A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
G UEST C OMMENT
Prevention
is possible
By Matt Ipson
For the Blue Mountain Eagle
A
pril is Sexual
Assault Awareness
Month. This year’s
campaign focuses on ways
that individuals, communities
and the private sector can
help prevent sexual violence.
Nearly one in fi ve women,
and one in 71 men, are victims
of sexual assault (Black et
al., 2011), but all of us are
impacted by sexual violence.
Everyone understands that
sexual abuse impacts victims
and their families, but the
effects of sexual violence
on communities and society
are less obvious. Sexual
violence creates a climate of
fear, anger and disbelief in
the workplaces, schools and
communities that it occurs in.
Additionally, sexual violence
burdens the criminal justice
system, medical facilities and
crisis and mental health service
providers. Further, societal
contributions of survivors may
be hampered as a product of
psychological trauma that can
cross generations and last a
lifetime.
Preventing such a far-
reaching and prevalent social
issue as sexual violence may
seem overwhelming or even
impossible. This mentality
implies that there isn’t a
solution — or if there is, we
can’t achieve it. But we can.
There are many practical steps
that are currently being taken
in our homes, neighborhoods,
schools, faith communities
and workplaces. But there are
many more things we can do
to promote safety, respect and
accountability.
Together, we must resolve
to change the prevailing
culture that questions the
actions of victims, rather than
the actions of their attackers.
Individuals can model
supportive relationships and
behaviors, call out harmful
attitudes and challenge the
societal acceptance of rape.
We cannot look the other way.
Communities, businesses
and schools can take action
to implement policies that
promote safety, respect and
equality.
As this year’s slogan
declares, prevention is possible!
Join us in helping everyone see
their role in preventing sexual
violence. You can learn more at
www.nsvrc.org/saam.
Matt Ipson is the deputy
district attorney for Grant County.
W HERE TO W RITE
GRANT COUNTY
• Grant County Courthouse — 201
S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City
97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-
575-2248.
• Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon
City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax:
541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu-
rylink.net.
• Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville
97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541-
987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net
• John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day,
97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-
575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net.
• Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long
Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax:
541-421-3075. Email: info@cityofl ong-
creek.com.
• Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument
97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025.
Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net.
• Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt.
Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax:
541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net.
• Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie
City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax:
820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net.
• Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca
97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161.
Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com.
SALEM
• Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State
Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378-
3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www.
governor.state.or.us/governor.html.
• Oregon Legislature — State Capitol,
Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180.
Website: www. leg.state.or.us (includes
Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised
Statutes).
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
P UBLISHED EVERY
W EDNESDAY BY
• State Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario (Dis-
trict: 60), Room H-475, State Capitol, 900
Court St. N.E., Salem OR 97301. Phone:
503-986-1460. Email: rep.cliffbentz@state.
or.us. Website: www.leg.state.or.us/bentz/
home.htm.
• State Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R — (District
30) Room S-223, State Capitol, Salem
97310. Phone: 503-986-1950. Email: sen.
tedferrioli@state.or.us. Email: TFER2@aol.
com. Phone: 541-490-6528. Website: www.
leg.state.or.us/ferrioli.
• Oregon Legislative Information —
(For updates on bills, services, capitol or
messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
• The White House, 1600 Pennsylva-
nia Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500;
Phone-comments: 202-456-1111; Switch-
board: 202-456-1414.
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D — 516 Hart
Senate Offi ce Building, Washington D.C.
20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Email:
wayne_kinney@wyden.senate.gov Website:
http://wyden.senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717.
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D — 313 Hart
Senate Offi ce Building, Washington D.C.
20510?. Phone: 202-224-3753. Email:
senator@merkley.senate.gov. Fax: 202-
228-3997. Oregon offi ces include One
World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St.,
Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; and 310
S.E. Second St., Suite 105, Pendleton, OR
97801. Phone: 503-326-3386; 541-278-
1129. Fax: 503-326-2990.
• U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R — (Second
District) 1404 Longworth Building, Wash-
ington D.C. 20515. Phone: 202-225-6730.
No direct email because of spam. Website:
www.walden.house.gov Fax: 202-225-5774.
Medford offi ce: 14 North Central, Suite 112,
Medford, OR 97501. Phone: 541-776-4646.
Fax: 541-779-0204.
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
Collaborative
process yields better
projects
To the Editor:
Those who were concerned by
Mr. (Mark) Webb’s court challenge
to the (Public) Forest Commission’s
validity or those wanting more back
story, please read the original char-
ter posted (as a link with this letter)
in the online version of the Eagle. It
was drafted in more bleak times of
local forestry and local economics.
As the timber wars subsided,
two approaches were embarked on
in hopes of a solution. First was the
establishment of the Public Forest
Commission in a 2002 vote with
members voted in during 2004.
It was ambitious and brave, if not
somewhat desperate in nature, and
basically very likely not legal. Had
it been fully implemented, I am
pretty sure some major litigation
time would have been involved.
A few years later came the col-
laborative effort that would become
the Blue Mountains Forest Partners
and then the Harney County Resto-
ration Collaborative.
While it is easy to sit back, refus-
ing to learn new ways and fi ght for
our long held positions, it’s much
harder to educate ourselves and step
out of our comfort zones to co-create
a better future. These two collabora-
tive groups have been successful so
far and are on a good path to con-
tinue that trend. Joining BMFP from
very near the beginning, I will say
it was not easy and exceptionally
trying at times in the early years; I
almost quit numerous times out of
frustration with some members’ ex-
treme or unreasonable viewpoints.
Speaking for myself, I think bet-
ter projects come out of a collabo-
rative process. I do not want to see
the forest managed by a small group
of people who think very similar-
ly or the Forest Service alone. The
increasing trend of extreme polar-
ization, personal attacks and name
calling observed on social media is
highly unlikely to move our com-
munity forward; respectful dialog is
more likely to yield meaningful re-
sults. I do think the PFC can serve a
useful role in forestry issues for the
county though the charter needs a lot
of work. I am running for one of the
positions. If elected, this would be
one of my goals moving forward.
Dave Hannibal
Mount Vernon
Concerning the recall
of Boyd Britton
To the Editor:
Many of us here in Grant Coun-
ty benefi t from working for the
Forest Service. Loggers, construc-
tion workers who put in culverts to
working on forest roads. Thinning,
piling, burning. You might be hard
pressed to fi nd someone who has
never benefi ted from working for
the Forest Service.
From what I can fi nd, Boyd
Britton Welding may have received
$4,000 to $5,000 net a year from
work for the Forest Service — the
Forest Service used them because
his business could take a credit card.
About county road closures: In
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
P UBLISHER ............................... M ARISSA W ILLIAMS , MARISSA @ BMEAGLE . COM
E DITOR .................................... S EAN H ART , EDITOR @ BMEAGLE . COM
A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT ........ K RISTINA K REGER , KRISTINA @ BMEAGLE . COM
E DITORIAL A SSISTANT ................ C HERYL H OEFLER , CHERYL @ BMEAGLE . COM
C OMMUNITY N EWS .................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM
S PORTS ................................... A NGEL C ARPENTER , ANGEL @ BMEAGLE . COM
M ARKETING R EP ....................... K IM K ELL , ADS @ BMEAGLE . COM
O FFICE M ANAGER ..................... L INDSAY B ULLOCK , OFFICE @ BMEAGLE . COM
one situation, Boyd went out past
“Wickiup” to look at a road that the
Forest Service was putting “tank
traps” into. He stopped the work and
called Scott Myers, and together they
put a stop to that road being closed.
The County Court had people ap-
ply to be on a roads committee. The
committee only existed a short while.
Some quit. What happened to that
group that was to bring information
on roads to the County Court?
D.R. Johnson fi led a lawsuit with
the Forest Service over the “Summit
Fire.” We knew the ranchers who
had it surrounded but were told to
pull back by the Forest Service. D.R.
spent a great deal of money. He nev-
er could prove the F.S. was at fault or
that the way they managed the forests
was wrong. We joined D.R. as land-
owners who had land burnt. I think
that lawsuit went on for over three
years. No one won.
What if you fi nd a citizen did
something wrong at the very begin-
ning? Are you going to blame the
entire fi re on that one person? Maybe
a F.S. employee? He could be your
neighbor. Maybe the wind blew the
smoke jumpers off target? What if
it was a volunteer? You will be hard
pressed to get volunteers in the future.
Many homes were lost. People
are still hurting. Things are gone that
can’t be replaced. People still have
nightmares!
The past can’t be changed. We
can only learn from it. Hopefully!
Jan O’Rorke
John Day
Farmers: Providing
nourishment and
economic opportunity
To the Editor:
The way in which we improve
a communities’ lifestyle is to add
value to it. In order to add value,
we must create something new,
something wanted by consumers
and providing net gain. Consumers
need more tangible usefulness than
small strips of paper and coin. We
add value by doing just that, adding
more to the marketplace than we re-
move. Do public sector jobs, after
massive overhead costs, add value
to our economy?
Imagine if you would that your
pantry was our economy. You walk
in and immediately notice more
cans at the top than the bottom.
This does not suit you, so you re-
organize. The goods are distributed
among the shelves in an even man-
ner. When fi nished, you look at the
work you’ve done, pleased with
the aesthetics of it all, and walk out
with a couple cans for dinner. Ask
yourself, “Did I add any value to
the storeroom?” The shelves cer-
tainly look better. So do our unem-
ployment numbers, as reported in
the March 30, 2016, edition of the
Blue Mountain Eagle. Did we add
any value by taking from some and
giving to others, plus overhead?
Now imagine a seed placed
in the soil. From the dirt and the
rain, two leaves rise and a root
taps down. Through time and care,
leaves and roots continue to grow,
resulting in a tangible and quantifi -
able product. Farmers harvest this
crop to feed the needs of the peo-
ple. Taking only from soil, rain and
time, crops are then traded for fi at
currency. Has value been added to
the marketplace? Yes.
We may help our neighbors by
helping our farmers, and frankly our
energies are more properly aligned
to help each other with long-term
solutions. Farmers are the mothers
and fathers of society. They care
for the land and their communities
far more than themselves. Though,
even the caretakers of the land need
help at times. Please support our
local farmers by allowing them to
grow and harvest what God placed
on this planet. Please support Ini-
tiative 12-58 in adding value to
our governmentally impoverished
county.
Cassandra Ross
Vancouver, Washington
Wake up,
Grant County
To the Editor:
The date to vote on initiative 12-58
is fast approaching. Voters will decide
on May 17 whether or not citizens in
Grant County have the right to use
private property for a legal profi table
business. 12-58 allows citizens to open
and operate facilities for production,
processing and retail sales of marijua-
na products.
It also opens the door for hemp
production on private land. In 2014
Oregon voters approved the legaliza-
tion of recreational marijuana. That
law allows residents over 21 the right
to grow up to four marijuana plants as
well as posses 8 ounces of dried mar-
ijuana. The laws set no boundaries
state-wide. It’s legal in every county in
Oregon including Grant.
Agree or disagree with the law, but
this is the current state law in Oregon.
Oregon is now in the phase of imple-
mentation. Once the system is set up
counties that participate become eligi-
ble for revenue from the state tax sys-
tem as well as giving counties around
the state an opportunity to produce
good paying sustainable jobs. Coun-
ties that have opted out receive noth-
ing! Not a dime of revenue or a single
job!
Not only have state representatives
unfairly denied Eastern Oregon com-
munities their right to receive revenue
under this program, they essentially
have told the private citizens the gov-
ernment will dictate what they believe
is appropriate use of private property.
This has now become a land use issue
for private property owners. If we vote
no on 12-58, we set a precedent that
allows elected offi cials to decide for us
without a vote what is and will be ap-
propriate use of our land now and into
the future.
Voting no on 12-58 does nothing to
the existing law for recreational mar-
ijuana; your neighbors can still grow
and smoke it even if you vote no. So
why vote no if the only thing you’re
blocking is private property rights and
the opportunity to bring in revenue
and produce jobs in our community?
Let’s vote yes on 12-58 and send a
clear message that the people of Grant
County will decide what is appropriate
use of our land.
Norma Russell
John Day
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