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East Oregonian
OFF PAGE ONE
AP explains: Election brings
white nationalism to forefront
By JAY REEVES
Associated Press
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
—
Donald Trump’s choice of far-right
publishing executive Steve Bannon
as a top White House adviser is
bringing new scrutiny to a trou-
bling, decades-old ideology: white
nationalism.
The movement generally advo-
cates formation of a nation set aside
for whites. Some adherents openly
supported Trump for president,
and white nationalists have praised
Trump’s appointment of Bannon as
a senior adviser. Bannon previously
headed the Breitbart website that
appealed to the so-called “alt-right”
— a movement often associated
with far right efforts to preserve
“white identity,” oppose multi-
culturalism and defend “Western
values.”
White nationalists often support
the idea that white people are under
attack in the U.S., and need protec-
tion from the growth of minority
and immigrant groups. Adherents
sometimes use the hashtag
whitegenocide on social media to
promote their belief that the future
of the white race is in peril. They
see diversity as a threat to fight, not
a goal to embrace.
Here are some questions and
answers about white nationalism in
the United States:
HOW DID THIS GET
STARTED?
Groups including the Ku Klux
Klan, which is 150 years old, have
espoused various white nationalist
ideas. The start of the current white
nationalist movement is pegged to
more recent years.
J.M. Berger, an author and
expert on extremism at George
Washington University’s Program
on Extremism, wrote earlier this
year that many of today’s white
nationalists were inspired by “The
Turner Diaries,” a racist novel
published in 1978. In the book,
physicist-turned-writer
William
Luther Pierce describes a dystopian
America in which white people are
disarmed by minorities.
Timothy McVeigh had pages
from the book with him when
he bombed the Alfred P. Murrah
federal building in Oklahoma City
in 1995, killing 168 people.
IS STEVE BANNON A
WHITE NATIONALIST?
Bannon hasn’t commented
publicly since being tapped for
the White House position, but his
former colleagues at breitbart.com
dispute any links to white nation-
alism.
In a statement released to
The Hill, a political newspaper
published in the nation’s capital,
breitbart.com said it had been
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
In this Nov. 11 file photo, Stephen Bannon, campaign CEO for
President-elect Donald Trump, leaves Trump Tower in New York.
Trump on Sunday named Republican Party chief Reince Priebus
as White House chief of staff and conservative media owner
Bannon as his top presidential strategist, two men who represent
opposite ends of the unsettled GOP.
under intense scrutiny over
Bannon’s involvement with Trump
and was preparing a lawsuit over
media depictions of it as a “white
nationalist website.”
The statement added: “Breitbart
News rejects racism in all its
varied and ugly forms. Always has,
always will.”
Speaking on CNN, a Trump
spokesman has called media
coverage of Bannon’s appointment
“irresponsible.”
ARE WHITE NATIONAL-
ISTS ORGANIZED?
To an extent, yes. One such
group, the National Alliance, was
actually founded by Pierce, the
“Turner Diaries” author.
As with any such group, accurate
membership numbers are tough to
attain. And the National Alliance’s
website says it won’t accept just
anyone into the fold: Only hetero-
sexual whites who aren’t addicted
to alcohol and drugs are welcome.
Members can’t be involved roman-
tically with a person of another
race, and they can’t be in prison.
A postelection commentary
posted on the National Alliance’s
website called Trump’s victory “a
move in the right direction” and “a
temporary reprieve for the United
States of America as a majori-
ty-white country.” Another group
with white nationalist leanings, the
Council of Conservative Citizens,
also has praised Trump’s election,
as have various KKK groups and
the American Nazi Party.
White
nationalist
groups
embrace a number of different
symbols. Some with Nazi roots
use the swastika as an insignia;
KKK groups with white nation-
alist beliefs use more traditional
Klan insignia, like a cross with
a red tear. The National Alliance
website features a cross with arms
bent upward.
ISN’T ALL THIS JUST PREJ-
UDICE WITH A NEW NAME?
It depends on who you ask.
Critics of white nationalism
definitely see it as a racist ideology,
a form of hate run amok. They
say the very idea of establishing a
“white” nation is disparaging and
hurtful to the racial minorities,
ethnic groups and religious adher-
ents who would presumably be
forced to live elsewhere.
Believers in white nationalism
disagree. They deny looking down
upon other races or believing they
are superior to anyone. They say
they don’t hate. They just want
their own country, which would
implicitly allow minorities to have
their own nation.
ARE THERE OTHER KINDS
OF NATIONALISTS?
Absolutely, including black
nationalists.
One of the founders of black
nationalism was Marcus Garvey,
who founded the Universal Negro
Improvement Association in 1914.
The Nation of Islam, formed in
Detroit in the 1930s and now led by
Louis Farrakhan, also has a black
nationalist strain, as the religion
aims in part to free blacks from
“servitude” to Western civilization
— white society.
Other black nationalist groups
have popped up through the years,
and several have an internet pres-
ence. The gunman in the Dallas
police massacre, Micah Johnson,
had shown interest in black nation-
alist groups before opening fire and
killing five officers earlier this year.
The Alabama-based Southern
Poverty Law Center, a liberal
advocacy group which monitors
extremist organizations, classifies
both white nationalist and black
separatist organizations as racist.
‘Sanctuary cities’ vow to protect immigrants
By GENE JOHNSON
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Democratic
mayors of major U.S. cities that
have long had cool relationships
with federal immigration officials
say they will do all they can to
protect residents from deportation,
despite President-elect Donald
Trump’s vows to withhold
potentially millions of dollars in
taxpayer money if they do not
cooperate.
New York City’s Bill de Blasio,
Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel and
Seattle’s Ed Murray are among
those in “sanctuary cities” that
have tried to soothe worried immi-
grant populations.
“Seattle has always been a
welcoming city,” Murray said
Monday. “The last thing I want
is for us to start turning on our
neighbors.”
In Providence, Rhode Island,
Mayor Jorge Elorza, the son of
Guatemalan immigrants, said he
would continue a longstanding
policy of refusing to hold people
charged with civil infractions
for federal immigration officials.
Newark, New Jersey’s Ras Baraka
echoed that decision, calling
Trump’s rhetoric on immigration
“scary.”
Los Angeles Police Chief
Charlie Beck told the Los Angeles
Times that he’s committed to a
longtime policy of staying out
of immigration issues. Mayor
Eric Garcetti has backed that up
but stopped short of calling LA a
sanctuary city because the term is
“ill-defined.”
Philadelphia
Mayor
Jim
Kenney restored sanctuary status
when he took office in January
and said last week the city would
protect its residents. District of
Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser
also said it would keep the status.
During the campaign, Trump
gave a speech in which he prom-
ised to “end the sanctuary cities”
and said those “that refuse to
cooperate with federal authorities
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File
In this Nov. 9 file photo, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray speaks at a
post-election event of elected officials and community leaders
at City Hall in Seattle. Leaders in Seattle, Portland and other so-
called “sanctuary cities” say they won’t change their stance on
immigration despite Donald Trump’s vows to withhold potentially
millions of dollars in taxpayer money if they don’t cooperate.
will not receive taxpayer dollars.”
He blamed such policies for “so
many needless deaths.”
Trump didn’t elaborate on his
plans for cracking down on the
cities. In a “60 Minutes” interview
broadcast Sunday, he said his
administration’s priority will be
deporting criminals and securing
the border.
But significant questions —
and unease — remain about his
approach to sanctuary cities.
There is no legal definition
of the term, which is opposed by
some immigration advocates who
say it does not reflect that people
can still be deported.
It generally refers to jurisdic-
tions that don’t cooperate with
U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement. That can mean, for
example, that they don’t notify
immigration officials when an
undocumented immigrant is about
to be released from custody.
Some cities, like San Francisco,
have long declared themselves
safe havens for immigrants,
issuing local ID cards to allow
them to access government or
other services.
The term also been used to refer
to cities that bar their employees,
including police, from inquiring
about a person’s immigration
status because crime victims and
witnesses might be less likely to
talk to investigators if they are
worried about being deported.
“We don’t want anybody to be
afraid to talk to us,” said Sheriff
John Urquhart of Washington’s
King County, which includes
Seattle.
Because states and cities can’t
be required to enforce federal law
— and there’s no U.S. requirement
that police ask about a person’s
immigration status — it’s likely
that any Trump effort to crack down
on sanctuary cities would focus on
those that refuse to comply with
ICE requests, said Roy Beck, chief
executive of NumbersUSA, which
wants to see immigration levels
reduced.
It’s also unclear what money
Trump might pull. For Congress
to impose conditions on federal
money heading to the states, the
conditions must be related to
the funding’s purpose, the U.S.
Supreme Court has said.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
MOVE: Pioneer Relief Nursery
will start moving on Nov. 28
Continued from 1A
people in Pendleton escaped the
cold by ducking into the little
house and sleeping on cots or pads
crowded into a main floor living
area and the basement. Space was
tight. Guests checked in each night
at a table crowded into the area.
Men walked through a tiny kitchen
to reach the basement stairs, which
led to their beds.
The new warming station might
not be as homey, but Clemons
said the facility offers more square
footage, a better location and plenty
of rooms.
“We’re so excited. It’s consid-
erably bigger and comes with a
storage building,” Clemons said.
“We’re not having to use one space
for six different things.”
Challenges include a leaky roof
and increased insurance costs, but
Clemons is ebullient about the new
building.
“It’s a wonderful gift,” he said.
There are no plans to change
the warming station’s mission.
Clemons said it will not become
a year-round homeless shelter,
instead retaining its identity as
a haven from the coldest winter
weather.
“That’s who we are,” he said.
“That’s what we’ll remain.”
Barbara Ceniga, executive
director of the Pioneer Relief
Nursery, is equally ecstatic about
her organization’s new location, for
which there will be no charge.
“It’s bigger,” Ceniga said. “We
won’t be crammed into a space that
we’ve outgrown.”
The relief nursery will start
moving on Nov. 28. The organi-
zation’s new home near Red Lion
Hotel has served as the hospital
pharmacy, a day care center and
finally an urgent care clinic. The
increased square footage will allow
adequate space for preschool and
toddler classrooms, a clothes closet,
a hygiene closet, an employee
workroom, office space, a full
kitchen and private areas to meet
with clients.
The remodel involved removing
walls, replacing the air handling
system and flooring, electrical
work and other tasks.
Shortly after the nursery relo-
cates, the warming station will
move in to the vacated building.
“On Dec. 5, we anticipate the
hospital turning in the paperwork to
the title company,” Clemons said.
“We plan to move into the building
the first full week of December.”
The shelter will be ready for
operation approximately a week
later and open whenever the
weather forecasts predict tempera-
tures below freezing.
St. Anthony spokesman Larry
Blanc said reaching into the
community is part of the mission of
the hospital and its parent company
Catholic Health Initiatives.
“Getting out of our walls bene-
fits both the community and the
hospital,” Blanc said. “It demon-
strates that we are concerned about
our community.”
“This is a win-win for every-
body,” Ceniga said.
The
Hermiston
Warming
Station recently moved into a new
building at 1075 S. Highway 395.
The facility, which has room for
22 guests, opens Nov. 21 and will
operate each winter night.
———
Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@
eastoregonian.com
or
call
541-966-0810.
BARRETO: Will introduce bill to
address spending in state agencies
Continued from 1A
their supermajority in the Senate.
He said lawmakers are bracing for
what bills are introduced, while
revisiting controversial topics from
the 2015 session, such as a trans-
portation package and low carbon
fuel standard.
“A lot of those things are still on
the table,” Barreto said.
Barreto plans to introduce a bill
of his own to address spending
in state agencies. He described
Measure 97 as “egregious” and
believes there are better mecha-
nisms to balance the budget.
“Sometimes the problem isn’t
just the amount of revenue, but
how you spend it,” he said. “In
business or manufacturing, you’re
always looking for efficiency ...
there’s nothing wrong with looking
at the same thing in government.”
In other caucus news, McLane
also appointed Jodi Hack
(R-Salem) as the House Repub-
lican whip. Hack graduated from
Pendleton High School before
moving back to the Salem area.
She was elected to the legislature
in 2014.
The 2017 legislative session
will begin Feb. 1.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com or
541-966-0825
BUDGET: ‘The budget is growing faster
than our economy’s ability to sustain it’
Continued from 1A
97 — may be reluctant to negotiate
on taxes.
What’s more, Senate President
Peter Courtney, the top Demo-
cratic lawmaker, said he is unsure
there are enough votes to pass a
balanced budget.
Gov. Kate Brown will release a
proposed budget on Dec. 1, which
will include plans for budget cuts
and likely options for raising
revenue. Brown has signaled
that she plans to avoid cutting
programs that help children and
poor families.
Kristen Grainger, Brown’s
communications director, said
it’s too early to say what cuts or
revenue options will be included
in the governor’s budget. Grainger
said the state budget is concen-
trated mostly in schools, health
and human services and public
safety. Some funding schemes are
codified in law, which means there
are few options for Brown.
“There’s not a lot of flexibility.
She’s got to be really thoughtful
and strategic about how she does
this,” Grainger said.
Top lawmakers also said cuts
are certain.
“We’re not going to get through
this without some cuts some-
where,” said Courtney, a Democrat
who has represented Salem since
1999. He added that he had not yet
spoken with the governor about
where she plans to propose cuts.
“I don’t have a path right now
and I’m very concerned about it,”
Courtney said.
State
agencies
submitted
hypothetical budgets cuts to the
governor’s office months ago,
a routine aspect of planning the
state’s next two-year budget.
Brown will develop her plan from
those proposals.
February will bring the 2017
legislative session, and lawmakers
will be tasked with passing a
balanced budget by July 10, based
on Brown’s proposal.
Sen. Mark Hass, who chairs
the Senate revenue and finance
committee, said the discussion on
how to raise revenue is already
underway.
“The failure of Measure 97 does
not change the fact that we have
one of the most volatile tax codes
in the country or that we seriously
under-fund
education,”
said
Hass, a Democrat who represents
Beaverton. “But it’s not like we’re
back to square-one.”
Oregon’s revenue system is
volatile because it remains tied
to personal income taxes, which
rise and fall with the economy.
States that rely more on sales tax
revenues are less susceptible to
economic shocks.
Assessments, fees, a sin tax and
more are being considered from
a philosophical standpoint, Hass
said. He’s already been in talks
with legislative leaders and repre-
sentatives of business interests and
labor unions. They’re examining
what Plan B might look like, he
said.
Courtney said he and House
Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland,
were set to meet Thursday, though
they have not yet discussed a
specific plan of action. Kotek
declined to comment.
Hass and Rep. Mark Johnson,
a Hood River Republican who sits
on the House revenue committee,
proposed a bill in 2015 advertised
by the pair as a “peaceful solution”
between business and labor inter-
ests. The plan would have repealed
Oregon’s corporate income tax
and replaced it with a commercial
activity tax; the law was predicted
to raise $1 billion in new revenue
per two-year budget cycle. The
plan never came up for a vote.
Hass said the commercial
activity tax may come up again
in 2017, though nothing is certain
yet.
For his part, Johnson said the
Legislature should figure out how
to rein in spending before asking
taxpayers and businesses for more
revenue.
“The budget is growing faster
than our economy’s ability to
sustain it,” Johnson said. “We’ve
got to take a serious look at the cost
drivers.”