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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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.

To the Editor:

The City of Sisters states that it needs to charge rent to cover maintenance of the Sisters Library.

I am a member of the volunteer Sisters Garden Club crew who do the library garden maintenance twice every month there isn't snow on the ground.

Our labor is free, the plants we purchase, the fertilizer, the spray materials, replacement parts for the sprinkler system, the bark mulch, and tree trimming, (which we hire out to local contractors) are paid for by both the Sisters Garden Club and the Friends of the Sisters Library.

It would be interesting to see an accounting of the Library maintenance costs the city has paid per year. Is it really $20,000?

Norma Funai

Sisters Garden Club

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To the Editor:

One of the great freedoms of this country is the freedom of speech. One can express opinions on any subject pro or con and I certainly appreciate and respect that.

So my response to the liberal faction of this country who actually believe we can create World Peace by forgiving and loving the people who savagely ended the lives of thousands and ruined the lives of thousands of others is this: We have had a nasty invitation to an ass kickin' contest, and by Jesus, by Allah, and by God Almighty we are going to show up.

God Bless America.

Greg Thomas

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To the Editor:

When the events of September 11 were unfolding I was at work writing a book, soon to be published, which is a collection of 75 prayers drawn from the Psalms. For each of these I have written a short thought or meditation, which amplifies sacred meanings contained in each prayer.

I happened to be considering Psalm 46, which is a particularly apocalyptic poem. For example, one verse says, "The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts."

So I wrote something and asked some friends to read it. I was concerned that it would be appropriate, given the tragedy that came that day. My friends encouraged me to submit what I wrote to The Nugget for the whole community to read:

"New York's World Trade Center towers have been attacked. They've collapsed into the streets. America is reeling and the death toll is rising. The community of lower Manhattan has been visited by an event that some say is of biblical proportions. It was as if the earth was removed in a moment. The rest of us wince and reel at the sight of it. Mountains tremble in the midst of the sea -- the waters roar and are troubled.

"I am mourning, mourning for the people who have suddenly, simultaneously lost their lives. I weep for the bereaved and the thousands of children who are all at once motherless, fatherless; all of them orphaned in an instant.

"America -- the greatest empire the world has seen -- is rallying in righteous anger, invoking God's blessing. Our country is organizing the world to war against those who have done this hideous thing and others who may wish to commit similar unspeakable acts of mass murder. And as it does this I imagine history's kingdoms and empires looking on in mute witness.

"There are the shadows of Persia and Babylon. Nearby stand the sun-kings of Egypt. Alexander the Great and the emperor-gods of Rome have gathered. The British Union Jack, the flag upon which the sun never set, snaps somewhere in the breeze and the Soviet Union shivers, rising a bit from frozen ground to see what can be seen.

"And there is David, king of Israel, resting on the hillside. He holds a harp and softly sings songs that few can hear. Their lyrics tell of an eternal kingdom with a ruler named the Prince of Peace.

"Harp strings ring while David chants:

God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will we not fear though the waters roar and foam.

There is a river, the streams thereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

from Psalm 46: 1, 3, 4

Daniel Partner

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To the Editor:

I find it difficult to write adequately about Tollgate Board Member, Herman Woll who died on Tuesday, October 2.

He was a man of many attributes; I shall only attempt to describe the qualities I observed while I was privileged to serve with him on the board.

Herman impressed me by his stature, fitness, awareness, and his firm handshake even when we first met six years ago.

We were appointed to the same ad hoc committee on which we all worked to create a 160-acre parcel of land adjacent to Tollgate to be preserved in its natural state.

He worked thoroughly, intelligently, and flexibly within the committee and in our contacts with the U.S. Forest Service, the Sisters School District, and the Conservation Trust.

This pattern of completely dedicated involvement in matters pertaining to Tollgate and the larger Sisters community continued up through the 2001 Sister Rodeo and beyond.

He persisted in intense hands-on assistance despite recent health problems, illness that he, the ultimate vigorous man, found so impossible to acknowledge.

It had seemed to everyone who knew him that his superb condition and dedication would provide us with an exceptional, reliable provider of good works for many years to come.

Although our backgrounds and lifestyles were not similar, Herman always made me feel that he valued being my colleague on the board and in the community.

He privately provided restrained suggestions guiding me to become a better leader for Tollgate.

He was a trustworthy, supportive friend.

He called me "Boss," but it was clearly out of respect for my responsibilities; it did not mean that anyone could really tell him what to do -- he recognized what to do and how to do it.

I called him "Chief," harking back to his career, but he must have understood that I meant that he was the chief person I could invariably rely on.

Herman Woll will be an eternal reminder of how we are able to savor life each and every day.

I wish he were, once again, seated on my right-hand side being my wise trail boss.

In loving remembrance,

Blaine Kalar