A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Fair trials and
federal tricks
I
t should be obvious: When
the U.S. government goes
after anti-government
protesters, it must follow
the highest legal, ethical and
operational standards. To
do otherwise is to reinforce
the protesters’ notion of an
unfair, untrustworthy and
undisciplined government.
Yet in the court case against
Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy
— whose 2014 ranching
protests helped inspire the
2016 armed occupation of the
Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge in Harney County —
federal agents and prosecutors
veered off that high road and
onto the low road. Because the
government withheld evidence
that might have aided the
defense, federal Judge Gloria
Navarro declared a mistrial last
month, stating “a fair trial at
this point is impossible.”
Bundy, sons Ammon and
Ryan and sympathizer Ryan
Payne faced multiple charges,
including conspiracy, from
the Bundys’ 2014 armed
standoff against federal agents
in Nevada. Navarro has
scheduled a hearing for Jan. 8
to determine whether the case
against them should be thrown
out. On Friday, the federal
prosecutors asked for a new
trial, contending their failure to
share all their evidence with the
defense was unintentional.
Let there be no doubt: Cliven
Bundy should not have kept
using public land for his cattle
after choosing not to renew his
federal grazing permit and not
paying the grazing fees. The
Bundys and their supporters
should not have taken up arms
against federal agents who
planned to seize the Bundy
cattle over the unpaid fees and
ensuing fines. Ammon Bundy
and his cohorts should not have
brought their armed campaign
into Oregon and seized the
Malheur refuge.
However, documents
and testimony reveal that at
various stages it was as if some
federal agents had a vendetta
against the Bundys and their
supporters. As one example,
a federal threat assessment
had found the Bundys were
not the violent threat that the
government claimed. Yet the
government expectation of
a violent response from the
Bundys almost guaranteed
violence. The government had
positioned snipers and other
surveillance, and armed Bundy
supporters had shown up to
protect the cattle ranch.
The similarities to the
Malheur refuge occurrence
are eerie. The U.S. Justice
Department’s heavy-handed
pursuit of two Harney County
ranchers — Dwight Hammond
Jr. and son Steven Hammond
— led to excessive prison
sentences in their arson case.
In response, Ammon Bundy
and his fellow anti-government
sympathizers descended on
the community of Burns and
eventually invaded the wildlife
refuge.
Nothing justifies those
extremist actions of Ammon
Bundy and his followers,
or those of Cliven Bundy.
But remember: Our nation’s
founders envisioned a fair, just
and accountable government.
When federal prosecutors
and law enforcement agents
subvert these principles, they
undermine the very government
they claim to uphold.
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@cityoflong-
creek.com.
• Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monu-
ment 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-
2025. Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.
net.
• Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Ver-
non 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:
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
P UBLISHED EVERY
W EDNESDAY BY
F ARMER ’ S F ATE
Life is like a box of crayons
By Brianna Walker
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
My grandma was an artist. An
artist who loved colors. If I was
to personify her life, I would have
to say it was like a box of cray-
ons. And not the little eight pack
— no, she’s got all 96 colors. She
wouldn’t go for just red and blue
and yellow. Her box would include
Atomic Tangerine, Blizzard Blue
and Mango Tango. And if I had to
pick a crayon for her, she would
have definitely been Razzmatazz
— mostly red with a touch of jazzy
pink.
Her crayon life taught me a lot.
Some crayons are sharp, some dull.
Others pretty, some have weird
names, but each crayon can pro-
vide a story, a poem or a life les-
son. There may be some colors we
prefer, but life is about using as
many crayons as you have in your
box.
Scarlet is the crayon that
would describe some of the mo-
ments when Grandma would make
Grandpa blush. One time in acad-
emy, so the story goes, Grandma
sparkled at Grandpa and said, “I
love you great, I love you mighty; I
love your pajamas right next to my
nighty. Now don’t get embarrassed
and don’t get red... I meant on the
clothesline, and not in bed!”
Grandma was so witty, she was
quick with the retorts and often
had a poem to recite as well. If she
didn’t have one, she’d write one.
So when I see the Macaroni and
Cheese crayon, the only thing I can
think of is a poem she wrote a few
years ago.
“You can say stout or chubby, or
pleasantly plump
too much size to the thighs, too
820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net.
• Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca
97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161.
Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com.
much lump on the
rump
too much jelly
on the belly,
lacking
thin
’neath the chin
doesn’t matter
Brianna
how you quote it,
Walker
does no good to
sugar coat it
the name of the game is the
same
fat’s fat, and that’s that!”
The crayon Screamin’ Green
made a routine trip to town mem-
orable because Grandma saw a
rattlesnake in the road, near their
house. She drove over it — and
then backed up and drove over it
again. This was repeated seeming-
ly in excess. Then, still not satis-
fied, she drove home, returned with
a shovel and proceeded to chop off
its head and bury it. Grandma then
used the snake as an illustration
to Tammy about how we need to
stay far away from evil things —
because even when we think they
are harmless (like the dead snake),
they can still hurt us, just like a
rattlesnake can poison even after
he’s dead. Grandma felt proud of
herself for not missing a teaching
moment, and asked Tammy if she
understood. Tammy nodded, “If I
ever see a snake, I’ll get you and
not Grandpa!”
Eggplant and squash aren’t the
same color — but they are often
both lumped in the uneaten food
category, so the eggplant crayon
brings to mind my aunt Brenda’s
pancakes.
Trying to be sneaky healthy, she
filled the batter with squash. Tak-
ing the plate of squashy pancakes
to my Grandma, she said, “Mom,
I want you to tell me these are the
best pancakes in the whole world.”
Grandma replied, “Honey, these
are the best pancakes in the entire
world.”
“Mom, you have to eat them
first.”
You could almost see Grandma
smirking as she replied, “I need
to pray for them first.” Then she
bowed her head, “Lord, thank you
for the best pancakes in the entire
world.”
The crayon pink symboliz-
es breast cancer awareness — to
which our family has been very
aware. Most days were good, but
sometimes Grandma would get re-
ally frustrated with nurses, recep-
tionists and doctors asking bright-
ly, “How are you today?” Since my
Grandma didn’t think they want-
ed to really know, she decided to
come up with answers they really
didn’t want to hear. Such as, “Well,
the buzzards aren’t circling yet!”
Grandma gave us a gift. She
didn’t leave us a box of four cray-
ons, or even eight. She blessed her
friends and family with the whole
96 pack plus the sharpener! With-
out her, it sometimes seems we are
coloring with only blues and grays
— but every time we tell a fun-
ny story about her, or recite one of
her poems, we are actually pulling
out those colored memories, and
someday we’ll see those colors
have painted a rainbow in our sky.
So if you are ever missing a loved
one, pick up a Razzmatazz crayon
and remember:
“Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean we’ll miss
you. Until we meet again!”
Brianna Walker occasionally
writes about the Farmer’s Fate for
the Blue Mountain Eagle.
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
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.
• Oregon Legislative Information —
(For updates on bills, services, capitol or
messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313.
Vote yes on
Measure 101
To the Editor:
Ballot Measure 101 is import-
ant to rural Oregon. Where you
live should not determine the lev-
el of care you receive, or if you
are able to receive care. Families
living in rural communities de-
serve consistent access to quality
health care. In some rural coun-
ties, more than a third of families
rely on Medicaid.
This January, voters will be
asked to vote on Ballot Measure
101, a measure that will provide
direct funding for Medicaid in
Oregon, protecting coverage for
nearly 400,000 Oregonians and
reducing premiums. It will also
allow Oregon to receive nearly $5
billion in federal funding.
According to the Kaiser Fam-
ily Foundation, Oregon’s rural
uninsured rate fell by 51 per-
cent between 2013 and 2015. We
need to build on that success to
keep all of us healthy and stabi-
lize costs. We can’t go back to a
time when many people waited
too long to go the doctor and end-
ed up in the emergency room, or
never even made it to the hospital.
Families should not be put in that
position.
Join me in voting yes on Mea-
sure 101 this January!
Robert Duehmig
Oregon Rural Health Associa-
tion board president
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.
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