Wednesday, June 22, 2022
A4
OPINION
VOICE of the CHIEFTAIN
Lawsuit is
a failure on
both sides
A
recent move by a coalition of
conservation groups to file a
lawsuit to topple a decision
made by the Trump administration
that negated a rule that banned log-
ging of large trees on national forests
east of the Cascades is ultimately a
sad reminder that little progress has
been made regarding nonlegal solu-
tions to environmental challenges.
At the heart of the issue is what
is known as the 21-inch rule — an
edict that restricted logging of live
trees larger than 21 inches in diame-
ter measured 4½ feet off the ground
— that dates back to the mid-1990s.
The rule was created to address
concerns from environmental
groups about the safety and via-
bility of old-growth timber in
national forests across our region.
The environmental groups assert
the Trump administration’s move to
lift the ban violates federal law —
specifically the National Environ-
mental Policy Act and the National
Forest Management Act — and offi-
cials should have crafted an environ-
mental impact statement to review the
impacts of a decision to lift the ban.
Proponents of lifting the ban con-
tend abolishing the rule gives agen-
cies such as the Forest Service more
flexibility in its effort to manage
forests to diminish wildfire risk.
The suit — filed in the U.S.
District Court in Pendleton —
is yet another example of fail-
ure for both the conservation-
ists and the U.S. government.
Most — but not all — environ-
mental lawsuits over flashpoint issues
should never end up in a courtroom.
That’s because both sides of any
such issue not only carry the capac-
ity to work these challenges out but
also hold a responsibility to do so.
That responsibility isn’t to
a long-held belief in a specific
dogma or blind obedience to a
new edict delivered in the wan-
ing days of an administration.
No, the responsibility should be to
those who live and work and play in
areas such as Eastern Oregon. The
voters of our region deserve bet-
ter than yet another long legal bat-
tle that consumes time and money.
Opposing sides of any issue
can sit down and work out a com-
promise. There is no better exam-
ple of such a circumstance than the
effort spearheaded by U.S. Sen.
Ron Wyden regarding the Owyhee
Canyonlands in Southeastern Ore-
gon. There, for years, environmen-
talists, ranchers and others squared
off on how best to preserve pris-
tine canyonland. In the end, Wyden
led the effort to work out a com-
promise between the two groups.
Was everyone satisfied? No.
Did everyone get what they
wanted? No. Yet that’s how democ-
racy is supposed to work. Com-
promise and the goal of work-
ing toward a viable solution should
be the focus, not going to court.
Jan. 6 hearings aren’t changing minds
OTHER VIEWS
Carl Golden
A
s the congressional committee inves-
tigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on
the U. S. Capitol heads into its final
public hearings phase, early indications are
that — despite compelling testimony —
the needle on the public opinion meter has
barely budged, and the impact on the con-
gressional midterm elections as well as the
2024 presidential contest will be minimal.
In short, despite predictions the much-
hyped committee’s findings would shake
the nation to its core, it’s been neither a
mind-changer nor a game-changer.
National Democrats overwhelmingly
continue to demand former President Don-
ald Trump be held accountable in a court
of law for his role in egging on his sup-
porters to storm the Capitol and prevent
the certification of Joe Biden as the next
president. Meanwhile, Republican lead-
ers for the most part are adamant that the
committee is a blatant politically driven
effort to blame their party for an assault
on democracy itself and prevent Trump
from seeking to regain the office in 2024.
The competing versions are locked in, and
any hope one side can persuade the other to
come around to its way of thinking is futile.
While a clear public majority supports
a congressional inquiry into the events of
Jan. 6 and what role Trump, his associ-
ates and staff played in them, other poll-
ing suggests it is not a top-of-the-mind issue
that motivates significant voter turnout.
With the president’s approval rating
plunging to less than 40 percent and a stun-
ning 70 percent of Americans believing the
nation is headed in the wrong direction,
Republicans are on the cusp of seizing con-
trol of the House by a handsome margin
and a slim Senate majority is within reach.
The deliberations of the Jan. 6 com-
mittee and the revelations of misbehav-
ior and persistent falsehoods at the high-
est level of the executive office will have
little influence on the election outcome.
Biden and his party’s congressional
majorities were brought to the brink of a seis-
mic loss of power by the ravages of unprece-
dented inflation, erosion of wages, shortages
and soaring costs of essential commodities,
gasoline crossing the historic $5 per gallon
threshold, and rising rates of violent crime.
All have exacted a personal toll and con-
tinue to do so, undermining public confi-
dence in the ability of the administration
to deal effectively with them. Increas-
ing speculation that the nation will tum-
ble into a recession has exacerbated the
disquiet gripping the country along with
rising pessimism that the administration
is adrift and lacking a sense of urgency.
As horrific as the assault on the Capi-
tol and its aftermath of lies and deceit have
been, voters will respond on their indi-
vidual experiences and hardships and a
belief that a massive reappraisal is nec-
essary to restore economic vitality.
Nearly 18 months ago, millions of
Americans watched in real time as mobs
breached the Capitol, fought with law
enforcement, trashed offices and sent mem-
bers of Congress fleeing to safety.
Trump, to his everlasting discredit, stood
by, refusing all entreaties to urge the pro-
testors to withdraw and leave the build-
ing. He continued to baselessly insist he
had won reelection and was cheated out
of his victory by massive voter fraud.
He spent months pursuing one ave-
nue after another to delegitimize the elec-
tion, culminating on Jan. 6 by demanding
Vice President Mike Pence reject the state
electoral outcomes, an act for which there
exists no constitutional or statutory basis.
Trump’s actions, according to the
committee, were part of a broad con-
spiracy to stage a coup, overturn the
election and remain in power.
He relied upon sycophantic advis-
ers who played to his belief that the elec-
tion was rigged while ignoring those
who attempted to convince him his argu-
ments were fantasy and warned that con-
tinued efforts to change the outcome
risked crossing into criminal conduct.
Whether the committee will deliver crim-
inal referrals to the Department of Justice is
a matter of internal dispute at the moment.
But, for the Democratic Party to over-
come the funk into which the nation has
fallen by relying on tales of widespread
misconduct by the previous administra-
tion — no matter how egregious — is
equivalent to the toils of Sisyphus in push-
ing the boulder up the mountainside.
Being crushed by it appears to
be a foregone conclusion.
———
Carl Golden is a senior contributing
analyst with the William J. Hughes Cen-
ter for Public Policy at Stockton Univer-
sity in New Jersey. You can reach him at
cgolden1937@gmail.
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 © 2022. All rights reserved.
Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
General Manager, Karrine Brogoitti, kbrogoitti@eomediagroup.com
Editor, editor@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
LETTER to
the EDITOR
Chukar sighting
On a recent trip to Eastern
Oregon, I saw my first chukar,
which compelled me to revise an
old pheasant rhyme and regale
my Oregonian friends with a
resounding recital, repeated three
times, of …
I’m not a chukar plucker
I’m a chukar plucker’s son
And I’m only plucking
chukars
‘til the chukar plucker comes
Happy plucking!
Martin H. Samuel
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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 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.
• Longer community comment columns,
such as Other Views, must be no more
than 700 words. Writers must provide
a recent headshot and a one-sentence
biography. Like letters to the editor,
columns must refrain from complaints
against businesses or personal attacks
against private individuals. Submissions
must carry the author’s name, address
and phone number.
• Submission does not guarantee
publication, which is at the discretion of
the editor.
SEND LETTERS TO: editor@wallowa.com,
or via mail to Wallowa County Chieftain,
209 NW 1st St. Enterprise, OR 97828
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