ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
SATUrDAy, DeCeMBer 5, 2020
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Tip of
the hat,
kick in
the pants
A
tip of the hat to all the vol-
unteers in Hermiston, Pend-
leton and elsewhere who came
together to provide free Thanksgiving
meals to members of the community.
It would have been easy to cancel
the annual tradition in light of the pan-
demic, but instead people stepped up and
made sure it still happened in a drive-
thru and delivery format. It was likely a
boon for many people who were facing
bare cupboards as the end of the month
approached, or perhaps were struggling
at the thought of cooking a traditional
Thanksgiving meal for themselves when
they were celebrating the holiday alone
this year.
A tip of the hat to the Pendleton
City Council for reversing the city’s pre-
vious intent to return the stamps bear-
ing names of Confederate leaders to city
sidewalks along Byers Avenue after the
sidewalks were replaced.
These conversations about the balanc-
ing act between preserving history and
not giving undue honor to those whose
actions perpetuated terrible wrongs are
conversations that we as a nation, and as
a community, need to keep having in a
nuanced, thoughtful way.
Discussions surrounding some his-
torical figures, such as George Wash-
ington, who owned slaves but also did
many great things for this nation, are
more complicated. But when consider-
ing the legacy of a Confederate figure,
such as Jefferson Davis, who was a vocal
champion for the expansion of slavery
into the territories while serving in the
Senate, and went on to lead a rebellion
against the United States that cost more
than 600,000 lives — and evaluating
his (basically nonexistent) connection to
Pendleton — there just isn’t a compelling
argument for why his name should con-
tinue to grace the sidewalks there.
A tip of the hat to Umatilla County
for its efforts to hand out COVID-19
prevention kits, including information,
masks and hand sanitizer, to farmwork-
ers in the area.
Public health officials say farmwork-
ers are one of the area’s populations that
have been hit hardest by the pandemic,
and we applaud efforts to continue slow-
ing the spread of COVID-19 as we enter
the final stretch before the protection of a
vaccine becomes available.
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
YOUR VIEWS
Trump is leading
his followers down a
dangerous path
It is so sad and frightening to see the
president of the United States behav-
ing like a Third World authoritarian
dictator. Donald Trump’s words and
actions are a real threat to our precious
democracy.
The day before Thanksgiving,
Trump was still falsely declaring he
won the election. He would have us not
trust our election system, courts and
judges. They see the evidence and all
say the election was very accurately
counted. But he never stops the non-
sense, and will never stop.
Trump wants you to listen to and
trust him. He wants his political oppo-
nents in prison (“lock her up”). Trump
wants to stifle any free press criti-
cism of himself (“fake news”). He calls
the free press “the enemy of the peo-
ple.” What has become of truth, jus-
tice, decency and morality when almost
half voted for this man-child, even
after watching four years of his cor-
rupt, incompetent, dishonest and illegal
behavior?
Those who continue to support and
act on Trump’s rantings will live to
regret it. He will, even after leaving
the Oval Office, persist in leading his
“Trumpers” down a dangerous path of
constant lies, fraud, deceit and violence.
More important, successful extreme
right-wing political movements histor-
ically lead to dictatorship, authoritar-
ianism, and even fascism. The people
no longer control the government. One
man and his minority party totally and
permanently control the people.
Where truth and justice die, fascism
sprouts and grows. And fascism always
ends in widespread loss of freedom, cat-
astrophic misery, destruction and death.
Kenneth Robbins
Pendleton
desecrated a Portland veterans cem-
etery, toppling statues and grave
markers.
This man is accused of destroying
public property. He should be held to
account.
The Civil War ended on May 13,
1865. That was 155 years ago. The
names of the Confederate soldiers on
these concrete markers are dead and so
are their children. Let’s move on.
Paul Melton
Pendleton
The Civil War is over —
let’s move on
Confederate names part of
our inconvenient history
Pendleton owes a “debt” of grat-
itude to Joshua Walker for protect-
ing us from the “racist” concrete Con-
federate markers. Who knows what
would’ve happened if he had not taken
his sledgehammer and defended the
good residents of Pendleton from this
ominous danger to the public? Maybe
we should have a bronze statue of him
placed on Main Street in his honor.
OK, enough of the sarcasm.
What he is accused of doing is ille-
gal. He is accused of destroying a very
old piece of public property. I fully
endorse the city’s actions against him.
Acts like this would be fully
endorsed in the city of Portland, where
daily they topple statues and destroy
property. On Thanksgiving Day, they
The breakage of some concrete idols
to Confederate names in Pendleton is
not such a bad idea.
Were the names Pol Pot, Hitler,
Mugambe, et al, the “offense” would be
no less.
For a careful handling of yet more
of our inconvenient history, perhaps
we could call upon our tribal brethren
for guidance. They have done a profes-
sional and sensitive job in their work
with such matters.
But when a caring person shows us
his well-supported feelings, we should
listen and not punish. The masters of
the old slave plantations would lean to
punishment. It must stop now.
G.A. Nelson
Pendleton
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
GOVERNOR
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
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
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Greg Walden
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande office: 541-624-2400
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us