Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Friday, July 8, 2016
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
Tip of the hat,
kick in the pants
A tip of the hat the EOTEC authority board for turning over the reins
to Frew Development for the inal sprint to the project’s inish line.
After years of plotting, planning and revising, the board was confronted
by John Frew, the head of the development company, and warned that the
fairgrounds and rodeo arena were in danger of missing their August 2017
completion deadline if the board continues to
insist on micromanaging each detail along the
way.
It has led to delays in getting the different
parts of the project out to bid, and the grand
opening date is already pushed up against
next year’s county fair. It’s a deadline that
cannot and should not be missed.
The board, made up of representatives for
the city of Hermiston and Umatilla County,
agreed that perfection can’t stand in the way
of practicality. They have worked to give the fair and rodeo a heavy hand in
the planning process up to now — a worthy goal — but the drawing board
phase is long past. It’s time to bring this baby home.
Now Frew will take over the building, and the EOTEC board can turn its
attention to making it run once it’s open.
A tip of the hat to the weekend.
We get 52 every year, but some are just a little more fun than others, and
this one coming up is going to be a doozy.
For those with an adventurous spirit, here’s a challenge:
Start the day in downtown Hermiston for the Funfest breakfast and visit
the classic car show in McKenzie Park, K9
Kings Flying Dog Show by the library and
lawn mower drag racing down Main Street.
Make the drive to Athena for lunch and
the Caledonian Games, where you can catch
competitions in Scottish athletic and piping in
the early afternoon.
Then follow Highway 11 to Milton-
Freewater for the Brews by the Blues
Festival, the second annual beer event
featuring some of the region’s best brews. Just
make sure you’ve invited a designated driver along for the ride.
Wrap up the day back in Hermiston to run off those calories at the Neon
Nights 5K on the Oxbow Trail, with proceeds helping to pay for medical
expenses of Patricia Bentz, who is ighting a rare cancer.
There are, of course, other options throughout the weekend. Check out
the Coming Events list on Page 5A of today’s paper for some of the other
happenings.
And those potential rain clouds in the forecast? They’d better believe a
kick in the pants is coming if they ruin the day.
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
Obama’s final fight
Y
think that she thereby should be
ou introduce yourself to voters
sitting behind the desk.”
as a son of Kansas and Kenya,
Was Trump on Clinton’s mind?
an emblem of this country’s
Clearly. She complimented Obama
openness to outsiders and its embrace
of difference. Your election and
as “someone who has never forgotten
re-election afirm the distance that the
where he came from — and Donald,
United States has traveled, or so you
if you’re out there tweeting, it’s
believe. So you hope.
Hawaii.”
Then you look up toward the
The 2016 campaign keeps showing
Frank
end of your second term to behold
us things that we’re not accustomed
Bruni
a Republican presidential nominee
to, and a second-term president
Comment
who is cynically exploiting racism
campaigning with unfettered vigor
and xenophobia to put the White
for his desired successor is another of
House within his own reach. He’s not merely
those. George W. Bush didn’t do it: He was
your adversary; he’s your antithesis. And his
so toxic at this point in his administration that
victory would do more than endanger your
John McCain’s most fervent wish was to tuck
policies. It would question the very moral of
him into a broom closet.
your journey, the very bend of the arc you
Bill Clinton didn’t do it, because Al Gore
frequently invoke.
was intent on coming across as his own, less
That’s what Barack Obama confronts
priapic man. Neither did Ronald Reagan,
right now, and that’s why he hit the
because Bush’s father similarly felt the need
campaign trail Tuesday, appearing onstage
to lex his own muscle, outside of anyone’s
with Hillary Clinton in North Carolina and
shadow, and Reagan’s energy was lagging
proclaiming without reservation that “there
anyway.
has never been any man or woman more
Dwight Eisenhower? When asked what
qualiied for this ofice” than she. That’s why Richard Nixon had accomplished as his vice
he’ll say words like those again and again,
president, he said that he needed a week to
with the same ire, in the months ahead.
think about it.
For the nation’s irst black president,
Obama and Hillary Clinton have arrived
Clinton isn’t just the better candidate. She’s
at a place of obvious respect for each other,
the better America. She wins and he holds on and of palpable fondness. His high approval
to his rosiest convictions about what he and
ratings put him in a position to help. Her
his presidency symbolize. Donald Trump
stature puts her in a position not to be
wins and that’s a tricky thing to do.
eclipsed by his presence or belittled by that
Trump forged his bond with bigots by
assistance.
essentially calling Obama an impostor and
Campaigning together is an imperfect
demanding to see his birth certiicate. But
arrangement, inasmuch as she may seem
that particular stunt weighs less on Obama
to be arguing for the status quo instead of a
than Trump’s sustained behavior during the
better tomorrow. But Americans hold Obama
2016 presidential race does, according to
in signiicantly higher esteem than they do
people close to the president.
her or Trump. There are far riskier things
“The thing that I’m sure aggravates him — than letting the president carry the ball.
enrages him — is the invocation of race and
And he’s a player in this regardless, given
ethnicity in our politics,” David Axelrod, a
the larger context, which was clear when
former White House aide, told me. “Obama’s Clinton asked the North Carolina audience
message is about the emerging America and
to think of “the early patriots who met in
the strength of our diversity. He represents it.
Philadelphia” in 1776.
And when Trump says ‘Make America great
“Nobody who looked like Barack Obama
again,’ there’s an element of turning the clock or me would have been included back then,”
back to the days when minorities were at the
she said. “But we’re here today because the
back of the bus.”
story of America is the story of hard-fought,
“That goes to the character of our
hard-won progress.”
country,” Axelrod added. “The president is
That’s the tale that Obama has always
someone who would be uniquely sensitive
told. It’s the narrative that so many of us
to that.”
cling to. Where does Trump it into it,
Uniquely sensitive and utterly
and does it survive him? Instead of just
impassioned. In North Carolina he didn’t so
wondering and worrying, the departing
much urge voters as command them, with a
president has joined the ight.
testimonial about Clinton that was gushing
■
and epic. I swear I saw her blush.
Frank Bruni, an Op-Ed columnist for The
Was Trump on Obama’s mind? I suspect.
New York Times since June 2011, joined the
“Everybody can tweet,” he said, adding
newspaper in 1995 and has ranged broadly
that it’s no preparation or qualiication for
across its pages. He has been both a White
the presidency. He brought up his younger
House correspondent and the chief restaurant
daughter. “Sasha tweets, but she doesn’t
critic.
YOUR VIEWS
Pendleton housing
focus should be
downtown
I am concerned we are not
taking a long-term view about
low-income housing units in
Pendleton. Building ive 20-unit
apartment blocks at the end of the
present duplexes will devalue both
this property and the surrounding
area. Concentrated poverty leads
to a host of urban ills, and these
units will rapidly slide into all
the typical problems that entails.
Trafic also will be concentrated
in one of the busiest areas of the
city, exit 209 and Highway 395.
Looking at other large complexes
in the city, one sees the future of
this way of development quite
easily.
Although more expensive
initially, upgrading second
story and higher levels on
existing buildings downtown
would provide a mix of retail,
entertainment, food, and other
anchors for a vibrant residential
community contributing to a
lasting betterment for the residents
of the units and the city as a whole.
This is the future development that
would supercharge downtown and
give a much-needed boost to the
whole city, instead of warehousing
people in another dreary box with
no draw except as a place to live,
no true creation of community.
It might take ive years longer to
realize this, but anyone who has
studied urban planning knows the
value of mixed use, high density
development for the central core of
the city.
Let’s really give this a thought:
I know there always are naysayers
out there, but the logic is staring us
in the face. Look at Walla Walla’s
downtown as an example. I would
like to see a new dynamism
downtown and housing would be a
great addition. Rents will surely be
higher, also providing more money
and a higher income tenant who
will spend more and attract a more
upscale clientele to the existing
businesses. A virtuous circle will
begin to form and more business
will locate here, rents will rise,
taxes will follow, and the city can
replenish its coffers and gentrify
its downtown. The more wealth
spent here, the more services the
city can offer. We can also start
going after streets and sidewalks at
a faster pace as the city’s inancials
improve.
Let’s think outside the box,
make Pendleton a better place
and offer more housing, at all
income levels. The future belongs
to forward-looking policies and
cities residents want to live in and
be proud of. Revitalization starts
at the core downtown, spreads
out and envelops the entire city.
Attracting more business is also
the right thing to do, nightlife and
fun in a vibrant urban core.
Scott Newell
Pendleton
Global left attacking
American values
The socialist/global left and
the East Oregonian are promoting
an agenda to undermine our
godly Christian heritage claiming
America “was born on the
back of genocide against native
populations and slavery against
those deemed sub-human.” The
truth is our nation was born on
the backs of courageous patriotic
men and women that put their
lives, their posterity, their fortunes
and their heritage on the line
to give America an “in God we
trust” moral compass of the
Constitution, the Bill of Rights and
the Declaration of Independence.
Certainly the American
government failed at times to
honor that moral compass, but why
blame the founding fathers? Our
government has initiated genocide
against native populations and
America citizens (Waco, Ruby
Ridge). That is why the Second
Amendment was written: to
protect American citizens against
a government that would turn on
its on citizens. Every nation has
a history of slavery; only one has
shed the lives of 600,000 of its best
to end slavery.
Instead of attacking our
founding fathers the EO should
be exposing the global agenda
of Islamic jihad that is “born
on the back of genocide against
native populations and slavery
against those deemed sub human.”
The socialist/global Obama
administration does not and will
not protect American citizens
against Islamic jihad and the
mainstream media will not tell
the American people that truth.
American citizens are not safe and
our sovereignty has no advocate
in our current government or
mainstream press.
The EO would seduce us
to believe that in the last 50
years civilization has reduced
warfare and made “momentous
gains in quality of life.” Really?
Here is the truth: The socialist/
global left destroyed our moral
foundation when they removed
God, prayer and the Bible as our
public standard and America is
now infested with class warfare,
violence, crime and corruption.
American government has started
a bunch of wars in the last 50 years
and won none.
The socialist/global left will
provide cover and protect the
Clintons, and skewer Trump
when he exposes their global
slavery agenda. They will
blame the “bigot” Trump for
the violence they will initiate
at the Republican convention,
promoting their agenda to end
our sovereignty. They will thwart
efforts to maintain surveillance
on Muslims with terrorist ties,
endangering all Americans. Only
Christians/patriots that oppose the
globalist agenda will be considered
terrorists in their society for our
future.
Stuart Dick
Irrigon
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 resi-
dence 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.