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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2020)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, August 12, 2020 There’s only one kind of beef W ith all due respect, our friends at Har- vard University are wrong. We disagree with their pro- posal to label all meat as beef, whether it comes from a cow or from a culture of cells created in a laboratory. Harvard Law School’s Ani- mal Law and Policy Clinic recently chimed in on an effort by USDA to come up with a regulation for labeling meat. The law students say that all meat, whether raised on a pas- ture or in a Petri dish, is the same, which it is not. Here’s what we mean. As most consumers know, beef comes from cows. Cows are born and grow up grazing. Then most go to feedlots, where they put on the requisite amount of weight. Then they go to a proces- sor or butcher and exit as steaks, roasts, hamburger and other cuts of beef. Meat grown in a lab is no more like beef than Tang is like orange juice. Both are bever- ages and both are orange, but only one could ever be labeled orange juice. Tang was invented in 1957 and got a boost when astronaut John Glenn drank it while orbiting the earth, but it isn’t orange juice. Why beef labels have baffled the folks at Harvard, we cannot say. Like so many other legal arguments, common sense has been left out. For example, the raw ingre- dients for beef are hay, silage and grass with some water to wash it all down. What goes into “cell-cul- tured meat?” God knows, but we bet you a doughnut and a cup of coffee that no hay, silage or grass is involved. In fact, the dozens of companies that are creating that stuff won’t tell anyone exactly what goes into their products. It’s a secret. Then they have to add other things — including coloring and flavoring — to make it palat- able. Talk about Frankenfood. All that effort for a ham- burger patty that costs $600 when you can get a genuine beef burger for a tiny fraction of that. The U.S. Cattlemen’s Asso- ciation pointed out that dif- ference a couple of years ago, when it petitioned the USDA to label as beef only meat that is “harvested in the traditional manner.” The cattlemen are 100% cor- rect. Beef is beef, and that other stuff is a lab experiment. Maybe the Harvard folks should look at it this way. Their moms and dads spent a fortune to put them through Harvard, where many of the elites send their progeny. What would they do if anyone who received a college degree from any college could also say they are Harvard graduates? Harvard graduates every- where would probably choke on their champagne and caviar at the thought. That is why the USDA has to get this beef labeling rule right, no matter what Harvard’s best and brightest say. 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. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by GUEST COMMENT Operations affected by pandemic should apply for CFAP F armers and ranchers feed our state, our nation and, in fact, our world. You work long hours to provide essential resources for us all, and in these challeng- ing times, I want you to know that USDA is here to support you and your operation through our Corona- virus Food Assistance Program, or CFAP. Whether you farm one acre or many more, grow food for local mar- kets or big supply chains, CFAP can help. We’re accepting applications through Aug. 28 and encouraging producers to apply now. In Oregon, we have already approved 2,506 applications and dis- bursed $65,059,302 as of Aug. 3. I know many of our farmers and ranchers have applied for CFAP already, but the numbers indicate that some who are eligible have not. If you’re still unsure about CFAP and your operation, I encourage you to take five minutes today to visit farm- ers.gov/cfap or call 877-508-8364 to learn about eligibility and options to apply. Whether you’ve worked with FSA for years or this will be a first, we’re here to help you every step of the way. ‘Join me in working toward a more inclusive community’ CFAP provides direct relief to pro- ducers who faced price declines and additional market- ing costs due to COVID-19. A range Josh Hanning of commodities are eligible for CFAP, including various fruits/vegetables, wheats, grains, livestock, wool, and dairy. You can access the full list of eligible non-specialty, specialty, live- stock, dairy, and wool commodities by visiting farmers.gov/cfap. We know you’re busy, so we’ve outlined options to apply at the top of farmers.gov/cfap. We offer a CFAP Application Portal where those of you with eAuthentication accounts can submit your application online. Don’t have an eAuthentication account? You can enroll at farmers. gov/sign-in. We also offer a man- ual application option, and a CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator that allows you to input information specific to your oper- ation to determine estimated pay- ments and populate the application form. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR it’s necessary for the greater good of Proposed new pool humanity. poorly planned and As a country we’re being asked to confront the heartbreaking and unaffordable deadly implications of racism. I To the Editor: Only 60 years ago, Ruby Bridges was escorted past an angry crowd as schools in the South began to inte- grate. As our country moves for- ward, and as individuals, communi- ties and states do the personal and collective work to dismantle racism, I look forward to where we’ll be in another 60 years. The upheaval we’re experiencing now is a continuation of the Civil Rights Movement. It’s not complete; there’s more work to do. Our coun- try grew up with slavery and racism. It’s in the blood of our institutions. Even how we vote today is a result of our tainted history. During slav- ery, the North had more voters than the South. The South didn’t want the enslaved to vote, but wanted to count them in their population totals. The Electoral College, our process of determining presidential elec- tions, was their solution. Racism is everywhere in subtle and not so sub- tle ways. It’s uncomfortable for white peo- ple to talk about race. We rarely think of it because our skin color is not a determination of our safety. Race comes up occasionally, and it’s typically uncomfortable. It’s usu- ally not a willing conversation. This is our white privilege, to be able to push it aside and not have the uncomfortable conversations and feel all those uncomfortable feels. When your skin is dark, there’s no avoiding it. You can’t set it aside or sweep it under the rug. In order for our country to move forward, we all need to do some work. As with any sort of learn- ing, it’s not going to be smooth or perfect. We’ll get it wrong, we’ll learn, we’ll fail, we’ll learn some more and we’ll keep at it because hope you’ll join me in working toward a more inclusive commu- nity, country and world. We choose to exist in service to humanity, or we choose to perpetuate hate and fear. We can choose to lean into all this learning and make our country a more perfect union. Ashley Stevick John Day Claims mail-in voting is fraudulent are insulting To the Editor: Not once in my July 22 let- ter did I mention Joe Biden. Mr. LeQuieu needs to re-read that let- ter. I was referring to the inadequacy of Donald Trump as our president. One of the things he has said is that mail-in voting is full of fraud. I take that as a personal insult, as should any Oregonian who voted for that legalization. So, Mr. LeQuieu, don’t assume to know what I think. I am a Christian first, and I believe in a democratic republic. I would also like to address COVID-19 to my fellow friends of Grant County. There are some of us who think we are safe from this virus because we are so rural. We have many outside visitors. In only the “Cops and Courts” section of this paper were at least 20 people listed from different areas, such as: Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; Bonners Ferry, Idaho; Pahrump, Nevada; Camas, Washington, etc., etc. We need to wear our masks and distance socially. Elberta Miller Mt. Vernon Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Grant County .........................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Reporter ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................... Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................sports@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Online: MyEagleNews.com Phone: 541-575-0710 To the Editor: Working with others to stop a new taxing district recently suc- ceeded for the hard-working resi- dents of Grant County. The proposed new pool was a poorly planned and unaffordable project from the beginning. Even worse, using “the kids” as leverage to override voters’ desires was exceptionally inappro- priate on the part of the swim team and Nick Green. In fact, to quote Dr. Phil there are two rules regard- ing children: 1) Do not ask them to deal with adult issues. 2) Do not bur- den them with situations they can- not control. Nick Green and the swim team broke both these rules. If the swim team and company wants to pursue the initiative option to get this project on the ballot so everyone can vote (and they will lose again, I predict), they are welcome to do so; of course, that would take some effort on their part. Their right to vote still exists, albeit along a differ- ent political trajectory. In conclusion, the consensus at most of the recent meetings is to fix and build on what we have in an affordable manner. Mayor Ron Lundbom and council members need to first get their own business affairs in order before pushing agendas for the county that we cannot afford. They have started on yet another agenda to expand the fairgrounds. They had their Macy Walker PR partners write the design and expect the county to pay for that also. Don’t they ever learn? That is how the city incurred the $70,000 expense that was wasted and they were whining about. Common sense. Bob Pereira John Day 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 Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION You can apply now for the com- modities that are currently eligi- ble, and if any other commodities you produce are added to the pro- gram, we will happily amend your application. If you have questions, please let us know. You can call our CFAP Call Center for one-on-one support with the CFAP application process. Call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer personalized assistance. And, as always, the FSA office at your local USDA Service Center is also there to help you prepare your application. Farmers and ranchers continue to be the backbone of our nation. I know Oregon’s agricultural produc- ers are facing unprecedented chal- lenges with the coronavirus pan- demic, and I want to make sure we at USDA are doing all we can to pro- vide critical support. We thank our farmers and ranchers, and we encour- age you to apply for CFAP today. Josh Hanning is the acting state executive director in Oregon of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency. Copyright © 2020 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
