Letters to the Editor 03/12/2008

To the Editor:

I have been a resident of Sisters for 30 years and rarely have spoken up, as I'm about as close to a recluse as one can get. Owning property in the city, I have paid my share of taxes/fees to support city and staff.

As a member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars organization, I was one of the first to know of the city councilors' decision NOT to assist in funding an American flag as a part of the memorial for deceased veterans from this area.

The majority of the funding for the memorial is coming from private donations, but many people were anticipating that the city would have no problem with contributing money for the flagpole/flag. This memorial would allow family of deceased veterans the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved ones and visitors to the city park (the Village Green) could see that this community has provided its share of brave military members that have been willing to serve their country so all may enjoy the freedoms we hold dear.

The commander of the local VFW has assured its members that the decision by the Sisters City Council will go out to all of the VFW commanders throughout Oregon and beyond. Perhaps this will encourage veterans, spouses and people that love this country and the American flag to stay away from Sisters.

What this city council did for our American flag/veterans is a disgrace.

Year after year the locals wish for a city council that will address the horrendous traffic issue, and each year we are disappointed. I will bet money on the fact that this bunch isn't capable of addressing the traffic problem or any other significant issue without screwing things up.

Lynn R. Johnston

•••

To the Editor:

How wrong can a person be in 80 years time (my age)?

All my life I've been extremely proud and feel fortunate to enjoy my freedom in the U.S. and respect our flag 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Evidently this is not the case in the present Sisters City Council minds. They have disapproved the local veterans application to install a flag pole at the Village Green to commemorate along with a plaque with fallen veterans names on it.

One of their weak, un-American reasons is it would only be used one day a year - Memorial Day. Give me a break. How disrespectful and un-American can you be?

I've heard the word boycott, which at first (I thought) was a good idea, but that would only hurt some of the good American businesses in Sisters that have donated time and money for this project.

Better selection of wording could be "recall." If I lived in Sisters (city limits), I'd head this up.

If it were not for all veterans - past, present and future - none of us would be living in a free world today. In fact, the present city council and myself would most likely not even be alive and if we were we would be under some foreign rule: Japanese, German - you name it; there's lots to choose from.

I personally will be and am proud to fly our American flag 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and I'm proud to say I'm an American and very happy to have served my country.

Rush Limbaugh can you hear me?

Mike Krumvieda

•••

To the Editor:

On February 14 of this year, Phil Gale spoke to the city council members asking for a flag and flag pole to be flown over an in-progress veterans memorial.

The local chapter of the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) is installing and funding a memorial plaque with the names of local veterans that are no longer living next to the gazebo in the Village Green. This plaque will be adorned with a bronze relief of veterans in action mounted on a slab of marble, then mounted on a locally-obtained red pumice rock that is currently in place.

Phil Gale, Commander of the local VFW, and 17 other people in support of the project asked again of the city for monetary assistance. (Commander Gale had previously discussed this subject at the January council meeting.) The requested flag is to honor our veterans, show our support for the great country we live in and our stand on freedom that veterans living and dead fought for.

A 25-foot flag flying 24/7 over our memorial to our past veterans who have helped us stay a great nation is just a great American way. Our city's park, where a lot of our community's functions are held, will with a tall flag proclaim our respect for our country, our veterans and our heritage to all that will visit Sisters and the Village Green.

Does the city council want to support the local VFW's efforts in creating a memorial honoring veterans and our nation by installing and funding a flag pole or not?

Peter Scott & Judy Scott

s s s

To the Editor:

Just a quick note regarding the article about the opening of the Pleiades restaurant ("Restaurant open house draws a crowd," The Nugget, March 5, page 8.)

In the article Pleiades is referred to as a constellation, which it is not. The Pleiades is a star cluster located within the constellation of Taurus. It denotes the shoulder of the bull. 

Personally, I think a great promotional scheme would be for the restaurant to offer one free meal to those people born under the sign of Taurus.

Ron Thorkildson

•••

To the Editor:

Amongst all the negative publicity the Sisters schools have endured over the past year during an SPTC meeting last spring, I had a vision that the real supporters of our community would come together and give to the children. I spoke up at that meeting and other parents agreed. This fall, the teachers agreed we should replace student sales with an auction. So the journey to host the Gala began.

The students are our innocence, and they try every day to become better people. I believe it is up to us adults to show them how much we care and continue to provide enrichment programs for our youth, so they will become successful in life.

I look forward to celebrating the commendable efforts of the students, SES staff, SPTC and Gala committees this Saturday at the Gala. The value of the donations for our first event is incredible. In less than three months the Gala committee has procured over $25,000 worth of donations for our children. Amazing!

I am truly humbled by the spirit of giving and support in the Sisters community for our youth. Thank you donors for your contributions and parents for your relentless commitment to my vision for our children. The reality of the Gala has taught me that when adults come together, children win!

Judy Vial

•••

To the Editor:

Thank you to all who attended "Sisters Act Rides Again," the 13th community talent show to raise money for the Masaka School and Orphanage in Masaka, Uganda. The show was fun, entertaining and filled with talented performers from all over Central Oregon. We look forward to another show next year.

My hope in writing this is to suggest to any one who was unable to attend the show, it is not too late to help and to anyone unfamiliar to the cause, it is a worthy one to think about helping.

The purpose of this year's show was to raise money to purchase new cook stoves for the orphanage. The new stoves will provide a healthy, smoke-free kitchen and use the expensive wood-fuel more efficiently. Saving money on fuel costs will enable the directors to provide more food for the increasing number of hungry children.

Now, many children are turned away with no hope if they are not on the list of 970 children attending school. These children are left to fend for themselves in unimaginable conditions. Inflation, drought and sickness have made the future of countless children a matter of life and death. Your help will make a difference.

I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with the director of Masaka School, Osborn Muyanja, the morning of the show. As the emcee of all 13 "Sisters Act" shows, I understand the need and wanted to let people know of the current conditions and the desperation because of the increasing problems. Times are tough everywhere but unbelievably so in Masaka.

I continue to help with this cause because I know all the money raised goes directly to the children. Very little is spent putting on the show because of the many generous volunteers. I want you to know that in supporting the children of Masaka your dollars will be a tremendous help for some honest people.

The goal of raising $3,800 fell well short, and your help is still needed. All donations are tax deductible. Checks are payable to Good Samaritan Ministries and can be mailed to Good Samaritan Ministries, c/o Theresa Slavkovsky, PO Box 752, Sisters, OR 97759.

Thank you to those who have and will consider helping children anywhere. There is no way I can explain how grateful Osborn and the children of Masaka will be. Just know if you do help, you have done something extraordinary for the world. And that's a good feeling.

Kelly Powell

•••

To the Editor:

If you are a parent of a special needs child, there are free resources available to you to ensure your child is provided a "Free Appropriate Education within the Least Restrictive Environment."

School districts have special education lawyers at their disposal which can set an unfair and disadvantaged playing field for the parent advocating for their child.

Your child may be entitled to the following services: speech-language pathology and audiology; psychological; physical and occupational therapy; recreation, including therapeutic recreation; early identification and assessment of disabilities; counseling, including rehabilitation counseling; orientation and mobility services; medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes; school health services; social work services in schools; parent counseling and training; and transportation.

Oregon Parent Training and Information Network is a great place to start your own special education education: http://www.orpti.org.

The site http://www.aboutautismlaw.com provides useful tools and special education law resources applying to all disabilities. Another reliable special education law resource and advocacy for children with disabilities is wrightslaw.com. The Oregon Advocacy Center (OAC) is a free legal source for advocacy, http://www.oradvocacy.org

The Oregon State Office of Student Learning and Partnerships provides dispute resolution services to include mediation, complaint investigation and due process hearing options, (503) 947-5705 or [email protected]

Parents are crucial partners with schools in determining their child's most appropriate educational goals and should be welcomed as such without bias, agendas or fear of retaliation. My advice is to be prepared and know all of your and your child's rights going in. Sadly, there also comes a time when we must conclude our child's current school district is just not the appropriate fit and thus time to move on.

Andrea Schleufer (Florentina's Mom)

[email protected]