A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Bigotry
will not be
tolerated in
our schools
A
racial slur being
used against one
of our local stu-
dent-athletes at a high
school basketball game is
appalling, and as a commu-
nity, we must stand together
in declaring bigotry will not
be tolerated in our schools.
As today’s front-page
story recounts, the Prairie
City boys basketball team
had to overcome more than
the talent of the opposing
team in the district cham-
pionship game when one
of Crane’s players used a
derogatory word.
And not just any word.
Filled with hatred, the
N-word seeks to strip the
humanity from the people it
describes, to return to a time
when some people were
treated as property.
The comment came after
two athletes landed on
each other during what had
already been a heated game,
as Prairie City’s players
pointed out.
While it’s true people may
say things they do not mean
when in pain or in a tense
situation, when the knee-
jerk reaction is a hate-fi lled
response, it points to an
underlying attitude as part of
the problem.
It’s sad enough that big-
otry survives under a rock
here and there, but it’s
downright depressing that
our students have to endure
it in 2019.
So many years after the
civil rights movement, after
countless contributions by
black people to our com-
munities, our country and,
it should go without saying,
to basketball, it’s sad that
something like this occurs at
a high school sports contest.
Such hateful comments
are truly out of place when
we’re trying to teach our
young people positive values
such as dedication, team-
work and sportsmanship.
We commend Prairie City
and Crane school offi cials
for making positive prog-
ress by communicating to
address the situation, leading
to disciplinary action for the
offending student.
Now, it comes down to all
of us — parents, teachers,
coaches, community mem-
bers — to ensure the posi-
tive progress continues, to
make it known that we will
not tolerate bigotry in our
schools.
GUEST COMMENT
Cap and trade bad for ag
By Robyn H. Smith
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
HB 2020, Oregon’s proposed
carbon bill, known as “cap and
trade,” raises significant con-
cerns regarding the direct and
indirect impact of the bill on
members of Oregon’s agricul-
tural industries.
The bill would impose per-
mits and taxes that would result
in cutting greenhouse gas emis-
sion levels 45 percent below the
1990 levels by the year 2035
and 90 percent below 1990 lev-
els by the year 2050.
The bill proposes an allow-
ance budget, and each year
the available allowance would
decline. HB 2020 would cap
certain carbon emissions
and require the purchase of
“offsets.”
This likely will increase the
direct cost of fuel and natu-
ral gas for family farms and
ranches, transportation costs in
the supply chain and costs for
food processing.
This would mean not only
could Oregon’s gas prices
become some of the highest in
the nation, but the increased
financial burden on agricultural
operations will significantly
trickle down to every Orego-
nian’s grocery store bill.
Increasing input costs will
place another hurdle on Ore-
gon’s young ranchers who are
trying to start their own busi-
ness and who are trying keep
Oregon lands working.
Working the land is crucial
for management and mainte-
nance to combat erosion, inva-
sive species, soil and water
quality and fire control.
Cattle ranchers sequen-
tially control carbon emissions
by maintaining healthy soil
and controlling the fuel lev-
els of wildfires through grazing
habits.
“One large Oregon wildfire
produces more carbon in the air
than Portland can produce in
one year,” said Oregon Cattle-
men’s Association’s Executive
Director Jerome Rosa. “Mean-
ingful change for carbon emis-
sions should start with for-
est management and wildfire
control.”
The increased costs as a
result of this bill would shift
production to other states and
countries with less control over
environmental regulations, car-
bon-neutral power supply and
fewer human rights and labor
laws.
“Oregon’s rural communities
are committed to environmen-
tal stewardship and we don’t
want to see our state’s commod-
ities outsourced to unregulated
areas, we don’t want to see the
cost of ranching and farming in
this state outweigh the benefit,”
said Rosa.
The Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association encourages anyone
who will face increased oper-
ation costs by not exempting
commercial or agricultural fuels
from this bill to voice your
opposition.
Robyn H. Smith is the
communications director
for the Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Cap and trade
would harm
ranchers
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
To the Editor:
I am a lifetime Oregon resi-
dent, and have been involved in
raising quality beef for over 50
years. I have to use fuel to run
my operation. In addition, to
reach my doctor, dentist, attor-
ney and banker, I must travel
180 miles round trip. I operate
a sustainable ranch, have abun-
dant well-managed timber that
will absorb carbon, and I invite
anyone to tour my ranch and see
the job I have done in promoting
stream sides and water use.
Cap and trade will increase
my operating expenses, and if
you know about the livestock
business, you know we operate
on a narrow margin. I contrib-
ute to the tax base, the schools,
the community and the economy
of my county. This will not be
good for rural Oregon, and I’m
certain Sen. Bentz has apprised
you of our economy and our
‘Maybe everyone
should rethink
vaccines’
To the Editor:
I am responding to an opin-
ion article in the Eagle titled
“Anti-vaxxers put us all at risk,”
Feb. 13.
In 1986 Congress passed a law
that the victims of vaccine injuries
could not sue the vaccine manu-
facturer based on the design of the
vaccine. Why do vaccine compa-
nies need or get such special pro-
tection? No other manufacturer
enjoys such protections. Imag-
ine what that does for incentive to
design a safe product.
It’s a lot like this: Your toaster
causes your house to burn down,
and then afterwards you fi nd out
that toaster companies can’t be
sued based on the design of the
toaster.
The title alone of the opinion
article, “Anti-vaxxers put us all
at risk,” implies that the effi cacy
of vaccines is less than 100 per-
cent. If vaccines were 100 percent
effective and you get a vaccine
and I don’t, how could I be putting
you at risk?
According to the CBS News
article “Supreme Court vaccine
ruling: parents can’t sue drug
makers for kids’ health prob-
lems” from Feb. 22, 2011, “The
Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that
a federal law prohibits lawsuits
against drug makers over seri-
ous side effects from childhood
vaccines. ... Within hours of get-
ting the DPT shot, the third in a
series of fi ve, the baby suffered
a series of debilitating seizures.”
(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/
supreme-court-vaccine-ruling-par-
ents-cant-sue-drug-makers-for-
kids-health-problems)
Maybe everyone should rethink
vaccines.
Ron Bright
Mt. Vernon
L
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