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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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,

It seems that Sisters will be getting a couplet regardless of community concerns.

Beyond the unresolved business and parking logistics, I am worried for the safety of the children of Sisters. Due to the recent construction on Cascade Avenue, a great many drivers have been using Main Avenue as a detour route.

Much of this traffic is clearly exceeding 20 miles per hour, and drivers are often seemingly oblivious to cross traffic and pedestrians.

We live on Main Avenue and I can no longer allow my preschool child to play in the yard, as there is simply too much traffic going way too fast.

Unfortunately, the concerns of our residents are falling on deaf ears. For all the listening the powers-that-be are doing, the flyer for the recent community meeting about the couplet should have read, "Come let us tell you why you will have a couplet -- like it or not." Or maybe, "Come tell us how you feel about the couplet. It won't make a difference, but at least you'll feel like you've been heard."

Peggy Webb

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To the Editor:

Anyone who values the present charm of Sisters has to be dismayed at the impending construction of a couplet and McDonalds. Expect Wendy's, Burger King, KFC and the rest of the fast-food brethren to follow.

As for the couplet, it is already almost impossible to cross Cascade Avenue between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. in summer. A couplet will only make such crossings worse.

ODOT only cares about getting traffic through Sisters, and to heck with the residents. The projected growth of Sisters and increasing traffic on Highway 20 probably will make a couplet unworkable without multiple traffic lights.

The city council should tell ODOT that the couplet is unacceptable and force them to build a bypass. This could be combined with an area set aside, adjoining the bypass, for fast-food franchises (maybe this could offset part of the cost of the bypass). In this way, Sisters preserves its reputation as a nice place to stop and shop, and the residents can make use of their town.

Derek Cornforth

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To the Editor:

Thanks to the alert staff at The Nugget the owner of the "Wandering Horse" has been reunited with her steed ("Citizens, agencies work to handle lost and found horses in Sisters," The Nugget, June 23, page 11).

Even though we had contacted the Deschutes County Sheriff's office and animal control saying we had found a horse and the owner had contacted the same agency saying they lost a horse -- apparently only The Nugget Newspaper could make the link!

When the owner called in to place a "lost horse" advertisement The Nugget's staff put two and two together and the horse was home by the end of the day.

Thank you to The Nugget for providing a very informative article describing what to do when you become the host for unknown equine guests. We wanted you to know that the story had a happy ending.

Thanks,

Kathy and Frank Deggendorfer

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To the Editor:

Thanks to the 10 people who showed up for the First Annual Sisters Weed Pull. We found knapweed in places I didn't know it was growing. Mark your calendars for next year's pull on June 18.

Bruce Berryhill

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To the Editor:

I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to everyone who participated in the nearly quarter-century of my practicing dentistry in Sisters.

It was a unique experience and I feel truly privileged to have taken part.

God bless,

Stephen S. Spear

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Please help to support our troops.

For over a year I have been collecting items and sending them to soldiers in Iraq. I don't care where they were from, they are Americans. They were doing a job that they had been trained to do. This put them in harm's way.

Now many are returning home and I hope that you have taken the time to shake their hand and say, "Thank you." Just yesterday I saw a family buy an ice cream sundae for a returning veteran. My store gives them a 20 percent discount. Let's all pitch in and in some way say "Thank you."

Now our local soldiers are headed to Iraq. I will continue to send packages in that direction. This time they will be sent with the troops and I can save the cost of shipping.

Albertson's in Redmond has given me fantastic discounts and donated many items that have been sent. Many local merchants have also contributed.

Residents of Sisters have dropped off reading materials, hand-held video games, non-perishable food and other item at my store. Remember, if you get it to me soon, I won't be paying shipping.

The store is Welcoming You To Central Oregon inside the Town Square Mall, (the purple door). I am open from noon to 5 p.m. daily.

Pat Dunlop

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To the Editor:

The stated goal of al Qaeda's leaders is to build a fundamentalist Islamic Caliphate in Saudi Arabia that can unite Muslims into a common struggle against the West, using oil wealth that they steal as a key weapon.

The bin Ladenites and their fascist allies are a virus that must be eliminated. Americans who confuse our success and strength as arrogance are wrong. We are not the cause of fanatics who use murder and terror.

Weakness draws aggression and fighting back does not recruit terrorists, it merely brings them out into the sunlight.

The terrorists want to expel the USA from the Middle East so they can build a theocratic dictatorship and promote their poison on a global scale. We have seen the al Qaeda influence with the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan, a dictatorship marked by economic stagnation, political oppression and the hideous mistreatment of women.

The conversion of the Middle East into a theocratic terrorist training camp with stolen oil resources acquisition and dissemination of weapons and terrorism will be prevented by the USA at all costs.

In the next few years as the Iraqis control their own affairs, we will see Arabs themselves change the dynamic from extremism to peace.

In the interim, when our enemies attack us again, the power and passion of the American public for response will be massive. Our enemy is human; they can choose to stop or they can choose to learn fear.

Steve Coltin