ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
PHIL WRIGHT
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
SATURDAY, JUNe 12, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Tip of
the hat,
kick in
the pants
A
tip of the hat to area high
schools that already were teach-
ing civics before Gov. Kate
Brown signed a bill last week requiring
all Oregon students to take a half-credit
civics class before graduating.
Americans as a whole have a dismal
understanding of their own government.
In 2018, the Woodrow Wilson National
Fellowship Foundation surveyed 1,000
adults and found only 36% of them could
pass the civics test to become a United
States citizen. Such ignorance weakens
our democracy and makes people easy
prey for misinformation and manipula-
tion.
Graduates of Hermiston and Pendle-
ton should be coming out of school with a
better understanding of how this coun-
try works, thanks to their civics teachers,
and we’re glad other Oregon schools will
soon be required to follow suit.
A kick in the pants to the closure of
Hermiston’s Veterans of Foreign Wars
post. Those involved, from local post
members to state leaders, have pointed
fingers in every direction about whose
fault it was the post’s charter has been
revoked, and it seems they are right about
one thing: There is plenty of blame to go
around.
From interviews with local post
members, it seems those involved include
at least one alleged embezzler, aided by
lax oversight of funds at the local and
state level. Local members say the state
VFW department shut them down too
quickly, when there still were people
working to improve the post and success-
fully bringing in new members, which
we agree appears to be the case. But
some local members also bear blame for
the infighting and drama that alienated
current and potential members.
Whether VFW Post 4750 reopens or
someone steps up to form a new organi-
zation for combat veterans, we hope local
veterans are able to find the support and
community they need.
A tip of the hat to the Oregon Trail
Library District for eliminating late fees
and forgiving most past fees. Library
district Director Kathy Street said
worries about incurring fees have held
some families back from getting a library
card in the past.
Libraries are a valuable public
resource, particularly for those on a tight
budget, and we hope the move encour-
ages more people to use Morrow County
libraries in Boardman, Heppner and Irri-
gon in the future.
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
Smiths welcomed home to
Pendleton
I would like to welcome Gordon and
Sharon Smith back home to Pendleton.
I had the pleasure of interviewing
Gordon during his campaign for elec-
tion to the Oregon Senate many years
ago. He and Sharon invited me into their
home on the hill overlooking Pendleton,
and I was so impressed with him and
his politics that I wrote that he would
surely be elected to the Oregon Senate,
and that he soon would rise to president
of Senate.
While my editor questioned my bold
prediction, not only did Gordon Smith
serve in the Oregon Legislature but
he went on to serve as the last Repub-
lican senator from Oregon in the U.S.
Congress.
Now, at 69, he has retired and
retuned to Pendleton.
Welcome home, senator, and thank
you for your service.
Ed Glenn
Boardman
What is fair for the goose
should be fair for the
gander
My life psychology has always been
“plant a seed or perspective and then
watch to see how it grows.”
I personally believe a state policy
and/or regulation should be positive for
all concerned — both rural and urban.
Let’s stop and look at the topic of preda-
tor controls from a broad sense.
One only has to review past state-
wide votes to observe who is support-
ing policy for introducing wolves back
into our state. I remember a statewide
vote to protect bears and cougars.
Where did that support come from?
Now I wonder how the urban folks
would vote for bears, cougars and
wolves being reintroduced in their
backyards?
Statewide legislation and regulations
affect all Oregonians, right?
Therefore, shouldn’t those wild crea-
tures be released evenly statewide?
Yes, a really wild (pardon the pun)
idea but what is fair for the goose
should be fair for the gander. There
are many semi-rural areas in the I-5
corridor that would be ideal for all
three species. After all, years ago they
roamed all across the land that now is
the state of Oregon.
Ken Parsons
La Grande
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 St.
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