ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
TUESDAy, OCTOBER 6, 2020
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Voters
should reject
Measure 30-145
U
matilla County voters passed the coun-
ty’s Second Amendment Preservation
Ordinance in November 2018, which
prevents the county from using resources to
enforce state or federal laws that infringe on
the constitutional right to keep and bear arms,
and grants the sheriff the authority to rule on
the constitutionality of those laws.
This November, Umatilla County voters will
vote on a related measure, the Second Amend-
ment Sanctuary Ordinance.
Here is the summary of Measure 30-145
from the voters pamphlet: “No agency of the
Umatilla County Government or employee of
the county will knowingly and willingly partic-
ipate in any way in the enforcement of any law
or regulation issued regarding a personal fire-
arm, firearm accessory or ammunition, or uti-
lize any asset or county funds to engage in any
activity that aids the state or federal govern-
ment in the enforcement or any investigation
for the enforcement of any law or regulation
issued regarding a personal firearm, firearm
accessory or ammunition. Failure to comply
with the ordinance may subject the county offi-
cial or employee to liability for injured par-
ties in a lawsuit, including payment of attorney
fees.”
This is likely to be found unconstitutional.
Oregon Revised Statute 166.170 gives the Ore-
gon Legislature sole authority to regulate fire-
arms. And only the courts can overturn state or
federal laws.
This “sanctuary ordinance” is symbolic, and
the county’s “preservation ordinance” would
not be altered or removed by the passage or
failure of the sanctuary ordinance.
Rob Taylor, a gun rights activist from Coos
County, who is behind a number of Second
Amendment ordinances, has stated that the
intent is to challenge “sanctuary city” laws,
which limit a municipality’s cooperation with
federal government efforts to enforce immigra-
tion laws.
The local backers of this ordinance have
stated that their motivation is to prevent any
new gun control bills that may pass the Ore-
gon Legislature from taking effect. Earlier this
year, the Oregon Legislature considered House
Bill 4005 requiring firearms to be secured with
a trigger or cable lock, and Senate Bill 1538,
which would let cities, school districts and col-
leges ban concealed weapons on their property.
Neither has passed into law at this time.
We live in a country that leads the world in
gun ownership and gun deaths, where mass
shootings are not unusual events, where more
than 300 people are shot by a gun each day,
and where our citizens are killed by guns 25
times more often than the citizens of other
wealthy countries.
We don’t believe that laws requiring univer-
sal background checks prior to gun purchases,
safe gun storage or “red flag laws” (temporarily
preventing a person in crisis from accessing a
gun) infringe on the rights outlined in the Sec-
ond Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
We recommend a “no” vote on Umatilla
County Measure 30-145.
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.
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
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:
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
Maintain the foundation of our democracy
DANIEL
WATTENBURGER
HOMETOWN
I
f you are reading this column on
a printed news page or behind the
paywall of the East Oregonian web-
site, I will make the assumption you are
an active voter. Those who pay for their
news are far more likely to be engaged
with other civic duties, not to mention
more informed about candidates and
issues and motivated by their own role
in the electoral process.
I will not spend my time or yours
imploring you to register or to turn in
your ballot, though I do hope you share
that message with your less engaged
friends and family. Umatilla County
ranked dead last in voter turnout in May
at 37.6% and we’ve got a lot of work to
do if we want to begin using our full
political voice.
I also will not suggest or recommend
who or what you vote for this Novem-
ber. This is a great space for those dis-
cussions, and I hope you engage openly
and vigorously in the coming month.
But I believe there’s something even
greater at stake.
I’m asking you, as a newspaper
reader and citizen, to firmly stand up for
the foundational principle of our democ-
racy — a free and fair election, regard-
less of the outcome.
(A quick note: Some readers enjoy
disputing the term “democracy” to
define our form of government, favoring
“republic” because we rely on elected
representatives to pass laws rather than
voting directly on each issue. Because
this column deals with the democratic
ideology of voting, I use the former. If
you want to debate the terminology,
please find your nearest high school civ-
ics teacher.)
The erosion of Americans’ trust in
government has been well documented.
It’s no wonder, as the two-party sys-
tem has so tirelessly and effectively
worked to demonize the opposition that
we actively despise and discredit their
members as soon as they take office.
And how long can we chip away
at roughly half of our elected officials
before we start taking chunks out of the
bedrock to try to make them fall?
If we are led to doubt the basic foun-
dational process of an election and the
results it leads to, we are on a fast path
to national crisis and ultimately critical
failure. It is in every American’s best
interest that the electoral institution and
tradition be treated as a shared middle
ground instead of a battleground.
This places heavy importance on
accusations of voter suppression or
fraud. Institutionalized or personal
action that keeps a citizen from register-
ing or voting, or intentionally submit-
ting an illegitimate ballot, cause lasting
damage to our faith in the process.
Regardless of one’s political affilia-
tion, we should treat such reports with
serious scrutiny. Since the founding of
our democracy there have been efforts
to disenfranchise and diminish certain
citizens’ right to vote. It took three con-
stitutional amendments and nearly 200
years to establish the right for all adults
(regardless of race or gender) the right
to a ballot (regardless of income). Any
effort to tamper with that right should
be scrutinized and condemned.
As for fraud, we must demand clear
and accurate descriptions of its occur-
rence and full legal reckoning for its
participants. We know it is rare, and
that there are checks built into the sys-
tem to ensure ballots are collected and
counted correctly and in good faith. Any
attempts to imply widespread malfea-
sance without evidence should also be
viewed critically and harshly.
Our democracy is bigger than the
politicians it empowers, but its strength
relies on our collective effort. The sys-
tem devised and revised by our fore-
bearers is now up to us to build upon
and defend.
We should all take the opportunity
this and every election season to not just
proselytize for our chosen candidates,
but for the act of voting itself. I know
I’m preaching to the choir here, but the
ability to fill out a ballot and have your
voice heard is a core promise of living
in a free country.
Without this foundation, there is no
democracy left standing.
———
Daniel Wattenburger is the former
managing editor of the East Oregonian.
He lives in Hermiston with his wife and
children and is an account manager for
Pac/West Communications. Contact him
at danielwattenburger@gmail.com.
would seem less empty and more con-
sequential, and his integrity less in
question, were he to voluntarily repay
the taxpayers the $14,439.36 we spent
on his campaign materials. I hope and
expect that he will choose to do so.
Donna Henderson
Maupin
in a manner that will benefit everyone
in the county. Jim works hard advocat-
ing for our county in Salem. Jim spends
time trying to understand the way
things operate and is not afraid to push
for improvement even when it is unpop-
ular. This behavior is exactly what we
need in our local government.
As a business owner raising my
family in Morrow County, I want Jim
Doherty working for me as county
commissioner. I know that with him in
office, someone is thinking of each indi-
vidual and each entity when making
decisions. Jim has been commissioner
for one term, and during that time he
has developed and adapted. I believe he
will only become more effective with
time in office.
Please join me in voting to retain Jim
Doherty. Morrow County deserves to
have Jim Doherty as part of our team.
J. Fletcher Hobbs
Boardman
YOUR VIEWS
Bonham should repay
taxpayers for campaign
materials
Having been an appreciative sup-
porter of Rep. Daniel Bonham, I was
profoundly disappointed to recently
learn that his election-timely “Legisla-
tive Update,” received last week, had
in fact been paid for by taxpayer dol-
lars, and not by his personal campaign
funds, despite the fact that it arrived
in voter mailboxes 45 days prior to the
election.
Such timing conflicts with the
intent of the state rules, which spec-
ify a 60-day blackout period for tax-
payer-funded newsletters by those
representatives seeking reelection —
rules designed precisely to prohibit the
kind of thing that Bonham’s mailing
effected, which was to smuggle cam-
paign promotion under the guise of a
legislative update, at taxpayer expense.
While it turns out that Bonham’s
flyer did not violate the letter of the
rule (which permits the 60-day period
to include the time involved for print-
ing and mailing, after the flyer leaves
the legislator’s hands), the fact that it
clearly violates the spirit and intent of
the rule is extremely troubling to me,
since it points to a lack of judgement
and ethical integrity on Bonham’s part.
While Rep. Bonham has publicly
expressed regret for the timing of the
flyer, citing “a hectic year,” his regret
Morrow County deserves
to have Jim Doherty as
county commissioner
Jim Doherty is in a November runoff
to be reelected as county commissioner
in Morrow County. I have been watch-
ing Jim since meeting him over a year
ago, and he will get a vote from me.
I encourage everyone registered to
vote in Morrow County to vote for him
as well. Jim looks at situations from all
angles and attempts to steer decisions
LETTERS DEADLINE
The East Oregonian does not run endorsements of more than 400 words.
The East Oregonian will institute a deadline for letters to the editor, so we can be fair
with all the letters we receive and allow for responses before Election Day, if neces-
sary.
We run the letters on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please submit your endorsement letters to the editor by noon Friday, Oct. 23. You
can email them to editor@eastoregonian.com, or mail them to East Oregonian, c/o
Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendletone, 97801.
We will publish our last letters on Saturday, Oct. 31. Any letters received after the
deadline will not run. Election Day is Nov. 3.