ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
SATuRDAY, OCTOBeR 9, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Reminded
of a larger
tragedy
T
hrough all the news and statis-
tics, it can be easy to forget the
personal toll the COVID-19 virus
has had on people in our region and
throughout the nation.
A good case in point is Dave Bender,
who suffered at least two and maybe
three bouts of the infection.
Bender, who owned RetroRaagz, an
antique store in Stanfield, received his
first positive test for COVID-19 in July
2020 and a second one in August 2021.
Before that, he fell ill in December 2019
with a illness that mimicked all of the
symptoms of the virus.
Catching the virus twice is rare,
according to health officials, and a third
infection is almost unheard of. Bender
rented a storefront in Stanfield for his
new antique business. He acquired an
inventory and planned to open in late
2019. Yet the virus created a barrier to
opening his new store. He would feel
better and then get sick again.
He did open the store on request and he
tried to find success with sidewalk sales.
He used the internet as well but none
of his measures brought in the cash he
needed to stay afloat. He applied for the
Small Business Assistance COVID-19
Disaster Relief loan and small grants.
The federal money was denied and that
left Bender in a tough situation. Now he
is in the final stages of closing his shop
for good.
It is no doubt a tale of woe but Bend-
er’s story also is one that helps shine a
light on the deep impact the virus has
on people. Thousands of people end up
in the hospital because of the virus, but
thousands more are affected in other
ways like Bender. Some people become
COVID-19 “long-haulers,” those still
suffered debilitating side effects from the
virus months or years after the were first
struck down by the infection.
The toll from the virus medically is
usually well known. Daily reports of
overfilling hospitals and deaths continue
to dominate the news cycle, but there are
thousands more people who face the after
effects of the disease every day.
Bender’s story is a good example of
how a disease can touch a life in ways
that are unforeseen yet impactful. We
must not forget those who suffered — or
are still suffering — from the impact of
the virus yet may not be in a hospital.
Before the final tally on this pandemic is
written, there will surely be many more
people who will be impacted in ways like
Bender. That is very unfortunate.
We must not forget them.
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
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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
Comparison between
medical choice and
drunk driving ‘absurd’
There is a fundamental error with the
assertion that “the right to infect” others
is not a protected liberty.
A recent contributor astutely pointed
out that drunk driving is prohibited
because it poses a risk to other citizens
and concluded that, in a similar way,
refusing to wear a mask or vaccinate
presents a threat to public health. While
this argument may seem reasonable at
first blush, it is based on the presuppo-
sition that an unmasked/unvaccinated
person poses a real (as opposed to theo-
retical) risk to others.
Fortunately, an uninfected person
poses zero risk of coronavirus trans-
mission; only someone with an active
COVID-19 infection poses a risk of
spreading the virus to others. Of note,
an August report from the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
showed nearly three-quarters of new
COVID-19 cases arising from large
gatherings in a Massachusetts town
occurred in vaccinated people. The
suggestion that unvaccinated people
are a legitimate threat to public health
is deeply concerning to anyone who
values the rule of law.
Surprisingly, only 35 states have
laws criminalizing HIV expo-
sure (Oregon is not one of them).
State laws relating to communica-
ble diseases vary in strictness, but
according to Harvard Law, “in order
to establish a cause of action for a
negligent conduct, a plaintiff must
establish that (1) the defendant owes
him or her a duty; (2) there was a
breach of that duty; (3) there is a
causal connection between the defen-
dant’s conduct and the harm incurred
to the plaintiff; and (4) damages to the
plaintiff.” Prosecutors may be able to
charge assault and battery or criminal
negligence, but only if the burden of
proof is satisfied. As it turns out, the
“right to infect others” may actually
be protected if there is insufficient
evidence.
An argument that equates a personal
medical decision with running over
pedestrians in a crosswalk is absurd
and completely ignores the structure
and function of the American justice
system. We should not be accusing
people of crimes just because we feel
their actions threaten our current way of
life. When we leave legal matters in the
hands of the mob, we end up lynching
people based not on evidence of a crime
committed but on our own ignorance
and bigotry.
The argument that unvaccinated
people are selfishly (and criminally)
putting others at risk makes an appeal to
emotion, but it lacks legal and evidential
support.
Rebecca Patton
Enterprise
Early cancer detection
can help save lives
On Oct. 2, my younger brother told
me he has end stage cancer. We do not
know how long he will live. New tech-
nology to improve cancer early detec-
tion and save lives is on our fingertips.
Several companies are developing new
blood tests to detect multiple cancers
early that would complement existing
early detection tests.
These tests could be life-chang-
ing, but only if people can access
them. That’s the message I shared with
Sen. Ron Wyden and my members of
Congress during a virtual event with
the American Cancer Society Cancer
Action Network. I asked them to
support legislation to increase cancer
screening and early detection in Medi-
care.
This bipartisan legislation would
ensure that those on Medicare don’t
face unacceptable delays in access-
ing these new tests once they are FDA
approved, which is important since
Medicare already covers early detec-
tion tests for breast, colorectal and
prostate cancers. People on Medicare
must have access to new screening
options.
Detecting cancer early could be the
difference between life or death. I’m
grateful that Reps. Earl Blumenaurer
and Kurt Schrader support these
efforts, and I hope that Wyden will
support this legislation too. It is time
to discover cancer cures. It will be too
late for my brother.
Please make it in time for our
loved ones.
Karen Malcolm
Pendleton
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. 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