Letters to the Editor 06/05/2019

To the Editor:

The letter written by Elizabeth Burns last week is so disturbing that I just have to comment on it. It’s so wrong in so many ways. I’m a lifelong educator, as well — which I’m embarrassed to say after reading her letter.

Her statement automatically pinning the blame on people because of their sex, color and age, is disgusting. “Like so much in this country old white men ....” So to follow her logic, young non-white women are automatically not ever at fault? What about older women then? What about non-white males? Or all white women? All equally disgusting assumptions. That’s exactly what we are trying to avoid in America. Aren’t we? That kind of knee-jerk statement and those assumptions?

She decries “Cronyism and favoritism,” then turns right around and does exactly that herself. To paraphrase her: “Many of the children have been part of the community for years. The coaches have been here for mere months.” OMG! That’s rank cronyism and favoritism RIGHT THERE! Can’t you see? Automatically good people and bad people, based on how long they have lived in our town. That’s really how to rank people? Think about it. Virtually all of us were newcomers to Sisters at some point. That’s an awful, awful assumption. Dead wrong, too.

Then to top it off: “Children are to be believed.” Well, OK, but believed just as much as the adults/others involved. No more, and no less. Fair is fair, right? Only an in depth investigation or a court can actually determine who is telling the whole truth and who is not. Wait and see. Until then the accused are presumed innocent — unless that has changed in the last month. As a long-time coach, I can testify, emotions run red hot in athletics. Especially nowadays.

Barry Clock

s s s

To the Editor:

Regarding the Wildfire Defense Systems insurance article in the May 8 Nugget: I find such insurance offensive because I remember reading stories of such insured homes amidst those not insured being attended to all the while the other homes were

ignored.

Well, of course you say, they paid for Fire Protection Insurance. We all pay for public fire service with our tax dollars and all such fire defense, mitigation and protection programs coordinate with one another from Federal to State to Local. Not always the case with for-profit fire protection.

These privately funded fire services can cause blockages (their vehicles in the way of those that serve all of us or inadvertently, blocking neighbors evacuating in an emergency) as had happened in the past per such articles out of Southern California.

This is yet another step toward privatization, this time it is our socially provided fire services under attack.

Susan Cobb