Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
OTHER VIEWS
Staff photo by Tim Trainor
A campfire at a riverside camp site in Idaho’s St. Joe National Forest.
Is the U.S.
on the path to ruin?
Open land
and public parks S
I
n 1983, the great western
passions and in the same
writer Wallace Stegner labeled
volume.
national parks as “the best
We started our trip with a
idea (America) ever had.”
stop in Idaho’s St. Joe National
Nothing has dethroned them
Forest, camping for free on the
since. As the public lands debate
banks of the St. Joe River and
continues unabated, and has
catching cutthroat trout until
ÀDUHGXSZLWKUHQHZHGYLJRULQ
our arms got sore. The rocky
Oregon and Utah and throughout
canyons, crystal-clear water and
Tim
the West, it’s worth noting what
Trainor dense pine forests were visually
an unrivaled success the national
spectacular and wilder than
Comment
park system is.
Yellowstone, the surrounding
I know this, in part, because I
hills teeming with elk, moose,
parlayed the Fourth of July holiday into
bear and even lynx — and few people.
a week-long road trip through Idaho and
The upper stretches of the river were
Montana, driving through some of the
PRVWO\HPSW\6HO¿VKO\WKDWPDGHPH
most inviting public lands this country
most pleased. Most of the best holes
has to offer.
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One stop on the journey was
clear of neighbors. But the rural towns
<HOORZVWRQHWKHZRUOG¶V¿UVWQDWLRQDO
farthest down the line now depend
park, established in 1872. It welcomed 4 mostly on anglers and rafters and
million visitors last year — a new record recreationalists. It’s not a good sign that
— and has proven remarkably adept at
SULPHFDPSVLWHVUHPDLQXQ¿OOHGRQZKDW
expanding the regional economy and
should have been the busiest weekend of
protecting the natural wonders within its the year.
boundaries.
Certainly recreationalists can be
The old cow town and ski bum mecca GDPDJLQJ:KHUHURDGVDQGFDPS¿UH
of Bozeman, Montana, has become
rings and boat ramps are built,
a wealthy suburb of the Yellowstone
degradation and damage are sure to
Area, enthralling people to not just visit
follow. Animals and ecosystems will
but live in one of the most remarkable
be impacted, and more so when road-
ecosystems on the planet.
building, infrastructure and continued
At the same time, we saw hundreds
maintenance is required.
upon hundreds of bison calves and
But many rural areas are not pristine,
mothers living healthy and happy in
and have not been for a long time. They
the Lamar Valley — the Serengeti of
FDQKDQGOHLQFUHDVHGKXPDQWUDI¿F
America. The relative safety of the huge especially the responsible kind.
herd attracted pronghorn and deer to
The forests and creeks surrounding
gather near and graze absentmindedly.
the old mining town of Wallace, Idaho,d
From deep in the surrounding forests,
are recovering much faster than the
both grizzly bears and wolves were
local economy. Yet in a place like Butte,
surely waiting for an opportunity. It was
Montana, where humans have been
nature at its most natural.
continuously mining precious metals
It’s not perfect, of course — we saw
for more than a century, the damage
elk gathered on the unnaturally watered
is far greater than can be mediated.
lawns near park headquarters, almost
Residents describe their local ecosystem
posing for pictures as tourists snapped
as “post-natural.”
away. It’s no wonder visitors can
Recreation will not be an economic
sometimes forget these are wild animals, boon for much of the rural West. And
as Yellowstone at the height of the
UHFUHDWLRQLWVHOIGRHVQRWEHQH¿WWKH
season and in its busiest places can seem plants and animals that are impacted at
more like a zoo.
recreation sites and those downstream.
But if the “idea” of national parks
But recreating on public lands is
was to protect places so Americans can
good for the human soul and it upholds
experience them, no park does it better
the American ideal. It’s democratic, it’s
WKDQ<HOORZVWRQH1RPDWWHU\RXU¿WQHVV free in most places, it tests mettle and
level or mobility, you can experience
reconnects us with the rhythms and
oodles of nature from the paved roads
values of our land.
that crisscross the park and drop you at
If you live in the West and don’t take
the foot of Old Faithful and geyser basin advantage of the remarkable possibilities
of public lands recreation, you are
boardwalks, at the immense park lodges
missing out on America’s greatest idea.
or at one of the hundreds of campsites
And you are missing the opportunity
capable of accommodating the largest
to do a small part to help keep rural
of RVs. Americans and foreign visitors
America alive.
take advantage of the ease of access and
Ŷ
arrive by the millions.
Tim Trainor is opinion page editor of
But they don’t visit and recreate
the East Oregonian.
on other public lands with the same
AN ANTONIO — I never
arise as one and completely turn itself
really understood how fascism
around, but I think I’m beginning to
could have come to Europe,
understand now. Back in the 1880s
but I think I understand better now.
and 1890s, America faced crises as
You start with some fundamental
deep as the ones we face today. The
historical transformation, like the Great
economy was going through an epochal
Depression or the shift to an information
transition, then to industrialization. The
economy. A certain number of people
political system was worse and more
are dispossessed. They lose identity,
corrupt than ours is today.
David
self-respect and hope.
Culturally things were bad, too.
Brooks
They begin to base their sense
Racism and anti-immigrant feelings
Comment
of self-worth on their tribe, not their
were at plaguelike levels. Urban
behavior. They become mired in
poverty was indescribable.
their resentments, spiraling deeper into the
And yet America responded. A new
addiction of their own victimology. They fall
OHDGHUVKLSFODVVHPHUJHGVHSDUDWHO\DW¿UVWEXW
for politicians who lie about the source of their
¿QDOO\FRQJHDOLQJLQWRDQDWLRQDOPRYHPHQW,Q
problems and about how they
1889, Jane Addams created
can surmount them. Facts lose
settlement houses to serve
their meaning. Entertainment
urban poor. In 1892, Francis
replaces reality.
Bellamy wrote the Pledge
Once facts are unmoored,
of Allegiance to give the
everything else is unmoored,
diversifying country a sense
too. People who value
of common loyalty. In 1902,
humility and kindness in
Owen Wister published
private life abandon those
“The Virginian,” a novel
traits when they select leaders
that created the cowboy
in the common sphere.
mythology and galvanized the
Hardened by a corrosive
American imagination.
cynicism, they fall for morally
New sorts of political
deranged little showmen.
leaders emerged. In city after
And then perhaps there’s
city, progressive reformers
a catalyzing event. Societies
cleaned up politics and
in this condition are culturally tense and
professionalized the civil service. Theodore
socially isolated. That means there are a lot of
Roosevelt went into elective politics at a time
lonely, alienated young men seeking self-worth when few Ivy League types thought it was
through violence. Some wear police badges;
decent to do so. He bound the country around
some sit in their rooms fantasizing of mass
a New Nationalism and helped pass legislation
murder. When they act, the results can be
that ensured capitalism would remain open, fair
convulsive.
and competitive.
Normally, nations pull together after
This was a clear example of a society facing
tragedy, but a society plagued by dislocation
a generational challenge and surmounting it.
and slipped off the rails of reality can go the
The Progressives were far from perfect, but
other way. Rallies become gripped by an
they inherited rotting leadership institutions,
exaltation of tribal fervor. Before you know it,
reformed them and heralded in a new era of
political life has spun out of control, dragging
national greatness.
the country itself into a place both bizarre and
6RZKLFKSDWKZLOOZHWDNHWKHKRUUL¿FSDWK
unrecognizable.
of 1930s Europe or the renewal path of 1890s
This happened in Europe in the 1930s. We’re America? The future of the world hangs on that
not close to that kind of descent in America
question.
today, but we’re closer than we’ve been. Let’s
One way to think about it is this: America
be honest: The crack of some abyss opened up
still has great resources at the local and social
for a moment by the end of last week.
level. Here in San Antonio, there are cops
Blood was in the streets last week — victims ZKRNQRZKRZWRGHHVFDODWHFRQÀLFWVE\
of police violence in two cities and slain cops
showing dignity and respect. Everywhere I
in another. America’s leadership crisis looked
go there are mayors thinking practically and
dire. The FBI director’s statements reminded us non-dogmatically. Can these local leaders move
that Hillary Clinton is willing to blatantly lie to
upward and redeem the national system, or will
preserve her career. Donald Trump, of course,
the national politics become so deranged that
lies continually and without compunction. It’s
it will outweigh and corrupt all the good that is
very easy to see this country on a nightmare
done block by block?
trajectory.
I’m betting the local is more powerful, that
How can America answer a set of
WKHKHDOWK\JURZWKRQWKHIRUHVWÀRRULVPRUH
generational challenges when the leadership
important than the rot in the canopy. But last
class is dysfunctional, political conversation has ZHHNZDVDFRQ¿GHQFHVKDNHU7KHUH¶VDFDYLW\
entered a post-fact era and the political parties
EHQHDWKZKDWZHWKRXJKWZDVWKHÀRRURI
are divided on racial lines — set to blow at a
national life, and there are demons there.
moment’s notice?
Ŷ
On the other hand …
David Brooks became a New York Times
I never really understood how a nation could Op-Ed columnist in September 2003.
Which path will
we take, the
horrific path of
1930s Europe
or the renewal
path of 1890s
America?
YOUR VIEWS
Whisky Fest organizers should
have worked with Shriners
A good cowboy kick in the pants to the
two guys who are promoting the Zac Brown
Band concert and music fest. The music fest
is a great idea and should become a regular
attraction to Pendleton.
However, as a Pendleton Shriner, I am
disappointed these two guys have not been
willing to work with the Shriners on the
parking for this event.
As most people know, the Shriners are
some of the most generous and giving people
on the planet. They support the Shriners
Hospital for Children in Portland —100
percent. No child who enters this hospital ever
pays a cent for the high-level care they receive
Staff photo by Tim Trainor
Bison pepper the landscape in the Lamar River Valley in Yellowstone
National Park.
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.
from some of the best doctors in the country.
The Shriners don’t take one cent of the money
they bring in, and traditionally their main
income producer has been the parking for
Round-Up at the old Albertson’s parking lot.
The music fest would have been another
wonderful opportunity for the Shriners to
pass on the parking proceeds to the children’s
hospital in Portland and help some needy
kids receive life-changing care for orthopedic
or traumatic injuries, severe burns and other
serious conditions — regardless of their
family’s ability to pay.
My grandfather, father and now myself
have all been very proud to be members of
this philanthropic organization.
David Burns
Pendleton
LETTERS POLICY
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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
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OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.