Letter: Clinton takes a stand against logging
Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, May 6, 2008
To the Editor:
Senator Clinton says “No logging.”
Hey pardner, have you ever had the feeling that you were kicked when you were down?
In the Blue Mountain Eagle (April 23, 2008) there is a letter to the editor from Cassius Cash, acting forest supervisor for the Malheur National Forest; Steve Ellis, forest supervisor for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, and Kevin Martin, forest supervisor for the Umatilla National Forest. I’m sure these are very capable men with a lot of common sense.
In the article are some really good meaningful sayings like, “We encourage the public to continue to work with us,” “We are only successful when we work closely with citizens. Our conservation ethic rests on the principle of collaboration and community-based stewarship” and “We look forward to working directly with you and to balance local needs with the latest science and technology.” The last two statements really struck my heart strings: “Supporting the rural lifestyles people in our communities value” and “Contribute to the economic stability of our local communities.” This article got me to thinking, “Hey, maybe something good is actually, finally, really going to happen. It’s not just a bunch of blarney.”
But, whoa thar, pardner! The very next day, I find an article entitled “Democrat” in the Bend Bulletin newspaper and I quote, “Senator Clinton’s campaign released a news statement affirming her most detailed positions yet on matters affecting Oregon.” Among those: She would veto any congressional effort to overturn the state’s assisted suicide law and would support efforts to thin the state’s eastside forests to reduce fire danger and then make them off-limits to logging.
Bang, it was like kick in my belly, our Eastern Oregon forests off-limits to logging. How typical of a big-time, Eastern U.S. senator running for higher office: tell the Oregon voters what she thinks they want to hear in order to get more votes.
My wife’s grandad used to have a saying about politicians. You can send ’em to college and get all that book larnin’ but that don’t mean they have any good ole fashioned horse sense, or common sense. With good old fashioned horse sense, common sense logging of our forests could and should be an annual, renewable, sustainable harvest of a natural resource that the good Lord gave us and to not sensibly harvest the trees is poor stewardship.
So I say to Senator Clinton and any other politician who feels as she does about our trees, “Shame on you for not spending the time to find out about renewable, sustainable harvesting of our Eastern Oregon forest.”
In closing I would like to see the three forest supervisors aforementioned in this letter answer this question for me: How do you fit the Forest Plan Revision Program into Senator Clinton’s “no Logging” statement?
Duane Cheadle
Mt. Vernon