V
SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 24,2013
~
Letters to the Editor ~
The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor w ith the follow uig
criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name
of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you
provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The
address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be
printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the
right to edit, fhe GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in
letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under
"Card of Thanks” at a cost of $ 10.
Act, or do nothing?
Dear Editor:
Recently my friend, Jane, asked me why I had stopped
writing letters to the editor. I told her that things were too
disheartening. Or some other lame excuse.
Then I recalled the words of the Irish statesman,
Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the triumph of
evil is that good men do nothing.” Maybe if I voice my
opinion, I hoped, others will begin to react.
Such an avalanche of scandals we’ve witnessed:
Fast and Furious. The debacle at Benghazi. The mass
killings at Sandyhook. The James Rosen investigation;
including his parents. The IRS targeting various political
groups and contributors. The NSA collecting data on
citizens.
fhe latest is most serious, the revelation that the
NSA has been involved in data-mining the activities
of individuals and groups by collecting records of their
telephone and Internet communications and erecting
a gigantic structure in Utah to house the information.
The response of NSA officials has been that no privacy
rights have been violated in this collection of data.
Coincidentally, I have read rumors that mosques,
themselves potential jihadist training centers, have been
excluded from such data-mining. This collection of spy
data, if it hasn’t already, can be used to deprive U.S.
citizens of the liberty guaranteed by our Constitution.
Wake up Americans. None of these scandals seems
to have much importance as a single entity, but when you
look at the aggregate, something should cause a light to
go on.
-Fast and Furious: unfettered legal system.
-Department of State: accountable to whom?
-Sandyhook: laws restricting individuals’ Second
Amendment rights.
-James Rosen case: violations of privacy and freedom
of the press?
-IRS targeting: failure to abide by standards of
impartiality.
-NSA data-mining: violation of Fourth Amendment
rights of citizens.
The combination could mean that creeping socialism
is gaining traction and is beginning to walk. Write to
or call your congresspersons. Tell them that you are
concerned, if you are, about the deterioration of your
rights and freedoms; your very liberty.
Or . . . do nothing and lose.
(s) Robert L. Heriza, Baker City, OR
4-H members plan
to ‘bring home the
bacon’
~
Op/Ed ~
GM wheat update
B y Blake Rowe, Oregon
Wheat CEO.
Previously
published in
the Oregon
W h e a t
Newsletter, a
publication
o f
th e
Blake Rowe
Oregon
Wheat Growers League.
The g e n e t i c a l l y
modified (GM) wheat issue
continues to be one of the
most critical issues that our
industry has faced for many
years. While there have
been countless articles on
the subject in nearly every
possible form of media, I
thought it might be useful
to provide a brief overview
of the status of the efforts
in several key areas. Please
keep in mind that the status
can change at a moment’s
notice, so some elements
in this report may have
progressed before you get
a chance to read this article.
-Markets - USDA, US
Wheat Associates (USW),
and our key export grain
co m p an ies have m ade
sig n ifican t progress in
getting our customers to
return to the market for soft
white wheat from the PNW.
Many countries expressed
concern about our wheat
in the days following the
initial announcement from
USDA on May 29 that
GM wheat had been found
in an Oregon field. Only
two countries, Japan and
South Korea, decided to
temporarily stop additional
purchases of SW wheat,
while Taiwan indicated that
they didn’t want to source
SW from Oregon. After
additional review, Taiwan
announced in m id-June
that they would return to
the m arket w ithout any
conditions on origin.
South Korea announced
that they would return to
the general SW market on
July 4.
As of today, only Japan
hasn’t yet decided to return
to the SW market, but we
think they may be close
to a d ecision. Leaders
from Japan’s Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry, and
Fisheries (MAFF) are
meeting this week with
USDA, USW, NAWG, and
other industry groups in
Washington, DC, to get
the latest information on
the USDA investigation,
testing procedures,
insurance issues, and other
trade related details. Wheat
grow er rep resen tativ es
from the PNW will have
a chance to meet with the
MAFF officials when they
pass through Portland on
their return trip home.
-Investigation - We
are continuing to wait for
additional details on the
progress o f the USDA
investigation. There has
been no indication as to
when their final report will
be completed. Everything
we have learned continues
to point to the GM plants
being an isolated event on a
single field on a single farm.
All the testing of wheat in
the supply chain by USDA,
exporters, and customers,
has been negative for GM
wheat. Nothing has been
found in the seed supply or
on other fields in the area
of the GM plants. Over 250
wheat farmers have been
visited and interviewed by
USDA with no evidence
that any other GM wheat
plants exist outside the
single field. We should
be encouraged by these
findings while we wait for
USDA to hopefully answer
the question about how the
plants got into the field in
the first place.
-Litigation - Both the
League and Commission
have decided to remain
neutral on the question of
litigation against Monsanto.
This remains an individual
grower decision.
Our priority for the
next few days is on the
meeting with the MAFF
representatives. We will
emphasize again that we
have put our customers first
through this whole event
and that we continue to be
committed to our long-term
relationship with customers
in Japan.
Like all the rest of you,
I look forward to the day
when this is finally behind
us.
Chamber lunch
meeting
Brother/sisterduo MaLinda and Austin Morter work with one
of their pigs, “Breakfast," in preparation for the 100,k Morrow
County Fair. Austin will be an eighth-grader and MaLinda
will be a fifth-grader at lone Community School; they are the
children of Keith and Yvonne Morter of lone. - Photo by Erin
Heideman
Over the Tee Cup
Fourteen ladies turned
out for a “ p erfect” day
o f g o lf at Willow Creek
Country Club last Tuesday,
July 16. Corol Mitchell and
Sara Rucker tied for low
gross o f the field, while
Pat Dougherty got low net
and Jacki Allstott had least
putts.
For flight A, Karen
Thompson held low gross
and Corol Mitchell had KP.
On flight B, Lorrene
Montgomery had low gross,
Betty Bums low net and Pat
Dougherty had KP.
In flig h t C, Laura
Rogers had low gross,
B ev erly S te a g a ll and
Shirley Martin tied for low
net, and Jennifer Jaca had
least putts.
L au ra R ogers and
Jen n ifer Jaca both had
chip-ins. In other events,
Sara Rucker had longest
putt on #8. The club also
announced the Ladies Club
Championship, which was
held last w eekend (see
rela ted story, “ WCCC
holds m en’s, w o m en ’s
championships”).
Stephen Jensen, reintegration specialist for the Joint
Transition Assistance Program, and Kathryn Chaney from
Domestic Violence will be talking about the services they
offer at this week’s Heppner Chamber of Commerce lunch
meeting. The meeting will take place Thursday, July 25,
at noon in the St. Patrick’s Senior Center dining room.
Lunch expense is $10; Howe’s About Pizza will cater.
Lunch attendees are asked to RS VP no later than the
Wednesday morning before.
MoCo youth attend
4-H conference
Morrow County 4-H sent II youth and two chaperones to
Oregon State University in Corvallis for the annual OSU
Summer Conference June 26-29. During this four-day event,
youth participate in community-service activities, take part
in classes ranging from healthy breakfast choices to rock
climbing, participate in tours of the athletic facilities and
local logging operations, have fun-filled nights of bowling
and a dance, and make lifelong friends from across the state
of Oregon. Pictured front left to right: Back row: Katelyn
Taylor, Emily Taylor. Kirsten Taylor, Vizta Sifford, Austin
Carter, Kane Sweeney, Miranda Taylor and Riley Gorham.
Front row: Rileigh McClure, Sydney Qualls and Morgan
Orem. Not pictured: Chaperones Cheryl Taylor and Ashley
Jones. -Contributedphoto
Fundraiser dinner
planned for Coe
A spaghetti dinner, silent auction and raffle fundraiser
for Willa Coe of lone will be held on Friday, July 26, at
6 p.m. at the lone Legion Hall.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will help offset medical
expenses for Willa, who is undergoing cancer treatment.
The dinner will include spaghetti, salad, bread, dessert
and drink. Cost of the dinner is by donation only.
Articles for the silent auction are also being accepted.
To donate to the auction or for more information,
contact Lynn-Dee Ramos, 541-561-5356, or Dawn
Eynetich, 541-561-8507.
An account has also been set up at the Bank of Eastern
Oregon.
Heppner 4-H club
blends smoothies to
beat the heat
The Stir It Up/Heppner Foods & Fun 4-H Cooking club
gathered recently to conduct their weekly meeting, w here they
made three different types of fruit smoothies. Members agreed
that during the recent heat wave cool smoothies were a good
idea to prepare instead of cooking in hot ovens. During this
meeting, members learned about different nutritional values
of each smoothie recipe and they discussed what other types
of ingredients they could use to make new smoothie recipes.
Pictured (L-R) are: Annabelle McDaniel, Jaiden Mahoney,
Cami VanArsdale and Cara Arbogast with their Popcye Power
Smoothie, Berry Explosion Smoothie and Tropical Paradise
Smoothie. Not pictured: Roy Collins. -Contributedphoto
OSU hotline opens for food preservation
questions
CO R V A LLIS, Ore.
- As interest grow s in
preserving produce, the
Oregon State University
E x te n s io n S e r v ic e is
offering its summer food
preservation and safety
hotline.
The hotline at 1-800-
354-7319 runs 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday from
July 15 to Oct. 11.
E x te n sio n -c e r tifie d
M aster Food Preserver
volunteers from Lane and
Douglas counties take the
calls.
N e llie O eh ler, the
m aster food preserver
coordinator in Lane County,
em phasized that proper
techniques must be used
to ensure canned foods are
high quality and safe to
eat. The hotline is one of
several resources, including
publications and classes,
w hich OSU E xtension
offers on food safety.
For more information
about the M aster Food
Preserver Program,
go t o h t t p : / / b i t . l y /
O S U F o o d P re se rv a tio n
and h t t p : / / e x t e n s i o n .
oregonstate.edu/fch/food-
safety. OSU Extension’s
Ask an Expert service also
takes online questions about
food preservation at http://
bit.ly/OSUAskAnExpert.
Additionally, Master Food
Preservers run a holiday
food safety hotline every
November.
V A
t
As interest is growing in food
preservation , the Oregon
State University Extension
Service is offering its food
safetv hotline for the summer
at 1-800-354-7319. -Photo by
Lynn Ketchum, OSU
CRCHS to help uninsured gain health coverage
H ealth and Human
Services (HHS) Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius recently
announced $150 million
in grant awards to 1,159
health centers across the
nation to enroll uninsured
Americans in new health
coverage options made
available by the Affordable
Care Act. With these funds,
health centers are expected
to hire an additional 2,900
outreach and elig ib ility
a ssista n c e w ork ers to
assist m illions o f people
nationwide with enrollment
into health coverage.
Sebelius
said,
“Investing in health centers
m ean s that p e o p le in
neighborhoods and towns
across the country have one
more resource to help them
understand their insurance
o p tio n s and e n r o ll in
affordable coverage.”
Health centers have
a h istory o f providing
eli gibil it y assistance
to p atients along with
delivering primary health
care services. Today, health
centers serve more than 21
million patients annually.
With these awards,
which health centers in all
50 states have received,
consumers will get help
u n d er s ta nd i ng their
coverage options through
the new Health Insurance
M arketplace, Medicaid
and the Children's Health
Insurance Program;
determine their eligibility
and what financial help they
can get; and enroll in new
health coverage options.
C o l u m b i a Ri ve r
Community Health Services
(CRCHS) in Boardman is a
recipient o f one o f these
awards.
“We are exci t ed to
help individuals in Morrow
County take advantage of
the benefits o f the new
health insurance coverage
options that start January
2 0 1 4 , ” s t at ed Mi n d y
Binder, Executive Director
o f CRCHS.
C R C H S has hi red
J a n n e t t e D i a z as an
application assister who will
be contacting individuals
and businesses in Morrow
County to let them know
their options, answer their
questions and assist them
with their applications to
the Cover Oregon Insurance
Exchange program. For
more information or to set
up an appointment with
Diaz, contact the clinic at
541-481-7212.
I