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
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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