Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 10, 2023 -- THREE ~ Letters to the Editor ~ The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following 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. The 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. Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net. Port commis- sioner needs a holistic ap- proach Dear Editor, I would like to thank Mr. John Wenholz for pointing out in his editorial what a fine community leader I have been. Imagine a citizen actu- ally showing up at a public meeting and testifying, only to be called a “disrupter.” Not that I was “out of order,” but merely a participant in a civil process. God forbid. I showed up at a planning commission meeting, county meeting and a city meet- ing—such civil disobedi- ence. Perhaps Mr. Wenholz has forgotten what it is to be a responsible citizen, and how democracy actually works. If that’s all the dirt you have on me, I’ll take it as a compliment and move on. “A disrupter.” I kinda like it, actually. Someone with an original thought, a voice, an idea, a dissenting opinion. What a novel idea. Perhaps the idea of democ- racy is a new concept for Mr. Wenholz, the very idea that the government would listen to the people. It’s not too surprising. After all, he supports Mr. Padberg, who said, “in 28 years has never seen nor cast a dissenting vote.” If that’s not the very definition of the “Good Old Boys” club, what is? We have seen our share of ill-planned growth and expansion—DX 90 in the heart of our retail and com- mercial district, proposed data centers on fertile agri- culture lands, man camps that isolate people from services and a Speedway that everyone knew would be a “white elephant” and still is. These were not good ideas. It wasn’t a good idea to postpone a digester until the fines racked up into the millions, either. I feel we need to change the way we move forward, sharpen our resource effi- ciency, build strong infra- structure to support respon- sible development, make our communities a place families want to live in and make their home. I am a strong supporter of land use, its laws and how they actually build strong communities. That’s not anti-growth, it’s the three pillars of sustain- able growth: social, eco- nomic and environmental. Simply the fundamentals. P.S. The Speedway was not thrown out at the state. It was taken out of the people’s process by a “tag” on to a junk bill in the legislature— which I’m sure Mr. Wenholz was a party to. They left Morrow County holding the bag. Unpaid taxes, repos- sessed equipment and an overlay zone that still creates havoc for land use. One rea- son why we need someone to take a holistic approach to being a Port of Morrow Commissioner. Kelly Doherty, Boardman, OR Why is Mor- row County developing a new Ambu- lance Service Area plan? Morrow County is de- veloping a revised Ambu- lance Service Area (ASA) Plan for one reason, and one reason only. We are required by Oregon law and administrative rules to do so. Unfortunately, over the years Morrow County has not been carrying out its legal duties and respon- sibilities, and as a result, we are out of compliance on our current ASA. We are operating under a 1998 plan that has never been reviewed and updated as required every five years. An attempt was made in 2021, but did not follow the required legal process, and was never completed nor approved and adopted by the county. We are working with the Oregon Health Authority to complete this process as soon as possible. The process to update the plan has been started and we are committed to conducting this procedure according to law and in a fair and impartial manner. David Sykes, Chair Morrow County Board of Commissioners What a Drag I’ve always liked a man in uniform. Pressed slacks, starched shirt, hat tipped just right…. I never had a Ken Doll but if I had, I’d have dressed him in uniform. Funny thing, but Stilettos and lipstick were never a part of that vision. So, I heard recent- ly that we have a certain branch of our military that has decided to go Woke and politically fashionable with the enlistment of a Drag Queen to help their recruitment efforts. My mind immediately went to a possible scenario where this idea could have origi- nated. I pictured an off-duty and slightly discouraged recruiter sitting in a bar with one too many Bud Lights and slightly slurred speech…. “Hey Bob…I got an idea….” After finally getting past the realization that this was an actual event and not just another great satirical piece from the Babylon Bee, I have to be honest…. I had some seri- ous questions. What if they break a nail in battle? Would that be considered a disability? While I have no problem with my tax dollars going to support our military, I won’t be a happy camper when my money goes to the Naval Nail Salon. And what happens when Sick Bay is filled with sailors complaining of cramps? Will they get automatic leave for their “time of the month”? And can you even march in stilettos? And I wonder, honest- ly, to what do we owe this unfortunate decline in re- cruitment numbers? Could it be that the thought of serving under a Command- er in Chief that can’t tie his shoes is a little unnerving? Or maybe it’s the success- ful campaign of our educa- tors who are determined to make it really uncool for young folks to be proud of their country. Maybe boot- ing sailors off the boat for not wanting The Vid Vax left a bit of a hole in their numbers. And they didn’t even see it coming. My dad was a Navy man. He joined up when Pearl Harbor happened. He went from Stanford Uni- versity to Officer Training School, then PT Boat Com- mander, and eventually all the way to Lieutenant Com- mander. He was proud of his Navy career. He’s been gone several years now, but I can’t imagine what it would do to him to see what has become of his beloved Spiritually Speaking Navy and his beloved coun- try. He saw it coming, but I’m sure he never imagined how rapid or how disastrous the decline would be. We’ve allowed our mil- itary to become a banner for an ungodly society and our government to become a laughingstock to the rest of the world. We’ve traded our freedom for a pot of beans, while we’ve welcomed the enemy with open arms. We’ve taken what so many of our fathers and grandfa- thers did to protect us, risk- ing and losing their lives in the process, and acted like they just handed us a piece of gum. The whole Drag Queen thing feels like the final straw on a very tired and weak camel’s back. Daddy, I miss you ter- ribly…but I’m glad you aren’t here to witness the insanity. “When the godly are in authority, the people re- joice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.” Proverbs 29:2 Susie Crosby Heppner, OR Good News Only by Doris Brosnan Good news for area senior citizens: Soon the meal site at the St. Patrick’s Senior Center will again be offering lunches. A committee of five have adopted the moniker of “South Morrow Seniors Matters” for the nonprofit organization that is now working on final details before the grand opening of the lunch site. Watch for information in the Gazette-Times. Mary Ann Elguezebal refers to “healing hands” when talking about Judy Norris, who was a professional mas- seuse in Heppner, and many other clients would agree with those modifiers. Judy is now in Maine with a daughter and suffering a serious health challenge, so Mary Ann is suggesting the sending of thoughtful cards and encour- aging words to Judy at 26 Leeman Drive, Northport, ME 04849. Such caring can bring smiles to Judy’s face. For a grandmother, little can best an opportunity to share time with all her grandchildren, so last weekend was the best for this writer: On Friday, at the OSU ROTC Awards Ceremony, grandson Carson received from the Marine Corps Coordinating Council a Marine sword in recognition of his leadership skills. On Saturday, grand- daughter Amy was a member of the West Salem Titans Choir that placed second in the Oregon State 6A Choir competition, also held in Corvallis. And the best part of the weekend was the sharing of time with them, the other two grandchildren, and their parents at the Old Spaghetti Factory! Mothers’ Day is coming up! One fortunate Mom-Grandmother will be Bev Sherman, who is excit- edly looking forward to having her entire family “home” this weekend. Joining her Huddlestons (including Jared) and Watkinses (including Jeff) of Heppner will be her Sherman children, grandchildren, and great grandchil- dren, including Mahaley Huddleston from Austin, TX, and from Portland, Kyle Huddleston, Ron and Mercedes Sherman, Jacob Sherman, Josh and Jenny Kingsbury with 8-1/2-month-old Calina (named after “Papa Cal”), Julie Watkins and Jasper Hua with Delah, who is seven years old, and their wee baby girl, Stevie, who is 3-1/2 months old. This will be the first time for Calina and Stevie to meet. The waters of Willow Creek run high, and the banks look much cleaner than they did last year! One walker/ good citizen was seen last week reaching for a piece of debris left near the creek, sliding down the slippery slope, and almost ending up in that water! (Debris was captured.) Please share your reasons to smile with the GT readers by sending your tidbits to dbrosnan123@gmail.com or by calling 541-223-1490. Here’s hoping that some good news comes to every- one reading this! Father Thankachan Joseph St. Patrick Catholic Church Heppner “If you love me: you will keep my commandments” The Lord Jesus has shown us how to live and reach the Father in Heaven. He has said He is “the bread of life” (John 6: 48). “I am the good shepherd that lays down the life for the sheep” (John 10:11). This Sunday, Jesus speaks about the Holy Spirit: “I am telling you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going, because unless I go, the Paraclete will not come to you. And when he comes, he will show the world how wrong it was about sin and about who was in the right and about judgement and about sin” (John 16:7-8). The subsequent tension, anxiety and fear over Jesus’s departure to Heaven are calmed when He says that the Spirit will show what is sin and the malice of sin. Jesus presents the Holy Spirit as the Advocate who can intervene on our behalf, the Comforter/Helper when we face difficulties of life, the Counselor. A counselor is whom we can approach for help in times of anxiety, worry, desperation etc., such as now. Jesus leaves with us the Counselor who can really soothe all our anxieties. The Gospel of John, chapter 14:15-21, starts with Jesus saying to His disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (15). It is a moral instruction. As parents, we instruct our children to “do what I tell you.” Similarly, Jesus is telling His flock to adhere to Him in love and to listen to His voice and follow Him. Jesus asks everyone to follow the commandments in order to have a spirit-filled life. For example, in the season of baseball, games can degenerate into fights if the rules are ignored. Also, we see accidents on the roads when people ignore safety measures and road rules. Jesus asks the disciples to do two things: to love Him and to obey His commandments. “Love” is one of the most commonly used words in the world. But truly love is not in what we say; it is beyond words. It is not what we feel; it is beyond feel- ings. It is not what we sing; it is more melodious than any song. For love to be what it really is, it must have its foundation in God because God is love (1 John 4:8). To Love truly and comprehensively is to have a strong and steady connection with God as defining support, for without God, love does not exist. Not once, but several times during the last supper, Christ said these or similar words: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Life is governed by rules and regulations. Effective survival depends largely upon responses to those rules and regulations. But apart from natural and human laws are divine laws that are God’s di- rectives and regulations for wholesome living. Obedience to God’s commandments is the pathway to the life one really wants to live. Jesus reminds us that obedience is listening and acting on what we hear. Jesus says, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). God’s language of love is obedience, so, as Jesus obeyed His Father’s will, He pleads with us to keep His commandments to have beautiful lives. As we take a close look at the Gospel of the day, we must understand one thing. We are not talking about clearly defined rules and commandments, but about guidelines and signposts He left. We are talking about a new spirit. Keeping this in mind, looking at some of the Dos and Don’ts the Holy Spirit teaches would not only seem to be helpful, but even necessary. Don’ts: Do not return evil for evil. Nothing is achieved by retaliation, except to pile darkness upon darkness. Similarly, do not judge your neighbor. No one knows all the facts in any particular case except God. Therefore, leave judgement to Him. The Holy Spirit will inspire us to not condemn our neighbors. Dos: Love your enemies. Not just friends and cronies, because that’s easy and everybody does it, but practicing kindness towards those you do not like or those who may have been unkind to you is hard. Forgive, not just in words, but from the heart. If you do, then you have nothing to fear in regard to your own sins. God has already forgiven them. Finally, the commandment, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Print & Mailing Services *Design *Print Sykes Publishing *Mail 541-676-9228 Print & Mailing Services *Design *Print *Mail Sykes Publishing 541-676-9228 PORT OF MORROW COMMISSIONER Committed to: ✔ Transparency and Accountability ✔ Responsible Economic Growth ✔ County-wide Representation