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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 3, 2017)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Removing guns does not solve suicide problem W hile the state Senate bill allowing the removal of guns from people deemed threatening to themselves or others certainly has good intentions, it would not address the underlying problems. If passed by the House of Representatives, after passing in the Senate Monday, the bill would allow a family member or law enforcement offi cer to petition the court for an “extreme risk protection order” prohibiting a person from possessing guns and other deadly weapons, if the court fi nds the person presents risk of suicide or injury to another person in the near future. The person would have 24 hours to surrender their guns. On its face, the bill seems as if it would be benefi cial to public safety and health. And the aim of preventing people who truly are threats to themselves or others from possessing the means to carry out those imminent threats is noble. But the bill is pretty unclear on what constitutes an extreme risk. And it would allow to the court system to remove property from someone who may never have been convicted or accused of a crime . When an order is issued, the bill requires the person to be entered into the state Law Enforcement Data System and the National Crime Information Center, whether or not they have done anything wrong. The order would last 12 months, regardless of the circumstances, and the person can only request one hearing to terminate the order during that 12-month period. The bill defi nes “deadly weapon” as any fi rearm but also anything designed for and capable of causing serious injury, which could be broadly construed. The bill would mandate a confrontation that could set off the very thing it is trying to prevent. If a person refuses to surrender their weapons, what then? Worst of all, this bill does nothing to address serious problems in our society with mental illness and suicide. By implementing new rules and classifi cations for people without addressing the problem, the bill would only further stigmatize mental illness. People may not seek help for fear of repercussion through a court order removing their property. People may feel less inclined to speak to others about their problems when they are most in need of support. Isn’t help and support what we should be providing? This bill will clearly have unintended consequences and will not necessarily prevent any of the tragedies it is intended to address. It certainly won’t solve the problem. The real issue is mental health and how our society views it. Suicide is a glaring problem across our communities. Yet, discussions about it are taboo. Rather than pass a bill that tramples on constitutional rights, maybe we should talk about the actual problem. Until we do, the tragedies will continue. 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 Blue Mountain EAGLE P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY 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- 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. Wednesday, May 3, 2017 An eye-opening experience By Shiranne Carter For the Blue Mountain Eagle Job shadowing Blue Mountain Eagle staff has been defi nitely an eye-opening experience in terms of learning about what it takes to be a journalist. I know for a fact when I fi rst thought of journalism I pic- tured nothing but writing, or a ro- manticized version of what a jour- nalist’s job is, that was further from the truth. Through my job shadows, I was able to see how much a re- porter, editor or anyone else that works for a newspaper has to do. Reporters like Rylan Boggs and Angel Carpenter have to research, photograph and write their topics before the public ever sets eyes on the story. To be a reporter, some- thing that is my main career goal, is to be constantly working with peo- ple and meeting deadlines. Which can be hard since there has never been a schedule for new news. Besides my job shadows with the staff of Blue Mountain Eagle, I also was able to do research into what to expect and how I should prepare myself to reach my intended goal. The main consen- Shiranne sus I got through Carter my research is that journalism is an ever-changing career because of how our media is evolving. In- stead of getting our news from the local paper, which we still do, we also get the news from the internet, radio, television and other forms of multimedia. Because of this, job opportunities for reporters, or just journalists in general, tend to fl uctuate continuously, making be- coming a journalist not as easy as one would think. The best way to become a journalist is through in- ternships or having experience with a high school newspaper and having at least a bachelor’s degree focus- ing on journalism or some degree of training. Through my research, I found that the key skills for a journalist to have are obviously good writ- ing, speaking and, surprisingly, good people skills. Which will be areas that will need improvement if I am going to pursue this career path. Besides that, I gained cool tricks to actually help when in- terviewing people besides taking concise notes. Always to remem- ber to take off the cap covering the camera lens, and to record the people talking instead of writing it down and just record the minutes so there are no words forgotten in the interview. I was able to see how many steps it takes to actually get the newspaper ready and become what you are reading before you. Although, my idea of a journalist wasn’t as cookie cutter as I origi- nally thought, it is still the career that I wish to pursue. Shiranne Carter is a senior at Grant Union Junior-Senior High School who performed a job shad- ow at the Blue Mountain Eagle. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Support our local offi cials To the Editor: While the debate over federal land management has not changed over time one thing that has gained momentum is the slander and ha- rassment of our local Federal Land offi cials. Most notably the Forest Supervisor. While it’s hard to get agreement on any topic about Fed- eral Land Management, our super- visor in my opinion has always tak- en the time to listen and try to come up with solutions to problems that managing federal land presents. His transparency and ability for open dialogue should be appreciat- ed. If there’s an issue on the forest, meetings will take place, discus- sions will happen, and, if possible, solutions will be found and then all involved move forward, knowing both sides had to give a little in the process. In a perfect world Grant County would have a mill in every commu- nity and the restrictions on logging, recreation and grazing would be less. But there isn’t and they are not. Can we support our Forest Ser- vice leadership and look to the fu- ture to keep Grant County alive? Can we give the collaboration pro- cess time to improve the health of our forests? Can we keep our last mill running and thriving? Keep- ing Grant County a great place to live, work and raise a family. All the while knowing the problems we face today are here and understand that we need cooperation and coor- dination of all involved especially our Forest Service staff and Super- visor to maximize our federal lands for generations to come, to keep Grant County what it always has been and always will be, a very spe- cial place to a wide range of people. Ben Holliday John Day Collaborative funding ‘should prove interesting’ To the Editor: Mark Webb, executive director of Blue Mountains Forest Partners, stated in a letter to the editor that John George has a “deep misun- derstanding” of the 501(c)(3) sta- tus they operate under and are not required to release any information concerning their fi nances. Yet, Mr. Webb also said by IRS rules they are “only” required to release their last three years’ fi nancial records. I am requesting the last three years of the BMFP records as Webb indi- cated they are bound to do by reg- ulations as operating as a 501(c)(3) organization. I am anxious to share the forthcoming and timely deliv- ered information with others that are wondering how the BMFP, a volunteer-based nonprofi t, can pay Mark Webb a salary of $50,000. The sources of funding for the col- laborative group should prove inter- esting. Roger McKinley Prairie City Practice what you preach To the Editor: Being a citizen and taxpayer in Grant County, I request Judy Schuette pay the bill for the time charged and travel expenses in- curred for the Grant County at- torney to travel to facilitate the recent hearing called by County Clerk Brenda Percy regarding the residency of John D. George of Austin, Oregon. Schuette filed a complaint against George (my nephew), and Schuette needs to pay this bill, not the citizens of Grant County. Schuette brought this expense on the people of Grant County; the cost should be laid directly at her feet. Because his residen- cy was not withdrawn and there was no need or reason to have the hearing because Percy made a fa- vorable determination earlier on this exact situation. I find it sad that the County Court will not put money toward an investigation of the Canyon Creek Complex fire, but they will pay the bill for Schuette’s complaints about my nephew, in an obvious attempt to silence his questioning of the Blue Moun- tains Forest Partners and the Grant County Court. Anyone want to bet what Schuette’s response will be? Only when Julie Carr pays for the recall attempt against County Commis- sioner Boyd Britton? The differ- ence is, 500 plus residents partic- ipated in a democratic process to attempt to remove an ineffective commissioner in Britton. Howev- er, in Schuette’s case, she is trying to punish a man that does noth- ing more than ask questions and share information with the people of Grant County. Frances M. Preston Prairie City 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 ........ C AITLIN B ROOKS , CAITLIN @ BMEAGLE . 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