Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
OTHER VIEWS
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
OUR VIEW
‘Silent mass disaster’
demands attention
Viewers of television crime
suspicious circumstances. Viewed
shows get the impression that
over a 20-year period, the number of
discovery of human remains sets off missing persons can be estimated in
an intense response, complete with
the hundreds of thousands.”
FBI facial reconstruction experts,
Some of these missing, which
swift and accurate DNA tests and
Ritter describes as “the nation’s
vast electronic databases that match
silent mass disaster,” are missing
subtle clues with lists
because they are
of possible victims.
More than
“On any given dead.
Reality is more
40,000 sets of
like the situation the
remains
day, there are human
EO Media Group
await identiication
reported last in
as many as in evidence rooms.
Wahkiakum County,
Only 6,000 of these
Washington. The
100,000 active are entered in the
piece, titled “Mystery
FBI’s National
missing persons Crime Information
on the Columbia”
ran in Friday’s East
Center database.
cases in the Many remains are
Oregonian.
A body is
without even
United States.” buried
discovered and local
a DNA sample being
oficials do what
— Nancy Ritter, obtained.
they can — with
The NIJ makes
National Institute of Justice
few resources — to
a variety of good
determine whether a
suggestions. All
crime has been committed and who
require federal or state funding.
the person is. Ultimately, in a large
They include providing free tests of
nation, each new set of unidentiied
unidentiied remains and collecting
remains joins a large number of
reference samples from the families
others and is gradually forgotten.
of the missing.
“The facts are sobering,” Nancy
It’s shocking to learn the scale
Ritter of the National Institute of
of this problem. An advanced
Justice said in the NIJ Journal. “On
nation should make the methodical
any given day, there are as many as
science available to us a reality, not
100,000 active missing persons cases a TV gimmick. We can be certain
in the United States. Every year, tens murders are occurring that are never
of thousands of people vanish under discovered, much less solved.
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.
Culture corner
Revisit popular
NBC political series
Calling all binge watchers.
“The West Wing”
captivated viewers
for seven seasons
from 1999 to 2006 as
President Josiah Bartlet
(Martin Sheen) and his
hard-driving staff faced
foreign crises, internal
strife and other issues
in weekly adrenaline-
illed episodes. The
NBC series garnered
three Golden Globes
and 26 Emmy Awards
and attracted 17
million viewers during early seasons.
Why bring up a show that went off
the air 10 years ago?
A pop culture podcast, “The West
Wing Weekly,” is giving the show
second life. West Wing actor Josh
Malina joins with co-host Hrishikesh
Hirway to serve as guides as they
re-watch each episode and then talk
about it on the air. Malina played White
House deputy communications director
Will Bailey on the series. Hirway is a
singer, composer and host of “Song
Exploder,” a podcast
where musicians reveal
the origins and inner
workings of their
songs.
Malina and Hirway
plan to discuss all 156
episodes of the political
series, likely inishing
sometime in 2019.
Americans mired in
the current contentious
election campaign
have an opportunity to
escape to go back and
view politics (albeit a ictional version)
through the lens of time.
If you need an excuse to re-watch
“The West Wing,” this is it.
Find it at www.thewestwingweekly.
com.
— Kathy Aney, senior reporter
OTHER VIEWS
Fund gun violence research
The (Medford) Mail Tribune
O
regon Gov. Kate Brown recently
issued an executive order
intended to strengthen existing
state gun laws, and called on the
Legislature to enact three new laws next
session aimed at reducing gun violence.
Gun rights groups say the measures
won’t work; gun control supporters say
they will.
Here’s the truth: Nobody knows.
Nobody knows because badly needed
research at the federal level has been
suppressed for decades by Congress,
which has blocked funding for gun
violence research by the Centers for
Disease Control. Starting in 1996,
Congress prohibited any funding for
CDC studies that would “advocate or
promote gun control.” The public health
agency, fearing its funding could be in
jeopardy, ended all such research.
In 2013, after the Sandy Hook
massacre in Newtown, Conn., President
Obama issued an executive order
directing the CDC to draw up a plan
to thoroughly study gun violence and
potential remedies. The CDC, with the
help of the Institute of Medicine and the
National Research Council, convened a
committee of experts that developed a
potential research agenda. But Congress
never approved any funding for research.
Now, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, along
with 22 fellow Democratic senators, is
asking Senate leaders to allow the CDC
to conduct the research.
None of that research needs to
infringe on anyone’s rights. What it just
might do is settle some debates over gun
statistics, so that at least we can all start
the debate with the same set of facts.
For example, gun rights advocates
are fond of claiming that gun owners
successfully defend themselves with
irearms far more often that is reported
— 3 million times a year, according to
one study. Another study says 500,000.
Still another says 108,000. The CDC’s
research agenda dryly notes “the
variation in these numbers remains a
controversy in the ield.”
Clearly, more research is needed.
While they’re at it, researchers could
answer other basic questions:
▪ How many guns are there in the
U.S.?
▪ How do criminals get guns?
▪ Does limiting magazine capacity
work?
▪ Is there a relationship between gun
ownership levels and crime levels?
▪ Do universal background checks
work?
Gun rights supporters and gun control
advocates may say they know the
answers to these questions. They don’t.
But they could, if the CDC were allowed
to conduct the research necessary to
answer these and other questions.
Unfortunately, the gun lobby and
its congressional supporters steadfastly
blocked that research — as though they
are afraid of what research might reveal.
The Senate should choose science
over rhetoric and fund gun-violence
research.
More damned emails
F
ollowing last week’s Republican
but instead she chose the safer route,
calamity in Cleveland, the
choosing the Democratic centrist Tim
Democratic National Convention
Kaine.
rolled into Philadelphia on Monday with
Kaine has his virtues — he is solid
big opportunities and big challenges.
and affable, a solid liberal from the
Many Democrats came with
crucial state of Virginia — but this is
enthusiasm, but also reservations.
not the sort of pick that taps into the
Unlike the Republican Convention’s
progressive populism sweeping the
speaker lineup, which was backilled
Charles party or the expansive diversity that
with Donald Trump’s children because
constitutes the party.
Blow
there were so few party heavyweights
Kaine reinforces Clinton’s “steady
Comment
to anchor it, the Democratic Convention
hand” message, but that is a message,
will have a litany of A-listers: The
however valid and necessary, that’s
president, the irst lady, Bernie Sanders and
completely devoid of sizzle.
former President Bill Clinton among them.
Trump is campaigning on fear, change and
These speakers will paint a vastly different
winning, all intense and even seductive ideas,
picture of the country and its
even though his proposals
future than the unremittingly
are insular, unrealistic or
hollow. “Steady” just doesn’t
dark and dangerous one
have the same emotional
portrayed by the Republicans.
appeal. And although
There will also likely be
I hate to boil a historic
less acrimony in Philadelphia,
election, and monumental
as the Democrats review the
policy challenges, down to
failed stagecraft of Cleveland
emotions, I’ve been around
and work hard not to replicate
long enough to know that this
it.
sort of visceral sensibility can
But, all is not roses for the
swing elections.
Democrats.
The Democrats also have
The presumptive
to deal with the resurgent idea of a primary
presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, has a
process and party apparatus that favored Clinton
battered image — partly due to a concerted
and wasn’t completely fair to Sanders.
effort by Republicans to batter it, and partly the
This was reignited in the conversation last
result of her own poor choices. Two-thirds of
week when WikiLeaks released nearly 20,000
registered voters don’t believe that she’s honest
internal emails from the Democratic National
and trustworthy, and trustworthiness is one
Committee in which some oficers expressed
of those attributes that tends to be dificult to
antipathy and outright hostility to Sanders and
quickly and easily alter.
his candidacy.
Clinton’s honesty numbers are even worse
No matter whom one supported during the
than Trump’s, but not by much. They both have
primaries, or even what party one aligns with,
some unbelievable negatives. As The New York
this should turn the stomach. This kind of
Times reported earlier this month:
collusion is precisely what is poisoning faith in
“In a development not seen in any modern
our politics.
presidential contest, more than half of all voters
This reinforced the feeling of many that the
hold unfavorable views of the two major party
system was rigged from the beginning.
candidates and large majorities say neither is
CNN reported on Sunday that in the wake
honest and trustworthy. Only half of voters say
of the scandal, the tainted party chairwoman,
Mrs. Clinton is prepared to be president, while
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, agreed to step
an astonishing two-thirds say that Mr. Trump
down from her role at the conclusion of the
is not ready for the job — including four in 10
convention.
Republicans.”
But the injury is already inlicted.
But, being about as bad as Trump is hardly a
These leaks further damage an already
good thing. Trump is a horrible candidate who
damaged faith in the Democratic nominating
shouldn’t have a shot, but in this race he does.
process. In March, the Pew Research Center
Although Clinton remains the favorite to win
found:
in November, the race is too close for comfort.
“Forty two percent of Republican voters
There are paths to victory — uphill though they
have a positive view of the primary process,
may be — for Trump to win.
(Just typing that sent shivers down my spine. compared with 30 percent of Democrats. The
share of Democrats expressing a positive
The idea that a man who used a racist attack
view of the primary process has declined 22
on a judge in one of his own cases might get
percentage points (from 52 percent) in February
to pick the next one — or even two or three —
Supreme Court justices is in itself unfathomable. 2008. Republicans views are little different than
in 2000 or 2008.”
The fact that he’s even competitive makes me
What are those Democratic voters supposed
question the electoral competency of America.)
Too many voters ind themselves in the worst to do who don’t trust the candidate, the party
or the process, even if they view The Donald
possible position: They have a choice between
as the Devil? This is one of the convention’s
a Republican of whom they are frightened and
conundrums.
disgusted and a Democrat of whom they are
■
leery and unenthused.
Charles M. Blow is The New York Times’s
Last week Clinton had a chance to shake
visual Op-Ed columnist.
up the race with her vice-presidential pick,
Two-thirds of
registered voters
don’t believe
Hillary is honest
and trustworthy.
YOUR VIEWS
Inaugural Whisky Fest a success,
will be back and even better
Congratulations to Doug Corey and Andy
McAnally for bringing the Zach Brown
concert to Pendleton.
So many people in town: all the motels and
hotels booked to full capacity, all restaurants
very, very busy, gas stations and food marts
full of cars and people, fans illing the
downtown streets and stores.
Even the Duck bus was in town with the
ight song blaring from its speakers, which in
turn caused Beaver fans to break out in their
ight song.
Fun was had by many. Out-of-town folks
love coming to Round-Up Stadium for rodeo
and music. Local groups were able to work
and make money for their activities.
Could some things have been done better?
Sure. When you put on a big event, you are
always learning how to do things better. And
these two fellows have already igured out
how to make next year’s concert even better.
Congratulations, again, to Andy and Doug
on a job well done.
Dean Fouquette
Pendleton
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. Senators
State Senator
Ron Wyden
Washington ofice:
221 Dirksen Senate Ofice Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande ofice:
541-962-7691
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
State Representatives
Greg Barreto, District 58
Jeff Merkley
Washington ofice:
313 Hart Senate Ofice Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton ofice:
541-278-1129
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us