OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2021
A4
OUR VIEW
Kudos to Hermiston for planning ahead with open house
P
lanning for the future is always a
good idea and the eff ort by Herm-
iston city offi cials to craft a via-
ble way forward through the 2040 survey
makes sense.
An open house earlier this month at
the Grace Baptist Church allowed city
elected and appointed leaders the oppor-
tunity to answer questions and gather
input from the public. City leaders know
through the 2040 survey that area resi-
dents want key pieces of infrastructure —
PETERSON’S POINTS
such as an indoor pool and aquatic center
and more stores — to be part of the city’s
future.
Those are admirable goals and city
leaders should use a laser focus to ensure
both can happen.
For now, the best part of the plan is the
willingness of city leaders to involve the
public.
For many that may seem like a
no-brainer but often across the nation
elected and appointed leaders will crash
I
t seems increasingly common for people
to favor Thanksgiving, it seems. At least,
I think I hear it more and more. Friends
and family are just part of this new trend.
Also, I hear it on television, in print and in
social media posts. I, however, expect to
always enjoy Christmas more than any other
holiday, and in part it is because of Santa
Claus.
Santa is a symbol that I admire — a char-
acter of joy and generosity. He is above ugli-
ness and does not discriminate, except when
distinguishing from people
who are naughty and those
who are nice. Santa is moral.
Given my fondness for the
jolly old elf, I was saddened
by a phone call I received
recently. John Perkins, of
Umatilla, a man I had never
Erick
met before, called me to say
Peterson
he was probably making his
last appearance as Santa. After years of play-
ing the character, he was scheduling a perfor-
mance at perhaps the highest profi le event in
the area — the Hermiston tree lighting.
And, he said, he has stage four pancreatic
cancer.
John followed up the phone call by vis-
iting my offi ce later in the week. He said he
wanted to tell his story as he was facing a
major challenge. The story I wrote about him
is on the front page of last week’s paper.
My feelings about John are colored by
my impressions of Santa, no doubt. They
are also likely infl uenced by my thoughts of
my mom, the most giving person I have ever
met, a person who, through poverty, always
managed to make Christmas bountiful. Still,
when I met John, I had a good impression of
him, and I think it was because of the man
himself, apart from my thoughts of others.
When we fi rst met, he had just returned
from his fi rst chemotherapy session. He
seemed surprisingly strong. And he talked of
strength. He told me of the ups and downs of
his life, his diffi cult childhood, the death of
his mother, his military service, his marriage,
his time as mayor and more.
He spoke of his cancer diagnosis and his
feelings about it. He wanted, he said, to tell
people that they should not fear treatment.
He also said that people should not be afraid
to cry. He cried, and he did not feel lesser
because of it.
Over the course of an hour, in my offi ce,
John shared his life story with me, and I did
my best to share it with readers. I hope I did
well by him, while also trying to maintain
some amount of professionalism and journal-
istic integrity. I have to admit though, in the
spirit of full disclosure, I almost cried while
both speaking with John and later seeing him
as Santa.
Now, after having gotten to know John,
Christmas remains my favorite holiday and
Santa is still a large reason for that. In fact,
my feelings have grown even deeper. John is
Santa, and Santa is real.
———
Erick Peterson is the editor and senior
reporter of the Hermiston Herald.
Pearl Harbor is emphatically not forgotten
T
uesday, Dec. 7, 2021, marked 80
years since the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor. It is hard to imagine a
more fateful event in 20th century history.
As the last veterans of World War II
pass on, there is no time like the present
to revisit the day that “will live in infamy”
and assess some of its impact.
The most immediate result of the Pearl
Harbor attack proved to be the U.S. entry
into World War II. President Frank-
lin D. Roosevelt declared war on
Japan the next day, Dec. 8, 1941.
Meanwhile, Nazi Germany had
nearly conquered all of Europe,
leaving Great Britain holding out
alone.
Despite the obvious danger a
Brigit
Nazi-dominated Europe posed to the Farley
U.S., Roosevelt had no pretext for
intervening in the European confl ict. But
perhaps believing the U.S. would not easily
recover from the attack, Adolf Hitler forced
the issue by declaring war on the U.S. four
days after Pearl Harbor, on Dec 11.
Eighty years later, the question remains:
Would the isolationist U.S. of 1941 have
entered the European confl ict without Hit-
ler’s decision for war? As U.S. intervention
proved crucial to the defeat of Nazism, the
what-ifs loom large. The world was fortu-
nate that Hitler ignored history.
Provoking U.S. intervention in World
War I was fatal to Imperial Germany in
1917-18. Awakening the sleeping giant in
1941 would help destroy Nazi Germany as
well.
Pearl Harbor meant big trouble for Jap-
anese-Americans living along the West
Coast. The attack immediately cast suspi-
cion on that community as a potential fi fth
column-spies for Japan. Roosevelt eventu-
ally responded by issuing Executive Order
9066, mandating the “relocation” of citi-
zens deemed a security risk.
In part, this was born of panic and fear,
but there also emerged an element of greed
and self-interest, as some Americans cov-
eted the lucrative businesses and farms
their Japanese-American neighbors had
to leave behind after being “relocated’ to
internment camps. There was racism in the
mix.
The U.S warred with Nazi Germany
and Fascist Italy as well as Japan
in 1942, yet very few Americans
of Italian or German descent faced
indefi nite confi nement, or became
targets of appearance-based abuse.
Japanese-Americans endured both.
In spite of this, thousands of young
Japanese-Americans demonstrated
loyalty to their country by volunteer-
ing for the armed forces from their
internment camps.
Army personnel warned they would
fi ght in Italy, the scene of some of the war’s
fi ercest combat, but the volunteers were
undeterred. The all Japanese-American
442nd Regimental Combat Team became
the most decorated unit in American history
for their size and length of service. Twen-
ty-one Medal of Honor winners came from
their ranks.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was the
beginning of the end of a long run of Japa-
nese conquest. Japan began to modernize in
the mid-19th century and looked to Great
Britain as an example of a successful island
nation. Impressed by the British empire,
Japanese leaders decided the key to great-
ness lay in expansion, to control raw mate-
rials and command respect.
Japan’s rise began when it pegged Rus-
sia as a rival for infl uence in the Far East
and launched what became the Russo-Jap-
anese war. The Japanese handily won that
confl ict, shocking the world as the fi rst
nonwhite nation to best a great power. After
that victory in 1905, Japan acquired Chi-
na’s Shandong Peninsula and the Mariana,
Marshall and Carolina islands in the World
War I settlement.
In 1931, Japan colonized Manchu-
ria, then invaded and terrorized east-cen-
tral China in 1937. By 1941, Japan con-
trolled much of the Pacifi c, as its allies
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy dominated
Europe. When Japanese leaders decided to
try to cripple their principal Pacifi c rival,
the U.S., they were dizzy with success.
But the bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor
sealed Imperial Japan’s doom. Once the
U.S. joined the fi ght, Japan’s bitter, brutal
defense of its Pacifi c conquests ultimately
subjected its civilians to the apocalyptic
horror of the atom bomb.
From his Pendleton offi ce, East Orego-
nian editor E.B. Aldrich saw a silver lin-
ing in the storm clouds over Oahu. Aldrich
editorialized that the U.S. should take an
active role in defending the World War
I peace settlement. No one else had the
means to do so in 1919.
When the country opted for isolation
instead, Aldrich repeatedly warned of a sec-
ond world war. After Pearl Harbor, Aldrich
predicted victory for the democratic nations
and expressed the hope that this time, the
U.S. would help craft and defend a last-
ing peace. This it achieved in the creation
of the Marshall Plan, NATO and the World
Bank.
After the Japanese attack, Americans
would urge each other: Remember Pearl
Harbor! Even 80 years on, Pearl Harbor is
emphatically not forgotten.
———
Brigit Farley is a Washington State
University professor, student of history,
adventurer and Irish heritage girl living in
Pendleton.
Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, but a series of errors
by typists and translators prevented the Jap-
anese embassy from giving Washington the
declaration of war in time.”
Will we, as a people continue, to malign
the very knowledgeable, educated and expe-
rienced professionals in our ability to be
scandalously vile because the written word
through the internet does not expose us? Will
we miscommunicate information that could
potentially destroy someone or something?
Remembering Pearl Harbor as a memo-
rial to those who gave their all to stop extreme
nationalistic ideologies, like total totalitari-
anism, authoritarianism and fascism is admi-
rable, but to focus on how we got there and
understand the price that was paid will be the
only way to save what we hold dear, know-
ing that the speed of this “misinformation
and miscommunication” is far more potent
than 1941 and will inevitably catch us com-
pletely unaware and unprepared.
Kate Dimon
Pendleton
gleaming with a glittery copper bow and
holiday ornaments, had been decorated and
now gifted from my PEO Chapter mem-
bers to Valori Martin, the business owner.
PEO chapters provide woman-to-woman
educational outreach and holiday commu-
nity needs gifting, and this was an opportu-
nity to show a Pendleton businesswoman
we appreciate her.
Valori’s husband and co-business partner
had recently passed away, and we wanted
her to know how we value her and her busi-
ness. As I spoke with Valori she expressed
how touched she has been with the outpour-
ing of love and support during this grieving
time. She and Ron have played such a car-
ing role to many. And carry on Valori is, by
continuing as the owner of her business, and
assisting Eastern Oregon communities with
specialized funeral planning.
Valori understands her business and is
proud to provide services with a respectful
personal touch.
Yes, she feels blessed to have the out-
pouring of kindness from many. And, yes,
we citizens of Pendleton and surrounding
areas are blessed to have the services of Pio-
neer Chapel and its owner, Valori Martin.
Barbara Hodgen Palmer
Pendleton
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Remembering the why of
Pearl Harbor
We have in my mind, come to a serious
crossroads. Disinformation is not new, but
as a virus spreading far faster than it did in
1941. We remember Pearl Harbor, those of
us who were forever aff ected by its intro-
duction into a global war, waged physically
in Europe and the islands, but waged in the
hardships and heartbreak in the U.S.
We now wage a new war of massive dis-
information on every phone, laptop, and
desktop giving voice to the most destructive
battle we have ever seen. For those of us who
remember telegrams, or waiting for a phone
line, perhaps ringing someone continuously
because there was no “answering machine,”
this new technology will either destroy us or
make us more aware of its benefi ts and its
potential for abolition of the human connec-
tion. You pick.
Pearl Harbor was a miscalculation of
communications that had life-altering
results, for my family, a grandfather I never
knew, gone in an instant. A single paragraph
only touches on the massive calamity that
led to the shock of that day:
“Japan had planned to declare war shortly
before its planes bombed the U.S. fl eet at
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 49
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673
Erick Peterson | Editor • epeterson@eomediagroup.com • 541-564-4536
Audra Workman | Offi ce Manager • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Angel Aguilar | Multi-Media Consultant • aaguilar@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4531
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • community@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4532
Andy Nicolais | Page Designer • anicolais@eomediagroup.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.
open house events are important because
they gather buy-in from the public before
moving too far down the road on an
ambitious plan.
It may seem easier to just develop a
future blueprint and then move toward its
execution but, in the end, public involve-
ment is a critical piece to any such plan.
We sincerely hope the goals outlined
in the 2040 survey are attainable and we
tip our hat to city leaders for taking the
time to get the public involved.
PAST AND PROLOGUE
John Perkins
is the real
Santa Claus
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ahead with infrastructure projects without
involving the voters. That’s always a bad
idea. Elected and appointed leaders —
whether they choose to recognize it or not
— work for the people, or the voters.
That means any idea regarding a
potential expenditure of public funds
must involve input from voters.
The open house session earlier this
month regarding the 2040 survey was an
excellent idea by city leaders and a way
to allow residents to ask questions. Such
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 ©2021
Off ering appreciation during
diffi cult time
I carried the wreath to the door of Pio-
neer Chapel Funeral Home. This wreath,
CORRECTIONS
length and for content.
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.
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.
Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com
or call 541-278-2673 with issues about this policy or to report
errors.
OBITUARY POLICY
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries; death
notices and information about services are published at no
charge. Obituaries can include small photos and, for veter-
ans, a fl ag symbol at no charge.
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
Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at herm-
istonherald.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@ hermis-
tonherald.com, 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 800-522-0255.