Letters to the Editor 09/30/2015

To the Editor:

Regarding his letter two weeks ago, I have clarified with Bill Antilla, both in writing and in person, that I never said the VFW or the American Legion supports the Black Butte Trail.

The written and audio minutes of the meeting he referred to confirm this. I am sorry he was misinformed.

Chuck Humphreys

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To the Editor:

Two weeks ago, The Nugget published a Letter to the Editor by Bill Antilla stating that Chuck Humphreys falsely testified "local veterans groups, including VFW Post 8138, support the so called Sisters to Black Butte Trail"-during a Sisters Parks & Recreation District Board meeting. Mr. Antilla also asked Mr. Humphreys to retract his statement in writing to the www.nuggetnews.com">www.nuggetnews.comwww.nuggetnews.com">Nugget Newspaper.

I was present at the SPRD meeting. I neither heard, nor do the written minutes or audio record support Mr. Antilla's accusation.

Mr. Antilla's sources of "intelligence" were grossly inaccurate. Rather than launching a public attack, it would have been preferable if Mr. Antilla had first verified the accuracy of the allegation and had first met with Mr. Humphreys to convey his concern about what he had been told was a mis-representation of his organization.

Following publication of his letter, Mr. Antilla was politely advised, in private, that his statement was factually incorrect. This was done with more than enough time for him to rectify his error in the following week's paper. I had every reason to expect that anyone in his position would have had the decency and courtesy to have done that, including an apology for false allegations.

In my book, shooting first and asking questions later is not an effective strategy for advancing any cause on the public opinion battlefield. In our community, a conversation with a neighbor, even one you might not always see eye to eye with, can help avoid all sorts of incrimination, anger, and wasted bullets, and might just help us realize we really do have a lot to fight for, side by side.

In closing, I wish to applaud all the veterans I know who, as individuals, do support this multi-user trail between Black Butte Ranch and Sisters. Their voices matter, too.

Kris Calvin

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To the Editor:

In response to David Keeton's letter concerning Andrew Gorayeb:

"If coach Gorayeb said something derogatory or negative to your son, he deserved it."

Congratulations on making me laugh really hard on my lunch break with that one. Sports sure have taken a step backwards if "the coach's job" is spewing homophobic slurs at "highly impressionable" children and their parents.

I in no way intend to make a personal attack against Andrew, but consider the possibility of someone on your team actually being gay? Would it be sportsmanlike to respect that? Or is homophobia part of the Outlaw creed? It seems a little absurd to defend behavior like that.

Jeremiah Perry-Weed