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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Thursday, March 29, 2018 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW The balance between predator and prey An editorial cartoon from more than a century ago recorded the adversarial relationship between fishermen and all the species that enjoy eating salmon. Specifically about outward-bound young salmon, the cartoon singled out alleged culprits including kingfishers, osprey, cormorants, river otters and an array of predatory fish, from carp to dogfish. Decades later here in the Columbia River Basin, it remains a challenge trying to balance the scales between predators and expensive-to-produce and highly coveted salmon. This is predicted to be a poor year for some salmon returns. Predation on young salmon in past years is an unquantifiable aspect of this year’s problems. More important has been the now-dissipating “blob” of too-warm water off the Northwest coast. By lowering the amount of nutritious plankton and other sea life at the base of the food chain, this phenomenon thoroughly rattled the delicate balance on which salmon and other higher orders of life depend. Some other key factors in salmon prosperity include habitat in the Columbia-Snake watershed, harvests by humans and marine mammal predation. These last two are likely to be again in the news as this year moves on, with efforts to save endangered southern resident killer whales starting to take on massive importance. Some orcas eat the seals and sea lions that prey in turn on adult salmon. Greater awareness in recent years that orcas spend considerable time in waters off the coast of Oregon and Washington has brought uninformed cheering that they might bring sea lion numbers back into something closer to balance with the quantity of salmon we’re willing to let them consume. Some orcas belonging to transient ocean-roaming pods do indeed eat other marine mammals. However, the orcas of the southern resident killer whale pods based in Puget Sound specialize in eating Chinook salmon, or other kinds of fish if Chinook aren’t available. In Gregory S. Schorr/Cascadia Research Collective Orcas photographed off the south Washington state coast. the winter and spring, the Columbia River plume is where many Puget Sound orcas come in search of their favorite menu item. An executive order by Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this month to significantly increase efforts to save the Puget Sound orcas is nearly certain to have direct impacts on fishing seasons here, especially as Oregon and Idaho have been asked to join in formulating a response to the crisis facing these orcas. Amendments to fishing rules could come as early as next month. In an ordinary season, this might not be especially noticeable. In a year like this one, it’s impossible to predict what a salmon set-aside for orcas may mean to the harvest equation. It’s probably safe to say that most fishermen — nowadays almost all recreational, along with the charter boats that serve them — bear no ill will toward orcas, which are certainly an iconic and majestic native species of this region. But the same could probably once have been said of efforts to recover sea otters, which on some areas of the West Coast have returned in sufficient numbers to seriously aggrieve commercial crabbers. It will be interesting to see how orca preservation plays out within the context of the Northwest’s culturally and economically important salmon seasons. For now, we should continue paying attention to these efforts and make every effort to participate in them. It is always better to have a place at the negotiating table than to grouse about decisions from the outside. Restoring balance between all the species of the Pacific Northwest is going to remain expensive and complex. OTHER VIEWS For President Trump, a border wall epic fail D YOUR VIEWS Impressed by teenage turnout at Pendleton march Kudos to our Pendleton High School students and Saturday’s March for Our Lives. The students awed me with their remarkable vision, courage and leadership. These young folk organized a successful event and gained my confi- dence in their ability to shape our society for the future. Paul Daniello Pendleton Youth are making the most of the political moment We are so proud of all the students throughout our country who are taking a stand against violence. From the four students in Hermiston to the 24 students in Pendleton, you kids are standing up for what you believe in. And all you asked of the adults was to not make this about politics. Please keep the momentum going. Prove the adults wrong. Let them know you’re not quitters. You’re not letting this go. The grownups at the end of your march went against your wishes and had to put their political opinions in anyway without consideration of your wishes. And I, as one adult, I’m sorry for that. Somehow, we adults have to come together and stand behind the youth of America and guide you with our wisdom and support and suggestions when you trust us enough to ask. Young people will only get to that point when we have faith that we have raised some pretty fine young adults to take over for us older people. I always hear about how we need young adults to get involved and do something good for their community. Well, then we have to allow them to try new ways. Most of our ways haven’t been working out too well the past few decades. So, their march in Pendleton was adults’ first slip of not letting go of control and respecting the students’ request to remain silent and keep the march apolitical — instead about their fear and pain and loss and anger and no more and enough is enough and never again. This older lady just wants you kids to know that I have your back. And a hug if you need one. Bernie Sanderson Hermiston Omnibus bill helps chiropractors, patients With President Trump’s signing the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, (omnibus bill) chiropractic’s non-drug approach to pain relief for veterans, many of whom suffer from back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions, will be significantly expanded. Supported by several veterans groups and championed in Congress by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Jon Tester (D-Montana), Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), the approved language requires the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to expand the availability of chiropractic services at no fewer than two medical centers or clinics in each Veterans Integrated Service Network no later than Dec. 31, 2019, and at no fewer than 50 percent of all medical centers in each VISN by Dec. 31, 2021. Chiropractic spinal manipulation is an evidence-based treatment for acute, subacute and chronic back pain and can prevent, help reduce and even eliminate harmful opioid use by our honored veterans. It has been said one way of battling the opioid crisis is to dry up the demand across the market by reducing opioid prescriptions and developing other options for chronic pain. The chiropractic profession provides a non-drug care path to help do just that. New research published in the medical journal Lancet this month both validates the efficacy and recommends chiropractic spinal manipulation for back pain. So in part, with his signature, President Trump will help dry up the demand for harmful pain pills among our nation’s veterans. 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. Vern Saboe, DC, FACO Oregon Chiropractic Association Albany onald Trump promised a lot end, it came down to haggling between during his presidential campaign, the White House, Hill Republicans but the one promise he made and the Democratic leadership, with most often was to build a wall along the Democrats — predictably — upping U.S.-Mexico border. their demands in exchange for wall No need to recount all the times; funding. It all came to nothing. suffice it to say Trump promised over After an odd, half-hearted threat to and over and over that he would build veto the bill, Trump tried to make the Byron the wall — and that Mexico would pay best of a bad situation. “We’re very for it. happy with what’s happened with York Comment The promises kept coming after certain elements of the border,” he said Trump won the White House. “We’re when he signed the bill. “Not happy going to have our wall,” he told a with $1.6 billion, but it does start the cheering crowd in Phoenix last August. “We’re wall, and we will make that $1.6 billion go very, going to get our wall.” very far. It’s going to go very far.” “Now, the obstructionist Democrats would The White House began to call the $1.6 like us not to do it,” Trump continued. “But billion a “down payment” on the wall. But believe me, if we have to close down our Trump could see that he had failed to deliver on government, we’re building that wall.” a key campaign promise and quickly distanced The president was right about one thing — himself from the result. Democrats did try to obstruct the wall. But last “I say to Congress, I will never sign another week Congress came to one of its many recent bill like this again,” Trump said. “I’m not going deadlines to shut down the government, and to do it again.” Republicans didn’t fight very hard for a wall, It would be an understatement to say either. And the leadership from the White House Trump’s supporters on the immigration issue that would have been required to win a fight just were disappointed. wasn’t there. “CONGRATULATIONS, PRESIDENT In the end, Trump agreed to sign an omnibus SCHUMER!” tweeted Ann Coulter. Quoting spending bill that included virtually nothing Trump’s pledge to never sign a bill like that for a wall. In total, $1.6 billion was allotted again, Coulter responded, “Yeah, because you’ll for border security that did not specify the be impeached.” construction of a wall, although some portion of “One thousand, three hundred billion dollars that could be applicable to building a relatively and Trump couldn’t get one billion to start small length of new wall. That was nowhere fulfilling a central promise he campaigned near the $25 billion the president and wall on?” asked the blogger Mickey Kaus in an proponents had sought. email exchange. “Not even one mile of the wall It was a stunning failure for the White House, he’s talked about? That’s like going a whole made more bitter for Trump supporters because basketball game without scoring a goal — an the president had had a real chance to win full, epic failure of legislative strategy that will be or nearly full, funding for the wall. studied in political science classes for years.” Trump had put pressure on Democrats in Mark Krikorian, of the conservative Center two ways: one, by rescinding DACA, President for Immigration Studies, noted that the rest of Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood the bill failed to meet Trump’s immigration Arrivals program, and two, by attaching big priorities, too. demands, like wall funding and an end to chain “The omnibus funded less detention space migration, to any agreement to make DACA than is currently being used, prohibited the permanent. hiring of more ICE field agents, and did nothing A federal court put on hold Trump’s March to rein in sanctuary cities,” Krikorian noted in 5 deadline for ending DACA, relieving some an email. “Apart from the absence of a DACA/ of that pressure on Democrats. But it did Dream amnesty, it was a complete defeat for not relieve all the pressure, because Senate immigration hawks.” Democratic leader Charles Schumer and Krikorian cited two reasons for the failure. The first is “the president just isn’t very good others know Trump will eventually win the at working with Congress. And the second is DACA case — after all, DACA was an Obama executive action, and it can be undone by a later “the Republican leadership in Congress doesn’t really care about the president’s immigration president’s executive action. And Trump kept goals.” up the pressure created by his demands for a After it was all over, the White House vowed wall, an end to chain migration and other policy to keep trying. “The full $25 billion for the wall changes. will be tied to DACA reform in the future,” A deal seemed possible: Democrats would a spokesperson said. Perhaps. But for that to give the president the $25 billion he wanted happen, the president will have to fight harder for the wall, and in turn, Trump would agree and smarter to fulfill a key campaign promise. to make DACA permanent and drop the chain ■ migration and other demands. In other words, a Byron York is chief political correspondent straight wall-for-DACA deal. for The Washington Examiner. It didn’t turn out to be straight at all. In the 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.
