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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2016)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, May 18, 2016 Candidates give agriculture short shrift U nless establishment Republicans can pull some convention shenanigans, Donald Trump will likely be the GOP nominee for president. And despite Bernie Sanders’ continuing efforts, short of a timely indictment Hillary Clinton will be the Democrats’ standard bearer. But what either thinks about the concerns of farmers and ranchers is, and will probably remain, a mystery in the short run. Though once courted by politicians, farmers and ranchers have gotten short shrift from presidential candidates in the 21st century. Quite a surprise, given that everyone in America eats, and eats quite well. Food is so abundant that it doesn’t register as a concern, and food producers are so few that they no longer constitute a viable interest group. Trump’s website doesn’t mention agriculture specifi cally. Sam Clovis, Trump’s national campaign co-chairman and chief policy adviser, told Capital Press the campaign “looks at agriculture from a security issue as every bit as important as energy and border security.” Clinton’s campaign didn’t respond to our request for information. Her website offers the vague promise to “increase funding to support the next generation of farmers and ranchers, invest in expanding local food markets and regional food systems, and provide a focused safety net to assist family operations. ...” Here’s what we know based on what the candidates have said or published: Neither Clinton nor Trump likes the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership, the big 12-party trade deal now pending before Congress. Clinton was for the pact before she was against it. As secretary of state she touted the negotiations and the prospects for a deal. She once referred to TPP as the “gold standard” for fair, transparent trade. But once the deal was fi nalized, Candidate Clinton dropped her support. Her online campaign material doesn’t say what she wants in future trade deals. As always, Trump is blunt. “The TPP is a horrible deal,” Trump said of the pact. How he thinks it could be improved, we don’t know. His positions on trade are fairly general — it will “fl ourish,” he says. Clinton supports the use of genetically modifi ed crops, and mandatory labeling on food products. Trump, who eats organic food at home, told the Iowa Farm Bureau that he supports the use of biotechnology in food products and opposes mandatory labeling. On immigration the candidates occupy opposite poles. Clinton supports a path for citizenship for illegals now in the country, Trump does not. Clinton supports “humane, targeted immigration enforcement.” Trump wants to hire 10,000 more ICE offi cers and repatriate all criminal aliens as well as everyone caught crossing the border. Clinton supports the president’s plan to give work permits to as many as 5 million illegal immigrants. Trump supports mandatory E-Verify screening to prevent non-eligible applicants from getting jobs. Trump has promised to reduce federal regulation, Clinton has not. We will do more reporting to better nail down the candidates’ positions on these and other issues important to agriculture. But it’s too early to say which would be better. And maybe too early to know who the nominees will be. G UEST C OMMENT Giving law enforcement tools they need to help victims in an emergency By Rep. Greg Walden To the Blue Mountain Eagle On Dec. 1, 2013, Kari Rene Hunt was brutally murdered by her estranged husband in the bathroom of a motel room in Marshall, Texas. Her three chil- dren listened through the door as she was stabbed repeatedly. Kari screamed to her 9-year-old daughter to “call 9-1-1.” The girl did as instructed, frantically di- aling 9-1-1 four times. But each time, she heard static on the other end of the line. What she didn’t know is that, because of the way the motel’s phone system was set up, she had to dial “9” first to reach an outside line. She told her grandfather later, “I tried, but it wouldn’t work, Papa.” On June 2, 2007 — just days after her high school gradua- tion—Kelsey Smith went to a Target store in Kansas to buy a present for her boyfriend. She was abducted from the parking lot in broad daylight, and law enforcement began a massive search her. They were unsuccess- ful for four days until her cell- phone’s location information was turned over to law enforcement. Kelsey’s body was then found in about 45 minutes. The House Communications and Technology panel, which I chair, heard these stories recently from the parents of both the slain young women. No family should have to face situations like these. And they were made worse by a 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. confusing patch- work of laws that govern telephone and communica- tions systems in this country. If the laws were differ- Rep. Greg ent at the time, is it Walden possible that Kari Hunt and Kelsey Smith would be alive today? Per- haps. That’s why I’m helping to lead an effort in the U.S. Con- gress to pass two bills to ensure that law enforcement can help victims faster in an emergency situation, when time is precious. One proposal, known as “Kari’s Law,” would require that all multi-line telephone systems, typically found in hotels, offic- es, and schools, be configured to reach 9-1-1 without any addition- ally prefix. After all, children are taught from a very young age to simply dial 9-1-1 in an emergen- cy, not “9-9-1-1” or “7-9-1-1” or anything else. This fix would be both easy and inexpensive. Many hotels around the coun- try have made progress address- ing this problem, but we need a uniform, national standard to make sure what happened to Kari Hunt and her family never hap- pens again. It’s been said that you may only dial 9-1-1 once in your life, but that time will be the most important call you ever make. We should make sure it’s as easy as possible so you can get the help you need when seconds count. Another proposal, known as the “Kelsey Smith Act,” would give law enforcement the tools to locate victims in emergencies, using location data from their cellphone providers. By creating a narrow set of circumstances in which law enforcement can access this type of data, the bill seeks to protect the privacy of users while still allowing access for law enforcement when the situation demands it. The Kelsey Smith Act is already the law in 22 states, including right here in Oregon where it was approved by the legislature unanimously in 2014. The federal bill would take the Oregon standard and apply it nationwide. It’s just common sense. Both these proposals were re- cently approved unanimously by the Communications and Tech- nology panel I chair, as well as the full Energy and Commerce Committee. The next step is a vote in the full U.S. House of Represen- tatives, which I hope will take action soon. These plans would save lives using existing tech- nology and don’t cost taxpayers a dime. It’s time they become law so that what happened to the families of Kari Hunt and Kelsey Smith never happens to another American family again. Greg Walden represents Ore- gon’s Second Congressional Dis- trict, which covers 20 counties in southern, central and Eastern Oregon. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Sometimes the truth is hard to take To The Editor: I seem to recall a letter to the editor about a month ago de- manding the Eagle “shape up or ship out” and by doing so tell both sides of whatever the story may be. It seems to me that when a reporter such as Les Zaitz (The Oregonian) reports on anything that doesn’t fit the narrative or agree with the opinion of some of the citizens here, he is perceived by them to be out of line and a liar. Here we have Michael Emry who is a self proclaimed journal- ist, “The Voice of Grant County”, (and many other counties along the way) who was outed at the very least as a thief, a snitch, and for my money had no place in our community with his stolen machine gun and his seditious background. It was interesting to me how many of his enthusiastic supporters crawfished when he was arrested, and even more in- teresting were the justifications I heard for his behavior from oth- ers who refuse to accept the fact that this man is a bad player of the very worst kind. So, back to my original point. Sometimes the truth is hard to take when it defies certain agen- das. When the truth came out about Mr. Emry, which wasn’t really too much of a surprise to many of us here in Grant County, the hate-filled rhetoric directed towards the FBI and certain jour- nalists for doing their jobs was ridiculous. I would suggest those of you who invited Mr. Emry here in the first place to not get your panties in a wad, as it were, and accept the truth about the man. Semper Fi. Dan Maynard John Day You will get caught To the Editor: When I was gone, you opened the gate onto Highway 395 sev- eral times and my horse ended up on the highway. You will get caught. When I was in the hospital having brain surgery, you came onto my property again and stole over $3,000 worth of tools, sev- eral 5-gallon water jugs, etc. You will get caught. While I was at a funeral, you stole my 4-month-old dog who was in a kennel. You will get caught. You stole gas out of my fire truck several times. You will get caught. Jack Johns Vaughan Ranch, Fox What’s up with that? Letter to the Editor: So, it appears from the article in the May 11 issue that our coun- ty officials think that preserving the name of Squaw Meadow is more important than approving an investigation into the Canyon Creek Complex which took so much away from Grant County. What’s up with that?! Judith Beaudet Reed Robert Reed Canyon City L 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. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. 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. 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 . 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