Wednesday, October 6, 2021 A4 OPINION VOICE of the CHIEFTAIN Issues remain after deadline pushed back T he news that more than half of Oregon’s state employees will get an extra six weeks to get inoculated against COVID-19 was wel- come, but the question of what happens after the deadline remains unanswered. Gov. Kate Brown pushed back the earlier October deadline and set Nov. 30 as the final date state employees must be vaccinated. The decision affects more than 20,000 workers. Yet many people — including many in the health care industry — have no intention of getting vaccinated for a vari- ety of reasons, and that could mean the state will face a new crisis on top of an already spiraling COVID-19 surge. That we’ve reached this point in what is a once-a-century pandemic is beyond troubling. It is sad. Yet, here we are. If neither side budges — and so far, the governor hasn’t indicated she plans to back down — then the small towns scattered across Eastern Oregon will encounter a new medical emergency because there will be fewer qualified people to attend to those with the virus and people injured or in need of serious care. In a sense, the area’s hospitals are caught in the middle — a not uncommon situation since the pandemic began — as they must comply with the state mandate but, at the same time, need qualified peo- ple to operate effectively. Ultimately, much of the final con- sequence of this situation is out of the hands of residents of the region. We can sympathize with health care workers, or we can feel they should all follow the governor’s mandate but, in the end, it will be an individual decision thousands of workers have to make. So, the real question is what measures and fail-safes are elected leaders across the region proposing to overcome a sud- den loss of thousands of qualified work- ers? What will be the state’s role if the region faces a mass exodus of health care workers? Have local elected lead- ers reached out to state leaders about the issue? If so, what plan is in the works? We can’t afford to wait around and see who blinks first. We need actionable plans in case we lose a great number of workers. LETTERS to the EDITOR GOP is succeeding where bin Laden failed While I appreciate the many com- pelling national and local stories about the impact of the 9/11 attacks, including those that appeared in the Chieftain, the somber truth of this anniversary has been largely left out of the coverage: Osama bin Laden won. The attacks on 9/11 were merely the detonating charge that got us to blow up our own country and violate what remained of its nobler values — to embrace torture, end due process for cer- tain groups, establish a surveillance state, mire ourselves in bloody and expen- sive Sisyphean efforts at regime change abroad, refuse to recognize and address the ongoing climate apocalypse and embrace ventilators over masks in the current pandemic. Now, one of our major political par- ties is in thrall to an aspiring autocrat and working feverishly to cripple and nullify voting. What bin Laden could not achieve — the end of America as a free, prosper- ous and democratic nation — the GOP is pursuing with an untrammeled passion. It has been a grim trajectory from the flam- ing towers to our own self-immolation. Stephen Ducat Joseph Analyzing vaccine ‘pro’ vs. ‘con’ letters The Chieftain published a series of Opinion letters arguing the “pros” and “cons” of COVID preventative measures. The “pro” camp presented objec- tive, science-based facts showing vacci- nation and masking to be safe and effec- tive against COVID hospitalizations and death, consistent with conclusions of infectious disease experts and our coun- ty’s physicians. The “con” perspective challenged the safety and effectiveness of these measures and questioned the ethics of vaccinating children. This opinion was not substan- tiated by credible scientific research or endorsed by public health authorities. Vaccinated county residents (65%) obviously side with the “pro” science camp. They chose wisely since the unvac- cinated account for the overwhelm- ing majority of our local hospitalized COVID-sick patients. The debate has now turned ideologi- cal. The “con” camp argues for personal choice to refuse vaccination and masking mandates. Implied is liberty to also infect others, overcrowd hospital beds and pass onto taxpayers costs to treat preventable illness. Our county’s 12 COVID deaths and 602 diagnosed cases argues against the “con” camp libertarian position. I’ll weigh into the ideological debate as a clinician who took care of com- bat-wounded veterans for 31 years. Those veterans courageously stepped up to take a bullet in the name of patriotism, defined EDITORIALS: Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Wallowa County Chieftain editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the Wallowa County Chieftain. LETTERS: The Wallowa County Chieftain welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publi- cation 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@wallowa.com, or via mail to Wallowa County Chieftain, 209 NW 1st St. Enterprise, OR 97828 as “devotion to and vigorous support of one’s country.” Libertarians who won’t brave a needle stick and inconvenience of a mask might consider walking in the footsteps of those who secured their liberty through sac- rifice, while reflecting on JFK’s imper- ative to “ask what you can do for your country.” Miles McFall Joseph 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 presupposi- tion that an unmasked/unvaccinated per- son poses a real (as opposed to theoreti- cal) risk to others. Fortunately, an uninfected person poses zero risk of coronavirus trans- mission; only someone with an active COVID infection poses a risk of spread- ing the virus to others. Of note, an August report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed nearly three-quarters of new COVID cases aris- ing from large gatherings in a Massachu- setts 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 exposure (Oregon is not one of them). State laws relating to communicable diseases vary in strict- ness, 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 connec- tion between the defendant’s conduct and the harm incurred to the plaintiff; and (4) damages to the plaintiff.” Prosecutors may be able to charge assault and bat- tery or criminal negligence, but only if the burden of proof is satisfied. As it turns out, the “right to infect others” may actu- ally 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 func- tion 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 Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884 Member Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association VOLUME 134 USPS No. 665-100 P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828 Office: 209 NW First St., Enterprise, Ore. Phone: 541-426-4567 • Fax: 541-426-3921 Contents copyright © 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. General Manager, Karrine Brogoitti, kbrogoitti@eomediagroup.com Editor, Ronald Bond, rbond@wallowa.com Reporter, Bill Bradshaw, bbradshaw@wallowa.com News Assistant, Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com Classifieds/Inside Sales, Julie Ferdig, jferdig@bakercityherald.com Advertising Assistant, Devi Mathson, dmathson@lagrandeobserver.com • • • To submit news tips and press releases, call 541-426-4567 or email editor@wallowa.com end up lynching people based not on evi- dence of a crime committed, but on our own ignorance and bigotry. The argument that unvaccinated peo- ple are selfishly (and criminally) putting others at risk makes an appeal to emotion, but it lacks legal and evidential support. Rebecca Patton Enterprise Time to embrace vaccines and masks This summer marks 50 years for me in Wallowa County. I came to spend a year — and I stayed. I stayed because the land is wonderful. I stayed because of peo- ple. In the 50 years countless tragedies — fires, accidents and diseases — have hit Wallowa County families. And again and again, neighbors, friends and strang- ers have stepped up to comfort and help get people and families through hard times. We haven’t erased bad things, but we have dealt with them honestly and selflessly. We’ve not asked about reli- gion or politics, wealth or which end of the county the afflicted are from. We just help. And now we have a crisis. Over 600 of us have had or have the coronavirus and 12 have died as of Oct. 4, according to the Oregon Health Authority. We’re get- ting 5-10 new cases each day, and our hospital is operating on the edge. Cases in Idaho, with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, are exploding. Uma- tilla and Union counties ditto. We can- not send serious COVID patients — or serious patients of any kind — to nearby hospitals. There is fear that our hospital and assisted living center will lose staff with the vaccination mandate. The Soropti- mists and Rotary are rounding up volun- teers to work at assisted living. Our friends, neighbors and relatives are in the hospital and nursing home right now. I am 78 and healthy — but I’m at risk. A good many of my friends and neighbors are at risk due to age, asthma, weak hearts or lungs, diabetes, etc. I am asking all of you to put aside pol- itics and religion, vitamins and health regimes and embrace vaccinations and masks. If “mandates” bother you, remem- ber that you complied with the state to get your driver’s license, to go to school until you were 16, and to go into the military when called. Your neighbor’s house is on fire and we’re all the volunteer fire department. I am not asking you to change your polit- ical or religious affiliation, or to donate blood or a kidney (which many of you have already done). Just a shot in the arm — yes, sometimes painful for a day or two, but overwhelmingly effective — and a mask on the face (when you have time, I’ll share my story of how a mask kept me safe from COVID). Rich Wandschneider Joseph Published every Wednesday by: EO Media Group Periodical Postage Paid at Enterprise and additional mailing offices Subscription rates (includes online access) Annually Monthly (autopay) Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery See the Wallowa County Chieftain on the Internet Wallowa.com facebook.com/Wallowa twitter.com/wcchieftain 1 Year $51.00 $4.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wallowa County Chieftain P.O. Box 338 Enterprise, OR 97828