Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2020)
OPINION READER’S FORUM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020 EDITOR’S DESK Our ancestors can inspire our sacrifi ces I n March I wrote a column called “Things to be grateful for in the age of COVID-19.” Although the positive things I listed then remain true, I have to admit the unre- lenting, joyless slog through stress and uncer- tainty in the months since has dampened my Jade feelings of gratitude. This pandemic is hard. McDowell NEWS EDITOR Its toll has been immense — physically, mentally, fi nancially — on almost everyone. One of the diffi cult aspects of it has been that there’s no quick fi x. Our modern, comfort-fi lled soci- ety has mostly taught us that we shouldn’t have to suffer any sort of discomfort for any signifi cant amount of time. Feeling pain? Take a pain- killer. Hungry? Here’s a drive-thru. Hot? Turn up the air conditioner. Bored? Pull out your phone. It’s hard not to imagine that our ancestors who worked from sunup to sundown for basic survival, who never had a hot shower in their lives, who survived the Great Depression on scraps or lived in slavery or slept among rats in the trenches of a world war, wouldn’t shake their heads in embarrassment at what wimps those who bear their name today turned out to be. My four-greats grandmother crossed the Atlantic, and then the United States, burying her husband along the Oregon Trail, and then lying sick with cholera in a cov- Hermiston Herald, File Madison Garrett, left, Katelyn Rickords, Siobhan Holman and Chase Spratling struggle to keep a handcart from rolling down a steep hill during a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Pioneer Trek near Plymouth, Washington, in 2014. Historical reenactments help inspire people with the stories of the diffi culties others before them went through. ered wagon while her young children cared for her. And yet, I complain if the power goes out for an hour. This fall people got tired of the sacrifi ces they were being asked to make, but the world needs us all to toughen up now and be more like those who came before us. Hospitalizations in the United States are soaring, and some states say they are at or near hospital capac- ity statewide. Oregon has the lowest number of hospital beds per capita in the nation, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which means we have less room for letting cases spike out of control. Even for those who are never admitted to the hospital, an often-overlooked aspect of the virus is the lingering, sometimes life-changing organ damage that it can cause, along with the “long haul- ers” who say they have been suffer- ing fl u-like symptoms for several months now, with their doctors at a loss for when — or if — they might return to health. Despite these worrisome effects that have caused lockdowns and other precautions on a global scale, there is light at the end of the tun- nel. The effort to defeat this virus has brought together the best minds in the world in an unprecedented scale. Doctors are saving more patients as they refi ne their treatment strategies and new therapies are approved. And COLUMN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Expressing gratitude despite pandemic O ne thing I appreci- ate about the month of November is that numerous people in my Face- book newsfeed are posting daily about something that they are grateful for. It has been espe- cially refreshing reading these lately because a lot of things about this past year have basically sucked. While I’ve had my share of woes since ushering in 2020, I have much to express grati- Tammy tude about. One of Malgesini the most exciting things was taking a 60th birth- day trip to California in Feb- ruary with my bestie and her daughter. Carol and I periodi- cally talked about taking Cas- sie to Disneyland since she was around 8 years old — and 20 years later, we can check that off our bucket list. We squeaked the trip in a month before the global pan- demic brought most of the world to a standstill, including shuttering theme parks. How- ever, for those fi ve days, it truly was a magical experience — from fl ying fi rst class, going to Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and spending a day in Huntington Beach. My husband and I absolutely adore our canine kids. And this past year has been no differ- ent. It brings me great joy when they exuberantly greet me at the door, eagerly anticipate going on outings and exhibit true unconditional love. My only wish is that they lived longer — well, I’d also really like it if they could talk. John and I recently had a health scare with his 11-year-old German shepherd. Lucifer, who in his prime weighed more than 100 pounds, began refusing to eat. It was breaking our hearts watching our once majestic dog withering away before our eyes. Taking him to the doggie doctor, we were prepared for the worst — thinking he might have liver or kidney problems. We were relieved to fi nd out his organs are in pretty good shape. After looking at his lab work, Dr. Barton determined that Lucifer’s loss of appetite was likely due to hip pain. He received a cortisone shot and is doing better with his movement and appetite. During this time, it seems the General, my 8-year-old German shepherd, has packed on the pounds that Lucifer lost. Just the other day while Lucifer was lei- surely approaching his bowl, I caught the General “red-pawed” chowing down on brother’s food. I yelled (OK, I swore) at him, which actually scared Lucifer more than the criminal canine. I immediately grabbed the General’s leash. For a brief moment, he thought he was going for a walk. Imagine his surprise when after attaching the leash to him, I tied it to the door. I’m also grateful for the sim- ple things — including talking to my folks several times a week and lounging in my lit- tle backyard pool with my hus- band almost daily this past sum- mer. In addition, I appreciate an extensive hat collection that helped me survive a pair of fi ve- week hair crises. And I’m glad that I have yet to run out of Pepsi Zero Sugar. “Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” — Randy Pausch ——— Tammy Malgesini, the for- mer Hermiston Herald commu- nity editor, enjoys spending time with her husband and two Ger- man shepherds, as well as enter- taining herself with random musings and drinking Pepsi Zero. Distance learning is diffi cult As you are aware, we are liv- ing in unprecedented times with the pandemic. Our children have had to resort to online learning. I am not faulting the teachers, as I know they are working tirelessly. The main concern is that chil- dren have been locked out of the classrooms for over six months. The socialization, the relationships built with teachers and fellow stu- dents are so critical. I am also con- cerned with the children who were and are continuing to struggle with inequality in technology, watching other siblings while parents have to work, and with the most important factor — nutrition. Schools for a lot of children are a stable place. It’s a place of comfort for some in really bad situations. It’s a place of love and caring from teachers, staff and others employed by the school or are volunteers, which are so crucial. Also a real concern is that the schools are the point of contact when children are abused — for important social services that can protect the child and help them get the services they need. Lastly, it is also really import- ant for kids to be part of activities, drama, music and sports, which helps round out children; these also teach important lessons as well. It is my hope and prayer that soon school districts will start to be bold and band together to keep fi ghting for the children and let par- CORRECTIONS Printed on recycled newsprint VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 41 Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673 Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536 Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531 Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538 To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St. • visit us online at: hermistonherald.com The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457. now we have announcements of vac- cines that trials indicate are far more effective than expected. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “Meet the Press” last weekend that if these vac- cines become available soon and an “overwhelming majority” of people take them, we could be easing back into “relative normal” by the second or third quarter of 2021. For now, however, we need to get as many people as possible safely through the winter. Much of the unusually high COVID-19 rate in the United States can be blamed on insti- tutional failures of testing shortages, poorly designed restrictions, mixed messaging and economic failures that have forced people to choose between COVID-19 exposure and no paycheck. But a lack of fortitude when it comes to making sacrifi ces on a personal level has added even more layers of preventable suffering. I’m not looking forward to more months of this. I deeply miss having game nights and movie nights with friends, playing indoor sports, travel- ing, attending concerts, eating inside restaurants, hugging friends and all the other things I’ve given up since March. But our ancestors have lived through far worse, which means we can do this. Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838. Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2020 It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in the online versions of our stories. Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report errors. SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters should be kept to 250 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Read more Find more letters to the editor online at HermistonHerald.com ents have a choice while supporting teachers who want to see their stu- dents again. Shane Robinson Hermiston Your turkeys are watching This is Captain Butterball of the Governor’s Party Team. Citi- zens should be aware that we have microchipped random turkeys and hams at local markets. This allows us to track the destination of these products. We are authorized to use drones and communications technology to fi nd those persons who choose to disregard the six-person maximum party size for Thanksgiving. Vio- lators will be placed under house arrest and confi ned to their bath- room. Guests will be sent to their homes. The suspect turkeys and hams will be humanely consumed by members of the team. Repeat offenders will be relocated to Port- land where they can join rioters and looters. Happy holidays to all in Umatilla and Morrow counties. Capt. Butterball, aka Mike Mehren Hermiston Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be published. OBITUARY POLICY The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a fl ag symbol at no charge. Expanded death notices will be published at no charge. These include information about services. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style. Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at hermistonherald.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@ hermistonherald.com, by fax to 541-276-8314, placed via the funeral home or in person at the Hermiston Herald or East Oregonian offi ces. For more information, call 541-966-0818 or 1-800-522-0255, x221.
