CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Editor
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
The politics
of districts
O
regonians trust politicians to make
decisions about what taxes are col-
lected, how taxes are spent and pol-
icies that shape lives. But should politicians
be trusted with setting up voting districts?
A proposed ballot measure aims to take
politicians out of political redistricting. The
measure would create a citizen commission
to draw the lines. Would it be more fair?
That’s unclear.
The new census will mean Oregon’s con-
gressional and legislative districts will be
redrawn. In Oregon, the districts are now
redrawn by legislators. That could be putting
the fox in charge of the henhouse — at least
that’s what the groups supporting a citizen
commission argue. The measure is backed
by the League of Women Voters of Ore-
gon, Oregon Common Cause, the Indepen-
dent Party and The Taxpayer Association of
Oregon.
It would work like this: It creates an inde-
pendent, multipartisan commission of 12
Oregonians. They would hold public meet-
ings across the state and draw up the bound-
aries in an open process. The goal is for it to
be done fairly, respecting communities and
less manipulated by partisanship or other
politics.
The proposal takes substantial steps to
keep politicians out of it. People would apply
for the commission spots. Basically, paid pol-
iticians couldn’t be chosen. People who have
recently run for such offices couldn’t be cho-
sen. Neither could their staff. Political con-
sultants are barred. An individual who has
given more than $2,700 a year to any single
candidate couldn’t be chosen. There are also
requirements to limit the members from the
two largest political parties and include non-
affiliated voters. From the pool of applicants,
candidates for the commission would be
winnowed by administrative law judges and
would eventually be chosen by lot. The gov-
ernor could remove someone from the com-
mission, but only with a two-thirds majority
vote of the Senate.
Gerrymandering began before it was
called gerrymandering, before the coun-
try’s independence. It’s the idea of drawing
a voting district so it will get a certain kind
of candidate elected. The name was immor-
talized in a political cartoon satirizing a
law signed by Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge
Gerry in 1812. The law redrew state Senate
districts to ensure Gerry’s party — Thomas
Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans —
would be strong and John Adams’ and Alex-
ander Hamilton’s Federalists would be weak.
It worked. One of the districts looked a bit
like a salamander. Gerrymander was born.
The U.S. Supreme Court has been reluc-
tant to decide when partisanship goes too
far in gerrymandering. It would require two
things difficult for the courts: defining what
is fair and divining the future. What’s a
clear test for fairness? There are many dif-
ferent ways to measure what’s fair. Fair to
whom? Fair to what? As Chief Justice John
Roberts wrote, choosing one “poses basic
questions that are political, not legal.” The
courts would also have to look at a district
and somehow know that in the future the
outcomes it creates would turn out to be
unfair — by some definition. It’s additionally
unclear that the founders intended judges to
decide such things.
These days, leaning on big data, politi-
cal consultants have more tools than ever
to draw up districts to get an outcome they
want. Does Oregon need to change? Ore-
gonians could do nothing. If legislators are
making the redistricting decisions, they can
be held accountable by voters, though it
would be mostly after the districts are drawn.
An independent redistricting commis-
sion creates a way to try to minimize the
influence of some politicians on the pro-
cess. Commissioners will still have to make
choices about defining what is fair. They
will still have to guess if sticking the lines
in one place will produce more “fair” out-
comes in the future. We don’t know if the
commission would be more fair. It might. It
would get more Oregonians involved in mak-
ing important decisions about how they are
governed.
Skywarn Spotters are the National
Weather Service’s eyes in the community
LARRY
NIERENBERG
EYE TO THE SKY
D
o you enjoy watching the
weather? Are you someone
who likes helping your com-
munity and keeping others safe? If you
answered “Yes” to both of these ques-
tions, you may be interested in becom-
ing a “Skywarn Spotter.”
So, what exactly is a Skywarn Spot-
ter? Skywarn is a nationwide network
of between 350,000 and 400,000 volun-
teer storm spotters that are trained by
the National Weather Service to report
threatening weather when they observe
it.
The Skywarn program is over 50
years old, and even with the latest tech-
nologies, such as Doppler radar, sat-
ellites and high speed computers, the
National Weather Service still relies
heavily on ground truth reports. Some
of these reports include snowfall mea-
surements or confirmation of a tor-
nado on the ground, hail size measure-
ment or to confirm heavy rainfall or
flooding.
Anyone can become a Skywarn
Spotter, though you must attend a train-
ing class. Volunteers include members
of law enforcement and emergency
management, first responders, health
care personnel, and any private citizen
that just wants to help their commu-
nity. Classes are offered periodically
throughout the year, though are gen-
erally focused on the spring and sum-
mer. Topics covered include thunder-
storm development and storm structure,
tornadoes, different types of flood-
ing, measuring snow, measuring hail,
how and what to report, good and bad
reports and basic severe weather safety
and preparedness. All classes last about
two hours and are free of charge.
Amateur radio is also part of Sky-
warn, though you do not have to be a
HAM radio operator or have a HAM
license to become a spotter.
The reports that spotters provide the
National Weather Service are extremely
valuable and can be lifesaving. While
Eastern Oregon does not get the same
type of severe weather as a place like
Oklahoma, and you most likely would
not be observing a large tornado or
giant hail, there is still a need for spot-
ters in this area. Radar coverage is
affected by rugged terrain and a timely
spotter report can be extremely bene-
ficial in helping National Weather Ser-
vice meteorologists with the issuance
of warnings and getting the word out
to neighboring communities. Spot-
ter reports of flooding are also very
important as flooding can be very quick
to occur in narrow canyons and people
may be hiking or camping nearby.
Additionally, the rural nature of
most of the region often makes it diffi-
cult for us to obtain the “ground truth”
or what is actually happening at a spe-
cific location. There could be hundreds
of miles between where people live and
having someone who could call us with
a report is extremely valuable. Terrain
presents another challenge, as weather
can change drastically with elevation. It
may be raining or snowing on one side
of the mountains and on the other side
it is very windy with no precipitation
whatsoever.
If you think you may be inter-
ested in becoming a Skywarn Spotter,
please check the National Weather Ser-
vice Pendleton spotter training web-
site at weather.gov/pdt/spotterTraining
or our office’s Facebook and/or Twit-
ter pages, where we will post training
class announcements as they become
available.
In most years we have several
in-person classes across the region and
one or two classes via webinar. How-
ever, due to the special circumstances
this year, all classes this spring will be
via webinar. We hope to get back to
some live classes in the fall, and if not
by then, certainly next spring!
———
Larry Nierenberg is a senior fore-
caster for the National Weather Service
in Pendleton. Nierenberg leads National
Weather Service community outreach
and hazardous weather preparedness
and resiliency programs.
that the most vulnerable, the elderly
and those with fragile health are pro-
tected from COVID-19. However, all
other Oregonians should be free to
choose to stay home or be able to work
with safe precautions.
We flattened the COVID19 curve,
now it is time to flatten the projected
6,000 suicides related to COVID-19.
Let’s learn from Caleb: All lives mat-
ter and work and school are essential
for all of us.
Kris Peterson
Hermiston
public fights these guidelines made
by the federal government, the more
rights and lives that are being revoked.
It is understandable by the coun-
tries’ rights and freedoms being tem-
porarily disrupted, but the federal and
state agencies are trying to be consid-
erate of everyone’s well-being, both
young and old. It all comes down to
two options. Live or die? If you choose
not to willingly help yourselves and
others through this crisis, you are
potentially endangering yourself and
others.
The faster we look out for each
other and follow the said guidelines,
the sooner we can start building our
country back up. If not, this pandemic
that we are all dealing with will only
create more damage to our society and
our loved ones.
Rebecca Favorit
Pendleton
YOUR VIEWS
All lives matter
I received an urgent message from
my sister on April 15, 2020, that our
cousin’s adult grandson, Caleb, was
missing. Caleb had graduated from
a Salem high school in 2019 and had
started an apprenticeship program.
Caleb had a history of depression, but
was excited about his new prospects
in life.
Then COVID-19 hit and he was
let go at work. He followed all of the
social distancing and stay-at-home
guidelines, as did his roommate.
With life interrupted, the darkness
of despair began to engulf him until
it consumed him. Later that day, he
was found dead from a self-inflicted
wound.
I consider Caleb’s death COVID-
19 related, though it will not appear on
the daily OHA report. It is imperative
Restrictions are there to
keep everyone safe
I heard Gov. Kate Brown is in
hot water because of her stay-home
restrictions. She is attempting to fol-
low federal guidelines to keep her state
and country safe. The more the general
EDITORIALS
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.
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.
LETTERS
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
SEND LETTERS TO:
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801