FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 17, 2021
OWGL opposes
congressman’s
Snake River
proposal
Oregon Wheat Growers
League strongly opposes
the proposal floated by
Idaho Congressman Mike
Simpson to breach the four
lower Snake River dams.
The Columbia-Snake River
System provides the most
environmentally friendly
and safest mode of trans-
portation for getting wheat
to market. The loss of those
dams would significantly
increase emissions, requir-
ing wheat and other prod-
ucts to move from barge
to rail and truck transpor-
tation, directly conflicting
with our region’s climate
goals.
The Congressman’s
plan to create a “Columbia
Basin Fund” for regional
economic and environ-
mental transition does not
address the harm that would
be caused to both the econo-
my and environment by his
proposal. OWGL joins their
partners in firmly opposing
this proposal which tar-
gets the lower Snake River
Dams and the long-term
viability of our agricultural
economy.
As one of the largest
wheat-producing states in
the U.S., IGPA cannot over-
state the importance of the
river system to Idaho’s
grain growers. Wheat is
grown in 42 of Idaho’s
44 counties and last year
alone, Idaho’s wheat grow-
ers produced a record-set-
ting 112-million-bushel
crop. Every year, about
half of the state’s wheat is
used domestically while
the other half is exported to
overseas markets. Idaho is
uniquely positioned to ac-
cess the global marketplace
by moving grain from the
Port of Lewiston, through
the Columbia-Snake River
system to Portland, then
onto foreign customers.
Most of the top customers
are countries in the Pacific
Rim – Japan, the Philip-
pines, Korea, China, and
Taiwan.
But the Colum-
bia-Snake River System
moves more than just Ida-
ho wheat – the four dams
on the lower Snake River
move nearly 10 percent of
the entire nation’s wheat
exports each year.
Barging wheat is the
most environmentally
friendly mode of transpor-
tation available. Without
the ability to barge goods
down the river, diesel fuel
consumption would in-
crease by nearly 5 million
gallons per year as barges
would be replaced by less
efficient truck-to-rail ship-
ments. At least 201 addi-
tional unit trains and 23.8
million miles in additional
trucking activity would be
required annually, resulting
in increases in CO2 and
other harmful emissions
by over 1.2 million tons
per year.
The river system also
provides low cost, clean hy-
dropower to Idaho and the
Pacific Northwest. Over 90
percent of the Northwest’s
renewable energy comes
from hydroelectric dams.
Spiritually Speaking
Turn Away and Turn Towards
By Fr. Thankachan Joseph SDB, St. Patrick Church
Lent, a nearly 40-day period of fasting, prayer, alms-
giving, mortification, self-sacrifice and self-denial, begins
with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday. The
length of the Lenten fast was established in the 4 th century
as 46 days (40 days, not counting Sundays). During Lent,
participants eat sparingly or give up a particular food habit
or other habits. It is not uncommon for people to give up
smoking during Lent, or to reduce the use of social media,
watching television, eating candy or telling lies. It is six
weeks of self-disciplining.
The book of Genesis describes the creation of the
world and mankind. Adam and Eve had a very good
relationship with God before the sin. In chapters 4-6, we
see evil increasing and man falling prey to sin and its con-
sequences. God decides to destroy the world with flood.
Even when Noah is preparing the boat, others went on
with sinning and turning away from God. But in Genesis
9:8-15 we see that God established a new relationship
with mankind. Noah and his descendants are offered a
covenant promising that God would protect and nurture
them, a covenant sealed with a rainbow.
The First Letter of St. Peter very clearly explains this
aspect of salvation through baptism. The flood foreshad-
owed our Holy Baptism, through which we are cleansed
of original sin and set free to live a life for Christ. St. Peter
writes like this about baptism, “…not a removal of dirt
from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone
into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels,
authorities and power subject to him.”
In the Gospel reading of the day, Jesus is preaching
repentance. Led by the Holy Spirit to the desert, He
overcomes the temptations of the Satan. After 40 days
in the desert of human existence, amidst barrenness and
temptations, challenged not just with the elements but with
Satan himself (Mk 1:12-15), Jesus emerges on the public
stage ready for his public ministry, for proclamation of
the Good News and healing of the Bad News, for Lenten
death and Easter resurrection. His new covenant would
be a perpetual one, reconciling humanity to God, sealed
in the blood and water of the Lamb, offered on the ark
of the altar and the altar of the Cross. He did this for our
ransom from our slavery of sin. Sin breaks us from God
and his friendship. Let’s reflect more this week on how
we can return to God.
God continuously calls us to conversion and waits
for us to return to him like the father in the parable of the
prodigal son, or rather, he runs after us like the hound of
heaven in the poem of Francis Thompson.
Jesus did not leave behind a list of sins, but he showed
the meaning and seriousness of sin by the way he re-
sponded to events and situations. He redefined many of
the existing teachings on sin (Mt.5:21f).
a) Refusal to help those in need: The last judgement
Morrow County to get 100 vaccine
doses this week
By David Sykes
According to figures
released by the state, Mor-
row County will receive
100 doses of COVID-19
vaccine this week. The
doses were expected to
be delivered on Tuesday,
and it was not announced
where in the county or to
whom the vaccines would
be administered. See the
table below for a look at
how many doses and where
the doses were distributed
across the State of Oregon
this week.
This recent allotment
follows several weeks
where the county received
either no doses or very few
of the COVID vaccine,
prompting county commis-
sioners to ask why counties
like Morrow with higher
per capita infection rates,
were getting low doses and
Brown was diverting so
much to the cities.
Emotions about the
inequitable distribution
boiled over in late January
when a 600-dose shipment
was diverted by Governor
Kate Brown away from
Morrow County to the
metro areas of the state.
Commissioners called a
special meeting January 28
inviting representative Greg
Smith and Umatilla Coun-
ty Commissioner George
Murdock to attend and talk
strategy on how to get a
more equitable distribution
of vaccines for Morrow and
Umatilla counties. Across
the state, Morrow County
is rated number three and
Umatilla number four in
rates of infection in their
populations, and commis-
sioners felt COVID “hot
spots” like this should at
least get their fair share of
vaccines.
During the meeting, the
consensus among the local
political leadership was that
the distribution had become
very politicized with no
evidence of equity of dis-
tribution. The hour-long
meeting produced an agree-
ment that Representative
Greg Smith should write
a letter to Brown asking
for a virtual meeting with
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himself and the Morrow
and Umatilla county com-
missioners. “The purpose
of this meeting will be to
discuss vaccine distribu-
tion throughout District 57,
focusing on Morrow and
Umatilla counties,” Smith
said in his letter.
Governor Brown sub-
sequently refused to meet
with the group. When asked
why she would not, Smith
said, “Right now, the Gov-
ernor feels as if she is in a
very difficult position. She
has stated that she is going
to maintain her current
course of action. Governor
Brown’s preference at this
time is to communicate
through the Association of
Oregon Counties.”
When asked about the
refusal to meet, commis-
sioner Don Russell said he
didn’t really know much
other than Greg Smith’s
office had told him the
meeting was denied. “It
is my understanding that
we did get promised 200
doses of Moderna (vac-
cine) first round vaccine
for this week (Feb. 7),”
Russell told the Gazette.
“This is more than we had
been getting, so maybe we
accomplished something.
The federal government
had been allocating 50,000
doses per week to Oregon
and a per capita share to
Morrow County would be
150 doses per week. I don’t
know if there is a cause and
effect or not. We also got an
interview with OPB and the
governor being a political
person doesn’t like negative
publicity,” Russell said. “So
even though we didn’t get
the one-on-one conversa-
tion, it looks like we may
have moved the needle
at least for this week.”
Commissioner Doherty
did not comment on why
he thought the governor
scene and the stories of
the Rich Man and Lazarus
show that we are judged
according to our refusal to
reach out to persons who
need timely support and
assistance. (Mt. 25: 41-46;
Lk. 16: 19f)
b) Waste of Talents:
Every one of us is gifted
Fr. Thankachan Joseph
with multi talents, and the
parable of the talents re-
minds us that we should not be like the one who buried
the talent. (Mt. 25.24-30) How do you make use of your
God-given talents and energy to bring the lost ones back
to God’s flock?
c) Unwillingness to Forgive: The parable of the
unforgiving servant, from the Gospel of Matthew, is the
best example for our refusal to forgive others daily. Do we
have a habit of forgiving people who offend or hurt us?
d) Pharisaism: There is a growing tendency among
many of us to condemn others, as we see in the parable
of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee, when
he came to pray in the temple, instead of praying, was
despising the tax collector. During this holy season of
Lent, let’s try to get rid of this aspect of pharisaic nature
hidden in us. (Lk. 18:11-12)
e) Refusal to accept and stand by one’s own people:
From the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus highlights the
elder brother as one who refuses to accept his own brother
when he returns. A lesson to us all. (Lk. 15: 25-32)
f) Ingratitude: With the parable of the healing of 10
lepers, the Lord is reminding everyone to be grateful to
God for the numerous blessings we receive every day in
our lives, though we have received much more than we
truly need or deserve. (Lk 17:11-19)
g) Selfishness and hoarding: Do we behave like the
rich fool, who instead of sharing with the poor and the
needy around him, was foolish and selfish. Let’s try to
come out of this selfish mentality and share with the
people who need what God gives through our hands.
(Lk 12:13-21)
This Lenten season is an invitation from God to all of
us to return to him. God does not keep track of our sins
(cf. Lk. 15:21f). As we see in the parable of the prodigal
son, when we return God is just waiting to receive us
back. But our guilty conscience torments us and we punish
ourselves. This Lenten season, He is waiting to welcome
us all to His kingdom. For God, our readiness to forgive
and contrition are more important. Readiness to change is
a necessary condition as we see in the life of Zacchaeus.
(Lk. 19:8) Reparation for the rapture is necessary. The
Gospel of the day gives us a very good example, after
Jesus’ 40 days and nights of fasting and prayer, He comes
out proclaiming the message of repentance. Jesus embarks
on His ministry, strong, focused, determined and bold. In
the same way, everyday spend a little time with the Lord
reading scriptures. With the strength that we receive from
the reading of the scriptures and the sacraments, and with
the help of the Lord, we must also balance our prayers and
fasting with repentance on our part and become Gospel
signs to the people around us. God wants from us our
conversion – to change our hearts and turn towards and
closer to Him.
refused to meet with the
commissioners but did tell
Rep. Smith’s office, “At this
juncture nothing positive
can come from a meeting
this belated. I have no inter- at the state administration Morrow County still seek
est in visiting with anyone that I don’t personally re- council with the state, count
quest. If the others from me out,” Doherty said.