Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 24, 2016
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Liberal spirit has
replaced independent
spirit in Oregon
As a native Oregonian born here in this state in the
1930s I personally had to make many adjustments politi-
cally to run a business in this state.
Agriculture has been my primary profession, running
two businesses in the western part of the state, and I have
been a Republican for 45 years. In 1998 I left the Repub-
lican Party, as I saw it dwindling into an empty shell of
what it once was as I saw it. I took up the non-afiliated
party until two months ago and registered back to the
Republican Party again. From 2000 my wife and I ran
the Windyhill Sheep Ranch in the Burnt River area in the
town of Unity. That side of the state is all agriculture and
mostly Republican, and at times I felt we were a white
dot in a red sea.
After totally retiring from ranching and selling the
ranch we relocated to Ione, a nice, quiet and clean town.
Retiring gave me some time to think about an article I
wrote for The Oregonian in 2010: “Why does Oregon
come out so badly?”
Today’s state oficials seem to have gotten a lot worse
in their thinking on how to solve issues that require un-
derstanding of how the west side of the state thinks as
to what the east side has to do to make a living from the
land. Looking back to that article I can see no changes,
but blockage of ideas to try to get this state back on the
right track to prosperity.
The state seems to make the case by wasting millions
of dollars from state employee funds to failed health care
programs and liberalized programs that people seem to
think they don’t have to work as hard to get what they
want. All of the people in Oregon have an independent
spirit, but if you live on the eastern side of the state you are
on your own. And when it comes to voting on a statewide
issue that would beneit the eastern side, the majority of
the vote come from the populated areas.
The tax structure in Oregon is one of the highest and
does not encourage new development, but drives away
the businesses that are already here, and the ones that are
entrenched have been made secure by such massive tax
giveaways they could not even consider leaving.
Oregon is now a state with three parties—red, white
and blue. In the coming years it will be a test of time to
see if liberalism works.
(s) Ronald Blaine Folck, Ione
Historical society
plans meeting
Is the siege really
over?
Now that all the armed protestors are gone from
Harney County, many of which are in jail, one would
think the siege is over. Steve and Dwight Hammond are
in federal prison, convicted as terrorists for starting two
ires, the irst which improved BLM property and the
second which saved the Hammond ranch. The BLM will
coniscate the Hammond ranch, when the women will
not be able to pay the $400,000 ine. The 200-plus FBI
agents and other armed agents that had no insignias, that
manned road blocks and interrogated American citizens,
can go home. The siege is over. Right?
C.J. Hadley, editor of Range Magazine, Spring 2016
issue, documents an intentional conspiracy on the part
of the government to deprive Western ranchers of their
property rights. In Hage v. United States 2010 Judge
Robert C. Jones found a “literal intentional conspiracy to
deprive the Hages not only of their permits, but also their
vested water rights. This behavior shocks the conscience
of the court.” The government has yet to pay the Hages
the $14,000,000 ine.
Many Americans, myself included, do not agree with
the armed takeover; however, whether we agree with
protestor methods never was never the issue in Burns.
Our Pledge of Allegiance ends with “liberty and justice
for all.” If justice and liberty are denied to the Hammonds
then justice has been denied to all. These protestors are
Americans. Most have families. Many are veterans. They
have sacriiced their liberty and freedom to stand against
injustice and government oppression. According to wit-
nesses present Lavoy Finicum was shot multiple times
with his hands up, attempting to surrender. Who exercised
restraint and who exercised violence in Burns?
Why has the press never documented that uranium is
the real issue with the Hammond ranch? A 1956 Dept. of
Geology Mineral Industries study (Vol. 18, #12 by Max
Shafer) “documents occurrence of secondary uranium
mineralization…in Harney Co.” In September of 2011
uranium oficials met with Burns oficials. The Oregonian
Jan. 8, 2012 documents: “Oregon Energy LLC hopes to
mine 18 million pounds of Yellowcake uranium” near
Burns. The New York Times in April 2015 documented
under the Hillary Clinton State Department the United
States “gave the Russians control of one-ifth of all
uranium production capacity” in America. The same
article documents the Clinton Foundation received over
$250,000,000 in contributions from uranium companies.
Who are the real terrorists?
(s) Stuart Dick, Irrigon
Local students
achieve FFA state
degree
The quarterly meeting of the Morrow County Histori-
cal Society is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, March 13,
at the Irrigon Baptist Church, 315 N. 10 th Street in Irrigon.
Six Heppner FFA mem-
The agenda will be a continuation of the last meeting.
bers
will be among the
The group also will bring everyone up to date on society
246
Oregon
FFA members
projects, and make decisions about the ield trip planned
receiving
their
State FFA
for April 15, 2016.
Degree at the 88 th Oregon
FFA State Convention in
Corvallis March 19. This
achievement, the high-
est accolade the state can
awards its members, is the
result of their participation
in the Oregon FFA for a
minimum of two years,
and of meeting the high
standards required for the
Degree.
CJ Kindle, Patrick Col-
lins, Tim Gould, Kolby
Currin, Kaelyn Lindsay and
Rylee Kollman began in the
FFA with the Greenhand
Degree, followed by the
Chapter FFA Degree. These
two degrees are awarded
by their chapter after they
have met the qualiications
for each degree. In addi-
STOP BY AFTER
tion, some chapters include
middle school programs,
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which allows them to earn
the Discovery Degree.
For the State FFA De-
gree, each of the recipients
must have two years of
records of working in an
Agricultural Placement
for over 900 hours or have
earned and invested $1,500
in an Entrepreneurship Su-
pervised Agricultural Ex-
perience, or a combination
of the two.
In addition to complet-
ing the application for the
State Degree, each candi-
date had to pass a written
exam, present a six-minute
presentation on an ag topic,
serve as an oficer or com-
mittee member, participate
in at least 30 activities, and
complete a presentation
on their project to a local
advisory team in their com-
munity or region.
Oregon FFA has a total
membership of over 5,500
members.
St. Pat’s boxing
event cancelled
The Heppner Cham-
ber of Commerce has an-
nounced that, due to restric-
tions placed by state rules
and regulations regarding
sponsoring boxing events,
the chamber board has no
choice but cancel the Irish
Smoker amateur boxing
event for this year.
The boxing event had
been planned for March 18.
Chamber executive di-
rector Sheryll Bates said
the board will review the
required process and deter-
mine whether to sponsor a
boxing event in the future.
“We want to thank ev-
eryone who volunteered in
any way to help us put on
such a successful event for
the last eight years,” said
Bates. “We know it was a
popular event in the annual
St. Patrick’s celebration.”
Sponsors who already
submitted checks will have
the funds returned, Bates
said.
“We have really appre-
ciated your sponsorships
for the last eight years,”
added Bates. “We couldn’t
have done it without you.”
Morrow SWCD to
meet
The Morrow Soil and
Water Conservation District
(SWCD) will hold a regular
board meeting Tuesday,
March 1, at the Ag Service
Center Conference Room,
430 W Linden Way, Hep-
pner, beginning at 6 p.m.
Time will be set aside
at the beginning of the
SWCD meeting to receive
comments from the public.
The agenda for the
SWCD meeting includes
review and approval of
the minutes of the Feb. 2
regular meeting, bank rec-
onciliation for February,
budget versus actual report,
staff reports including an
update on a cooperative
water quality testing project
on Upper Willow Creek,
partner reports, update on
an easement document al-
lowing the Heppner Fire
Department access to High-
way 74 across Morrow
SWCD property, and loss
of income reimbursement
request.
A board position rep-
resenting the Irrigon area
is currently vacant, and in-
terested parties are invited
to contact SWCD for more
information.
Meetings of Morrow
SWCD are open to the
public.
St. Pat’s Players are
back with another
dramatic offering
The St. Patrick’s cel-
ebration this year will again
feature an original play
written by Fr. Gerry Con-
don and performed by local
community members.
“Intrigue at Glendal-
ough” will be performed
twice for the community;
irst on Sunday, March 13,
at 3 p.m. at Ione Commu-
nity School and again on
St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday,
March 17, at 7:30 p.m. at
St. Patrick’s Parish Hall
in Heppner. Admission is
free, but donations will be
accepted.
Cast members include
Joe Lindsay, Larry Lutcher,
Bill Monagle, Rick Drake,
Bill Kuhn, Cam Sweeney,
Corey Sweeney, Dan Van
Schoiack, Dan Lindsay,
Adam McCabe, Debbie
Gutierrez, Ashley Lindsay,
Rita Van Schoiack, Janet
Greenup, Beth Dickensen,
Brian Kollman, Josh Coin-
er, Ann Morter and Nikki
Coe.
The evenings will also
feature Irish music with
Joe Lindsay, Bill Monagle
and Rick Drake. More in-
formation on the play will
be available closer to the
event.
St. Pat’s pins
available now
The lapel pin for Hep-
pner’s Wee Bit o’ Ireland
Celebration is available for
sale at Heppner City Hall,
Murray’s Drug, Commu-
nity Bank, and will be avail-
able during the celebration.
Each pin is $3 and
gives you a chance to win
$100 at two different draw-
ings. All proceeds help with
expenses of the annual St. Pat’s buttons are now
March event.
available.
Free Tuiion!
Time is running out.
Apply by March 1, 2016 for the opportunity of
free community college tuiion through
Oregon Promise!
ww.bluecc.edu/OregonPromise
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