Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, August 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 Tip of the hat; kick in the pants A tip of the hat to Katy Coba, the Pendleton-born, longtime director of the Department of Agriculture who this week was named the chief operating oficer for the state of Oregon. It’s a big promotion for Coba, who has gone from wheat ields to executive suites. We hope she holds onto her Eastern Oregon roots and continues to be an advocate for farmers and rural residents from her new perch high atop state government. And we expect she will. Too often, people in rural Oregon feel far removed from decisions made in Salem. It’s enough to wonder if you can see out of the valley from the state capitol. We know Coba feels a connection here, and hope she keeps us in mind from her new, more powerful seat at the table of state government. It’s a loss for the agriculture department, no doubt, but a gain for the state as a whole. A kick in the pants to U.S. Bank, which plans to close their branch in Athena — the only remaining bank in town. We all know banks are more interested in money than community, but this is just one more reminder. The branch was paying its bills and providing services, but corporate headquarters didn’t see any room for further growth. And they are probably right. Once you’ve won over the thousand or so Athena residents to be your customers, there aren’t many others left to convince. But even in a day and age when nearly all banking can be done online and in-person branches may soon be obsolete, it does leave a hole in a town when jobs and businesses turn tail. And the smaller town, the bigger that hole. The loss will be felt in Athena, and for that a kick is warranted. A tip of the hat to a string of centennials we ind ourselves in the midst of. Thursday, the National Park Service turned 100. Today, it’s Pendleton’s old Carnegie Library building that now houses the Pendleton Center for the Arts. In a few weeks, Happy Canyon will tick over into the triple digits. September will also mark 100 years since Jackson Sundown inally took home his overdue Pendleton Round-Up championship. 1916 was one heckuva year. It’s true that there were terrible things happening then, too. No one needs a reminder that World War I was killing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians. But there are plenty of things to celebrate, too, lasting things that we still love 100 years later. 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. YOUR VIEWS Trump has sacriiced everything for America The prophet Ezekiel was told to set a mark on those that “sigh and cry for all the abominations” (9:4). Americans that love and cherish our land, our heritage, our Constitution, and our liberty are grieving over the rampant corruption and high level treason (abominations) that have infected our precious republic. Confusion, deception, duplicity and sophistry have replaced integrity, justice and morality in America today. The national press and media do not objectively report the news — they manipulate, censor and shield news to promote their liberal agenda. The Obama Justice Department shields corruption, as evidenced by Hillary Clinton’s lies and deceit. The Supreme Court is now politically controlled, as evidenced by Obamacare. One more liberal (globalist) justice will destroy the foundation of the American republic and the liberty and freedom of the American people. The next presidential election will determine the fate of the American republic. What the national press and media will not report is this election is about globalism vs. the American people. Globalism means a one-world government authority over American national sovereignty. Globalism means open borders and unlimited immigration, especially Islamic. Globalism means the shredding of the Constitution and dismantling of the Second Amendment. Globalism means slavery for all except the elite. Who are the globalists? Primarily the Democratic Party under the Clintons and Obamas, the Republican establishment, and the national media (CNN, MSCNBN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Time, Newsweek, 90 percent of newspapers and 90 percent of Hollywood). This is the reason the Bush family, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Glen Beck, Megyn Kelly and other establishment Republicans will not support Trump. The vast majority of contemporary politicians are globalists. Their allegiance is to a global one-world government, not the American republic. This is the reason Donald Trump is so hated, so maligned, and so ridiculed. His presidency would destroy the globalist conspiracy to ruin America. He is not a politician. He is not politically correct. He is not bought and paid for like Hillary Clinton. He is not corrupt to the core like Hillary Clinton. Is Donald Trump without laws? No man/woman is, but I will tell you what the press will not. He has sacriiced his wealth, his strength, his reputation, his honor, and his family to save the American republic. The least you can do for your country and our liberty is vote for him. 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 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. Anne Frank today is a Syrian girl MSTERDAM — On April 30, should look after Americans irst, we 1941, a Jewish man here in can’t accept everybody, they’ll take Amsterdam wrote a desperate American jobs, they’re dangerous and letter to an American friend, pleading different. “The United States, if it continues to for help emigrating to the United be the world’s asylum and poorhouse, States. would soon wreck its present economic “U.S.A. is the only country we life,” the New York Chamber of could go to,” he wrote. “It is for the sake of the children mainly.” Nicholas Commerce warned in 1934. Some readers are objecting: But A volunteer found that plea for Kristof Jews weren’t a threat the way Syrian help in 2005 when she was sorting old Comment refugees are! In the 1930s and 1940s, World War II refugee iles in New York though, a world war was underway City. It looked like countless other iles, and Jews were widely seen as potential until she saw the children’s names. Communists or even Nazis. There were “Oh my God,” she said, “this is the Anne widespread fears that Germany would iniltrate Frank ile.” the U.S. with spies and saboteurs under the Along with the letter were many others cover that they were Jewish by Otto Frank, frantically refugees. seeking help to lee Nazi “When the safety of persecution and obtain a the country is imperiled, visa to America, Britain it seems fully justiiable or Cuba — but getting to resolve any possible nowhere because of global doubts in favor of the indifference to Jewish country, rather than in favor refugees. of the aliens,” the State We all know that the Department instructed Frank children were in 1941. The New York murdered by the Nazis, but Times in 1938 quoted the what is less known is the granddaughter of President way Anne’s fate was sealed Ulysses S. Grant warning by a callous fear of refugees, about “so-called Jewish among the world’s most refugees” and hinting that desperate people. they were Communists Sound familiar? “coming to this country to President Barack Obama join the ranks of those who vowed to admit 10,000 hate our institutions and Syrian refugees — a tiny want to overthrow them.” number, just one-ifth of 1 percent of the total News organizations didn’t do enough to — and Hillary Clinton suggested taking more. Donald Trump has repeatedly excoriated them humanize refugees and instead, tragically, helped spread xenophobia. The Times for a willingness to welcome Syrians and has published a front-page article about the called for barring Muslims. Fears of terrorism risks of Jews becoming Nazi spies, and have left Muslim refugees toxic in the West, The Washington Post published an editorial and almost no one wants them any more than thanking the State Department for keeping out anyone wanted a German-Dutch teenager Nazis posing as refugees. named Anne. In this political environment, oficials and “No one takes their family into hiding in the heart of an occupied city unless they are out of politicians lost all humanity. “Let Europe take care of its own,” argued options,” notes Mattie J. Bekink, a consultant Sen. Robert Reynolds, a North Carolina at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. “No Democrat who also denounced Jews. Rep. one takes their child on a limsy boat to cross Stephen Pace, a Georgia Democrat, went a the Mediterranean unless they are desperate.” step further, introducing legislation calling for The son of a World War II refugee myself, the deportation of “every alien in the United I’ve been researching the anti-refugee hysteria States.” of the 1930s and 1940s. As Bekink suggests, A State Department oficial, Breckinridge the parallels to today are striking. For the Frank family, a new life in America Long, systematically tightened rules on Jewish refugees. In this climate, Otto Frank was seemed feasible. Anne had studied English unable to get visas for his family members, shorthand, and her father spoke English, had who were victims in part of American lived on West 71st Street in Manhattan, and paranoia, demagogy and indifference. had been a longtime friend of Nathan Straus History rhymes. As I’ve periodically Jr., an oficial in the Franklin Roosevelt argued, Obama’s reluctance to do more to try administration. to end the slaughter in Syria casts a shadow on The obstacle was an American wariness his legacy, and there’s simply no excuse for the toward refugees that outweighed sympathy. world’s collective failure to ensure that Syrian After the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom refugee children in neighboring countries at against Jews, a poll found that 94 percent of least get schooling. Americans disapproved of Nazi treatment of Today, to our shame, Anne Frank is a Jews, but 72 percent still objected to admitting Syrian girl. large numbers of Jews. ■ The reasons for the opposition then were Nicholas Kristof grew up on a sheep and the same as they are for rejecting Syrians cherry farm in Yamhill. or Hondurans today: We can’t afford it, we A We all know the Frank children were murdered by the Nazis, but what is less known is the way Anne’s fate was sealed by a callous fear of refugees.
