A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Political hate
dangerous for
our society
B
umper stickers proclaim,
“Kate Brown is not
my governor.” T-shirts,
magnets and decals declare,
“Donald Trump is not my
president.”
Those items are reprehensible.
They are far from the
magnitude of the shootings at
a Pittsburgh synagogue and the
mailings of pipe bombs to high-
profile detractors of President
Trump.
But they are dangerous to our
political souls and those around
us, if not to our physical bodies.
Kate Brown in Oregon and
Donald Trump in America hold
public offices that represent all
of us, regardless of whether we
agree with them or not.
Public disagreement and
civilized protest can be a sign of
a healthy republic, but defining
your life by the protest can be
destructive.
It certainly appears to have
been for Cesar Sayoc, who has
been charged with sending pipe
bombs to prominent Democrats.
His ardent support for Trump
isn’t what defined his life — his
hatred toward others is.
Ronald Lowy, a lawyer for
Sayoc’s family, described it well
in a New York Times interview:
“He lacked an identity. He
created a persona.”
That persona was stoked
anonymously in a like-minded
online community, and his
actions, while ultimately failing
their intended purpose, showed
the logical conclusion to such
rage.
In Pittsburgh, the
consequences of that anger were
tragic, as 11 people were gunned
down during religious worship.
Although it will come as
news to many partisans, political
views can be polar opposite and
legitimate. Neither Brown nor
Trump deserves vilification.
Trump has intensified
America’s political and cultural
divides through his polarizing,
us-vs.-them mentality. Sadly,
many Democrats have responded
in kind. There is no good end to
this game.
Such rhetoric might be
appropriate for a football coach,
but this isn’t a sporting event.
While that sort of team loyalty
may work on the field against an
opponent, it doesn’t work when
the two sides are on the same
American team.
This is not a plea for everyone
to play nicely, but we must
remember that parking lot brawls
do not change the outcome of the
game, or advance the sport.
We suggest that if people are
dismayed by the current political
tenor — and we believe most are
— they take it upon themselves
to change the tone. This might
sound like a contradiction, but
the place to start is with those
who share their views — the
candidates, political parties
and organizations whom they
support.
Yelling at or degrading
another person will not
change their mind. Research
indicates that such arguing
usually cements a person’s
existing view. Instead, people
have greater opportunity to
influence the like-minded
individuals who already have
their trust. Together, help them
see the value in pulling back
on the rhetoric and reclaiming
truth instead of pushing
insinuation.
Consider what could happen if
voters demonstrated irrevocable
civility and demanded civility
from the candidates they
supported. Until that becomes
the societal expectation, the
current political climate will only
worsen.
A place to start is Oregon’s
gubernatorial race, where both
major candidates and their allies
have been competing over who
can wallow deeper in the gutters
of political slime, mistruths and
negativity.
Kate Brown and Knute
Buehler are both decent
individuals, though you
would not know that from the
opposition campaign ads. Both
deserve respect for aspiring to
the office of governor. Neither is
perfect.
Yet, after the election, one will
have the task of unifying Oregon.
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L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR
Smoke alert
To the Editor:
Another beautiful, sunny, warm
fall day with no clouds in the sky. Just
smoke. Wait, the radio news says the
EPA is declaring a health alert for us
here in Eastern Oregon until Tuesday
next week. No burning outside; if heat-
ing with wood, use as little as possible.
Older people should stay indoors. The
very next news story: Forest Service
continuing to control burn in three ar-
eas in and around the John Day Valley.
One plan was to burn 700 acres. Ev-
idently the government doesn’t have
to listen to the government, but we do.
Something is really wrong, and I’m
tired of living here where the air should
be clean and clear most days of the
year. Now we live in smoke from April
to October. You can give numerous
reasons and excuses and you would be
partly right, but the main reason is the
mismanagement of our natural renew-
able resources.
Ken Koser
Prairie City
Ag associations
support Buehler
To the Editor:
The Oregon Cattlemen’s Associ-
ation and the Oregon Farm Bureau
encourage Oregonians to vote for gu-
bernatorial candidate Knute Buehler in
the governor’s election.
Knute has demonstrated he under-
stands and cares about the challeng-
es facing rural Oregonians, and he’ll
serve our needs to help us overcome
those challenges. It’s essential for nat-
ural resource stakeholders to unify be-
hind our candidate.
Your vote does make a difference.
The mindset that “only Portland votes
count” is not true. In the 2010 election,
the number of rural voters who voted,
but left the governor slot blank, was
larger than the difference between John
Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley. Your vote
matters.
This race may be closer than ever
before. Not voting, or writing in a
name, is a vote against the values of
rural Oregonians, and it’s a vote for
more of the same in Salem. The stakes
are too high to risk.
A quote from Ronald Reagan:
“Die-hard conservatives thought that if
I couldn’t get everything I asked for, I
should jump off the cliff with the flag
flying — go down in flames. No, if I
can get 70 or 80 percent of what it is
I’m trying to get ... I’ll take that and
then continue to try to get the rest in
the future.”
The Oregon Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion and the Oregon Farm Bureau sup-
port Knute Buehler for governor and
encourage you to vote in this crucial
election.
Jerome Rosa, executive director
Oregon Cattlemen’s Association
Sharon Waterman, president
Oregon Farm Bureau
Forest Service
prescription burn
strategy should be
reconsidered
To the Editor:
I’m writing on behalf of many
concerned Grant County residents.
I’ve heard more complaints about
the smoke this year, as the result of
the Forest Service’s controlled burns,
than ever. I think people are getting
weary of breathing smoke, from June
until just about the end of the year. If
it’s not our forests burning up by the
millions of acres, it’s the Forest Ser-
vice swinging drip torches.
The following excerpt is from
the EPA (Environmental Protection
Agency) website.
“One of the main components of
smoke is particle pollution (PM),
which is a regulated air pollutant.
Wildland fires, which include wild-
fires and prescribed fires, now ac-
count for 40 percent of the total PM
emitted in the country, making it a
major source of the pollutant, which
causes lung and health problems.”
(https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/
danger-wildland-fire-smoke-public-
health)
So on one hand we have the EPA
(a government agency) acknowledg-
ing the adverse effects of wildland fire
smoke, and on the other we have the
Forest Service (another government
agency) exuberantly making more of
it. Do you see anything wrong with
this picture?
What’s worse is that the controlled
burns we see here on the Malheur for-
est provide no measurable benefit to
the forest. The reason being, they’re
only carried out on tiny fractions of
the forest and in areas that are actu-
ally in decent health. The Malheur
forest is 1.7 million acres, and most
controlled burns don’t exceed more
than a few thousand acres. The largest
controlled burns represent less than
0.3 percent of the forest.
So, the Forest Service creates large
quantities of smoke while treating
only minuscule portions of the forest.
These controlled burns do nothing for
the high majority of the Malheur for-
est, which remains in sorry shape.
Also consider that smoke is es-
pecially harmful to the young and
elderly, and people with respiratory
conditions like emphysema and asth-
ma. A number of such people live in
areas like Bates, which experience
high concentrations of smoke from
controlled burns.
In conclusion, I believe the Forest
Service’s “prescription burn” strategy
should be reconsidered.
Gregg Boethin
Canyon City
Burns should not
take place during
stagnation
To the Editor:
On Oct. 18 at 9:30 a.m. the Na-
tional Weather Sevice in Pendleton
issued an air quality alert for a stag-
nant air mass over much of the state.
This alert was broadcast on television
and weather channels. People were
advised of dangerous levels of pol-
lutants and also asked to limit wood
stove burning where possible and
to do no outdoor burning. The alert
was lifted Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. During
this air stagnation alert period, the
U.S. Forest Service, in flagrant disre-
gard of air quality and the health of
citizens, continued to do prescribed
burns throughout Grant and surround-
ing counties. After contacting three
Department of Environmental Quali-
ty offices, the State Fire Marshal and
the USFS in John Day, I learned the
USFS does not ask permission to burn
and has no oversight by any other
agency. DEQ in Pendleton said they
frequently burn when they shouldn’t
and certainly should not have been
burning during the period of poor air
quality. DEQ urged citizens to make
complaints. Forgive the pun, but we
have not had any “breathing space”
between the catastrophic wildfires
this summer and the USFS prescribed
burns. Complaints have already been
filed with DEQ, EPA and the USFS
Region 6 director. I urge more citi-
zens to register their concerns with
these agencies.
Patti Yellow Hand Bull
Monument
and aptitude of Gordon Larson.
Negative campaigns stifle Grant
County’s progress. Gordon lives and
works in Grant County, and has not
only served us as an Oregon State Po-
lice lieutenant, but for 12 years on the
Grant School District 3 board, includ-
ing 10 as chairman. That’s the kind
of dedication, budget expertise and
teamwork we need in a commissioner.
Gordon has spent the last year per-
sonally representing his campaign,
hosted 13 meet and greets and per-
sonally manned his own fair booth.
He’s accessible and not afraid of pub-
lic speaking or meeting the people of
Grant County face-to-face. It’s good
to know that he won’t shy away from
publicly representing our best inter-
ests and is willing to speak up and
stand up for Grant County on a local,
state and national level.
That’s the kind of leader we need.
Please vote for Gordon Larson.
Sherry Nehl
John Day
Larson not operating
from extreme ideology
To the Editor:
Gordon Larson has broad support
from a wide variety of Grant County
voters. He’s reached out to all cor-
ners of Grant County, engaging Re-
publicans, Democrats, Independents,
ranchers, loggers, state and federal
employees, teachers, law enforce-
ment officials, “old timers,” newcom-
ers, etc., etc. When I see his campaign
signs, letters of support to the editor
and social media responses, I see
names from the entire spectrum of
Grant County citizens. Isn’t that what
we want in a county commission-
er? Someone who respects all voic-
es, who is qualified to engage many
perspectives and who truly wants to
work for all of us and the home we
love? The position of commissioner
is nonpartisan. Gordon is not oper-
ating from an extreme ideology or a
personal agenda, but rather from rea-
son, lawfulness and a genuine desire
to unify and grow our county. Join me
in moving toward a civil, inclusive
future for the residents of our county
and vote for Gordon Larson.
Lindsay Rausch
Prairie City
Open your eyes
To the Editor:
How would you encourage the
older generation in Grant County to
open their eyes to what will make
Grant County a good place for young
people to live? That was a question
asked of Gordon Larson at his last
meet and greet in Canyon City. The
speaker also said that she believes
young people want to stay in Grant
County, but they need better job op-
portunities, better internet and more
input into how our county is run. She
pointed out that some of the coun-
ty elders are looking backwards into
a time that they remember, instead
of opening their eyes to what the
younger generation needs. Now is the
time to make a positive future for the
young people in Grant County. I be-
lieve Gordon Larson understands that
need and will work to make Grant
County a place where young people
can earn a living.
Sheilah Mezzo
John Day
Larson has ‘experience
and aptitude’
Choose Larson
To the Editor:
My family and I have been fortu- for commissioner
nate enough to get to know Gordon
Larson and his family. I was surprised,
and disheartened, to see such a neg-
ative ad from Mr. Palmer last week,
and I’m glad Gordon has stayed away
from that. Grant County has the po-
tential to restore the population that it
had a few decades ago. To do this, we
need forward-thinking leaders who
can work towards a shared vision and
diversified, strong local economy. It
requires someone with the experience
To the Editor:
When we vote, we are choosing
someone to represent us. I voted for
Gordon Larson to serve on the county
court because he will do what is best
for Grant County. I urge my fellow cit-
izens to choose Gordon Larson.
Nancy Viggers
Prairie City
See LETTERS, Page A5