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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2019)
A4 East Oregonian Tuesday, December 3, 2019 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner ANDREW CUTLER Editor WYATT HAUPT JR. News Editor JADE McDOWELL Hermiston Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Tribes find way to help with warming station I n terms of fast action, the work by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to develop and then execute a plan to create a warming station for home- less tribal members would be hard to beat. In a time span that stretched barely past a week, tribal officials and oth- ers decided to find a way to help — rather than ignore or belittle — the homeless population in cold weather. A steering committee of represen- tatives and area programs banded together and transformed the old Women, Infants and Children center into a warm place with rooms packed with donated furniture and supplies. Dubbed Cmuytpama, which means “Place of Warming” in a mix- ture of Umatilla and Walla Walla languages, the new center will help an often-overlooked population of people. The 14-bed warming station — at 73282 July Grounds Lane — will be open after temperatures drop below 35 degrees. The warming station idea and the Staff photo by Kathy Aney The new Cmuytpama Warming Station has started housing guests on nights where the tem- perature dips below 35 degrees. method used to get it off the ground should be used as a prototype for other entities — such as cities — as a good way to address a growing prob- lem across the region and the U.S. Instead of bickering and finger pointing and long-winded disserta- tions on all the bad things that will happen if the homeless are helped, the Confederated Tribes decided to act. That is no small feat. The home- less situation is a difficult and com- plicated issue that defies an easy answer. All too often, though, the focus becomes a sequence of “not in my backyard” shrouded in critiques of American drug policy, lifestyles and the notion that many homeless don’t want to work so their situation is their own fault. Of course there are some who are homeless that, for whatever reason, have adopted that type of lifestyle. Yet for many others there are a dozen reasons why they are homeless. Yet when someone is sleeping in very cold weather, why they are doing so sort of misses the point. The point then isn’t attempting a complicated question-and-answer session but to use common human decency and get those who are less fortunate out of the cold. Allowing people to sleep out in the elements during the cold winter months is a bad idea and doesn’t put a shiny face on our collective will to make a difference. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation did a very good thing with their warming shelter. They should be lauded. OTHER VIEWS A court ruling to be thankful for: ‘Presidents are not kings’ A CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES U.S. PRESIDENT GOVERNOR Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 whitehouse.gov/contact/ Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court Street Salem, OR 97301-4047 503-378-4582 U.S. SENATORS Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 La Grande office: 541-962-7691 Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753 Pendleton office: 541-278-1129 U.S. REPRESENTATIVE Greg Walden 185 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6730 La Grande office: 541-624-2400 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. REPRESENTATIVES Greg Barreto, District 58 900 Court St. NE, H-38 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1458 Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us Greg Smith, District 57 900 Court St. NE, H-482 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1457 Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us SENATOR Bill Hansell, District 29 900 Court St. NE, S-423 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1729 Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us s we survey the havoc that Pres- eral directive that compelled George W. ident Trump and his sycophants Bush’s aides to testify. Judge Jackson have wreaked on the institu- wrote, “The blatant defiance of Con- tions of government, we can at least gress … is an affront to the mechanism for curbing abuses of power that the be thankful, during this holiday week, that the federal judiciary has steadfastly Founders carefully crafted for our pro- tection … “courtesy of Judge Jackson, upheld our most enduring values. here’s a Thanksgiving smile: Recently, for instance, a federal “Stated simply, the primary judge ruled that Trump takeaway from the past 250 years broke the law when he con- cocted a fake “national of recorded American history emergency” to build is that Presidents are not kings. his border wall, spend- This means they do not have sub- ing money far beyond the jects, bound by loyalty or blood, amount authorized by Con- whose destiny they are entitled gress. He has been simi- to control. Rather, in this land of larly rebuked by the courts liberty, it is indisputable that cur- D ick rent and former employes of the for (among other things) P olman White House work for the Peo- trying to rig the 2020 Cen- COMMENT sus, for trying to thwart the ple of the United States and that Dreamer immigration pro- they take an oath to protect and gram, for separating families, for trying defend the Constitution of the United to monetize the presidency, and for hid- States … per the Constitution, no one is ing his tax returns. above the law.” He hasn’t been conclusively defeated Granted, this ruling settles noth- ing. Trump’s lawyers, still determined on most of those fronts, but let’s be to bar McGahn from testifying (in the thankful for the judges who’ve hewed Mueller report, McGahn was quoted to the Founders’ faith in checks and as complaining that Trump wanted balances. him to “do crazy s—-”) have already And, a federal judge authored what announced that they will appeal Jack- is, thus far, the most stinging rebuke son’s decision to a higher court. Jack- of Trump’s imperial pretensions. son says that her ruling also applies Get ready for some awesome ruling to “other current and former senior- excerpts. I read all 120 pages so you level White House officials,” but it’s wouldn’t have to. unclear whether one particular ex-se- But first, some context: Trump nior aide — John Bolton — will be has long insisted that he has an abso- lute right to stop aides from testify- duly prompted to testify. As always, ing on Capitol Hill — starting with we’re compelled to stay tuned for fur- Don McGahn, the former White House ther developments. Nevertheless, we can be thankful for counsel who bailed on Trump in 2018. her eloquent defense of the rule of law. (According to the Mueller report, We can also be thankful for another Trump ordered McGahn to fire Muel- ler. McGahn refused. Trump also told ruling, by another federal judge, who McGahn that he wanted the Justice said that emails between the White Department to investigate Hillary Clin- House and Pentagon, concerning the ton and James Comey. McGahn told freezing of military aid to Ukraine, Trump that was a bad idea.) Earlier this should be released under the Freedom year, the House Judiciary Committee of Information Act. hit McGahn with a subpoena. Trump’s Even as Trump continues to stack lawyers went to court to block it. the courts, the Founders’ values may The ruling, by Federal Judge Ketanji yet endure. Brown Jackson, orders McGahn to ——— testify. She based her reasoning on Dick Polman is a nationally syndi- cated columnist. decades of precedent, including a fed- 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 the editor to editor@eastoregonian.com, or via mail to Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
