The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Do you find climate-change talk off-putting or just plain scary? Fortunately, author Mary DeMocker published a book in 2018 that makes facing the facts of climate change not at all daunting: “The Parent’s Guide to the Climate Revolution (100 Ways to Build a Fossil-Free Future, Raise Empowered Kids, and Still Get a Good Night’s Sleep).” Like her title declares, it is a handy book for parents who want answers to help their children step into this future with knowledge and it provides actions for a family to mitigate the climate crises as their children grow.

It’s like a bathroom book because each of the 100 chapters is only one-to-three-pages long.

Ordered the paperback at Paulina Springs Books and got it two days later.

Heard about it from a fellow member of Bend Citizens Climate Lobby, http://www.citizensclimatebend.org, Marjorie Thelen of Burns.

Marjorie is a published author herself and thus her suggestion was held in high regard.

Author Mary DeMocker lives in Eugene, and is the co-founder and former creative director of Eugene’s 350.org chapter.

Her book was recommended by the New York Times, featured on NPR and is a 2019 Oregon Book Award finalist.

Susan Cobb

To the Editor:

In these post-2020-election days, I’d like to request that the editorial board at The Nugget exercise their best judgment, and not lend ink to Letters To The Editor that contain factual errors. We are exposed to a continual onslaught of falsehoods regarding this election on social media – most of which are easily disproven with just a small amount of effort. Facts are facts. Articles or statements that claim to be fact should be verified by the editorial board, else they risk losing their journalistic integrity – guilt by association.

A simple example of this would be Jeff Mackey’s (ranting and breathless) letter published on December 9. While you can take umbrage with nearly any sentence in this missive, it’s easy to verify/disprove his statement that Democrats “concocted the biggest failed hoax in history with a Russian connection…”

I’d refer the editorial staff (and Mr. Mackey) to the Republican-led Senate Intelligence committee’s report on the Russia investigation, which was released in August 2020. The report clearly and unambiguously outlines known connections between the Trump campaign (Manafort/Stone/WikiLeaks, etc.) and Russian assets, and portrays these intentional actions as a “grave” counterintelligence threat.

Let’s drop the hyperbole and move forward with the task at hand. The Nugget owes its readership an honest effort, and would better serve the community by maintaining the highest journalistic standards possible and not wasting column space and ink on these divisive diatribes.

Brian Wilson

Editor’s note:

The Nugget endeavors to provide as open a forum as possible for local voices to weigh in on local, regional and national issues. Letters to the Editor are the opinions of the writer. Some local folks write more than others. Not all letters are published and all are subject to editing.

Mr. Mackey’s characterization of the Russia inquiry as a “hoax,” while asserted vehemently, is not a statement of fact — it is a characterization, based, presumably, upon Mr. Mackey’s interpretation of the facts of the matter. It is, by definition, his opinion.

Mr. Wilson counters that claim and deploys evidence to bolster his argument. Readers are left to discern which opinion should carry more weight. This is the way discourse is supposed to work, and The Nugget continues to appreciate the engagement of our readers.

Jim Cornelius

Editor in Chief

To the Editor:

What if Nobel Laureate Kary Mullis, the inventor of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, said PCR was never intended to test for infectious disease and is unreliable for that purpose? What if a PCR COVID test is not binary, meaning there is no absolute positive or negative result like a pregnancy test?

What if several scientists and virologists, including Dr. Tony Fauci, said the PCR test for COVID is not believable when the test is run at 35 cycles or higher? What if the World Health Organization recommends 45 cycles and labs comply?

What if coronavirus death rates are inflated because there is no universal definition of a coronavirus death and the CDC instructed doctors and hospitals to record all deaths, presumed or confirmed for coronavirus, as the primary cause of death regardless of other factors?

What if U.S. deaths from the seasonal flu, heart disease and diabetes are all unexplainably sharply lower for 2020? What if a recent Johns Hopkins study found that U.S. deaths, from all causes, is on track to be average for 2020?

What if former Pfizer vice-president and chief scientific advisor Michael Yeadon, Ph.D., said — there is absolutely no need for vaccines to extinguish the pandemic, I’ve never heard such nonsense, you don’t vaccinate people who aren’t at risk from a disease and you don’t set about planning to vaccinate millions of fit and healthy people with a vaccine that hasn’t been extensively tested on human subjects?

What if some CDC scientists and members on the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices own vaccine patents? What if these same scientists and doctors partner with and profit from pharmaceutical companies for research grants and vaccine development? What if Dr. Tony Fauci owns numerous vaccine patents?

What if Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates — a person with no medical background — became the voice for the vaccine industry after investing billions into vaccine development and donating over $250 million to journalism and media outlets? What if Bill Gates called for individually digitized medical and vaccination certificates that are tracked? What if Ticketmaster announced plans to require digital proof of COVID immunity before selling you a ticket? What if several airlines are pushing for vaccination certificates? What if digital vaccination certificates and contact tracing could be used to track your daily activities and decide if you are permitted to work, travel or attend gatherings?

JK Wells