A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
From current
event to history
he tragic events of
September 11, 2001,
happened 15 years ago.
That means the event is now
closer to the era of the Berlin
Wall than to present day.
9/11 — the defi ning moment
of today’s world order — is
moving from a current event
into the realm of history. That’s
the neighborhood of not just the
USSR, but the assassinations
of the 1960s and the bombing
of Pearl Harbor — dates
that now live in infamy, but
also textbooks and yellowed
newspaper pages.
Many have never forgotten
9/11, but a growing number of
Americans never even knew it.
Current high school students
were not alive when the towers
fell. They did not huddle in
offi ces or dorm rooms or the
Round-Up Grounds to watch
the incomprehensible footage
on television. They did not
call their wives and husbands,
mothers and fathers and sons
and daughters, to cry onto
shoulders and through landline
telephones.
They never knew the 3,000
people who were lost that
day. They did not watch the
entire foundation of the world
disappear in explosions and
columns of dust. They did
not have the seething anger,
the desire for vengeance, the
foreboding sense that a world
T
of warfare was on the horizon
and America was no longer
invincible.
Even the partisan poet Leonard
Cohen wrote and sang soon after
the towers fell: “Did you go
crazy/or did you report/on that
day/they wounded New York?”
The legacy of September 11
— the destruction of the Twin
Towers, the Pentagon crash
and Flight 93 — has become
muddled by the fog of two
wars, further disintegration
of peace in the Middle East,
the current refugee crisis and
an inability to stabilize the
world. Our immediate sense of
foreboding was right in tune.
But time has stripped us of the
seething anger, and it has been
replaced instead by growing
apathy and isolationism.
There is no sense in
mourning the passage of time.
The hand-wringing required
to do so is better spent on the
wash.
But we can study history in
order to avoid repeating the
same mistakes. The attacks
exposed deep fi ssures in the
world that two presidents have
failed to heal, as have any
number of world and religious
leaders. As 9/11 becomes
history, we have more to learn
from our response — both as
people and as nations — than
we do from the terrible events
of that day.
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
‘Freedom is
under siege’
To the Editor:
Despotism, if not exactly “on
the march” and assuming control
of country after country across the
globe as it did the in the 1920s and
1930s, is certainly making itself
felt in global meetings of statesmen
and in diplomatic forums. President
Obama’s decidedly unpleasant dust-
up recently with the Philippines’ ex-
terminatory ruler, Rodrigo Duterte,
illustrates just how dicey the diplo-
matic circuit can get when our own
politicians fi nd themselves obliged
to interact with foreign strongmen
whose views and methodologies
happen to enjoy massive popular
support. Duterte’s approval ratings
are stratospherically high. A fed-
up and desperate Filipino elector-
ate obviously has no objections to
his “dose of lead” solution to that
country’s crime and drug problems.
Duterte can legitimately point to a
massive democratic mandate that
he achieved within the context of
multi-party political competition.
Obama’s team also fi nds it nec-
essary to interact fairly frequently
with the likes of Vladimir Putin of
Russia, X. Jin-ping of China and
many other autocrats who main-
tain law and order with an iron fi st,
and who have the “masses” behind
them while they do so. Dictatorship
in our era, for the most part, does
its “dictating” courtesy of the sov-
ereign people. It thrives whenever
and wherever that often-mysterious
entity known as John Q. Public ex-
presses a desire to simply destroy
the “rotten scum” that is respon-
sible, so they think, for all of their
problems. Duterte’s popularity in
the Philippines derives from his
nearly perfect understanding of how
the Filipino masses think.
There was a relatively short
“window” during the 1990s, im-
mediately after the Cold War’s end,
when it appeared that unfettered and
undiluted democracy would sweep
the boards, and humankind’s future
would be one of liberty without lim-
it. “The End of History” was envi-
sioned. All would be peace, joy and
the love of liberty.
That point of view was na-
ive. Freedom is under siege, and
iron-fi sted rule is making strides
even in places where one least ex-
pects it.
Frank W. Goheen
Vancouver, Washington
‘Dangerous
Donald Trump’
To the Editor:
Dangerous Donald Trump might
be a threat to our viability. He could
try to assume dictatorial powers and
abolish the Constitution, Congress
and the Supreme Court. Some of his
supporters are far-right extremists.
His candidacy is reminiscent of the
Fascists in Germany, Italy and Ja-
pan during the 1930s and 1940s.
Trump has unwittingly proposed
to pull our troops out of South Ko-
rea and Japan if they do not pay for
our aid. This will open up the Far
East to Chinese and North Korean
expansion. He might try to abandon
NATO, thereby enabling Russian
expansion in Europe. Trump doesn’t
have a problem with countries ac-
quiring nuclear weapons. He even
encouraged Russia to spy on Clin-
ton. His blunders could lead to mis-
calculations by totalitarian regimes
and increase the possibility of war.
Amazingly, he says he knows more
about ISIS than our generals.
Trump appears to be unstable,
shallow and disorganized, and he
does not have the requisite knowl-
edge or understanding of U.S. and
world affairs, nor the intellectual
capacity, to be president and com-
mander-in-chief.
Vote for the socially liberal and
fi scally conservative Libertarian
ticket of Johnson/Weld.
Donald Moskowitz
Londonderry, New Hampshire
I support McKinley
for sheriff
To the Editor:
Todd McKinley worked for us
for awhile. Charlie said he had ev-
erything ready for the next day and
was thinking forward to the next
weeks. Todd is a “planner.” He likes
to be prepared for everything.
I talked to a man who had
worked with Todd on Search and
Rescue. He had been involved for
many years. He said Todd was one
of the best he’d ever seen.
We knew a man who fought fi re
with Todd on the Mt. Vernon Fire
Department. He told us Todd was
very well organized and a really
good leader; plus he was out there
fi ghting fi re with them.
In March 2013, I had someone
vandalize my head gates at Camp
Creek. I called the sheriff’s offi ce,
and Todd responded. He handled
the situation quickly, very effi cient-
ly and quietly. Afterwards he ex-
plained to me what he’d done and
what I should do.
Most important to me, Todd is a
wonderful husband, father and pro-
vider. I was told this by a close fam-
ily member. His wife and children
are solidly behind him.
I think Todd McKinley will
make a very good sheriff.
Jan O’Rorke
John Day
City council should
pledge and pray
before meetings
To the Editor:
Regarding the report in the paper
on the John Day City Council meet-
ing a few weeks ago, I hope you
continue the practice. It’s good to
know what our city leaders are do-
ing — or not. It wasn’t mentioned in
the article, but I had asked that the
council pledge allegiance to the fl ag
and pray at the meetings. The last
time I asked that it be done, a coun-
cilperson worried about separation
of church and state. I referenced her
to Marsh v. Chambers, the Supreme
Court decision that reads in part, “To
invoke Divine guidance ... is not ...
an ‘establishment’ of religion ... it is
simply a tolerable acknowledgment
of beliefs widely held among the
people of this country.”
A councilman last time objected
saying John Day couldn’t afford a
fl ag! So this time I brought a small
fl ag with me to donate to our poor
city; one councilman said he knew
where there was a fl ag, but he was
quickly hushed. Another council-
man said he prayed at home. May-
or Lundbom said many times there
weren’t enough people in atten-
dance at the meetings to pray for,
totally missing the point. Council-
persons led by a local cleric would
be praying corporately for we the
people of John Day, not themselves;
they can do that at home.
Mayor Lundbom was concerned
that prayer might offend someone.
Grant County Court and the senior
center offer a salute to the fl ag and
prayer; no one has ever gotten of-
fended that I know about.
One councilman opposed to the
pledge and prayer decided to go the
ad hominem route in his argument
and attacked me personally. That re-
ally doesn’t encourage community
involvement. Appearing before the
council for the average Jack and Jill
citizen is scary enough without be-
ing criticized for the effort.
There really isn’t a good reason
not to say the pledge and a brief
non-sectarian prayer as the senior
center and county court do. It’s sim-
ply a tolerable acknowledgment of
beliefs widely held among the peo-
ple of John Day.
Richard S. “Richie” Colbeth
John Day
Owner, not
neighborhood,
should care for pet
To the Editor:
In regards to last week’s front-
page story regarding dogs and their
owners, dogs might be “man’s best
friend,” but that opinion is often not
the view of neighbors and others
close by! Too often, that “cute lit-
tle pup” loses its owner’s attraction
once it’s grown. Then it’s the near-
by neighbors who pay the price for
the resulting dog owner’s impulse
and neglect. We’ve had an array of
dogs and cats of our own through
the years, mostly while living out
in the country where they could run
freely and not be a nuisance to rela-
tively distant neighbors. But in city
boundaries, just because one neigh-
bor chooses to own a pet of any
kind doesn’t mean the whole neigh-
borhood wants to be a part of that
choice, and then become unwilling
victims or caretakers of the animal.
Pet owners have the freedom to own
a pet — but with that comes the re-
sponsibility to care for and control
it, and to be sensitive to the often
unwanted involvement, intrusion
and disturbance that choice forces
on all those in the neighborhood.
Gary Davidson
Canyon City
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