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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Tuesday, January 30, 2018 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Private schools join ag push A Ph.D. in economics is not required to figure out what makes Oregon go. All it takes is a car. A drive through the Willamette Valley will reveal vast acreages devoted to nurseries, sheep, cattle, berries, wine grapes, tree fruit, hazelnut trees, seed crops — the list grows as you travel. Turn in any direction and you’ll see timber. Cross the Cascades and head east and you see more livestock, pastures, hay, wheat, potatoes and onions. Head west and you’ll see dairies. Go toward the ocean and turn south and you’ll find cranberries. More than 220 crops are grown in the state. The USDA tells us there are 35,439 farms encompassing 16.4 million acres of Oregon. This same picture is seen in Washington, with 37,249 farms on 15 million acres, Idaho with 24,814 farms on 11.5 million acres and California with 77,864 farms on 25 million acres. Together, the 175,366 farms and ranches in those four states produce crops and livestock with a market value of about $70 billion each year. That’s big, and for young people across the West that level of economic activity also means big opportunities. By 2020, companies will need to fill a projected 57,000 agricultural jobs, most in management. Community colleges and land-grant universities have long been the place to learn about agriculture, food processing and other associated fields. Researchers at Oregon State University, Washington State University, the University of Idaho and the University of California system and its many campuses have led the way to breakthroughs in agronomy, genetics and hundreds of other areas. But there’s an exciting development taking place among the region’s private universities. They are taking notice of the opportunities agriculture presents and also offering their students ag-related courses and degrees. Corban University, a small Christian college near Salem, recently announced it will offer classes in agribusiness next fall through its school of business. Ultimately, Corban plans to start a college of agricultural studies. Other private universities and colleges also see the opportunities in agriculture. Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, is listed among the best colleges for agricultural sciences in the nation. Students there do research at the university’s 190-acre farm. The George Plaven/EO Media Group Corban University will add agribusiness as a concentration under the Hoff School of Business beginning in August. agricultural program’s biggest problem is producing enough graduates to meet the needs of the industry, professors there say. Researchers at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho, also have agriculture on their minds. Using a USDA specialty crop block grant, they have been developing a drone that can scan a field in a few minutes and help farmers determine the condition of their crops. These are exciting times for agriculture — and ag education. More students are learning the skills and gaining the backgrounds they’ll need for a career in agriculture. And more colleges and universities are joining the region’s community colleges and land-grant universities in helping their students find professions in agriculture. They recognize the opportunities that await their students. All they have to do is take a drive. OTHER VIEWS An article of impeachment here are good reasons to be 6. On May 17, shortly after wary of impeachment talk. hearing that the Justice Department Congressional Republicans had appointed Mueller to take over show zero interest, and they’re the Russia investigation, Trump the ones in charge. Democrats, berated Jeff Sessions, the attorney for their part, need to focus on general. The appointment had retaking Congress, and railing about caused the administration again to impeachment probably won’t help lose control over the investigation, them win votes. David and Trump accused Sessions of But let’s set aside realpolitik for Leonhardt “disloyalty.” a few minutes and ask a different 7. In June, Trump explored Comment question: Is serious consideration several options to retake control. At of impeachment fair? I think the one point, he ordered the firing of answer is yes. The evidence is now quite Mueller, before the White House counsel strong that Donald Trump committed resisted. obstruction of justice. Many legal scholars 8. On July 8, aboard Air Force One, believe a sitting president cannot be charged Trump helped draft a false public statement with a crime. So the proper remedy for a for his son, Donald Trump Jr. The statement president credibly accused of obstructing claimed that a 2016 meeting with a Russian justice is impeachment. lawyer was about adoption policy. Trump Jr. The first article of impeachment later acknowledged that the meeting was to against Richard Nixon argued that he discuss damaging information the Russian had “prevented, obstructed and impeded government had about Hillary Clinton. the administration of 9. On July 26, in a tweet, justice.” One of the two Trump called for the firing impeachment articles that of Andrew McCabe, the the House passed against FBI’s deputy director, a Bill Clinton used that potential corroborating identical phrase. In both witness for Comey’s cases, the article then laid conversations with Trump. out the evidence with a The tweet was part of numbered list. Nixon’s Trump’s efforts, discussed version had nine items. with White House aides, to Clinton’s had seven. Each discredit FBI officials. list was meant to show 10. Throughout, Trump that the president had (and this quotation comes intentionally tried to subvert from the Nixon article a federal investigation. of impeachment) “made Given last week’s news false or misleading public — that Trump has already statements for the purpose tried to fire Robert Mueller, the special of deceiving the people of the United counsel investigating the Trump campaign States.” Among other things, Trump — it’s time to put together the same sort of repeatedly made untruthful statements list for Trump. Of course, this list is based about American intelligence agencies’ only on publicly available information. conclusions regarding Russia’s role in the Mueller, no doubt, knows more. 2016 election. 1. During a dinner at the White House Obstruction of justice depends on a on Jan. 27, 2017, Trump asked for a pledge person’s intent — what legal experts often call “corrupt intent.” This list is so damning of “loyalty” from James Comey, then the because it reveals Trump’s intent. FBI director, who was overseeing the He has inserted himself into the details investigation of the Trump campaign. of a criminal investigation in ways that 2. On Feb. 14, Trump directed several previous presidents rarely if ever did. (They other officials to leave the Oval Office so left individual investigations to the attorney he could speak privately with Comey. He general.) And he has done so in ways that then told Comey to “let this go,” referring show he understands he’s doing something to the investigation of Michael Flynn, who wrong. He has cleared the room before trying had resigned the previous day as Trump’s to influence the investigation. He directed his national security adviser. son to lie, and he himself has lied. 3. On March 22, Trump directed several When the framers were debating other officials to leave a White House impeachment at the Constitutional briefing so he could speak privately with Convention, George Mason asked: “Shall Daniel Coats, the director of national any man be above justice?” intelligence, and Mike Pompeo, the CIA The same question faces us now: Can a director. Trump asked them to persuade president use the power of his office to hold Comey to back off investigating Flynn. himself above the law? Trump is unlikely to 4. In March and April, Trump told face impeachment anytime soon, or perhaps Comey in phone calls that he wanted anytime at all. But it’s time for all of us — Comey to lift the “cloud” of the voters, members of Congress, Trump’s own investigation. 5. On May 9, Trump fired Comey as FBI staff — to be honest about what he’s done. He has obstructed justice. director. On May 10, Trump told Russian He may not be finished doing so, either. officials that the firing had “taken off” the ■ “great pressure” of the Russia investigation. David Leonhardt is an op-ed columnist On May 11, he told NBC News that the for The New York Times. firing was because of “this Russia thing.” T YOUR VIEWS Who hid Wheeler County judge’s exoneration? On April 4, 2017, a letter from the Oregon Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Division was sent to the Honorable Gretchen Ladd, Wheeler County District Attorney, completely exonerating former Wheeler County Judge Chris Perry of any alleged wrongdoing and dismissing any and all unfounded criminal allegations against him that sadly and wrongly ultimately led to his recall. For some inexplicable reason this letter from Bumjoon Park, senior assistant Attorney General, was never made known to the Wheeler County Court and our citizens as it should have been. The people voted to unfairly terminate Judge Perry’s years of honest, ethical and fiscally responsible service prior to his being found “innocent” of all of the frivolous “small community” hearsay allegations against him. To add insult to injury, someone “sat on” this letter for nine months until I heard about it, and am now issuing a long- overdue “press release” in hopes that in the future our citizens will avoid behaving like a lynch mob, assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner before all the facts are known. This letter was sent to our district attorney Gretchen Ladd in April with the intention of delivering it to the Wheeler County Court for release to the public. That didn’t happen. We need to ask them, who withheld this letter from us for nine months? Where did it get waylaid? Roberta Vandehey Fossil There are ways to control America’s wild horses The Jan. 27 column on “wild horses” by Ellie Phipps Price was full of fake facts, ignorance and emotionalism. For starters, these animals are not wild horses, they are feral horses. Wild horses are found in zoos and parts of Asia and Africa. It is true that most Americans want 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. these horses, as do I. But I want them to be managed so that they, as well as the ecosystem, will remain healthy. The carrying capacity of the range has been determined to be 26,600 horses. The limiting factors used to determine this is based on food, water, competition of other wild animals, weather, etc. The most serious occurs during the winter. Either Ms. Price is ignorant of how cattle are managed or she is deliberately misleading when she says, if all the cattle were removed everything would be just fine. Well, that is not true. The limiting factors would still come into play. Cattle are removed from the range during these adverse times. That she is concerned the population could become extinct is laughable. All that would need to be done was to go to the next horse sale, buy up some horses and turn them loose. Since there are no predators, they will reproduce at 15-20 per cent per year and in just a few years carrying capacity would again be reached. Birth control sounds good, but is not practical. Besides, it probably violates the harassment and capture clauses in the 1971 Act. They were once farm animals but if you start rounding them up to give them annual shots and castrating them they will become skittish quite quickly. As for the 90,000 horses the Trump administration is planning to slaughter, that is probably fairly accurate. There are 46,000 horses in corrals that are costing $50 million dollars per year to feed and another 40,000 exceeding the appropriate management level of the range. Americans have always eaten horse meat. In 1951 Time magazine ran an article stating that in Portland there were three times as many horse butchers, selling three times as much horse meat, as there were for all the other meats. I would suggest these 90,000 horses be offered first to the poor by our government. If a mother knew that she could feed her child a high protein food, more nutritious than beef, I am willing to bet she would jump at the opportunity. If that failed, offer it to the “foodies.” Carlisle Harrison Hermiston The proper remedy for a president credibly accused of obstructing justice is impeachment. 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. 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.