OPINION
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
A5
Accepting the responsibility freedom requires
OTHER VIEWS
Roger Hockett
Branding calves
on Prairie Creek
and the treatment
of animals
Y
our March 23 article on a pro-
posed law to protect animals (I
neither support nor oppose this
bill) unearthed memories of my child-
hood on Prairie Creek in 1954 when I
was 8 years old.
Behind the Big Blue Barn (now a site
of romantic weddings) was a place of
the annual spring rite of branding, cas-
trating, vaccinating and dehorning the
new calves born in January and Febru-
ary. My parents, Ray and Azalea Hockett,
had about 100 cows with calves, plus the
yearlings. As an 8-year-old, my respon-
sibility was to keep the irons red hot in a
fi re near the holding chute, and to hand
them to Dad once the calf was secured.
Then to take them from him and get them
hot again for the next calf. As a child, I
simply did my duty and ignored the may-
hem about me, but as an adult the memo-
ries of that process have dug deeply into
my psyche. The graphic images of those
annual two spring days are as clear in my
mind as if it were yesterday.
Our calves experienced peak stress
as they were separated from their moth-
ers for the fi rst time, then pushed into
the chute, BANG the head gate locked,
now collapse the sides tightly, rotate
the chute 90 degrees, vaccinate, cas-
trate if male and bring down the red-
hot CT branding iron with force to sear
the tender pink side skin to a crisp black
as the smell of burnt fl esh wafted over
us. Then the chute was rotated vertical,
the nose bar clamp with the bloody bur-
lap wrap was brought across their face
and cinched down to the chute. The ears
were cut open, the small horn buds were
sliced off with a knife, and the red-hot
dehorning iron was brought down hard
on each side of the head until the skin
and skull smoked with two round black-
ened depressions. The bloody-faced calf
was then released to stumble from the
chute in a state of shock. Repeat 90-100
times more. At the fi rst touch of the CT
iron the calf would begin to bawl, thrash,
kick, bang the head in a wild attempt to
escape the pain. At the fi rst touch of the
dehorning iron, the thrashing resistance
would become even wilder, rolling of the
eyes, slobber fl inging, ramming the head
back against the chute gate as the hot
iron stayed on the head for fi ve seconds
on each side.
Lest you think I exaggerate realize
that a cousin came up from Portland one
spring to attend branding. He lasted all of
two calves before turning very pale and
left for the ranch house. No, this is not
about being a bleeding-heart moderate.
This is about showing respect for other
beings. My Dad was not a brutal man. I
once had to put down a cancer-eyed cow
for him as a teenager because he did not
have the heart to do it, and he could walk
and stand among the cows in the pasture
without them moving away. No, this was
simply the accepted way branding was
done in the ‘50s.
Veterinarian schools have since doc-
umented the extreme stress and pain of
this process (elevated heart rate, blood
cortisol concentration, respiratory rate,
exertion pressure against restraints).
Physiological symptoms can last up to
eight hours. The pain at the burnt skin
nerves lasts up to eight weeks. National
veterinarian associations are now pres-
suring industry to abandon this way of
treating cattle.
Why do we do this to animals? Cus-
tom, ignorance, lack of compassion,
meanness, money, the list is long that
implicates us. In general, it comes down
to not respecting animals as having intel-
ligence and feelings. Rather we look at
them as economic entities, like a tractor
or bale of hay. In the last few decades a
great deal of basic research has opened
up our knowledge about the cognitive
intelligence (self-awareness) of animals.
Whales learn new songs they hear from
other whale populations; dolphins have
used their sonar to convey to a researcher
a pregnancy that she was unaware of;
apes know when looking in a mirror that
the image is themselves and not a generic
ape; elephants have complex family net-
works; birds learn from others how to
become tool users; and the list gets lon-
ger each year.
At 75 years of age, I have come to
believe that animals are not “things” like
a tractor, they are intelligent non-human
beings with souls. Surely in the 21st cen-
tury we have the technology to end this
barbaric process.
———
Roger Hockett grew up in Wallowa
County and is retired in Newcastle, Wash-
ington. He is a Navy veteran, a gradu-
ate of both the University of Oregon and
Oregon State University, and spent a life
designing and manufacturing commer-
cial furniture.
ON LIBERTY
Devin Patton
S
igmund Freud rightly stated, “Most
people do not really want freedom,
because freedom involves responsi-
bility and most people are frightened of
responsibility.”
Responsibility is costly, and anyone desir-
ing to take on more responsibility for his or
her life, or the life of another, fi nds that there
are resisting forces that must be overcome in
order to do so. The importance of overcom-
ing internal resistance (fear, indiff erence and
overwhelm, to name a few) cannot be over-
stated, but we must also consider the exter-
nal factors that hinder our willingness to take
on greater responsibility. Presently, there
are very few voices within the public sphere
praising those with the courage to take on the
sort of responsibility that leads to meaning-
ful living; instead, populists on both the left
and right of the political spectrum promote
messages of blame and victimhood, claiming
that the federal government is responsible for
our well-being. Our lack of personal and cor-
porate responsibility has been detrimental to
our psyches and to our families, communities
and nation, and the worst part is that many,
like myself, have been infl uenced by these
messages without even realizing it.
Considering Freud’s statement, naturally,
we should ask: to what end? Does maximum
freedom involve maximum responsibility?
Thinkers throughout the ages have recog-
nized that a sense of purpose (meaning) is
one of the strongest predictors of a satisfying
life. By contrast, purposelessness is linked
with mental health disorders and a plethora
of adverse outcomes. Where does one fi nd
a sense of meaning? The culture today erro-
neously claims that our sense of meaning
comes from within, or lies in the self-grati-
fi cation that comfort, relationships, money,
status, or career provide. This is simply not
true. Clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson
explains that “it’s in responsibility that most
people fi nd the meaning that sustains them
through life.”
In his book “Ethics,” theologian Diet-
rich Bonhoeff er goes a step further to explain
that it is only through deputyship, or caring
for our fellow man, that one is able to truly
live; “Only the selfl ess man lives responsi-
bly, and this means that only the selfl ess man
lives.” He further explains that one must
accept responsibility for the lives of others
in order to live ethically, in a concrete sense.
“A father acts on behalf of his children by
working, providing, intervening, struggling,
and suff ering for them. In so doing, he really
stands in their place. He is not an isolated
individual, but incorporates the selves of sev-
eral people in his own self. Every attempt
to live as if he were alone is a denial of the
fact that he is actually responsible. He can-
not escape the responsibility, which is his
because he is a father. This reality refutes the
fi ctitious notion that the isolated individual is
the agent of all ethical behavior. It is not the
isolated individual but the responsible person
who is the proper agent to be considered in
ethical refl ection.”
Our cultural attitude toward male respon-
sibility has taken a sharp turn away from
this ethic, a shift clearly demonstrated by
the change in the types of men portrayed on
popular television shows over the last few
decades. We once admired characters like
Andy Griffi th, the kind and respectable sher-
iff of Mayberry, but now television programs
capitalize on the “bumbling dad” trope (e.g.
the Simpsons, Everybody Loves Raymond),
portraying men devoid of leadership quali-
ties and the ability to care for their families
and communities well. Young boys, once
expected to “man up” and accept responsibil-
ity for others with strength and integrity, now
are told that they are disposable and unneces-
sary, especially given the fact that women are
outperforming them in various arenas.
Likewise, women have been encour-
aged to back-burner their unique responsi-
bility to create nurturing homes and provide
for the needs of children, loved ones and
community.
C.S. Lewis famously stated, “The home-
maker has the ultimate career. All other
careers exist for one purpose only — and that
is to support the ultimate career.”
We’ve seen many women voluntarily
outsource their vital roles as homemakers
and mothers so that they can pursue other
careers, but it has come at a cost.
In her piece entitled “What America
lost as women entered the workforce” (The
Atlantic), Emma Green explains: “Women
have long formed collective organizations
intended to improve American society. They
volunteered their time, waged political cam-
paigns, and advocated for the poor and
elderly. They organized voters, patronized
the arts, and protested the government. In the
years since women’s liberation, this kind of
civic engagement has dropped precipitously.
… The most vulnerable members of society
have lost their best allies — women — partly
because those women are too busy working.
…The corner offi ce isn’t always the pinnacle
of leadership.”
It is the most concrete forms of ethical
responsibility (responsibility for the nuclear
family and community) that the populists,
Marxists, Hollywood elites, and our pub-
lic school systems have sought to eliminate
by pushing a narrative that denies the impor-
tance of personal responsibility and confuses
us into thinking that a meaningful life will be
found in comfort, career, or our own achieve-
ments. We’ve been taught that it’s the gov-
ernment’s role to take responsibility for the
poor and the vulnerable, and that our respon-
sibilities as parents and community leaders
are burdens that the government can bear by
“investing in the future.” The idea that we
ought to personally assume responsibility for
the well-being of others in order to live the
most meaningful life has been subverted for
so long that it now seems illogical, and we
have very few modern-day examples to look
to for guidance. In spite of this, we mustn’t
be fearful of accepting the responsibility that
freedom requires — ultimately it will lead to
a more satisfying and meaningful life.
———
Devin Patton is a fi fth-generation Wal-
lowa County native whose pastimes include
the study of ag economics, history and free
thought.
Be cautious of infl ation when planning your retirement
LAYIN’ IT
ON THE LINE
Steve Kerby
L
ong-term loans carry higher interest
rates than short-term loans because
there are more variables in play over
a more extended period.
Another factor that makes long-term
loans less attractive to lenders, thus raising
interest rates, is infl ation. Infl ation is the
rise over time in the price of goods and ser-
vices. Lenders know the longer it takes the
borrower to pay back a loan, the less that
money will be worth because everything
costs more.
Infl ation is the rise over time in the price
of goods and services. Is a loaf of bread
higher than it was the year you were born?
Infl ation is measured as an annual percent-
age, and the same way interest rates are
measured as a yearly percentage. Is infl a-
tion a bad thing? Not necessarily. It means
prices are rising because demand is increas-
ing, resulting from a growing economy. In
a healthy economy, wages rise at the same
rate as prices. So in a healthy economy,
infl ation always rises, meaning the same
dollar amount is worth less fi ve years from
now. Sounds pretty healthy. Infl ation hurts
interest rates because lenders know the lon-
ger it takes you to repay the loan, the less
the money is worth.
The simplest explanation of infl ation is
“too much money chasing too few goods.”
Usually, this is because interest rates are
low, and people borrow more money and
buy a lot of stuff . Another reason could
be the government is spending a lot of
money on defense contracts during a war.
For example, manufacturers do not have
enough supply to keep up with the demand
for tanks, cars, missiles, etc. In short, infl a-
tion (rising prices) kicks in when manu-
facturers produce goods slower than peo-
ple demand. So, if we run out of ice cream,
popsicle prices spike upward.
Now that we understand that sup-
ply and demand equals infl ation, let’s talk
about another infl ation angle. The cost of
doing business also pushes price levels up
for several reasons. The exciting thing is
that the rising cost of business may have
nothing to do with demand. For example,
labor unions negotiating a new contract for
higher wages, the elevated cost of export-
ing goods or new taxes strain the operating
budget. Any of these factors will push the
price of products, interests and services up
because of the cost of doing business.
When planning for your retirement,
considering infl ation is a crucial factor.
There are ways to keep your funds safe and
secure and, at the same time, hedge part of
your infl ationary concerns. Fixed Indexed
Annuities calculate the yield on an annu-
ity based on an outside source such as the
S&P 500 Stock Index. This index has rep-
licated infl ation many times throughout our
history.
———
As an avid outdoorsman, Joseph and the
Wallowa area have been a big part of Steve
Kerby’s life since 1964. Steve is a Syndi-
cated Columnists member, a national orga-
nization committed to a fully transparent
approach to money management. With over
50 years in the fi nancial services industry,
Steve specializes and focuses on each indi-
vidual client’s goals. Visit stevekerby.retire-
village.com or call 503-936-3535 for more.
Help is available through Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness
SUICIDE PREVENTION SCHEDULE
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Trainings
April 14, 6-7:30 p.m., June 9, 6-7:30 p.m., Aug.
11, 6-7:30 p.m., Oct. 13, 6-7:30 p.m., and Dec.
8, 6-7:30 p.m.
Chantay Jett
Tosca Rawls
OTHER VIEWS
T
he last 13 months in Wallowa
County have been particularly diffi -
cult with the amount of loss we have
suff ered through completed suicides. The
common denominators in all of the cases
were pain or stress — physical, mental or
emotional. The longing to just stop hurting.
However, suicide aff ects everyone who
ever knew the person and who loved and
cherished that person. The ones closest suf-
fer the most pain and the most damage.
That emptiness, that hole, that gap, is the
space that’s so hard to reconcile. It’s sit-
ting in the unknown with no answers. Sui-
cide can touch anyone, anywhere and at
any time. But, it is not inevitable. There is
hope. By starting the conversation, provid-
ing support and directing help to those who
need it, together we can prevent suicides
and save lives.
This is where Wallowa Valley Center for
Wellness comes in. Our organization has
dedicated the year of 2022 to suicide pre-
vention and awareness. We are now pro-
viding several groups and education oppor-
tunities, open to the public, to learn more
about the warning signs of suicide, how
Hearts for Health Building at 606 Medical
Parkway in Enterprise
Grief Support Groups
Thursdays, 5-7 p.m.
Hearts for Health building at 606 Medical
Parkway in Enterprise
Hearts for Health Building at 606 Medical
Parkway in Enterprise
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Training
for Veterans
Adult Mental Health First Aid
July 6, 6:30 p.m.
Hearts for Health building at 606 Medical
Parkway in Enterprise
Hearts for Health Building at 606 Medical
Parkway in Enterprise
June 16 and June 17, 8 a.m. to noon
Suicide Awareness Luminary Vigil
CIT (Crisis Intervention Training)
Sept. 10 at dusk
May 16-20
Wallowa County Courthouse in Enterprise
to prevent it and to get support if you are
experiencing grief. Evidence shows that
talking about suicide and following up with
loved ones are just some of the actions we
can all take to help others. (Please see the
schedule with this column.)
For a couple of years now, we have
also been working with local law enforce-
ment and fi rst responders in crisis situ-
ations in order to prevent unnecessary
arrests and costly ER visits, and are one of
the state providers for Crisis Intervention
Certifi cations.
We also have a 24/7 crisis line that can
be reached at 541-398-1175.
In addition to the suicide-prevention
and education activities, we are also here
to provide anyone with confi dential, love-
fi lled care, with empathy and understand-
ing. We are able to provide same-day ser-
vice to anyone who needs it, seamless
access to services regardless of socioeco-
nomic or health insurance status and indi-
vidualized treatment plans for individuals
and families.
Together as a community, we can help
destigmatize the challenges everyone of us
suff ers but often are too ashamed or embar-
rassed to seek help. We can help to normal-
ize the human condition in one of the most
complex times this world has ever seen.
And, we can bring some light into a dark
place. Together, we can prevent suicide.
Please call us 541-426-4524 to sign up
today.
———
Chantay Jett is the executive director
for the Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness,
and Tosca Rawls is the organization’s pub-
lic relations and development director.