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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2016)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 12, 2016 Mammograms save lives A s more and more women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, one key statistic should encourage women to talk to their doctors about mammograms: Breast cancer survival rates have improved due to early detection. Mammograms in women 50 and older can reduce deaths due to breast cancer by 20-30 percent, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. For a 15-minute screening, that’s a staggering number. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend mammograms every two years for women 50 and older and recommend women 40-49 consult their doctor about mammograms. Yet, in Oregon, one in four women over 50 has not had a mammogram in the last two years. If more women were screened, more lives could be saved. It is a simple proposition. In Oregon, 75 percent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed at an early stage of the disease, which is easier to treat, according to the Oregon State Cancer Registry. While the recommended mammograms may not detect every case early, a higher screening rate improves the probability of early detection. Blue Mountain Hospital can perform mammograms right here in John Day, and technician Danielle Hunt said they only take 10-15 minutes and soft padding now makes the procedure more comfortable. Help is also available for those who cannot afford a mammogram. Nationally, the CDC provides assistance, 800-CDC-INFO, and locally, the Blue Mountain Healthcare Foundation provides help, 541- 620-1010. While there are other steps women can take, mammograms are a powerful tool in the fi ght against breast cancer. If you have not already, please make an appointment with your doctor today to help reduce the lives lost to this all-too-common disease. T HE B ACKROADS The joys of hunting By Sean Hart Blue Mountain Eagle Ah, hunting season is upon us — the time where I seem to wander through rugged but beautiful back- country to come home with nothing to show for it but a slight smile from being outdoors and soreness from otherwise-avoided exercise. I apologize if you missed me last week. I think the only thing harder to fi nd than me was the elusive four-legged, antlered creature known as a buck deer. Although I’m from the sagebrush portion of Eastern Oregon, I fi gured I’d try my luck in the timber opening weekend. What a wonderful idea that was. I’m not sure how anyone hunts with all those trees in the way. Opening morning was nice. My hunting party found a couple spots that appeared as if we might actually be able to hunt — where the lodge- pole pine wasn’t so thick I couldn’t fi t through sideways. On the walk, however, we realized the underbrush was just as bad. Ma- neuvering around a tree, I then caught a pine needle in the eye. For at least a minute, my eye was watering so bad- ly I wouldn’t have seen Bigfoot if he was standing right in front of me — maybe that’s what was scaring all the deer away. Somehow I did stumble upon an abandoned shovel, though, so I knew I wouldn’t go completely emp- ty-handed this season. The next morning, we fi nally saw a buck on Forest Service land. Be- fore realizing it was just outside my unit, I thought about waiting until it was light enough to shoot. I’m not sure what the townsfolk would have thought, though, because the little forked horn was feeding on the grass at the Prairie City Ranger District sta- tion in town. My brother and I fi nally found a nice spot to hunt in the forest later that day and actually saw what may have been a buck. We couldn’t say for sure because it darted off into a thicket almost as quickly as we saw it. We tried to hunt through the dense trees, but it’s safe to say the deer knew the terrain far better than we did. A fl eeting glance was all we saw as he disappeared into oblivion. We decided to return to the sage- brush to hunt the other side of the unit for the rest of the season. Driving from John Day to Vale, I fi nally got a good view of a deer — as it dashed out in front of me on the highway. I slammed on my brakes and tried to swerve around the little doe, but in the infi nite wisdom pos- sessed by these elusive creatures, it decided to cross anyway. I swerved back to the right and had almost slowed the car to a stop, but I caught the tail end of the deer — just enough to break the plastic covering my headlight. I stopped and got out to look for the deer. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to fi nd the deer had vanished into the night like all of its relatives in the forest. Ah, hunting season. There’s noth- ing quite like it. Editor’s note: I did fi ll my tag back in sagebrush country, but you’ll have to wait until next week to read about that. 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 Blue Mountain EAGLE P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY 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 L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Sheriff Palmer has integrity To the Editor: I’ve been watching the appar- ently orchestrated weekly letters printed in the Blue Mountain Ea- gle, letters attacking Sheriff Glenn Palmer by use of wild assumptions, and twisted and slanted attacks on Palmer’s honesty and integrity. It would seem clear that these letter writers are an active part of the op- posing sheriff offi ce candidate, and apparently with his approval of their statements and methods. Ours is a national political sys- tem that has deteriorated over the years to what has evolved into a system that is bloated by self-serv- ing individuals and puppet groups who are acting not in the roles of servants of society, but rath- er by enriching themselves at the expense of society by whatever means or actions they deem effec- tive to accomplish their goals. I personally applaud Glenn Palmer, who has managed his posi- tion not by a willingness to use his offi ce as a governmental whipping post of the public, but rather, by his willingness and reason, to evaluate and apply the power of his offi ce to at times as needed, to take a stand to shield that public against the fre- quent encroachments and abuses of a self-serving national govern- mental system gone power-mad. As to the supporters opposing Glenn Palmer — with the very ap- parent approval of the candidate trying to replace him, the tone and clear twisting and distortions be- ing used to attack Palmer speak volumes to their own integrity and honesty. If Grant County voters want still another level of gov- ernmental pressure, wielding an ever-growing control of the mass- es system, clearly using an “ends justifi es the means” mentality, then the challenger is your man. I personally fully support Sher- iff Palmer, and he will have my vote as long as his name is on the ballot! Gary Davidson Canyon City Let out-of-state corporations pay fair share with yes on Measure 97 To the Editor: I know you’ve seen them. Mea- sure 97 ads are popping up every- where, and with those ads come a lot of misinformation. I’ve been really interested in this since I fi rst heard about it and have done a lot of research. Here is what I believe to be true. Measure 97 affects only large corporations — fewer than a quar- ter of 1 percent of businesses in Or- egon — which already pay higher taxes in every other state. Oregon has the lowest tax on corporations in the country. Measure 97 is not a sales tax nor will it be passed on to farmers, ranchers or consumers. These big out-of-state corporations won’t re- spond by raising the price of their goods in Oregon, because their prices are set nationally — not based on state tax rates. Corporations like Chevron, Wells Fargo and Comcast are spending millions to defeat Mea- sure 97 because, for decades, they have gotten away with paying next to nothing in Oregon taxes — while hard-working Oregon families like yours and mine have been left to pick up the slack. Many pay only $150 a year. I pay more than that, and most of you probably do too. As a retired teacher, I have seen the impact of decades of un- derfunding education. Something needs to change. Measure 97 will fi nally hold large and out-of-state corporations accountable to pay their fair share. The big backers of the no cam- paign are spending millions on a deceptive media blitz. Don’t be deceived. Please vote yes with me for seniors, health services and ed- ucation to build the Oregon that working families deserve. Susie Garrison Portland (formerly Canyon City) Despite my name on ad, I do not support Sheriff Palmer To the Editor: I am writing to express my disgust in a section of last week’s paper. My name was put on the en- dorsement of the Glenn Palmer for sheriff advertisement in the paper. I did not put my name on any pa- per or endorsement and do not sup- port him. I am at a loss of words as to how anyone’s name can be put into a paper without permission. It makes you wonder how many oth- er names that are on that advertise- ment were not signed by that per- son — and not to mention all the duplicate names and out-of-county names on the list. The out-of-coun- ty voters shouldn’t be able to infl u- ence our votes. I feel as if maybe some of this may be provoked by the current sheriff, Glenn Palmer. I just want to make it known that I did not approve of my name in the paper and especially on the Glenn Palmer endorsement. I’m casting my vote for Todd McKinley and urge every other Grant County res- ident to do the same. Eddy Hicks Prairie City ‘Vote Todd McKinley for sheriff’ To the Editor: I’m writing this letter because of my experience as having a law enforcement career nearly 28 years, the last 10 as a trained, cer- tifi ed 911 dispatcher, working with (sheriff candidate Todd) McKinley and (Sheriff Glenn) Palmer. Palmer’s deposition, Sept. 20, 2016, displayed a clear picture of where the professionalism, knowl- edge and honesty lie. Palmer as- serted his Fifth Amendment 51 times, was not able to answer many questions without having some question explained repeatedly, his demeanor poorly displayed along with his gum chewing. People want answers; Palmer didn’t pro- vide answers. Palmer stated that he had no training in public record law. Being sheriff for 16 years, he should know public record law. Public record law effects every- one; it’s a crucial part of all record keeping, especially this line of work. Victim or suspect, there’s a report. Get it; read it! It’s public in- formation and a key to aiding other agencies including prosecution. If the report is not accurate or com- plete, the results could be devas- tating to a faltered conviction on either side. McKinley’s reports are accurate and complete without question. He takes his job to a higher level than any offi cers I’ve ever worked with. McKinley has proven his dedica- tion as an offi cer, by fulfi lling his duty to protect and serve all with a high level of professionalism and honesty. I’ve made countless calls to McKinley and Palmer in the mid- dle of the night with single-digit temperatures and blustery weather. (All calls are recorded and public record.) McKinley never hesitated or turned one call down, took every call and responded within minutes; I can’t say this for all. The call that sounds simple, not important, could be the crucial life or death call; I al- ways knew I could rely on McKin- ley to respond; that is dependable. Palmer’s deposition showed we need a change. It’s not who you know, but what they represent. McKinley’s dependability, reliabil- ity, honesty, accuracy, experience and knowledge represents a pro- fessional law enforcement offi cer. He is a man of his word. Stand proud. Show your support. Vote Todd McKinley for sheriff. He will protect and serve us all. Kathie Maben Mt. Vernon Hospital earns thumbs up To the Editor: Thumbs up for our hospital staff. After a month-long stay, be assured that anyone will receive maximum care when a stay is required. Staff will pitch together. This includes nurses, physical therapy, doctors, kitchen services, room cleaning and personal health caregivers. Can you believe it? Take my word! Al Olson John Day See LETTERS, Page A5 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 ........ J ACKIE O SBORNE , JACKIE @ BMEAGLE . COM R EPORTER ............................... R YLAN B OGGS , RYLAN @ 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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