLVQDQW56XQULYHU 6SHFL¿FDOO\WKHELOOJLYHV whistleblowers more legal protection if they provide the information to certain designated bodies: a state regulatory agency, law enforcement, a member of the Legislature, a manager of the QRQSUR¿WRUDQDWWRUQH\OLFHQVHGWR practice in Oregon. But if the information is disclosed or redisclosed to someone else, such as the news media, the protection would not apply. The bill also has requirements to establish policies for whistleblowers. 7KH1RQSUR¿W$VVRFLDWLRQRI2UHJRQ opposes the change because it said it was not needed. Federal protections are already in place. It also said the law puts DQDGGLWLRQDOEXUGHQRQQRQSUR¿WVDQG would be confusing. There is some truth to those assertions. But this law provides better protection for Oregon whistleblowers. 7KH1RQSUR¿W$VVRFLDWLRQRI2UHJRQ could help its members establish whistleblower policies, and this change is no more complicated than other legal changes the Legislature makes every year. :KLVWOHEORZHUVFDQSXWWKHLU livelihoods and reputations at risk when they speak up about problems. The additional protections in this bill may encourage more to do so and protect them when they do. The Legislature should pass this bill. 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. YOUR VIEWS Cimmiyotti would be good addition to Pendleton council Cody Cimmiyotti would be a great addition to the Pendleton City Council. I know Cody to be a responsible and reliable person who cares about his community. He is an ambitious individual who would be willing to put in the time and work to better Pendleton. Cody has the desire to not only better his community, but also himself by supplementing his income from his job at Seaport Airlines by working evenings in the lounge at Red Lion Hotel. Pendleton needs to get their younger citizens involved in local government and we now have that opportunity. I urge you to vote for Cody Cimmiyotti for city council. Linda Anderson Pendleton
