To Mack Birkmaier:
Most Popular
I would like to thank both Harold Weight and Evelyn Swart for their words in the last Chieftain. Both letters showed a refreshing clarity and understanding of our duty as citizens of this country.
My wife and I visited Joseph and Enterprise last week and were stunned to find so few people wearing masks. People at the Wallowa Lake Lodge, retailers, servers at restaurants, and even the ma…
When was the last time you ate a meal with your family — the kind where everyone sits down at the table at the same time to eat together?
Last week was my birthday week. My friend, Russell Ford, born in 1942 just a few days before I was, and I have celebrated decadal birthdays together — 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th. We thought we’…
The news media is about as popular as a first-century tax collector. This probably isn’t breaking news if you are a consumer of journalism, or what passes for journalism.
Family policies being decided at the federal level now will have a major effect on Americans for years to come.
Unimaginable shades of green, touches of dark plum, russet reds scattered here and there gently reminds the golfer that it is autumn at Alpine Meadows Golf Course.
When I was a small child, I had an immunization on my arm for smallpox. I think I got it at school. There was no vaccination at the time for measles, mumps or whooping cough, and I had all tho…
I write today to give voice to the many Eastern Oregonians who support Sen. Ron Wyden’s River Democracy Act and to the nonhumans who need its protections. Our voices join those of the Nimiipuu…
I find it interesting when people do not use logic in looking at issues such as the moraine plan. I also grew up in Joseph, and as a youngster remember the deer herds wintering on the East Mor…
To Lesley Neuman:
I have been in the journalism profession off and on for the better part of 40 years. I have had paid journalism positions and have done freelance writing. I currently freelance for the Wallowa…
While I appreciate the many compelling national and local stories about the impact of the 9/11 attacks, including those that appeared in the Chieftain, the somber truth of this anniversary has…
The Chieftain published a series of Opinion letters arguing the "pros" and "cons" of COVID preventative measures.
There is a fundamental error with the assertion that “the right to infect” others is not a protected liberty.
To Wallowa County commissioners:
What is the sequence of returns risk, and how can it negatively impact your retirement savings?
The capitalist system of economics incentivizes specialization and the division of labor. Broadly speaking, these concepts maximize production, innovation and consumption and are vital to the …
The news that more than half of Oregon’s state employees will get an extra six weeks to get inoculated against COVID-19 was welcome, but the question of what happens after the deadline remains…
This summer marks 50 years for me in Wallowa County. I came to spend a year — and I stayed. I stayed because the land is wonderful. I stayed because of people. In the 50 years countless traged…
The people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 are called sheep. The people not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 are called anti-vaxxers.
We all have busy lives filled with activities from the moment we wake up until our head hits the bed. Yet quite often, at some point in the day, you might hear “I’m bored” or “I don’t have any…
I never parted with a $20 bill faster.
I’ve been pleased to see the letters to the editor flowing to my inbox the way they have been the last month.
Protesters demand freedom from mask and vaccine mandates, claiming personal choice. For most medical decisions, I would agree.
This is America ... land of the free. I have a right to vaccinate or not, wear a mask or not. Because I don’t put on a mask or won’t subject myself to an unproven vaccine does not mean that I'…
Sen. Ron Wyden deserves a big thank you for initiating and guiding the River Democracy Act through the winding channels towards congressional approval. As this drought and fire year has made s…
People who camp and hunt on Hancock land need to be aware of the changes. Camping on their land is no longer free. You will be charged $35 to $300 per night. They will be patrolling the area t…
The recent article, “Anger in Wallowa County: Protesters Reject Mandate,” has me thinking of the question, “How are we going to live together?” When I was boy of 10 our family took in an 8-yea…
Thank you, Jeff and Stephen, for your recent letters to the editor.
Wallowa County protesters are angry. That is not surprising. What is surprising, is the anti-vaxxers and the unmaskers are angry at the governor for trying to make them safe. One has only to c…
Last September, when there were 28,000 daily infections, schools closed to stop the spread and classes were moved online. Today there are 150,000 daily cases and children are back in the classroom.
Growing up in a rather large family where we had a rather Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest perspective, our father used to gently admonish us with the phrase “To hell with you Mac, I’m aboard…
For decades there have been concerns that foreign investors are buying up farmland in the United States.
Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
I did not see the notice for this special meeting Sept. 1 about the Moraine Management Plan in the any newspapers — Observer or Wallowa County Chieftain, but it was on the Chieftain website. T…
I just wanted to briefly point out how great it is that Sen. Wyden spearheaded the move to expand the wild and scenic rivers in Oregon. Overall, the state has around 1% of its rivers and strea…
I was out bicycling yesterday, and Labor Day traffic was so unremitting that I could not cross Main Street in Joseph. I resorted to walking my bike in the crosswalk, and fortunately a few driv…
It is an unfortunate observation that data and logic have become largely irrelevant due to the politicization of the pandemic. As I was perusing the Society of Professional Journalists Code of…
On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 1, I attended a rally at the Wallowa County Courthouse for "Stop the Mandates." It was extremely well-attended for being on a work/school day. People of all …
Mandates” has become such a toxic subject that it is hard to talk about it. So, I decided to think about it first. Can you follow me?
Alpine Meadows Golf Course swarmed with golfers over the Labor Day weekend — a weekend that proved “perfect weather friendly” to Rat Race couples.
September is National Better Breakfast and Whole Grains Month, and breakfast is the perfect opportunity to incorporate whole grains into one’s daily meal plan.
To those who oppose the use of masks or receiving a vaccination, please realize that the ICU bed that you may occupy could be used for a child who has been in an automobile accident or is figh…
The coronavirus pandemic, hurricanes and flooding, wildfires and the plight of refugees are fueling the division and political unrest in the United States, as well as the entire world. It is t…
The process of redistricting is well underway this year, and by the time it’s done some of our state legislative districts could look completely different. We’re also guaranteed to have a bran…
The people of Wallowa County are known for their warmth, kindness, and generosity. My personal experience has borne that out — at least until the pandemic reached its current level of lethalit…
