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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Friday, June 22, 2018 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor Founded October 16, 1875 Tip of the hat, kick in the pants A tip of the hat to the quiet hero in Molalla who gifted a fortune to local students. Don Slaughter worked hard and led a frugal life. He lived alone in the 90-year-old farmhouse built by his parents, and he never married nor had children. But when he passed away, he left in his will more than $2 million to a scholarship endowment for students of Mollalla High School. What a guy, that Don. This year, 38 students received a total of $125,000 from the scholarship fund, which is expected to continue in perpetuity. Slaughter’s story is a wonderful one, and a reminder that there are many ways to do good and make a long-term impact in the lives of others. Even after we’re gone, our good and bad deeds continue to ripple out into the world. Don’s ripples will make it a better place. A tip of the hat to Hermiston’s super siblings — Bailee and Wyatt Noland — who each patrol the plate for their high school’s respective baseball and softball teams. And they weren’t just starters, each were team leaders. Bailee hit .443 on the season, which was second best on the softball team. She notched 39 hits, scored 25 runs and finished with a team-best 42 RBIs. Bailee also had one of the highest on base percentages (.469) and slugging percentages (.830) for the Bulldogs. Wyatt really turned a corner this Staff photo by Kathy AneySiblings Wyatt and Bailee Noland played the same posi- tion this season for Hermiston High School, Wyatt on the baseball team and Bailee for softball. year. He led the baseball team with .447 average, on base percentage of .488 and slugging percentage of .645. He tied for team-best 14 RBIs with Ramirez and had the second-most runs (14), one behind Ramirez with a team- high 39 runs scored. A successful season for a successful pair of siblings. We tip our catcher’s mask to them. OTHER VIEWS Trump wasn’t first to separate families, but policy was still evil resident Donald Trump finally like no other is an irremediable sense caved to public pressure and of loss, of parting. My mother and promised to stop separating my little sister left, and I never said children from parents at the border. goodbye. It all remains unreal.” After long insisting that he couldn’t — Elie Wiesel, “Memoirs,” do anything about this, he snapped describing how the Nazis separated his fingers and changed the policy his family during the Holocaust that he had denied was a policy. “‘I’m going to take your child to nicholas Yet the next steps remain unclear Kristof get bathed.’ That’s one we see again and of uncertain legality. Will there and again. ... The child goes off, and Comment be internment camps? This hazy in a half an hour, 20 minutes, the juncture is a useful opportunity to parent inquires, ‘Where is my 5-year- draw lessons. old?’ ... And they say, “You won’t be seeing Trump is right that he didn’t begin the your child again.’” practice of wrenching — Anne Chandler, crying children from their Tahirih Justice Center, in parents. Texas Monthly last week This fits into a long and “The children will be shameful history: taken care of — put into “My brothers and sisters foster care or whatever.” were bid off first, and one — John Kelly, White by one, while my mother, House Chief of Staff last paralyzed by grief, held month me by the hand. Her turn came, and she “All I can remember is how much my was bought by Isaac Riley of Montgomery son and I were both crying as they took him County. Then I was offered to the assembled away. ... It has been about six months since I purchasers. My mother, half distracted with last saw my son.” the thought of parting forever from all her — A detainee in an ACLU lawsuit filed in children, pushed through the crowd while April, describing the seizure of his 13-year- the bidding for me was going on, to the spot old son in October where Riley was standing. “Womp womp.” “She fell at his feet and clung to his knees, — Corey Lewandowski, a Trump entreating him in tones that a mother only surrogate, mocking family separations on could command to buy her baby as well as Tuesday herself. ... I must have been then between 5 “My babies started crying when they and 6 years old. I seem to see and hear my found out we were going to be separated. It poor weeping mother now.” breaks my heart to remember my youngest — Josiah Henson, a slave in Maryland, wail: ‘Why do I have to leave? Mami, I in his account of his life from 1858 want to stay with you!’ My youngest cried “The Negroes at home are quite and screamed in protest. ... In tears myself, I disconsolate but this will soon blow over. asked my boys to be brave, and I promised They may see their children again in time.” we would be together again soon. ... I do — Thomas Chaplin, a slave owner, not know where my sons are, and I am very in 1845, quoted in “Help Me to Find My worried about them.” People,” by Heather Andrea Williams — J.I.L., a Salvadoran woman, in the “My mother then turned to [her owner] ACLU suit and cried, ‘Oh, master, do not take me from “We have an orchestra here.” my child!’ Without making any reply, he — A Border Patrol agent joking last gave her two or three heavy blows on the week as children cried inconsolably after shoulders with his raw hide, snatched me being taken from their parents from her arms, handed me to my master, and So, Mr. President, you’re right that seizing her by one arm, dragged her back. ... you didn’t start family separation. Today’s The cries of my poor parent became more practice is not the same as slavery or Nazism, and more indistinct. ... The horrors of that day but it still fits neatly into the annals of sank deeply into my heart.” barbarism. — Charles Ball, whose 1837 I hope you will genuinely stop this autobiography of a life in slavery included cruelty. One lesson from this history is that this discussion of his separation from his while there are always apologists at the mother at the age of 4 time, ultimately we come to appreciate that The black family “suffers little by to wrench shrieking children from the arms separation.” of their parents is not just cruel, not just — Thomas R.R. Cobb, a proslavery abhorrent, but truly evil. ■ legal scholar, in 1858 Nicholas Kristof grew up on a sheep and “I stared intently, trying desperately not to cherry farm in Yamhill. Kristof, a colum- lose sight of my mother, my little sister with nist for The New York Times since 2001, her hair of gold and sun, my grandmother, writes op-ed columns that appear twice a my older sisters. I see them always, for I am still looking for them, trying to embrace them week. He won the Pulitzer Prize two times, in 1990 and 2006. one last time. ... What remains of that night P YOUR VIEWS Separated families show unbridgeable divide Use TV white space to bridge digital divide How can a country claim to be great, or aspire to be great, when we see and continue to allow the mistreatment of children on our border? When we think this callous, thoughtless, hypocritical administration has sunk to its lowest level, they seem to be able surprise us with yet another despicable example of their disregard for basic decency. Family values? Moral majority? Pro life? Backed by the majority of the gullible religious factions in this country, they are hell bent on leading us into a position of having to acquiesce on any notion as a shining example in this world. Trumps agenda, using children as pawns as a negotiating strategy, his embrace of leaders known to have caused immeasurable suffering among their own people, his alienation of our allies, his lust for attention and constant need to boast, continues to show that we as a country are on a steep slippery slope to ruin. The ever-growing divisions in this country now seem to be unbridgeable. Trump and his loyal minions have managed to rip the thin fragile façade of decency covering our country to reveal an ugliness to its core. A once possibly great country on a collision course with a brutal reality. Hate, fear and ignorance are unbeatable opponents. As mayor of Pilot Rock, I firmly believe that communities should be united in working to ensure affordable, reliable internet access in rural areas of Oregon and throughout the country. About 34 million Americans lack a broadband connection and the vast majority — 23.4 million — live in rural areas. Of Oregon’s total population (roughly 4 million), 16.2 percent live in rural areas. For education, business, health care, agriculture and more, it is critical that we close the digital divide in rural areas. One fo the best ways to do this is by utilizing TV white space, the unused broadcast frequencies through which television was traditionally transmitted. This technology is expected to provide the best approach to reach approximately 80 percent of the underserved rural population, particularly in areas with lower population density. For this to work, the FCC needs to set aside sufficient wireless spectrum in each market of the country for broadband coverage. Just like the spectrum used for walkie talkies and garage door openers, no single company would have exclusive rights to use the channels, and anyone offering consumers a better experience at a lower price could compete. We hope our elected officials, such as Congressman Greg Walden, will lead this effort to help our communities prosper. David Gracia Hermiston Virginia Carnes Mayor, Pilot Rock 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. Trump fits into a long and shameful history. 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.
