Page 4A
East Oregonian
Thursday, January 25, 2018
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
A challenge to choice
This week, instead of quietly marking
the 45th anniversary of the passing of
the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade
ruling, citizens around our nation are
gearing up to fight to protect it.
President Trump’s flip-flop from
supporting to opposing legal abortions
took place some while ago, although he
still would allow early terminations in
cases of rape and incest. His emotionally
charged pronouncements Friday to
demand changes in the law were a thinly
veiled attempt to solidify his crumbling
political base.
His decision to embrace the belief that
the federal government knows what is
best for any American woman making
this difficult choice is disturbing. The
revival of the clashing rhetoric is simply
a political distraction just when his
administration is under fire from all sides.
Abortion long has been a core issue
of his vice president, Mike Pence, who
brought many hardline evangelicals on
board to win the 2016 GOP campaign
with his emotionally charged rhetoric
against legal abortions and homosexual
rights.
The key word in any abortion
discussion is “legal.” Women who
want to have an abortion will have the
operation regardless of the law. The
question is whether this simple medical
procedure is performed in safe, hygienic
conditions by trained professionals or in
considerably less healthy circumstances
which pose a danger to the women’s lives
and long-term health.
Roe v. Wade was supposed to
settle the matter. Both sides presented
arguments in a Texas case that went all
the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The battle was fought. And the battle
was won. In 1973, justices voted 7-2 in
favor of a ruling that overturned state
bans and legalized abortion throughout
the nation. They did so on privacy
grounds, saying government intervention
in a woman’s medical treatment was an
unwarranted and improper intervention
in her right to choose what happens to
her body.
About 7 in 10 Americans oppose
overturning Roe v. Wade, according to
the Pew Research Center. About 3 in
10 would like to see it overturned. That
split of public opinion has held relatively
steady in recent decades.
Abortions, meanwhile, have declined
to the lowest levels since 1973.
Abortion opponents have worked hard
to impose obstacles to women following
through on their own choices.
In states around the nation, such
groups have enlisted compliant
legislators to pass laws that deliberately
make it very difficult for a woman to
obtain a legal abortion. Legislation has
been introduced to restrict abortion to
circumstances of rape, or where the
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
People participate in the March for Life near the Supreme Court in Washington,
Friday, Jan. 19.
woman’s life is in danger. All these
strategies seek to chip away at a woman’s
natural right to determine whether and
when she bears a child.
Roadblocks like waiting periods,
mandatory counseling and other
restrictions reveal a concerted effort. In
recent years, states have sought to insist
that clinic doctors have credentials from
their local hospitals and require clinics
to make expensive modifications to their
facilities. These latter two requirements
were introduced in 2013, but struck down
by subsequent court rulings.
Trump’s speech Friday has already
been dissected for its mistruths. The
false comparisons with other nations
were easy to reveal, just like so many
of our chief executive’s other dubious
statements.
We simply do not need this. This
country has enough problems with
environmental threats, overwhelming
debt, crumbling infrastructure, hunger,
poverty and crime without revisiting a
fight ended long ago.
One person summed up the issue
back in 1999. It remains a statement with
which we totally agree.
“I want to see the abortion issue
removed from politics. I believe it is a
personal decision that should be left to
the women and their doctors.”
The speaker was Donald Trump.
OTHER VIEWS
The hell of this year’s
Super Bowl
W
YOUR VIEWS
Walden gets failing grades
across the board
Fellow District 2 constituents: I’d like to
offer a summary of our Rep. Greg Walden’s
voting record. You can check it out for
yourself at votesmart.org, a nonpartisan
summary of all politicians’ voting records.
National groups assess the voting record
of all members of congress and give a score
from 1-100. 1 percent is very bad; 60 percent
is a D-; 100 percent is an A+.
The NRA and most gun rights
organizations give Walden a 93 percent, no
surprise. As is the Coalition’s Against Gun
Violence score of 0 percent.
Planned Parenthood gives Walden a 0
percent. Not an F, which would be 59 percent:
a 0 percent. I hope you don’t have any women
in your life who might need healthcare
(abortions are 3 percent of what Planned
Parenthood does; the rest is general healthcare,
mostly for women and children). In summary,
Walden has failed, according to these groups,
with their scores of Walden’s voting record:
Young Women’s Christian Association:
33 percent; League of Women Voters: 17
percent; average score from all veterans’
groups: 48 percent; Americans for Fair
Taxation: 0 percent; Christian Coalition of
America: 60 percent; Alliance for Retired
Americans (lifetime score): 8 percent;
National Farmers’ Union: 0 percent.
His labor unions scores are mostly failing.
K-12 education? Mostly failing. In the
category of “Children,” scored by multiple
groups, Walden gets no score above 50
percent. Health insurance: fail. Healthcare:
horrible. Foreign affairs: poor. Environment:
you’re kidding, right? Immigrants? You
already know how he feels about immigrants;
rest assured that his voting record is consistent
with his contempt for people of color.
Rep. Walden’s voting record is not good
for the Earth. He has hurt veterans, children,
the working class, poor folks, women,
farmers, teachers (me), nurses, college
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the
East Oregonian editorial board. Other
columns, letters and cartoons on this page
express the opinions of the authors and
not necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
students. He has helped rich gun owners and,
well, the rich. Is it worth it?
Nan Noteboom, Odell
Can we call EOTEC a
money-losing disaster yet?
I remember hearing how the Eastern
Oregon Trade & Event Center was going to
be great. I remember the great idea of the
partnership between the city and the county.
I remember the support from investors, the
Farm City Pro Rodeo, the Umatilla County
Fair members and the city. I remember how
the EOTEC board was formed. That was
2013. The future seemed bright. It seemed
like a great plan was in the making.
But that was then, this is now. The 2017
fair was a success, but afterwards that’s
where the story goes south. The city will be
taking over EOTEC, the county partnership
is over. The city says it loses $1,000 a day
on EOTEC. The county fair had a contract
to lease the grounds for $10,000; now it will
be $100,000. No one seems to have planned
for the 350-odd days after the fair. Costs
skyrocketed, disagreements arose with the
residents of Airport Road on noise, water,
traffic, and construction problems. No one
cared much after the fair was over.
Now, the city has decided to end the 2013
agreement with the county. Did you know
that ahead of Monday’s meeting between
the county and the city? Do you know how
much debt EOTEC is in? Do you know
that the city is paying $9,000 a month to
a company to run EOTEC? Do you know
anything that the city does with your money?
Did anyone ask you before they voted if
you are OK with this? I don’t remember any
public hearings, do you, before they voted?
Now I am waiting to see how many tax
dollars will be needed to pay to take over
EOTEC. Watch out for a new tax. I guess the
bottom line is, do any of you care how your
money is spent?
Mark F. Gomolski, Hermiston
e purveyors of
Super Bowls (nine) than any other
commentary tend to find
team and will tie the Pittsburgh
multitudes in the teeniest
Steelers for the most victories (six)
speck and mirrors of the zeitgeist
if they win this year’s championship
wherever we turn. I grant you that.
on Feb. 4. They’re heavy favorites
But grant me this: America really is
over the Philadelphia Eagles,
about to get the pathetic Super Bowl
who graduated to the big game by
that it deserves.
trouncing the Minnesota Vikings on
I don’t think that I can even food-
Sunday.
Frank
bribe myself into watching. There
Please forgive the mixed bestial
Bruni
aren’t enough Buffalo wings in the
metaphor,
but these Eagles aren’t
Comment
world. On account of a wearyingly
cuddly underdogs. They have fans
familiar come-from-behind victory
so famously obnoxious that after
over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday,
Sunday’s rout, some of them threw beer
the New England Patriots will be playing,
cans at a Vikings team bus as it pulled away
and that’s about as surprising as sesame
from the stadium. Sore winning: I wonder
seeds on a bun.
which of our amazing leaders taught them
The Patriots perfectly embody our
that.
income-inequality era and the tax reform
Football, like Trumpism, likes to believe
that President Donald Trump recently
that it’s about working-class folks in the
signed. Their good fortune begets more
heartland. But this year’s Super Bowl, like
good fortune. They shamelessly hoard
the Trump administration, bows to the
glory. And there’s frequently a whiff of
Acela corridor. It nearly brought together
cheating in their success.
two teams from underexposed cities,
Shockingly, they’re Trump’s team.
Jacksonville and Minneapolis. Instead it
This makes no geographic sense: The ZIP
brings together two teams from celebrated
codes of his primary castles recommend
theaters of history in the Northeast. So
allegiance to the New York Giants, the New much for the little guy.
York Jets or maybe the Miami Dolphins.
It’s a downer most of all because the
But those National Football League
NFL itself is in such a funk. I say that
franchises have reliable losing streaks,
reluctantly. For my money, pro football
and Trump won’t suffer that. Also, when
remains the most exciting of the four major
he looks at the Patriots’ glamour-puss
American sports. It showcases the most
quarterback, Tom Brady, he sees a younger, extraordinary athleticism.
less quizzically coifed version of himself,
That is, when the athletes aren’t
complete with a foreign-born model for a
sidelined. Injuries are so pervasive that
wife. Trust me on this. He just squints extra dozens of stars don’t participate for long
hard, sucks in his gut and begs Melania to
stretches of the season — or for any of it.
answer to “Gisele” for a while.
The Patriots’ wide receiver Julian Edelman
went down in August and never came back.
So he roots for the Patriots. Perversely,
The Eagles’ starting quarterback, Carson
they root for him. Well, some of them do.
Brady has been his occasional golfing partner Wentz, went down in early December and
won’t appear in the Super Bowl.
and sort of endorsed him for president by
It’s weirdly fitting that some of the
imagining aloud that with Trump in the Oval
loudest football buzz this season focused on
Office, there might be “a putting green on
an oft-injured former player, the quarterback
the White House lawn.” We’ve gone from a
Tony Romo, and his accomplishments off
chicken in every pot to this.
the field. Romo retired from the Dallas
During the 2016 campaign, the Patriots’
Cowboys, went to work as a football
owner, Robert Kraft, attested to Trump’s
announcer and developed a rapt following
fine character, while the Patriots’ coach,
for his oracular deconstruction of games.
Bill Belichick, wrote privately to Trump
By quitting football, he didn’t just spare his
to congratulate him for his perseverance,
endoskeleton. He found his destiny.
telling him, “Your leadership is amazing.”
But even his gifted gab couldn’t prevent
Trump demonstrated his gratitude (and
the sport from continuing to lose television
humility) by publicly reading the letter at a
viewers. The sizes of audiences for
rally in New Hampshire. There hasn’t been
Thursday night, Sunday night and Monday
any gushing from Belichick since, but then
there hasn’t been any retraction, either. And night games shrank again this season.
The Super Bowl will still be a ratings
there has definitely been cause.
bonanza. It always is. But beneath all the
These titans stick together in the way
braggadocio and hoopla, there will be little
that many titans do, not because they
real uplift and nothing new. It’s a tic of my
share some special affection or particular
trade to say so, but I spy a metaphor there.
philosophy but because each sees in the
■
others’ stature an affirmation of his own.
Frank Bruni joined the New York Times
They’re a cluster strut.
The Patriots have already played in more in 1995.
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the
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