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East Oregonian
Friday, March 9, 2018
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
Tip of the hat,
kick in the pants
A kick in the pants to President
Trump’s terrible decision to level
tariffs on steel and aluminum
imports.
The plan has caused anger the
world over, from allied governments
to the World Trade Organization, as
well as most voices up and down the
Republican Party. President Trump’s
own economic adviser quit over the
ill-formed policy.
The tariffs are bad news for
consumers, and will increase costs on
many goods and decrease economic
opportunities. They are good news for a
few corporations and some employees
in an outmoded industry.
We give our last word on the matter
to a great supporter of free trade:
“So called protectionism is almost
always self-destructive, doing more
harm than good even to those it’s
supposed to be helping. Advocates of
protectionism often ignore its huge
hidden costs that far outweigh any
temporary benefits.”
— Ronald Reagan
A tip of the hat to the many people
who threw their hat in the ring for
2018 elections.
We’ve been hammering on the need
for competitive political races for many
years — especially in local elections —
and it’s great to see so many people step
up to the plate.
In Hermiston, four city council seats
will be contested and in Pendleton
currently three seats will be decided
via a competitive race. There are also
opponents for both Umatilla County
commissioners up for election, and
plenty of candidates hoping to unseat
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden. That’s not to
mention the 17 Oregonians running for
governor, and many more running for
the state legislature.
These contested elections help
us hone our arguments, spark ideas
and give voters a real choice in who
represents them. It’s how democracy is
supposed to work, and how it must work
in order to remain healthy.
Obviously, we are in a moment of
political upheaval, where more people
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Keysha Ashley, right, fixes a fry bread taco during a fundraiser to help with the
medical bills of Zoe Bevis on Tuesday at Nixyaawii Community School in Mission.
than usual feel called to participate in
politics. That’s a great development,
and Eastern Oregon government is sure
to benefit from the new blood and new
ideas brought forth.
A tip of the hat to community
support that blossomed out of two
local tragedies.
In newspapers this week, we noted
the outpouring of grief and support in
the CTUIR community for Alameda
Addison, and in the Pilot Rock
community for young Liam Flanagan.
Both people were taken too soon in
terrible accidents that left the people
around them shaken and stunned.
But in the depths of despair, true
friends and family came to offer their
support and aid. That certainly took
place this week, as charity events raised
money to care for those lost and those
left behind. We tip our hat to all who
helped in a time of need.
OTHER VIEWS
Mr. Trump: Here’s a hero,
now it’s your turn!
W
YOUR VIEWS
Elk hunting seasons are too
long, animals on private land
Your editorial “Solve persistent
Northwest elk problems” hopscotches
around the Northwest from Gearhart
to Challis, Idaho, to Skagit County in
Washington while skipping over finding
any local, Eastern Oregon conflicts that
might add some local connection to your
local readers.
I’m guessing that the circumstances
around the “elk problems” in these three
locations are different. One fix will not fix
them all. Feeding stations like the ones you
mention can help, although will not solve
all problems. Also hunting elk on the golf
courses and streets of Gearhart aren’t likely
to be accepted either.
Here in Eastern Oregon, we start
harassing deer and elk by archery hunting
them in August and September, then
continue to harass them by rifle hunting
them in October through Thanksgiving. Is
it any wonder that elk pour off the National
Forest in search of some sanctuary on
private lands?
Adding to that is that all summer long
feed on most areas of the national forests
has been gobbled up by cattle allowed
through century-old grazing permits (not
picking on cattle grazing, it’s all part of
multiple use). From my experience, by late
August and September there is very little
quality feed left on the national forests.
Then when the first rains come and the
warmer lower elevation private lands
“green up” a bit then elk are also rewarded
for their migration to private lower
elevation lands.
We used to have a system where a land
owner who had elk and deer problems
asked ODFW for assistance and special
hunts on their property were arranged. Now
it seems we offer land owner preference
tags. They can use them, give them to
family and friends, or sell them and the
hunting rights for extra income. Those tags
have closed lots of private lands that were
formally open to the public to hunt.
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.
Your suggestion of longer seasons does
nothing because if the hunters can’t access
the elk, they can’t harvest the elk. And
why suggest trapping and killing elk when
there are thousands of hunters with empty
freezers and unfilled elk tags who have
already paid for the opportunity to harvest
an elk?
Nothing is more discouraging than
after spending hundreds of dollars for the
opportunity to hunt elk on the Umatilla
National Forest and not see a legal bull
elk to shoot, then to be driving home and
have elk including legal bulls cross in
front of my pickup on Highway 395 going
from non-huntable private land to more
non-huntable private land.
Rich Zita
Pendleton
Pendleton has gone mad
with marijuana dollars
Eventually, when there are too many
marijuana grows, they go broke and can no
longer afford to operate. Meanwhile, the
city of Pendleton gets a big sum of money
for each marijuana operation for which the
city issues a license.
Why not let the city license multiple
marijuana grows and let the grows go
bankrupt like they do in other cities in
Oregon, so the city can receive more
money?
When the overproduction of marijuana
drives the price down, marijuana doesn’t
just end up in the hands of people who
aren’t supposed to have it. It ends up on our
dining room table whether we know it or
not.
I contacted the Meat and Poultry Hotline
and they said, “The rules about what
animals can be fed takes into account the
possibility of residues that would end up
in the food. The individual states make
their own rules about humane handling of
livestock.” It’s time to get mad because
there’s too much reefer.
Bonnie Bischke
Pendleton
hen a gunman rampaged
But those are baby steps that
through a high school in
probably won’t have a measurable
Parkland, Florida, three
impact on American mortality (right
weeks ago, a 15-year-old soccer
now, one American dies every
player named Anthony Borges
15 minutes from a gun, including
showed undaunted courage.
murders, accidents and suicides).
Anthony, who is of Venezuelan
Incredibly, Congress seems
descent, apparently was the last of
as likely to ease gun laws as to
a group of students rushing into a
Nicholas tighten them. One measure backed
classroom to seek refuge. He shut
Kristof by Donald Trump Jr. would
the door behind him and frantically
legalize silencers, which have been
Comment
tried to lock it, but in an instant
rigorously controlled since the
the gunman appeared on the other
1930s. Advocates had the gall to call
side. Instead of running for cover, Anthony
it the Hearing Protection Act.
blocked the door to keep the shooter out. He
“It’s about safety,” Trump Jr. explains in
held his ground even as the attacker opened a video. “It’s about hearing protection. It’s
fire.
a health issue, frankly, for me. Getting little
“I asked him why he would do that,” his
kids in the game.” In fact, the unmuffled
lawyer, Alex Arreaza, told me. “He said,
crack of a gunshot is a warning of danger
‘What’s so hard to understand about what I
and draws the police; silencers would be a
did?’ He had no issue with risking his life.”
gift to criminals.
Shot five times in the legs and torso,
Even worse, the NRA is pushing
Anthony phoned his father to say that he
concealed-carry reciprocity, allowing
had been wounded. He was rushed to a
people to carry concealed guns with them
hospital and survived: Photos show him
from places that permit them, like Alaska or
with wires and tubes snaking from him.
Wyoming, to any other part of the country,
He still can’t walk — it’s unclear if that is
regardless of local prohibitions.
just temporary — but fellow students say
This measure has already passed the
he saved their lives. No one else in that
House of Representatives, but attorneys
classroom was shot.
general are fighting it. They warn that it
The world turned upside down: Armed
would let a stalker, domestic abuser or
law enforcement officers dawdled outside
suspected terrorist from a low-regulation
during the shooting, but a 15-year-old kid
state tote concealed weapons at will around
without any weapon at all used himself as
the country.
a human shield to protect his classmates.
All this is infuriating. But even if the
More broadly, the Florida high school
federal government won’t pass meaningful
students have argued maturely for sensible
new gun laws, states are doing so. Polls
gun laws, while Florida state legislators
show that voters overwhelmingly favor
have acted like frightened toddlers, first
universal background checks, a 21-year-old
passing a two-year moratorium on sales of
age restriction on buying firearms and a ban
AR-15 rifles and then undoing it 15 minutes on high-capacity magazines.
Since the 1970s, the U.S. has engaged
later.
unintentionally in an international
And now it seems that the grown-up
experiment, relaxing gun laws as the rest
world is again going to fail Anthony and
of the world has tightened access. Gun
other young Americans. Congress and
advocates argued that more guns would
President Donald Trump have stalled on
make us safer, but instead the U.S. now
a push to pass meaningful gun legislation
has 25 times the gun murder rate of other
that has overwhelming public support. The
advanced countries.
grown-ups are once more loitering in a
Indeed, since 1970, more Americans
crisis, leaving kids to be shot.
have died of gun violence, including
Trump said that if he had been on the
murders, suicides and accidents (1.4
scene, he would have rushed into the
million), than in all the wars in American
building to confront the shooter. “I’d run
history (1.3 million).
in there even if I didn’t have a weapon,” he
Whenever there is a mass shooting,
said.
there are inspiring individual stories
Really? Even though when he is armed
like Anthony’s. But the larger picture is
with the power of the White House he still
disgraceful: the president and congressional
doesn’t have the guts to confront the NRA
leaders dillydallying on the sidelines,
in a sustained way?
sending “thoughts and prayers” and nothing
Given that gun owners largely trust
else.
Trump, he could hammer out a bipartisan
This will change only when politicians
deal for universal background checks — the
are more afraid of voters than of the NRA.
single step that would make the most
■
difference, one supported overwhelmingly
Nicholas Kristof grew up on a sheep and
even by gun owners — but the White
cherry farm in Yamhill. Kristof, a columnist
House is AWOL on the issue.
for The New York Times since 2001, writes
Congress may pass “Fix NICS”
op-ed columns that appear twice a week.
legislation to improve the FBI database
He won the Pulitzer Prize two times, in
used to screen gun buyers, and maybe the
federal government will ban “bump stocks.” 1990 and 2006.
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.