Opinion/News
Blue Mountain Eagle
LETTERS
Continued from Page A4
‘Should we fear
avowed protesters
within our county?’
To the Editor:
People that would become
Grant County Positive Action
were present with signs at a
Jan. 26 meeting in John Day
at the Senior Center to protest
the occupation of the wildlife
refuge in Burns.
While attempting to attend
the meeting, LaVoy Finicum
was killed by police just south
of the county line. Without
doubt, citizens were exercis-
ing a legal right to protest and
did so in a controlled manner.
Since those individuals
wear the mantle of protest-
ers, should they be held in the
same standing in Ferguson,
Chicago, Philadelphia and
Detroit where irebombs were
thrown at police, buildings
looted and set ablaze? After
all, those people were iden-
tiied as “protesters.” Should
we fear avowed protesters
within our county? It might be
signs and free speech now, but
what next?
There is no doubt that
“protesters” have become vi-
olent and dangerous. Should
there be a presentation on
riots in cities and ties to pro-
testers, even here? One can
easily read the connection that
is being made to patriots, and
that cannot be ignored when
discussing protesters. Let us
compare apples to apples,
oranges to oranges. Anything
else is simply propaganda.
Ron Ballard
John Day
Inept agencies
and reckless
spending
To the Editor:
Why is the state of Ore-
gon/ODOT and Gov. Kate
Brown spending $1 million
on an audit? How much are
the director of ODOT and
other management individuals
paid? Maybe they aren’t earn-
ing their salaries if the agency
is in such bad shape that they
need to be audited.
I’ve had my own issues
with ODOT and a rest area
that my grandparents deeded
to the state of Oregon for a
park. It became a “rest area,”
and I have tried several times
to get them to take better care
of it. I am told they don’t
have the funds. It’s time to do
something about the ineptness
of agencies and the reckless
spending of money in Oregon.
Sharon Livingston
Long Creek
Where’s
the debate?
To the Editor:
As an interested voter,
I have been watching for a
candidate debate between in-
cumbent Sheriff Palmer and
challenger Todd McKinley.
In the past, debates have been
sponsored by the Chamber of
Commerce or other organiza-
tions. The League of Women
Voters has fair and consistent
guidelines for conducting a
debate. In such an important
election, it would be very
helpful to see the two candi-
dates discuss the important
issues and answer questions
from the voters. So, my ques-
tion is, where’s the debate?
Carla Zinn
Canyon City
Something’s in
the air in Grant
County
To the Editor:
I am a native of Grant
County, I know Grant County
and I have been at a loss to ex-
plain how so many residents
have become so irrational in
their thinking. I would call to
your remembrance that Grant
County was the irst, and re-
mains the only county in the
U.S.A., to vote the United
Nations to be illegal within its
boundaries. The United Na-
tions had designated certain
remarkable places throughout
the world as special heritage
sites. To this date, none have
in any way been occupied or
under the rule of the U.N.
Next, the Grant County
sheriff declared himself not
only the enforcer of laws but
the only interpreter of the
Constitution. When our sher-
iff went on to be recognized as
the nation’s irst constitutional
sheriff, he drew unwanted at-
tention on our county as a rad-
ical and whacked-out place.
More recently, in neigh-
boring Harney County, some
like-minded people took over
Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge. In the ensuing days,
some of the occupiers were
traveling to John Day to pro-
mote their interpretation of
the Constitution. One was
shot to death by the state po-
lice as they were arrested en
route. As implausible as it
seems, the conspiracy-minded
folks in Grant County blamed
the government for “mur-
dering” their new martyr. I
thought this was probably as
wild as their thinking could
possibly get.
But they have outdone
themselves with another ex-
ample of absurd thinking.
They believe that the va-
por trails (contrails) left by
high-lying aircraft are, in
fact, mind-controlling chem-
icals being dispersed on the
population by the govern-
ment. I really laughed when I
heard this.
I thought this was the
most ridiculous bit of rubbish
they have come up with yet.
However, after reviewing all
the irrational ideas they have
thus far produced, I’m quite
sure that they must be inhal-
ing something besides Eastern
Oregon air.
Terry Steele
Ritter
graphed or video recorded.
Does Grant County have a
reputation that visiting speak-
ers need to be protected?
Grant County Positive Action
is to be commended if their ef-
fort was to educate the public.
However, the presentation by
Rural Organizing Project was
far from “fair and balanced”
and failed miserably when
they refused to address re-
quested questions from those
attending. By the way, written
by a patriot.
Dave Traylor
John Day
‘How does one
tell the difference
between a good
patriot and
suspect ones?’
‘God bless Glenn
and Roseann!’
To the Editor:
A presentation by Rural
Organizing Project hosted by
Grant County Positive Action
held at the Canyon City Com-
munity Hall on Friday Oct. 7
could have been informative
except for the one-sided nar-
rative on just what a patriot
is. Organizations from here in
the West and across the nation
were identiied and the in-
ference was, “approach with
caution.” I was surprised that
the American Legion and Vet-
erans of Foreign Wars were
not mentioned.
A question-and-answer pe-
riod was announced with writ-
ten queries placed in a basket.
Only several questions were
aired, and then people in the
audience with hands in the
air were ignored and “meet-
ing over.” I will probably be
known as “someone who dis-
rupted the meeting” because
I stood and asked why the
requested questions submit-
ted by the audience were not
being addressed.
I too was ignored so to the
consternation of some present
I read aloud the deinition of
a patriot, which is “a person
who loves, supports and de-
fends his or her country and
its interests with devotion — a
person who regards himself or
herself as a defender especial-
ly of individual rights, against
presumed interference by the
federal government.” My
question was, “How does one
tell the difference between a
good patriot and suspect ones
that were mentioned?” Un-
usual for a meeting in Grant
County was the four young
men at the meeting with ear-
phones.
One stood shoulder to
shoulder with the speaker,
while the other three main-
tained positions overlooking
the audience. Everyone at
the meeting was duly photo-
C OPS & C OURTS
Arrests and citations in
the Blue Mountain Eagle are
taken from the logs of law en-
forcement agencies. Every ef-
fort is made to report the court
disposition of arrest cases.
Circuit Court
CANYON CITY — The
Grant County Circuit Court
reported the following ines
and judgments:
• Caleb Joe Vielma was
convicted of failure to appear
in the irst degree, endanger-
ing a person protected by a
FAPA order and menacing
constituting domestic vio-
lence. He was sentenced to 50
days jail, 8 years probation,
100 hours community service,
ined $1,400 and ordered to
pay $1,000 to the victim.
• Bryan K. Holestine’s di-
version for driving under the
inluence of intoxicants was
revoked. His driver license
was revoked for life. He was
sentenced to 45 days in jail
and two years probation and
ined $1,255 with $300 sus-
pended.
Grant County Sheriff
CANYON CITY — The
Grant County Sheriff’s Ofice
reported the following for the
week of Oct. 13: concealed
handgun licenses, 7; average
inmates, 16; bookings, 8;
releases, 8; citations, 1; in-
gerprints, 5; civil papers, 12;
warrants processed, 6; asst./
welfare check, 1.
Justice Court
CANYON CITY — The
Grant County Justice Court
reported the following ines
and judgments:
• Driving with a suspend-
ed license: Talia Christine
Maloy, 40, Prairie City, Aug.
25, fined $435; James Ed-
ward Jewel, 34, Creswell,
Aug. 9, fined $435; Camden
Jay Rhinehart, 19, John Day,
Sept. 16, fined $370.
• Driving uninsured: Talia
Christine Maloy, 40, Prairie
City, Aug. 25, fined $260.
• Exceeding the speed
limit: Jacob WIlliam Obrist,
32, La Pine, 42/25 zone,
Sept. 29, fined $160; Gerald
Paul Hampton, 54, Haines,
75/65 zone, Sept. 20, fined
$135; Kate Lorraine Hart-
nell, 30, Shedd, 50/35 zone,
fined $160.
• Violation of the basic
speed rule: Lucido Salva-
tore, 62, Carmel Valley, Cal-
ifornia, 72/55 zone, Sept. 30,
fined $135; Ronald A. For-
syth, 60, Seneca, 70/55 zone,
Sept. 28, fined $135; Thom-
as Lee Watson, 48, Estacada,
74/55 zone, Sept. 30, fined
$160; Willard B. Wolf, 65,
Ashland, 72/55 zone, Oct. 4,
fined $160; Tami Sasser, 34,
Kimberly, 69/55 zone, Sept.
29, fined $160.
• Semi-trailer exceeding
53 feet in length: Rafael
Obregon Barajas, 45, Pan-
orama City, California, Sept.
21, fined $110; James M.
McCracken, 57, Boise, Sept.
21, fined $110.
• Operating with a leak-
ing or sifting load: Ivan
Keith Mulder, 69, John Day,
Sept. 27, fined $220.
• Use of cellphone
while driving: Kimber-
ly Diane Neault, 32, Prai-
rie City, Sept. 25, fined
$135.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
167 calls during the week of
Oct. 10-16. Along with the
various trafic warnings, tres-
passing, injured animals, noise
complaints and juvenile com-
plaints, these calls included:
• John Day Police
Oct. 10: Received a report
of a restraining order vio-
lation. Responded to a dog
complaint in Prairie City.
Oct. 12: Arrested a
30-year-old woman on a pa-
role and probation violation
detainer warrant.
Oct. 13: Responded to a re-
port of harassment and arrest-
ed a 26-year-old for probation
violation.
Oct. 14: Responded to a
report of a break in. Conduct-
ed a trafic stop and cited a
27-year-old John Day resident
for driving with a suspended
license and driving uninsured.
Performed a trafic stop and
arrested a 37-year-old Mt.
Vernon man for DUI.
• Grant County Sheriff
Oct. 10: Dispatched to a
report of a dog complaint.
Oct. 11: Took a report of
possible animal abuse.
Oct. 14: Received a report
of gas being siphoned. Re-
ceived a report of vandalism
of phone company equipment.
Oct. 16: Received a report
of someone placing a dead deer
on the county courthouse steps.
• John Day ambulance
Oct. 11: Responded for an
85-year-old female who was
choking.
• Oregon State Police
Oct. 11: Arrested a
44-year-old on a Crook Coun-
ty warrant.
To the Editor:
My family has lived in
Grant County since the spring
of 1957; during that time,
we have met a lot of people.
People that are still in this
community; one of those
people being Glenn Palmer;
although at that time, 1968
to be precise, Glenn was just
a irst-grader at Humbolt Ele-
mentary School here in Can-
yon City. Time continues on
in this small community of
ours, and I started working
with a group of friends on
building a skateboard park for
the young people in this com-
munity. Roseann and Glenn
Palmer became very active in
this group. The name of the
park is Smokey Gibson Me-
morial Park. April 7, 1997,
the group had a grand open-
ing for the skateboard park at
the Seventh Street Complex
in John Day. As Gerald (my
husband) and I grew older, we
became more in need of per-
sonal help. Glenn’s name was
one of the people to be called
on to help us, when the call
went out for help. In the last
months of Gerald’s life, Glenn
was called several times to
come help me with his care.
Glenn as sheriff came to me
after I returned home from
Idaho with my daughters, to
talk about Gerald’s passing,
giving me and my daughters
great comfort. Glenn is still
the person to answer the call
when I am in need. Twice this
summer, Glenn came in re-
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
sponse in my time of need.
The most recent being
in the last couple of weeks,
when I tripped over one of my
dogs during the night. Glenn
was there for me. Glenn and
Roseann are very good friends
to me. God bless Glenn and
Roseann!
Jessie M. Lewis
Canyon City
‘Serve and protect
without prejudice
or favoritism’
To the Editor:
Election time is upon us,
and we are about to choose a
sheriff for the next four years
here in Grant County.
I strongly encourage ev-
eryone, especially those of
you who are still undecided
to attend one of the meet and
greet Todd McKinley com-
munity meetings published
in this week’s paper.
You will ind a man
that will give straight an-
swers. A man who strong-
ly believes and lives our
Constitution.
A Christian family man
who has a wonderful wife
and seven children.
In Todd McKinley, you
will ind a man who will have
his priorities focused on the
administration of the Grant
County Sheriff’s Ofice with-
out distraction.
This is a man who carried
a lost and disabled man out of
the woods on his back.
A man who gave little or
no thought to his own safe-
ty as he went door to door
and evacuated folks who
were in peril in our terrible
ire.
Get to know Todd McKin-
ley. He will carry the weight
of the responsibility of our
next sheriff with the same
dedication and enthusiasm as
he has shown countless times
in the past.
So many times when there
is a call for help, a ire or a
young person just needing
some positive guidance, Todd
McKinley is there to serve.
Serve and protect without
prejudice or favoritism.
A5
It is time for a new leader
in the Grant County Sheriff’s
Ofice.
Vote for positive lead-
ership. Todd McKinley for
Sheriff, 2016.
Dan Maynard
John Day
Vote for Hillary
To the Editor:
It seems like the election
season has gone on forever,
but now it is time to make our
decision on who will be our
next president.
Over the past few months,
the choice has become clearer
and clearer. One of the candi-
dates, Hillary Clinton, brings
a lifetime of relevant experi-
ence to the position, having
served as irst lady of Arkan-
sas, irst lady of the United
States, as a U.S. senator and
for four years as our secretary
of state. All of her life, she has
worked for the betterment of
our country.
The other candidate, on
the other hand, brings his own
rather spotty business experi-
ence as a real estate developer
and reality TV star.
During the campaign, he
has shown a questionable
temperament, which should
worry us all. Is this really the
man we want to put forward
to our children as a role model
and to represent us before the
world?
A man who coins phrases
such as “Lyin’ Ted” or “Crook-
ed Hillary,” and whose behav-
ior would have him sent to the
principal’s ofice in any ele-
mentary school I ever worked
in.
The proudest moment of
my public service career was
representing the voters of
Eastern Oregon as a Hillary
Clinton delegate at the 2008
Democratic National Conven-
tion. She was the right person
for the job in 2008, and she is
the right person today.
I urge you to cast your vote,
when your ballot arrives, for
Hillary Clinton for president.
Jack Lorts
Wheeler County Demo-
crats vice-chair
Fossil