Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Friday, January 20, 2017
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 Office Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
OUR VIEW
Tip of the hat;
kick in the pants
A tip of the hat to all the road crews and emergency personnel who
worked through a perfect winter storm Tuesday night and Wednesday.
The ice that covered roadways was a
nightmare for those who make their living
behind the wheel of a big rig, or even a little
rig. Even with advanced warning of a storm on
the horizon, there were hundreds of motorists
stranded on the side of the road.
The emergency scanner chirped all day
with requests for help, frustration growing in
the voices of police and road crews as trucks
without chains slid off the side of the road or
drivers ignored closure signs.
When the weather deals a hand like that, all we can do is cross our fingers
and try to get home. But the people whose job it is to keep the roads safe
and clear deserve a little praise for the hours of grueling work in the freezing
cold.
The sidewalks were just as bad, too, so kudos to those who looked out for
neighbors and customers by making their property passable.
A tip of the hat to everyone taking part in the Women’s March in
Pendleton on Saturday.
The hate mail we received after running a preview story about the march,
and the nastiness with which it was derided
online, only goes to show how important such
events are.
The people who will march Saturday — in
Pendleton, Washington, D.C., Enterprise, Paris
and hundreds of other cities across the world —
undoubtedly have their own personal reasons
for doing so.
But at the core, they are doing it because
they can and they want to, and because a power
believes they should shut up and accept the way
things are. That alone should encourage people to show up and speak up and
demand a better world.
A tip of the hat to Marlina Avila Serratos, Irrigon’s newest city
councilor.
And at age 18, she’s also — by many decades
— the youngest.
We profiled Avila Serratos back in November
when she won the election. Still a high school
student and teenager, she’s already the owner
of an incredible life story: When Marlina was
just 12 years old her mother was deported to
Mexico, leaving Marlina to taking care of the
house and younger sister.
Six years of responsibility and hard work
prepared Avila Serratos for the new roll she
stepped into on Wednesday. She’s likely the first Latina to ever sit on Irrigon
city council, and she’s most likely the youngest councilor in the city’s
history.
We wish her luck.
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.
OTHER VIEWS
Freeing Chelsea Manning
The Wall Street Journal
P
resident Obama’s decision Tuesday
to commute the 35-year prison
sentence of Pfc. Chelsea, née
Bradley, Manning will be celebrated
on the left as a vindication of a
well-intentioned whistleblower whose
imprisonment at Ft. Leavenworth as a
transgender woman was a travesty of
justice. The real travesty is the show of
leniency for a progressive cause célèbre
whose actions put hundreds of lives at
risk.
For those who need reminding,
Manning was stationed in Iraq as a
low-level intelligence analyst when he
gained access to troves of classified
material. Starting in 2010 he leaked
nearly 750,000 documents to Julian
Assange’s WikiLeaks. Included in
the material were thousands of secret
State Department cables and masses
of military information on the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange worked
with reporters from several news
organizations to publish the material.
U.S. diplomats and military officers
took a less charitable view, with good
reason. While many of the State
Department cables contained little
more than diplomatic party gossip,
others disclosed sensitive conversations
between U.S. diplomats and opposition
leaders in repressive regimes. After
the disclosure, Zimbabwe’s Morgan
Tsvangirai was investigated by
the regime of Robert Mugabe for
“treasonous collusion between local
Zimbabweans and the aggressive
international world,” as the country’s
attorney general put it.
Even more dangerous were leaks
of operational secrets, including the
names of Afghan informants working
with U.S. coalition forces against the
Taliban. A Navy SEAL who participated
in the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden’s
compound in Pakistan testified that
Manning’s leaks were found on the
terrorist’s computer.
Little wonder that at the time
Obama criticized “the deplorable action
by WikiLeaks.” Then-Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton warned that the
document dump “puts people’s lives in
danger” and was “an attack on America’s
foreign policy,” its partnerships and
alliances. Prosecutors initially sought a
life sentence against Manning, who was
eventually convicted of 17 of 22 charges,
including espionage and theft.
Within 24 hours of sentencing in
2013, Manning said he wanted to begin
hormone therapy and be known as
Chelsea. Last year the Army agreed to
finance her medical treatment for gender
dysphoria. In December the ACLU
and numerous LGBT groups wrote to
Obama urging that he grant clemency to
Manning, in part on grounds that she has
been held in solitary confinement after
suicide attempts.
The commutation sends a dreadful
message to others in the military who
might have grievances or other problems
but haven’t stolen national secrets. The
lesson is that if you can claim gender
dysphoria or some other politically
correct condition, you can betray your
country and get off lightly.
Obama also commuted the sentence
of Puerto Rican terrorist Oscar
López Rivera, who was convicted of
“seditious conspiracy” against the U.S.
government. He belonged to the FALN,
which was responsible for more than 70
bombings in the U.S. between 1974 and
1983, killing five and injuring dozens.
Rivera, who has been in prison since
1981, had become the political project
of “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel
Miranda, who is a pal of President
Obama. No word from the White House
on whether the President alerted the
families of the FALN’s victims.
Retweeting Donald Trump
hen Donald Trump was
improve people’s lives there. Obama
elected president, it felt to me
was all talk. I’m all action. Call me
like the most reckless thing
Friday after 1 p.m. 202-456-1414. I’ll
our country had done in my lifetime.
show you how legit I am.”
But like many Americans, I hoped for
What if on New Year’s Trump
the best: He’ll grow into the job. He’ll
— instead of tweeting “Happy New
surround himself with good people.
Year to all, including to my many
The country could use a jolt of fresh
enemies” who “lost so badly they
thinking. He’ll back off some of his
just don’t know what to do” — had
Thomas
most extreme views.
Friedman tweeted: “Happy New Year to every
But now that Trump is about to put
American — especially to Hillary
Comment
his hand on the Bible and be sworn in,
Clinton and her supporters who fought
I’ve never been more worried for my
a tough campaign — very tough. Let’s
country. It’s for many reasons, but most of all
together make 2017 amazing (!!!!!!) for every
because of the impulsive, petty and juvenile
American. Love!”
tweeting the president-elect has engaged in
What if, after a cast member of the musical
during his transition.
“Hamilton” appealed to Vice President-elect
It suggests an immaturity, a lack of respect
Mike Pence to “uphold our American values”
for the office he’s about to hold, a person
and “work on behalf of all of us,” Trump
easily distracted by shiny
— instead of denouncing
objects, and a lack of basic
the actor as being “very
decency that could roil his
rude and insulting” and
government and divide the
claiming he “couldn’t even
country. I fear that we’re
memorize lines” — had
about to stress our unity and
instead tweeted: “To the cast
institutions in ways not seen
of Hamilton: Appreciate
since the Vietnam War.
your sincere concern for
As a leader, you only
our country. When I am in
have one chance to make
the room where it happens,
a second impression. And
good stuff will happen. I
it is troubling how badly
will not throw away my shot
Trump wasted his. A recent
to work on behalf of all of
Gallup poll found that only
us!!!”
44 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s
What if Trump — instead of calling Senate
handling of his transition — compared with 83 Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “head
percent for President Barack Obama’s and 61
clown” — had tweeted: “Chuck, you are THE
percent for George W. Bush’s.
MAN!!! Top Democrat now that Obama’s
Yes, I know, in his Inaugural Address
gone!!! You love to deal. Send me your best
Trump will again summon us to “bind
health care experts and we’ll fix this thing
the wounds of division.” But given all his
together in 24 hours, so every American gets
impulsive digital ax wielding, those words
better, cheaper care. We’ll both be heroes
will ring hollow. He’s already emptied them of (well, me just a little bit more). Call me!!!”
all emotional force with his venomous tweets
That is the sound of magnanimity. It would
and refusal to bring even one Democrat into
have generated a flood of good will that would
his Cabinet.
make solving every big problem easier. And it
Trump is hardly the first person elected
would have cost Trump nothing.
president to have his legitimacy attacked.
I’ve noted before that one of my favorite
Indeed, he led the onslaught on Obama’s
movies is “Invictus,” which tells how
legitimacy. But more than any president since
Nelson Mandela, when he became South
Richard Nixon, Trump has shown himself
Africa’s president, built trust with the white
incapable of turning the other cheek and
community. Shortly after Mandela took power,
converting doubters into allies. In an age that
his sports advisers wanted to change the name
demands giant leadership, he’s behaved utterly and colors of the country’s famed rugby team
small.
— the almost all-white “Springboks” — to
What if, after Meryl Streep used her
something more reflective of black African
acceptance speech at the Golden Globes
identity.
to decry Trump’s cruel impersonation of a
Mandela refused. He told his black aides
handicapped reporter, Trump — instead of
that the key to making whites feel at home in
ridiculously calling her “one of the most
a black-led South Africa was not uprooting
overrated actresses in Hollywood” — had
all of their cherished symbols. “We have to
tweeted: “Meryl Streep, greatest actress ever,
surprise them with restraint and generosity,”
ever, ever. Stuff happens in campaigns, Meryl. said Mandela.
Even I have regrets. But watch, I’ll make you
Most Americans are good-hearted people
proud of my presidency!!!!”
who are actually starved to feel united again.
What if, after John Lewis, the congressman Many who voted against Trump would have
and civil rights hero, questioned the
given him a second look had he surprised
legitimacy of Trump’s election, Trump hadn’t
them with generosity and grace. He did just
sneered that Lewis was “all talk, talk, talk”
the opposite. Sad.
and “should spend more time on fixing and
■
helping his district, which is in horrible
Thomas L. Friedman won the 2002 Pulitzer
shape.” What if Trump instead tweeted: “John Prize for commentary, his third Pulitzer for
Lewis, a great American, let’s walk together
The New York Times. He became the paper’s
through your district and develop a plan to
foreign-affairs Op-Ed columnist.
W
Most Americans
are good-
hearted people
who are actually
starved to feel
united again.
YOUR VIEWS
Anti-Trump rhetoric should
focus on help and support
Those congressional Democrats planning
to boycott Trump’s inauguration remind me
of spoiled children pouting because they
didn’t get picked first for playground teams.
Then there are those high-profile Hollywood
left-wing snowflakes loudly bad-mouthing
Trump or anything conservative that makes
common sense.
It seems the East Oregonian also plans to
continue with anti-Trump rants. The Jan. 17
edition’s editorial page is filled with liberal
negatives including Timothy Egan’s drivel, an
editorial so biased it should upset even some
of the liberal readers.
Ron Linn, in his letter to editor on Jan.10,
stated it best by saying, “We don’t need a
checkout-line tabloid, we need a newspaper
with fair and balanced content.” People
subscribe to this paper, with no other options,
for local northeast Oregon news. We get
double doses of worldwide liberal news just
by watching television.
Trump is our president for the next
four years. All of this nasty rhetoric is
sad because that same energy should be
focused on helping, not hindering, the new
administration. Our United States is capable
of amazing things that can benefit all citizens.
Constructive criticism is always acceptable,
especially if it helps solve a problem.
As a child I was told, “If you can’t say
something good, then its better to not say
anything!”
How about saying and doing things that are
positive for a change?
Merlyn Robinson
Heppner
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.
Be heard!
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