A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2022
OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2022
A4
OUR VIEW
Programs prepare young people, give them voice
n the last Hermiston City Council meeting,
the city of Hermiston welcomed young peo-
ple to sit next to its councilors. This is just one
example of programs that encourage teens to step
into the world of adults and become more involved
in matters that aff ect them.
At the council meeting, one young adviser, Eliz-
abeth Doherty, took the city up on its invitation.
Having gotten involved in a program created by
Hermiston High School and the city of Hermis-
ton, Doherty joined the council as a youth adviser,
a non-voting role. There, she obtained a front-row
seat on discussions of property, energy, future plan-
ning and more. At points, the council sought her
opinion, and she gave it.
The same program that invited Doherty to the
council also encouraged other young advisers to
attend committee meetings.
At all of these meetings, the youth advisers are
getting involved with Hermiston. They are bene-
fi ting from hearing from people, government offi -
I
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Youth adviser Elizabeth Doherty, far right, attends the
Hermiston City Council meeting March 29, 2022. This was the
fi rst council meeting to have a youth adviser.
cials and regular citizens alike, and they are gain-
ing valuable experience.
Also, they are weighing in on important issues.
This makes sense. As the city is making decisions
on matters that aff ect future generations, younger
people should be heard in those matters.
Programs that ease young people into the world
of adults are not limited to this recent high school/
city partnership, though. The recent Spring Wel-
come conferences at Hermiston High School
showed us more ways young people are maturing.
Some of these eff orts are taking place through
technology. Virtual reality equipment at the school
teach skills that kids might not be ready for imme-
diately. By practicing on simulators, they learn
the basics of heavy machinery and welding, get-
ting a jump start on the real thing. In addition, CPR
dummies allow young people to practice medical
techniques.
The students are learning grown-up skills, and
they are further developing those skills with train-
ing and apprenticeships.
This is exciting news, and we hope that this
sort of work continues. We would like to see more
opportunities for young people to prepare them-
selves for future work and responsibilities.
COLUMN
It’s about time to recharge through travel
MCKENZIE
ROSE
LIFE’S UPSIDES
ith COVID-19 on the
decline and precaution-
ary restrictions letting
up, it’s time we all start enjoying
the things we’ve been deprived of
for over two years.
Specifi cally, let’s talk about
travel.
For two weeks, my family was
fortunate enough to travel to Italy —
and it was so rejuvenating to have
a change of scenery. We spent four
days in Rome, six in the Tuscany
region and the last two in Venice.
W
I’ll give you some of the
highlights.
Our fi rst tour was of the Colos-
seum, Palatine Hill and the Forum.
You may know gladiators fought
animals and each other in the Col-
osseum, but did you know water
battles occurred as well? The arena
fl oor would be fl ooded and warships
brought in. We actually visited this
area on March 14 — one day before
the Ides of March and the anniver-
sary of Caesar’s death. People were
already placing fl owers and money
in memoriam of where his body was
cremated in the Forum.
Pompeii was another amazing
tour, and we learned much more
than any history book could off er.
For instance, the gas cloud that
rolled into nearby Herculaneum was
so hot (over 900 degrees) that food
was carbonized and partially pre-
served. There was literally a char-
coal-colored bread loaf on display.
We also saw the earliest design
of crosswalks, large stones people
would hop across to reach the other
side. The stones were spaced close
enough so chariots could maneuver,
and groves made by chariot traffi c
were still visible.
Located inside the Vatican City,
St. Peter’s Basilica is the most out-
standing church you will ever see.
It has domed ceilings nearly fi ve
stories high, stone carvings and oil
paintings adorning every wall and so
many other decorations that words
can’t do justice.
For those who want to sneak
away from touristy areas, check out
the small villages. Such towns in
Tuscany are so untouched by mod-
ernism — bumpy cobblestone
streets, winding and narrow alley-
ways, colorful and unique buildings
with shutters — the list could con-
tinue forever.
We also discovered Italians have
a knack for repurposing ancient cre-
ations; in Lari, the underground sys-
tems of tunnels that served as dun-
geons are now cellars for wine and
aging meats and cheeses.
Venice is a picturesque wonder-
land. Though surrounded by water,
you don’t suff er the fi shy smell of
the ocean, but rather the refresh-
ing sea salt. All the bridges span-
ning across canals with lively plants
along building balconies were
breathtaking. If you’re looking for
COLUMN
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The cost of poor leadership and hypocrisy
ALEX
COOPER
ONIONS AND
POTATOES
e seem to require
reminders
for
truths most directly
in our line of sight. Among
these truths is that leader-
ship exists only where behav-
ior is modeled. This real-
ity is observable in families,
schools and the workplace. To
lead means to get out in front,
often at personal cost or risk,
employing action that aligns
with words.
When actions do not
match words, we have
hypocrisy, which weak-
ens a message. Moreover,
hypocrisy then induces
audiences to dismiss mes-
sages wholesale, next, to
seek alternatives and often,
to oppose the message (and
often, the messenger). The
impact of this powerful
undercurrent, this appar-
ent “repulsion from hypoc-
risy,” could benefit from
formal research. The impli-
W
cations of such research
would be of practical util-
ity, given the apparent costs
to date of such “repulsion”
on real world issues such
as COVID-19 and climate
change.
With COVID-19, exam-
ples of hypocrisy have
been countless and bla-
tant. Among these we have
seen politicians standing
shoulder-to-shoulder while
preaching social distance,
and health “leaders’” puz-
zling personal approach to
masking. These and related
behaviors clearly have
undermined the force of
messages put forth.
Perhaps more impactful
still has been the resulting
disorientation, one leav-
ing people alone to bridge
“leaders’” words and con-
tradicting actions.
Hypocrisy here left a
vacuum for galvanization of
opposition, justified or not,
to pandemic-related man-
dates and recommendations.
As with COVID-19, while
some are able to internally
reconcile conflicting ideas,
in many others, a strong
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VOLUME 115 • NUMBER 14
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@hermistonherald.com • 541-278-2673
Erick Peterson | Editor • epeterson@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4536
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Audra Workman | Offi ce Manager • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • community@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4532
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a romantic location, this is a sure
winner.
Now, I can’t leave out the food.
Everything was incredibly fl avor-
ful and fresh — not only pizza and
pasta, but paninis, grilled vegeta-
bles, soups, pastries, meats, gelato
and more. Even the pickiest of eaters
won’t leave hungry.
Upon returning from Italy, we
found ourselves more refreshed,
positive and energetic. Traveling is
such an amazing way to add vari-
ety and excitement to your life. The
sights, facts, food and memories will
stay with you forever, so I encour-
age you all to go out and experience
the world.
———
McKenzie Rose is a high school
student and a resident of Echo.
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 ©2022
need for coherence stokes
suspicion and resistance.
The issue of climate
change is another in which
hypocrisy has not only muf-
fled calls to action, but to
some degree, spurred active
opposition to a message.
Private jets, big cars,
consumption of animal
products,
purchase
of
countless goods produced
with coal energy, popula-
tion questions, etc., these
are all areas in which pur-
ported global, national,
and local climate “lead-
ers” have seldom been
coherent.
Arguments over feasibil-
ity and practicalities aside,
the head-spinning image of
globe-trotting rich country
climate bureaucrats, as well
as the hypocrisy of many
local voices, have soured
an audience from heeding
prescriptions from these
“leaders.”
Further, such hypocrisy
has repulsed people from
the conversation entirely,
reducing opportunities for
common ground and future
actions to be taken.
Thanks to Hermiston
On the most local of
levels, because few of us
have large audiences, con-
ceivable costs of any of
our personal hypocrisies
would seem less than those
of well-known figures. But
given the observers all of
us have, we are all called
to be leaders, whether or
not we wish to be. We can
accurately embody the title
of leader by stepping for-
ward in areas in which oth-
ers may be holding back,
including when doing so
requires sacrifice. At the
same time, we must know
that any misalignment
between our words and
deeds will carry a cost, one
greater than we might envi-
sion. Others are watching
for our next move.
———
Alex Cooper, a Umatilla
resident, is employed by the
InterMountain Education
Service District, translating
documents and working
for the Migrant Education
Program. He encourages
student voice at Umatilla
High School through its
newspaper, Viking Power!
CORRECTIONS
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as
they are discovered. Incorrect information will be corrected on Page
A2. Errors committed 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
541-278-2673 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
Last Monday, March 28, I fi lled out a form at
city hall in Hermiston, requesting repairs on some
potholes in my neighborhood. They asked me to
suggest a possible solution and I said maybe fi ll
them in with gravel.
On Tuesday, a street department crew came by
and prepared the off ending craters for paving.
On Wednesday, they came by and paved them
over.
Thank you so, so much.
Renee Lovejoy
Hermiston
Be nice to the person behind the counter
I know we’ve all had enough of COVID, lack
of supplies and rising prices. But I am concerned
about what I hear from our checkout people at
every store I go to, saying they can’t believe how
rude and angry people are getting.
Some have even retired early because they have
had enough — and you wonder why there aren’t
more aisles open for checking out?
Granted, there are a lot of people sitting at home
and letting us pay for their living, but it is not
the people who serve us who have raised prices,
slowed the supply chain or made us wait a little
longer to get our errands done.
Let’s start being much nicer to the person
behind the counter who is just trying to make a
living and doing their job — let’s make their day
by being nice. Because if it was you behind that
counter instead, how would you feel?
Judi Richter
Elgin
length and for content. 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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