Letters, letters, letters

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.

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To the Editor:

In my letter concerning the killing of the cougar, February 2, I asked for educated responses. The past two weeks have brought nothing but negativity. Why destroy the animal when there has to be a better way to solve the problem?

The problem with killing the cougar, as with many problems in our society, is that people often jump to conclusions and make a minimum of effort before taking irrational actions.

Matt (Williams) and Charles (Boyce), both of whom responded to my letter, seem to think that killing is the best answer. If killing is the best answer then tell me why and I will accept it. If you cannot -- find out how to solve the problem.

The comparison of the cougar to human killers and rapists is a bit far-fetched. I wrote nothing about serial killers or rapists. Victims rights must be considered with regard to killers and rapists. But in this case the victims were not human beings. Only monetary loss was experienced. The real victim was the cougar and the livestock.

My point is that we live in a place that offers a feeding ground for animals -- all animals. The only way to discourage animals from taking advantage of this is to limit the availability of food. We are encroaching on the natural habitat of the cougar. It is our responsibility to make sure that the cougar will receive a rightful portion of the food available. If that includes livestock, then it's not the cougar's fault. The cougar only does what comes naturally.

My question is: What can be done to stop another killing? Could we begin now to find better ways to discourage cougars from coming on private property? Could we seriously look for places where trapped animals could be relocated?

John Asbury

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To the Editor:

On this past Saturday night I and others in the audience were treated to an outstanding performance by "our kids" in the dramatic presentation of the Greek tragedy "Antigone."

The unanimous feeling expressed by all was "Wow! Well done!" Tremendous heart and effort went into this performance -- not an easy one to pull off!

Boring? NOT! My 12 and 14 year olds want to go again next week. These young people involved in drama, like the young people involved in athletic events, deserve our strong support.

Lets all show our "team spirit" by attending the final two performances, Friday, February 25 and Saturday February 26. Time is 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Sisters High School cafetorium.

Sincerely,

Heidi Fernandez

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To the Editor:

Congratulations to Anita Hoffman and the Sisters High School Drama Club for their masterful production of the classic Greek play "Antigone."

The play deals with issues of conscience, community, and cosmos which the cast bring to life in a truly riveting performance. I would like to urge the community of Sisters to take advantage of this opportunity to experience a moment of classic culture as well as to support our hardworking and deserving young dramatists.

This play is staged with understated elegance, beautiful costumes and great hair. There is a dynamically mesmerizing chorus that keeps the audience informed while demonstrating classic attitude.

Micah Leis delivers a powerful and moving portrayal of Kreon, the troubled king. He and Megan Benton, who plays his queen, Euridice, make a striking, regal pair. Carrie Emmerich plays Antigone with passion and sensitivity. Dan Brown turns in a stunning interpretation of the blind prophet Tereisias. Paul Head and Heidi Hansen capture us with their heart-wrenching conflict and angst. The entire cast do a wonderful job. The new microphones hanging over the stage made even the whispers audible throughout the audience.

So, citizens of Sisters, come see for yourselves what an impressive job our high school students have done. Antigone will play again on Friday and Saturday nights February 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the SHS cafetorium, tickets available at the door.

Thank you to Anita and the cast for your gift to the community! All of your hard work and dedication are showing in this excellent performance.

Mary Anderson and Family

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To the Editor:

Please inform your city council, or whomever is in charge of handling the location of new streets, not to make the same error that other towns have made and start with a good grid system that connects all the streets together.

Your town is small enough to correct the problem before it is there.

Vilma Smith, Portland