A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Trump’s
denigration of
FBI is self-serving
T
he FBI is so universally
familiar to Americans
that it’s unnecessary to
spell out its name. Its initials
are synonymous with a kind
of stolid professionalism. Like
our northern neighbor where
the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police famously “always
gets their man,” the FBI isn’t
glamorous, but is who you
want on your side if there’s a
criminal to apprehend.
It isn’t without fault. In
the post-9/11 era, its anti-
terror focus has sometimes
been overzealous, generating
complaints from minority
communities and civil
libertarians. But long gone are
the days of J. Edgar Hoover,
its legendary founding director,
who infamously played fast
and loose in pursuing personal
vendettas and agendas.
At least since it became
known that FBI Associate
Director Mark Felt served
as the Washington Post’s
secret source in the corrupt
Nixon administration, a large
majority of Americans sees the
FBI as an honest and neutral
bulwark against wrongdoers
of all kinds, in or out of
government.
This makes it all the more
astounding to hear a U.S.
president denigrate the FBI.
Claiming the agency’s stature
is in “tatters,” President Trump
is lashing out at an American
institution with a far better
reputation than he enjoys
himself.
Trump’s reaction to the
FBI’s legally sanctioned
investigation of Russian
involvement in the last election
may be understandable from
someone who regards himself
as a tough street fighter. But
running down the FBI at a
time when it has hundreds of
investigations going, some of
them dangerous, is not smart
for the nation’s chief executive
officer, who oversees the FBI
and ought to have its agents’
welfare and safety in mind.
The Republican Party of
days gone by was a proud
defender of law and order. It
is sad to see the GOP’s leader
and his enablers turn against
our most potent police agency,
which has been effective at
combating organized crime
and blocking attacks by foreign
terrorists.
It is a standard ploy to attack
government during political
campaigns, but quite another to
sabotage it after being elected.
Meanwhile, the rest of us need
government to function. And
we sure as hell need the FBI to
continue doing its job well.
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@cityoflong-
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 Office 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 Office Building, Washington D.C.
20510. Phone: 202-224-3753. Email:
senator@merkley.senate.gov. Fax: 202-
228-3997. Oregon offices 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 office: 14 North Central, Suite 112,
Medford, OR 97501. Phone: 541-776-4646.
Fax: 541-779-0204.
F ARMER ’ S F ATE
Conned with the truth
By Brianna Walker
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
I once read that fear is a dark-
room where negatives develop. One
only has to pick up a magazine or
newspaper to find that fear in so
many articles. Fear sells. Fear of
wrinkles sells beauty products,
fear of being stranded sells road-
side assistance, fear of burglary
sells home security systems. Ag-
riculture is no stranger to this fear
either. Fear of pesticides push peo-
ple to buy organic, and fear of the
unknown causes people to reach
for the “non-GMO” label.
Some fear is good. It warns of
danger and can help keep us safe.
But there are very few monsters
who warrant the fear we have of
them. Take for example dihydro-
gen monoxide (DHMO). Perhaps
you’ve heard of it: It’s colorless,
odorless, tasteless and kills un-
counted thousands of people every
year.
It has a pH level of 7, and is a
main component of acid rain. It
is deliberately sprayed on organ-
ic crops. It is dumped into riv-
ers by big companies and never
degrades. It corrodes metal. It is
used as a cleaning agent in mor-
tuaries. Water bottles stored on
shelves longer than a month have
been found to have high levels of
it. It is used in industrial solvents,
nuclear power production, as well
as an ingredient in most baby
foods.
Each year, dihydrogen monox-
ide is a major contributor to mil-
lions of dollars in damage to prop-
erty and the environment — most
recently affecting
Texas. Contami-
nation has reached
epidemic propor-
tions. Quantities of
dihydrogen mon-
oxide have been
Brianna
found in almost
Walker
every stream, lake
and reservoir in
America. The pollution is global,
and the contaminant has even been
found in Antarctic ice.
Prolonged exposure to its solid
form causes severe tissue damage.
Symptoms of ingestion can include
excessive sweating and urination,
and possibly a bloated feeling,
nausea, vomiting and body elec-
trolyte imbalance. It has addictive
qualities, and for those who have
become dependent, DHMO with-
drawal means certain death — 100
percent of all people exposed to
DHMO will eventually die. Afraid
yet?
The government has refused to
ban the production or distribution
of this chemical due to its “impor-
tance to the economic health of this
nation.” Several individuals have
tried petitioning for bans.
One of whom was 14-year-old
student Nathan Zohner of Idaho.
He actually had more than 85 per-
cent of his classmates sign the ban
for eliminating DHMO. For which
he won first place in his science
fair and actually had a term coined
after him. “Zohnerism,” wrote
journalist James Glassman, “(is to)
refer to the use of a true fact to lead
a scientifically and mathematically
ignorant public to a false conclu-
sion.”
For what is dihydrogen monox-
ide? It is two hydrogen molecules,
and one oxygen — in other words,
H2O. Water. All of those facts were
about water. Are they facts? Abso-
lutely. And there are more. Star-
bucks serves thermally agitated
dihydrogen monoxide in many of
their beverages, and it may cause
burns if it contacts skin. Hot water
can burn.
Prolonged exposure to solid
DHMO causes severe tissue dam-
age. Frost bite. Gaseous DHMO
can cause severe burns. Steam is
hot. All of this is factual. But it’s
silly once one realizes DHMO
is just water. And if all of that
could be said about water, what
else are we letting fear scare us
from?
One of my favorite acronyms
for FEAR is “False Evidence Ap-
pearing Real.” Before becoming
afraid of food — whether you
choose to eat organic or go GMO
— take a moment to see behind the
“facts.” Who’s feeding the fear?
What is their agenda? Make your
decision to continue to use DHMO
or not based on your knowledge
and common sense — not just what
your neighbor does or what you see
on TV.
Just parroting your neighbor can
have dire consequences, as the sec-
ond man discovered. A man walks
into a bar and orders H2O. A second
man says “I’ll have H2O too.” The
second man dies.
(H2O2 is the chemical equation
for hydrogen peroxide.)
Brianna Walker occasionally
writes about the Farmer’s Fate for
the Blue Mountain Eagle.
G UEST C OMMENT
Be prepared for storms
By Shelley Snow
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
Whenever there’s a chance of
stormy weather, the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation encourages
motorists to prepare their vehicles in
advance and drive with extra caution.
Before traveling to areas that may
have hazardous conditions, make
sure your vehicle is ready:
• Ensure the heater and defroster
are working properly.
• Test all lights. Carry spare light
bulbs.
• Use antifreeze that’s good to mi-
nus 25 degrees; check and fill washer
and other fluids and make sure hoses
aren’t loose or brittle.
• Keep wipers clean and in good
condition; fill the windshield washer
tank.
• Make certain your battery is ful-
ly charged (also check battery age
and make sure cables are not loose or
corroded).
• Ensure your tires are in good
condition and properly inflated for
best traction, including your spare.
• Carry chains or use traction tires
in winter.
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
P UBLISHER ............................... M ARISSA W ILLIAMS , MARISSA @ BMEAGLE . COM
E DITOR .................................... S EAN H ART , EDITOR @ BMEAGLE . COM
R EPORTER ............................... R ICHARD H ANNERS , RICK @ 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 . COM
O FFICE A SSISTANT .................... A LIXANDRA P ERKINS , OFFICE @ BMEAGLE . COM
• Keep an automotive safety kit in
your vehicle.
If you are driving in areas that
have ice or snow on the road, adjust
your driving to fit conditions and re-
member these winter driving tips:
• Turn off your cruise control.
• If you lose traction and your ve-
hicle feels like it’s floating, gradually
slow down. Don’t slam on the brakes.
• Use caution when driving on
bridges or concrete highways. These
surfaces are the first to freeze and be-
come slippery when the temperature
drops.
• Slow down in advance of shaded
areas, especially on curves. Shaded
areas are cooler and may have ice that
is difficult to see.
• Don’t pass snowplows or sand-
ers, and don’t follow them too close-
ly; they will pull over!
• Be prepared for slow traffic af-
ter a storm passes. It may take sever-
al hours to clear long lines of trucks
waiting to cross a pass after a storm
moves through the area. Also, it may
take time to remove cars abandoned
on the side of the road.
• Know your route. Some roads,
like state highways, are regularly
1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES
(including online access)
Grant County .....................................$40
Everywhere else in U.S. .....................$51
Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60
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maintained. Other roads, such as for-
est service roads, are maintained less
frequently.
• Be prepared to encounter more
traffic if you are traveling the day
before, the day of or the day after a
holiday.
• Don’t drive fatigued. If you’re
feeling tired, find a place where you
can safely pull off the road and rest.
Make sure your vehicle is stocked
with the following: working flashlight
(rechargeable or with extra batteries),
cellphone and charger, extra food
and water, flares, jack, lug wrench,
shovel, road maps, blanket/sleeping
bag(s), extra warm clothes, boots,
hat and gloves, first aid kit (includ-
ing prescription medications), pock-
etknife, matches or lighter, battery
jumper cables, ice scraper and snow
brush, paper towels, extra washer flu-
id, chains or traction tires and a full
fuel tank. Before leaving, tell a fami-
ly member or friend of your planned
route and when you anticipate arriv-
ing. Keep them updated on any major
route or arrival changes.
Shelley Snow is a safety public in-
formation officer for the Oregon De-
partment of Transportation.
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Blue Mountain Eagle
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John Day, OR 97845-1187
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