Cheers & Jeers, June 20

Cheers: To Washington State University budget writers for mandating $1.8 million in reductions at the Vancouver campus in ways that will not have a devastating effect on higher education in Southwest Washington.

Make no mistake, WSUV will be doing its part to help the overall WSU system cut 10.4 percent of its budget as it works through the economic crisis. Vacancies in the English and science departments at the Vancouver campus will not be filled, the Teacher Pro Cert program at Lower Columbia College in Longview will be eliminated, and reductions will be made in the bachelor’s degree in education program. But it appears no permanent staff members will be laid off. That, no doubt, inspires relief among local university faculty members. Coupled with the Legislature’s recent authorization of $36 million for a four-story electrical engineering building at WSUV, it becomes clear that this university is properly envisioned as a solution to — and not just a victim of — the devastating recession.

Jeers: It’s difficult to generate support for your crusade when your pronouncements elicit coffee-spewing, knee-slapping laughter. Such is the self-inflicted plight of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals after two laughable announcements this week. First, PETA denounced the traditional tossing of fish at Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market as a "hideous stunt." Memo to PETA: No matter how tenderly these carcasses might be treated, it still wouldn’t deter their dual destiny to be cooked and then to be eaten.

The American Veterinary Medical Association, which has a convention coming up soon in Seattle, has resisted PETA’s call to condemn the fish tossing. The stunt is performed to entertain tourists and customers at the market.

PETA’s second you-gotta-be-kidding-me decision was to deplore President Obama’s swatting of a White House fly during an interview with CNBC on Tuesday. PETA sent the president a "Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher" and announced that "swatting a fly on TV indicates he’s not perfect … and we’re happy to say that we wish he hadn’t." Oh, brother!

To advocate humane treatment of animals is a noble cause. Too often critters are cruelly treated by uncaring or diabolical people. But PETA’s absurdities contribute only comedy to this serious issue.

Cheers: The Columbian has churned out enough editorial condemnations of federal foot-dragging at Hanford to fill a scrapbook. So it’s only right that, when progress is made in cleaning up the contaminated nuclear reservation near Richland, we extend some praise.

Construction of a massive, $690 million vitrification plant — which will analyze, sort and treat nuclear waste — has moved beyond numerous technical problems, delays and escalating costs. It is now expected to be 50 percent finished this fall. That’s no small feat. The plant actually is a 65-acre complex of three large nuclear facilities, including a 12-story building the size of two football fields, plus 21 smaller support buildings.

If that fall-completion goal is reached, we’ll be surprised (because of the track record), but the recent increase in momentum warrants a compliment.

Cheers: Ever had a hankerin’ to walk from Mexico up the Continental Divide Trail, then skip over to the Pacific Crest Trail and head back down to Mexico? Well, you can do it now, thanks to the recent federal designation of the Pacific Northwest Trail. The trail stretches 1,200 miles from Glacier National Park in Montana to Cape Alava on the Washington coast. It runs through several mountain ranges, three national parks and seven national forests.

Last year, volunteers contributed more than 21,000 hours of work improving the trail. For more information, visit pnt.org.