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
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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
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new
home
of the
blotto, three sheets to
be taken for
fairgrounds — the
the wind) and having
granted.
EOTEC board —
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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
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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
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have included how much the barns
of “miscommunication.”
will cost to build and when the fair
Which, in fact, they were, but a
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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.
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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
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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work. Remember, is only four hours on a Friday afternoon.
I would hope that our merchants could make this small
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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
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projects has put us where we are today. The city has
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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