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A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021
OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021
A4
OUR VIEW
Commissioners make right decision
The decision the Umatilla
County Board of Commis-
sioners made last week to
reinstate mask requirements
for county employees and
for residents visiting county
buildings, was the right one.
The decision was unfor-
tunate, at least in the sense
it was probably inevita-
ble, judging by the way the
COVID-19 cases are surg-
ing in the county.
The county decision
means all its employees put
on facemasks anywhere out-
side their workspace and
when someone visits their
desk. Also, people who
attempt to enter the county
courthouse without wearing
masks will be denied access.
At fi rst glance the deci-
sion may seem almost rou-
tine in this age of COVID-
19, but it also should show
just how critical the surge
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
A sign Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, on the door of the Umatilla County Courthouse, Pendleton,
advises courthouse visitors of the mask requirement for county buildings.
is. That’s because a county
courthouse is one of the most
visible and relevant struc-
tures of democracy in Amer-
ica. Residents should expect
to be able to have access to
a place where the people’s
business is conducted.
But the COVID-19 out-
break is extremely seri-
ous and, so far, apparently
out of control. Cases in the
county are climbing at an
alarming rate. The situation
is made even more frustrat-
ing, because there are ample
supplies of COVID-19 vac-
cines available. In short,
there now exists a tool that
is safe and eff ective that can
protect residents from the
infection, yet the county is
in the middle of an outbreak
with no end in sight.
Of course, the govern-
ment can’t — and should
not — be in the business
of forcing people to get a
vaccine. However, when
cases of COVID-19 surge
— as they are now — that
means there will be conse-
quences such as new man-
dates for county employees
and new rules on access to
the courthouse.
The
commissioners
made the right decision. In
fact, they made really the
COLUMN
only decision they could in
a situation we now face as
a county.
While the new surge in
COVID-19 cases may seem
to be surprising to many, the
fact is the virus never really
disappeared. The lifting of
state restrictions at the end
of June did not signal a vic-
tory over the virus. What
it did mean was the threat
level — because of the
availability of vaccines —
was lower than in the past.
No one wants to go back
to restrictions or to the con-
stant donning of masks, but
until the virus case load
diminishes, that may be the
only way to try to stop the
spread.
The
commissioners
made a good decision. We
just hope such decisions
don’t become the norm in
the future.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Future leaders cultivated at county fairs
C
ounty fair season has arrived in
Oregon. This month, genera-
tions will come
together to celebrate
the hard work of those
involved in programs
like 4-H and FFA.
I was once one of
those young people
whose life was changed
Chris
by FFA. As we begin
Novak
our annual celebration
of agriculture’s next
generation, I want to recognize FFA’s
work and the young leaders it has men-
tored and changed.
I grew up on a small farm in Iowa
that belonged to my grandfather and
then my father. I learned at an early
age the importance of hard work and
the responsibility that comes with car-
ing for animals and the land.
While my career aspirations never
included coming back to the farm, with
the love of agriculture that my father
had instilled, I didn’t have to be con-
vinced to join FFA when my high
school’s vocational agriculture instruc-
tor stopped at the farm one summer
day.
“I believe in the future of agricul-
ture, with a faith born not of words, but
of deeds ...”
More than 40 years have passed
since my instructor made us memorize
the FFA Creed during our freshman
year in high school, but the words still
ring true as an inspiration to those of
us who wore the blue and gold jackets.
The creed is about learning the his-
tory of agriculture, learning the val-
ues that we all shared, and glimpsing
a vision of a future agricultural system
that we could help shape. These are
still relevant in my world today.
FFA provides a glimpse of the
future that motivates you to try new
things, take on new challenges, and
succeed in ways that you could not
have imagined.
Our chapter frequently hosted state
and national FFA offi cers. To meet
these fellow students — who were con-
fi dent, articulate, and shared a passion
for agriculture — was an inspiration.
So you set your goals, worked, and
learned how to handle success and
defeat. Once I got the chance to serve
as a state FFA offi cer, l learned what it
was like to work as a team — to share
ideas, compromise, and work in ser-
vice of others.
I didn’t return to the farm, but
thanks to FFA I have enjoyed a career
in service to agriculture. Today, serv-
ing CropLife America, I feel that I am
still pursuing FFA’s creed’s vision of
“better days through better ways.”
As agriculture technology continues
to be challenged, I believe it is imper-
ative that all of us speak with passion
about the public interest we serve. Just
as I learned in FFA, we must continue
to work as a team to share ideas, fi nd
solutions, and continue working in the
service of others.
FFA is dedicated to education, pro-
viding learning opportunities in the
classroom, supervised experiences, and
developing leadership skills that help
drive personal growth. All of these
learning opportunities work together
to provide a well-rounded education to
our young leaders.
It is during this key time on the farm
that we should be grateful, as a nation,
for what FFA provides in shaping the
face of American agriculture and the
next generation of teachers, lawyers,
scientists and problems solvers.
———
Chris Novak is president and CEO
of CropLife America.
Letter: Don’t be a fool — get vaccinated
I have one word for those of you that have
yet to get a vaccination, fools! I can also add
self-centered, selfi sh, sheeple and Kool-Aid
drinkers to that. If you don’t understand the
Kool-Aid drinkers, look up Jonestown as you
are headed in the same direction, dead!
Umatilla County, once again, has the
“honor” of being the hotspot when it comes
to COVID-19 for Oregon. Why? Because too
many of you out there think, “I don’t need no
stinking shots.” Well, you’re in the same group
as the actor in “Treasure of the Sierra Madre”
saying, “I don’t need no stinking badges.”
There is a good chance you will end up like he
did, dead!
COVID-19 is not a joke, it is not a govern-
ment conspiracy, there are no nanobots being
injected so they can track you (there are enough
satellites up above now, they can track anytime
they want, you paranoid fools). What you are
doing is subjecting your family and friends to
a greater risk of catching this disease and pos-
sibly dying from it, thanks to your being too
self-centered to consider anyone but yourself.
Do you believe that if you catch it and end up
passing it along and therefore possibly killing
a friend or family member, it’s not your fault?
Good luck on lying to yourself for the rest of
your life. I hope you can sleep at night know-
ing you killed someone because you were
so selfi sh.
Mark Severson
Hermiston
COLUMN
Returning to the classroom is a big deal
Before talking
about plans for the
2021-22
school
year, I want to take
a moment to recog-
nize what our stu-
dents and families
have been through.
Tricia
This will be the Mooney
third consecutive
year that our educa-
tional process has been disrupted
by COVID-19. That’s a signifi cant
amount of time for a K-12 student
— nearly a quarter of the school
years they will spend in public
education.
When this process is disrupted,
it aff ects everyone. It stunts aca-
demic and social growth and puts
additional burdens on families. It
forces us to accept less than the
best. It leaves everyone frustrated
and divides the community.
For the educators and staff in
our schools, that’s heartbreaking.
Our entire mission is the equi-
table education of Hermiston’s
youth, and to see so many losing
opportunity and growth has been
the most diffi cult part of the past
18 months.
It’s why we’re taking our
return to the classroom this fall
so seriously. It’s not ideal, but the
restrictions we’ll be working with
on the fi rst day of school are far
better than the virtual and hybrid
learning environments we’ve
been through.
The balance between local
and state control has gone back
and forth and is currently lean-
ing toward the Oregon Health
Authority (OHA) and Oregon
Department of Education (ODE).
Because we are still in a “state of
emergency” under the governor’s
executive order, the OHA has the
authority to set guidelines to pro-
tect public health.
Since children are required by
state law to attend school, and
COVID-19 is still prevalent in our
state and community, OHA will
require students, staff and anyone
else in school buildings during the
school day to wear mask or face
shield at school to reduce further
spread of the virus.
There are some exceptions:
masks can be removed while eat-
ing or drinking, playing a musi-
cal instrument, playing sports
where wearing a mask could cause
a hazard, or when a staff mem-
ber is alone in a private offi ce or
empty room.
As the situation changes, so
will this rule. It’s our goal and the
stated goal of the ODE for control
of these policies to return to local
districts, and we’re already plan-
ning for how we will implement
our own balance of safety, access,
and equity. To ensure the health
and safety of our students, staff ,
and their families, some level of
precaution will be in place.
We do still have local control
over voluntary, noneducational
programs, including sports, activ-
ities, and other extracurriculars
outside of the usual school day.
We also retain the ability to set our
own protocol for the district offi ce,
board meetings, and other non-re-
quired gatherings, where masks
CORRECTIONS
Printed on
recycled
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VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 31
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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
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will not be required but caution
will be urged.
Ultimately, our best way for-
ward is to signifi cantly reduce the
spread of COVID-19. We’re tired
of talking about it and tired of liv-
ing in it, but there are still many
people vulnerable to the virus —
including those 12-and-under stu-
dents in our district who cannot
yet receive the vaccine.
We are looking at the bright
side. We are returning to the class-
room in a few short weeks for
what we hope to be the fi rst com-
plete in-classroom school year
since 2018-19. We have a lot of
work to do, and we’re excited to
get to it.
———
Tricia Mooney is superinten-
dent of Hermiston School District.
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Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include
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Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be
published.
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