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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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:

Dear Sisters and Camp Sherman friends and neighbors: We are very grateful and thankful to have come through the worst of the recent Geneva 2 fire with a minimal loss of timber and no damage to buildings or livestock.

We send out a huge heartfelt thank you to our family, friends and neighbors for the prayers, the outpouring of support and concern, and the many offers of help and pasture for our livestock.

We also thank all the hundreds of firefighters, catskinners, water tender drivers, bomber pilots and helicopter crews -- heroes every, single one.

Sincerely,

Kristi, Scout and Lynn Miller

Singing Horse Ranch

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To the Editor:

My husband and I just moved here about three weeks ago. And when I opened up your paper and read the opinion of Molly Ivins, well, it made my day!

How refreshing to hear a different point of view! I am so very tired of hearing right-wing-agenda opinions I can hardly turn the news on.

I have to look very hard and long and do much discerning in order to get accurate news reporting. The spinning makes it tough to decipher.

I hope you don't cancel Molly's column as my husband and I have so enjoyed reading it these past three weeks.

We couldn't help but notice someone complaining about it this week in the letters to the editor. Well, that person can always buy a host of other papers to get his fix of Bushspeak.

But being Democratic in nature and wanting everyone to get their "side" in, how about putting in a right and left wing opinion each week? One of the things that make this country great is the freedom to dialogue.

Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your courage in printing something other than pro Bush stuff.

Take care,

Cynthia Hydes

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To the Editor:

I find it quite refreshing to find a writer like Molly Ivins in a small town newspaper and very much look forward to her unabashedly telling it like it is.

Please don't drop her in favor of some homogenized feel-good stuff.

Madeleine Landis

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To the Editor:

The Molly Ivins columns are easily the best op-ed pieces readily available in Central Oregon, thanks to The Nugget.

Don't cut back on them. If readers like Harpham need a frequent dose of right wing koo koo poo poo I recommend the Bend Bulletin -- and it comes out daily.

Harry Davis

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To the Editor:

I am writing in response to the letter by June Forsyth in the July 10 edition of The Nugget.

I was amazed by several statements presented in that letter. The most embarrassing is the announcement that Palestinians commit suicide because their living conditions are intolerable.

No.

They strap bombs to their bodies and fill vehicles with explosives to kill the opposition because they are unsatisfied with their living conditions. Theirs is not a battle of economics. It is a war of fanatics, each side fighting for their religious beliefs.

I was also amazed that Ms. Forsyth agreed and disagreed with the only solution to terrorism being the destruction of the breeding grounds.

If you condone terrorism by saying, "poor misguided soul strapping 100 pounds of TNT to himself and driving into a crowded restaurant and committing suicide" instead of "murderous heathen," then you are part of the problem.

Finally, where have you been.

Life in America is not comfortable for everyone. We have students storming schools armed to the teeth, children being murdered, raped and abused and lines forever growing longer at soup kitchens across the nation.

How comfortable are they?

Dana Bettencourt

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To the Editor:

At times in the six years I have lived in Tollgate there have been letters to the editor of The Nugget regarding various, usually controversial, issues in Tollgate.

These letters could give the impression that this is a community abounding in strife and animosity. Not so.

Yesterday and today (July 16-17) as I was enjoying a bike ride or driving by in a cool air conditioned car I observed a work party of Tollgate residents working in the hot sun planting trees and shrubs around the tennis court. Did I feel guilty? You bet I did.

Their efforts are an example of the kind of participation and spirit of the majority of people who live here.

I know some of those who were working but not all so in fairness I will not mention names. To all of you please accept my thanks.

The plantings look great and you deserve some public recognition from all of us who live here as we have benefited from your labor.

Thank you,

Ardie Winters