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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 2, 2016)
OPINION East Oregonian Page 4A Saturday, July 2, 2016 OTHER VIEWS Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN DANIEL WATTENBURGER Publisher Managing Editor JENNINE PERKINSON TIM TRAINOR Advertising Director Opinion Page Editor EO MEDIA GROUP East Oregonian • The Daily Astorian • Capital Press • Hermiston Herald Blue Mountain Eagle • Wallowa County Chieftain • Chinook Observer • Coast River Business Journal Oregon Coast Today • Coast Weekend • Seaside Signal • Cannon Beach Gazette Eastern Oregon Real Estate Guide • Eastern Oregon Marketplace • Coast Marketplace OnlyAg.com • FarmSeller.com • Seaside-Sun.com • NorthwestOpinions.com • DiscoverOurCoast.com MIKE FORRESTER STEVE FORRESTER KATHRYN B. BROWN Pendleton Chairman of the Board Astoria President Pendleton Secretary/Treasurer CORY BOLLINGER JEFF ROGERS Aberdeen, S.D. Director Indianapolis, Ind. Director OUR VIEW Despite setbacks, light of progress shines Britain votes to exit Western has been atrocious. The rise of Civilization, Donald Trump authoritarian, nearly fascists parties whips up crowds with calls for in France, England, the Benelux waterboarding and religious-based countries and even Scandinavia, is bans, a lunatic opens ire at a reprehensible yet all too familiar. Florida bar, ISIS bombs airports and The rise of Islamic fundamentalist anything else they see as signs of parties in the Middle East, and their progress. attraction to a small minority of It is a scary and frustrating time everyday Muslims, has been greatly for the world. distressing and But perhaps, the root cause of in all this doom the global crisis of The United and gloom and the moment. The States, as has continual tribal apprehension, it is possible to which has been the case warfare, appreciate how exploded in scope, is remarkable it is that for most of our humanity at its most we even made it this 240 years, has base. far. That civilization And when in itself is a far cry crisis, it is hard to be led the way. from our human an optimist. But we nature, and that should be. we’ve come a long damn way. For the better part of the last 50 And as we ready to celebrate years, civilization has made great America’s birthday, we must strides. We’ve combated diseases, recognize this country as having we’ve reduced warfare, we’ve made come the farthest. The United States momentous gains in qualify of life. is far from perfect, and our history is The United States, as has been the peppered with outright failures. The case through most of our 240 years, USA was born on the Fourth of July, has led the way. but it was also born on the back of But globalization and technology genocide against native populations have deinitely left some people and slavery against those deemed behind, and the global economy sub-human. It’s hard to start any barrels forward with little regard for lower than that. those it runs over. Our society is nowhere near equal Yes, we are in a momentary and the remnants of the Dawes Act decline in economic might and and slavery and lack of universal personal freedom and general human suffrage and private ownership decency. In Anakara and London remain. But we’ve improved a lot. and Malheur, we see the real stresses We are generations ahead of pulling at the cracks in civilization. our European counterparts, whose But as Leonard Cohen sang: That’s response to the slaughter near their how the light gets in. Only by seeing border has been overwhelmingly how close the darkness is around distasteful. The cruelty faced by us can we appreciate the sparkle of immigrants along the border of light that illuminates much of our the European Union, in places like world. It’s why we like ireworks so Greece and Hungary and Croatia, much, too. 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 GMOs can harm rural Oregon The Bend Bulletin hile genetically modiied organisms are not the frankenplants their opponents would like you to think, they can have problems. Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass offers a case in point. Scotts and Monsanto developed GMO creeping bentgrass in the early 2000s and tested it in Jefferson County. One anticipated market would be the grass for golf courses. All went well until 2004, when nine plants were discovered outside the 11,000-acre growing area north of Madras, according to The Bulletin’s archives. Today, the grass can be found along ditches in both Jefferson and Malheur counties, and that’s got some farmers and the state Department of Agriculture worried. They’re worried for several reasons. So far, efforts to control it have been unsuccessful. In Malheur County, creeping bentgrass is considered a Class A weed, meaning those who ind W it on their land are required by law to eradicate it. The weed also thrives along irrigation ditches, clogging them if the infestation is heavy. Too, if traces of the crop end up on such things as alfalfa hay or hybrid carrot seed, farmers may not be able to sell their crops in countries that ban GMO crops. So far, Scotts has been a leader in the effort to eradicate or contain GMO bentgrass. While it assures farmers that will continue, many remain unconvinced. Its agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture would allow it to take a smaller role in the effort in just a few years. That’s got both farmers and ODA worried, so much so that Katy Coba, who heads ODA, wrote the bureaucratic equivalent of a blistering letter to the USDA. She, farmers and the Oregon congressional delegation should keep the heat on both Scotts and USDA. Agriculture is by far the biggest industry east of the Cascades, and much of what is grown here inds its way overseas. Contamination could change that, hurting rural Oregon in the process. Patriotic presidential quiz I ndependence Day weekend’s C. “Hell, I don’t know. Go ask Paul coming — time to show a little Ryan.” patriotism. Budweiser beer just 6. After he dropped out of the renamed itself “America,” for heaven’s Republican race, Sen. Lindsey Graham sake. If a Belgian brewing company endorsed Ted Cruz, whom he loathes. can do that, the least you can do is Then when Cruz dropped out, he … show you’re a well-educated citizen. A. Endorsed William Howard Let’s see whether you’ve been keeping Taft, noting, “He’s dead, but nobody’s up with the presidential race: perfect.” Gail 1. Since endorsing Donald Trump B. Said he’d “probably write Collins for president, Chris Christie … somebody in or just skip the Comment A. Tracked down the man he once presidential.” chased down the boardwalk while C. Compared the current campaign waving an ice cream cone and apologized. to “Game of Thrones” and announced that it B. Got the support of a full 18 percent of was “time for a woman president, but only if New Jersey voters on whether Trump should it’s Daenerys the Dragon Queen.” pick Christie as his running mate. 7. Bernie Sanders’ biggest post-primary C. Told reporters he does not want to be the news was that … vice-presidential nominee because “really, my A. He’s going to endorse Hillary Clinton life is ruined already.” (but that doesn’t mean he’ll vote for her). 2. When Marco Rubio ran for president, he B. He’s going to vote for Hillary Clinton made it clear he was done with being a senator (but that doesn’t mean he’s endorsing her). forever. (“I have only said like 10,000 times C. He needs to take one more look at I will be a private citizen in January.”) This Martin O’Malley. month he … 8. When Britain voted to exit the European A. Told reporters he was pursuing a Union, Donald Trump was visiting his golf lifelong dream of playing defensive back for course in Turnberry, Scotland. Asked for his the Miami Dolphins. analysis of the big event, Trump said … B. Said he was running for re-election A. “You know, when the pound goes because “I’ve discovered I’m not worth nearly down, more people are coming to Turnberry, as much money as I thought in the private frankly.” sector.” B. “Analysts have drastically overstated C. Said he was running for re-election the impact on the British economy; we will because, “Control of the Senate may very well of course have to keep a close eye on the come down to the race in Florida.” manufacturing sector.” 3. After the demise of his presidential C. “Vote? What vote?” campaign, Ben Carson joined the Trump 9. A former White House Secret Service team. When his candidate claimed a federal oficer has written a tell-all book about the judge was biased due to his Mexican heritage, Clintons in which he claims to have seen Carson said that Trump … evidence that Hillary once … A. “… was probably talking out loud rather A. Broke a law. than thinking.” B. Broke a promise. B. Believes all jurists should be examined C. Broke a vase. for “the fruit salad of their life.” 10. Campaigning in New York, Hillary C. Has many good Mexican friends among Clinton demonstrated she had lost some of her the caddies at his golf courses. old city sophistication when she … 4. Paul Ryan began the month by endorsing A. Had trouble getting into the subway. Donald Trump for president. Since then, he’s B. Made eye contact with a fellow denounced several of the candidate’s more passenger in the subway. outrageous statements. When asked how many C. Posed for a selie in front of Trump times he could do this without washing his Tower. hands of the whole campaign, Ryan said … 11. When Clinton made her big speech on A. “Four.” foreign policy this month, people couldn’t B. “I don’t know the answer to that, either.” help noticing that she appeared on stage in C. “Did I tell you I saw John Boehner in front of… Florida? God, that man looks happy.” A. Huge pictures of Abraham Lincoln, 5. Duncan Hunter of California, one of the Oprah Winfrey and the pope. irst members of Congress to endorse Donald B. Her grandchildren. Trump, announced he’s going to stop trying to C. 19 American lags. answer for things the candidate says. But he’s Answers: 1-B, 2-C. 3-A, 4-B, 5-B, 6-B, still on the Trump bandwagon because … 7-B, 8-A, 9-C, 10-A, 11-C A. “Everybody makes mistakes.” ■ B. “… him talking about things and saying Gail Collins joined The New York Times in things about things is different than him 1995 as a member of the editorial board and saying what he’s going to do.” later as an Op-Ed columnist. If traces end up on such things as alfalfa hay or hybrid carrot seed, farmers may not be able to sell their crops in countries that ban GMOs. 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 Important to get location of new ire station right I was concerned enough to write this letter because the siting of the new ire station needs to be considered carefully. Taking a beautiful park site in the center of the city is a non-starter; this should not even be on the table. To me it is obvious the best location is the old hospital site for several reasons. Power, water and sewer are all available for large buildings right on site, no new infrastructure is needed. I am sure a decent deal with the corporation that owns the land can be struck if we just negotiate with the right people. St. Anthony has their new hospital and will probably appreciate disposing of the old property for a reasonable price. The site is large and has easy access to all major highways. Also, the east side needs the development due to the relocation of the old hospital. It is a good anchor to bring more redevelopment to an area of the city that sorely deserves it. There are plenty of lots in this area that can support new housing also. If the residents of the area express interest, perhaps a redevelopment committee could focus on this area and give it a boost. Adding a ire station along with the new school could be used as twin anchors to the area. Emphasizing new housing on empty lots with close access to downtown would also revitalize an area that can absorb quite a few more people. The river walk is another great selling point. Scott Newell Pendleton
