ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
TUESDAy, NOVEMBER 24, 2020
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
The road
to unity is
a two-way
street
R
ecounts and legal challenges not-
withstanding, it appears Joe Biden
will be president on Jan. 20, 2021.
In declaring victory, the former vice pres-
ident made the obligatory call for unity.
That’s always a tall order, particularly in a
deeply divided country after such a bitter
campaign.
As the victor, it falls to Biden to reach
across the divide. He has his work cut out
for him.
Farmers and ranchers largely supported
President Trump, but that support in rural
areas was not unanimous or homogenous.
Even among supporters it’s not uncom-
mon to hear frank discussions of the presi-
dent’s shortcomings — both in policy and
manners.
The president delivered on his promise to
reduce government regulation, most nota-
bly in reversing the controversial “Waters of
the U.S.” rule. Farmers and ranchers have
mostly benefited from the 2017 tax reforms.
His record on trade was a mixed bag. His
on-again, off-again trade war with China
had a huge impact on farmers, but eventu-
ally there came an agreement that at least
in spirit benefits ag. His imposition of puni-
tive tariffs on Mexico and Canada even as
he announced a replacement for the North
American Free Trade Agreement led to
retaliatory duties on farm products. There
are bilateral agreements with Japan and
South Korea.
Many in agriculture are wary that Biden’s
election will signal a return to policies that
gave them pause during the Obama admin-
istration. They have not been comforted by
environmental and economic policies pro-
moted by the more radical factions of his
party.
What can the former vice president do to
calm farmers and ranchers in the red inte-
rior? We have a couple of suggestions.
• Show up. Trump addressed the Ameri-
can Farm Bureau Federation’s national con-
vention three times during his term and
addressed the FFA’s convention once. Three
previous administrations had let surrogates
handle these events.
Whether the next gatherings are virtual
events or live, farmers and ranchers will
want to hear about policy proposals directly
from President Biden.
• Listen. Trump’s critics say he doesn’t
listen to people with opposing views.
During the Obama administration, farmers
and ranchers didn’t think they had a seat at
the table and didn’t think they were being
heard. They did think they were being spo-
ken down to.
In such a deeply divided country, Biden
can’t repeat the mistakes of his predecessors.
• Reject the demonization of those with
different views. It has become too easy to
dismiss those with whom we disagree with
pejorative and inflammatory labels — bigot,
homophobe, socialist, commie, misogynist,
Nazi.
Most of us, right or left, hold no animus
toward our fellow citizens. Name calling is
no substitute for discussion.
Biden struck the right tone last week.
“To make progress, we must stop treating
our opponents as our enemy,” Biden said.
“We are not enemies. We are Americans.”
We agree.
We urge Biden to deliver on his promise
to bring the country together. But that will
also require those who opposed his election
to give him the benefit of the doubt. Judge
his actions, not the campaign rhetoric.
Celebrating life’s difficult journeys
REGINA
BRAKER
ANOTHER MILE
T
here was cheesecake on the picnic
table to celebrate LaNora’s birth-
day, with knitting friends in the
Pioneer Park sheltered area wishing her
well. One asked if she minded telling her
age, and she answered, “Route 66.” Usu-
ally one of the quiet ones in the group,
she prefers a side conversation while oth-
ers live up to their reputation as “rowdy
knitters.”
My knitting buddy, LaNora is an
expert at lace and open-work knitting,
patterns that often include elements rated
at high difficulty. I’m always surprised
at how quickly she progresses on a proj-
ect from week to week. I wonder if she
enjoys the introspective and therapeutic
rhythms that knitting offers, along with
the feeling of accomplishment and gen-
erosity in completing a piece intended for
someone she treasures.
In a recent conversation, when I asked
how her week had been, she said it had
been hard. She told me about a trip to
Wallowa County to attend two funer-
als, and mentioned one being a “good”
funeral, while the other one was diffi-
cult. One for a family friend, a gentle-
man of advanced years, his memorial ser-
vice was a celebration of a long life rich
in experiences. But the second was for a
very young cousin, taken far too early in
a terrible accident. We talked a bit more
about how difficult these kinds of fam-
ily gatherings are now, but so much more
important for us to find our way, however
possible, to support one another.
LaNora has a deep understanding of
the fragility of life, having experienced a
difficult cancer journey through ovarian
and uterine cancer, and found the strength
of spirit that sustains life. Last December,
as we were finishing up a knitting session
at our favorite local brewpub, she told me
and another friend her story.
Sixteen years ago, after caring for her
mother at the end of her life, LaNora was
confronted three months after her moth-
er’s death with her own need for care. A
doctor’s visit, due to some irritation and
a muscle in her right arm that snapped,
resulted in tests that brought a diabetes
diagnosis. Her blood work prompted fur-
ther exploratory tests.
At age 50, LaNora found out that she
was on a cancer journey, with treatment
choices of surgery in Pendleton and che-
motherapy in Walla Walla, Washing-
ton, complicated by the need to monitor
her diabetes. In the course of her sur-
gery, it was found that she was in danger
of a ruptured appendix, necessitating an
immediate response. What was scheduled
as a 2½-hour operation turned into seven
more hours. And then she had to recover,
in order to begin the chemotherapy, with
an exercise trainer and massage thera-
pist donated by the Spirit Program (also
known as Kick’n Cancer) at the Roundup
Athletic Club.
LaNora’s cancer detour began in July
2004 with her last treatment in April
2005, but she had already gained some
familiarity with parts of it. When I asked
her about the support she received, she
talked about other family members shar-
ing their cancer stories and the amazing
sensitivity of the medical staff. While
waiting for her first oncology appoint-
ment with her husband, LaNora was
approached by the phlebotomist who
later did her blood draws. This woman
had seen them accompany patients pre-
viously to Walla Walla, and asked, “Who
did you bring today?” When she heard
it was LaNora coming for treatment, she
was taken aback, her face filling with
emotion.
And yet, LaNora emphasized her good
humor through it all as she recounted the
details. She laughed when she referred
to her marathon surgery bringing her a
“great remodeling job.” Yes, she expe-
rienced full hair loss, neuropathy, and
foggy brain, and said that chemo wiped
her out, but she remembers walking a
lot, saying “at the time I didn’t think it
was that bad.” It helped to have church
friends who drove her to Walla Walla
and donated gas money, and supportive
extended family.
In her 15th cancer-free year, LaNora
still gives back to local support programs,
though now more difficult to carry out.
With some folks fearful due to the coro-
navirus, I’m grateful she’s here to advo-
cate for checkups for anything unusual,
knowing how serious it can be.
———
Regina Braker, a retired educa-
tor with journeys through many places
and experiences, enjoys getting to know
people along the way.
Indeed, one might say that learning
how to lose is a more important lesson
than learning how to win.
Terry Templeman
Pendleton
a good general, a point that was made in
these pages recently. It is also true that
Erwin Rommel was a good general. So
what? This only goes to show that the bad
guys are sometimes skilled at command-
ing troops. Lee’s skill as a general does
not excuse the fact that he defended slav-
ery, which is a morally abhorrent position
that is wrong now and has always been
wrong.
There is no place for the names of Con-
federates in Pendleton. I propose that the
city make a replacement stamp featuring
Joshua Walker’s name. Show that Pendle-
ton is home to brave and just people.
Strand Sheldahl-Thomason
Warrenton
YOUR VIEWS
Learning to lose an
important lesson
Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning
isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” This
is apparently how some football coaches
view the world, but lately it seems that
many Americans have adopted Vince’s
view of life. The old maxim “It’s not
whether you win or lose, it’s how you play
the game” is no longer in fashion.
Another habit of speech that seems
to have taken over in the past four years
is the conversion of verbs, such as “win-
ning” and “losing,” into proper nouns,
such as winners and losers. Of course
every contest, from athletics to bake-
offs to political elections, is designed so
that someone must win and others must
lose. Otherwise, the contest would never
be over. But winning and losing are not
really character traits. Everybody occa-
sionally wins and loses something or
other.
The act of winning or losing says very
little about what kind of person you are.
Because no one ever wins or loses all the
time, we should probably pity the person
who defines himself or herself as a win-
ner or loser. Defining yourself as a winner
only sets you up for shame when you lose.
Defining yourself as a loser only keeps
you from trying to do your best.
Stamp destruction an act
of bravery
I grew up in Pendleton, and I’m writ-
ing to commend Pendleton resident
Joshua Walker for breaking a sidewalk
stamp commemorating the president of
the Confederacy. That act of destruction
was a brave act and it was the right thing
to do.
Mayor John Turner’s reaction that
Walker tried to “rewrite history” is com-
pletely wrong. Walker’s act has nothing
to do with rewriting history and every-
thing to do with recognizing history.
Walker recognized that Jefferson Davis
was a vile figure from one of America’s
darkest moments, and he reacted appro-
priately to seeing Davis’ name celebrated.
People like Jefferson Davis and Robert E.
Lee should be remembered for what they
were and the evil that they fought to pro-
tect. Their names should in no way be cel-
ebrated, and especially not in Pendleton,
a town to which they have no historical
connection.
It may be true that Robert E. Lee was
Stamp destruction
was childish
In response to “Resident breaks Con-
federate stamp …”: another childish act
of vandalism/temper tantrum from a
lefty; how unsurprising.
Justice in this case would call for the
perp to repair the damage with his own
money — and labor.
As for “Say Her Name Breonna Tay-
lor” … how about “Cannon Hinnant
Say His Name.”
John Kaufman
Pendleton
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