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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Friday, July 20, 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 last weekend’s really fun Pendleton Whisky Music Fest, which went off without a hitch despite hot weather and a packed Round-Up Grounds. Pitbull brought the ruckus as the first act, and was appreciative of the opportu- nity and the fawning crowd. The came Shel- ton, who caused middle-aged women across the county to swoon before he even took the stage. And speaking of Blake on stage, we’ve heard people wonder if Pendleton Whisky paid Shelton to take a little oopsy-daisy fall and blame it on some serious drinking. If not, how could it work out better than having your star tip over and appear in magazines and top websites and blame it (by name) on the alcohol company that sponsored the show? We hope it was a smooth viral mar- keting trick by Pendleton Whisky, and if so we tip our hat to them. And the fun doesn’t stop during these Eastern Oregon summers. We welcome Pendleton Bike Week to town, which brings its own revving engines, loud music and party atmosphere. A tip of the hat to the final sentencing of the two men accused of shooting — one fatally — at partygoers on the reservation in 2016. The shooting tore a hole in the CTUIR community, and finally seeing these cases come to an end can provide the gift of closure. In today’s paper, you can read that Vic- tor Contreras will serve more than 12 years in prison. He pleaded guilty last year. Julian Simpson, who fired the fatal shot, will serve up to 25 years in prison. It’s not a good feeling to see such lengthy sentences, and realize more lives are being lost because of a few dumb decisions. Mur- Staff photo by Jade McDowell Blake Shelton points at a fan during a song at the Pendleton Whisky Music Fest. der and violence destroy more than just the people who die by their hand. Those who cause it eventfully have to pay for their actions, and family and friends of everyone involved suffer the rest of their days as well. Some local groups have sprung up in the wake of this terrible incident, and we hope they find a way to find some silver lining out of senseless violence. A renewed focus on community and care is called for. OTHER VIEWS Resign, Mike Pompeo. Resign, John Bolton. B YOUR VIEWS Thanks to firefighters for stopping Weston fire On behalf of the residents of Weston, I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of the responders during the fire on July 12. While it is said that no one fights like fam- ily, it is also true that no one defends like family. Every corner of Umatilla County came to Weston to protect our community. Pri- vate citizens came with water trucks and hoses, and local, state, and federal agencies converged; all hands were on deck. Like true family, you defended us and we thank you. Jennifer McClure Spurgeon Mayor of Weston Pendleton Development Commission misconceptions Having read Mr. Platek’s letter in the July 7 East Oregonian, it was apparent that he had a slight misconception of how the Pendleton Development Commission functions. He is correct in that the PDC and city council are one and the same — the same people with different agendas that sometimes overlap. He may, however, not be aware that the PDC gives both loans and grants. The loans are basically startup money for new businesses, a very risky endeavor. The large amount as such recently approved for Mr. Plute for remodeling is not a loan. It’s a grant, and here’s where the PDC differs from a bank: Banks turn a profit from their loans on the interest they receive as the loan is repaid. The PDC, on the other hand, simply gives the money away in the form of a grant with no repayment required. They act as the middleman, borrowing their money from a bank, handing it out as grants, and then repaying those loans, including interest, with property taxes. The bank still makes a profit. It’s basically the city’s welfare program for commercial property owners in the downtown area. They want cash for renovations and the city is eager to provide it. Although they claim this approach will attract new customers to Main Street, a trip to the Walmart/Safeway/ Melanie Square 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. area of town proves otherwise. These businesses more than likely do as much in sales in an hour as those downtown do in a month simply by catering to the majority. Main Street, on the other hand, caters to tourists and mostly high-end shoppers with the exception of a couple of well established businesses that have been there for years. Our city administrators still haven’t figured out that things like variety, sensible prices, shopping carts, and convenient parking draw more customers than a few flower pots and Christmas lights. Ask Al Plute. As a former PDC/city council member, he knows exactly which buttons to push. After all, there’s nothing better than free money, and he’d be foolish to turn it down. It’s just smart business. Rick Rohde Pendleton No need to spend money redesigning Pendleton interchange I am unsure why the city of Pendleton is so keen on spending millions of dollars to reconstruct the Interstate 84/Exit 209 interchange. According to the I84/U.S. 395 Management Plan, the current configuration of exit 209 “makes it very difficult for motorists exiting the freeway to access downtown.” This is absurd. It takes almost no time to access downtown Pendleton from exit 209. The management plan also claims exit 209 operates at “over capacity.” This is also laughable. There are rarely more than a few vehicles on the interchange at any given time. The roads in Pendleton are in terrible condition. The Pendleton City Council needs to explain why it cannot manage to repair its own city roads, but can manage to spend millions of dollars to repair an interchange that functions quite well. Justin Morton Pendleton efore the word “resignation” By continuing to serve the became a euphemism for president, Pompeo and Bolton being fired, it connoted and their top aides are not — as a sense of public integrity they doubtlessly tell themselves in and personal honor. Attorney humiliating moments like this one General Elliot Richardson and — cleaning up after him. They are his deputy,William Ruckelshaus, covering up for him. showed both qualities when The country. In 2016, Bolton Bret they resigned from the Nixon denounced Trump’s penny-wise Stephens approach to NATO for “encouraging administration during the Saturday Comment Russian aggression.” Last year, he Night Massacre in 1973. Jimmy wrote that Russian interference in Carter’s secretary of state, Cyrus Vance, did likewise when he resigned during the U.S. election was “a true act of war,” and that Putin’s denials were “insulting.” the Iran hostage crisis in 1980. This was in a newspaper op-ed titled, in Assuming Mike Pompeo and John part, “Negotiate with Russia at our peril.” Bolton still have their own senses intact, Those views remain true. Russia is a they too should resign following the epic hostile power seeking, as Pompeo told me disgrace of the U.S.-Russia summit in last year in a public interview, “to stick it to Helsinki on Monday. So should their senior America.” Yet Trump has repeatedly gone staff. out of his way to mollify and elevate Putin. I don’t suggest this lightly. I’ve known both men for years, respect them, and wrote To the extent that his administration has been tough on Russia — as with last week’s friendly columns when they took their Justice Department indictments of Russian current jobs. I share many of their hawkish intelligence officers or March’s expulsion views, and have applauded some of the administration’s controversial foreign policy of 60 Russians — it has been over Trump’s personal and often furious objections. decisions, particularly the withdrawal from The GOP’s pro-Russia caucus, the Iran nuclear deal. channeling Trump’s ideological id through I’m also cognizant of two factors such simpering mouthpieces as Fox News’ weighing against resignation. First, Cabinet Tucker Carlson, continues to gain ground, members and other senior White House with the percentage of Republican voters officials owe a president deep loyalty with a favorable view of Putin more than whatever their policy differences — the doubling since 2015. sort of loyalty George Marshall showed Bolton and Pompeo should be leading when he declined to resign as secretary of the conservative charge against the Putin state despite his fierce opposition to Harry appeasers. In office, they are effectively Truman’s decision to recognize Israel. complicit with them. Second, whoever succeeds Pompeo or Conscience. On Wednesday, I spoke Bolton could very well be worse. Secretary by phone with Cy Vance’s son, Manhattan of State Newt Gingrich? National Security District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., about his Adviser Sebastian Gorka? Why not? For father’s decision to resign. “If he could not an administration whose core values are in good conscience support the president’s personal toadyism and ethical elasticity, views publicly, he felt he had a duty to the they’d be perfect. president and the country to step away,” Yet those considerations do not relieve Vance recalls. “He went out in a very painful Pompeo, Bolton and their staff of three personal way, but faithful to his views.” higher duties: the Constitution, to which Vance adds that one of his takeaways they swore an oath; the country, to which they pledge allegiance; and their conscience, from his father’s experience is “how to which they ultimately must account. Let’s important it is, if you’re going into government, to be a decision-maker for your take each in its turn. own policies.” No adviser to a president is The Constitution. No, Donald Trump going to get his way all of the time, but at is not guilty of “treason,” a word that’s a minimum that adviser should be able to been bandied about much too loosely defend the tilt of an administration’s policy this week. Treason is narrowly defined in as if it were his own. If not, he should make the Constitution for a good reason, and room for those who can. its promiscuous misuse only helps the Right now, Bolton and Pompeo are president’s defenders paint opponents as parties to a Russia policy they would never hysterics and ignoramuses. otherwise advocate and cannot possibly Trump’s behavior in Helsinki is, defend in light of their public views. This however, another vivid reminder of his means that they are either violating their manifest unfitness for office. That’s true principles, or had none to begin with. whether the behavior is best explained If it’s the latter, by all means they should as a matter of moral turpitude or mental stay put and enjoy the aphrodisiac of power incompetence — of his eagerness to accept for however long it may last. If the former, the word of a trained liar like Vladimir Putin over the consensus assessment of U.S. the only decent course is to resign. The sooner they do it, the more they can preserve intelligence agencies, or of his inability of their honor. to speak coherently at a critical moment ■ in his presidency. The president’s pathetic Bret Stephens won a Pulitzer Prize for suggestion on Tuesday that he misspoke by failing to use a double negative also reminds commentary in 2013. He is a columnist at The New York Times. that, knave or fool, he’s a congenital liar. 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.
