ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
An important
pillar in our
democracy
he fight for more transparency is
more important now than ever
before, and one of our most import-
ant jobs as a newspaper is to consistently
push to ensure the light of clarity shines
into every corner of government.
To some extent we have it pretty lucky
in Oregon. The state’s open records law
allows residents — and newspapers — to
seek records that may otherwise be kept
secret from the public. The law is a crucial
pillar in our democracy, though it is consis-
tently tinkered with by lawmakers.
Just as consistently, newspapers and
other legitimate news outlets must remind
readers and lawmakers that in a democracy
the workings of government and elected
leaders are open to public review. That’s
how democracy works, and remains one of
its fundamental themes. The people — not
bureaucrats or elected officials — oversee
government. Bureaucrats and lawmakers
serve at the discretion and pleasure of the
people. Not the other way around.
Since the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terror-
ist attacks, America has gradually — and
in some cases, readily — moved away
from open government. The terrorists that
slammed jets into the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon killed thousands of inno-
cent people, but they also helped trigger a
new era of secrecy, where documents and
records that should rightfully be accessible
to the public are hidden.
Some secrets — even in a democracy —
are justifiable. A top-secret military exper-
iment should be shrouded from the public
view. Anything that can harm our nation’s
security and give our enemies an upper
hand should be hidden.
Yet, that is most likely the only justifi-
able secret in a democracy.
As we stated, Oregonians are fortu-
nate in that our public records law allows
for a reasoned and precise method to
attain records regarding specific subjects
that are important to the public. As a rule
— there are, of course, always excep-
tions — bureaucratic institutions, such as
governments, err on the side of secrecy
always. That means somewhere a person
not elected can decide arbitrarily to keep a
document hidden.
That is where our public records law
comes into play. Make no mistake, the
public records process isn’t an easy one
and, if a specific state agency wants to fight
such a request, it can lead to court battles
and large expenses.
Why should a public agency fight to
keep records away from the public in
court? They shouldn’t, but they often do.
Nothing is more important in a democ-
racy than transparency. When a govern-
ment agency or lawmaker fights a public
record request, the first question should be:
What are they trying to hide?
T
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
A resolution for the miserable month of March
DANIEL
WATTENBURGER
HOMEGROWN
arch is the worst month of the
year, and it’s not really that
close. It’s too long, too cold,
and full of false promises.
The start of spring? Don’t get your
hopes up. This week’s forecast notwith-
standing, every nice day in March
seems to come paired with another
that’s blustery, rainy, snowy, or other-
wise miserable.
March Madness? Two long week-
ends of basketball we only care about
because brackets make us feel like we’re
participating (and the Final Four and
championship game are always in April
anyway).
St. Patrick’s Day? A shifting holiday
that more than half the time lands on a
weekday and comes with truly awful
culinary traditions of corned beef,
cabbage and green beer. Unless you’re
planning a trip to Heppner, you’d might
as well skip it.
Shortest weekend of the year? Check,
thanks to daylight saving time.
Federal holidays? Nope, five-day
work and school weeks across the
board.
Football is over. Baseball hasn’t
M
started. Movies are bad. Taxes are
coming due.
That warm glow from the good
winter holidays is long gone, and we’re
stuck in a limbo where the only saving
grace is that at least the sun is out a
little longer each day, slowly moving
us toward better and more interesting
times.
It’s a lot to deal with, especially
in a year when everyone’s patience is
already worn thin. This March also
marks the anniversary of the COVID-
19 pandemic in Oregon, a year of
illness and death and stops and starts
and disagreements that have tested our
friendships and our faith in our institu-
tions.
COVID has taken from all of us,
and we’ve too often taken it out on each
other. I have felt frustrated and help-
less and bitter, a bad combination for
anything but stewing or lashing out —
neither of which are healthy. I have felt
disappointed in myself and others, and
uneasy about what our disjointed and
divided response to the current crisis
says about our future.
I used to make it a point not to
complain about Mondays or hold any
ill will toward them. That may seem
strange, coming from a guy who just
spent half of his monthly allotment of
column inches deriding an arbitrary
31-day period. But aside from my natu-
ral aversion to cliché, I felt that if I hated
Mondays, it meant I hated the idea of
a new week. And if I hated starting a
new week, then there isn’t much point
in getting out of bed any morning. And
that’s a depressing thought.
The point is, I need to treat this
March like a Monday. I can’t merely
slog through, keeping my head down
and ignoring the opportunities and life
in front of me. I can’t keep letting the
uncertainty of the coming months and
years dictate the way I interact with
other people.
I have to redouble my efforts to
extend gratitude, as well as the benefit
of the doubt. Nothing is as simple or as
good as it was a year ago, but I can’t to
add to the discontent.
I know full well that this month will
determine Umatilla County’s fate for the
real spring months, maybe even beyond.
I want to be able to confidently circle
calendar dates in a better future, like
family vacations, the Umatilla County
Fair, the Pendleton Round-Up.
But regardless of what comes next,
I’m preparing to focus on what is
happening now. Cliché as it is, carpe
mensis — seize the month.
———
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.
will be displaced of their land should
the government/Idaho Power group
succeed in their push.
Each of these monster towers, with
their crackling, fire-prone lines, will
require concrete footings (four for
each tower) up to 40 feet deep. In the
case of many, including our family, the
construction of the towers will require
clear-cutting of standing timber, blast-
ing of rock and, in our case, loss of our
two main water sources, which provide
water for wildlife and cattle all year.
Idaho Power will say they will main-
tain the right-of-ways to stop invasive
weeds and little impact on the area,
but I say look at the failure to do so on
current lines. All one has to do is follow
one of the existing line paths and see
the garbage, weeds, deep ruts and tres-
passing that exists.
Both Bonneville Power and Pacific
Corp. are considering pulling out of
the project at this time. Without their
support the rate payers could be on the
hook for thousands of dollars should the
project fail in any part. Yes folks, that is
you even if you are not close to the line.
I encourage private citizens to
contact their federal, state and county
officials and demand this private
for-profit plan be stopped, or at the
least have it built in a straight line with-
out the approximately extra 50 miles
added to avoid public and tribal lands.
John Harvey
Stanfield
YOUR VIEWS
Why is B2H zigzagging
across the state?
When it comes to tax money there
is no level of government that doesn’t
slobber over getting more, even at the
loss of land and freedoms to enjoy it by
the owners. Such is the case with the
visions of tax money flowing into state
and county coffers from the unneeded,
for profit only, power line from Board-
man to Hemingway, Idaho.
B2H is pushing to build this high
voltage line with towers up to 150 feet
tall across Umatilla, Morrow, Union
and other counties of Eastern Oregon.
This unneeded line will be across
100% private property in Umatilla
County! When I was in school there
used to be a theory that the clos-
est distance between two places is
a straight line. If that is still true
under Oregon law. I ask why does
the proposed line zigzag across, only
on private lands in Umatilla County,
sometimes almost going backward, to
get from A to B?
I am guessing the real reason is
“ease” of running over private citi-
zens as opposed to going through all
the regulations, paperwork and hear-
ings required if they built on federal,
state, county and tribal lands. No
less than 700 private landowners
Hermiston’s Man of the
Year an easy choice
This year, the selection commit-
tee for the Hermiston Distinguished
Citizens Awards banquet hit a home
run with the persons/entities that were
recognized and honored.
At previous banquets, the Woman
of the Year and Man of the Year awards
were saved for the end. This year, the
Man of the Year award was first. Why?
Here’s why — because Ken Huber
immediately left the celebration to get
on the road and assist with bringing
home our friend and co-worker who
recently lost his battle with COVID-19.
Ken arrived at the fire station on
Westland Road around 8:50 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 24, and was greeted
by numerous police vehicles, fire vehi-
cles, and personal vehicles of friends
all wanting to pay respect to our friend,
Glen Phillips. Ken then participated in a
procession, driving Glen on a ride past
the police and fire station one last time.
Hermiston is a great place because of
selfless people like Ken Huber.
Jason Edmiston
Hermiston