Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 13, 2021 -- THREE
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America needs another Open the businesses
Share some good news
Martin Luther King
To the editor.
H i G a z e t t e - Ti m e s media, but I believe that the
barriers and other measures
To the editor:
Martin Luther King
was a great American, pri-
marily because he did not
see the color of your skin
nor did he countenance vio-
lence as a means for justice.
How desperately America
needs another Martin Lu-
ther King. The right-wing
rioters storming the Capitol
building are no different
than left wing rioters at-
tacking police and federal
buildings across America.
Right-wing conservatives
that justify violence to gain
justice are no different from
left-wing politicians that
justify Antifa and BLM
terrorists.
Sports icons like Labron
James claim the Trump pro-
testors were treated differ-
ently by police than BLM
protestors proving racial
bias and prejudice, further
stoking the fires of racial
division in America. Dem-
ocrat politicians, led by
House Speaker Pelosi and
Senate Leader Schumer,
who have supported, ad-
vocated and incited Antifa
and BLM violence across
America blame President
Trump for the mob that
invaded the Capitol build-
ing. The hundreds of thou-
sands of Trump supporters
that came to Washington
D.C. are now all lumped
together as a right-wing
terrorist mob. President
elect Biden claims he wants
to bring America together
as he attacks Trump and
his supporters as white su-
premacists.
In the midst of incen-
diary accusations that are
further dividing America,
what really happened on the
day Biden was to be formal-
ly declared the President
of the United States at the
United States Capitol? Cer-
tainly, the Washington D.C.
police, Capitol police, and
multiple adjacent police
forces, along with Nation-
al Guard units from three
states would have been
well prepared for perhaps
one of the most momentous
and potentially tumultuous
days in American history.
Hundreds of thousands of
Trump supporters were
expected on the capital
grounds of America that
day. The most controversial
convention of electors in
the history of the Republic
were scheduled to meet that
day, January 6, 2021, to
formally elect the President
of America. It is beyond
comprehension to learn: 1)
the Capitol police nor any
other police department or
National Guard units devel-
oped any threat assessment,
2) the Capitol police had
access to multiple police
reinforcement and the Na-
tional Guard units, yet they
turned down every offer for
back up. Democrat D.C.
mayor Muriel Bowser de-
liberately refused to allow
the city to prepare for any
form of violence or insur-
rection. “To be clear, the
District of Columbia is not
requesting other federal law
enforcement and personnel
and discourages additional
deployment without imme-
diate notification and with
Municipal Police Depart-
ment.” (“Weeks in plain
sight the police were not
ready,” PBS Jan. 6, 21)
Thirty-four-year Capitol
police veteran Larry Schae-
fer commented, “We have a
planned known demonstra-
tion that has a propensity
for violence in the past and
threats to carry weapons.
Why would you not prepare
yourself as we have in the
past.” (PBS Jan. 6, 21)
Nothing happens by
accident in this world. The
U.S. Congress is one of
the most secure facilities
in the world. That securi-
ty has not been breached
since 1815. No one, no
mob could breach the U.S.
Congress unless the attack
was an inside job. There
are layers of security, bul-
let proof, blast proof doors
guarded by machine guns.
PBS documented “videos
showing officers stepping
aside, sometimes taking
selfies as if to usher Trump
supporters inside the build-
ing they were supposed to
guard.” (PBS Jan. 6, 21)
There are videos of Trump
supporters taping Capitol
police escorting four bus-
ses and black government
vehicles through police
roadblocks to the front of
the Capitol building. No
reinforcements were called
until over 30 minutes after
the breach.
The Capitol “mob”
attack was well choreo-
graphed. Pictures were
staged inside the sacred
halls of Congress mocking
every value and standard
America once stood for.
Donald Trump has no re-
cord or history of instigat-
ing this kind of insurrection
or violence. He has stood
for the police, military,
law and order and against
rioting and mob violence
throughout his presidency.
Now the press, media and
politicians on both sides of
the chamber are foaming at
the mouth to lynch Trump
and his mob of supporters.
Professional athletes are
clamoring against a sup-
posed racial injustice. BLM
and Antifa should have
been ushered into the halls
of congress for a picture
shoot like the Trump mob.
Those that lawlessly broke
into the Capitol building
do not represent Donald
Trump, American patriots
or those Christian conser-
vatives that love America.
I long for the hour truth
and justice is restored in
America and the world. If
the press and media would
report the news honestly
and our government offi-
cials would honor our con-
stitution and the Godly her-
itage of our forefathers, our
Republic could be restored.
I would not be compelled to
do research and document
what is being deliberately
hidden from the American
people. Who gained from
this mob violence? I guar-
antee it was not Donald
Trump. The Democrat/
Socialist/Globalist agenda
has now been engraved in
the American government:
how fortuitous. A Demo-
crat mayor and a Democrat
Washington D.C. police
force, with orders from the
global deep state, organized
this breach of our American
government. It was not
an accident and it was not
negligence.
The moral of the sto-
ry: A number of innocent
Capitol policemen lost their
lives, in part because of the
Trump mob, but primarily
because they were set up
like our boys at Benghazi.
This does not excuse the
Trump mob that lawlessly
entered the Capitol. A four
tour Air force veteran lost
her life because she was
deceived to attempt to win
justice through storming
the nation’s capital. Martin
Luther King showed us the
way - nonviolent protest
must be the moral of the
story.
Stuart Dick, Irrigon
Greetings in this new
year of 2021. I sent this let-
ter to Governor Kate Brown
this week and would like to
have it also run as a letter
to the editor in your paper.
Dear Governor Brown,
I feel compelled to
communicate to you about
the present situation in Or-
egon and a major decision
you have recently made.
Yes, we all know you
and I have our differenc-
es, but I am struggling to
understand why you have
decided to open schools
and not businesses. I have
seen businesses bend over
backward to install safety
and comply with social
distancing. Businesses need
to be open and employees
need to go back to work.
Most people are being,
and will continue to be,
very cautious as long as
this epidemic lasts. Let’s
give businesses the same
opportunity you are giving
schools.
I challenge you to now
end the ban before people
and private businesses go
bankrupt.
Most sincerely,
Liz VanLeeuwen
Linn County State Rep-
resentative 1981-1999
Profitability
expected for north-
west agricultural
commodities
Northwest Farm Credit
Services, the Northwest’s
leading agricultural lending
cooperative, has released
its quarterly Market Snap-
shot reports covering the
state of major agricultur-
al commodities in the re-
gion. Northwest FCS teams
throughout Idaho, Montana,
Oregon and Washington
monitor conditions and re-
port outlooks for commod-
ities financed by the co-op.
All Market Snapshots
and audio highlights are
posted online at Industry
Insights.
Northwest FCS’
12-month outlook for the
agricultural commodities
most common in the North-
west are summarized be-
low.
Cattle: The 12-month
outlook on cattle suggests
slightly profitable returns.
The national herd size is
moderating, which is pro-
viding tailwinds to produc-
er profitability. Instability
around COVID-19 contin-
ues to weigh on restaurant
demand for high value cuts.
Dairy: Slightly prof-
itable returns in 2021 are
forecast, although con-
tinued volatility is like-
ly. The Coronavirus Food
Assistance Program pro-
vided direct payments to
producers and the Farm-
ers to Families Food Box
Program purchased dairy
products, which supported
milk prices, mainly Class
III. Similar assistance is
expected in 2021.
Fisheries: The
12-month outlook for fish-
eries expects profitable re-
turns. Although 2020 hit the
seafood industry hard with
restaurant sales declining
more than 50 percent, con-
sumers remained hungry
for seafood. Fisheries will
continue to face challenges
with ongoing COVID-19
protocols, changing total
allowable catches and un-
certain trade relations in
2021. There is optimism for
increased demand as restau-
rant sales recover and retail
demand remains strong.
Forest Products: The
forest products outlook
anticipates profitable opera-
tions for both mills and tim-
berland owners. Strong de-
mand and tight supplies are
leading to favorable log and
lumber prices. Robust hous-
ing starts will keep demand
high, which could increase
further as the COVID-19
vaccine improves economic
conditions.
Hay: The 12-month
outlook for the hay industry
calls for slightly profitable
returns. In 2021, the hay
market will focus on mod-
estly optimistic fundamen-
tals. A weaker dollar favors
exports, and higher prices
for protein substitutes, like
soybean meal, will provide
tailwinds to hay producers.
Onions: Onions are
forecast to provide break-
even returns over the next
12 months. Supply and de-
mand indicate prices could
increase, yet producers
are sensitive to continued
COVID-19 restrictions in
the food service industry.
Potatoes: Slightly prof-
itable returns are expect-
ed for potato producers.
Processors’ demand for
uncontracted potatoes is
restrained as the COVID-19
situation continues to damp-
en restaurant demand for
processed potato products,
such as French fries.
Sugar Beets: Sugar beet
growers should see profit-
able returns for the 2020-21
season. The USDA forecast
suggests stocks-to-use ra-
tios will continue to de-
crease from 14.2 percent in
2019-20 to 13.5 percent in
2020-21, a favorable ratio
for Northwest producers.
Apples: Apple growers
can expect to see slightly
profitable margins. A small-
er crop and solid demand
should increase prices.
However, several quali-
ty issues have challenged
growers this season. Qual-
ity will be a key driver of
individual growers’ profits.
Cherries: Overall, prof-
itable margins are antici-
pated for cherry growers.
Reduced supply coupled
with strong domestic de-
mand helped sustain high
pricing, which will trans-
late into strong margins for
growers. However, those
with measurable losses in
tonnage may not have had
enough fruit to capture re-
turns and will be reliant on
crop insurance.
Pears: The 12-month
profitability index forecasts
slightly profitable returns
for pear growers. Although
demand has been lackluster
Readers,
Needing something to
do and wanting to hear
some good news for a
change, I talked April and
Bobbi at the Gazette-Times
into letting me work on a
column devoted to good
news only.
For those young people
who are not familiar with
the days when a common
attraction in the local paper
was the tidbits of person-
al news individuals were
willing to share with the
readers, items that were
beyond the announcements
of new babies, engagements
and marriages. Some peo-
ple wanted to share that
they had had company –
usually people with whom
many locals were familiar
– or that they had been on
a trip, were back from a
hospital stay, or just had
had a funny experience to
relate, etc. I call it a type of
“personal-interest” inclu-
sion because I think many
other people are like me
in my pleasure in sharing
someone else’s upbeat hap-
penings.
I do know that some
of what I am thinking of is
being shared on Facebook
and other forms of social
reading audience of the GT
is broader, and I enjoy read-
ing a paper newspaper more
than an electronic post. So, I
want to give this a try. Yes,
I could be wrong….
To kick off the ap-
proach, I plan to pop in at
our local businesses and
public entities to ask for
some “good news,” proba-
bly once every two weeks,
or just once a month, de-
pending on the reception of
this idea. Maybe I can cover
from the south end of town
to the north in three or four
days, looking for at least
one upbeat note from each.
Just one little tidbit can be
enough to bring a smile to
the reader’s face.
I have thought for a
long time that this type of
column would be a good
addition to the GT, and the
past year’s restrictions on
my comings and goings
finally did the trick. I de-
cided to put my thought
into action. Soon, I hope
to see many people who
do not throw me out the
door when I approach and
say, “Any good news you
want to share with the Ga-
zette-Times?”
Doris Brosnan
the last few years, increased
pricing indicates demand
may be finding some high-
er ground. Good quality
will also increase growers’
returns.
Wheat: The outlook
calls for slightly profitable
returns for wheat grow-
ers. The USDA’s projected
2020-21 season average
farm price for all-wheat is
$4.50 per bushel. Current
markets are showing a high-
er average of $4.70 to $4.80
per bushel from the 2019-
20 season. High yields and
government payments will
partially offset otherwise
break-even wheat prices.
Wine/Vineyard: Slight
profits are expected for both
vineyards and wineries, al-
though it’s a mixed bag for
both. Lower grape yields
and bulk wine supplies
should support improved
grape markets, but funda-
mental oversupply issues
remain. Some wineries
in the retail and direct to
consumer channels are hav-
ing record sales; however,
wineries reliant on tast-
ing rooms, events or other
in-person sales are left with
limited options to generate
revenue.
Morrow County Dis-
trict Attorney Justin Nelson
has released the following
report:
-Kaelynn Holling-
sworth was convicted of
PCS Heroin and was placed
into Umatilla/Morrow
County Drug Court along
with three years of formal
probation. Also convicted
of PCS Meth and sentenced
to 90-day jail sentence im-
posed upfront. Allowed ear-
ly release if able to locate
in-patient treatment facility
program.
-James David Town
was convicted of Criminal
Trespass 2 and sentenced to
18 months of probation, 10
hours of CSW and 15 days
jail suspended on success-
ful completion of probation.
As part of the sentence, he
is to send a letter of apology
to the victim and comply
with formal probation in
other case.
He was also convicted
of Disorderly Conduct,
sentenced to 15 days jail
imposed upfront, 75 days
jail suspended on success-
ful completion of probation,
18 months of probation, 20
hours of CSW and comply
with formal probation in
other case.
James David Town was
also convicted of UUMV
and sentenced to 20 days
jail imposed upfront, 160
days jail suspended on suc-
cessful completion of pro-
bation, 18 months of pro-
bation, 40 hours of CSW,
alcohol and drug treatment
evaluation and any recom-
mended treatment.
DA’s Report
Justice Court Report
Morrow County Justice of the Peace, Glen Diehl, has
released the following Justice Court report:
-Xavian L. Lenard, 27, Colorado City, TX was
convicted of violation of basic rule, fine $165 and no
operator’s license, fine $265.
-Damien S. Wilhelm, 42, Lexington, was convicted
of driving while suspended, fine $440; no insurance, fine
$265; driving while suspended (second charge), fine $440
and no insurance (second charge), fine $265.