A4
OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Time to heed
government
warnings
E
astern Oregonians are
typically an indepen-
dent bunch who take
great pride in overcoming
challenges, from natural
disasters to forest fires to
economic downturns.
Our independence is a hall-
mark of a great culture, and
it is one that resents outside
interference or government
overreach. We carry a muted
skepticism of government, a
sentiment rooted in the very
foundations of our nation.
We now face a steep chal-
lenge regarding the COVID-
19 virus, and now is the time
we must put away any inher-
ent distrust of government
and start listening to what our
elected and appointed leaders
and health officials are tell-
ing us.
The COVID-19 virus isn’t
a conspiracy. It isn’t make
believe. It isn’t part of some
bizarre political plot to unseat
the president. And it isn’t “just
like the flu.”
For one, the common influ-
enza virus isn’t exactly a walk
in the park if you happen to
come down with it. It kills
thousands of people every
year and puts healthy people
out of action for weeks. Com-
paring COVID-19 to influ-
enza isn’t really any compari-
son at all.
True, statistics show now
that most of us, if we hap-
pen to fall victim to COVID-
19, will suffer mild symp-
toms. That fact, though, has
never really been the point.
The COVID-19 virus is very
dangerous to older folks and
those with underlying health
conditions. At the same time,
the American medical system
isn’t geared to take on a mas-
sive pandemic. That’s been
the point all along — there
might not be health care avail-
able for those who need it.
The measures instituted by
the government and by states,
including Oregon, are meth-
ods to save the lives of people
that are the most vulnerable.
The closing down of
restaurants and social distanc-
ing measures are to protect
everyone, but especially those
who are the most vulnerable.
That is why we all must
pay very close attention to
what our president is telling
us and what his deputies are
saying. We can’t shrug this off
as just another common mal-
ady, like a head cold, because
it’s not.
If we can mitigate the
spread of this virus then we
can buy ourselves time to
develop a vaccine or treat-
ment without an undue loss of
life. If we ignore the guidance
from our governor and our
president, then we are simply
putting other people’s lives
— and maybe even our own
— in danger. It is really that
simple.
Our independence is a
treasured piece of our cul-
ture. Now, though, is the
time for all to heed the warn-
ings and guidance from our
government.
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@
cityoflongcreek.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.CliffBentz@oregonlegislature.gov.
• Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court
St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-
986-1460. Website: oregonlegislature.
gov/findley. 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
GUEST COMMENT
SILVER LININGS
By Rose Howe
T
his morning, as I sit in my
easy chair, a shawl wrapped
around my shoulders to ward
off the chill that pervades the house,
my thoughts are on the world at
large. The fire is starting to take hold
in the wood stove and the kettle will
soon be boiling for the much needed
first cup of tea of the day. Normally,
I wake up and the first thing I feel is
gratitude and thankfulness for hav-
ing a new day stretching out before
me. Today I woke up and still felt a
sense of gratitude, but also a desire to
write and share my thoughts on the
situation that faces the entire world at
this time.
COVID-19, a wee little bug, that
is creating havoc wherever it sur-
faces. Striking terror in some, non-
chalance in others but still evoking
strong feelings as it makes its way
relentlessly across the globe. The
news media, for the most part, seems
to add fuel to the fire by continu-
ally painting a doom and gloom pic-
ture along with their reporting. A pic-
ture that often minimalizes the good
things coming out of this crisis and
emphasizes the negative. Hard as it
may be, one can always find a silver
lining if one looks for it.
Living in a small community, a
community that has a large popula-
tion of older citizens that are con-
sidered very vulnerable to this new
virus, it cannot help but create worry
and stress. Most folk living in the
countryside tend to keep their pan-
tries well stocked, their freezers often
chockablock with frozen meats, veg-
gies and fruit. That is often in part to
living miles from a large city and the
huge department stores city folk are
used to having close by. However,
our little family owned grocery shops
do a wonderful job of keeping us
local villagers well supplied with all
manner of goods from fresh veggies
to dry goods and much more. Folk
in the country tend to be much more
self-sufficient than our city counter-
parts. While many in the big cities
adage, “This too shall pass.”
Yesterday, as I was heading home
after teaching my EMT class in
Spray, I passed numerous campers,
trailers, cyclists and other “outsiders”
along the road. They were camped
at almost all the parks alongside the
river. Even a couple of camps were
set up on the gravel bars down by
our old farm outside of Kimberly,
folks no doubt from the big cities,
wanting to get away and enjoy our
country air. At first, I must admit, a
grumbling issued from deep inside
me. What were these people doing
here? What were they thinking? Do
they realize how much they could
be straining local resources such as
the local grocery shops or if they get
sick, the local health care facilities?
Then I realized who would not want
to get away from the hustle and bus-
tle and stress of the west side of the
state at a time like this! It was inev-
itable our wonderful little piece of
heaven would be a balm to their soul.
So during this time of stress and
uncertainty, let us think thoughts
of good health. Let us face tomor-
row with a smile for our friends and
neighbors. Oh, and let me add…
when someone is sick and we EMTs
turn up at their door dressed like
we are about to enter a home full of
alien invaders sprouting tentacles and
covered in contagious slime, please
know it is just protocols we have to
follow. It does not mean the person
we are helping has the dreaded bug;
it means we are out there helping folk
in their time of need. So give us a
smile and thumbs up too as that pro-
tective gear is hot to wear!
Spring is here! Blossoms cover
the trees in the orchard, bees are on
the wing, birds are singing and frog
songs fill the evening air. The sun
continues to rise and each morning
we wake up is a blessing. What will
come will come, and we will all get
through this. What wonderful little
communities we live in out here in
the wilds of Eastern Oregon!
Rose Howe is an EMT in Grant
County.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
What’s the cost? Oregon has
‘What is going on ‘Support
588,000 K-12 school children.
computers for all Chromebooks retail for about
in Grant County
Buying in bulk, cost would
Oregon students’ $150.
again?’
be around $58 million.
To the Editor:
What is going on in Grant
County again?
The four-year experienced
emergency coordinator bypassed
— why?
Sheriff Palmer suggested
emergency meeting of county
court — why?
Prior talk between sheriff and
county commissioners occurred
— when??
“No comment” from Sher-
iff Palmer. Is this an indica-
tion of the transparency his task
force will display in handling this
emergency?
We would hope The Blue
Mountain Eagle will dig deeper
to find out what is really going
on and monitor closely the emer-
gency response.
Sandy and Mark Murray
Prairie City
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com
Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com
Reporter ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com
Reporter ...................................................... Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com
Sports ........................................................sports@bmeagle.com
Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com
Administrative Assistant ..................Christy Smith, office@bmeagle.com
Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com
MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
were dashing to the shops to stock
up on toilet paper, country folk were
feeling thankful for the venison and
elk in the freezer, courtesy of hunting
season last year!
As the virus spread from coun-
try to country, then across the United
States, the realization that this relent-
less bug might — no, would — even-
tually make its way to Eastern Ore-
gon became a certainty as county
after county saw cases pop up. Plans
were made by health care facili-
ties such as clinics, hospitals, county
health departments and ambulance
services to prepare for the worst yet
hope for the best. Maybe, just maybe,
because we are somewhat isolated,
somewhat away from the big cit-
ies, our county could be spared for a
while. Ah! Wishful thinking!
The Oregon government has
done a very good job some might
say of keeping its citizens informed
of the statewide spread of the virus.
Before long, Deschutes County to
the west of us and Umatilla County
to the north had their first cases. It
was creeping closer. The day the
Grant County Health Department
announced our first confirmed case of
COVID-19, local social media lit up
like a fireworks display on the Fourth
of July! Everyone wanting to know
who it was, how had they got it,
where had they been, who was next?
All of a sudden it was as if common
sense flew out the window and mass
panic cunningly slipped in and took
its place! Neighbor started to look
askance at neighbor, rumors started
flying like shrapnel through the air —
all because of a nasty little bug.
Yes, this is a nasty little bug! An
insidious invader of our shores that
is wreaking havoc left, right and cen-
ter. Disrupting our schools, our work
environments, in many cases our
livelihoods. Small businesses are
being devastated; our local restau-
rants and many little specialty shops
may well be forced to close their
doors. This is a trying time, yet we
are strong and will get through this!
My mind firmly holds on to the old
Online: MyEagleNews.com
To the Editor:
It is urgent and imperative
to provide for Oregon students’
educational needs while protect-
ing their health and that of their
teachers and communities. Let’s
use a 21st century tool to avoid
a bleak future for our state’s stu-
dents, both immediately and in
the long term.
Internet-connected tablets and/
or laptops will allow students to
continue to pursue their educa-
tional needs. Devices with built-in
cameras enable real-time inter-
action with teachers and other
students.
Other states provide their stu-
dents with tablets and/or laptops
and Oregon can too. Already in
Crook County, every high school
student has a Chromebook and
kindergartners have iPads. Stu-
dents in grades 5-12 in the Sisters
School District have district-is-
sued Chromebooks.
1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES
(including online access)
Grant County .........................................$45
Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57
Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60
Subscriptions must be paid
prior to delivery
Periodicals Postage Paid
at John Day and additional
mailing offices.
POSTMASTER
send address changes to:
Blue Mountain Eagle
195 N. Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845-1187
USPS 226-340
Phone: 541-575-0710
Oregon’s public colleges and
universities educate 162,000 stu-
dents. A Dell Latitude 5300 retails
for $1,300. The cost of a bulk
purchase would be around $162
million.
The issue of internet access
can be significantly addressed via
partnership agreements with inter-
net service providers and using
smartphones as mobile hotspots.
Providing for at-risk students
and those with individual edu-
cation plans is important. And
already hard-working teachers
will need support to deliver effec-
tive online classes.
Finally, when the current C-19
crisis passes, computers will be
well-used in regular and hybrid
classrooms.
Please consider urging your
state legislators to support com-
puters for all Oregon students.
Kate Marquez
Klamath Falls
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Blue Mountain Eagle
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