Positive achievements

To the Editor:

I am continually dismayed by the geopolitical ignorance displayed by some contributors to the letters column in The Observer and by many politicians.

Hopefully a brief discussion of the elements of national power will clarify the danger to our country resulting from such ignorance.

Although academicians differ slightly, I’ll use the elements included in the USAF Air War College curriculum: political, economic, military, psycho-social and scientific-technological.

Obviously the U.S. has an edge in the economic, military and technological areas. Unfortunately all five elements play a role in the successful implementation of foreign policy.

Currently our political element is frayed by the extreme partisanship of both parties, but is weakened most by Democrats who put their party ahead of their country. But even more damaging is the behavior of many of our citizens, an important part of the psycho-social element. They dwell on the negative rather than celebrate the good things that are happening in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The positive achievements are many, including respect for women’s rights, schools built, new and better hospitals, no rape rooms, successful elections in both countries, new constitutions, expanding police and military forces protecting their citizens, and another election scheduled in Iraq next month.

We lost the Vietnam War because our citizens refused to finish the job. This is not lost on our current enemies who believe that Americans are soft, decadent, short-sighted, won’t accept combat losses and will quit when faced with adversity.

A surrender negates the sacrifices already endured by our brave armed forces and their families. They put service above self for a better world. Can’t we at least try to do the same?

Gerald J. Perren

Enterprise

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Lack of leadership

To the Editor:

As an EOU alumnus and member of the EOU Athletic Hall of Fame, I am writing to express extreme frustration with the firing of Coach Jim Fenwick. Coach Fenwick has brought national recognition to EOU through back-to- back winning seasons. It takes enormous effort and dedication to develop an effective team of student athletes that can compete at a national level.

When Coach Fenwick should be recognized for his professional accomplishments at EOU and appreciated for his character, he finds himself the target of Athletic Director Rob Cashell’s inability to effectively problem solve. I would challenge AD Cashell to find another solution in addressing his concerns with Coach Fenwick. If AD Cashell cannot handle this matter without firing Coach Fenwick then I believe it is time for a change at the AD position.

I would ask the president of EOU and his administrative staff to reinstate Coach Fenwick, and provide leadership and management training to AD Cashell.

I recently attended EOU’s homecoming and brought two top Oregon high school recruits to campus. These young men were very impressed with Coach Fenwick and his respect for his players.

I cannot, in good faith, encourage these prospects to attend EOU should this lack of leadership by AD Cashell be condoned by the EOU administration.

I have received numerous calls from EOU alumni expressing frustration and disagreement with this decision, and all have made statements about retracting their support of EOU.

Robert Warsaw (EOU 1980)

Bend

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Change of mind

To the Editor:

It seems that the Union County District Attorney brings disrepute upon the office, if what we read about him and his actions in the court are true and I suppose them to be true.

When Mr. Birnbaum and another attorney were seeking the office, I considered Mr. Birnbaum the better choice of the two candidates and I still do, and I also recommended him to others who asked my opinion. To those who asked I sincerely apologize for my recommendation of this … gentleman.

Roy Hills

Island City

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A coach, team to be proud of

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the La Grande High School football team and coaches for a highly successful season.

Young people need a variety of positive experiences as they cope with the "struggle for significance." These experiences can be in music, drama, art, journalism or athletics. All need to be encouraged academically.

Coach Lovitt and his staff have nurtured sportsmanship, teamwork and the thrill of positive competition as well as the importance of scholarship.

For me the defining moment when I knew that La Grande had a special coach came at mid-season when Coach Lovitt chose to have the team not score near the end of the first half of a game that La Grande was winning easily. Then he played his young players the entire second half.

The opposing team scored twice and went home feeling good about their performance. La Grande’s young players played well, and had reason to believe that they were important to the team.

It was then that I knew that we had a coach who understood the true value of athletics.

Lorence "Doc" Savage

La Grande

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Recognize ranchers’ rights

To the Editor:

The balanced, well-researched article "Taking another look at Wolves in Oregon” sure brought the extremists out to verbally abuse ranchers, beef eaters and the author. I’m always a bit shocked by the anger these people demonstrate at those who disagree with them, their "shoot the messenger” mentality.

People who studied the Oregon wolf plan, laws and rules, those affected by its implementation, find nothing "remarkable” about Oregon Cattlemen’s Association lobbying against agency legislation to accommodate introduction of wolves absent any meaningful way for ranchers to protect their livestock. It offered a pittance of compensation for provable livestock losses suffered from wolves. It allowed hunters’ dollars to be spent on wolf enhancement and protection, taking dollars from projects that increase hunting opportunities.

Wolf advocates and ODFW have both used misstatements of fact to promote their plan, but we know what it says and OCA will not support it until the commission recognizes our individual, constitutional rights to protect our property and makes a strong commitment to controlling wolves and other large predators. Wolves are not sacred, neither are cattle but, by God, our rights are!

Mr. Medberry dares to speak of balance, inflammatory and uninformed statements and then accuses cattle of sickening and killing people by spreading Cryptosporidium. Google cryptosporidium and you can read the same articles that Mr. Medberry did sans his creative editing.

Ditto Neosporosis Caninum if you’re curious why cattlemen are alarmed. Canines are the definitive host. Twenty percent of all pregnant cows could abort due to Neospora infection. That is an unacceptable risk to Oregon’s $500,000,000 cattle industry.

Discussing wolves as disease vectors isn’t an "attempt to instill fear,” as suggested. For that purpose the author could have mentioned the man who was attacked, killed and partially eaten by a pack of wolves last week in Canada.

Winston Churchill said, "The farther we look into the past, the farther we can see into the future.”

Sharon Beck

Co-chair, Wolf Task Force

Oregon Cattlemen’s Association

Alicel

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Question EOU’s priorities

To the Editor:

I am writing in disbelief at the events that have recently taken place in the EOU Athletic Department. After reading about the unjustified firing of Mountaineer football coach Jim Fenwick, I felt obligated to point out a seemingly unnoticed fact about EOU athletics: in the past, they haven’t been very successful.

I can remember my first year at Eastern in 2002 when the Mountaineer football team managed just one win. It was hard to watch, and I really felt bad for the players. Fenwick changed all that. He led them to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in eight years. He turned them into winners. His reward? Fired.

Now let me tell you about another athletic program at Eastern, the Mountaineer baseball team. Coach Wes McAllaster has yet to record a winning season in his tenure at EOU, and he led his team to a dismal record of 10-35 last year. I know because I played.

Has Coach McAllaster been fired? No. Has Athletic Director Rob Cashell ever asked McAllaster’s players how they feel about their coach? No. And what does the future hold for McAllaster? He is retiring at the end of this season, on his own terms.

My question is: where do the department’s priorities lie? Cashell has made personal conflicts more important than successful programs. Success is not all about winning either; it’s also about respect. Do you want to know why Fenwick is a great coach? Because his players love and respect him. They would do anything for him.

Fenwick should apply for the baseball coaching position next year. That is, of course, if the athletic department can put up with a winning record.

Landon Johnston

Mountain Home, Idaho

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Vaccine act goes too far

To the Editor:

Senate Bill 1873 was introduced Oct. 17 by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. It’s known as the Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Act of 2005.

It was approved a day later by committee voice-vote.

It establishes a secret government agency that would be exempt from any oversight, even the Department of Homeland Security. It would be the only federal agency exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.

If passed, everyone would be forced to be vaccinated. You could not refuse for any reason. It could be arbitrarily implemented without notice and without accountability by anyone. Its companion bill in The House of Representatives is HR3970.

It would deny your right to know what you were being injected with. No one could sue for damages if injured by the vaccine. This bill would apply to all types and reason for vaccinations. It would mean the end to all of your health freedoms.

This bill is being pushed to control a pandemic of the bird flue among humans.

Such a thing does not exist. There is no sign that it will happen in the near future, or at all.

There is no vaccine developed for it. The vaccine they intend to use in the immediate future is completely experimental. Not one has been tested for the bird flu.

James Jenks

Elgin

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Proud of Tiger football team

To the Editor:

We would like to express our appreciation to the La Grande High School Tiger football team.

Although they didn’t make it to the state finals, they made it to a place in the game of life that makes us proud to be parents. We are so proud of all the La Grande Tiger football team.

To all of the young men who gave it their best, congratulations on a season that was fought hard, with determination, spirit and heart. Each and every member of the Tiger team should be proud to call themselves a La Grande Tiger football player. Thank you for the pride!

Rick and Tina Bowen

La Grande

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U.S. inspires fear, hatred

To the Editor:

At the D-Day Museum in New Orleans there is an exhibit featuring a captured German soldier stationed on the Atlantic coast of France. He reports that he was there to protect the democratic freedoms of the French people. His sincerity is obvious. We understand the propaganda that produced this belief. Germany always boasted of the highest ideals.

The most serious problems facing the world are hunger and disease. More than 30,000 children die every day from mostly preventable causes. Instead of working with the U.N. to eradicate these problems the Bush administration sent John Bolton to create havoc. We have given notice to follow the U.S. campaign of violence and abandon people in need.

The war on terrorism is a creation of the Bush administration and corporate elites who have declared open war against the world. They justify the use of violence to enrich themselves by controlling the resources, economies and territories of any country too weak to resist. This is state terror. The world sees what we are doing. Our own elites prefer we remain blind.

The U.S. would not be in Iraq without Haliburton, Bechtel, Exxon-Mobil and other multinationals. They are the means of transferring and controlling wealth.

Bush’s pre-emptive doctrine isn’t new. Germany and Japan declared the same right in WW II and used it in their defense at Nuremberg. It was rejected. The doctrine establishes the rule of violence over the rule of law. U.S. leaders continue to insist they’re above any law.

We, like other people in the world, can be decent, honorable and creative. U.S. violence is inspiring fear, hatred and disgust across the world. We are going to pay for this. We need to leave Iraq now. We will be much safer and the world would breathe a sigh of relief.

Ron Brand

Elgin

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Reasons to be independent

To the Editor:

Deja vu: "I did not have sex with that woman."

"We do not torture our war enemies."

Is it any wonder that I along with many others am an independent voter?

Ila Kruckman

Lostine

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Incompetent administration

To the Editor:

Now that blood is in the water, I almost hesitate to continue denigrating the most incompetent administration this country has ever known. However, I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to list just a few of the accomplishments our president should be credited for:

l. Torture. In my 65 years, torture has never been an issue, since we have generally adhered to the Geneva Convention.

2. Following the greatest period of prosperity this country has ever known under Clinton, we now face the greatest national debt since WWII, while reducing taxes for the wealthy.

3. Our country now faces the lowest level of world opinion in our history.

4. Appointments such as "Brownie," the famous FEMA non-starter in the Katrina disaster, and "Condi," who recommended that we invade Iraq,have served to sky-rocket this administration’s record of poor judgment to an infinite level.

5. Alienation of exceptionally competent people such as Colin Powell, the greatest military and diplomatic individual of our time.

6. Reducing the oil production of Iraq to almost nil, while awarding multi-million dollar contracts to Haliburton and Bechtel without competition and without results, thanks to Mr. Cheney.

7. Demonstration to the world that the most advanced armored vehicles in our arsenals are vulnerable to guerillas with homemade bombs.

8. The loss of over 2,000 of the heroic men and women of our armed services.

At the risk of sounding like a sore winner ala Newt I just want to thank God that the polls indicate that our country has finally recognized the abysmal failure and ultimate implosion as I predicted over four years ago of the Bush administration.

Bob Casey

Enterprise

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Road map to nowhere

To the Editor:

"Taking another Look at Wolves in Oregon" gave perspective about a tangled issue. Mike Medberry complained (Observer, Nov. 23) the article was meant to produce fear of wolves in people. He seemed to favor having the facts covered over with emotional pleas. Some wolves will be a menace, and failure to address the management activities for problem predation is reason enough for the livestock industry to seek a better solution.

A "plan" is a road map, and the wolf plan creates only losers, including the wolf, which makes it a road map to nowhere. The wolf plan was intended to provide tools to lessen the economic burden that the livestock industry will endure. The "right thing to do" is to provide protection for the financial investments made by livestock producers and to allow the protection of property to the fullest extent possible.

Medberry’s perceptions about the livestock industry are skewed. He accused livestock of being the largest sources of non-point source pollution. His "belief" conflicts with facts, because dogs, cats, horses, goats, wolves, elk, deer and even people are sources for water pollution, and no study has verified that livestock are the largest contributors. The livestock industry has volumes of facts, practical experimentation and decades of structured science, which form the foundation of the grazing systems used today. Livestock grazing on public lands has been studied and shown to sustain native grasslands while protecting fish and wildlife habitat.

The facts are what they are on private and public lands where native plants thrive and clean water flows. Eighty percent of the wildlife habitat in Oregon is located on private land, and it is the quality and quantity that keeps Oregon rich in natural resources.

Pat Larson

La Grande

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Healthy forests more inclusive of fire, insects

To the Editor:

The Nov. 18 Observer editorial in support of the Walden logging bill failed to display an understanding of forest ecology.

Fire is a necessary part of natural processes of our forests. Viewing fire events as damaging forests is a far too narrow view of a complex process. A forest that has fire excluded is not a healthy forest, and the same is true with insects and disease exclusion.

Dead trees are a valuable part of the forest ecosystem. In fact, many scientists have remarked that dead trees have the same or more value than live trees for wildlife, soils and long term sustainability. The whole ecosystem needs to be considered, not just our immediate material needs.

Dr. Jerry Franklin has been engaged in studies of forest ecosystems for more than 45 years. According to Dr. Franklin, salvage logging cannot be justified on the basis that it contributes to the recovery of forest ecosystems following catastrophic disturbances. There is essentially no scientific support for the view that salvage logging can contribute to ecological recovery. However there is abundant scientific evidence that salvage logging can have diverse and significantly negative impacts on ecological recovery.

Walden’s proposal to make the National Environmental Policy Act optional for some projects is undemocratic and irresponsible and will not foster sustainable forestry or sustainable communities

The term "catastrophic event" in Walden’s bill is so broad that it refers to any natural process including windstorm, snow or ice storm, rain storm, high water, landslide, mudslide among others. Ignoring the long term processes of our living ecosystem is a recipe for disaster.

True restoration is supported by most of the public. The damage done by logging burned forests is like mugging a burn victim and the Observer should not support a bill that could damage the public lands and negatively impact our community.

Larry McLaud

La Grande

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T. rex order, please

To the Editor:

I would like to comment on Tod Sharrard’s comment on Mike Medberry’s comment or John E. Berry’s comment hmmm, that’s a lot of comments. I wonder what they’re all worth?

Well if it’s the ODFW reading them, they aren’t worth the paper you put them on.

Well anyway, Tod and all the other livestock owners are correct, the ODFW had its mind made up from the start.

Tod is correct as well in saying that if the people running the ODFW had to cough up the livestock replacement money out of their own pockets things would change so fast it would make your head spin.

I do feel, however, Tod, that you should teach your younger cows what to look for, as these predators come slinking in. At least they might get a kick or two in before they are ripped apart.

And last but not least, if you should start raising dinosaurs, I would like to put in an order for two T. rex, please. I think they will make great guard pets for wolf control. Of course I would have to teach them the difference between a wolf and an ODFW biologist. Hmmm, well maybe not. If the T. rexes ate a couple of biologists who could say anything?

I mean the T. rexes would be on the endangered list as well, so no harm done. Please let me know when you want to start. As far as I can see, the sooner the better.

J.R. Kauffman

La Grande

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Thanks to medical responders

To the Editor:

On behalf of all of us at Les Schwab we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of those who responded to the accident at the store on Nov. 23 the A shift at the La Grande Fire Department and their quick response, Dr. Hamre and the staff at Grande Ronde Hospital.

Thanks to all of you and your much appreciated hard work, Mike Stevenson was able to get to Portland in time to receive the additional care needed.

Bob Butler

Island City

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Take middle road on wolves

To the Editor:

I have noticed while talking to people and reading the letters to the editor in The Observer that people are under the assumption that Oregon is reintroducing the wolf. There is no plan to do that.

What the Oregon wolf plan is dealing with is the time in the future when wolves from Idaho cross the river and stay. We know that has happened three times, and there are reports of more sightings.

This brings out all kinds of extreme feelings. People in the middle are seldom heard over those yelling from either extreme.

The fact is we will have wolves here in the near future. They will kill domestic livestock, and many wolves will die unjustly after that.

Bison are not a good comparison. There are no herds of bison in Idaho that might swim the river. If there were, we would have to develop a plan for them, too.

There is no doubt the majority of ranchers are great stewards of their land. Their livelihood is dependent on the land. They have to take care of it if they are to survive. However, even those who do not own a ranch can be a good judge of what stewardship of the land is all about.

There should be a way to pay the rancher for the loss of livestock killed by a wolf. Along with that, ranchers should be fined if they shoot a wolf on sight without proof it killed an animal. If they are found to have practiced the three Ss Shoot, Shovel and Shut-up they should be fined, and lose all rights to future claims over wolf kills.

I don’t think we need to have wolves in Oregon, but on the other hand it would be great to hear and see them in the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

Richard W. Galloway

Medical Springs

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Poison ruins family’s holiday

To the Editor:

I would like to address the person in Union who ruined our week and our holiday by throwing poisonous meat into our yard and killing our beloved family dog but especially for the very traumatic experience for my 8-year-old son.

He has grown up with two dogs, and in the last two weeks he has learned that one of those is dying from cancer. And then our 6-year-old Schnauzer was killed by you.

I hope you are proud of yourself for taking our best friend away. I really hope you are done with these selfish acts before you ruin somebody else’s life.

Sheri Miller

Union

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A case of city mismanagement

To the Editor:

What this council and mayor did with the city property was a blow for the citizens of Union. This was the one big asset we had. I tried several times to share information with them that I knew.

They say they did their dealing in public, but this is untrue. It was done behind closed doors. The deal was made before the public even knew the price. Then the information had to be forced out of them.

What is really sad is the fact many people voiced their opposition on this, and we were called an angry mob. We should have been angrier than we were.

They had information in the file where this property could have generated at least $125,000 clear, and this was in 2001 before the golf course had matured and made the property even more valuable.

The council voted not to sell the property and this was a terrible blow to the mayor’s (Deb Clarke) ego. At the next meeting she came back, told them the sewer plant was going to have to be rebuilt untrue and that the city could be sued for big bucks if they backed out of the sale. That cost has dramatically increased according to her statement in the "Milestone."

It was not an agenda item, so people were not aware of what she was going to do. She convinced council to change their vote and go ahead and sell for $65,000.

Is this responsible governing? I think not.

You better wake up, people. See what they are doing to our town. That is only one instance of mismanagement. There are others. This is just the most costly so far.

Barbara James

Union

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Don’t ask soldiers to cut and run

To the Editor:

After Mr. Perren’s great letter in The Observer Nov. 29, I’ll bet he had to be peeled off the ceiling when the mindless letters of Dec. 2 and 3, compared the United States to the Germans in World War II.

It’s apparent these writers believe the misguided news and the Democrat’s factless dribble. Facts from Media Research Center: from January 2005 to October, ABC had 447 Iraq reports, CBS had 499, NBC had 442. In January they reported 61 percent negative, 21 percent positive. By September they reported 73 percent negative, 6 percent positive.

When talking with several of the returning soldiers of the 116th, they said the media isn’t reporting it like it really is. In fact, they wonder whose side these people are on.

The book "Iraq: Providing Hope" by Eric Holmes has 290 pages of positive things being done in Iraq, none of which I have ever heard or read in the news media.

You people are forgetting 9/11 and the innocent people brutally murdered daily by terrorists. Do I care if a Marine roughs up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, or about college hazing of terrorist prisoners, or a wounded terrorist getting shot in the head because he is trying to set off his booby-trapped body?

You can bet I don’t care.

But when you trash talk the war and our brave men and women, you can take it to the bank that I care. You and many throughout the world have the freedom to say it because our soldiers have paid that price for you.

But don’t ever ask these brave soldiers to cut and run or lose. They just don’t understand that kind of garbage and neither do the majority of Americans. All you people really want is for the U.S. to fail.

John C. Sprenger

La Grande

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Grade school gets warm help

To the Editor:

The Greenwood Elementary School staff would like to express our appreciation of some local businesses. Cheryl Tannlund of the Clothes Closet and Randall Fross and associates at Wal-Mart responded to two phone calls made recently. We were able to send many of our students home with warm winter wear that very afternoon.

Not only did they keep our children warm, they warmed our hearts with their generosity.

Amazing.

The next time you visit the Clothes Closet or Wal-Mart, be sure to thank them for their continued support of our community.

Ellen Lester and the staff of

Greenwood School