VIEWPOINTS
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Quick takes
New laws start Jan. 1
And the governor y’all elected wants to
cut our drug task force and crime lab over
here. So explain that one.
— Tony Covlin
Hurrah for the whistleblower laws.
Harder for those corrupt state managers to
destroy evidence of their behavior.
— Patience Searle
The majority of poachers in Oregon are
people trying to put food on the table. Try
passing laws that matter.
— Ian Van Gelder
Elk herd drown in icy lake
Hate to think of those poor things
drowning and suffering. Sad.
— Helen Morrison
Mother Nature can be beautiful and a
beast.
— Adreanna Dugan
Christmas fire strikes home
We get more house fires because a lot of
houses in this town are far from up to code,
in the electrical department especially.
— Timothy Coggins
How sad. Glad everyone is ok.
—Malia Keene-Johnston
One of the great lessons of the Twitter age is
that much can be summed up in just a few words.
Here are some of this week’s takes. Tweet yours
@Tim_Trainor or email editor@eastoregonian.
com, and keep them to 140 characters.
East Oregonian
Page 5A
There once was a man not named Ishi
where it languished for decades before
being returned to the Pit River Tribe to be
accorded a traditional burial.
Ishi seems to have always represented
ne hundred years ago, an iconic
something larger than himself. Now, on the
Native American died. We do not
centennial of his passing, it’s time to see
remember him as a tribal leader,
him as an individual human being. “Ishi,”
holy man or an activist. His biggest
after all, means “man.” That means trying
accomplishment was simply enduring.
to imagine what his life was like
We know him by the name
before Oroville.
“Ishi,” because if he had a name
Ishi was born around 1860, when
for himself, we never learned it.
the Yahi people and the invading
When he wandered down from
Gold Rush settlers were entrenched
his homeland in the California
in bitter, bloody hostilities that raged
foothills of Mount Lassen and
for years. By the early 1870s, the
was found huddled in a corral
Yahi numbered only 15, and all of
near the town of Oroville, he
them went into hiding, adopting
entered history. His people, the
such a secretive existence that they
Yahi, had supposedly vanished
were presumed to have died out.
decades earlier, and because
“Ishi” in 1915
Several decades later, only four
they were the last Natives living
remained: Ishi, his mother, sister and
freely in the West, Ishi became
uncle. Those four persisted in anonymity until
famous as “the last wild Indian.”
November 1908, when everything fell apart.
Anthropologists at the University of
Surveyors stumbled upon their hidden
California arranged to have him placed
village while Ishi was away; his uncle and
under their supervision, and he spent the
remainder of his life in San Francisco. They sister fled, and were never seen again. His
mother, ill and immobile, was left unharmed,
called him Ishi, a Yahi word for “man,”
but died soon after. Afterward, Ishi entered
because in Yahi culture personal names
an era of solitude the likes of which you and I
were private, not to be uttered casually.
will never know, let alone comprehend.
Ishi adjusted surprisingly well to urban
For a thousand days, Ishi was utterly alone.
society. He was employed as a custodian,
It’s not the length of time that’s so difficult
rode trolleys, saw airplanes, witnessed
to grasp, it’s the poignancy and magnitude
surgeries and relished ice cream. But
of his isolation. He’d lived his entire life in a
there were darker elements to his story.
tiny world that had shrunk until he was the
His “home” was actually a museum, and
only one left in it. He wasn’t just the last of
he was, for a time, put on display. New to
modern life, he soon contracted tuberculosis his family, he was the last of his culture, of his
nation. What toll did that extract from him?
and died fewer than five years after he
What happens to hope when the future offers
arrived. His body was then subjected to
nothing but more isolation?
an autopsy during which his brain was
How that affected Ishi we’ll never
removed and sent to the Smithsonian,
By JOSEPH BELLI
Writers on the Range
O
know, for he was reluctant to talk about
his life in the wild. I don’t know whether
anyone ever asked him why he undertook
his fateful journey in the summer of 1911.
Some say he lost the will to live; others
think that he was starving. If he was
hungry, I believe it was for something
other than food.
People have long wondered what
effect “civilization” had on Ishi. Another
question is to wonder what effect Ishi had
on society. His greatest impact has been as
a symbol — of the end of the Wild West,
or of Anglo-Native American relations, a
500-year-old culture clash encapsulated in
one man’s experience.
Today, there might be another
interpretation of his life: Ishi as inspiration.
It’s not just that he endured, but how he
did. Ishi lived out his days in an unfamiliar
world, but he was no lackey. He may have
been given a suit and tie to wear, but he
never did reveal his name. And he never
lost his humanity. He didn’t withdraw upon
entering a strange new world. He forged
friendships and made the most of his new
life, touching those who knew him with his
gentleness and forbearance.
Ishi was much more than “the last wild
Indian.” He was a man who had looked
into an abyss of genocide and loneliness
and somehow emerged with his mind and
senses intact and alert; he was able to adapt,
as much as possible, to the world that had
ended his. He handled “civilization” far
better than it handled him.
■
Joseph Belli is a contributor to Writers
on the Range, the opinion service of High
Country News. He is a wildlife biologist and
lives along Pacheco Pass, California.
Voters must heed wake-up call
T
Year’s end quiz
H
appy almost New Year!
C) Public service announcement
Wow, we’ve been through
warning young men about steroid
a lot. Let’s take a look back
abuse.
at 2016 and see how much of the
8. Trump’s choice for labor
silliness you remember. We’re not
secretary, Andrew Puzder, is a
going to talk about Hillary. Too
fast-food franchise baron who once
sad. But here’s an end-of-the-year
said ...
quiz about:
A) “Vegetables are much more
Republicans We Once Knew
dangerous
than people realize.”
Gail
1. It’s been a long year for Chris
B)
“I
like
beautiful women
Collins
Christie, but he made history when
eating burgers in bikinis. I think it’s
Comment
...
very American.”
A) The National Governors
C) “Everybody has a minimum
Association voted him “Least Likely to
wage. Mine just happens to be $1 million
Succeed.”
a year.”
B) A Quinnipiac poll in New Jersey
Trump, Trump, Trump
showed his job disapproval rating at 77
9. Trump won the Electoral College by
percent.
one of the lowest margins in U.S. history
C) He did the tango on “Dancing With
and got nearly 3 million votes fewer than
the Stars.”
Hillary Clinton. Afterward, he referred to
2. Ted Cruz said that when his wife,
his victory as ...
Heidi, became first lady ...
A) “God’s will.”
A) “She’ll put prayer back in the prayer
B) “A gift from the founding fathers.”
breakfast.”
C) “A landslide.”
B) “Michelle Obama’s garden will
10. In a TV interview, Trump said that
become a croquet court.”
when he looks in the mirror he sees ...
C) “French fries are coming back to the
A) “Orange skin.”
cafeteria.”
B) “Fantastic hair.”
3. Marco Rubio’s ad about how “It’s
C) “A person that is 35 years old.”
Morning Again in America” made news
11. Trump said he didn’t need a daily
because ...
intelligence briefing because ...
A) It was an excellent depiction of why
A) “I’m, like, a smart person.”
he is truly a Reagan conservative.
B) “The CIA is out to get me.”
B) It was filmed in a way that made
C) “Putin’s people give me plenty of
Rubio appear to be more than 6 feet tall.
information.”
C) It opened with a shot of the
12. Trump’s doctor, who wrote the
Vancouver, British Columbia, skyline.
famous letter declaring Trump would be
4. In a debate, Ben Carson said that
“the healthiest individual ever elected
when a president vets potential Supreme
to the presidency,” gave an interview in
Court nominees, he should consider ...
which he said it had never occurred to
A) “How they’d look in the group
him that Trump, at 70, would be the oldest
picture.”
president-elect. But he added ...
B) “The fruit salad of their life.”
A) “70 is the new 41.”
C) “Legal things.”
B) “If something happens to him, then
The Cabinet of Tomorrow
it happens to him. ... That’s why we have a
5. Rick Perry, Donald Trump’s nominee vice president and a speaker of the House
for secretary of energy ...
and a whole line of people. They can just
A) Lost the paso doble competition to
keep dying.”
Vanilla Ice on “Dancing With the Stars.”
C) “Bronzer keeps you young.”
B) Came up with some new ideas for
And in Other News ...
combating global warming.
13. In a Seattle suburb, Dane Gallion
C) Said his earlier reference to Trump’s was so unnerved by stories of mass
campaign as “a barking carnival act” was
shootings that he armed himself before
simply “one of my ‘oops’ moments.”
going to see the movie “13 Hours: The
6. Retired Gen. Jim Mattis, Trump’s
Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” Watching
selection for secretary of defense, is
the film with a handgun tucked into his
nicknamed ...
waistband, Gallion ...
A) Mad Dog.
A) Became a hero when a disturbed
B) Cranky Corgi.
man waving a rifle walked into the
C) Sullen Setter.
auditorium.
7. Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick to
B) Became a hero when he stopped an
head the Small Business Administration,
armed robbery at the snack bar.
has known the president-elect a long time.
C) Accidentally shot the woman sitting
McMahon’s husband. Vince, once paired
in front of him.
with Trump in a ...
———
A) Professional wrestling production in
ANSWERS: 1-B, 2-C, 3-C, 4-B, 5-A,
which Trump shaved off McMahon’s hair.
6-A, 7-A, 8-B. 9-C, 10-C, 11-A, 12-B, 13-C
B) Build-the-Wall golf match in which
■
they tried to see who could hit the most
Gail Collins joined the New York Times
balls into Mexico.
in 1995 as a member of the editorial board.
he good news in Oregon for
In real life, we wish a lot for things.
those of us who have grown
We say, “It sure would be nice if we
weary of one-party control is that
could only afford it.” There are many
Republican Dennis Richardson will be
things we would enjoy, but can they be
our new Secretary of State for the next
paid for?
four years. The voters of Oregon also
Any government program,
saw through the agenda of the public
regardless of the value, must be paid
unions and defeated Measure 97. This
for. The most basic rule of economics
measure would have made the people
comes into play. There is a cost to
Greg
of Oregon $6 billion poorer, added
Barreto everything and there are no free
another 18,000 public union jobs and
lunches, period. The question is, how
Comment
chased away 38,000 jobs from the
much can we afford?
Listening to the governor, the
private workforce (per an analysis
speaker and the Senate president at this
done by the nonpartisan Legislative Revenue
month’s business summit, it’s all the fault of
Office.)
the business community that the state doesn’t
More good news at the state level is that
have enough money. The fact is, there will
Republicans picked up a Senate seat so there
never be enough money to satisfy this state’s
is no longer a Democrat supermajority in the
wants. The government was
Senate. The disappointing
never intended to satisfy
news is that the House
our wants — regardless of
Republicans did not add any
what those on the far left
members to their caucus and
continue to say. Everyone
are still only one seat away
should live within their
from a super-minority just
means and those that are
as we were in 2015-16.
able should pay their own
Examples abound
way and this includes
in poor policy that has
the state of Oregon. Just
been passed in the last
because we want a new car
two legislative sessions
when we can’t afford a new
and then topped off by
car doesn’t mean we should expect someone
the elitist public union’s introduction of
else to buy it for us.
Measure 97. The fallout that has ensued
But don’t be discouraged, we can only go
leaves Oregon’s majority party unable to pay
down this road for so long until the voters that
for the spending and poor investments they
have elected our legislators into office start
have created over the last 30 years. And they
to realize that if we continue to dig a deeper
now blame their lack of management on the
financial hole, at some point, we will be
business community. A shortfall in revenue
unable to dig ourselves out. And I’d say we’re
when revenue has increased by $3.1 billion
just about there. Someone must pay, and if
since 2014 is hard to imagine. How about
the burden falls on the business community, I
mismanaged government, shortsightedness,
anticipate some businesses that can, will start
fiscal irresponsibility and payback to the
to move out of the state as the majority party
public unions that contribute heavily to their
continues to demonize them. Every rock will
campaigns?
be turned over to extract more revenue from
Well, what’s coming for 2017? A
everyone, including the middle-class worker,
common-sense approach might be to look
to satisfy this insatiable bent of unbridled
at serious reductions in spending and living
spending. I hope voters hear their wake-up
within our means, but instead we are seeing
call.
more tax proposals coming from the left.
The next legislative session starts Feb. 1. It
More proposed regulations and mandates for
should be an interesting year.
businesses including predictive scheduling
and requiring companies’ financial records to
■
be made public. Do you think that will bring
Greg Barreto, of Cove, represents District
good job creators to our doorstep? Me neither. 58 in the Oregon House of Representatives.
The fact is, there
will never be
enough money
to satisfy this
state’s wants.
States have power to protect environment
The New York Times, Dec. 26
S
tate governments will serve as an
important bulwark against any attempt
by President-elect Donald Trump to roll
back the progress the United States has made
in addressing climate change. And that’s good
news for the planet.
Over the last decade or so, most states have
reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by
promoting energy efficiency and renewable
fuels. These trends should continue as clean
energy costs continue to decline and, in some
parts of the country, fall below the cost of
dirtier fuels like coal.
The Brookings Institution reported this
month that between 2000 and 2014, 33 states
and the District of Columbia cut carbon
emissions while expanding their economies.
That list includes red states run by Republican
legislatures, like Alaska, Georgia, Tennessee
and West Virginia.
Many people expect Trump to walk away
from President Obama’s commitments under
the Paris climate agreement and get rid of or
weaken the E.P.A.’s Clean Power Plan, which
requires states to lower carbon emissions from
the electricity sector. He and his appointees
might also try to water down fuel economy
regulations for cars and trucks, and cut clean
energy tax incentives and research spending.
States could blunt much of that damage.
Even now, many states will be able to meet
the Clean Power Plan’s targets by following
through on planned investments and
increasing energy efficiency, according to
M. J. Bradley and Associates, a research and
consulting firm. Some populous states have
set targets that are even more ambitious and
appear to be on track to meet them.
California and New York plan to cut
greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below
1990 levels by 2030. Hawaii hopes to get all of
its electricity from renewable sources by 2045.
This month, Charlie Baker, the Republican
governor of Massachusetts, proposed new
rules for power plants and vehicles to make
sure the state achieves its goal of a 25 percent
cut from 1990 levels by 2020. Emissions are
already down by around 20 percent.
Cheap natural gas, which has increasingly
replaced coal as a fuel source, has had a lot to
do with this progress, but so has the drop in
the cost of wind and solar power — 41 percent
in the case of land-based wind turbines and
64 percent for solar, between 2008 and 2015,
according to the Energy Department. The cost
of batteries has dropped by almost three-fourths.
In some states, including Iowa, Illinois, Kansas,
Nebraska and parts of Texas, new wind turbines
can generate electricity at a lower cost, without
subsidies, than any other technology, according
to a report published this month by researchers
at the University of Texas at Austin.
States are also beginning to put a price on
carbon emissions to increase the cost of older
fuels and encourage cleaner sources of energy,
which Congress has refused to do. California
has a cap and trade system in which electric
utilities, fuel distributors and other businesses
have to buy emission permits through auctions
or from one another.