Letters, letters, letters

To the Editor:

In last week's editorial by Jim Cornelius, he voiced his opinion that the Sisters Sewer Focus Group should disband. As members of that group, we strongly disagree.

We have voluntarily committed our time to sift through all of the information presented to us by various agencies (a time-consuming proposition), and report our findings, whether we agree with them or not, back to the community.

Some of this information is interesting and some a little tedious and repetitive. It takes time. That is a fact. But it is a necessary part of the process and Vergie Ries has done an outstanding job of bringing in the representatives that we have asked for, in the order that we set up as a group, and keeping us focused on the information for that meeting. We ask the questions, and record the findings.

That information needs to be repeated at the sewer workshops, since there are many people who cannot attend both the focus group meetings and the workshops. Those who attend both expect to hear some of the same information.

Vergie Ries and the Focus Group are working very hard to complete this process of fact finding before the May 19 election. If it means we have to have four-hour meetings, then so be it.

We'd like to ask Sisters residents to turn a deaf ear to the constant battering in this paper of Vergie Ries and the Focus Group, and let us complete the important process that we started.

Base your opinions (pro or con) about the sewer on the unbiased facts that the Focus Group presents in the S.S.S.E.W.R. newsletter. The group decides what key information goes into the newsletter, Vergie Ries compiles it and the group will be reviewing it before it goes to the public. A good investment indeed.

Focus Group Members:

Melanie Curry, David Ellison, Elizabeth Molino, Donna Stadler, Mark Rapp, Dave Elliott, Mick Black, Stephen Shunk

To the Editor:

Your front page article in the April 1 The Nugget took a look back at the past year of the gravel mine operations west of Sisters off the McKenzie Highway. While the consensus of those interviewed seemed to be "so far, so good," there is more to the story.

Without the great involvement of time, money, and energy from the Crossroads Property Owners' Association, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, the Sisters School District, the City of Sisters, and many individuals, particularly John Hornbeck, there would have been no mayor review of this proposed mine and the major concessions made by the developer to provide the safeguards and lessen the impact on our greater community.

In addition, the Oregon Department of Transportation will complete the bike lane from the high school to Crossroads later this year with public funds.

Also, remember that this is just the first year of the estimated 30-year life of the gravel mine, so we have a long ways to go.

Finally, I now avoid the dozen square miles or so of public lands in the area of the gravel mine because of the noise and traffic. I wonder what the wildlife do?

Jim Fisher

To the Editor:

The writings of the framers of our constitution indicate a reliance upon God to form a strong nation based upon Biblical principles of love and respect for one's fellow (hu-)man, honesty, ethical practices, self-control, and freedom, with limitations on freedom imposed at the point where exercising it would do harm to another person

James Madison, known as the father of our constitution, said on June 20, 1785 that "Religion [is] the basis and Foundation of Government." He also said, "We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."

Around 40 years ago some of our leaders decided that the amendment to our constitution contained in Article I of the Bill of Rights, stating that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," meant a separation of church and state that prohibited public schools from teaching morals based upon Judeo-Christian principles.

This kind of prohibition has spread throughout society to the extent that now our children are brought up in a social atmosphere of animosity toward the same principles upon which our constitution was founded.

Somebody's morals are being imposed. Witness the explosion of promiscuity, sexually contracted diseases, addictions, suicide, crime and murder, especially among our children. Is this the kind of morality we want imposed upon us?

What can each of us do about it? We need to ask ourselves if our behavior and votes are contributing to the social decline, or are we making choices we are happy to have our children follow and live with? We also need to demand such accountability on the part of those who have taken on the responsibility of leading us and our children.

Respectfully,

Lorene Richardson

To the Editor:

"The Declaration of Independence:" It came first. Before the Constitution of the United States of America.

And I see in its words: 1) God, 2) Creator 3) Divine Providence.

What do these words mean to you?

Art and Emily Scofield