Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Tuesday, March 13, 2018 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Students should stand up, walk out Students across the nation will walk out of their classrooms Wednesday morning, in memory of the 17 people killed last month at a high school in Florida. And despite entreaties from some school administrators not to take part, we argue that local high school students should join the movement. The planned walkout is just 17 minutes, and students can learn plenty from that short break in the school day should they decide to own it and use their time wisely. They will get a different kind of education — a lesson about their ability to disrupt the status quo and the consequences for doing so, about the power of demonstration and what people can accomplish when they work together. We’re pleased that some school districts — such as Pendleton — have offered alternatives within the school environment that keep students in classrooms, while still grappling with the problem of school safety and gun violence. We also like Hermiston’s plan that allows students to walk out and be heard, but remain under supervision while on school property. A walkout is not without risk. There are downsides to events like this, and surely some students will use this movement as a cover to blow off class or blow off steam in an unproductive way. That’s unfortunate, but itself not without a learning opportunity. Students are bound to learn that protests are judged by many on the foolish actions of a few. But we hope the majority of students use the time wisely, to consider their safety and their fellow students across the nation. We hope they return to class invigorated and engaged, and to take the responsibility to make up whatever they missed. Standing up for yourself and your future is a rite of passage every teenager must navigate. It’s never easy. Often, the journey is filled with awkwardness — a lack of self-confidence combined with a deep need to buck authority and become the singular person you want to be. A walkout is one opportunity to take non-violent action that helps define who you are and your future It doesn’t have to be partisan and political. You don’t have to be in favor of gun control, or in favor of armed teachers. Students can walk out solely in memory of the lives lost, and to give themselves the ability to think for a few minutes about their own safety and what they want — and demand — in the way of protection. Certainly everyone who walks out will have a different solution in mind. Not everyone will feel that way, and students may face reprisals. Perhaps they will be suspended from school, perhaps they will be saddled with an additional essay to explain their reasoning. We’d argue that’s all in a day’s work of trying to accomplish something outside the ordinary. There is always a standby outrage from those who disagree, and there is always a heaping helping of additional responsibility on those who try anything. Still, the reprisals may all be temporary, and the benefits may be lasting. Many colleges — from Yale to UCLA — have told prospective students that unexcused absences or other consequences resulting from the walkout won’t affect admission. In fact, one could imagine many scholarship- winning essays penned about standing up for their beliefs. Pendleton, which has been an active place for protesters over the last two years, will host a separate march on Saturday, March 24. That march also dovetails with a national event, and you can bet hundreds of people will take part locally while millions march nationally. Students should be at the front of that march, learning how to lead and how to inspire their community. But those students must first be able to find their voices. Wednesday offers an opportunity for them to do so, to try on the persona of being changers and shapers of the world, instead of just watchers and complainers and victims. Who knows — they may find that they like it. OTHER VIEWS Big sugar versus your body T OTHER VIEWS Morrow County will engage in the event of active shooter By JOHN A. BOWLES M orrow County Sheriff Kenneth Matlack has directed the sheriff’s office to engage in continuous training on many different law enforcement scenarios, and this includes training with other law enforcement agencies. The idea is to be on the same page and be trained on the same procedures — when one agency responds to assist another, we are one cohesive unit. By working together as a team we are able to provide better service to the public. Our number one goal is to preserve life and provide public safety and security. It is important to have the personnel and resources to properly and safely provide the services required. Having deputies patrolling the county 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and having school resource officers in our schools is required to maintain public safety and security. Our school resource officers are in the 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. schools working with the students and staff dally. We want the students, staff and parents to be comfortable with contacting law enforcement with issues or concerns, and we accomplish this by building relationships. Active shooter incidents are a major concern and can occur anywhere, from large cities to small communities. During an active shooter incident the key is to stop the threat. We won’t wait for a SWAT team or 10 deputies to respond before deciding what to do. We will rely on our training and respond appropriately. If we hear shots, we react. We go to the shots and neutralize the threat, period. There is no excuse for not reacting. If we don’t react, people are hurt or killed. That is not acceptable. Our duty is to preserve life and provide public safety and security. We plan and train for the worst and hope for the best. ■ John A. Bowles is Morrow County undersheriff. he sugar industry and its eat. You’ll make yourself miserable various offshoots, like the and you will probably give up soda industry, have spent before too long. Instead, decide on years trying to trick you. two or three systemic changes, and Big Sugar has paid researchers to stick to them. You can add changes conduct misleading — if not false later. — studies about the health effects Your rules should revolve around of added sweeteners. It has come up added sweeteners, rather than the with a dizzying array of euphemistic natural ones in fruits, vegetables and David names for those sweeteners. And Leonhardt dairy. It’s not that the added ones are it has managed to get sugars into so much worse (despite what you Comment a remarkable three-quarters of may have heard about high-fructose all packaged foods in American corn syrup). Many researchers supermarkets. believe that sugar is sugar. But people don’t Most of us, as a result, eat a lot of sugar. generally overeat natural sugars. Have you We are surrounded by it, and it’s delicious. ever inhaled five apples in one sitting? Unfortunately, sugar also encourages The online guide has many more details, overeating and causes health problems. As but here are a few rules to consider: confusing as the research on diet can often Fix your breakfast. It’s the most sugar- seem, it consistently points to the harms of packed meal, and it doesn’t need to be. sugar, including obesity, diabetes and other Eggs, fruit, nuts, plain yogurt, plain oatmeal diseases. and traditional pita bread are delicious — Virtually the only way to eat a healthy and free of added sugars. If you’re pressed amount of sugar is to make a conscious for time, boil a dozen eggs, refrigerate them effort. You can think of it as a political act: and grab one or two in the morning. A sign resisting the sugar industry’s attempts to of a good breakfast plate: It has an array of profit off your body. Or you can simply natural colors. think of it as taking care of yourself. Redo your pantry. Steer clear of staples I’m one of those people with a raging — like sauces, crackers and breads — with sweet tooth. I consider ice cream to be a gift unnecessary sugars. There are plenty of from the gods, and I stash small chocolates unsweetened alternatives, like Victoria’s in too many drawers. A couple years ago, I pasta sauces, French’s Yellow Mustard, realized that I needed to cut back. If the ice Maille Dijon mustard, Saltines, Triscuits cream and chocolates were going to stay, and some Trader Joe’s tortillas. Once you other sweeteners had to go. spend a little time reading ingredient lists, So my wife and I went cold turkey for the unsweetened staples can become your one month: no added sweeteners. No sugar, defaults. Trader Joe’s is an especially good no honey, no corn syrup, no stevia. It wasn’t place to shop, but supermarkets work, too. easy, but it worked. Eliminate soda. Just get rid of it. Soda We discovered which sugars we missed and sports drinks are essentially liquid and would go back to eating — and which sugar, and are the largest source of added had needlessly snuck into our diets. Along sweeteners in the American diet. Switch to the way, we also ate fewer processed foods flavored seltzer or, if you must, diet soda. and more vegetables, fruit, eggs, nuts, meat The health effects of diet soda still are not and fish. clear, but it seems considerably less bad. In a column last year, I described this Whip portion inflation. Restaurant “month without sugar,” and I’m still hearing desserts are often family-size servings from readers who have done it themselves marketed as individual portions. The or are considering it. I highly recommend marble-loaf cake at Starbucks, for example, it. But I have also heard from readers who has more sugar than most adults should eat want to consume less sugar without first in an entire day. Your grandparents didn’t going cold turkey. eat desserts like this. When you eat out, Fair enough. The sugarless month is think of every dessert as a serving for two. just a means to an end, and there are other It’s better to put some in the garbage than means. on your waistline. Working with experts and colleagues, The best news about sugar is that I’ve now put together an online guide to Americans are finally catching on. Sales cutting back on sugar without spending of regular soda are plunging. Some food more money or losing the pleasure of brands are starting to brag about not adding eating. That last part is important. Done sweeteners. For a long time, we didn’t even right, a less sweet diet can be more realize what Big Sugar was trying to do us. enjoyable than a sugar-packed one. Now we do — and we can fight back. Our overarching suggestion is to choose ■ a couple of simple rules. Don’t agonize over David Leonhardt is an op-ed columnist the sugar content of every single thing you for The New York Times. 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.