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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2016)
Page 6A OPINION East Oregonian Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW Advocating within the limits Ethics accusation against Ammon Bundy’s lawyers should prompt a look at the rules 7KHFRPSODLQW¿OHGE\&ODWVRS &RXQW\'LVWULFW$WWRUQH\-RVK Marquis is a fascinating skirmish in a long-running battle within the legal profession over the proper boundaries between acceptable advocacy for clients and unacceptable efforts to manipulate public opinion and trial outcomes. It is Marquis’ opinion that attorneys for Malheur National Wildlife Refuge militant Ammon Bundy are improperly seeking to prejudice future jurors in a pending federal prosecution. 'HVSLWHDFRPPRQSXEOLF perception that all lawyers do whatever it takes to win, the truth is that a majority of practicing attorneys are rather restrained in pushing ethical boundaries. Aside from personal integrity, most recognize there can be a steep professional price for being viewed by colleagues, judges and potential clients as unethical. +RZHYHUKLJKSUR¿OHFDVHV like the Bundy defense can entice lawyers to push the limits. Television viewers are being reminded of some of these tactics right now in the program “The 3HRSOHY2-6LPSVRQ$PHULFDQ &ULPH6WRU\´7KHPLQLVHULHV and the 1994-95 trial on which it is based are something of a master class in using news and entertainment media to manipulate public attitudes. Even before the 2-FDVHFHOHEULW\ODZ\HUVOLNH Gerry Spence were teaching courses on how to stack the deck for clients long before cases arrive in the courtroom. Beyond aggressively working on behalf of clients, press exposure in the course of major cases can be a career-maker for attorneys. Particularly in a profession that only in the past couple decades has begun doing much paid advertising, the free publicity obtained by holding news conferences and sending out press releases is the gold standard of self-aggrandizement. The lawyer who Bundy’s lawyers have hired to defend them on the ethics complaint makes valid points. Oregon’s rules set “a much higher bar than most other states before pretrial publicity is considered a WKUHDWWRDIDLUWULDO´7KLVZLOOPDNH LWGLI¿FXOWIRU0DUTXLV¶FRPSODLQWWR prevail. It’s time for Oregon to take a harder look at this matter. It is easy to imagine lawyers increasingly testing the limits — for their clients’ sakes, and for their own. High-proile cases like the Bundy defense can entice lawyers to push the limits. 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. &RDOIUHH2UHJRQ is a healthier place %XWKHUH¶VWKHJRRGQHZVIRU2UHJRQ a bill is currently underway in the Oregon legislature that can establish a cleaner, healthier way for our state to Oregonians are often surprised to PDNHHOHFWULFLW\7KH&OHDQ(OHFWULFLW\ know our state still gets one-third of &RDO7UDQVLWLRQELOOZLOOPRYH2UHJRQ our electricity from coal. Using coal to off of dirty coal energy by 2030 and generate our electricity contributes to increased rates of cardiac disease, stroke, increase our use of clean, renewable energy to 50%. This legislation was asthma, and neural and pulmonary proposed by a broad group comprised developmental disorders in children. of clean energy advocates, ratepayer As long as coal power plants continue advocates, environmentalists and electric to generate electricity and generate utilities. pollution, Oregonians will continue Going coal free, combined with our to feel the health impacts of climate existing hydropower, means Oregon change, like more visits to emergency will run on more than 80 percent rooms during heatwaves and more clean energy with no health-harming asthma attacks. &OLPDWHFKDQJHLVKHUHDQGKDSSHQLQJ emissions. The carbon reductions from going coal free are real, measurable in Oregon. Our state experienced one of WKHPRVWGHYDVWDWLQJDQGFRVWO\ZLOG¿UH and substantial. The Oregon Global :DUPLQJ&RPPLVVLRQHVWLPDWHVWKLVELOO seasons in its history; drought-ridden would cut the carbon footprint of our Eastern Oregon was particularly state’s two biggest utilities in half — the impacted. We are seeing higher pollen equivalent of taking 6.4 million cars off counts and increased ozone levels, all the road. of which make life for people with lung We know that Oregon has a unique disease and allergies unbearable and opportunity to show the world how the dangerous. transition to renewables is good for Low-income Oregonians are among public health. We have the opportunity the most vulnerable to pollution; those to lead and join others in a growing with an annual income of less than PRYHPHQW6WDWHVOLNH&RORUDGR+DZDLL $15,000 have the highest percentage &DOLIRUQLD9HUPRQWDQG1HZ<RUNDOO RIDVWKPD&RPPXQLWLHVRIFRORUDUH have aggressive standards for renewable DOVRDPRQJWKHPRVWDIIHFWHG$IULFDQ energy. Many countries around the world Americans and Native Americans have are also making this shift. Iceland and higher rates of asthma in Oregon than 'HQPDUNDOUHDG\SURGXFHSHUFHQWRI other racial or ethnic groups. their electricity from renewables. If it’s Healthy air is critical to the health SRVVLEOHIRU'HQPDUNZLWKPLOOLRQ of our families and our communities. Oregon’s adult asthma rate is higher than more people than Oregon, to make the switch we know it’s possible for us. the national average. Healthy air is not Transitioning to renewable energy is only a priority for those with asthma, but the right thing to do, and urgently needed also for our youth and our elderly. to protect the health of our communities New research highlights the link — particularly our children, our elderly between climate change and public and others more vulnerable to the health, making climate change an climate impacts because of existing urgent priority for the American Lung health conditions. We’re bearing witness Association in Oregon. This past to the growing public health challenges spring, the White House issued its latest around Oregon. Together we can 1DWLRQDO&OLPDWH$VVHVVPHQWRIIHULQJ the most comprehensive and extensively support Oregon’s transition to a clean energy and protect our families and our reviewed analysis of climate change communities in the place we love to call LPSDFWVRQWKH86WRGDWH7KH1&$ dedicated an entire chapter to identifying home. Ŷ the devastating health consequences Carrie Nyssen is the vice president linked to uncontrolled climate pollution. of advocacy and air quality for the One of the worst contributors to climate American Lung Association in Oregon. FKDQJHLVFRDO¿UHGSRZHUSODQWV By CARRIE NYSSEN American Lung Association OTHER VIEWS From Obama to Trump The spectacle of the Republican DORQJDOPRVWHYHU\GLPHQVLRQ Party’s Trumpian meltdown has launching wars without congressional inspired a mix of glee and fear among approval, claiming the power to liberals — glee over their rivals’ self- assassinate U.S. citizens, and using immolation, and fear that what arises every available end-around to make from the destruction will be worse. domestic policy without any support What it hasn’t inspired is much IURP&RQJUHVV in the way of self-examination, or a In the process, he’s cut the legs recognition of the way that Obama-era from under principled liberal critiques Ross trends in liberal politics have helped Douthat of executive power, and weakened feed the Trump phenomenon. the American left’s role as a bulwark Comment Such a recognition wouldn’t require DJDLQVW&DHVDULVP:KLFKPDNHV letting the Republican Party off the LWDOWRJHWKHU¿WWLQJ²LIGHHSO\ KRRN7KH7UXPSXSULVLQJLV¿UVWDQGIRUHPRVW unfortunate — that his reward is the rise of a D5HSXEOLFDQDQGFRQVHUYDWLYHSUREOHP7KHUH ULJKWZLQJ&DHVDULVWZKRVHDXWKRULWDULDQVW\OH would be no Trumpism if George W. Bush’s and outrageous promises make George W. presidency hadn’t cratered, no Trumpism if %XVKORRNOLNH&DWRWKH<RXQJHU the party hadn’t alternated between stoking $QGWKDW&DHVDULVWFUXFLDOO\LVUDOO\LQJ and ignoring working-class grievances, no a constituency that once swung between the Trump as front-runner if parties, but that the Obama the party leadership and his House has spent the last He’s proving, White rivals had committed fully to eight years slowly writing off. stopping him before now. in his bullying, Trump’s strongest supporters But Trumpism is also a aren’t archconservatives; overpromising they’re white working-class creature of the late Obama era, irrupting after eight years especially in the style, that voters voters, when a charismatic liberal Rust Belt and coal country, president has dominated the are increasingly who traditionally leaned cultural landscape and set the habituated to the 'HPRFUDWLFDQGVWLOOIDYRUD agenda for national debates. strong welfare state. President Barack Obama These voters had been idea of an ever drifting didn’t give us Trump in any away from the more imperial 'HPRFUDWLF3DUW\VLQFHWKH kind of Machiavellian or deliberate fashion. But it isn’t 1970s, but Obama has made presidency. an accident that this is the way moves that effectively slam the Obama era ends — with WKHGRRURQWKHP+LVHQHUJ\ a reality TV demagogue leading a populist, policies, his immigration gambits, his gun nationalist revolt. control push, his shift to offense on same-sex First, the reality TV element in Trump’s marriage and abortion. It was possible to campaign is a kind of fun-house-mirror be a culturally conservative skeptic of mass version of the celebrity-saturated Obama LPPLJUDWLRQLQWKH'HPRFUDWLF3DUW\RI%LOO effort in 2008. Presidential politics has long &OLQWRQ1RWVRDQ\PRUH had an escalating celebrity component, Of course this process has been a two-way a cultish side that’s grown ever-more- street, as bigotry inclined some of these voters FRQVSLFXRXVZLWKWLPH%XWWKH¿UVW2EDPD against Obama from the start, or encouraged campaign raised the bar. The quasi-religious them to think the worst of him eventually. imagery and rhetoric, the Great Man $QGSROLWLFDOFRDOLWLRQVVKLIWDOOWKHWLPH iconography and pillared sets, the Oprah There’s nothing inherently wrong with the endorsement and Will.i.am music video and Obama White House’s decision that a more the Hollywood stars pledging allegiance — it ethnically diverse and thoroughgoingly liberal was presidential politics as one part Aaron coalition held more promise than continued Sorkin-scripted liturgy, one part prestige HIIRUWVWRNHHS5HDJDQ'HPRFUDWVLQWKH movie’s Oscar campaign. IROG7KRXJK'HPRFUDWVLQ&RQJUHVVDQG And it worked. But because it worked, statehouses might be forgiven for doubting QRZZHKDYHWKHQHDUO\LQHYLWDEOHQH[WVWHS the decision.) SUHVLGHQWLDOSROLWLFVDVDVHDVRQRI³6XUYLYRU´ But liberalism still needs to reckon with RUZHOO³7KH$SSUHQWLFH´ZLWKWKHVDPH the consequences. As in Europe, when the left celebrity factor as Obama’s ’08 run, but with gives up on nationalism and lets part of its his campaign’s high-middlebrow pretensions ROGZRUNLQJFODVVEDVHÀRDWDZD\WKHUHVXOW stripped away. If Obama proved that you can is a hard-pressed constituency unmoored run a presidential campaign as an aspirational from either party, and nursing well-grounded cult of personality, in which a Sarah feelings of betrayal. Silverman endorsement counts for as much as Hence Marine Le Pen and the nationalist a governor or congressman’s support, Trump SDUWLHVRI(XURSH$QGKHQFHQRZ'RQDOG is proving that you don’t need Silverman to Trump. VKRXW³WKH$ULVWRFUDWV´DQGKDYHSHRSOHHDW He is the Republican Party’s monster, it up. yes. But what he represents is also part of the He’s also proving, in his bullying, Obama legacy — a nemesis for liberal follies overpromising style, that voters are as well as conservative corruptions, and a increasingly habituated to the idea of an threat to both traditions for many years to ever more imperial presidency — which come. is also a trend that Obama’s choices have Ŷ accelerated. Having once campaigned against Ross Douthat joined The New York Times his predecessor’s power grabs, the current as an Op-Ed columnist in April 2009. His president has expanded executive authority column appears every Sunday. YOUR VIEWS States should be allowed to purchase federal land It seems fairly obvious that local governments would better manage forest land within their jurisdictions than the federal government, but some activist organizations are still pushing for federal control. In Oregon, the federal government controls more than 53 percent of the land through a confusing patchwork of agencies like the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. Much of the land is designated as part of a national park, and, as such, most industrial activities are banned. Opening up a small portion of this land for logging and PLQLQJDFWLYLWLHVDVVSHFL¿HGLQWKH6WDWH National Forest Management Act of 2015, would help replace some of the 1,200 jobs lost over the past 25 years to mill closures. Yet, for some reason, Trout Unlimited is voicing opposition to this common-sense bill that would allow states to purchase back just a small percentage of national forest land from the federal government. Trout Unlimited claims to be a conservation organization for anglers, but its national RI¿FHLQWKH:DVKLQJWRQ'&DUHDKDV taken tens of millions of dollars from out-of- state environmental interests, according to tax records. These radical environmentalists have launched concerted attacks on mines and logging operations in other states, and now it appears they are trying to do the same in Oregon — without regard for the local economic damage. Will Coggin, research director Environmental Policy Alliance Washington, D.C. 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.
