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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2016)
A4 Opinion wallowa.com June 1, 2016 Wallowa County Chieftain Holiday reminds us to come together I n this bipartisan time, we rarely have opportunities to truly come together. There’s Christmas, but apparently there’s a war raging around it. We all watch the Super Voice of the Chieftain Bowl, but only half are satisied with the outcome. Thanks to the never- ending political calendar, this country inds itself divided on a daily basis. Memorial Day is an opportunity to step back from this division — to unite in remembrance and respect for those who gave the ultimate sacriice for this country. It is also an opportunity to remember why they gave that sacriice. What about this country and its principles makes it worth ighting for? No one gives their life for the Democratic or Republican party, or for their favorite sports team, or for a single law or politician. Those who join the military defend all Americans — our lives, our land, our culture and our traditions. It can be easy to forget, so far from the battleield, what that sacriice means. That there are nearly 7,000 young men and women who have been killed in combat since 2001. And it was for their hometown as well as ours, for their family and yours. We understand the impulse to spend the long weekend at the barbecue, car sale, camping or waiting in endless TSA checkpoints at the airport. And we hope you did enjoy the day off work. But we also hope you took a few minutes to look out at your cemetery, over to your neighbors, to the less fortunate, at the incredibly blessed, onto our bountiful lands. They are what we all have in common. EDITORIAL LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor are subject to editing and should be limited to 275 words. Writers should also include a phone number with their signature so we can call to verify identity. The Chieftain does not run anonymous letters. In terms of content, writers should refrain from per- sonal attacks. It’s acceptable, however, to attack (or sup- port) another party’s ideas. We do not routinely run thank-you letters, a policy we’ll consider waiving only in unusual situations where reason compels the exception. You can submit a letter to the Wallowa County Chief- tain in person; by mail to P.O. Box 338, Enterprise, OR 97828; by email to editor@wallowa.com; or via the submission form at the newspaper’s website, located at wallowa.com. (Drop down the “Opinion” menu on the navigation bar to see the relevant link). USPS No. 665-100 P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828 Ofice: 209 NW First St., Enterprise, Ore. Phone: 541-426-4567 • Fax: 541-426-3921 Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884 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 Scot Heisel, editor@wallowa.com Stephen Tool, stool@wallowa.com Kathleen Ellyn, kellyn@wallowa.com editor@wallowa.com Jennifer Powell, jpowell@wallowa.com Robby Day, rday@wallowa.com Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com p ublished every w ednesday by : EO Media Group Tragedy averted, but burned into memory Be careful what you wish for. The wish list last week had rain and ire on it. There was a good-sized pile of dry pon- derosa branches ready to burn. This was really going to crank once it got going, and there was enough stuff around that wasn’t supposed to burn that we crossed our ingers hoping for rain. We got it, sure enough. It poured like two cows whiz- zing on a lat rock for two days. Now it looked like we’d have to wring out each branch individually and hang them on the clothesline irst to get this to light. My burning cohort Jacob and I igured it was a long shot to get this soggy pile to go. I favor the hotspot approach to burn- pile ignition. Build a little campire, pret- ty much, and concentrate on getting that good and hot so it spreads. Some folks swear by gas, or diesel, or an old secret family recipe of diesel-gas mix. We used all the tricks on this one and the sense of accomplishment was no small thing when that big, wet pile inally took hold. We could hear the determined roar pick up in volume as the center of all those branches started glowing orange. We did a pitchfork and shovel high-ive. And that’s when we heard the kittens mewing. What is that? We held our ears down by the bottom of the burning pile and lis- tened. Sacre bleu, that is deinitely tiny kittens trapped inside a giant burning AND FURTHERMORE Jon Rombach pile of sticks we just lit on ire. Jack and I stared at each other. Our eyes were the size of volleyballs and we held a long and detailed two-second conversation with- out saying a word, then both started tear- ing the burnpile apart. Or trying to tear the burnpile apart. You ever try to dis- mantle a 10-foot pile of twisty branches by pulling out limbs from the base? It’s like a master’s course in Jenga. Also, this one was on ire, let’s not forget. We had a hose going, so we jammed that in there to try and slow the lames. But this was be- yond the garden hose stage. The ire was ripping and closing in on the increasingly frantic mews. I’ll save you the suspense. Jack reached both kittens and got them out. Somehow. I couldn’t believe it. Their barncat mother had really tucked them back in there where nothing could get to them. That feeling of not being able to stop something you put in motion was desperation mixed with gas, diesel, adrenaline and horror. Oh, and terror. Just awful. I thought for sure we weren’t go- ing to be able to save them and my hair would turn white right there on the spot. First one out was white. Tiny. Eyes barely open. The ire got so close to the second one its black fur was singed. We igured two kittens was an awfully small litter, so kept going in to listen and look for more. But it was just the two. There was a moment where Jacob had already rescued the white kitten and was back in the pile, just his legs sticking out, a hose running on his head, clawing at burning branches trying to reach the second kitten and he said, “I don’t even really like cats.” Me either. But the rest of the day cats is all we could talk about. We were like a couple of cat ladies. They’re both alive and well, reunited with their mom. Fuego and Nomex were the irst names we tried out on them. Then Marshmallow. Kingsford. Lots of possibilities for these two. That was the most intense burnpile I hope to ever be involved with. Hoowee. One last animal-related thing. I thought up a joke the other day. Was lis- tening to the news talk about transgender bathrooms, then looked outside and saw a deer hanging out in my yard. OK, what do you call a transgender deer? John Doe. Jon Rombach is a local columnist for The Chieftain. Don’t let the need for health insurance stop you from leaving Domestic violence is found across all socioeconomic groups — in fact, more than one in three women and one in four men have been victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. However, women are often economical- ly dependent on their abusers and are less able to leave and more likely to re- turn to abusive partners. Many women are dependent on their spouses for insur- ance coverage. Domestic abuse is something we don’t like to talk about. The Department of Justice (DOJ) deines domestic vio- lence as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one part- ner to gain or maintain power and con- trol over another intimate partner. Do- mestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that inlu- ence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure or wound someone. For most of us, it’s hard to fathom in- tentionally harming those we love. We see domestic violence on TV programs — or turn to another channel to avoid it. GUEST COLUMN Susan Johnson We see domestic violence victims on the news. We like to think it couldn’t hap- pen to anyone we know, but it does. We can’t just bury our heads in the sand and pretend that domestic abuse doesn’t exist. Awareness and education are integral to ending this cycle. Victims need appropriate community services. HHS and DOJ work extensively to eliminate domestic violence, as do state agencies, and nonproit organizations. Getting Help with Domestic Violence from the HHS Family & Youth Services Bureau’s website contains a collection of resources available to domestic abuse victims. This issue has been addressed by a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for victims of domestic abuse/violence or spousal abandonment. Dependents may be eligible, too. Oregonians who would like to apply using this SEP can contact HealthCare. gov at 1-800-318-2596 or get help en- rolling from a local insurance agent or community organization. They can ind local help by visiting OregonHealth- Care.gov or by calling 1-855-268-3767. The SEP for victims of domestic abuse/ violence or spousal abandonment lasts 60 days from the date of notiication to HealthCare.gov. Some items to note: • Those who are married to the abus- er/abandoner can answer on the Market- place application that they are unmar- ried for purposes of receiving inancial assistance, without fear of penalty for misstating marital status. • Self-attestation is required on tax forms the following year if inancial as- sistance was received. So, if you (or someone you know) are currently a victim of domestic abuse, don’t let the thought of losing your health insurance stop you from leaving an abusive relationship. Protect yourself and your children — you’ll still have health insurance options available. Susan Johnson is regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Region 10. Periodical Postage Paid at Enterprise and additional mailing ofices Subscription rates (includes online access) Wallowa County Out-of-County 1 Year $40.00 $57.00 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery See the Wallowa County Chieftain on the Internet www.wallowa.com facebook.com/Wallowa | twitter.com/wcchieftain POSTMASTER — Send address changes to Wallowa County Chieftain P.O. Box 338 Enterprise, OR 97828 Contents copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Volume 134 Way to go, Coach Johnny Roberts Wow! What justice. That Johnny Rob- erts’ girls track team from Joseph won the sate title the other day is cool beyond words. I remember, probably around my sophomore year at Wallowa High School, watching Johnny Roberts and Mike Southwick circling WHS’s grass track in a torrential downpour after all other competitors had exited for warm showers and home. The only other peo- ple out there witnessing their efforts were their coach, my father Don Wilson, and me, the manager. LETTERS to the EDITOR They might have been working to- gether to secure a new school record in the two mile, but more likely were intent on establishing qualifying times for an- other meet or meets. Joseph’s track coach for about 35 years, Roberts has bucked the consoli- dation trend that has seen Enterprise and Wallowa bond in track and Joseph, En- terprise and Wallowa join forces in base- ball and softball (the Joseph and Wallowa golf teams also have combined). If you know Johnny Roberts, you know there’s no doubt that he deiantly will direct all praise toward the members of the team who won the state title and accept none for himself. That’s certainly OK, but many of us take joy in the fact that he coached the team. Rocky Wilson Wallowa