A4
Opinion
wallowa.com
June 24, 2015
Wallowa County Chieftain
Tell public
what’s up
at WVSL
A
n unpleasant episode for three Wallowa Valley Senior
Living residents and their families appears to have reached
a less troubling end as WVSL has suddenly backed off from
UHTXLULQJWKHUHVLGHQWVWR¿QGQHZGLJV3UHGLFWDEO\GD\QRWLFHV
WVSL tendered the three — all
of whom had moved over to
EDITORIAL
WKHVSDQNLQJQHZWD[IXQGHG
IDFLOLW\IURPWKHZRUQRXWIRUPHU The voice of the Chieftain
hospital annex across town where
nursing care was offered —
sparked public outcry.
Although Senior Living has now been in business two years,
it continues to encounter some mistrust from a public that never
bought in fully to the idea that nursing care can no longer be
part of the program here. So far, the episode that just played out
RQO\VHUYHVWRFRQ¿UPFULWLFV¶PRVWQHJDWLYHYLHZVUHJDUGOHVVRI
ZKHWKHUWKHVHZHUHRULJLQDOO\ZHOOIRXQGHG$QGSHUKDSVEHFDXVH
the controversy involves questions about care levels afforded (or
QRWDIIRUGHGWRNQRZQWKRXJKQRWSXEOLFO\LGHQWL¿HGLQGLYLGXDOV
the Wallowa County Health Care District is appearing a mite
tentative in its public response to the issues raised. The district
allotted approximately 20 minutes to the matter at its June 22
board meeting – enough time for affected family members to air
their grievances in some detail, at times reading from prepared
statements — but it was clear that little of substance would be
LPPHGLDWHO\IRUWKFRPLQJIURPGLVWULFWRI¿FLDOVWKHPVHOYHV
,WPD\EHWKDWOLDELOLW\ZRUULHVNHHSRI¿FLDOVIURPVSHDNLQJ
FDQGLGO\WRWKHSXEOLFEXWWKDW¶VXQIRUWXQDWHIRUDOORIXVEHFDXVHD
IHZNH\TXHVWLRQVMXVWZRQ¶WJRDZD\
For instance: What was the deciding factor in rescinding the
GD\QRWLFHV"'LGVWDWHRUORFDORI¿FLDOVGHWHUPLQHWKHIDFLOLW\
indeed bore a kind of “grandfathering” obligation to these three
UHVLGHQWVEHFDXVHWKH\KDGPRYHGIURPWKHQXUVLQJKRPH"2U
ZHUHLQGLYLGXDODVVHVVPHQWVRIWKHVHUHVLGHQWV¶UHVSHFWLYHOHYHOVRI
QHHGHGFDUHHDFKLQVHULRXVHUURU"
And, most important: What has the district learned, and what
VWHSVDUHEHLQJWDNHQWRHQVXUHWKDWUHVLGHQWVZRQ¶WEHZURQJO\
QRWL¿HGLQWKHIXWXUH"
Sorry, health care district, but we do need to know.
–RCR
Shame this
ranch, please
5
DQFKR6DQWD)HDZHOOKHHOHGHQFODYHLQ&DOLIRUQLD¶V6DQ
'LHJR&RXQW\XVHV¿YHWLPHVWKHZDWHUSHUFDSLWDDVWKH
UHVWRIWKHVWDWHDFFRUGLQJWRWKH:DVKLQJWRQ3RVW7KH
3RVWIRXQGQRVKRUWDJHRIUHVLGHQWVRQWKHUDQFK²DVWKHWRZQ
is known by residents — who are on record that the drought is
IRUWKHOLWWOHSHRSOHZKRFDQ¶WDIIRUGWKHZDWHU
6WHYH<XKDVVD\VQRRQHVKRXOGEHIRUFHGWROLYHZLWKEURZQ
lawns, or golf on brown courses.
³:HSD\VLJQL¿FDQWSURSHUW\WD[HVEDVHGRQZKHUHZHOLYH´
KHVDLG³$QGQRZH¶UHQRWDOOHTXDOZKHQLWFRPHVWRZDWHU´
*D\%XWOHUDQLQWHULRUGHVLJQHUWROGWKH3RVWWKDWDOOWKH
³GURXJKWVKDPLQJ´RI5DQFKR6DQWD)HLVXQIDLU
³,WDQJHUVPHEHFDXVHSHRSOHDUHQ¶WORRNLQJDWWKHRYHUDOO
SLFWXUH´%XWOHUVDLG³:KDWDUHZHVXSSRVHGWRGRMXVWKDYH
GLUWDURXQGRXUKRXVHRQIRXUDFUHV"´
The drought will cost the farm economy $2.7 billion and
DOPRVWMREV/LYHOLKRRGVDUHEHLQJORVWEXWLQ5DQFKR
6DQWD)HLW¶VDERXWEURZQ\DUGVDQGJROIFRXUVHV
:KRLVQ¶WORRNLQJDWWKHRYHUDOOSLFWXUH"
Corrections
• The late Charlie Trump was a resident of Wallowa,
not of Enterprise. The Chieftain regrets the error in last
ZHHN¶VDUWLFOHDERXWWKH%OXH0RXQWDLQ2OG7LPH)LGGOHUV
event.
7KH 'XOFLPHU ([WUDYDJDQ]D &RQFHUW LV VFKHGXOHG
IRU)ULGD\-XO\DWSPDWWKH-RVHSK\&HQWHU7KH
Chieftain regrets that it was listed under the wrong date in
ODVWZHHN¶VFDOHQGDU
USPS No. 665-100
P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828
2I¿FH1:)LUVW6W(QWHUSULVH2UH
3KRQH)D[
:DOORZD&RXQW\¶V1HZVSDSHU6LQFH
Enterprise, Oregon
M EMBER O REGON N EWSPAPER P UBLISHERS A SSOCIATION
P UBLISHER
E DITOR
R EPORTER
R EPORTER
N EWSROOM ASSISTANT
A D S ALES CONSULTANT
G RAPHIC D ESIGNER
O FFICE MANAGER
Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com
Rob Ruth, editor@wallowa.com
Stephen Tool, stool@wallowa.com
Kathleen Ellyn, kellyn@wallowa.com
Elliott Seyler, eseyler@wallowa.com
Brooke Pace, bpace@wallowa.com
Robby Day, rday@wallowa.com
Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com
:KDWLVWKLVVWRU\UHDOO\DERXW"7DNH
your pick. Hair color, hair style, skin col
RU"5DFH":KRVHUDFH"0D\EHLW¶VDERXW
ER[HVDQGFKHFNLQJWKHULJKWRQHV0D\
EHLW¶VDERXWLQWHJULW\OLHVDQGGHFHSWLRQ
Two weeks ago, I had never heard of
5DFKHO 'ROH]DO WKH ZRPDQ ZKR UHFHQWO\
stepped down from her post as executive
GLUHFWRURI6SRNDQH¶V1$$&3DPLGDVZLUO
of media controversy regarding her race.
I have several confessions of my own
WRPDNHDERXWWKLVVWRU\)LUVW,¶PFRP
ing to despise “the media,” whose main
function these days seems to be public
bullying. Second, I admit that my view
point might be atypical, in that the more
,OHDUQDERXW5DFKHOWKHEHWWHU,OLNHKHU
$QG¿QDOO\,KDYHEHJXQWRUHDOL]HWKDW,
WRRDPSDUWO\$IULFDQ$PHULFDQDQGWKDW
you probably are as well.
In case you have been living in a cave
recently (and if you have, congratulations
²\RX¶YHSUREDEO\PDGHDZLVHFKRLFH
I will give you a little background infor
PDWLRQ 5DFKHO ZDV UDLVHG LQ D IDPLO\
alongside four adopted black siblings.
Her parents — whose reliability has been
portrayed as unimpeachable so far by our
QDWLRQDOPHGLD²KDYHVDLGWKDW5DFKHO
ZDVEORQGDQGIDLUVNLQQHGDVDFKLOGDQG
WKDWVKHLVRIPRVWO\*HUPDQDQG&]HFK
DQFHVWU\ZLWKDWUDFHRI1DWLYH$PHULFDQ
heritage.
5DFKHOVSHQWVRPHRIKHUFKLOGKRRGLQ
0LVVLVVLSSLLQPDLQO\EODFNVFKRROVDQG
VRPHRILWKRPHVFKRROHGZLWKKHUIDP
LO\ LQ 0RQWDQD %\ KHU DFFRXQW DV ZHOO
DVKHUSDUHQWV¶VKHFDPHWRLGHQWLI\ZLWK
3HULRGLFDO3RVWDJH3DLGDW(QWHUSULVHDQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV
1 Year
$40.00
$57.00
6XEVFULSWLRQVPXVWEHSDLGSULRUWRGHOLYHU\
See the Wallowa County Chieftain on the Internet
www.wallowa.com
facebook.com/Wallowa | twitter.com/wcchieftain
32670$67(5 — Send address changes to
Wallowa County Chieftain
32%R[
(QWHUSULVH25
Contents copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction
without permission is prohibited.
POLITICAL
PHILOSOPHY
John
McColgan
black children and black culture at an
early age. She married a black man, has
one son from that marriage, and has le
gally adopted one of her former adoptive
black siblings. She also attended histori
cally black Howard University.
Given her life history, it is small won
GHUWRPHWKDW5DFKHOFDPHWR³VHOILGHQ
WLI\´DVEODFN6KHOHDUQHGDERXWKDLUVW\O
ing, and she chose to style her own with
an Afro look.
I guess this is one of the things “the
media” wants us to be outraged about.
Somewhere in the Ten Commandments,
there must have been a “Thou shalt not
change thy hair style or hair color,” but
PD\EH0RVHVPLVVHGWKDWRQH
Along the course of her life, people
EHJDQ WR PDNH DVVXPSWLRQV DERXW 5D
chel, based on her looks, her family, and
her lifestyle, and she did not correct them.
0D\EHVKHHYHQPLVOHGWKHPE\FKHFN
LQJWKH³ZURQJ´ER[HV'LGVKHVHOILGHQ
WLI\ DV ³%ODFN´ RU ³$IULFDQ$PHULFDQ´
ZKHQVKH¿OOHGLQMREDSSOLFDWLRQV"
,¶YH QHYHU OLNHG KDYLQJ WR GHFLGH
ZKLFK RI WKRVH ER[HV WR FKHFN 7KHUH¶V
XVXDOO\RQHIRU³1DWLYH$PHULFDQ´DQG
I think I ought to qualify there, since I
ZDVERUQLQWKH86$EXW,NQRZWKDW¶V
not what the designation means. I hate
FKHFNLQJ ³:KLWH´ EHFDXVH ,¶P UHDOO\
WZRWRQHG ZLWK WDQQHG DUPV DQG IDFH
DQG WKH UHVW RI PH SHDFKFRORUHG 7KH\
have no boxes for “Irish” or “Greek,”
which is my heritage. And the box for
“Caucasian” makes me cringe, especially
QRZWKDW,KDYHFKHFNHGWKHGH¿QLWLRQRQ
Wikipedia.
,I\RXORRNXSWKDWGH¿QLWLRQ\RXZLOO
¿QG ODUJHO\ GLVFUHGLWHG DUFKHW\SHV WKDW
sound uncomfortably like the foundation
RI³0HLQ.DPSI´7KHUHLVHYHQDJUDSK
from a book published in 1920, entitled
³7KH5LVLQJ7LGHRI&RORU$JDLQVW:KLWH
World Supremacy.” And it turns out that
being Caucasian actually includes being
from Africa as one of its many subsets.
.QRZLQJWKDWRQHRIP\JUDQGIDWKHUV
was born on the island of Crete, I have
no problem accepting that my naturally
tanning skin probably dates back to some
African ancestry. And if you believe in
evolution, you too should accept that
if you could trace your own roots back
far enough, you probably have African
bloodlines as well.
6R KDV 5DFKHO EHHQ O\LQJ WR XV" ,¶OO
say this: she never lied to me, and I wish
her the best in life, which seems to be
more than her parents do.
2QH RI 5DFKHO¶V VRQV UHDVVXUHG KHU
WKLV ZD\ ³0RP´ KH VDLG ³5DFLDOO\
\RX¶UHKXPDQ&XOWXUDOO\\RX¶UHEODFN´
Well said. And I recommend that we
all start being more honest with ourselves
about our own very mixed racial heritages.
John McColgan writes from his home
in Joseph.
No to fees for Joseph streets
To the Editor:
+HUH DJDLQ FRPHV WKH %OLQG /HDGLQJ
WKH %OLQG 0U 6DQGV DQG 0V 6ZDUW ¿W
the description. Sands still thinks simple
logic can be hidden by showing a lem
on and calling it an apple. His method
of presenting numerous schemes of debt
DSSOLHGWRQRUPDOFLWL]HQVRI-RVHSKFRQ
WLQXHV %\ ODEHOLQJ VXFK UXHV XQGHU DQ
array of different titles, we mortals might
ELWH +LJKHU FRVWV RU IHHV RU WD[HV VWLOO
is just that, increased taxes. For Sands
to continue trying to steal from us is an
LQVXOWWRRXUFRPPRQVHQVH1RVHQVLEOH
commoner would ever agree to his blind
doggedness to raise taxes.
0V6ZDUWVORJLFGLVSOD\VKHUXWRSLDQ
convictions. This being, if some folks can
afford constant increases in taxes then let
the commoners suffer for it. Her logic
and Sands doggedness shows us all cer
tain truths. This being all bureaucrats and
politicians must justify their ignorance
and positions held.
Hold fast mortals and vote against all
such bills to steal from us.
Harlan Menton
Joseph
USFS doesn’t want us to
know
P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY :
EO Media Group
Subscription rates (includes online access)
Wallowa County
Out-of-County
We are all racially mixed
To the Editor:
The US Forest Service has sunk to a
QHZORZLQ(DVWHUQ2UHJRQWKDWLVWKH\
have decided that you are too dangerous
a group of people to be informed as to
what roads they plan to close in your
mountains. How do I know that, because
I have received a response telling me so.
While they put out propaganda of how
WKH\ZDQWWRHQJDJHZLWK\RXRQWKH1D
tional Forest, but when I or anyone else
requests documents to engage, we are
told we may cause “injury to the quality
of the agency decision.” let me emphasis,
ZH WKH SHRSOH RI (DVWHUQ 2UHJRQ PD\
cause injury because we received a docu
ment to educate ourselves with.
0XFKOLNHWKH0XOODKV¶LQWKHPRVD
ics of Afghanistan, the US Forest Service
means to keep you ignorant as to what
is going on around you. Communities
DQGFLWL]HQVDUHHDVLHUWRFRQWUROLIWKH\
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
DUH NHSW IURP WKH WUXWK RI ZKDW¶V JRLQJ
on around them and the decisions a few
are making for the larger population. See,
you/we/I are too dumb, too backwards,
too unenlightened to understand the
complexities of such ecological process,
RUDUHZH"
I have a college education in natural
UHVRXUFH,NQRZWKDWZDWHUÀRZVGRZQ
hill and that active management tech
niques play a greater role in meeting the
SXEOLF¶V QHHGV WKDQ H[FOXVLRQ RI XVH ,
know that there is a “tread lightly” cam
paign being pushed by a small minority
on the upper echelons of the US Forest
Service where man is looked at as a dis
ease on the landscape and not a part of
LW%XWPRVWLPSRUWDQWO\,NQRZWKLV<RX
and I are not dumb, backwards or unen
lightened.
,W¶VDOLHDQGZHDUHGHDOLQJZLWKOLDUV
in the leadership positions of the forest
VHUYLFHIURPWKHVXSHUYLVRU¶VRI¿FHXS
If you want to keep your mountains open
\RXDUHJRLQJWRKDYHWRGLJLQDQG¿JKW
DUH\RXZLOOLQJWRGRWKDW",KRSHVREH
cause your kids and grandkids right to
access depends on it.
John George
Bates
Let counties leave
Oregon
To the Editor:
5XUDO2UHJRQLDQVLQJHQHUDODQG(DVW
2UHJRQLDQV LQ SDUWLFXODU DUH JURZLQJ
increasingly dismayed by the manner
LQZKLFK2UHJRQ¶VOHJLVODWXUHDQG2UH
JRQ¶VXUEDQGZHOOHUVKDYHPDUJLQDOL]HG
WKHLU YDOXHV GHPRQL]HG WKHLU OLIHVW\OH
YLOODLQL]H WKHLU UHVRXUFH EDVHG OLYHOL
KRRGVDQGKDYHFODVVL¿HGWKHPDVVHF
RQGFODVVFLWL]HQVDWEHVW$OOWKHZKLOH
WKH\ FRYHU 2UHJRQ¶V PRVW IHUWLOH DQG
well watered farm ground with urban
sprawl, gangs, illegal aliens, homeless
camps, welfare tramps, and touchy feely
politics that add little or no value to ru
UDO OLIHVW\OHV 0HDQZKLOH 2UHJRQ¶V UX
ral residents carve out a resource based
living on marginal farm ground and the
OHIWRYHUVRI2UHJRQ¶VHFRQRPLFJURZWK
infrastructure and technological innova
tion.
7KH 3RUWODQG PHWUR DUHD LV KRPH WR
RI 2UHJRQ¶V YRWHUV DQG FRYHUV D
PHUHVTXDUHPLOHVRI2UHJRQ¶V
VTXDUHPLOHVWKDW¶VOHVVWKDQ
RILWVODQGPDVVWREHH[DFW
)LYH RI 2UHJRQ¶V FRXQWLHV QRZ
FRQWURO RI 2UHJRQ¶V OHJLVODWLYH
DFWLYLW\1RQHDUHUXUDO1RQHDUHHDVWRI
WKH&DVFDGHV1RQHDUHRXWVLGHWKH:LO
lamette valley.
It would appear to any rural resident
RU RXWVLGH REVHUYHU WKDW PRVW RI 2UH
JRQ¶VXUEDQLWHVYLHZ2UHJRQ¶VUXUDOUHV
idents as nothing more than third world
LQKDELWDQW¶V RFFXS\LQJ WKHLU ZHHNHQG
and vacation playgrounds in what they
DGYHUWLVH WR WKH ZRUOG DV 2UHJRQ¶V
unique diversity. The political diversity
in this state is becoming unpalatable.
6LQFH 2UHJRQ¶V XUEDQ GZHOO
ers have elected a group of individuals
that represent nothing short of the ar
istocracy of political power, they have
switched their role in democracy from
servant to lord. These people have suc
cessfully disenfranchised and subjugat
ed the people occupying everything not
3RUWODQGRUWKH:LOODPHWWHYDOOH\7KH\
have enacted laws with little or no de
bate and no amendments. They have
VWDWHG WKH\ ZLOO ¿[ DGPLWWHGO\ ÀDZHG
laws after they are enacted, this is back
wards legislative procedure designed to
exclude and silence opposition, often
times with out of state money from east
coast power brokers.
7LPHIRUDFKDQJH7LPHWRRUJDQL]H
7LPHWRVHFHGHRUVXFFXPE7KLUW\RQH
counties need to put an initiative on their
ballot that states, “Should (my) county
VHFHGH IURP WKH 6WDWH RI 2UHJRQ DQG
seek a more perfect union elsewhere”
,PDJLQHIRUDPRPHQW,GDKR¶VZHVW
HUQERUGHUVWUHWFKLQJWRWKH3DFL¿FDQG
WKH 6WDWH RI 2UHJRQ VKULQNLQJ WR OHVV
than 4000 square miles of land locked
river view property.
Grant Darrow
Elgin