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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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:

A small article at the top of page 19 in the Wednesday, August 11, Nugget caught my eye -- "School replacing faulty atomic clocks." Ironically, next to a report on the school board's decision to ask Sisters voters to renew the local option tax levy this November election.

I admit I am "modern technology" challenged, but atomic clocks for a high school? What is, why, and what did the atomic clocks cost in the first place, AND what chance is there for a full refund? Who specified, authorized, and ordered them? Next, how can it cost $22,000 to replace a dozen clocks?

Our schools are always faced with budget cuts, loss of teachers, lack of funding for sports, etc. With that scenario, how can anyone justify $22,000 for clocks?

Mickey Duehren

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To the Editor:

In response to the heated fast-food debate, I'd like to make a few observations, first in response to a Mr. Evan Owens' letter that, in effect, was hoping to save the souls of Sisters from the "menacing golden arches."

He insisted that McDonald's would be a magnet for low-income families, which would create money problems later on down the road. However, how could we expect a low-income family (that can only afford to eat fast food) to afford to send their child to an obesity clinic or camps?

Mr. Owens also stated that "Being a student for 22 years, I never once hung out at a McDonald's, so I doubt it will be a hot spot for the high school kids." It is a false conclusion to come to that, as a student from a town without a McDonald's, that his experience would be like those high schoolers that WILL have access to one.

Also, something that seems to have gone unmentioned is that Sisters is already home to a few chains that locals frequent on a regular basis, including -- gasp -- a fast food restaurant! Has Subway already been forgotten? Other chains that have found homes in Sisters: Figaro's, Ace Hardware, Ray's Food Place and Shell gas.

If you are wanting to save the purity of Sisters, why not strike against these other chains? Better yet, return to your homes, to your families and start growing your own food.

Don't like it? Don't go there. Period.

Molly Johnson

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To the Editor:

McDonald's in Sisters...No Way!

I was reading the Letters to the Editor and saw that a McDonald's may possibly come to Sisters. I hear what T. Anderson says about allowing McDonald's or any other fast food restaurant to come into Sisters; its sure to happen, but hopefully not in my lifetime.

Sisters is a town where as a child I used to ride my horse from Cloverdale to the Ski Inn where a hitching post was always waiting for my horse. There were days that my sisters and mom would walk into town and enjoy an ice cream cone or fountain drink from the local ice cream shop/pharmacy.

When guests would come to town it was always exciting because we'd get to go to The Gallery for dinner. Now, at age 34, with two children of my own, I still find it thrilling to go to these places that are still in business, still serving the same fountain drinks, licorice ice cream, chunky peanut butter milk shakes, greasy hamburger and fries.

I now live in a town similar to Sisters (Canby, Oregon...not as rustic) where dining is similar to Sisters. We do have a McDonald's, Burgerville, Taco Bell, Subway, but none of these beat the family-owned restaurants that have been in our community for years or that provide the hometown feeling like your Ski Inn, Sno Cap, The Gallery and others do.

I think your city planners need to hear from a "has been Sisters girl" and now "year-around tourist." I'll give my business to one of my favorite oldie restaurants before I'll give it to a franchise business that doesn't care if I come back or not. McDonald's, go find another town to pick on and leave Sisters alone.

Michelle (Davis) Webber

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To the Editor:

The editor's reply to Mr. Williams August 4 was very accurate.

I was born and raised in the Middle East and understand the culture, politics and complexities of that area.

Mr. Williams states that Bush understood fully the threat to our country and did something about it.

Did Bush understand that Iraq is basically a nation of separate clans based on regional and religious loyalties? And that their ties to their own leaders are stronger than their ties to a unified Iraq?

When he disbanded the Iraqi army (the only thing holding that nation together) where did he think those soldiers would go? To join their own clans and leaders, of course, and fight the U.S. "occupiers."

Bush claims that our nation is now safer and that we are feared and respected in the world. The world might fear a bully but it will never respect him. And never in our history have we been less safe and more despised in the world. This war will drag on and we will pay monetarily and in human lives.

We have no exit plan because there is none. How long does it take to rebuild a nation? A year, five, ten? We either pull out and leave a huge arena for terrorists to thrive in or go apologizing, begging and borrowing from other countries to join us in the effort to stabilize this mess we've created.

And as far as the excuse of removing WMD and a terrible tyrant, why didn't we go after North Korea or Libya's Khaddafi? Khaddafi has been in power far longer than Saddam, had brutalized his people as much if not worse, and has funded terrorism and wars for decades. Just ask the CIA.

Strength without wisdom does not bring about safety. Israel is a prime example. It's a strong nation that has never known peace and will never know it until it recognizes its own responsibilities in creating its situation.

Israel can build all the walls it wants, the U.S. can put up all the alerts and homeland security measures it can enforce, but we will always be targets and at war until we recognize that peace begins with an open mind and open dialogue.

Taking action means taking responsibility for our mistakes and taking the initiative to ask for help in resolving and understanding the conflicts. We need to act now or like Israel, we'll have to learn to live with constant fear, threat of terrorism, military build-ups, preemptive strikes and an overall sense of victimhood.

Sincerely,

Marina McCurdy

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To the Editor:

Letters to the editor are always a great read and what I go to first. The letters in the August 11 issue were worthy of kudos.

Eric Dolson's gave us guidelines for submitting our letters. Very fair, I thought, and at the present time we are still a two party system and a democracy which gives all of us the luxury of having our own opinions and especially the freedom to express what we think.

Another "hats off" to Linda Davis, she clearly defined "why we like John Kerry." I really do and he will definitely have my vote.

Dr. Blatt really laid it all out there; I could have said it, but not as well. I thought the T. Anderson McDonald's letter was quite amusing. Barbara Frattini's letter re: Seth's wonderful help and comfort was like balm on a wound.

There is hope.

Elayne Clarke

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To the Editor:

There was a (recent) letter from a man who stopped by the Democratic Party booth at the county fair and was asking for reasons to vote for John Kerry, rather than against George Bush.

Here are some great reasons: John Kerry has a reasonable plan to fix the health care system. He will bring the U.S. back into the group of civilized nations that adhere to the Geneva Conventions. He will have a foreign policy that will make the U.S. a respected power again. He will NOT authorize torture. He will reverse the Bush policy of creating a class system in this country.

And, if you heard his daughters at the convention, he must be a very proud father with the kind of family values we want in our leader.

Steve Bryan

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To the Editor:

At least from the latest letters to The Nugget we can get a more complete roster of the so-called progressive fringe in Sisters. (They hate to be called Liberals, I know.)

Some of these folks seems to like Kerry because he is such a deep-thinking, sensitive guy.

However, a lot of us aren't going to vote for this guy as a wartime President. He just can't be trusted to do the right thing when it counts. He has given us a two-sided argument on his pro-abortion, pro-gun control, anti-defense funding votes and many more things too numerous to count.

As a wartime President, I am willing to bet that Kerry would have us apologizing to al Qaeda for making them kill 3,000 of us. That would be the sensitive thing to do, I suppose.

And lastly, has anyone else wondered how Kerry was in Vietnam for only four months (which, coincidentally, is less than the combined airtime he's spent talking about it), got wounded three times and never spent a day in the hospital? Along with his demeaning of American Vietnam vets, ala Jane Fonda, Kerry really is unfit for being the Commander-in-Chief.

Give America a break and don't vote for this chameleon.

Carlton S. Yee

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To the Editor:

I am responding to Tonett Malar's letter of last week because I simply can not sit idly by when someone is obviously not paying attention to the facts.

Yes, Bush has done a lot for our nation, but not for the better. I find it unbelievable that Tonett and many others around Sisters and Oregon refuse to see the facts that Bush has built the biggest deficit in history, has turned back 30 years of environmental protection progress, has completely lost the support of most of our allies and sent our young people into a senseless war without a plan for peace, while ignoring or twisting the truth to convince us the whole time!

If you would take the time to look at actual reports from the White House, you would see that Bush is not doing what he says he is doing. The numbers and facts simply aren't there.

Blaming someone for 9/11 is pointless; it doesn't help anything. What makes sense is for you to do your homework and pick the candidate that is for the American people... not war, not big corporate interests and more oil consumption.

Which is more important to you? Tax cuts for corporations and people that make over $200,000 a year and less tax cuts for the middle class? Higher prices for prescriptions and health care? Less security on our streets and at our borders? Or more jobs here at home, a cleaner environment, more real security against terrorism, affordable health care, educational funding, tax breaks for the middle class and small businesses, and a leader that wants to make America independent of foreign oil?

The choice is very clear for me... it should be for you, too. WAKE UP PEOPLE! This is the most important election of our lifetimes.

This election is not about being Republican, Democrat or Independent... it's about restoring our trust, saving our planet, building and protecting our future and being proud to be American and respected around the world once again.

Pamela Jo Hunter

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To the Editor:

In Madrid on March 11, 2004, al Qaeda detonated 10 nearly simultaneous bombs in four packed commuter trains, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1,200.

When claiming responsibility for the attack al Qaeda described the operation as "part of a settlement of old accounts with crusader Spain," the ally of the United States.

Several days later the conservative Spanish government is defeated in general elections and the new Socialist prime minister withdraws Spanish troops from Iraq.

The bin Ladenites will try the same tactics here in America. Al Qaeda's war effort also includes "the steady bleeding of the U.S. economy." Propagandist Abu-Ubayd al-Qurashi wrote an essay in the publication al-Ansar called "A Lesson in War," wherein he described al Qaeda's intention to follow von Clausewitz's principle of attacking a foe's "center of gravity."

Al-Qurashi wrote of the bin Ladenites' unrelenting focus to direct all available force against the U.S. economy. Osama bin Laden has explicitly confirmed this strategic view publicly. bin Laden further states al Qaeda will kill vast numbers of Americans on their own soil, especially America's "dear ones." This last reference is widely interpreted to mean schools.

Too many Americans are whining and complaining about our image. Selfish and in denial, they are unwilling to address the brutal nature our war against our enemy must be.

Steve Coltin

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To the Editor:

How appropriate (Bruce Williams' August 4) letter to the editor is. It was also appropriate that the cartoon above the letter again bashed our President.

I admire the fact that you still gave the person an opportunity to express their views and support our president when it appears that you have a different view.

At times, The Nugget seems to be used as a vehicle to get support for your own personal views.

I have yet to see a negative cartoon about John Kerry or the Democratic party. It is possible that I have missed a few issues so if I missed some, I apologize.

I think our community deserves fair and balanced news, commentary and political cartoons. Or at least a cartoon that picks on both sides.

I will spare you the reasons why I support our commander and chief and why I feel that all the negative campaigning is damaging to our nation. I challenge you to include my views of your cartoons.

Dar Rosbuer

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To the Editor:

Sisters is truly an amazing community! The members of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped to make the ninth annual Country Fair and Art Show a resounding success.

From the families and individuals who enjoyed the activities and sales, to the merchants who allowed us to display posters, to others who helped with publicity, to the dozens of non-members of the church who contributed endlessly we are so grateful!

Eloise Barry