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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2016)
Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, October 14, 2016 OTHER VIEWS Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor MARISSA WILLIAMS Regional Advertising Director MARCY ROSENBERG Circulation Manager JANNA HEIMGARTNER Business Ofice Manager MIKE JENSEN Production Manager OUR VIEW Tip of the hat; kick in the pants A tip of the hat to the Hermiston warming shelter, for working to stretch its current limits and be open nightly throughout the winter. The presence of a warming shelter, a safe and secure place for the area’s homeless to sleep, is important for an area where options are thin and winter weather can be fatal. The shelter’s new location is at 1075 S. Highway 395, and can operate nightly through February, but volunteers are needed to help staff the expanded hours. To volunteer, irst attend a training session Oct. 17 from 6-9 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church or Oct. 21 from 6-9 p.m. at the Crossroads Community Church in Stanield. And don’t forget about the Pendleton warming station, either. Volunteers worthy of tips of the hat help keep it operational too. Orientations are scheduled for Oct. 22 at 9 a.m. and Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Nazarene Church on Hailey Ave. Those who attend, and follow through by volunteering their time, help save lives and make their communities better. A tip of the hat to Bob Dylan, the irst American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature since 1993, and the irst “musician” to do so. It’s easy to ind fans of Dylan in any group of writers, and our staff is no exception. Here are a few fawning words about a literary hero: “Hurricane” is the irst Bob Dylan song I remember hearing. This ballad of injustice with an amazing violin in the background fascinated me. So much better than all the Bee Gees disco that was popular then. — Kathryn Brown, publisher Some protest songs only live as long as their movement, but “Subterranean Homesick Blues” is it for any revolution. Through four rambling verses without a chorus, Dylan introduces a cast of frustrated, confused, suspecting and suspicious characters out of step from the mainstream. Favorite line: “You don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.” — Daniel Wattenburger, managing editor Ominous and drenched in Southern Gothic imagery, “The Man In The Long Black Coat” is Dylan’s spooky reworking of Hank Williams’ “Alone And Forsaken.” Like many Dylan songs, its interpretation is ultimately left to the listener: Is it a tale of temptation and inidelity, an allegory on death, a statement on the inherently sinful nature of man? Perhaps all three. — J.D. Kindle, entertainment columnist Dylan is the American of the 20th century, and that he’s still having such an effect in the 21st is a tribute to his remarkable ability to reinvent himself and his art. His life’s work has allowed poetry to ind its way to more ears — and allowed more poets to make a living, provided they learn to play guitar. Listen to “Most Of The Time” for the Hemingway-esque mystery of things not said, or “When I Paint My Masterpiece” for the true yearnings of a real, if comic, artist. — Tim Trainor, opinion page editor/deputy managing editor Bob Dylan is the reason my husband and I got together. While in college, John heard I had some Dylan albums and came to my house to see them. Then he married me and took my collection. A friend sang “Covenant Women” at our wedding. My signature column, “Inside my shoes,” comes from lyrics near the end of “Positively 4th Street.” Like Dylan, I have a bit of a sarcastic sense of humor. — Tammy Malgesini, community editor 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. LETTERS POLICY The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication. Send letters to 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. What Trump is right about A So I’m delighted that at least one stonishingly, Donald Trump is person, Billy Bush, is paying in a right about something! concrete way for the words in the After recently being caught Trump tape. Maybe this can be a on a 2005 tape gloating about sexual wake-up call for us men to appreciate assaults, Trump issued an unapologetic that sexist epithets are no more apology in which he focused on the acceptable than racist epithets. “big difference” between words and All that said, Trump is right to actions. And he has a point. But there’s abundant evidence Nicholas emphasize the importance of actions that Trump has indulged in not just Kristof more than words: If we’re outraged by scurrilous rhetoric, but also in heinous vulgar words, shouldn’t we be even Comment actions. Several more women have more appalled by predatory actions? stepped forward to offer on-the-record And policies? Here the truth is that a accounts of having been aggressively groped Trump administration’s policies might be less or kissed by Trump against their will, right titillating than his words, but they would be far after he met them. more dangerous. I also ind entirely credible the allegations Every year, 550,000 women in America of Jill Harth, a former business partner of require medical attention after an assault by a Trump’s, that he assaulted her in 1992 and boyfriend or husband. That’s an issue that is 1993. Equally credible is the assertion by a belatedly being addressed through screenings former Miss Utah that Trump inappropriately under Obamacare, which Trump wants to kissed beauty contestants on the lips. repeal, and by the Violence Against Women Some Republicans have demanded laws Act, which a large bloc of Republicans to ban transgender women from entering opposed in Congress. Trump’s concern about women’s restrooms or locker rooms, but such assaults seems dubious, and in fact both instead they might focus on the risk of Trump he and his campaign CEO, Steve Bannon, doing this. He has boasted that he marched have been accused of domestic violence unannounced into changing rooms to ogle themselves. beauty pageant contestants naked, and a Since he never held public ofice, Trump former contestant, Miss Arizona, Tasha Dixon, lacks a voting record. But his running mate said he did just that as they were changing into has tended to look at what might help women bikinis. “Some girls were topless,” she said. and do the opposite, including voting against “Other girls were naked.” equal-pay legislation. The pageant theme that year? Empowering Mike Pence also signed a bizarre anti- women. abortion bill as Indiana’s governor requiring There’s more. In Trump’s 2005 tape, he burial or cremation even of tissue from an referred in vulgar ways to a married woman, early miscarriage. That led women to form Nancy O’Dell, he had unsuccessfully pursued, a Facebook group, Periods for Pence, and but what’s less known is that in 2007 he announce their periods, just in case they might reportedly tried to have her ired from hosting be miscarriages. the Miss USA Pageant. Why? Because she At a time when 11 women a day die of was pregnant. cervical cancer, Trump and Pence have also Of course, as Trump acknowledged, words been stalwart opponents of women’s health matter as well. On my blog, I posted an essay programs that provide cancer screenings. by a survivor of a home invasion and rape, They are motivated partly by hostility toward Michelle Bowdler, who recounted that her Planned Parenthood over abortions, but attacker had said he wanted “some pussy” — Pence, while a congressman, also sponsored and the moment he used that word, she felt legislation to defund Title X, the main federal that her life was in danger, that she “existed family planning program. It does not pay only as a thing.” for abortions but does help screen more than What is dehumanizing is not necessarily 750,000 women for cervical cancer a year. dirty words as such, but rather the casual New York magazine once quoted Trump braggadocio by men that normalizes assault. as telling a friend about women, “you have One study of 16,000 comments on a website to treat ‘em like ——” well, manure. But to for fraternity men found that the most me, his language pales beside his behavior common body part mentioned was “ass,” and likely policies. So let’s try to pivot from followed by “tits.” Men posting on the site outrage at gross words to condemnation of were 25 times as likely to refer to a woman’s unconscionable behavior and policies. On “ass” as to her “smile.” that sole point, that actions matter more than There’s some evidence that hearing sexist words, Trump is exactly, frighteningly right. language may be linked to greater tolerance ■ of rape. And we have a national problem with Nicholas Kristof grew up on a sheep and sexual harassment: One large survey found cherry farm in Yamhill. A columnist for The that almost one-quarter of American women New York Times since 2001 he won the said they had been groped in public spaces. Pulitzer Prize two times, in 1990 and 2006. YOUR VIEWS Support Umatilla schools bond I am writing in support of the Umatilla School District bond measure on the November ballot. This bond will allow the district to make needed improvements at all three schools in Umatilla — McNary Elementary, Clara Brownell Middle School and Umatilla High School. The city of Umatilla is located at the conluence of the Umatilla and Columbia rivers, and is a natural transportation hub located near the river, the railroad and two interstate highways. While our economic base has primarily been agricultural in the past, we are seeing more diversity these days due, in part, to our proximity to transportation. Educating students in this busy area is the job of the Umatilla School District. The school district’s purpose is to provide students with a top quality public education so that they may become successful, contributing citizens of the future — a goal shared by the Umatilla community as a whole. The collaborative relationship between the district and the community are evident in the residents and businesses that support many programs and projects at our schools throughout the year. Now, the Umatilla community has the opportunity to again support our school district by voting yes for the upcoming school bond on the November ballot. The school district is asking for $10.5 million to fund important capital improvements at all three district schools. If the bond passes, the district will receive an additional $4 million from the state, for a total of $14.5 million. This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to pay $10.5 million, but receive $14.5 million for district projects. We don’t know if or when this chance will come up again from the state. The proposed bond will not increase taxes for Umatilla citizens; the new bonds are estimated to continue the same tax rate of the current bonds, for a longer period of time. The city of Umatilla is proud to be on ongoing partner with the Umatilla School District in the education of Umatilla’s students. I encourage the Umatilla community to vote yes on this school bond — to protect our students, to protect our educational investments and send a clear message that the Umatilla community is dedicated to quality education. Dave Trott, mayor, Umatilla Ignore accusations, focus on the issues It’s been an active week for politics! A morally disgusting 11-year-old tape of Trump surfaces; now other allegations arise. The email dump exposes that Clinton wants open borders and supports the banking industry. The second presidential debate was the irst time in either Clinton political career where they were nationally called on the carpet for their abuse and smearing and ruining the lives of women. Then collusion between the Clinton campaign and several big news agencies, the White House, the FBI, and the Justice Dept. are found in the email dump. The Democrats are being self-righteous about the “locker room” talk tape. They are proud to promote options in moral behavior and take large sums of money from Hollywood where one morally degenerate movie is made after another. This is extreme hypocrisy. They are the party of Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy and John F. Kennedy, extreme philanderers and, at times, sexual predators. Obviously, neither Clinton nor Trump is a perfect candidate. So it comes down to issues, leadership, and who will choose Supreme Court justices. Washington, D.C., needs a good shakeup. An incomplete list of what needs to be ixed includes: disrespect for law and order, laws and common sense not used with the illegal alien situation, forests mismanaged resulting in loss of homes and livelihoods, the Obamacare iasco, terrorism spreading, disrespect for religious freedom, reduced freedom of speech (political correctness), extreme carbon related regulations stiling jobs and the economy, regulations diminishing business opportunities and jobs, a mentality of dependency as opposed to individual responsibility and potential, and an unconscionable national debt. These are all issues Clinton will carry on as the status quo or worse. Trump has solid plans laid out to address these issues and make signiicant improvements. Trump will nominate Supreme Court justices that will uphold the Constitution as it was intended. You may say, “I can’t vote for either one. They are just awful.” But one of them is going to be President of the United States and make decisions that affect you. If you don’t vote or vote by writing in a moral and honest person, you are letting others decide between these vastly different candidates. No doubt more will come out before the election to try to hijack the voters with distractions instead of focusing on the issues. I just say “Let ‘er Buck,” and hang onto those issues. Garnet Olson Pendleton Re-elect Rowan for county sheriff I am writing to express my support for the re-election of Terry Rowan as sheriff of Umatilla County. I have known Terry for about 25 years and have always found him to be concerned, but balanced, in his approach to law enforcement. He has good ideas and has the skills to be an effective people manager, which helps him accomplish his goals. The sheriff’s department looks a lot different than if did four years ago. Patrol time is up, as is the utilization of the jail. To me, that means a safer county. His peers evidently agree. The Oregon Sheriff’s Association elected him “Commander of the Year.” So do his fellow sheriff’s department employees — their bargaining unit voted to endorse his re-election. Keep up the great work Terry! Please join me in voting for Rowan for sheriff. Tim Mabry Hermiston
