The Columbian: Gorge development-phobic.

Those of us who’ve lived here a while, particularly during the early tenure of Marc Boldt and Don Benton, remember the "Gorge Wars."

The Gorge Wars were a continuing assault on the rights of Gorge residents by the Columbia River Gorge Commission and their respective Winged Monkeys, including many that have and still do have influence in the environs of The Columbian.

These people, admittedly well-meaning, came to believe that "visually subordinate" somehow came to mean "invisible." Enforcement, based on that deliberate misunderstanding of the Gorge Act has led to the continuing economic decline, relative to the communities of the Oregon side of the Gorge, of communities on the Washington side of the Gorge. Who can, for example, forget the humiliating defeat of the Gorge Commission, the Friends of the Gorge and their Columbian lackeys at the hands of the 9-0 State Supreme Court decision in the Bea Case?

None of the well-meaning people demanding that the Gorge continue as their personal post card happen to live within the confines of the Gorge. Many of these well-meaning people believe the Constitution of the United States should, somehow, stop functioning on the other side of an imaginary line drawn on a map.

The basic weakness in the position of these well-meaning people is this: NONE of the laws, none of the absurdity about, for example, getting agency approval to paint your house; NONE of those laws, regulations or policies applies to the "well-meaning people" who demand it of others.

In short, it is blatant, unmitigated, hypocrisy.

Boldt and Benton, along with Oregon State Senator Ted Feriolli (R-John Day) are primarily responsible for the core change that has taken place in the Columbia River Gorge Commission since the mid to late 90's.

They arranged to cut the Gorge Commission budget in half.

The Columbian had a fit, of course. One individual stupidly demanded Boldt's resignation, "before his constituents throw him out." Of course, Marc was re-elected 4 times after that, and countywide as a Commissioner since. That serves as just another example of exactly how far out of touch with the people of Clark County the hierarchy of The Columbian actually was; and with today's bizarre editorial, clearly sill are.

I congratulate Gov. Ted Kulongoski for making the decision to support the placement of a tribal casino in a community where they actually WANT it (unlike the Cowlitz Casino here in Clark County.) Cascade Locks has not benefited from the economic condemnation wrought by the imposition of the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Act. Placement of this casino benefits THAT local community and may benefit the nearby community of Stevenson, Washington as well, with increased bookings at the Skamania Lodge.

In short, those who whine and snivel about the situation in the Gorge have no moral right to say anything. Until each and every onerous law, rule, policy or regulation they support applies to THEM… they have nothing to say that anyone wants to hear on the subject and their position is best served by their continuing silence, or their mass migration to living within the borders of the Scenic Area, their own little piece of Heaven.



In Our View: Threat to Gorge

Friday, April 8, 2005
Columbian editorial writers

Northwest Indian tribes seeking to location-shop for casino venues hit the jackpot with Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski folding a good hand this week.

Tuesday, the governor of the state next door and The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs announced they had reached an agreement allowing the tribes to build a casino off reservation land at the Columbia River gorge town of Cascade Locks.

The deal is pending trust-status approval by the U.S. Department of Interior.

The site, about 45 minutes and as many miles from the downtowns of Portland and Vancouver, is desirable to casino interests because of its proximity to the region's urban center. The Warm Springs could have built a casino on land already in their possession, near Hood River, without state approval, but even the tribes admitted they weren't sure they ever would, given concerns that a casino there might not bring the best profit margin.

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