OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021
A4
OUR VIEW
Wyden town hall on River Democracy Act must provide answers
U.S. Sen Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, will host
an online town hall meeting Tuesday, Aug.
31, and if you get the chance, we urge you
to listen in.
The subject of the town hall will be the
River Democracy Act, a sweeping piece of
new legislation pushed by Wyden and Sen.
Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon.
The bill is designed to greatly expand
conservation protections to more than 4,000
miles of rivers and streams in Oregon, includ-
ing many waterways in the eastern part of
the state.
Wyden touts the legislation to expand
recreation access, protect drinking water,
limit wildfi re and safeguard endangered fi sh
and wildlife.
The spirit of the bill — to protect more
waterways — is a good one. Our natural
resources are a fi nite commodity and rep-
resent national treasures that enhance us as
a people and a nation.
Now, more than 2,000 river miles in the
state are protected under the National Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act.
As much merit as the proposed legislation
has, it still needs to be explained carefully to
voters. That it is why it is so important for
area voters to participate in the town hall.
While protecting rivers and streams is a
good idea, the fact is, there already are exist-
ing protections — such as the National Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act — on many waterways.
Other federal laws, such as the Endangered
Species Act, also help add a layer of protec-
tion to streams and rivers.
The danger in such pieces of legislation is
unintended consequences. That’s why Wyden
must explain how, or if, private property rights
will be impacted with the legislation. He also
must explain how, or if, grazing rights will
be aff ected by the legislation.
The streams and rivers of Eastern Oregon
are part of our heritage and must be safe-
guarded, but too often the region is seen as a
COLUMN
kind of giant, conservation amusement park
for a minority of people who have little or no
connection to our unique way of life.
The natural bounty of our region isn’t
something taken for granted for most of us
who live in Eastern Oregon. We see it every
day. No one wants to see our local natural
resource treasures destroyed.
But before we go and create yet another
layer of federal regulations to our region, let’s
make sure we are all on the same page and
working for the same results.
So, tune into the town hall and exer-
cise your right to give feedback to your
elected representative.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
National Dog Day: Time to party with the pack
W
hile John
Since adopting
ending up under John’s
and I
Biko at 6 months
chair or other out-of-
don’t have
old, we have been
reach places. Since Biko
children, we con-
hyper-vigilant
doesn’t have opposable
sider our pets as our
about watching
thumbs, he can’t just grab
canine kids. And this
him. At times, I’m it. And while he can’t just
time of year is spe-
sure he thought his verbally tell us where it
Tammy
cial in our house.
name was “What
is, he does make valiant
Malgesini
This past Thurs-
are you chew-
attempts to rescue it —
day was the anniver-
ing?” “Leave it” or providing us a cue regard-
sary of the General, my
“Knock it off .” However,
ing its whereabouts.
9-year-old German shep-
sometimes we fall asleep
However, sometime
herd, joining the Malge-
and puppies will play.
during the evening Biko
sini pack. To celebrate the
John had given him a
lost the ball and neither
occasion, we had top sir-
new toy that he purchased of us had noticed — until
loin. In a few days, we’ll
from D&B Supply in
midnight when John woke
have another special meal
Pendleton. It’s a cow with up after falling asleep in
to commemorate what
a removable squeaky ball
his recliner. After search-
would have been Lucifer’s in the udder area. Biko
ing under his chair and
12th birthday (John’s Ger- quickly fi gured out how
a couple of other places,
man shepherd, who we
to extract the ball and was Papa started to get a bit
lost this past winter).
happily playing with it all concerned. After remem-
And that’s not all —
afternoon.
bering that Biko had been
Thursday, Aug. 26, is
The only problem
playing with the ball in
National Dog Day. Rest
with the ball is it’s really
the upstairs hallway, I
assured, we’ll whoop it
bouncy — sometimes
found it lodged between
up in style. But the big
deal will be Sept. 7, when
Biko, my husband’s Ger-
man shepherd/Siberian
husky mix, turns 1.
Several weeks ago
we had a little scare with
Biko. As a young pup liv-
ing in his previous home,
the little guy ate some-
thing that caused a block-
age. He had to have it
Tammy Malgesini/Hermiston Herald
surgically removed,
Taking a pack selfi e is a bit complicated for Tammy Malgesini
along with part of his
with the General, 9, and Biko, 11 months.
intestinal tract.
a clothes hamper and our
bill box.
As a bizarre coinci-
dence, Biko ended up
feeling puny several hours
later. He kept bolting
upstairs where I had fallen
asleep on the daybed.
Initially, I slept through
his full-on, nose-to-the-
sky howling. However,
the little guy was quite
persistent. I’d like to think
Biko understands that I’m
Mommie Doolittle, who
takes care of little owies.
If we hadn’t found the
ball, I’m sure we would
have hauled Biko in for an
emergency appointment at
the veterinarian. Luckily,
he just had an upset stom-
ach and after I gave him
a Pepto-Bismol pill, he
started to feel better.
For those interested,
there are 13 more shop-
ping days left until Biko’s
birthday. He likes dura-
ble squeaky toys, rawhide
chews and top sirloin.
———
Tammy Malgesini, who
recently returned as a
Hermiston Herald com-
munity writer, enjoys
spending time with her
husband and two Ger-
man shepherds, as well as
entertaining herself with
random musings.
Compassion is more
useful than charity
I recently was given an
analogy in defense of Crit-
ical Race Theory. “Critical
Height Theory — tall peo-
ple have more privilege than
shorties.” My reply:
And Critical Weight The-
ory — Skinny People Priv-
ilege. It’s “You have some-
thing I don’t, and the world
owes it to me.” Not equal-
ity. Not systemic bias. It’s
self-pity despite insuffi cient
eff ort. It’s focusing on what
“they” have instead of my
own life. Anything is possi-
ble with enough eff ort. Equal
opportunity is not equal qual-
ity of life. Short people aren’t
“denied” food too high on a
shelf, they simply have an
obstacle to overcome. I can
toss items at what I want, use
a long object to prod, etc.,
until it comes to me. Even
the tall have to, sometimes.
Odds are someone will come
to assist anyway. Nobody has
a right to shorter shelves, just
a right to buy the food that
is there. Diffi culty is just a
handicap to work through.
Back to CRT, society has
already bent over backward
too far. Laws require busi-
nesses meet racist skin color
quotas, regardless of skill
or experience. It’s problem-
atic in many ways and has
created this situation. Doing
for others leaves them with
their handicap.
You have to combine com-
passion with tough love and
mentorship. Doing for people
is rarely compassion (far less
is joining in complaining).
Compassion grants others the
ability. Com- (together/with)
passion (eff ort, diffi culty) ...
literally, working together.
When nobody does the work,
there’s no compassion.
I hope this is getting
through.
Mark Elfering
Hermiston
Take responsibility for
COVID-19 actions
I really hate having to
mask up again. but I also
hated fl ak jackets when I was
in Vietnam. But I wore one,
and it saved my life. The
mask, although from several
accounts it isn’t considered
eff ective, apparently does
save lives. I got the vaccine,
no problem.
I was in Safeway, Herm-
iston, today. Straw count,
60% of the people unmasked.
If you’re going to mandate,
enforce it. If you don’t want
to mask up or get inoculated,
fi ne. I think that’s called sui-
cide; it’s your life.
The problem is, because
of your self-centered incon-
siderate actions, you will
infect others — and that,
my self-righteous friends, is
called murder.
John Carter
Irrigon
COLUMN
The education corner: Time for school supplies
I
t’s back-to-
school time.
After this last
year, our children
experienced many
futuristic forms of
back to school. Very
Scott
few were what we
would consider nor- Smith
mal with the pan-
demic happening around us. The
question is: What will school look
like this coming fall? For the most
part, something more traditional.
Some good and not-so-good strate-
gies happened over the past school
year. Now we’ll see which ones
remain and which ones do not.
One thing that won’t change for
sure and is so important to kids is
school supplies. The excitement
of what is to come, the organiz-
ing of new pencils, rulers, cray-
ons and scissors marks the begin-
ning of school. The anticipation for
that fi rst day of school and the days
ahead makes this an exciting time
of the year for children.
The beginning of the school
year is also an excellent learning
opportunity for kids with the plan-
ning and anticipation, evaluating
and adjusting they are, full of ques-
tions as they anticipate the coming
school year. It can be frustrating
for parents, however.
Use this time to expand your
children’s minds. Students after
fi rst grade should be able to create
their own supply lists. Ask them to
calculate what the cost would be
for you. You can also provide them
with an amount to spend (bud-
get) and create their shopping list.
Don’t limit it to just school sup-
plies. Clothing is an important part
as well. That simple activity pro-
vides your child with the opportu-
nity to use multiple life skills that
will provide a strong foundation
for not only the school year ahead
but lifelong understanding of shop-
ping and the opportunity to guide
them. It reinforces their writing
skills as they create their lists. It
forces them to use evaluative skills
as they decide which items would
be best. Having to stay within their
budget amount or even just letting
you know how much it will cost
forces the use of math skills.
Preschool, kindergarten and
fi rst grade students have not had
exposure to school supply prepa-
ration, but they are aware of it and
get excited. Time and conversation
with them are pivotal in the build-
ing of their understanding and for
developing life skills. They are also
able to start making some guided
choices. Giving them the options
between which pencils they would
like to buy and telling you why
they made their choice builds
their understanding of language at
their level. Ask questions such as,
“What do you think you will be
using these scissors for at school?”
We live in a busy world, and
there are times as adults and par-
ents that our “to-do” list is so long
it seems easier to go get school
supplies bought and ready for kids.
If this happens, there are still ways
to build that experience with your
child. Have them check and see
if what you bought matches the
list from the school. You can have
the kids add up what you spent
by using the receipt and locating
the price. They can check to make
sure everything you bought is there
(pull something out and leave it
in the car and have them fi nd it).
These are life problem-solving
skills your children will always
CORRECTIONS
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 33
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673
Erick Peterson | Editor/Senior Reporter • epeterson@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4536
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • community@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4532
Andy Nicolais | Page Designer • anicolais@eomediagroup.com
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use, and the activity makes for sig-
nifi cant interaction with them. It
may even keep them busy and give
you a chance to catch up on other
items.
Setting a couple of hours aside
to take your children school shop-
ping is one of the biggest keys
to making this activity a success.
Having them create their list before
going will provide discussion
points and boundaries that should
make for an enjoyable experience.
As busy parents, we want the job
done, but don’t miss an opportu-
nity for you and your child that
they may carry on when their chil-
dren are headed to school.
———
Scott Smith is a 40-plus year
Umatilla County educator and
serves on the Decoding Dys-
lexia Oregon board as its parent/
teacher liaison.
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.
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obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a
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Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at
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