ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
SaTuRDay, OCTObER 30, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Standing
up for our
democracy
S
erving on a public body can seem
like a daunting endeavor, but there
is no better way to give back to
your community.
Morrow County is searching for
people for its planning commission to
represent the Boardman and Ione areas.
The role is a volunteer one and individ-
uals are appointed for four-year terms
ending in December 2025. The planning
commission meets once a month.
The board is important for obvious
reasons. Volunteer commissioners hold
hearings on land use applications and
issues. Members also review changes to
the county’s subdivision and zoning ordi-
nances and the county’s comprehensive
plans. Commission members also guide
county staff on long-term planning linked
to land use.
Members of the commission, then,
play a pivotal, mostly unseen role. Land
use issues are a central part of any rural
county, and Morrow is no exception.
As a volunteer position, there isn’t
much in terms of concrete benefits that
will go toward an individual who decides
to step up and become a commission
member. Yet that really isn’t the point. At
least not with this board.
The board needs community members
who care — care about their county, care
about the future and care enough about
their neighbors that they want to be there
in a crucial position to help them.
No doubt there isn’t much instant grat-
ification from working on such a board.
And, as with anything connected to
democracy, there always is the possibility
a decision will spark controversy or push
back from voters.
Still, that is the form of government we
live by. Democracy can be messy, but that
should never be a reason an individual
shies away from an important volunteer
position.
The work on such a board as the
Morrow County Planning Commission
isn’t going to be a glitzy one, but it will
be one where someone can make a real
difference. Not just now, but down the
road. The key, of course, is finding the
right person for the job. We believe there
are lots of people out there who could use
their expertise for just such a role, and we
hope they step up.
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
The day of judgment
is upon all of us now
Matt Henry’s column (“So tell me:
what’s it going to be?,” Oct. 7, 2021)
is first rate in my opinion when one is
considering getting a COVID-19 shot or
not doing so.
Henry said, “for bona fide Chris-
tians, there can only be one side. The
Gospel of ultimate self-sacrifice — the
greatest good for the greater good —
draws a line in the sand that cannot be
breached.” Get the shot. It’s that simple.
From Henry, “only time will tell if we
ultimately pull up from our headlong
tailspin into destruction, or if we even
have the time left to do so.”
The question for those who profess
to be Christians is: Are you hellbent on
dying? Is it really your wish to sacrifice
others for your cherished self-centered
ideological viewpoint? Has Satan bound
you to a selfish view? Not so, Jesus says,
each controls their own heart.
Unfortunately, in control of one’s
heart, polls show Christians behave a
little differently from non-Christians.
What is the answer to this?
Selfishness is a disregard of other’s
interest; its cause is a lack of manifest
self-knowledge and self-understand-
ing. We live on an island, we live on
this island in a community. As stated
by Henry, we are not here to say, “You
come for the last can of pork and beans”
and I will shoot you.
The day of judgment, COVID-19 or
otherwise, is not in the future. The day
of judgment is now.
Ronald Gavette
Pendleton
Dismissing climate change
won’t stop the consequences
I wish the climate was not chang-
ing. I wish there was no drought caus-
ing gigantic wildfires to burn forests,
range lands, houses and towns. I wish
the polar ice was not melting, causing
wildlife to be decimated and rais-
ing the ocean levels endangering our
coastlines.
I wish the ocean temperatures were
not becoming too warm to sustain fish
and sea creatures. I wish the hurri-
canes and tornados along the Atlantic
coast and the Gulf of Mexico were not
becoming worse, causing almost total
destruction across huge areas. I wish
we did not need to be concerned about
snowpack in the Wallowas.
I wish millions of refugees around
the world were not desperately trying to
escape starvation and the ruin of their
homelands.
In a conversation last week I
expressed concern about the changing
climate and was met with the typical
put-down: “Oh, well, the climate has
always changed ... there was the ice age
...” and “it doesn’t mean that humans are
responsible for the changing climate.”
Being a former teacher, I started to
explain the scientific facts involved and
that the preponderance of scientists say
the changing climate is due to human
behavior. But I stopped and went on
about my business because I was obvi-
ously being ignored.
So I am sad, not because someone
will not listen to me, but because too
many people refuse to pay attention
to scientists. Last week, three scien-
tists in their 80s and 90s were awarded
the Nobel Prize in physics. They had
spent their lives studying and observing
climate change and a variety of scien-
tific disciplines and related their obser-
vations to human behavior.
Almost all credible scientists under-
stand and share their knowledge about
climate change, agreeing that because
some of those issues are caused by
human behavior, some can be changed
by humans.
There are some changes we can
make so that the planet can sustain life
beyond 2050. I have made some changes
in my personal lifestyle, and I am will-
ing to continue to accept more changes.
But it would take everyone to be willing
to make changes in their lives, not just a
few, for our great grandchildren to have
air to breath, clean water to drink and
agriculture to sustain life.
Wishing it was not true is not a solu-
tion. An unsubstantiated belief that
climate change is unreal does not keep
it from happening. It is late, but we can
save our planet if we get to work. Please
do not take my word for it or the word of
your local politicians. Read and find out
for yourselves.
Evelyn Swart
Joseph
Youths should simply
get off social media
I just read “Equally good and equally
horrible,” (published in the Oct. 14,
2021, East Oregonian) and it just makes
my blood boil.
If the adults are not going to man
up and put some serious guardrails on
social media; if they flat-out refuse to
protect kids form all manner of bullying
and meanness and cruelty, then there is
still something very powerful and effec-
tive kids can do for themselves and each
other. They can simply shut off all social
media — I mean it.
If they can get through the first week,
then the withdrawal of the first two to
three days will be the hardest. But then
they will experience a new peace that
has been longed for but missing for
a very long time. They will surprise
themselves by finding other ways of fill-
ing their time and connecting with their
friends.
I hope they do it en masse. They will
be doing themselves and each other
a huge favor — and who knows, they
might even inspire some change with
the groveling social media owners.
Renee Lovejoy
Hermiston
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
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
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Cliff Bentz
2185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
Medford office: 541-776-4646