A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Harassment much
too common in
halls of power
he allegations of sexual
harassment in the Oregon
Capitol are disturbing,
though not surprising.
Sexual harassment occurs
in too many workplaces, and
capitols seem a prime breeding
ground because of the inherent
power imbalance. Victims of
sexual harassment – whether
lawmakers, lobbyists or
legislative employees — often
are reluctant to speak out for
fear of losing their political
infl uence or their jobs.
It took courage for two
female state senators — Sara
Gelser, D-Corvallis, and
another unnamed senator — to
report what they considered
sexual harassment by a
colleague, Sen. Jeff Kruse,
R-Roseburg.
Kruse has denied the
allegations, which are under
investigation by legislative
offi cials. What we do know,
from a letter by Senate
President Peter Courtney
stripping Kruse of his
committee assignments, is that
legislative offi cials in 2016
instructed Kruse “not to touch
women at work. Period.”
Some Oregonians may argue
that sexual harassment is an
example of political correctness
run amok. Or that changing
generational standards make
it diffi cult for people, men
especially, to know how to
act. Not so. Harassment or
intimidation in the workplace is
never OK.
For anyone who is uncertain
about what to do, here are
tips: If you’re unsure whether
T
a remark will be heard as
sexist, demeaning or harassing,
don’t speak it. If you wonder
whether a hug is appropriate,
ask the person. If you want to
compliment someone’s shirt, do
so nicely — without praising
the person’s body or letting
your eyes linger.
Sexual harassment is
never acceptable, never
understandable, never tolerable,
and certainly not at the
Oregon Capitol. Of all people,
lawmakers have a responsibility
to know and heed the rules and
laws they create.
The Oregon Legislature’s
personnel rules clearly state
that sexual harassment can
constitute “unwelcome conduct
in the form of a sexual advance,
sexual comment, request for
sexual favors, unwanted or
offensive touching or physical
contact of a sexual nature,
unwanted closeness, impeding
or blocking movement, sexual
gesture, sexual innuendo,
sexual joke, sexually charged
language, intimate inquiry,
persistent unwanted courting,
sexist insult, gender stereotype,
or other verbal or physical
conduct of a sexual nature …”
Before each legislative
session, every legislator and
every legislative employee —
hundreds of people — must
attend mandatory training on
maintaining a harassment-free
workplace and other policies.
No one is exempt from that
training.
Yet sexual harassment
still occurs. And it’s still
inexcusable.
G UEST C OMMENT
Rural America needs high-speed internet
By Ron Wyden
U.S. Senate, D-OR
Every year, I hold town halls in
each of our state’s 36 counties to hear
directly from Oregonians on the key
issues facing rural and urban com-
munities. During these meetings, and
traveling between them, I have heard
and seen fi rsthand the importance
of getting affordable broadband in-
ternet access, high-speed wireless
broadband and strong, consistent
cell service throughout Oregon.
This past August, Donald
Trump’s Federal Communications
Commission Chairman Ajit Pai pro-
posed to lower the standard speed
of internet access in rural America.
This is just wrong. The Congress
mandated the FCC work to expand
access to high-speed internet to ev-
ery American. Pai believes slower
internet speeds are good enough for
rural areas. I completely disagree.
In my 850-plus town meetings,
Oregonians have told me how frus-
trated they are by slow internet ac-
cess. Rural residents make it clear
that lack of high-speed internet isn’t
a trivial matter. High-speed internet
access and cell coverage are critical
for everything from reaching 911
and accessing health care to selling
made-in-Oregon products around
the world.
But private sector investment has
failed to bring wireless service to
large parts of rural America. When
power companies didn’t reach rural
communities in the 1930s, Congress
passed the Rural Electrifi cation Act
and transformed rural lives. Now
Congress, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the
FCC have a respon-
sibility to offer more
consistent internet and
voice infrastructure
for rural Americans
who Big Cable won’t
U.S. Sen.
serve.
Ron
Closing the digital
Wyden
divide is urgent busi-
ness for fi ve reasons.
First, there should never be an ac-
cident victim who cannot reach 911
because there’s no cell signal. Limit-
ed cell coverage leads to preventable
tragedies.
Second, small-town Oregon busi-
ness owners shouldn’t be at a disad-
vantage in reaching customers be-
yond their city limits. Entrepreneurs
need 24-7 access to their Facebook
page or website to connect to the
global economy. And in the recre-
ation economy, smartphone access
is crucial to connecting visitors with
local small businesses.
Third, U.S. farmers and ranchers
are increasingly relying on preci-
sion agriculture technologies. High-
speed wireless support is a must
to keep pace with the ongoing de-
ployment of technology in the fi eld.
Today, farmers can control water
to their irrigation systems through
their smartphones, allowing them to
reduce costs, while also practicing
responsible agriculture.
Fourth, schools depend increas-
ingly on the internet to improve ed-
ucation with innovative coursework.
Yet substandard internet access
currently leaves many students at a
great disadvantage. Students lacking
24-7 internet access at home must
depend on limited hours at local li-
braries, friends’ houses or communi-
ty centers to do research online.
Fifth, tele-health promises to
transform how rural and remote
communities access health care.
For example, a health care provider
can now examine a patient via an
in-home video consultation, and di-
abetes patients can remotely monitor
their blood glucose levels. These op-
tions rely on reliable, fast and low-
cost internet coverage.
What’s the solution?
The fi rst step is fi nding out who
has coverage now. I’m co-sponsor-
ing a bill to require the FCC to create
more accurate mobile service maps,
especially in rural areas. That will
ensure the government more accu-
rately directs resources to the com-
munities that need access the most.
Next, if Big Cable won’t serve
rural areas, communities should
have the right to build their own
high-speed networks. I introduced
The Community Broadband Act
this year with Sen. Cory Booker to
do just that. And fi nally, our country
needs robust investment for broad-
band internet buildout, which I’ve
called for as part of an upgrade to
America’s infrastructure.
Trump’s FCC wants to tell ru-
ral Americans that they don’t need
faster internet or increased internet
access. I believe that Congress, the
Department of Agriculture and the
FCC should expand access to high-
speed internet to everyone, not tell
rural America its current marginal
service is good enough.
Ron Wyden, a Democrat, is a U.S.
senator from Oregon.
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
Don’t shoot
the messenger
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@centurylink.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 ongcreek.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: sene-
caoregon@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,
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
P UBLISHED EVERY
W EDNESDAY BY
Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Web-
site: www. leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon
Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes).
• State Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario (District:
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.
To the Editor:
Friends, and some not so friend-
ly, have been chatting with me about
my papering the Post Offi ce bulletin
boards with my opinion on the 911
issue. Well, maybe my method was a
little over the top, and I apologize for
that, but I hope that people will not
shoot the messenger but zero in on
the message: that being that 541-575-
0030 is a wonderful free local substi-
tute for 911 because it is the same lo-
cal person answering the phone. Sure
it’s only another $38 charge; well, no
snowfl ake ever wants to be accused
of starting an avalanche — $38 here,
$38 dollars there, pretty soon you
can’t afford a snow cone. I’m a dis-
abled veteran on a fi xed income and
seek to cut every expense I can; if the
extra redundant charge doesn’t bother
most of my neighbors, I’ll suck it up
and pay the fee.
Richie Colbeth
John Day
Editor’s note: The phone number
541-575-0030 is the nonemergency
line for the John Day dispatch cen-
ter, which also receives 911 calls
from Grant County. If the dispatch
center closes, it will impact both
911 and the nonemergency line;
the nonemergency line will not be
staffed 24/7 because the city will no
longer employ the dispatchers who
answer those calls.
Misinformation
about 911 dispatch
measure
To the Editor:
Got our ballots in the post the
other day. I know there is a lot of
controversy over this “Keep 911 Lo-
cal” issue, but I am still voting yes.
I have asked a lot of questions, had
a lot of folks share their opinions,
which led to more questions, got
answers, and although no one likes
to shell out more money for taxes,
I still feel this is the right thing to
do. I have heard all sorts of things
against keeping our dispatch center
here in Grant County: how this will
become a permanent tax (no it will
not; it would have to be voted on as
it has a sunset clause), how it can go
up 3 percent without any vote (no,
it can not be arbitrarily raised), how
it will be cheaper outsourcing to
Frontier Dispatch center in Condon
(not necessarily; Frontier makes
money by having the counties they
dispatch for pay dispatch fees; plus
by consolidating other counties un-
der them they are awarded the 911
telephone tax fees for each county
by the state; Grant County would
still have to pay Frontier, or whom-
ever they outsource to, for dispatch-
ing each agency John Day currently
dispatches).
This whole issue for me boils
down to local dispatchers who know
the area and can get help dispatched
on the way to those who need emer-
gency services faster. When even the
local Oregon State Police sergeant
expresses his concern about Grant
County’s dispatch center being out-
sourced, well that speaks volumes! I
have had cause to call the state police
offi ce numerous times over the past
few days, getting their dispatch cen-
ter in Salem every time. True, it was
not an emergency, but not one of the
dispatchers had any idea where Mon-
ument was nor how far it was away
from John Day. So to me, despite
the added cost on my tax bill for the
short term, I would like to keep our
911 dispatch center local. If you have
questions like I did, do call and ask!
Rose and Darrell Howe
Monument
L
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