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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2018)
Page 4A East Oregonian Friday, August 24, 2018 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor Founded October 16, 1875 Tip of the hat, kick in the pants A tip of the hat to the generous bidders who pitched in to make Henry the lamb the most expensive animal at auction during the Umatilla County Fair. The lamb was raised by Maddy Thomas of Echo, who was diagnosed one year ago with a brain tumor. Money from the sale is going toward high deductibles for her treatment and some college savings. We’re hardly surprised by the generosity we see when a member of one of our tight-knit communities is hurting. And this, like so many other charitable efforts, is done without any expectation of praise. But we also feel it’s worth pointing out. The sale has raised about $27,000 as of this publication, according to livestock auction superintendent Marie Linnell, and the last day to donate to the cause is Friday. If you’d like to add on to that total, email Linnell at mlinnell5@gmail.com or stop by the fair offices at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center. A kick in the pants to careless and dangerous drivers who heed no mind in construction zones or around farm equipment. A flagger in one such zone was struck and killed earlier this month on Highway 11 near Athena, and a combine driver was seriously injured when hit from behind on Interstate 84 last week. With potato and onion harvest on the horizon, more slow-moving trucks and equipment will be on the road. Distractions are a real safety concern, and the nonstop buzz of the smartphone has made keeping our mind (and eyes) on the road even more difficult. It may seem like the wide open road is a good place to get caught up on social media or that email to your mom, but two seconds of distraction can have deadly results. For all of our sakes, keep your eyes on the road and be aware of your surroundings. A tip of the hat to the new Echo School addition, which was truly built with the community in mind. The gathering space and workout room can be sealed off from the rest of the school, allowing the opportunity for community use without district employees present. Schools have long been the hubs of small towns, and new buildings backed by local dollars should always keep the community at large in mind. As long AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File A herd of bison grazes in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. An Oregon man has been sentenced to 130 days in jail after pleading guilty to misconduct in two national parks, including harassing a bison that had stopped traffic in Yellow- stone National Park. as the funds are being spent to make a better educational experience for students, we’re all for finding ways to keep the taxpayers plugged in to their investment. A kick in the pants to negative ambassadors from our fair cities. A recent high-profile case of bison harassment at Yellowstone National Park has put Pendleton in newspapers, television broadcasts and social media posts for all the wrong reasons. We’ll leave the name out here — we try not to kick while somebody’s already down — but you can read about his exploits and punishment on the front page today. It’s a shame, really, that many in Pendleton have put so much effort into branding the city as a fun place worth either a weekend visit or a full-on relocation. We’re seeing that work take off — Pendleton has been written about extensively and even made the Smithsonian Magazines Top 20 Small Towns list. There’s so much good press out there, but one wayward son puts a taint on that image, even though the city has nothing to do with it. The lessons are plentiful, first and foremost to leave wild animals alone. But in this world, your dumb exploits will travel far and wide before you can even sober up. Think of your own reputation, your family’s and even your town’s when you’re out in the world. YOUR VIEWS Walden hard at work LIMEY PASTOR A sorrowful week T ing for the approval of lost fathers his has been a week of sor- row. A person very close to perhaps, are instruments for the dis- torted will of a modern Nero. Men me attempted suicide and was saved by police who found them of good will on both sides of the and smashed a car window to get aisle are praying to our Heavenly them out. They are out of the hos- Father for repentance and truth and pital now with a medication that has that God’s love will begin to show temporarily altered the personal- up in this strange and disabling Colin ity and it seems that another being story of conscienceless passions. Brown has taken over their body temporar- Over the valleys of Oregon the Faith ily. This has occupied much of my stench of smoke has hung, as if concern. Hades’ flames were licking at the Then a lightning bolt of revelation of edges. I pray for the continuing work of hit the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania the holy people of Oregon by being close and many of the clergy there unmasked as to their families, ignoring the arrogance of deceivers and deviants. An investigation in power, feeding the good and holy in their the United States revealing at least 1,000 friends and protecting the welfare of the children molested by these counterfeit vulnerable. holy men (some 300) – leading many other I particularly give thanks for the politi- states to now start the process of discover- cians of Oregon, who seem genuinely com- ing the wolves in sheep’s clothing in their mitted to make the state as good as it can own parishes. It seems likely that this grand be. I sat down on the previous weekend and action could begin to erode the church in met in offices in the Salem and discussed such a way that all of its structures could problems of the elderly and the disabled fall in reparations for the evil that men have and felt a genuine concern with our people done. I am certain that this crime is not just was held by all. located in one denomination — it is a crime May God protect our children, our poli- that takes advantage of secrecy and entrap- ticians, our preachers and our people. May ment of promises. Let the purifying fire do the Spirit of the Living Christ be abundant its work. and alive fully in our beautiful state. As a demonic third act, the courts Amen. brought a damning set of indictments for Paul Manafort, the campaign chief for our Colin Brown is the former pastor of new president, and for the attorney Michael Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Board- Cohen. It appears both of these men, look- man. Contact him at colin.brown@usa.net. CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES U.S. PRESIDENT Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 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. Washington, DC 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ What does a U.S. representative do? I can tell you what Greg Walden, the U.S. representative for Oregon’s 2nd Con- gressional District, does. He finds lost Social Security checks, helps get funding for economic develop- ment projects and cuts through red tape to secure veterans’ benefits. He is work- ing on legislation that addresses forest health and managing our rampant wild fires. He has worked to expand rural broadband and roll back regulations that have hurt small towns. He is fighting to fund crucial rural health care for the chil- dren’s health insurance programs and community health centers. I am amused at recent letters to the editor from folks who say they can’t find Greg. Let me tell you why. HE IS WORKING! He is busy addressing the needs of his Oregon constituents. It is the plot of a made-for-TV movie that a new, fresh-faced person from Cali- fornia, who has just been elected to Con- gress from Oregon, goes to Washington, D.C., and convinces all the seasoned and experienced legislators to immediately join her and endorse her ideas. It is a great fantasy for the cam- paign trail but the reality of the job of representative involves years of hard work, study of the issues and experi- ence working with other legislators. It is not an instant process, like mixing a Cup-o-Soup. Real life involves gaining experience, trust and making friends and allies on both sides of the aisle. Real life involves representing Oregonians since Greg was first elected in 1998. Congressman Greg Walden is the chairman of the House Energy and Com- merce Committee. That prestigious honor only comes by virtue of knowl- edge, experience, being bipartisan and working hard. We need to keep that experience and knowledge working for Oregon. We need Greg Walden. Zee Koza La Grande Getting the budget right The previous Pendleton City Council led you believe that maintenance on streets and public buildings was deferred because the public demanded funding of other projects like those ridiculous speed bumps on Main Street, relocating the Eighth Street Bridge to Main Street, and the restoration of the Rivoli Theater. Had the choice been given to the public on those projects versus street repairs, there’s no doubt street repairs would have been their first choice. We were most recently given the choice of passing a gas tax, an Extension Service tax, and a Humane Society tax or suffer the consequences. Those tax measures ultimately failed to be adopted. The city council erroneously interpreted the failure of the gas tax as public indifference for repairing the streets. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather than fixing streets, the mayor and city council were more interested in honoring themselves with plaques on statues, and that was just plain unacceptable. The recent donation of $150,000 to the Farm II project would have been better spent on widening the Bedford Bridge or upgrading Southwest 18th Street. With all the proposed development in that convention center area, preparations for an alternate exit route for large events would seem a more prudent plan for the future. Likewise, the grant funding of the Pendleton Downtown Association for an office, secretary, more studies on parking, and a few Christmas lights cluttering up our historic street lights could have been more wisely spent on reducing deferred maintenance on facilities such as the Vert Auditorium. Now we are on the verge of taking on yet another ill-conceived project, relocating that Eighth Street Bridge to Main Street. Its current condition results from years of neglect. Rather than wasting scarce funds, cancellation of this project rather than creating another maintenance headache would be an easy step towards a sustainable budget. The city has a significant amount of unused or vacant property collecting no taxes. With such a significant amount of funding for the budget coming from property taxes, you’d think there’d be a stampede to divest. As our unfunded PERS liability continues to climb, I get the feeling that the mayor, city council and city manager are realizing that the time to act is now. The question is will they act or punt again? Rick Rohde Pendleton 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.
