Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 11, 2022 -- THREE
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Sykes is knowledgeable Success in rural
government for the benefit
To the editor;
For the past 40 years, of all citizens. He has the education
Nitrates in the
upstream aquifer
To the editor;
The nitrate issue in the
Columbia Basin has always
haunted me. When I was elect-
ed five years ago, I crafted a
list of goals and it certainly
made the list. Shamefully, that
is where the ambition ended
relative to the work. But in
this occupation, the best time
to have done something was
years ago, the next best time
is now. So, when the notice
came out earlier this spring
ringing the call of alarm, I
heard it to my core.
The notice was relative
to the over-application of ni-
trates in the upstream aquafer.
Almost immediately the dis-
cussion ensued, as it had for
the past 30 years – was this
regulatory overreach? Who
were the primary suspects?
Would we come together to
craft a message of solidari-
ty? Here I stumbled, it was
suggested in the meeting of
the “esteemed” that all the
community was on board and
prepared to speak as one. In
my view, the greater commu-
nity were the only ones not
present then, nor at any time
in the past, and I surmised,
potentially bearing the biggest
burden – that of real and pres-
ent health concerns. I opted to
let the folks on the front-end
of the equation contemplate
digesters and expanded appli-
cation acres and chose instead
to test the end results at the
kitchen faucets.
As the Local Public
Health Authority, the Board
of Commissioners is first and
foremost tasked with elimi-
nating all barriers to a long,
happy and healthful life. I
reached out to my colleagues
at the county and asked them
for the blessing to spend some
resources ensuring that we
were adhering to our mission.
Thankfully, they gave way to
my persistence and allowed
up to one hundred expedited,
if cursory, tests. Commis-
sioner Melissa Lindsay, in
fact, partnered with Umatilla
County Commissioner Dan
Dorran on a bi-county effort
to secure a more long-range
effort.
I wasted little time in
reaching out to Ana Pineyro
our Public Health Emergency
Preparedness Coordinator
who has helped me in the past
and shines most brightly as a
community outreach liaison.
Morrow County is approach-
ing 50 percent Hispanic rep-
resentation and as such, it is
vital to have someone like Ana
who can bridge that cross-cul-
tural divide. With sample kits
in hand we hit the streets,
knocking and walking.
I was hopeful as the first
small set of samples were
sent off to Kuo testing labs
in Umatilla. They indicated
that they would email us the
results in the ensuing days
so I was a bit surprised when
the lab reached out directly
to my mobile phone. The lab
technician indicating that if,
and when, the results pose
an extreme and immediate
health concern, that they are
duty bound to reach out and
forewarn the unsuspecting
consumer, that they might
suspend any usage of the water
for fear of medical concerns.
I sadly have received that
dreaded call for every sample
submitted. The majority of the
homes we were welcomed in
had nitrate filters, albeit not
generally the more expensive
ones that work, but instead
the more disposable, more
affordable variety.
Environmental justice is
a concept that speaks to the
notion that if a subset of folks,
perhaps those less fortunate
or more recent immigrants,
are unduly affected by the
processes around them that
affect the air they breathe, or
water they drink, that they
must have a voice. These are
the exact families that we rely
on so heavily for our labor
force but heretofore have been
discarded from the environ-
mental discussions. This is the
missing community; this is a
barrier that we must eliminate.
Having kissed the blarney
stone and a people-person
by nature, I love standing on
someone’s porch and asking
everything about them. That
is until Ana armed me with a
questionnaire that asked folks
if they had experienced any of
a short list of nitrate-related
health concerns. It is almost
impossible to correlate the
responses to the question with
the extremely high nitrate
results. That said, I still think
it abundantly fair to suggest
that in those numbers, the re-
sponses we got could certainly
be attributed to the increasing
prevalence of high nitrates.
For a small sample, 70
tests to date, I was quite taken
aback by the prevalence of
persistent headaches, dev-
astating cancers and failed
pregnancies. This weighs in-
credibly heavy on my heart as
I search my soul and wonder
if I had only started earlier,
could I have made a difference
in these things.
In policy making we are
endlessly faced with squaring
off on any given issue and are
driven to question to what de-
gree does this challenge rise.
Do I take my stand here or live
to fight another day? This cer-
tainly is, “a hill I am willing to
die on,” if only that my friends
and neighbors don’t face that
literal peril.
Jim Doherty
Morrow County Com-
missioner
David Sykes has become
knowledgeable about Morrow
County. He has served on
many county wide boards and
committees and has insight on
challenges and found positive
solutions.
He identifies that each
community has individual
and shared county goals. He
recognizes the role of county
Are you angry yet?
To the editor;
There’s a popular new
moral mantra being touted
today. Lots of new lingo
has been created to make
it sound viable and rea-
sonable. It’s not. It’s a lie,
and many are falling for
it. Why? Because nobody
wants to be called a hater,
bigot, racist, or “homo-
phobe.” Sticks and stones
will break my bones, but
apparently, if you call me
the right name, I will melt
into a quivering mass that
sputters apologies and ex-
cuses.
It seems we’re no
match for terms like “in-
clusion, diversity, gender
reassignment, and gender-
affirming surgery.” This is
all for the “safety” of the
children, we’re told. Who
doesn’t want children to
be safe? Go ahead, give
double mastectomies to
10-year-olds and mutilate
their genitals. I’m sure the
drugs used to chemically
castrate sexual offenders
won’t really do any harm
to children. We’ve been
assured hormone “therapy”
is totally safe for kids. But
don’t worry, if it’s your
child that’s “gender-con-
fused,” you may not know
about their “treatment”
until the damage is done ....
because obviously, parents
are clueless, and teachers
know best. BTW, if your
child needs a Tylenol at
school, better send a note.
So as little children
have become the latest
Woke victims, parents are
to be happy with being the
cool parents. If you can
claim more than one child
as trans ... hey ... you’re
even cooler. Plus, you have
the added bonus of your
child becoming a banner
for the LGBTIQQ folks.
Kids do love rainbows,
don’t they?
Meanwhile, ask a six-
year-old if he would like
to be a puppy and most
likely he’ll get down on all
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qualifications needed to be an
effective county commission-
er. Morrow County needs the
experience and know-how that
David Sykes possesses.
Please join me in electing
David Sykes, Morrow County
Commissioner.
Marcia Kemp
Lexington
53802 Hwy 74 Heppner
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fours and start barking. You
don’t respond with “Oh
Jimmy, that’s wonderful.
We will get you your own
little doghouse and a collar
with your name on it, and
we’ll give you something
that will make you grow a
tail. Now ... would you like
some Kibbles and Bits?”
NO. You say, “That sounds
fun, doesn’t it? But you’re
a little boy and that’s a
wonderful thing to be. Now
please go pick up your
toys.”
The sexualization of
children is a sinister, evil
plot meant to make them
easy targets for predators.
Please, keep a close eye on
your kids and guard them
against the demons that
prey on them.
Speak out, because if
what is being aimed at lit-
tle children today doesn’t
make your blood boil, I’m
getting the AED .... because
you have no pulse. “But
if you cause one of these
little ones who trusts in me
to fall into sin, it would
be better for you to have a
large millstone tied around
your neck and be drowned
in the depths of the sea.”
Matthew 18:6.
Susie Crosby
To the editor:
Pioneer Utility Resourc-
es, publisher of Ruralite, is
taking its readers on a year-
long journey to highlight
success stories in rural edu-
cation. Chick Tech, through a
program called Advancing the
Careers of Technical Women,
“helps professional women,
nonbinary adults and allies ad-
vance their careers, move into
leadership positions, celebrate
diversity, build technical skills
and create community…ac-
knowledging the need for di-
versity, equity, and inclusion.”
(Ruralite, May 22, p. 15)
Chick Tech has a fail-
ing rating of 68 percent for
finance and accountability
from Charity Navigator. Per-
haps Ruralite did not consider
financial accountability in
commending Chick Tech as a
success story in rural educa-
tion. Just what is Ruralite ex-
alting as “education heroes?”
(Ruralite, Dec. 21 p. 3)
A nonbinary adult is nei-
ther male nor female. Allies of
nonbinary adults are lesbians,
bisexual, queer, transgender,
questioning, two spirit, lib-
eral news media, progressive
Democrat Party, Globalists,
Marxists, atheists, socialists,
Disney World, Hollywood,
etc., etc., etc. The goal of
Chick Tech and their nonbi-
nary allies is to indoctrinate
young students and their com-
munity to attain positions of
authority in schools, school
boards, industry, media, gov-
ernment, judicial, etc., to re-
quire “action to those words”
(diversity, equity and inclu-
sion) (op. Cit. p. 15).
Celebrate diversity
means to force nonbinary
and LBQT values on schools,
communities, medical practic-
es, churches, media, govern-
ment, etc., to the degree that
anyone who objects is vilified,
slandered, fired, humiliated
and forced to apologize. Cel-
ebrate diversity means your
children can be persuaded to
reject their biological sex by
peers, teachers and counsel-
ors they grow to trust without
your consent or knowledge.
Celebrate diversity means
great anguish for those trapped
by actual decisions to change
their biological God given
male or female body…and
greater anguish for their par-
ents and loved ones.
The Chick Tech definition
of creating community means
mandated diversity, equity
and inclusion (DEI) indoctri-
nation training at every level
of community in America.
DEI mandatory education is
a metastasized cancer upon
Americans. DEI means all
white Americans are guilty of
racism by birth, Bible believ-
ing Christian’s are bigots and
the root source of white su-
premacy and patriotic Ameri-
can citizens are intolerant and
suppress minorities.
Why would Ruralite be-
come an advocate for the
‘woke’ agenda? Contact your
local Ruralite office. I have
and I have found the local of-
ficer in charge to be receptive
and responsive and I have
confidence that the electric
cooperatives will not continue
to promote this woke agenda
if the public will communicate
their concern.
This ‘woke’ agenda is
an attack against our creator
who created male and female
with a commitment to honor
his creation as written in His
Word. That is our charge. Let
us honor our heavenly Father,
our creator, in word and deed.
Stuart Dick, Irrigon
E
T
O
V
Jeff Wenholz
for
County Commissioner
Position #2
Morrow County Resident for 49 years
Member of local boards and commissions
for over 20 years
Morrow County Solid Waste Advisory Committee - 2001
Umatilla Electric Cooperative Board Member - 2004
Morrow County Budget Committee - 2017
Morrow County Planning Commission - 2002
Umatilla Chemical Depot Advisory Commission - 2001-2002
Good Shepherd Hospital Board - 2019
Irrigon Multi-Cultural Arts Center - 2004
Endorsed by:
Don Russell
Greg Smith
Larry Burns
Karen Pettigrew
Gary Neal
Travis Hyder
Rod Taylor
John Wenholz
Junior Drago
Dean Kegler
Paul & Phyllis Danielson
Barb & Wayne Huwe Jr.
Phil Hamm
Gibb & Stephanie Evans
Lee & Pam Docken
Dan Shoemake
Mike & Carol Allison
Don & Donna Eppenbach
Dave & Charlene Cooley
Chris Brown
Burrel & Karen Cooley
Gary & Shirley David
Jerry Healy
Kevin Gilbertson
Dan Daltoso
Juan Reyna
Angie Burke
Wes & Linda Wise
Marv Padberg
Greg Sweek
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