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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 2015)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Hayes on the sidelines, but damage is done A t his press conference last Friday, Oregon *RY-RKQ.LW]KDEHU VDLGKLV¿DQFHH&\OYLD+D\HV will have no policy role during the remainder of his fourth WHUP6HWWLQJWKHVWDJHIRUWKDW declaration were the news reports generated by Hillary Borrud in the Salem bureau of the EO Media Group and 3DPSOLQ0HGLD*URXS While it was useful to have the governor clarify where Hayes stands in the Kitzhaber administration going into the next four years, the question remains: Exactly what policies GLGVKHLQÀXHQFHGXULQJKLV WKLUGWHUP±DQGZKRZDVVKH working for? The governor, in an appearance that broke little new ground, mostly referred VXFKTXHVWLRQVWR+D\HV±ZKR ZDVWUDYHOLQJDEURDG As The Register-Guard of Eugene has mused, there’s a question of how many shoes DUH³VWLOOZDLWLQJWRGURS´ Especially when it comes to environmental policies, which were Hayes’ “passion,” it’s hard to look at any decision or position and not wonder who was making the wheels turn, and which wheels were JHWWLQJJUHDVHG&RDOH[SRUWV JLOOQHW¿VKLQJORZFDUERQIXHO VWDQGDUGV±WKHVSHFWHURIHWKLFV violations casts a pall over WKHPQRZ People are quick to judge actions by their outcome, and perhaps that’s why the outrage over the First Lady’s shady employment history KDVEHHQUHODWLYHO\PXWHG Those who are pleased with the enviro-friendly direction this administration has taken us have been able to shrug off +D\HV¶DFWLYLWLHV±DWOHDVWXQWLO the disclosure of the $118,000 in apparently untaxed income Hayes took from the Clean Economy Development Center LQDQG&RPPHQWHUV on stories about that situation suggest this is the last straw even for some supporters of the 'HPRFUDWLFDGPLQLVWUDWLRQ To be sure, even if the governor had never met Hayes he might have made the exact VDPHGHFLVLRQV%XWWKHIDLOXUH of the administration to take these issues seriously from the get-go remains a big problem IRUKLP7KLVSRLQWVWRVHOI interest, rather than an interest LQVHUYLQJ2UHJRQ The essence of Kitzhaber’s Cylvia Hayes problem was described succinctly by Brent :DOWK*RY7RP0F&DOO¶V biographer and managing editor of Willamette Week, during a talk last November to Columbia )RUXPLQ$VWRULD6DLG:DOWK “I didn’t think we’d ever see, LQP\OLIHWKHRI¿FHSXWXSIRU sale, but that’s exactly what ZH¶YHVHHQ´ The tragedy of John Kitzhaber stems from a PLVWDNHDVROGDV6KDNHVSHDUH .LW]KDEHUKDVVWD\HGWRRORQJ All politicians and celebrities QXUWXUHWKHLUP\WKV7KHUHDVRQ that John Kitzhaber is having such a hard time reckoning with the damage that Cylvia Hayes has done him is that the John .LW]KDEHURIP\WK±WKDWLVWKH .LW]KDEHURIKLV¿UVWDQGVHFRQG WHUPV±ZDVQHYHUWKLVIRROLVK F ROM THE B OOKSHELF Memoir tells of heavenly homestead on the Steens geology, Native American culture, personal responsibility with the VKHHSHWF ‘Child of the Steens’ “If there is a heaven, I hope it Life was always interesting and By Eileen O’Keeffe McVicker, looks like the Steens,” says author RFFDVLRQDOO\ DPXVLQJ ± OLNH WKH 2008 Eileen O’Keeffe McVicker in her time the kids playing outside a volume of photos and memoirs, family dance hall one evening de- ³&KLOGRIWKH6WHHQV´ ping-off spot to literally hundreds cided to bury a passed-out Basque Steens Mountain, along with of thousands of birds on their tra- VKHHSKHUGHU-XVWLQFDVHKHZDVQ¶W dead, they planned to put a stove- the interesting Frenchglen Ho- GLWLRQDOPLJUDWLRQURXWHV tel (no keys, no TV, family style “Child of the Steens” is a little SLSHRYHUKLVIDFH Then there was their ultra-de- PHDOV HWF ZDV D GHVWLQDWLRQ girl’s story of being totally in love point for me during three decades with the outdoors, the mountain pendable “Old Johnny Mule,” who on a fire lookout at the south DQG HYHU\WKLQJ DURXQG KHU +HU had a peculiar quirk: at exactly 5 end of the Prairie City Ranger family, making their livelihood each evening he stopped work and 'LVWULFW raising sheep, lived there content- wouldn’t move until they removed Of course, that experience may edly until the time came to move KLVKDUQHVV McVicker tells a fun story of not be for everyone; I remember to Burns for schooling of the three a happy childhood in a place of a fellow tourist once asked me FKLOGUHQ at one of the spectacular view- This Steens Mountain child exceptional interest and beauty; points if this was “all there is to claims she was “never bored once worth reading by those who visit see … scenery?” I said yes and he LQKHUOLIH´6KHORYHGLWDOO±DQG Steens Mountain often or those hopped on his “hawg” and roared that included the dangerous time who might put it on their list of RII when her mother shot a rabid SODFHVWRH[SHULHQFH Other resources are a coffee table The O’Keeffe family arrived on coyote stalking her dad near their the Steens Mountain from Ireland KRPHVWHDG $QRWKHU WLPH KHU ID- book, “Steens Mountain in Oregon’s in 1930, a time of serious drought ther was extremely ill during one High Desert Country,” with commen- when most people trying to work LVRODWHGZLQWHU7KH\QRWRQO\VXU- tary and photos, as well as “Great Basin VPDOOKRPHVWHDGVZHUHJLYLQJXS vived it all but incorporated their Country” by local authors Nancy and The massive spread belonging to mother’s dictum that the word the late Denzel Ferguson, available in one of the cattle barons still hang- “can’t” doesn’t belong in any vo- the Grant County Library’s Oregon URRP ing on was purchased by the fed- FDEXODU\ Linda Driskill is a Grant Coun- eral government, and the public is McVicker regards her forma- fortunate to now own the Malheur tive years as a continued educa- ty writer and volunteer at the National Wildlife Refuge, stop- tional experience: birds, wildlife, Grant County Library. By Linda Driskill To the Blue Mountain Eagle Don’t sign MOU Blue Mountain EAGLE 195 N. Canyon Blvd. • John Day, OR 97845 541-575-0710 • Fax 541-575-1244 Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper USPS 226-340 John Day, Oregon MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION P UBLISHER E DITOR A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT E DITORIAL A SSISTANT C OMMUNITY N EWS S PORTS M ARKETING R EP C USTOMER S ERVICE R EP Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Scotta Callister, editor@bmeagle.com Kristina Kreger, kristina@bmeagle.com Cheryl Hoefler, cheryl@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Lindsay Bullock office@bmeagle.com PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY: EO Media Group 3HULRGLFDOV3RVWDJH3DLGDW-RKQ'D\DQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County Elsewhere in Oregon Continental U.S., Outside Oregon Outside Continental U.S. 1 year $40.00 $48.00 $55.00 $60.00 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery See the Blue Mountain Eagle on the Internet www.MyEagleNews.com POSTMASTER — send address changes to Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 Copyright © 2015 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR To the Editor: For anyone that reads this I would like to let you know, the elected body that you call county commissioners is preparing to sign over their jobs of protecting the health, safety, and welfare of your FRXQW\ WR WKH 86 )RUHVW 6HUYLFH and with it the vote you cast for WKHP 2Q -DQ WKH )RUHVW 6HUYLFH held a meeting in Pendleton to at- tempt to get county commissioners from Baker, Grant, Harney, Mor- ro, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler counties in Oregon along ZLWK $VRWLQ &ROXPELD *DU¿HOG and Walla Walla counties in Wash- LQJWRQ The document they asked them to sign was a memorandum of un- derstanding that the counties would function as “cooperating agencies” under the guidance of the Forest Service, giving the Forest Service VWDWXVDVWKHOHDGDJHQF\DQG¿UPO\ SXWWLQJ\RXUHOHFWHGRI¿FLDOVLQWKH back seat of the decision-making SURFHVV No county commissioners signed WKH GRFXPHQW RQ -DQ EXW 0U *UDVW\ RI +DUQH\ &RXQW\ DQG 0U Davidson and McClure of Union County have stated they more than OLNHO\ZLOOVLJQWKHGRFXPHQW,GR not believe any of us voted to place these people into the jobs they cur- rently hold to have them sign over their decision-making authority to WKH)RUHVW6HUYLFH The counties have a way of fully protecting our positions by entering into a coordination agreement with the Forest Service that requires the Forest Service to align their land management use plan with each in- L Book Review dividual county, and not lump coun- ties together and allow the Forest Service to make their decisions for WKHP Within our county courts over the next few weeks a vote will be held to decide if your county com- missioners should accept cooperat- LQJDJHQF\VWDWXVRUQRW7KHDQVZHU LVVLPSOHQRWKH\VKRXOGQRW You need to tell them that, point EODQN John D. George Bates Lost opportunity To the Editor: Thank you for your editorial on our County Court’s decision not to sign a letter of support on the pro- SRVHG ELNH SDWKV 7KH VWDWH RI 2U- egon has recognized Grant County as an innovator and leader in the development of biking tourism to ERRVW RXU HFRQRP\ 7KH &RXUW¶V decision on this has given Grant &RXQW\DEODFNH\H7KDWGHFLVLRQLV DWUDYHVW\IRUDOORIXV Every community in Grant &RXQW\ KDV EHQH¿WHG E\ WKH GUDZ RI ELNLQJ (QWKXVLDVWV EULQJ WKHLU bikes from all over Oregon to enjoy the unique biking opportunities we KDYHKHUH7KH\EX\JURFHULHVKHUH eat in restaurants, sleep in motels, buy clothing they forgot to bring with them, have their bikes repaired KHUH The Court’s decision on declin- ing to write a letter of support does QRW VWRS ELNHUV IURP FRPLQJ %XW that decision does have an impact on tourism decisions at the state lev- HO:HPD\KDYHORVWDUDUHRSSRUWX- nity for being promoted statewide as a premier area for welcoming an industry that is clean and brings a ¿QDQFLDOERRVWWRWKHFRXQW\ And, oh yes, their numbers can’t begin to match those of wild and domestic animals that need to in- discriminately relieve themselves VRPHWLPH GXULQJ WKH GD\ 7KHUH LV nothing like stepping out your front GRRU LQWR D SLOH RI EHDU VKLW $QG WKDWLVELJVWXII Eva Harris Canyon City Name the scoundrels To the Editor: , ZDV WURXEOHG E\ 0U 6SUDXYH¶V FRPPHQWDU\ +H LV DOOHJLQJ WKDW Grant County has rampant corrup- WLRQ LQ LWV JRYHUQPHQW +H GLG QRW name the individuals who have con- ÀLFWVRILQWHUHVWDQGRUDUHFRUUXSW He should go to the district attor- ney and sheriff and report the evi- GHQFHRIWKLVFRUUXSWLRQ,IKHIHHOV they are also corrupt he needs to go to the Oregon State Police and Ore- gon attorney general! 0U6SUDXYHZDQWVWREHKHOGDF- countable so I ask him to step for- ward and name the scoundrels so we can take appropriate action and clean XS WKH *UDQW &RXQW\ JRYHUQPHQW We can prosecute the ones who are guilty of crimes and recall the ones KH KDV LGHQWL¿HG DV KDYLQJ VHULRXV FRQÀLFWRILQWHUHVWVLIWKH\GRQ¶WUH- VLJQ,DSSUHFLDWH0U6SUDXYHEULQJ- ing this notice of corruption to the DWWHQWLRQRI*UDQW&RXQW\UHVLGHQWV Many of us were unaware of cor- ruption at the county government OHYHO Harry Stangel Dayville etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244.