A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
The promise
of another
new year
A
s we limped to the end
of 2016, the promise of
a new year arrived.
The holiday is always a mix
of nostalgia and optimism, as
we look back on another year
of getting older and look ahead
to a fresh new beginning.
Hanging a new calendar offers
us the pleasing opportunity to
start again with a blank slate.
2016 will not go down
as the best of slates. It was
marred by the most exhausting
and debased presidential
election in recent memory. It
included the denouement of
Syria’s Civil War — which
showed us that inconceivable
suffering can and does exist
in the 21st century. That was
and others in the Middle East
contributed to a refugee crisis
that spread across much of
the world, which has tested
governments, international
charities and our own hearts.
The year was also scarred by
an almost continuous parade
of dying cultural figures,
from David Bowie to Carrie
Fisher. Each one seemed to
slam the national bummer
button harder than the last.
And the U.S. government
was a mess throughout — the
Supreme Court spent a whole
session with an even number
of judges, and Congress could
barely be persuaded to pay the
nation’s bills.
Many of us were excited to
see 2016 take its place in the
rear view mirror.
But this New Year’s Day
was different than most
recent ones. For some, their
optimism is mixed with
plenty of anxiety. A new
U.S. president has many
wondering what he will
do, because he has shown
himself to be unpredictable.
Perhaps there is a benefit to
a new kind of politician —
most would agree something
needs to change — but there
are genuine concerns about
the continuity of the world
order that have not been
present since the Cold War.
The first year of a Donald
Trump presidency is bound to
bring significant change, and
change is scary. Lord knows it
was for those who had to get
used to Barack Obama.
Good things can happen in
2017. Growth and stability,
promotions and awards and
marriages and births. Yet,
sadly we know will see another
war somewhere in the world,
another genocide and another
terrorist attack. There will be
blood. There will be layoffs and
divorces and deaths.
So much will be out of
your hands in the next year,
but much will be in them.
Nothing changed on January
1 unless you did. So let’s
make this a year of personal
responsibility, of personal
charity and kindness. Let’s
do our best. Let’s hold our
leaders responsible for their
actions, and to the same code
of decency we teach at home.
Let’s make a resolution to be
better than we were.
2017 is here. And perhaps
the most painful and most
comforting thought is that in
the blink of an eye it will be
over, and we’ll be right back
here talking about the coming
of another new year.
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).
• State Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario (Dis-
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
P UBLISHED EVERY
W EDNESDAY BY
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.
F ARMER ’ S F ATE
Electronic sentiment
By Brianna Walker
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
There we were surrounded by
boxes of our “have-to-have its.”
Items that seemed we couldn’t
live without at the time, but now,
with a new addition to the family,
seemed to be taking up too much
space.
We had agreed it was time to
downsize to gain more room, and
it seemed a task best accomplished
together.
We had designated one area for
Goodwill, another for junk and an-
other for things we really couldn’t
live without. We stood back to
back, ready to conquer our boxes
of treasures and trinkets. We had
decided to use the philosophy that
if it wasn’t useful or beautiful it
had to go.
“Well, no better time than the
present,” my husband said, sliding
a box over to me.
I sighed, and opened the lid.
Photographs of my husband’s
ex-girlfriends fluttered onto the
floor.
“Well,” I laughed, “we can cer-
tainly toss this box out!”
My husband glared at me, and
held up some of my old college
textbooks.
“And while we’re at it, these
musty books can go.”
“Not my books! No one gets
rids of books—books are always
useful!”
I “rescue” my books, and he
“saves” his exes, and we move on
to the next set of boxes with just a
little less enthusiasm.
“We can definitely get rid of
all this dark room equipment,”
my husband says. “Look at all this
junk—I think you
have more than 10
boxes of chemicals
and supplies, not to
mention these huge
enlargers. Moving
that out will free up
the entire storage
Brianna
room!”
Walker
“But I love de-
veloping my own
pictures,” I protest. “It’s both use-
ful and beautiful.”
“When was the last time you
used any of this stuff? You went
digital.”
“Ya, well...” I was thinking
hard.
“Maybe I could teach Keagan?”
I suggested. “It’d be a great learn-
ing opportunity.”
“Are you really trying to justify
this junk with school?”
“School. Yes! An elective. It
would be a great way to teach him
about film and photography. I’m
going to keep it. It’s useful.”
“Come on, ” he looked at me
incredulously.
I set my chin determinedly —
finally he shrugged.
“There are three enlargers. Can
you at least pick just one?”
“Well,” I said slowly, “maybe
that one.”
I pointed to the smallest of the
three.
“Great!” he exclaimed, picking
up the other two and heading to-
ward the empty Goodwill area.
“No! No!” I shouted. “I meant
we can get rid of the little one — I
want to keep the big ones.”
My husband wrinkled up his
nose and gave me a look.
“You’ll never use this stuff,” he
grumbled.
But his attention quickly shift-
ed as I tossed a large chain full
of keys into the discard box.
He scrambled over to retrieve
them.
“What are you doing?” he
asked. “Do you know what these
keys go to?”
“No,” I said, “what?”
“Well I don’t know,” he an-
swered, “but you shouldn’t just
thrown them away without finding
out. We might need one of them.”
“They’ve been in this box since
we got married — 12 years ago.”
“Look,” he said, “this one goes
to my Trans-Am.”
“You mean the Trans-Am you
sold before we even met?” I asked.
He shot me a look, letting me
know that keys to locks on vehi-
cles more than a decade gone were
more than just junk.
It went on this way for several
hours. The area designated “have-
to-have” was piled high with box-
es, the junk box held a few holey
socks and some old Christmas
cards, and the Goodwill area had
three backpacking books, the lit-
tlest of the photo enlargers, two
empty key chains and an egg cook-
er.
The egg cooker was the only
thing we were both happy to see
go. Packing the one, lone Good-
will box out of the house, we both
agreed that for future gifts, instead
of more stuff, maybe we should
just email or text pictures of things
to each other — it would be elec-
tronic sentiment without the clut-
ter.
Brianna Walker occasion-
ally writes about the Farm-
er’s Fate for the Blue Mountain
Eagle.
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
A ‘quieter federal
land battle unfolds’
To the Editor:
A “quieter federal land battle
unfolds.” If you really look at what
is unfolding, it’s a battle for who
speaks for local residents and how
they use public resources.
Mr. Webb, executive director for
the Forest Service-supported Blue
Mountains Forest Partners (collab-
orative) worked hard to disband the
forest commission. A commission
that friends of Mr. Webb’s sat on for
years, and never once questioned
the legitimacy of the commission.
Mr. Beverlin, supervisor for the
Malheur National Forest, told for-
estry leaders that, if road closures
were opposed, no harvest would
come off the forest, meaning “part-
ners” of the “collaborative” would
not see their $70 million “Steward-
ship Contract” come to pass.
So, what were Mr. Webb and Mr.
Beverlin to do? Could they sit back
and watch “their” collaborative not
be the sole “voice” on the Malheur
National Forest? No. Could they
sit back and watch people they
supported for the commission lose
in the primary and see their “infl u-
ence” dwindle to nothing, as the
forest commission could be used in
Grant County directly “coordinat-
ing” on projects in the county? No.
They were left with only one
course of action: disband the com-
mission, steal the voice from the
people of Grant County and remove
the last effective tool the people
had to affect change on bad proj-
ects. This doesn’t even mention
Mr. Webb’s growing infl uence and
wage as the executive director of
the collaborative that is in direct
confl ict with the commission.
Were Forest Service “collab-
oratives” formed to bring people
together, or to control a message?
Seems more to the latter anymore.
Do what the collaborative says,
and you can proceed; go against the
collaborative, and they send in their
executive director to kill public par-
ticipation.
Nice model you have, Mr. Webb
and Mr. Beverlin. Maybe you
should take in nationally. Oh, wait,
it already is.
John D. George
Bates
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
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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.
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