ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
SATURDAy, MARCH 13, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Tip of
the hat,
kick in
the pants
A
tip of the hat to Wil Phinney,
who is retired after a long career
in journalism in the area.
Phinney has had a long and storied
career, from editing the Heppner
Gazette-Times to breaking news on the
Wasco County commune of Bhagwan
Shree Rajneesh in The Dalles Weekly
Reminder to decades leading the Confed-
erated Umatilla Journal. He also did
stints at both the East Oregonian and
Hermiston Herald.
Many people have benefitted from
his thoughtful, ethical reporting that has
gained the trust of countless sources and
readers over the years, and his presence
in the pages of local publications will be
missed.
A tip of the hat to Hermiston Parks
and Recreation’s recreation supervi-
sor Brandon Artz, who was recognized
by the city of Hermiston this week for
taking action during a shooting incident
that took place near city hall in Herm-
iston on Feb. 10. According to the city,
Artz stopped to ask a man in distress if
he needed help and ended up calling 911
and keeping the alleged shooter away
from a dropped firearm until police
could arrive and secure the scene. A dog
that was injured protecting its owner
on the scene, and the dog’s owner also
deserve a tip of the hat for their actions
that helped prevent a worse outcome.
A kick in the pants to the mess that
has been caused by the U.S. Census
Bureau’s announcement that the census
information needed for states to redraw
district boundaries for state legislatures
and Congress will not be coming until
September.
In Oregon, the state Legislature is
going ahead with public hearings on
the matter despite having no data or
proposed maps to show voters. In fact,
legislators don’t even know yet who will
drawing the lines, because Oregon’s
constitution gives legislators until the
end of July 1 to redistrict before the job is
kicked to the secretary of state, who has
until Aug. 15 to submit maps. The census
bureau’s timeline makes meeting either
deadline impossible. Other states face
similar constitutional quandaries.
The makeup of legislative and
congressional districts are key to shaping
politics for the next decade. Perhaps the
pandemic really has made releasing the
needed population data before Septem-
ber impossible, but if there is any way to
speed up the process while maintaining
the same accuracy, the Biden administra-
tion needs to make sure that happens.
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
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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
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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
Letter: Recognize the
truth about COVID
There is a question I would ask, if
given the chance to confront the myriad
people who demand the rollback of
COVID restrictions, demand the “right”
to go maskless, demand a return to
in-person instruction, demand that they
be allowed to gather in large groups in
churches, etc.
The question is, “How many people
must die to satisfy your demands?” Is it
the case that these people, at some level,
just don’t understand what a pandemic
is? More than 500,000 people have died
in the U.S., but they just don’t get it?
Right-wing politicians don’t get it.
They have always pushed purported
rights over lives, but the “rights” they’re
pushing in this regard seem very much
like privileges.
Even the Supreme Court (or at
least the conservative wing) don’t get
it. Religious rights require that more
people die, just so religious people can
gather together indoors and breath on
one another? Really? So, when those
people go home and infect their friends
and neighbors, and people die, we’re
supposed to say, “Oh well, it was their
right”?
The news media don’t seem to get
it. They treat all these issues in much
the same way they treat purely political
issues. He said this, and she said that.
But no analysis. Thousands of pages
of coverage, but no one has the guts
to mention the obvious truths of the
matter? Just once I’d like to read, “Of
course, this move would result in more
COVID-19 deaths.”
David Shoulders
Bend
Natural disasters should be
planned for, not forgotten
Lessons learned! Sound familiar? It’s
commonly followed by “never again” in
the aftermath of one of Mother Nature’s
temper tantrums. Once the initial shock
subsides and recovery commences, the
conversation turns to cause and preven-
tion. Committees are formed, studies
are undertaken, and a final report is
completed with suggestions on how to
prevent the recurrence of another “once-
in-a-lifetime” disaster.
As time passes and memories fade,
for whatever reason, be it cost or the
feeling that it won’t happen again in
this lifetime, the study ends up on some
shelf gathering dust like so many others.
That’s kind of what happened recently
in both Texas and the Portland Metro
area with those massive power outages.
Whether it be a natural phenom-
enon or the result human activity,
changing weather patterns look to be
a reality. In Texas, utility manage-
ment felt the costs to winterize
power generating equipment wasn’t
warranted because the previous severe
cold snap was a “once-in-a-lifetime”
occurrence. In the Portland Metro
area, trees were the main culprit.
Utilities ignored warnings that disas-
ter lurked if overgrown trees around
power lines weren’t trimmed or
removed.
Has our city management learned
anything from past missteps? They
certainly haven’t learned a thing about
how trees damage concrete and power
lines, planting new trees under the
power lines and in the new sidewalks on
Southeast Eighth Street.
Building on a floodplain was once
acceptable to early settlers, feeling that
a flood during spring runoff was just a
part of life. As our city grew, residents
became weary of the annual flooding,
and the levee was constructed to bring
that to an end — not, as some believe, to
provide a public walkway. Much later,
construction was approved along the
banks of the McKay Creek floodplain,
setting residents up for a “once-in-a-
lifetime” flood, with Mother Nature
obliging, several times over.
Lessons learned? Ignoring Army
Corps of Engineers standards for levee
maintenance proved costly. The city and
county have addressed that issue, for
now. Undertaking a project by the city
to remap the floodplain provides little
comfort for those rebuilding in River-
side on that same floodplain. McKay? A
change in the function of McKay Dam
from irrigation to flood control would
be helpful, since the Columbia River has
become the major source for irrigation.
As it now stands, those “once-in-a-life-
time” disasters have already morphed
into at least “thrice in a lifetime,” with
no long-term solution in sight.
Rick Rohde
Pendleton
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
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
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@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
Cliff Bentz
2185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford office: 541-776-4646
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us