Letters To Editor

I support Jane Hill for Pendleton City Council.

Well, here I am back again to ask that you kick some more poor legislators from this area out of office. Yes, I am a Republican and am now telling you that you need to kick some Republicans out of office. I will give you plenty of reason to do so. 

We in the Blue Mountain Community College Associated Student Government want to say thank you with all of our hearts to the many, many individuals and businesses who helped us make the 2011 Christmas Eve Dinner one of the very best we’ve ever had. 

My mother and I were traveling through Pendleton on our way to Colorado during the incredible ice storm that hit the Northwest. we were hauling two horses, and after spending two gut-wrenching days on the 84 East, we finally made it to Pendleton where we took a wrong turn and became lost on the very icy roads. There must have been two inches of slick ice coating the entire road. 

In spite of all the negativity spread regarding the war, the fact is we have men and women continuing to come home after placing their lives on the line for our freedom and safety. Upon returning they should be given the respect, recognition and appreciation they so deserve. 

I was very discouraged when we went to take down the Rodney James Halladay Community Memory Tree memorial wall last December. Someone had taken upon themselves to take all of our beautiful large white doves with little baby ones off the garland on the memorial wall. This is not the first time that someone has stolen from the Community memorial wall. Do they not read the sign placed there that reads that this is a wall for loved ones to express their grief for their loved ones and a way to memorialize and honor a loved one or friend at the holiday season, a very tough time of the year if you have lost a loved one or friend? This memorial wall also has pictures displaying our four fallen hometown military heroes. Now why would someone steal from this memorial display — how very very sad!

Hydropower supplies almost 80 percent of the electricity used in Oregon. It is plentiful, dependable, and economical. Hydro is considered renewable except in Oregon and Washington.

I read in the paper that Mr. Bill Hansell wants to pursue a higher political office. This does not surprise me, as his tenure here as a commissioner needed to cease. He has done more to ruin this county than anyone ever has.

An article titled “Wind power protest airs in Morrow County,” printed in the East Oregonian on Saturday, January 28, contains an item worthy of further discussion.

The East Oregonian article of Jan. 28 regarding the wind power situation in Morrow County contains more “red flags” for the people of Morrow County. Recognizing the problems the previous Willow Creek Wind Project caused for adjacent landowners, and the county’s refusal to accept their responsibilities that went with issuing the permit, are cause for serious concern. The statement by Mr. Rietmann raised a huge “red flag” for the people of Morrow County. The statement regarding their future plans for wind development and its potential impact on affected landowners highlights several issues. Morrow County siting standards and requirements for future wind projects are dysfunctional and outdated. 

I was delighted to read the new USDA guidelines requiring schools to serve meals with twice as many fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, less sodium and fat and no meat for breakfast. The guidelines were mandated by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act signed by President Obama in December of 2010 and will go into effect with the next school year.

This is about the president of the U.S., Barack Obama: The birth certificate that he finally released is very questionable as to where he was born. It’s a constitutional requirement for every president of the United States to be born in the United States.

Much of your Sunday editorial on PERS has validity. But the one thing you failed to mention is, PERS retirees are no longer public employees. They are private citizens and should not be harassed through public disclosure.

I would like to take this time to express my gratitude. The day after Christmas we had a family crisis; I am living in northern Nevada, a good day’s drive away from Pendleton.

The old saying “The fox is guarding the hen house” certainly applies to many of Oregon State University and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s so-called “biologists.” Animal rights advocates more accurately describes their mentality. 

Recently it was in the newspaper that the Rivoli Theater building owner wants to tear down the building. That building has been on the National Historic District list since 1986 and, according to the engineer’s report, is repairable. 

I have read several articles in your paper about the wolves and they remind me of a few years back; when the Peregrine falcon had a nest on public or private property, everyone had to stay eight hundred feet away from the nest. A pair of Peregrine falcons made a nest on the Fremont Bridge in Portland and when a well-known politician of the time reminded the people of Portland of the eight hundred foot restriction, they laughed at him.

Who is Knute Buehler and why should we care? Dr. Knute Buehler, a practicing orthopedic surgeon from Bend, was in Pendleton last week on the campaign trail for the Oregon Secretary of State’s job. Not only is he an outstanding speaker, but he has a well-refined three-point prescription to get Oregon back on its feet: “Improve Quality of Life,” “Control Costs” and “Build Community.” Dr. Buehler is not a partisan politician, he’s Oregon State University’s first Rhodes Scholar, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, returning to Oregon to complete his residency at OHSU. He is a successful surgeon and business owner.

A death notice appeared in the Jan. 10, 2012, East Oregonian: “William V. Jamison born January 14, 1952. Died January 9, 2012.” This man, Bill Jamison, worked as a contractor doing home improvements for homeowners like myself in Pendleton as well as surrounding communities. Having relocated to Pendleton in 2007, I contracted with Bill to work on my house, replacing windows, installing soffit vents, etc. 

Well, today, for the first time, I think Rush Limbaugh is showing confusion. Today he didn’t show his support for any of the GOP candidates. Today he showed his support for the Democrat machine by saying that Obama should use the negative ads by saying “This is President Obama and I support this message.” 

President George Bush received national criticism for having the CEO of the then imploding Enron Corporation on one of his presidential councils. During the campaign Barack Obama himself jabbed President Bush over it.

There have been many questions raised recently about how the Wolf Compensation and Proactive Management Fund will be treated in light of the direction from the Legislature and governor for state agencies to put administrative restrictions in place. Recent news articles have unfortunately caused more confusion by indicating the compensation funds are being frozen, which is not true. Hopefully, this will help clarify those questions.

On behalf of the board of directors, staff, and volunteers of the Children’s Museum of Eastern Oregon, I want to thank our community for the generous support we received during December’s annual appeal. Your support helps to ensure our organization will continue to serve families and our community, providing children of all ages with opportunities for educational exploration and development through interactive exhibits and play. In addition, your support helped us close on another financially successful year, increasing our reserves and further stabilizing the future of our organization.

On Saturday night last, several hundred citizens gave a big party for Larry Lehman. One of the most notable features was the great outpouring of affection and admiration for the man and his many accomplishments during his 18 years as our city manager. Not often is that kind of affection visited on a retiring city administrator, but it was there, it was felt and it felt good.