Letters to the Editor - 1/20/2021

To the Editor:

I love the irony of the right invoking the name of Abraham Lincoln over and over and then bringing Confederate flags into the Capitol. The right loves to point out that Lincoln was a Republican and that the Democrats were slave holders. This is true. What they seem to forget is, as any middle school student who didn’t get an “F” in history knows, the “Southern Democrats” flipped over to the Republican party in the 1960s right after Lyndon Johnson’s (another Southern Democrat) civil rights laws passed. Why would they do that unless the Republican party was friendly to their cause?

Since the Civil War, the Republican Party became the party for big business and was controlled by rich white men. Still is. Meanwhile, the Democratic party catered more to the workers, the poor, minorities, and people with a more liberal leaning. Since there were more of these people, the Demos would win more elections and the Republicans figured they needed to add more to their base to win elections. They went after the rural vote and the people that didn’t want their children bussed to school for integration or have black folks moving into their neighborhoods. Now we have the Trumpist party and the old Republican Party is practically extinct.

This is my message to the Trumpists: You have been manipulated, conned, suckered, punked, fooled, and I don’t know how many more ways I can say it. Someone, who really had Americans down pat said: “It’s easier to fool someone than to convince them that they have been fooled,” Mark Twain.

I hate the fact that the right thinks they own Abe Lincoln. He would be rolling over in his grave if he saw what happened January 6.

I hate the fact that the right thinks that they are the only patriots. I protested the war in Vietnam (turns out we were right) and I consider myself a patriot. Not my country, right or wrong, but my country, right the wrong.

I hate the fact that the right thinks our flag is theirs alone. They go ballistic if somebody burns the flag in protest but they’re OK with a Trumpist beating a downed policeman with it while breaking into our nation’s Capitol. Did you see that video? Makes me proud to be an American. I’m sure it must have been fake news or maybe “Antifa” in disguise.

If this is “Make America Great Again,” I don’t think we can handle much more greatness.

Bruce Campbell

To the Editor:

Governor Brown: From the press releases we read regarding following your strict orders to close restaurants from running their businesses, I’m struck you might not understand and know the Oregon people you’re currently controlling. We are educated, patriotic citizens. We are also critically essential to ourselves, families, our towns and cities, our state and our nation. We ask for fairness.

Applying the fear generated around the

COVID-19 virus in March of this last year is no longer a scientific basis to keep lives restricted, and to prevent citizens from earning a living. It is each individual who will make it possible for this virus to run its course, not the control of our lives by our government.

We need the information our governments have provided to remain safe. Observing Sisters, Bend, and Redmond, these guidelines have been followed by a high 90 percent of their population.

Sisters needs our local businesses and they need us. They provide a safe environment for us to participate in, That was proven in Sisters, when restaurants and athletic clubs were open.

The tone of your press releases has a police state tone and it is threatening. A softer tone suggesting trust would be welcome. Much has been learned about this virus and the use of masks.

Huber’s study indicates some risks are involved in wearing masks over long time periods. There are no standardized masks: from a scarf, a bandana, a washable cloth to surgical masks. The N95 protects the wearer but the valve expresses air on exhale. Masks can restrict O2 flow across them and produce oxygen debt for some. Single layer cloth masks are the least effective, yet worn by many. Huber also reports that particles of the mask can be inhaled, producing lung lesions.

The mental side of human health is always affected in times of stress: isolation does affect our mental health. It is time to rethink our state policy, become leaders for the nation and give the best information to our citizens. So they make their own health decisions. Doing this, we will not be violating our First Amendment rights, as extended closures feel like a violation of those rights.

Hippocrates’ work “Of the Epidemics” (first, do no harm) should be followed in any medical or dental treatment, this includes the use of public health treatments.

Rick Judy DMD

To the Editor:

Congressman Cliff Bentz has added insult to injury by first joining the GOP clique to overturn the results of the democratic national election and subvert the Constitution and then by supporting Donald Trump by refusing to vote to impeach him.

With regard to the former, The Bend Bulletin, which had endorsed Bentz, tried to lamely defend him, saying he claimed to be standing up for a certain principle in Pennsylvania election laws. Really? Bentz knows nothing about Pennsylvania election laws. The proof: When questioned in an OPB interview about why he decided to help overturn the election, he tap danced all over the place and never once mentioned Pennsylvania. Only much later did he bring it up when desperate for an excuse, which the clique happily provided.

As for the latter, Bentz claimed, among other things, that he did not vote to impeach Trump because this would be a rush to judgement! This is laughable. Mr. Bentz, how stupid do you think your constituents are?

Bentz is a disgrace to Oregon and must resign.

Gary Leiser

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter to encourage my fellow humans to explore what is really true.

Today, I decided to research annual deaths in the State of Oregon over the past 4 years. Here is what I found on Oregon.gov. Overall deaths from all causes in 2020 were 36,037.

In 2019 that number was 37,397, 2018 36,191 and in 2017 36,640.

Does anyone besides me see something very startling? Last year’s death toll was lower than it has been in four years! Why then has our governor called a state of emergency? Forced businesses to close? Forced use of masks?

I’ll let you use your critical thinking skills to solve this one.

S. McMillan