A8 THE BULLETIN • TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2021
EDITORIALS & OPINIONS
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
Heidi Wright
Gerry O’Brien
Richard Coe
Publisher
Editor
Editorial Page Editor
State money comes
with a gag order
W
e read something peculiar in the Malheur
Enterprise: The board of a public development
company has dictated that a family in Nyssa is
forbidden to talk to the media if it wants up to $400,000 to help
with an industrial road.
That’s the government saying if
you want a benefit, you get gagged.
The background: The Froerers
farm about 4,000 acres. The plan is
to close a railroad reload center and
move it to another location. That
means the Froerers must truck
their goods several additional miles
to get them loaded. The money is
from the Malheur County Devel-
opment Corp. to build a new access
road for the Froerers. The state de-
partment of transportation is pro-
viding funding, according to the
newspaper. The gag order expires
when the project is completed.
The Froerers argue they were of-
fered an unfair choice: Accept the
gag order and get the money or no
money. They signed.
It’s not clear exactly why a gag
order was put in place, though
one reason could be obvious. The
Froerers have in the past criticized
Greg Smith, the reload center
project manager, director of the
Malheur County Economic De-
velopment Department and a state
representative. Smith said he didn’t
put the gag provision in the con-
tract. Lawyers did.
Gag orders do occur in court
cases to limit publicity and attempt
to protect the right to a fair trial.
And parties sometimes have sim-
ilar provisions in legal settlements
and nondisclosure agreements in
development deals. For instance,
Apple Inc. has had confidentiality
agreements with Crook County
and Prineville officials to keep
them from talking about the com-
pany’s plans there.
This seems different. State
money is being spent only on con-
dition that a family keep quiet,
when the family has been outspo-
ken in the past. Yes the farmers are
getting a benefit to compensate
them for an expense they will pay
because the reload center is mov-
ing. But it also looks like state dol-
lars are being used to muzzle criti-
cism. Is that OK with you?
Which is right, require
or encourage vaccine?
O
regon State University-Cas-
cades will be following OSU
policy and requiring vaccina-
tion for COVID-19. Central Oregon
Community College will not require
it, as of now.
Why are they different? Which is
right?
The state has no regulation or
mandate for colleges. The Oregon
Health Authority says it’s up to the
individual institution.
Both OSU and COCC have re-
quirements for other vaccinations.
For instance, OSU already has vac-
cination requirements for measles,
mumps, rubella; meningococcal; tet-
anus and diptheria; chickenpox; and
Hepatitis B. There are medical and
other exemptions. For most students,
if they don’t have their immuniza-
tions lined up, they are prevented
from registering for the next term.
OSU was the first public college in
Oregon to require COVID vaccina-
tions for faculty and staff. Students
who only take part in classes online
or staff who do not come on to cam-
pus don’t need to have it.
“This vaccination requirement is
intended for students and univer-
sity employees so that we mutually
contribute to the greatest level of
population protection possible from
COVID-19,” OSU interim President
Becky Johnson said in a statement.
COCC’s approach is to strongly
recommend the vaccine for stu-
dents and employees. COCC Presi-
dent Laurie Chesley told us COCC
is following the guidance from the
state Higher Education Coordinat-
ing Council, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the Ore-
gon Health Authority and Gov. Kate
Brown’s office.
“We are focusing our efforts on
pro-vaccine education and avail-
ability,” she wrote us in an email. “If
OHA or the Governor’s Office were
to mandate COVID-19 vaccines at
community colleges, we will cer-
tainly comply....”
Chesley believes COCC has the
authority to require the COVID
vaccination. It has chosen not to.
The same discussion came up at the
April COCC board meeting. At first,
staff said COCC could not legally
require the COVID vaccine. Then
Chesley said it might be that such a
requirement would be challenged
and not hold up in court.
The question is: What approach
is right? Strongly encourage and re-
quire the vaccination or just strongly
encourage vaccination? Compulsory
requirements may work. They can
also alienate some people. The stu-
dent populations at the institutions
are also different. Could OSU and
COCC both be getting it right?
Editorials reflect the views of The Bulletin’s editorial board, Publisher Heidi Wright, Editor
Gerry O’Brien and Editorial Page Editor Richard Coe. They are written by Richard Coe.
My Nickel’s Worth
Move our schools forward
For the past several years a multira-
cial group of students, parents, teach-
ers and community leaders have been
working closely with the Bend-La Pine
school district to advance fairness, eq-
uity and inclusion in our schools.
The nonprofit Restorative Justice
and Equity group organized student
town hall meetings that brought to-
gether hundreds of students of all
races in frank, informative and edu-
cational conversations aimed at im-
proving race relations and fostering
a greater understanding of what it is
like to be a student of color in over-
whelmingly white schools.
White students will attest that they
were never “guilt-tripped” in these
town halls and instead welcomed as
friends and allies. This work has led to
new multiracial, multicultural clubs
run by students in our schools.
All this good work is now threat-
ened by four school board candidates
who have lied about what this diver-
sity, equity and inclusion work is and
what it has accomplished. Their nega-
tive spin would divide students along
racial lines and make it much harder
for students to come together.
Don’t let this happen. Vote for
Marcus LeGrand, Carrie McPherson
Douglass, Janet Sarai Llerandi, and
Shirley Olson to move our schools
forward, not backward.
— Michael Funke, Bend
alleged is being taught in American
schools regarding race. Among her
statements was: “We believe politics
have no place in the classrooms.”
That Lopez-Dauenhauer made
her statement on national television
to a far-right political pundit makes
me wonder whether the school Lo-
pez-Dauenhauer attended covered the
topic of “irony” and if so, whether she
was present the day it was taught.
— Rob Brazeau, Bend
No street racing
Northeast Purcell in Bend north
of Empire and Yeoman have become
dangerous raceways. Both the city
road department and the police have
been apprised of the situation, but
nothing has changed.
Purcell from Empire to Yeoman
is a school zone that few pay atten-
tion to. Additional signage reminding
drivers would be beneficial. Enforce-
ment would help tremendously. There
have been motorcycle drag races at
least twice, and hot rod “pedal to the
metal” races occur regularly.
Yeoman has no speed limit signs
posted, so the assumption seems to be
55 regularly. Riding your bicycle on
Yeoman is dangerous. While I would
love to see a speed bump on Purcell,
I suspect that won’t happen. So other
speed reducing efforts need to be
made.
— Linn Harrison, Bend
Irony in candidate’s comment
Resist identity politics
Bend-La Pine School Board can-
didate Maria Lopez-Dauenhauer ap-
peared on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News
program recently, decrying what she
In my youth I was raised to treat
others as I wish to be treated and to
judge others by their character and
abilities.
Letters policy
Letters should be limited to one issue, con-
tain no more than 250 words and include
the writer’s signature, phone number and
address for verification. We edit letters for
brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons.
Since that has worked for me in life,
I am taken back by the left’s promo-
tion of “identity politics” with its em-
phasis on race, gender, religious and
sexual preferences.
President Biden and the press took
this to the extreme by introducing
his cabinet members in terms of their
race, gender, sexual preference, or re-
ligious beliefs, not ability or qualifi-
cations.
To me, putting the emphasis on
one’s race is the definition of racism
and is a losing proposition. When we
select someone for a position largely
because of their race, or gender we
risk offending someone of another
race, or another gender who wasn’t se-
lected. The potential for endless con-
flict is high.
We are approaching the point
where every school board, or city
council is evaluated for its racial or
gender balance, with some emphasis
on sexual preference and religion. Are
teachers to be hired based on “identity
politics,” rather than ability? I hope
not. Would you board a plane on an
airline that placed racial, or gender
equality as a higher priority than abil-
ity? As long as the selection standards
are clear and everyone is given equal
opportunity there should be no con-
troversy.
I know racism exists and we should
not tolerate it. However, the current
trend of labeling people racist if they
disagree with you, or having politi-
cians and the media using “identity
politics” is placing emphasis on our
differences rather than our similarities
and is dividing the country. The use
of “identity politics” and wokeism”
should be resisted at every level.
— Steve Young, Bend
How to submit
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Email: letters@bendbulletin.com
GUEST COLUMN
Republican Party learned the wrong lesson about propaganda
BY RICH BELZER
T
he 2020 election had me wor-
ried. Over time, I became con-
vinced that, given
Donald Trump’s authoritar-
ian leanings, if he won reelec-
tion it would spell the end
of democracy in the United
States after more than 200
years. Naturally, I was relieved
when Trump was defeated by
Joe Biden, assuming that after Belzer
losing the Senate and White
House and having the Democrats re-
tain the House, the GOP would back
away from acting as a Trump cult and
return to policy-based politics.
I was wrong. Even following the in-
vasion of the Capitol by Trump sup-
porters on Jan. 6, Republicans in both
the House and Senate remained in
Trump’s thrall; the few Republicans in
Congress who voted for impeachment
(House) or conviction (Senate) be-
came virtual outcasts in Trump’s GOP.
Trump’s final assault on democracy,
the Capitol invasion, has now been
characterized as understand-
able by many Republicans
whose lives were in danger.
It should be noted that over
400 participants in 1/6 have
been indicted for a variety of
crimes.
The Republican Party has
learned a lesson from the
four years of Trump’s pres-
idency but it was the wrong lesson.
They learned about the effectiveness
of an authoritarian tool known as pro-
paganda; if you tell a lie over and over
again, no matter how divergent from
facts, your followers will believe it.
Trump, if nothing else, was a master
liar and it mattered not to him if his
lies were easily proven false. He began
his time in office with a lie about inau-
guration crowd size that was easily dis-
proved by photographic evidence. He
ended his presidency with a lie about
a stolen election, a massive fraud im-
plemented by the Democrats that cost
him the victory he so richly deserved.
Let’s not forget that the Trump
campaign and the Republican Party
filed over 60 lawsuits challenging the
supposedly fraudulent results in nu-
merous states. None of these suits
ever made it to trial; with a single ex-
ception (involving a handful of late
votes in Pennsylvania), these cases
were thrown out by judges because the
plaintiffs were unable to provide any
evidence of fraud in their filings. It is
one thing to toss out accusations of
fraud in a press conference at the Four
Seasons (Total Landscaping), it is quite
another for an attorney to walk into
court and lie about fraud.
In Georgia, votes were counted three
times, once by hand, and the results
were the same each time. Results in
Maricopa County, Arizona, were con-
firmed by multiple reviews and cer-
tified by state officials. The Arizona
legislature has now mandated another
review, this one conducted by Cyber
Ninjas whose CEO has been echoing
Trump’s false claims about voter fraud.
Trump’s lie about voter fraud in
the 2020 election has now been fully
adopted by the GOP nationwide. Fif-
ty-five percent of Republicans believe
that Trump lost because the election
was rigged so the propaganda cam-
paign has been effective, at least with
Republicans. Republican-led state leg-
islatures around the country are re-
lying on this big lie as a justification
for passing bills designed to suppress
minority voting. Georgia’s has already
been signed into law and Arizona
seems poised to join them.
Georgia Republicans have been ac-
cused of passing a racist voting law, a
contention they dispute. In a Senate Ju-
diciary Committee hearing, Sen. John
Kennedy, R–La., confronted Stacey
Abrams, challenging her to specifically
detail aspects of the law that were rac-
ist. Once her list reached seven items
with no end in sight, Kennedy cut her
off stating, “I get the idea.”
What we are seeing is a classic pro-
paganda effort designed to subvert
American democracy. You repeat a
lie about election fraud over and over
again for months. Then you claim that
new voting laws are needed to restore
the faith of Americans in their elec-
tions. Finally, you pass as many re-
strictive voting laws as possible to limit
voting by your opposition. This is clas-
sic authoritarianism.
Rich Belzer served as director of federal marketing
for a NYSE-listed computer company and
was subsequently a senior executive with two
NASDAQ-listed high-tech companies. He moved
to Bend to join Columbia Aircraft where he
became VP of worldwide sales.