• We are not the enemy. On Aug. 16, more than 350 newspapers across the United States, led by The Boston Globe, have signed on to run separate but simultaneous editorials condemning President Donald Trump’s ongoing attacks on the news media. We agree. The outgoing United Nations human rights commissioner, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, says the president’s words are “very close to incitement to violence.” Trump’s incessant threats are a real danger, not just to the people who write, photograph, edit and deliver the news — but to democracy itself.
• On that note, newsprint prices are soaring thanks to Trump administration tariffs (also a story in this week’s edition), but that won’t stop us from printing this free paper. We do have some online extras though, so don’t miss EW’s online coverage of a $4.5 million synthetic weed civil forfeiture case and other news updates. And take a minute to thank the advertisers who keep us in print despite Trump’s best efforts to kill the media.
• David Rogers, impressive executive director of the Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, told us in a recent visit to Eugene that the Oregon staff has doubled in the last year and a half to 16 or 17 people. We all know that civil liberties are under attack in the age of Trump, probably more than any other time in the 63-year history of the ACLU in Oregon. The president is setting the example. As we said last week, “Hurry up, Mueller.” What can we do right now? Check out our story on political postcards in the news section this week.
• Push-polling is already trying to influence the November midterm elections. We recently received a phone call asking for two minutes to answer a few questions on the Oregon governor’s race. The questions subtly tried to educate in favor of Knute Buehler and away from Kate Brown. Add that rhetorical device to the TV ads that have been running for weeks, and it’s going to be a long race with many millions of dollars spent before our ballots are cast in November. Go Kate!
• We know it’s neither kind nor tree-huggery to call yellowjackets assholes with wings, but seriously, while we appreciate that they have a beneficial role in the environment feeding on insects like caterpillars that eat your garden, it really feels like they are out to get us right now. According to a press release from the Oregon State University Extension Service, they kind of are out to get us, or at least are hanging out pretty close to humans these days. OSU says drought conditions are bringing more yellowjackets to your garden looking for water. They also caution against getting too crazy with wasp sprays — wasps are being driven by the drought to eat pollen, as bees do, and you may take out the pollinating bees. Use wasp traps near places like dining areas, keep garbage covered and fallen fruit picked up, and be careful around water where they might hang out, OSU says.
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