A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Report says
GMOs are
safe for people,
environment
I
n what has been touted as the
most comprehensive review of
genetically modifi ed organisms
ever carried out, the National
Academies of Science, Engineering
and Medicine last week said again
that there is no evidence that foods
containing GMOs are dangerous to
humans or animals, or that the crops
hurt the environment.
Good news for farmers and
consumers, bad news for opponents
who have full faith in science only
when science supports their bias.
The authors did no original
research. Instead, they reviewed
“more than 900 research and
other publications, heard from 80
diverse speakers at three public
meetings and 15 webinars, and
read more than 700 comments from
members of the public to broaden its
understanding of issues surrounding
GE crops.”
In short, claims both pro and
con were analyzed. The committee
concluded “that no differences have
been found that implicate a higher
risk to human health safety from
these GE foods than from their non-
GE counterparts.”
For two decades researchers have
used genetic engineering to quickly
introduce desired characteristics
into plants. The technology makes
possible the development of a wide
variety of benefi cial varieties. To
date, the report notes, only insect-
and herbicide-resistant varieties
have been put into widespread
commercial use.
The insect-resistant varieties
incorporate genes from a soil
bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis
(Bt) to give the plant a built-in,
targeted insecticide. Herbicide-
resistant plants — including
Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready”
varieties so reviled by GMO
opponents, allow plants to be treated
with effective herbicides that would
otherwise kill the crop.
Opponents claim Bt and
Roundup Ready crops hurt the
environment. Not so, says the
report. In both cases, farmers
using these varieties use fewer
insecticides and herbicides than
farmers growing conventional
crops. There is no proof that the use
of Bt varieties leads to less insect
diversity.
Concerns that insects grow
tolerant of Bt varieties and weeds
develop resistance to glyphosate,
while real, are overblown because
they can be mitigated with an
integrated pest management regime.
The report’s conclusion:
“Overall, the committee found no
conclusive evidence of cause-and-
effect relationships between GE
crops and environmental problems.”
Opponents claim consuming
food produced with genetically
engineered ingredients lead to an
increase in a host of ailments. But
the committee found no differences
in the patterns of those conditions
in the United States and Canada,
where GMO foods have been
consumed for 20 years, and Great
Britain and Western Europe, where
consumption has been far less
widespread.
Nor are animals harmed by
eating feed made from GMO crops.
Opponents claim the introduction
of GMOs has hurt farmers
fi nancially. While GMOs aren’t a
singular solution for all farming
problems, and they aren’t for every
producer, farmers who have adopted
GMO crops have generally reaped
economic benefi ts, the report said.
No doubt this not the fi nal word
in a pitched and polarized debate.
Read the report and other material at
nas-sites.org/ge-crops/.
But the report should give
farmers and consumers confi dence
that GMOs are safe. Twenty years
of research and direct observation
have not shown otherwise.
W HERE TO W RITE
GRANT COUNTY
SALEM
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
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EAGLE
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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.
G UEST C OMMENT
Oregon lawmakers should take
cue from Florida’s sunshine laws
By John Sepulvado
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
In elementary school, Franklin
Weekley was diagnosed as “mental-
ly retarded.” He was slow to learn,
but quick to act out on impulse.
Teachers at his rural school were
unequipped to get a handle on him.
Weekley ended up spending much
of his time at home. Unsupervised,
he would often get in trouble.
Weekley fought with his siblings
and raged at his neighbors. He was
fascinated with fi re and explosives,
and was quick to run away in frus-
tration. His parents — who were
also developmentally disabled —
hoped Weekley would grow out of
it.
In 2001, that hope went up in
smoke — literally — after Week-
ley set his family home on fire.
The family lost everything, in-
cluding their son, who was com-
mitted to a state-run mental facili-
ty as a result.
While in state care, Weekley
vanished one day. The state agen-
cy in charge of his care would
claim the developmentally dis-
abled teenager — who had prob-
lems dressing himself — ran to
Canada. But around 2004, an at-
torney heard about the disappear-
ance. That attorney told a reporter,
and soon after, the reporter filed
public records request with the
state agency in charge.
Those records showed that
state contractors had found a body
in an abandoned building on the
property shortly after Weekley’s
disappearance.
The records showed the body
was badly decomposed, but
around the skeleton’s hips was
an elastic underwear band with
“F.Weekley” written on the tag.
A reporter’s investigation found
Weekley had run away into an
abandoned building and fell down
an elevator shaft, where he died.
Shortly after that story was
published, the state agreed to pay
Franklin Weekley’s parents $1.3
million.
Strong public records laws
have the ability to right wrongs,
hold state workers — including
politicians — accountable, and
shine a light into the darkest re-
cesses of government — like the
bottom of a derelict elevator shaft
on state-owned property. Pub-
lic records laws help keep things
honest.
That was the case in Florida,
where Franklin Weekley died.
Yet if that were to happen in Or-
egon, it’s a good bet that Week-
ley’s whereabouts would still be
unknown. That’s because a pub-
lic records request for a case like
Weekley’s would almost certainly
be obstructed by delays, exemp-
tion claims, and high costs.
“The current state of public
records is poor to pathetic,” said
Willamette Week reporter Nigel
Jaquiss. “The public agencies
have no deadlines to require to
public records request, so they of-
ten do so slowly and incomplete-
ly. Some public agencies use their
ability to charge whatever they
want in a punitive fashion.”
Jaquiss, a Pulitzer Prize win-
ner for Investigative Reporting,
routinely files public records re-
quests — and he said state agen-
cies often find reasons to block
requests because they “fear pub-
lication of a story that would be
embarrassing.”
As Jaquiss noted, there are no
deadlines for Oregon agencies to
respond to requests, nor are there
limits to costs. Even if the agen-
cies do respond, there are more
than 500 exemptions to the state’s
public records laws. And while
some of the exemptions serve the
public good by protecting the vic-
tims of domestic abuse, or shield-
ing state employee medical infor-
mation, other exemptions include
dog licenses, information about
boat accidents, and complaints
filed by consumers about insur-
ance companies, manufactured
homes, and even the state’s judges.
In comparison, Florida has four
exemptions of public records, there
are deadlines for when responses
must be fi led, and costs must cor-
relate with work performed and be
clearly outlined.
Legal challenges to this ob-
struction are often long and cost-
ly, and it creates an Oregon where
only those with resources have ac-
cess to transparency.
While the state’s reporters have
long complained about the state’s
open records laws, national re-
search shows Oregon has some
of the weakest open records rules
in the country. According to the
Center for Public Integrity, Oregon
earns an “F” grade in the State In-
tegrity Investigation, which mea-
sures “transparency and account-
ability grades for all 50 states.”
The state also earns an “F”
grade measuring the public’s ac-
cess to information, ranking 34th
in the country. For context, Flori-
da is ranked 17th (and neighboring
California and Washington ranked
28th and 32nd, respectively).
The Oregon Territory Chapter
of the Society of Professional Jour-
nalists is calling on policymakers
to reform Oregon’s open record
laws. Our membership believes
that if it’s good enough for Florida,
it should be good enough for Ore-
gon. We urge the public to support
that reform.
And we encourage all journal-
ists and voters to hold policymak-
ers accountable until that reform is
achieved.
John Sepulvado, OPB’s Week-
end Edition host and a member
of the Oregon SPJ Sunshine Com-
mittee, wrote this on behalf of the
Oregon Territory Chapter of the
Society of Professional Journalists
board. Reach the chapter through
spjoregon@gmail.com.
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
Grant County “one
great criminal rat trap”
To the Editor:
Malheur Occupier Scott Will-
ingham recently pleaded guilty
in federal court. He moved to
Grant County after the occupa-
tion. Why choose Grant County
since he told the FBI he planned
to assassinate Harney County
Commissioner Grasty (March
24, OregonLive)? Dan Perry
spoke with Willingham before
his arrest and said Willingham
said he “talked to Sheriff Palmer
the other day” (March 23, Blue
Mountain Eagle). Did he move to
Grant County because of a possi-
ble positive opinion of Palmer? If
so, then the rest of America wants
Grant County to re-elect Palmer
so other domestic terrorists, as-
piring assassins, convicted felons
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
illegally possessing firearms and
thieves, who may have a positive
opinion of Palmer, will have a
reason to leave where they live
and move to Grant County.
Consider Michael Emry, who
moved from Idaho to Grant Coun-
ty, who built a bomb for someone,
who built 66 illegal machine guns
and who was arrested by the FBI
for illegally possessing a .50 cal-
iber machine gun, which he stole
(May 5, OregonLive). Did Emry
move to Grant County because
of Palmer? He glowingly praised
Palmer, and supporters drew a
connection with Palmer, claiming
the FBI arrested him when Palm-
er was out of town (May 6, Or-
egonLive). If he moved to Grant
County because of a possible
positive opinion of Palmer, then
the rest of America wants Grant
County to re-elect Palmer so that
other bomb makers, illegal ma-
chine gun makers, illegal posses-
sors of .50 caliber machine guns
and gun thieves, who may have a
positive opinion of Palmer, will
have a reason to leave where
they live and move to Grant
County.
The rest of America wants
Grant County to become one
great criminal rat trap, possibly
luring thousands of dangerous
criminals like Willingham and
Emry. What’s the bait possi-
bly luring criminal rats to leave
where they live and move to
Grant County: those criminal rats
possibly having a positive opin-
ion of Sheriff Palmer. So, Grant
County, do continue re-electing
Palmer sheriff. The rest of Amer-
ica will thank you because their
big criminal loss may become
your big criminal gain.
Brian McDonough
Bennington, New Hampshire
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