A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Anti-vaxxers put
us all at risk
ver the past few
weeks, we have
received reports of
an outbreak of measles in
southwestern Washington,
which has now hit more
than 50 patients.
“But I thought we erad-
icated measles along with
polio and a host of other
serious diseases through
vaccination,” you might be
thinking to yourself.
You’d be right about
that. The U.S., for all prac-
tical purposes, had indeed
eradicated these pestilences
as vaccines developed by
top health care pioneers
like the legendary Dr. Jonas
Salk virtually wiped out
these dreaded affl ictions.
So what has changed?
In the Clark County
(Vancouver), Washington,
case, it has been reported
that 42 out of the 49 known
patients who have con-
tracted the measles were
not vaccinated.
One patient had only
received a partial vaccina-
tion, and the status of the
six others was unknown.
Health offi cials suspect
the outbreak can be traced
to exposure at the Portland
International Airport, the
Moda Center and other pos-
sible sites in and around the
Portland area.
A separate group of cases
have been reported among
the Orthodox Jewish com-
munity in New York State.
What ties these two
diverse population groups
together is they are both at
the heart of an anti-vaccina-
O
tion movement in the U.S.
Whether refusal to be
vaccinated is based upon
religious conviction or the
misguided belief that chil-
dren can be healthier with-
out them, many parents are
refusing to have their chil-
dren immunized. They place
us all at higher risk.
As one Washington state
epidemiologist stated, “This
is entirely preventable.”
It is indeed preventable,
but only if we can success-
fully inoculate the entire
population, so as to protect
the most vulnerable among
us — the young, the aged
and those with already-com-
promised immune systems.
Perhaps with the passage
of time, we as a society
have forgotten what terrible
consequences these mala-
dies can wreak upon human
populations when left
unchecked. Maybe it’s time
for a new round of educa-
tion, just as the older gen-
eration among us received
back in the 1950s and ’60s
when these vaccinations
were becoming widespread.
Meanwhile, the appar-
ently growing ranks of
“anti-vaxxers,” as they have
become known, are holding
proven science, best health
care practices and the rest
of us hostage.
If you have children,
please ensure that they are
vaccinated and follow the
recommended immuniza-
tion schedule that virtually
every state and local health
department advocates.
Do it for them, and do it
for all of us.
One Jeep, two boys,
a thousand laughs
I
t started with knock knock
jokes:
Knock, knock? Who’s
there? CowSays. CowSays Who?
No! Cow Says Moo!
Knock, knock? Who’s there?
A little old lady. A little old lady
who? Wow! All this time I had no
idea you could yodel!
Knock, knock? Who’s there?
Mustache. Mustache who? I mus-
tache you a question, but I’ll
shave it until later
Knock, knock? Who’s there?
To. To who? It’s to whom.
Then progressed to riddles:
Q: What has a head, a tail,
is brown and has no legs? A: A
penny
Q: David’s father has three
sons : Snap, Crackle and _____ ?
A: David
Q: There are two monkeys on a
tree and one jumps off. Why does
the other monkey jump too? A:
Monkey see, monkey do
Q: A farmer has 17 sheep and
all but nine die. How many are
left alive? A: 9
Then on to corny jokes:
Q: What is the worst vegetable
to have on a ship? A: A leek
Q: What did Sir Lancelot wear
to bed? A: A knight gown
Q: Why are teddy bears never
hungry? A: Because they’re
always stuffed.
Q: What did one
toilet say to the
other toilet? A: You
look fl ushed.
Q: Which side
of a duck has more
feathers? A:The
Brianna
outside
Walker
The two 9-year-
old boys in the back seat of the
Jeep repeating every silly joke
they had ever heard, and when
those ran out, they began creating
their own:
Q: What do spies eat instead of
McDonald’s? A: Spydonalds
Q: What do you call a shark
that bites? A: A shark bite
Q: Why did the chicken marry
the crocodile? A: So he could say
crocodoladoo
Many times I tried to get them
to look out the window and enjoy
the beautiful scenery of Moab —
but my nephew had “been there
and done that” and didn’t seem
interested in the red rock arches or
the crazy trails we were following
my brother-in-law through, and
my son was too excited about see-
ing his cousin — so the jokes con-
tinued. Finally I couldn’t take it
anymore. I began to fi ght fi re with
fi refl ies:
Q: What did the fi refl y do
when he ran into the fan? A:
Nothing he was de-lighted.
Q: What did the comedian say
when he took off his clothes? A:
Haven’t you ever seen a comic
strip?
Q: Where do Volkswagens go
when they get old? A: The old
Volks home
Q: What was the last thing that
went through the bug’s mind as he
hit the windshield? A: His butt
Q: What happened when the
cannibal showed up late to the
dinner party? A: He got the cold
shoulder
It lasted all day, until the boys
were begging me to stop with
the corny dinner jokes. I thought
about trying, but I just couldn’t
quit cold turkey.
The jokes weren’t always
funny, but I still laughed when
they got to the punch line. They
were making forever memories
even without realizing it.
The holidays may be behind
us, but take a moment to look
around at your friends and fam-
ily (even when they bombard you
for hours with corny jokes) and
remember the good times, the
funny memories and count the
blessings that are in your life.
Brianna Walker occasionally
writes about the Farmer’s Fate
for the Blue Mountain Eagle.
Shooting the Breeze: Get involved
I
WHERE TO WRITE
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: senecaoregon@gmail.com.
SALEM
• Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State
Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378-
3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website:
governor.state.or.us/governor.html.
• Oregon Legislature — State
Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503)
986-1180. Website: leg.state.or.us
(includes Oregon Constitution and
Oregon Revised Statutes).
• Oregon Legislative Information —
(For updates on bills, services, capitol
or messages for legislators) — 800-
332-2313.
• Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario – 900
Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301.
Phone: 503-986-1730. Website:
oregonlegislature.gov/Bentz. Email:
Sen.Cliff Bentz@oregonlegislature.gov.
• Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court
St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-
986-1460. Website: oregonlegislature.
gov/fi ndley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@
oregonlegislature.gov.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
• The White House, 1600
Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202-
456-1111; Switchboard: 202-456-
1414.
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Published every
Wednesday by
thought long and hard about
this article. I really didn’t
want to write it, but I think
it needs to be done. Today, I want
to talk politics. Now stay with me,
because I’m not going to try to talk
you into marching to my political
drum. No, I am going to give you
the benefi t of the doubt and believe
that you are smart enough to
develop your own opinions about
world events.
I do want to get you to be more
politically involved. The time is
long past that we can sit quietly by
and hope that the world will leave
us alone. This year in Oregon alone
more than 20 bills have been intro-
duced that impact sportsmen and
women in this state. These include
bills to limit ammunition purchases
to 20 rounds per month, to restrict
fi rearm magazines to fi ve rounds,
to raise boat registration fees by 32
percent, to require ATV riders older
than 16 to have driver’s and ATV
licenses and to require non-motor-
ized boat users to have a waterway
access permit. You can check out
a more complete list with expla-
media quiz to fi nd out which soap
opera star you identify with, take
a minute to look up who your rep-
resentatives are for your area.
They will have an email address
attached. Shoot them an email
voicing your opinion and you’re
back to looking at kitten videos in
no time. In Grant County, Lynn
Findley (Rep.LynnFindley@ore-
gonlegislature.gov) is our state rep-
resentative, and Cliff Bentz (Sen.
CliffBentz@oregonlegislature.gov)
is our senator. Add them to your
email contact list and contact them
whenever you want. That is what
you are paying them for after all.
I have my opinions, and you
have yours. Love wolves or hate
them, love the Second Amendment
or want to abolish it, you need to
speak up, or Clackamas County is
going to get to decide how you get
to live your life.
While you’re on your email,
shoot us one too with your
thoughts and suggestions at shoo-
tingthebreezebme@gmail.com.
Rod Carpenter is a husband,
father and hunting fool.
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.
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MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
nations at oreg-
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You may
believe we need
more restrictions,
Rod Carpenter or you may think
we don’t, but
whatever you believe, you need
to make your voice heard. As we
all know, it’s the squeaky wheel
that gets the grease. I’m not say-
ing you need to organize a march,
or start a political action commit-
tee. The simplest way is to send an
email to your representatives and
express your opinion. They work
for you, but if they don’t know
what you want, they can’t vote
your way. It doesn’t even have to
be a long email fi lled with argu-
ments and details about the bill. A
simple “Dear Senator Deceitful, I
believe that raising hunting license
fees by 200 percent is a great idea.
Respectfully, Mr. Insane.” is all it
takes. You can even list the bills
you agree with and those you
don’t.
Instead of taking that social
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