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OPINION
East Oregonian
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
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
Oregon must
comply with ID act
The Oregon legislature is in
a stare-down with the federal
government, one it is likely to lose.
At issue is the adoption of federal
standards for driver’s licenses and
state-issued identiication cards in
Oregon that can be used at secured
areas, including airports.
The law requiring it, the Real ID
Act of 2005, was enacted as a result
of the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent
war on terrorism. It requires higher
standards of proof of U.S. citizenship
or proof of lawful status in the U.S. in
order for state-issued IDs to be valid
for federal purposes, such as at airport
security points or when entering
federal courthouses or other secure
federal facilities.
The Transportation Security
Administration, which oversees
airport security, has said it intends
to stop accepting noncompliant IDs
on Jan. 22, 2018. States that are
still noncompliant — but have been
granted deadline extensions — will
face a hard deadline of October 2020,
when Homeland Security has said it
will require all air travelers to carry
a Real ID-compliant license. At that
point, residents from noncompliant
states will be required to present other
identiication which does meet Real
ID requirements, like a passport, to
ly domestically or to enter federal
courthouses or other secure federal
facility. Passports are already required
for international air travel.
Across the country, 21 states
currently comply, but others including
Oregon have fought the law, saying it
is an overreaching, unfunded federal
mandate. In 2009, Oregon lawmakers
prohibited the Department of Motor
Vehicles from spending state funds
to comply with the act. They have
argued that many of the requirements
were too expensive to undertake,
and they have asked for extensions
each year, which have been routinely
granted. Just this month, the state was
granted another extension, but this
time only until June 2017, essentially
just enough time for the Legislature
to reconsider its position. Oregon
lawmakers have said they will
continue to seek extensions, which if
granted, would make its deadline for
full compliance in 2020.
While we understand Oregon’s
initial reluctance to comply, it’s time
to start implementing the changes.
Congress enacted the law more
than a decade ago and aviation safety
remains a deep concern. The Real IDs
will help ease some of the worries.
The security measures also make
the licenses and ID cards harder to
replicate and they have the potential
to reduce fraud and identity theft.
Additionally, technology and
expense issues that existed in 2005
along with security concerns about
the cards’ data shouldn’t be a factor
today. Experts say better technology
and security now exists at far less
cost than it did then. And on some of
the concerns, like data security, the
states should already be addressing
those issues regardless of the Real ID
requirements.
Failure to take the needed
implementation steps will eventually
force all residents who want to board
a plane or enter a federal courthouse
to spend the time and money
themselves to obtain a compliant ID
when one could easily exist otherwise
through state-issued driver’s licenses.
Legislators shouldn’t allow that to
happen and should address it in their
next session.
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
I
f you’re one of the 1,200 or so people
who ran through the Boardman
poplar tree farm this weekend,
you know races on dirt and rock trails
through nature are
rewarding in their own
special way, even if
running on a wide, lat
street or sidewalk might be
easier on the feet.
But there are limits.
And the Barkley Mara-
thons in rural Tennessee
push those limits to the
extreme.
The 2014 documentary
“The Barkley Marathons:
The Race That Eats Its
Young” is a study in
the limits of the human
body and will. It’s a top
secret race, with only
40 slots and no publicized method for
entering, that consists of ive backwoods
marathons that must be completed in 60
hours.
Must is a strong word. In its 31 years,
only 14 people have inished the ive
circuits, and for the irst decade of its
existence, completing two loops was
considered the extent of human ability.
The course traverses the steep forests of
eastern Tennessee, and to complete the
entire race a competitor must climb and
descend an accumulated 54,200 feet,
equal to summiting Mt.
Everest twice.
The documentary
explains the eccentricities
of the race itself, its
founders and those who
dare take the challenge.
And the challengers are
the most fascinating part.
As each completes a loop
and takes a moment to rest,
eat and receive medical
help, the question of
whether they will muster
the courage to head out
again becomes a study in
self-discipline. There is no
prize except the satisfaction
of completing what few people ever
have or could.
Through the course of the ilm
the viewer becomes invested in each
competitor — so much so that it’s hard
to know whether you want them to inish
the race or simply stop at camp after
completing a third or fourth loop to end
their misery. — Daniel Wattenburger
OTHER VIEWS
Addressing mental health
in rural Oregon
A
• Investment in “wraparound”
recent study of mental health
care that seeks to expand services and
resources in Umatilla County,
support to the families of children
commissioned by the Pendleton
facing mental health challenges;
Academies board of directors, revealed
• Development of in-school
among its indings challenges that
programs to address issues like suicide,
include a shortage of mental health
professionals such as child psychiatrists.
bullying, and trauma-informed care and
The Pendleton Academies board
practice;
actively promotes improved and
• An emphasis at the state and
Bill
responsive mental health care services
regional
levels to use the Governor’s
Grigsby
for children in Umatilla County.
Early Learning Initiative to integrate
Comment
In 2015, the board approached
mental health concerns and care;
Eastern Oregon University about
• Greater coordination among mental
collaborating on a research project to better
health and allied providers through the county’s
understand the issues facing Umatilla County’s C.A.R.E. Coordination initiative.
mental health care system. Professor and
In short, while Umatilla County suffers
colleague Rosemary Powers and I worked
from the same issues that many areas of rural
with three students on a study examining
America face with respect to children’s mental
issues related to accessibility, availability and
health, the system in place has recognized the
acceptability of mental health services for
importance of addressing them, improving
children. The study was carried out over the
coordination, especially with schools to make
course of a year, and involved interviews with
sure mental health care gives every child the
mental health professionals in different settings, chance for a quality education, and investing at
surveys of teachers in the K-12 school systems, the system level where it will do the most good.
and a survey of available research on current
For its part, Pendleton Academies’ board
trends and promising practices.
has committed itself to improving access to
Study results suggested resources are
child psychiatric care, and more generally
scarce, but they also painted a picture of a
to professional development for individuals
system performing admirably well considering
committed to working as child psychologists in
the shortage of mental health professionals.
Umatilla County.
Speciic issues identiied include:
Lifeways is working with schools to
1) a need for more psychiatric care for
increase access to counseling, and the county’s
those children in greatest need, provided by
C.A.R.E. Coordination team is setting the
professionals residing in the county;
example for working with all partners and
2) a perception on the part of teachers that
providing the “glue”’ that holds the system
they are often on the front lines of helping to
together by making it more “user friendly,”
distinguish between behavioral and mental
especially to those children whose families
health issues in the classroom;
may lack the inancial means. In addition,
3) a recognition that barriers of language,
“telepsychology” (using computer technologies
culture and distance must be addressed to
to provide patient care at a distance) may be an
ensure all children who need services can
effective means to address some of the barriers
access them easily; and
posed by distance in rural areas.
4) an understanding that children will fare
The collaboration between Pendleton
better when their families’ situations, economic Academies and Eastern Oregon University
and otherwise, are stable and secure.
proved fruitful. The board has a better sense of
The county’s mental health care system
where to invest its resources, EOU was able to
is developing in ways that help address these
provide unique research-based opportunities to
issues. Key players, including Intermountain
students seeking careers in the social welfare
ESD, Greater Oregon Behavior Health,
arena, and the process provides a model for
Inc. (GOBHI), Lifeways, Umatilla County
future collaboration with EOU that should
Mental Health and C.A.R.E. Coordination, the
serve the region well.
Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, local schools
Pendleton Academies Executive Director
and Head Start, and private mental health
Terry Edvalson has been working with EOU
professionals such as Psychological Services
and regional partners for decades, and this
of Pendleton and child psychiatrist Dr. David
recently completed study is just one of several
Conant-Norville — who is based in Hillsboro
he has spearheaded in recent years that should
and travels to Pendleton one day a week to
bear fruit in the future.
see patients — are all working toward similar
■
goals:
Bill Grigsby, Ph.D., is an Associate
• Student-based health centers in schools
Professor of Sociology at Eastern Oregon
that include mental health counselors;
University.
YOUR VIEWS
Ryan Lehnert for sheriff
When I was sheriff of Umatilla County,
Terry Rowan worked for me as a correction
oficer and I was pleased with his work. I’m
sure there is good work in his department but
the only contact I have had or heard about
the department has been negative. Below are
some such incidents.
The only interaction I have had with his
department has left a very bad taste in my
mouth. I had a loved one spending 30 days
in his jail. I found it almost impossible to get
in to see her. Most of the time I could not get
them to answer the phone so I could make an
appointment. My wife tried all day for several
days, but no answer. When she tried other
numbers at the sheriff’s ofice they would not
help her but would refer her to the number set
up to make appointments.
I have been made aware of several inci-
dents where there has been a lack of response
by the sheriff’s department. One such incident
was where the kids and teachers at Pilot Rock
Grade School heard what they identiied as
gunshots. They crawled under their desks,
crying and waiting for the sheriff’s department
to respond. When the sheriff didn’t respond
they called Ryan Lehnert, who had the day
off. He arrives in a few minutes from his
home in Pendleton. Sheriff Rowan responded
ive days later.
Another one was where a relative of mine
watched thieves steal their jet ski and they
called the sheriff’s department during the
theft. They knew who the thieves were but
still could not get a response from the sheriff.
She got the license number at the request of
the sheriff’s department but the department
never did respond, even after more calls were
made. They are still waiting.
Ryan has spent 20 years in the National
Guard. He has been a irst sergeant in both
Pendleton and Hermiston National Guard. He
spent a year in combat in Iraq as a sergeant
in a recon scout unit. His experience in the
military is vital to policing in today’s world.
I have known Ryan since he was a boy, and
even as a boy he had utmost character.
He is a Christian with Christian values. He
treats people with respect and has a sincere
interest in their problems.
Jim Carey
Pilot Rock
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.