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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Thursday, March 17, 2016 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW A mistake by any other name dollars were lost. You can tell a lot about a culture Whoops. by its euphemisms. We also witnessed last For instance, in the U.S. we’re week another in a series of obsessed with death, as evidenced miscommunications at the Eastern by the wealth of words and phrases we’ve created to avoid saying it. You Oregon Trade and Event Center in Hermiston. When the board met in can kick the bucket, bite the dust, public on Friday it was surprised to buy the farm, push up daisies, pass learn Frew Construction expected on, pass away or croak. But simply to wrap the project dying is unseemly. on Aug. 17, 2017. There’s a similarly Communication Especially surprised large workaround the fair is vocabulary for should be easier because always the second EHLQJ¿UHGORVLQJ than ever in this week of August, your job, being which in 2017 means terminated, right- sizing the workforce, technology age. it would start August getting a pink But because it is 8. Somehow the slip), getting drunk so easy, it can agency planning the KDPPHUHGVORVKHG new home of the blotto, three sheets to be taken for fairgrounds — the the wind) and having granted. EOTEC board — VH[ZH¶OOOHW\RX and the agency pick your own). building it — Frew And of course, Development — aren’t working culturally we’ve found many ways to describe our mistakes. Gaffes and from the same calendar. Now Frew is seeing if it can squeeze down the JRRIVÀXEVDQGÀXIIVEXQJOHVDQG build schedule to be ready with a bloopers. To err is human, but the fully functional fairgrounds in time way we describe it says a lot. for what should be a momentous We saw two examples recently grand opening next summer. of mistakes — outright oversights Other miscommunications so far ²¿OHGXQGHUWKHFODVVL¿FDWLRQ have included how much the barns of “miscommunication.” will cost to build and when the fair Which, in fact, they were, but a ZRXOGDEOHWRPRYH:HKDYHSKRWRV miscommunication implies both sides are to blame, which is only true from a prior groundbreaking that proudly proclaim “EOTEC 2016!”) in one of the cases. Communication should be easier The one-sided miscommunication than ever in this technology age. between the Army Corps of Contact information is indexed and Engineers and the Confederated hyperlinked, calendars are synced Tribes of the Umatilla Indian and shared. Reservation could end up costing a Perhaps because of the ease of third party — the Port of Arlington communication it can be taken for — about $2 million. granted, with bases left uncovered The Army Corps, a department of the federal government, approved and loose ends left untied. There’s the sense that anyone can be a plan for the port to build a dock contacted at a moment’s notice, so on the Columbia River near the there’s no reason to pass along each FRQÀXHQFHRI:LOORZ&UHHN detail as it arrives. The port went ahead and started But whatever you want to call construction, putting millions into it — when people drop the ball, the project, before it was told to botch something up or pull a Britta stop construction. The feds hadn’t — it’s important to correct course cleared the project with the Tribes, rather than dismiss the mistake and who have treaty rights to all “usual continue to mis-communicate. DQGDFFXVWRPHG´¿VKLQJVLWHV² In the case of the Port of including where the dock was being Arlington, it’s too late. For EOTEC, built. open and direct dialogue in the Last week the port pulled the coming 16 months is all that stands pieces of the dock out of the river between minor confusion and a and almost a decade of work was major catastrophe. completely undone. Millions of 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 East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters. Send to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. OTHER VIEWS 'R7UXPS¶VULYDOVEHQH¿WE\ blaming him for Chicago chaos? L AKELAND, Florida — Marco “The pump was primed in Rubio lays much of the blame Chicago,” Seitz-Wald wrote, “thanks for the mass protest that shut to now near-constant demonstrations down Donald Trump’s Chicago against Mayor Rahm Emanuel over rally on Trump himself. But some the shooting of Laquan McDonald and of Rubio’s supporters see things other issues. Trump chose a venue, the differently. They see the protesters as University of Illinois Chicago campus, bearing most or all of the guilt for the in the heart of the city, where student chaos in Chicago. And they point to organizers whipped a demonstration Byron the work of leftist organizing groups as together. And activists tapped into York the key factor in the affair. existing networks of pro-Bernie Comment “It was too organized,” said Cynthia Sanders and Black Lives Matter Dugan, who came to Concord Coffee activists.” here in Lakeland to catch Rubio’s quick stop “We wanted to show Trump that this is Saturday afternoon, just four days before the Chicago, and we run Chicago, and we’re not Florida primary. “I think it was organized going to take this,” Seitz-Wald quoted local by MoveOn.org and Black Lives Matter; it activist Ja’Mal Green as saying. “We got wasn’t just a spontaneous event.” better organizers here.” I asked Dugan who was to blame. “The “Remember the #TrumpRally wasn’t just protesters,” she answered. luck,” tweeted the pro-Sanders “And, unfortunately, some of group People for Bernie. “It the press.” took organizers from dozens of “To me, it’s just too well organizations and thousands of organized — MoveOn.org and people to pull off. Great work.” George Soros are spending a The Los Angeles Times tremendous amount of money published a similar report, to disrupt,” said Richard “How black, Latino and Dempsey, of Lakeland. I Muslim college students asked Dempsey whether he organized to stop Trump’s blamed Trump for the chaos rally in Chicago.” Even Bill in Chicago. “No, I don’t,” Ayers, the 1960s Weather Dempsey said. “I think it’s Underground bomber an effort to discredit Trump. who became a bete noir of Everybody from every conservatives in the Obama direction is trying to discredit years, was in the picture. “We him and defeat his campaign. shut Trump down!” Ayers I’m not a big supporter, but I tweeted after the canceled will vote for him if he is the rally. “Beautiful gathering of eventual nominee.” anti-racist youth.” I asked Dick Goddard, of Still, Rubio directed most — Richard Dempsey, of his blame at Trump. Fellow Lakeland, who was to blame. “It’s the protesters,” Goddard GOP voter in Florida Trump rivals Ted Cruz and answered quickly. “They’ve primary John Kasich also placed blame got no business doing that.” on the front-runner. Now, Dugan and Dempsey said the question is whether their they will enthusiastically vote for Rubio on supporters agree. Tuesday; Goddard said he is still trying to Yes, some Rubio voters blamed Trump. choose between Rubio and Ted Cruz. “He brought it on himself,” said Chickie Earlier Saturday, in an appearance in Largo, Migliaccio, of Kissimmee, who came to see Rubio conceded that the protesters were “not Rubio in Lakeland. “He incites people, he’s blameless” in the Trump Chicago affair. But provocative,” added Chickie’s husband Pat. Rubio saved his most critical words for Trump “Hey, I’m from New Jersey. We don’t talk that himself. way in New Jersey.” “I think we also have to look at the But many of Rubio’s supporters, and rhetoric coming from the front-runner in the Republican voters in general, are big presidential campaign,” Rubio told reporters. consumers of conservative media, and for “This is a man who in rallies has told his years they have seen reports about MoveOn. supporters to basically beat up the people who org, about Occupy, about Black Lives Matter, are in the crowd and he will pay their legal about Soros, about Ayers — a veritable roster fees. Someone who has encouraged people in of villainy on the left. Now they are seeing the audience to rough up anyone who stands DFFXUDWHUHSRUWVWKDWVRPHRIWKRVHJURXSV up and says something he doesn’t like.” were behind the Trump protests in Chicago. “There are people in this country that are And they are supposed to blame Trump? Not angry because they feel disenfranchised from likely. the American dream,” Rubio continued. “But But that doesn’t mean they support Trump. the job of a leader is not to stoke that anger. Indeed, the reactions at the small Rubio The job of a leader is to address the causes of event in Lakeland served to show that voters that anger and try to solve it, not try to stoke can support a non-Trump candidate and still that anger so that they vote for you.” believe Trump was unjustly targeted by left- In rallies the day after the Chicago chaos, wing activists. Take Cynthia Dugan, who has Trump emphasized the organized nature of the liked Rubio for years. “I support him because disruption. “We’re all together and we want to he’s a gentleman and he’s got good ethics,” get along with everybody, but when they have Dugan told me. “He’s a family man, and he organized, professionally staged wise guys, absolutely knows the issues.” ZH¶YHJRWWR¿JKWEDFNZH¶YHJRWWR¿JKW The bottom line is, the more Republicans back,” Trump said in Dayton. learn about the events in Chicago, the more Trump was right about the organization. they are likely to blame the left-wing activists In a report headlined “How Bernie Sanders behind the chaos. It seems unlikely that Rubio, supporters shut down a Donald Trump rally or Cruz, or Kasich, will gain much by blaming in Chicago,” NBC’s Alex Seitz-Wald detailed Trump. For many Republican voters, blaming how veterans of the Occupy movement, of the actual culprits in the Trump Chicago affair Black Lives Matter, of MoveOn.org, and other is a matter of seeing the far left, not Trump, organizations, many of them now supporting as the real adversary — and that does not Bernie Sanders, worked together to overpower necessarily equal supporting Trump. Trump. And Seitz-Wald reported that Trump Ŷ may have picked the worst possible location Byron York is chief political correspondent by coming to Chicago. for The Washington Examiner. “I think it’s an effort to discredit Trump. Everybody from every direction is trying to discredit him and defeat his campaign.” YOUR VIEWS Farmers Market leaving Main Street is a loss for Pendleton community As owners of Zimmerman & Co. True Value Hardware Inc., we were surprised and saddened by the news of Farmers Market leaving Main Street. Our families have been supporters of this great community event since its inception. 2XUEXVLQHVVGRHVQRWEHQH¿WGLUHFWO\IURP)DUPHUV Market — in fact, our sales drop dramatically during the market. However, it is one of the special times the people of Pendleton and their friends and neighbors have an opportunity to gather and mingle in a relaxed atmosphere. You have a chance to enjoy a unique variety of foods, friends and crafts by walking our downtown streets. Our community needs more of this type of event to bring such a diverse group of folks together. 3HUKDSVZHFDQ¿QGVRPHFRPPRQJURXQGDQGPDNHWKLV work. Remember, is only four hours on a Friday afternoon. I would hope that our merchants could make this small VDFUL¿FHIRUWKHJRRGRIWKHFRPPXQLW\ Jim, Judy and Jim Naughton Zimmerman & Company True Value Hardware Inc., Pendleton Pendleton can’t afford parks and other amenities, should concentrate on basics I’ve read the letter from the individual that seems to think the city of Pendleton and its taxpayers should provide dog owners a place to let their dogs run free, keeping both them and their dogs healthy. Look around — we already have more parks than we can adequately maintain. If you simply must have a dog run, get together with other dog owners and form a dog club, buy the proposed property, fence it in, and let your dog run to its heart’s content. This would give the city a chance to divest of some of the excess property they’ve accumulated, and you might even approach PAWS to form a joint venture since they have been expanding their service area. Glad to see we can now support Yakima. This also applies to the bike/cross country trails at the airport. The city could supply the property and let the LQWHUHVWHGSDUWLHVWDNHFDUHRIWKH¿QDQFLQJDQGLQVXUDQFH 7KLVPLQGVHWWKDWWKHFLW\KDVWR¿QDQFHWKHVHW\SHVRI projects has put us where we are today. The city has LWVKDQGVIXOOWU\LQJWR¿JXUHRXWKRZWRPDLQWDLQWKH other infrastructure that’s been sorely neglected while concentrating their efforts on statues, speed bumps and now dogs and trees. You might want to suggest that the city retain ownership of the Eighth Street Bridge, move it a couple of blocks, and use it for a dedicated pedestrian/ dog crossing/ bicycle path to the north side of the river. Rick Rohde, Pendleton
