Letters to the Editor 07/06/2005

Last updated Jul 05, 2005 12:0pm0

To the Editor:

In response to John Shepherd’s letter to the editor — I do not live in Sisters, yet upon reading Mr. Shepherd’s letter I felt the need to respond to his contention that the work “Beloved” is inappropriate reading material for junior and senior high school students.

I too am a parent and I understand Mr. Shepherd’s desire to decide what is proper for his son to read. Yet this is seemingly another step towards desensitizing our children to the harsh reality of the world outside of the high school environs.

I recall all too well the day my daughter, who is eight, informed that they do not give grades at her school; nor do they declare winners in competitions. It seems that the fear of harming children’s self-esteem is more important than preparing them for life’s pitfalls. If children do not know failure, how can they be expected to embrace triumph? In that same vein should these teens not be made aware that the world outside of high school is not idyllic; that it too, much like “Beloved,” has ugliness and depravity?

These students chose to examine a work that is difficult, raw, and unapologetic. Yet for choosing the more difficult route they have garnered only negativity. They should be applauded.

A word to those students; hang in there, you can read whatever you like when you get to college. Your parents will never know.

Matt Sessler

Prineville

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To the Editor:

Now that the height of the tourist season is here and all the merchants are happy to see the tourist dollars roll into town, I think it would behoove the property owners to take a hard look at their yards and surrounding areas.

Some folks are very diligent in keeping their lawns and ditches mowed and flower beds weeded and other folks seem to wait until the weeds are very tall, the grass has turned brown and things are generally looking pretty shabby. I think pride in ownership (or lack thereof) shows up in the care and maintenance of the outside of the property. If the outside looks bad, the inside must be equally messy.

If this is a tourist destination and you all want their dollars then I feel it behooves each of us to show pride in our town and county by maintaining our property and pretend we care about how we look. Your neighbors’ property maintenance does have an effect on your property values as well. Would you want prospective buyers to be turned away because of the way your neighbors don’t take care of their property? We can all try a little harder to make a difference.

Diana Raske Lovgren

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To the Editor:

President George W. Bush is not a liar. I think he sincerely believes everything he tells us to be absolute truth. When he told us about WMD and atomic weapons being manufactured in Iraq, he believed it to be truth. When Bush’s Vice President and Secretary of Defense told him that Saddam Hussein was behind the 9/11 attack and the U.S. had to strike back, he was convinced it was absolute truth.

When President Bush was told that if we did not remove Saddam Hussein from power Iraq would break out in civil war and terrorists would be training there, he believed that tale to also be the truth. And as you can see today, it has turned out exactly as he said. Terrorists (insurgents) are using Iraq as a training base and civil war is breaking out. The only problem is, Hussein is locked up and American and Iraqi people are dying by the thousands in the process of “justifying” the so-called truth.

When President George W. Bush’s weapons-of-mass-destruction rationale for invading Iraq evaporated he was told that going to war would bring democracy to Iraqi and free the people to learn truth. However, the way the President’s Men are attempting to eviscerate our democracy in the United States — and the brutal treatment of prisoners by the U.S. to get at the truth — is proof positive that the President’s Men’s democratic credentials for Iraq are somewhat skewed.

We have seen our government assault First Amendment rights during the McCarthy era and when the FBI spied on and discredited civil rights activists.

However, today the President’s Men depict as public enemies — and even as traitors and potential terrorists — those who speak out against U.S. government policies. I may even be on The List…

The latest witch-hunt and attempted budget assault aimed at PBS is another example of the Administration’s quest to stifle dissent and bring the so-called truth of present political policies to the fore.

With people like Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, and speech-writer Karl Rove helping our President to make decisions it will be difficult for him to keep on track of teh truth.

Happy Birthday, America!

Jim Anderson

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To the Editor:

Thank you so much for your excellent, timely coverage on the Internet. My family and I moved away from Sisters 20 years ago. The hardest move in my life.

This morning (Saturday, July 2) when I was showing property in Bellingham, Washington, I was telling my client about my raft trips when in Sisters. (The first raft trip was put together by Jan Reed and it was just four of us ladies with a guide. It was awesome!) When my client heard I was from Sisters she asked if I was aware of the plane crash in the San Juans of a family from Sisters last night. My breath was taken away because immediately I knew it was part of the Reed family.

Since we moved to Washington we have seen them a couple of times on their annual trip to the San Juans via ferry. Our local news did not have a name and I was immediately able to get on the Internet for The Nugget and learn what had happened.

My heart goes out to the family, especially those three brave children that Bill and Jan raised, and all those in the Sisters area who have been blessed by this family.

Bill Reed was a big help and support for me when I was building my escrow clientele in Sisters. All my memories of Bill and Jan are good healthy memories.I am planning a trip to Sisters for the first time in probably five or six years and I am so sad that I will not be able to give them a hug. I am so sorry for our loss!

Bonnie (Bloch) Lang

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To the Editor:

I read local newspapers in large cities and small towns whenever I travel.

I just don’t read them to myself, however; I read them aloud to anyone I’m with.

Which started first, my love of newspapers or my 20-year stint as a writer and editor of The Doings, a community newspaper serving Chicago’s western suburbs? I’m not sure.

I’m sure of this, though. you have a terrific paper here in Sisters.

The Nugget (in the last two editions I’ve read while visiting here) contains well-written articles on timely topics; an attractive design; good photographs; lively letters to the editor; not-to-be missed sheriff’s calls; interesting area news; calendar of events; and great coverage of the Quilt Show.