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OPINION
East Oregonian
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
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 Office Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
OUR VIEW
Free the Hammonds
At the end of their terms
They have been in federal prison
for a year.
presidents typically grant pardons or
That’s enough.
clemency to a host of federal inmates
When the crack cocaine trade was
whose cases are too politically
destroying minority communities,
controversial for all but a lame duck
Congress was pressed to set
to handle.
It’s time that President
a strong deterrent. It used its
constitutional authority to
Obama grant Dwight
remove judicial discretion in
and Stephen Hammond
sentencing. It was deemed
clemency and allow them to
to have worked so well on
return to their Oregon ranch.
inner city drug offenders that
Ranchers in Oregon’s
the concept was applied to a
Harney County, father and
wide range of federal crimes.
son have a long history of
That is the law. To quote
disputes with the Bureau
Dwight H.
Dickens, the law is an ass.
of Land Management over
We understand the appeal
grazing allotments. Dwight
of mandatory sentencing.
Hammond was convicted
It’s easy, and it demonstrates
of one count related to a
that criminality won’t be
fire that burned 139 acres of
tolerated. But the purpose
BLM land in 2006. Stephen
of prosecution is to serve
Hammond was convicted
justice. It’s not supposed to
of one count related to the
be easy. Removing judicial
2006 fire, and a separate
discretion to weigh the
count related to a fire in
Steven H.
circumstances does not
2001.
serve justice, even if in some
The Hammonds received
cases judges err and are too lenient.
a fair trial and were found guilty.
Sometimes, the cause of justice is
Many believe they had just cause
served by leniency.
to start the fires and deserved
President Obama must think so,
no punishment even if they had
too. He’s spent the last couple of
technically broken the law. The jury
found otherwise, and the original trial years speaking out against mandatory
sentencing. To punctuate the point,
court handed down fair, and lenient,
he has granted clemency to drug
sentences.
In addition to lengthy probation,
offenders whose mandatory sentences
he has judged unjust and overly
Dwight Hammond received six
punitive given the circumstances of
months in prison, his son one year.
The original prison sentences were
their crimes.
served.
By coincidence, the original judge
But those sentences ignored
in the Hammonds’ case found a
the minimum mandatory five-year
mandatory five-year sentence overly
sentence prescribed by the federal
punitive given the circumstances of
arson statute. The government
their crimes.
appealed, the sentences were
The Hammonds have served
overturned and the trial court
enough time, justice has been served.
ordered the Hammonds to serve
The president should commute their
out the remainder of new five-year
sentences to time served and send
sentences.
them home.
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
n November, Portland author and
teacher Brian Doyle received terrible
news. According to Doyle, doctors
found “a big honkin’ brain
tumor” inside his head and
his chance of survival was
grim.
Many fans and readers
went to his “Book of
Uncommon Prayer” to try
to digest the news. And
that is certainly a helpful
option.
But perhaps another
way to celebrate a top
Oregon writer is by reading
his 2015 novel “Martin
Marten.”
Set in the hamlet of Zigzag,
on the side of Mt. Hood,
the book focuses on a 14-year-old boy
named Dave as he navigates his entry
into high school. But it focuses equally
on a newborn marten — yes, the weasel-
kind of animal — who lives above Dave
on the mountain. Their lives intersect,
and the remarkable mystery of life and
survival echoes throughout
their story.
The book is good for
all ages, and may really
speak to young teens. But
a word of warning: This is
no Disney-fied version of
nature — animals eat other
animals with gusto and joy
throughout its pages.
The book, at its, core,
is a tribute to life in all its
various forms. It’s about
finding the joy in just
existing, whether we are
a human being, a marten,
a gargantuan elk or a
tomato plant. Sometimes it’s good to be
reminded.
— Tim Trainor is opinion page editor
of the East Oregonian.
OTHER VIEWS
A month without sugar
I
t is in chicken stock, sliced cheese,
A good long-term limit for most
bacon and smoked salmon, in
adults is no more than 50 grams (or
mustard and salad dressing, in
about 12 teaspoons) of added sugars
crackers and nearly every single brand
per day, and closer to 25 is healthier. A
of sandwich bread. It is all around
single 16-ounce bottle of Coke has 52
us — in obvious ways and hidden
grams.
ones — and it is utterly delicious.
You don’t have to cut out sugar
It’s sugar, in its many forms:
for a month to eat less of it, of course.
powdered sugar, honey, corn syrup,
But it can be difficult to reduce your
David
you name it. The kind you eat matters
Leonhardt consumption in scattered little ways.
less than people once thought, scientific
You can usually find an excuse to
Comment
research suggests, and the amount
say yes to the plate of cookies at a
matters much more. Our national
friend’s house or the candy jar during a
sugar habit is the driving force behind the
meeting. Eliminating added sugar gives you a
diabetes and obesity epidemics and may be a
new baseline and forces you to make changes.
contributing factor to cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Once you do, you’ll probably decide to keep
Like me, you’ve probably just finished a
some of your new habits.
couple of weeks in which you have eaten a lot
My breakfasts, for example, have
of tasty sugar. Don’t feel too guilty about it.
completely changed. Over the past few
But if you feel a little guilty about it, I’d like to decades, typical breakfasts in this country have
make a suggestion.
become “lower-fat versions of dessert,” as
Choose a month this year — a full 30 days,
Gary Taubes, author of a new book, “The Case
starting now or later — and commit to eating
Against Sugar,” puts it.
no added sweeteners. Go cold turkey, for one
Mine used to revolve around cereal and
month.
granola, which are almost always sweetened.
I have done so in each of the past two years, Now I eat a combination of eggs, nuts, fruit,
and it has led to permanent changes in my
plain yogurt and some well-spiced vegetables.
eating habits. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. It feels decadent, yet it’s actually healthier than
It reset my sugar-addled taste buds and opened a big bowl of granola.
my eyes to the many products that needlessly
How should you define sugar during your
contain sugar. I now know which brands of
month? I recommend the definition used by
chicken stock, bacon, smoked salmon, mustard Whole 30, a popular food regimen (which
and hot sauce contain added sugar and which
eliminates many things in addition to sugar).
do not.
The sugar that occurs naturally in fruit,
I know that Triscuits and pita bread are our
vegetables and dairy is allowed. “Nobody eats
friends. They have only a few ingredients, and
too much of those,” Nestle says, “not with the
no sugar. Wheat Thins and most packaged
fiber and vitamins and minerals they have.”
sandwich breads, on the other hand, have
But every single added sweetener is
an ingredient list that evokes high school
verboten. No sugar, no corn syrup, no maple
chemistry class, including added sugars.
syrup, no honey, no fancy-pants agave. Read
If you give up sugar for a month,
every ingredient list, looking especially for
you’ll become part of a growing anti-
words that end in “-ose.” Don’t trust the
sugar movement. Research increasingly
Nutrition Facts table next to the ingredient list,
indicates that an overabundance of simple
because “0 g” of sugar on that list really means
carbohydrates, and sugar in particular, is the
“less than 0.5 g.” Get comfortable asking
No. 1 problem in modern diets. An aggressive, questions in restaurants. And avoid the artificial
well-financed campaign by the sugar industry
sweeteners in diet sodas, too.
masked this reality for years. Big Sugar instead
Part of the goal, remember, is to relearn how
placed the blame on fats — which seem, after
a diet that isn’t dominated by sweeteners tastes.
all, as if they should cause obesity.
I’ve always liked fruit, but I was still pleasantly
But fats tend to have more nutritional value
surprised by how delicious it was during
than sugar, and sugar is far easier to overeat.
the month. When I needed a midday treat, a
Put it this way: Would you find it easier to eat
Honeycrisp apple, a few Trader Joe’s apricots
two steaks or two pieces of cake?
or a snack bar that fit the no-sugar requirement
Fortunately, the growing understanding of
saved me.
sugar’s dangers has led to a backlash, both in
Finally, be careful not to violate the spirit of
politics and in our diets. Taxes on sweetened
the month while sticking to the formal rules:
drinks — and soda is probably the most
Have only one small glass of juice a day, and
efficient delivery system for sugar — have
eat very little with added fruit juices.
recently passed in Chicago, Philadelphia,
There were certainly times when I didn’t
Oakland, San Francisco and Boulder,
enjoy the experience. I missed ice cream,
Colorado. Mexico and France have one as
chocolate squares, Chinese restaurants and
well, and Ireland and Britain soon will.
cocktails. But I also knew that I’d get to enjoy
Even before the taxes, Americans were
them all again.
cutting back on sugar. Since 1999, per capita
The unpleasant parts of a month without
consumption of added sweeteners has fallen
sugar are temporary, and they’re tolerable.
about 14 percent, according to the Agriculture
Some of the benefits continue long after the
Department.
month is over. If you try it and your experience
Yet it needs to drop a lot more — another
is anything like mine, I predict that your new
40 percent or so — to return to a healthy level.
normal will feel healthier and no less enjoyable
“Most public authorities think everybody
than the old.
would be healthier eating less sugar,” says
■
Marion Nestle of NYU. “There is tons of
David Leonhardt is an op-ed columnist for
evidence.”
The New York Times.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. Senators
Governor
Ron Wyden
Senator
Jeff Merkley
Bill Hansell, District 29
Washington office:
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office:
541-278-1129
U.S. Representative
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.
Kate Brown
Washington office:
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office:
541-962-7691
Greg Walden
Washington office:
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande office:
541-624-2400
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
Representatives
Greg Barreto, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us