Page 2, THE GAZETTE-TIMES, Heppner, Ore., Thursday, Feb. IS, 1975
Horse sense
ERNEST V. JOINER
9 Shrove Tuesday, which we have just passed amid
relative calm, once was a time when ancient peoples made
confession of their sins and to obtain absolution in
preparation for Lent. The day was marked by merriment,
the eating of pancakes and fritters. Which is why Shrove
Tuesday is sometimes called Pancake Tuesday. Each year
on Shrove Tuesday the Episcopal Church in Heppner has its
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feed at the Parish Hall, and each
year the church puts an ad in the Gazette-Times to advertise
the event. Last year we summoned the faithful to pancake
with this label: "Schrove Tuesday Pancake Feed." This
vear. the good people of the church reminded us, the word
Shrove should be spelled correctly. Sure enough, there was a
horrible gasp in the newspaper office Thursday when we
unfolded the paper to read that on Feb. It we would have a
"Shove Tuesday Pancake Feed." Later one of the church
women was on the phone to say that the error would probably
get more attention than if the word had been spelled
correctly. "Well," I said, relieved, "I'm glas you aren't sore
about Show Tuesday." "Forget it," she laughed, "And as far
as I'm concerned you can "shove" Monday, too!"
Forty Oregon legislators have hired their relatives to
serve as their secretaries during the current session. One of
the legislators. Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Vida, campaigned for the
office as an opponent of nepotism. But once elected, he hired
his wife, according to an Associated Press story from Salem.
Rogers may be remembered for denouncing Richard 0.
Eymann. D-Springfield, for hiring his wife, daughter and
son-in-law. It is hard to understand why Oregon has no
nepotism law that would prevent elected officials from
cramming their pay-rolls with relatives. Oregon may be a
state that "leads the way" in many fields, but it is far behind
other states in outlawing nepotism, requiring law
enforcement officers to keep public records and dealing with
law violators, both adult and juvenile. While public officials
are committing no crime under Oregon law by hiring their
relatives, there certainly is some ethical and moral
obligation that should place some restraint on the practice. If
the ethical and moral issues are disregarded by officials
themselves, then the voters should make their wishes known
in the matter. The Gazette-Times "spy system" reports that
nepotism has been liberally practiced in Morrow County
offices, and that some people don't like it. Maybe those who
don't like it should call on their officials and say so. When
someone gets irked at what the Gazette-Times chooses to
publish he doesn't hesitate to voice his displeasure. Why not
do the same for public officials who hire their relatives?
Meanwhile, we suggest that legislators concern themselves
less with agonizing over the legalization of marijuana and
join the rest of the country in making nepotism illegal in
Oregon.
Happy Valentine's Day to citizens of Heppner, who can
park free Friday, a Valentine gift from your local
merchants , . . and Happy Valentine's Day to all of Oregon,
because it was on Feb. 14, 1859 that Congress ratified the
Oregon Constitution and Valentine's Day became the official
birthday of the state ... A Valentine to Morrow County Grain
Growers for publicly recognizing Boy Scout Week with an ad
in this issue, a timely ad. considering that one of Troop 66 fs
Boy Scouts. Ron Young. 13, apparently saved the life of Mrs.
Eva Robinson. 74. at her home on Hager Street Sunday
morning. She had lain helpless on her bathroom floor all
night, but was able to attract young Ron's attention when he
delivered his Sunday Oregonian. Ron summoned an
ambulance after making her comfortable. And if the
Oregonian doesn't give a Carrier Boy Award to Ron Young,
brother of Eagle Scout Bruce Young, we'll cancel our
subscription! ... No Valentine whatever to Gene Pierce who,
after crossing himself, was persuaded to make a few
remarks about Texas at the Chamber of Commerce meeting
Monday. 'Texas," intoned Gene, "is the 8th Wonder of the
World. It has more rivers with less water, more cows with
less milk and more land with less growing on it than any
other state. The wonder is that so many people live there."
Okay. I'm going to start a run on his bank! . . . Valentine to
the economy: Roses are red, violets are blue; I'm still
here what happened to you? ... A red heart to President
Ford's economists, who have all the answers, but only to last
year's questions ... A ticking Valentine to those two tax
appraisers who are snooping around your house to see if a
new coat of paint has gone on the kitchen wall so they can add
$500 to its taxable value ... By the way, who gave these bums
the right to invade the privacy of our homes for the express
purpose of robbing us? ... ,
Many young people are buying themselves a lot of
trouble by thinking that because juvenile records are closed
to public gaze and because law prohibits publication of their
offenses, these records will never be used against them.
Wrong. They are being lulled into a false sense of security. As
long as records exist there are people with access to them. To
illustrate what I mean, take the case of a 22-year -old
construction worker in Heppner who put in four years in the
Navy Sea Bees He told this story. He had the highest enlisted
rating he could get, he loved the work and the service, and
because he was an outstanding young man he was
recommended for Officers Candidate School. That's when his
world fell apart. He was rejected because when he was 16 or
17 he was arrested for M1P (minor in possession). He
appealed; appeal denied. The armed forces have a policy of
not making officers of those convicted of crime, and the fact
that he was only 16 or 17 at the time made no difference. He
turned down an offer to reenlist because he had gone as far as
he could in non-commissioned ranks. So he lost his chance to
become an officer in the branch of service he loved, all
because of a youthful indiscretion he thought was past and
forgotten. And the country lost of skills and abilities of a fine
officer. It's something to remember the next time a
youngster is tempted to ride around with beer in the car.
Lion Country Safari, a Southern California wild animal
preserve, has begun the sale of lion dung to home gardeners
whose green thumb activities are harassed by deer. The
"product" has a lot to recommend it. It's good for flowers,
shrubs and vegetables in the garden. But its very presence
scares the daylights out of hungry deer, and they give a wide
berth to lion-fertilized land.
WAVAVAW
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THE GAZETTE-TIMES
MORROW COUNTY'S NEWSPAPER
Box 337, Heppner, Ore. 97836
Subscription rate : $6 per year in
Oregon, $7 elsewhere
Ernest V. Joiner, Publisher
Published every Thursday and entered as a
second-class matter at the post office at
Heppner, Oregon, under the act of March 3, 1879.
Second-class postage paid at Heppner, Oregon.'
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Fair
theme
chosen
The theme for the 1975 fair
and rodeo is "Bi-centennial."
The theme is used throughout
the exhibit buildings and
community exhibits at the fair
and for the parade. Dates for
the 1975 fair are Aug. 19-24. .
Organizations throughout
the county are urged to put in
a booth at the county fair.
Booth spaces are set up and
the fair theme will be the
theme for booths as well. Any
community organization may
enter the booth competition.
They should notify Liz Curtis
at 676-9454, to reserve a booth
space.
quoteunquote
"I was bugged by the other
( Democratic side and paid no
attention to it. They had even
put television monitors across
the elevator in my apartment
building. A bachelor across
the hall caught on and said.
'Hey. I bring chicks up here
and I don't want to get
caught.' So I didn't say
anything: I just took my
clippers and dismantled the
thing "-Sen. Barry M. Gold
water, on political espionage
against him during the 1964
presidential campaign.
The mail pouch
UNLIKELY LETTERS
EDITOR:
In your Jan. 30. 1975 issue of the Heppner Gazette-Times, a
letter from Frances Cox Griffin states that a cemetery on my
ranch has been destroyed. It also seems to me that Mrs.
Griffin is implying that I either destroyed or caused the
destruction of this cemetery and that this sort of thing is to be
prevented in the future.
I wish to make clear that no cemetery within the
boundaries of my ranch has been destroyed. The cemetery on
my ranch is still there and. with the exception of the fence
around it which has deteriorated with the ravages of time, is
still in the same condition as it was 40-odd years ago, when I
first remember seeing it.
Descendants of the people buried here have recently
visited the plot and were pleased to find the cemetery still
intact. In fact, one of these people informed me that the
cemetery was donated to the county many years ago, and she
intended to ask the Heppner Cemetery District to replace the
enclosure around it : however. I have not been informed of
the extent of any negotiations on this matter.
I suggest those who want to preserve the records and
history of Morrow County, and I do feel this to be a very
worthy cause, take a cue from these descendants of early
settlers and check with the people presently living on the land
and perhaps misunderstandings and false accusations,
whether direct or implied, could be avoided.
RAYMOND FRENCH,
Heppner.
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by Williams
Oregon sacred cow higher education
By M ll.l.l M BEBOl'T
Krbout is editorial page
Hilar of the Salrm Capital
Journal.)
Higher education has had its
problems with past sessions of
the Oregon Legislature. And
there have been times when it
appeared the legislators
might actually demand that
hieher ed justify its multi
million dollar operations.
But as past sessions have
failed to really get a grip on
higher education, the one now
assembled in Salem isn't even
likely to try very hard.
That's partly because this is
a conservative "establish
ment" legislature and there's
nothing in all of government
quite as "establishment" as
higher education. More im
portant, however, is the
nat ure of higher ed It is as big
as a giant squid and as
slippery as an eel. If you
manage to pounce on one
tentacle and hang on. you are
likely to be throttled with
another.
Higher ed also has the
advantage of carrying out a
mission that nearly everybody
thinks is next to god
linesseducation. And there
is a bit of folklore which has it
that only educators can
properly assess education.
In the past, there have been
legislators who didn't buy that
folklore. Chief among them in
my memory was Rep. Staf
ford Hansell. the conservative
Republican hog farmer from
Hermiston. And there were
Reps LB. Day and Bob
Davis.
Hansell now has joined the
Straub administration as dir
ector of the executive depart
ment. That means he and the
higher ed types are on the
same side. And Day and Davis
have been gone from the
legislature for several years.
This doesn't mean that
higher education's proposals
In the legislature will sail
through untouched. A tentacle
or two may even be bruised.
But like the squid which
releases an inky substance
into the sea to hide its
whereabouts, any serious
assault on higher education
will be met with an over
whelming defense that will
leave the legislators utterly
con fused.
If higher ed gets into
trouble, one of the campus
newspapers will run a porno
graphic photo. That will
produce a cry of outrage from
the public; that will panic the
legislators: higher ed officials
will join the public and the
legislators in voicing dismay
and horror, and when the dust
settles higher ed's budget will
emerge intact. Don't ask me
how it works, but it does.
To the extent that higher
education gets serious atten
tion from the legislature, most
of the talk will be about
"governance." Thai's eduea
tionese for the old baseball
question: "Who's on first?"
Should we merge the Slate
Board of Education which
oversees community colleges
w ith the State Board of Higher
Education? Should we have a
"lay" (that's how educators
refer to citizens) board or one
composed of professional ed
ucators? Should we . . .?
That's "governance."
And if "governance"
doesn't divert the legislature
from the basic question of
whether higher education in
Oregon is doing its job in the
best interests of the students
and taxpayers, the academi
cians will plant another dirty
picture in the PSU newspaper.
Permi? needed
to fade wood
v.y.-.v.y.;-.)
Ambitious Oregonians cut
ting their own firewood or
trying to make a profit on the
timber salvage market may
be running afoul of the law,
according to Oregon State
Department of Forestry offi
cials. Free permits for personal
use woodcutting, available at
Department of Forestry
offices, are required of all
persons cutting dead and
downed timber on state forest
lands. Federal and private
landowners also issue permits
for salvage material without
charge.
Anyone cutting timber on
state and private lands for
sale needs proper permits
from the Department of For
estry as well as landowner
permission.
Anyone planning to parti
cipate in any timber salvage
operation should check with
the landowner and the local
Department of Forestry office
to be sure he has the proper
permits and landowner per
mission. Once this has been
done, the woodcutter should
check ownership boundaries.
Cutting timber without per
mission is punishable as theft.
In addition, restitution to the
rightful owner of double or
triple the stumpage value can
be required by Oregon law.
L-H m''''
"If The Arabs Are
To Blame For The Energy Shortage
Does That Mean They're Republicans?"
Mayor of Hardman
DEAR MISTER EDITOR ;
Bill Wcalherford was wound up tight as a 3 watch when he
got to the country store Saturday night. He told the fellers he
had been reading about where politicians go when they're put
out of office. Bill said he had studied the situation up one side
and down the other and he hud decided that politics has got
turned clean around like everything else In this country.
Fer Instant, allowed Bill, laws in elections now is thp
winners. II I alius been that a feller with his head In the
public trough had a gnod chanel to keep il there, said Hill, but
now we got more places than ever afore to put ex office
holders that don't want to go back home and go to work,
Bill said he had saw a rundown on what happened to some
of them Congressmen that lost in November, and he was of
mind they was playing Brer Rabbit to the voter's Brer Fox
when they was running for re-election.
General speaking, declared Bill, they come out better
gilting appointed than elected. In North Carolina, Earl Ruth
got beat , so he got a vacation in the South Seas ax governor of
a island out there at higher pay than he got in Congress.
A lot of the rabbits that voters throwed in the briarpatch
went on to become third assistant undersecretaries in some
Guvernment department. Bill reported, where they tn live
happy ever after and never have to face the homefolks bIkiu!
the kind of job they're doing that lets them live in the manner
to which they become accustomed.
Ed Gonty final got slowed down enuff to remind him that
back scratching in politics is the name of the game Ever now
and then. Ed said, somebody will start an Investigation into
what they call the "integrity of Guvernment," and folks back
home wait in hopes they find some of it. When Democrat
Senator Jackson said Republican President Ford's plans to
save energy and git the stalled economy started was like
arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic he was just doing
what all politicians do. They blame the other party. All of em
is to busy pointing at the other feller to work on the problem,
Ed said, and most of em wouldn't know integrity If it fell on
their heads.
Zcke Grubb said he wasn't to worked up over them ex
Congressmen gitting good jobs After all, Zeke said,
Guvernmcnts at all levels is spending 117 billion this year on
make-work jobs, so Congress must figger that charity begins
at home. What bothers him, Zeke said, is that while the
appointers and appointees play musical chairs, the
Guvernment is left to run itself.
Personal, Mister Editor, I'm with Zeke. I recall the two
drunks in court fer w recking a car. When the judge ask one of
em who was driving at the time of the accident, he thought it
over and said the best he could recollect they was both ruling
in the back seat Right now. it looks like to me that r very body
in Washington is riding In the hack seat.
Yours truly.
MAYOR ROY,
Church
harassment
campaign for
radio -TV
By LESTER KIVS4).V1;
In its page one story headlined "Broadcasters Give In To
Citizens Demands on Program Content," The Wall Street
Journal noted:
""Although only one station has actually lost its license
because of a petition by a citizen group, broadcasters know
that the filing of such a petition can cost them dearly , , . up o ,
. 1500.000 in legal fees to defend itself before the Federal
Communications Commission."
The Journal did not mention that this one license loss, by
Station WLBT in Jackson, Miss., was largely engineered by
the Rev. Everett Parker. Director of Communications for the
I'nited Church of Christ, according to Parker himself,
Theitev. I)r Parker has apparently never gotten over this
l4 6triumph. For he recalled, when asked by this column,
thai since that time he has been involved in at least loo more
license challenges. He has also produced no less than 5 major
books and 16 pamphlets outlining just how anybody can go
about bringing pressure to bear on radio and TV stations
regarding the obtaining and renewing of licenses.
Anybody indeed. For (he following conversation was tape
recorded in the White House:
"The main thing is that the (Washington) Post is going to
have damnable, damnable problems out of this one. They
have a television station . . . And they're going to have to get
it renewed." (Nixon to llaldeman )
This conversation came on top of similar threats,
denunciations and plottings by such as Dean Burch, Spiro
Agnew, Clay Whitehead and Charles Colson.
This tape has caused an enormous congressional
reassessment of the merits and demerits of governmental
control of TV and radio.
Sen. William Proxmire ID-Wise ), for example, was a
leading proponent years ago in requiring the FCC to judge
how stations handle controversial issues. But now he ,
declares that the so-called Fairness Doctrine of the FCC is
"unconstitutional . . . Orwellian double think." (The Fairness
Doctrine was described by one exasperated broadcaster as
"requiring that equal time be given to Jesus Christ and Judas
Iseariot.")
Other liberals, like Sen. George McGovern and Eugene
McCarthy as well as Supreme Court Justices William O.
Douglas and Potter Stewart, are now emphasizing that the
electronic media should be entitled to just as much freedom
of the press as newspapers.
The FCC is presently preparing a position paper which
most observers predict will substantially reduce the number
of spurious demands by groups who can hardly be described "
as either reasonable or representative.
In Congress, bills to increase the license renewal period
from 3 to 5 years passed the Senate 69-2 and the House, 369 14.
- Despite this, growing abhorrence of governmental
controlled broadcasting, the Rev. Dr. Parker has launched
his "Check Your Local Station" campaign, in which effort his
denomination has been joined by the United Methodists.
Such "strategy" may be in part responsible for the sizeable
losses of membership in both denominations during the past
decade with the United Church of Christ having lost nearly
10 per cent of its members since 1964,
The National Association of Broadcasters has never
arranged any retaliatory campaign against the denoralna- '
tion which finances Parker (such as "Check Your Local
U.C.C. Church"!). But FCC Commissioner James Quellohas
described the Rev. Dr. Parker's efforts as "the work of an
extremist group."
Quello also commented:
"We license a broadcaster to serve the public all of it
What we have now is program dictatorship by small group
of activists saying 'Give us what we want or we'll file a
petition to deny your license' , . , It's blackmail "