Letters to the Editor 5/18/2022

Abuse of recycling center

To the Editor:

Every single time I go to the Sisters Recycle Center to drop off recyclables I find that most all of the bins contain junk, trash, and other wayward items. The other day it was one of the most common items: huge pieces of styrofoam. But along with that were two mops and multiple paper bags full of garbage. And that’s just what I could see in the one bin I used. I have found yard waste, metallic wrapping paper, and almost anything you can imagine except legitimate recyclables.

It’s not like recycling is a new idea, and it’s not like it’s confusing. We’ve been doing it for decades. There are large, informative signs clearly stating what belongs and what doesn’t. One time, I informed a middle-aged man that the big chunks of packing styrofoam he was throwing into the bin did not belong there. He shrugged and said he didn’t know where else to put it. Okay, don’t make your problem everyone else’s. This is so pitifully lazy. So inconsiderate.

We’ve all been told that excluded materials contaminate the entire bin. So what’s the point and why do the rest of us waste our time trying to do the right thing for our grossly over-polluted environment? Frankly, I’m surprised the City doesn’t close the center due to the constant improper use. Sometimes it seems there is more trash and junk in the bins than the intended materials. Others dump their household garbage in the small provided trash cans, causing them to often be overflowing.

To the violators: Think about what you’re doing, plan ahead, comply with the signs, figure out how to problem-solve, and be responsible for your stuff.

Kathryn Smith

What we have in common

To the Editor:

“I am not a gay man,” a friend of mine said. “I am not a gay man. I am a man, who is gay.”

I think the idea is to connect with people based on what we have in common, not what separates us. I should be seeing you as a woman who is a Latina, not a Latin woman. The first word should be what we have in common, not what separates us. I don’t want to see a black man, but a man. who is Black or African-American. Let’s talk about what we have in common, not what makes us different.

Of course, we want to have different kinds [of] people to live and work in today’s society. We want them to be able to do things, such as math, perhaps write a card to their mother on Mother’s Day, instead of sending a text. We might like them to be able to grow a plant, or manage a small garden to eat what they grow, or to just appreciate flowers. These activities are fulfilling for our kids who love to do things that matter.

Now, I am really quite OK with cultural exploration, as long as we start with what we have in common. If a child is identified first as Black or white or LGBTQ+++ then you just set that kid apart. Kids do not like being set apart at all. If you went to an AA meeting you would find that every person felt left out, not part of things, not good enough, and turned to drugs. What we are doing in some schools is carving kids into groups, when they want to be part of something.

I think the idea should be to show kids how much we all have in common. I have pictures I took in Laos of kids who taught me quite a bit. They had nothing compared to American children, but they had a smile, and a desire to learn. That is what we need in kids — a feeling of belonging, a smile, and a desire to learn.

Robert Allen

Salute to Don Hedrick

To the Editor:

Some people are just born leaders. They listen well and give you their full attention; things get done when they are on a committee; they are considerate of everyone’s time and come prepared to meetings; when they speak, everyone listens.

Don Hedrick is one of those people. Don has led the Sisters School Board for the past 11 years and is now retiring. His leadership skills may not be obvious because they are so much a part of him. That’s the thing with a born leader. But we can all develop our own leadership skills by learning from someone like Don. So, thank you, Don, for your leadership. You have been a gift to the Sisters School District.

Paul Bennett

End of abortion

To the Editor:

As emotions and opinions escalate concerning the U.S. Supreme Court vote to possibly overturn Roe v. Wade, perhaps now is the time to tell you about Henry Joseph.

On the evening of July 20, 1985, at the end of my first trimester of pregnancy, I miscarried little Henry Joseph. There he was before my husband and me, a perfectly formed human being with tiny hands, arms, feet, and legs. He had a distinct nose, dark-shaded eyes, and a tiny mouth. No one can deny that he was a human being, a child. I have not forgotten his tiny body. Henry Joseph was life within my womb.

I hope and pray that the killing of innocent lives through abortion will soon end.

Theresa Slavkovsky

Abortion decision

To the Editor:

America now stands at having performed over 60 million abortions, where some refer to it as family planning or basic health care. What might our China friends say? “America, you criticize us for organ harvesting. Hypocrite! In America, the most dangerous place to live is the womb of a woman. Remove the plank from your eye and ask how your Jesus would respond.”

If only women would realize how special they are in their Creator’s eyes, compared to the “sperm carriers.” When God finally chose to experience humanity, the earthly expectation was of a spectacular arrival of a conquering King of all enemies.

Why then would God, Creator of the universe, choose arrival as birth through a woman instead? My own thoughts are that knowing what was coming God may have wanted his first human experience to be the amazing love of a mother for her child.

Later would come the vile hate, rejection of his Word, and ultimate torture and crucifixion by “the elite.” For God so loved the world he chose birth through a woman to bring hope and salvation to all.

God’s first human kiss on his forehead came from the love of a mother.

When Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, approached Mary, at the sound of Mary’s voice the baby leaped within Elizabeth’s womb. I can’t [imagine] the feeling, designed only for women, experienced at the first movement of God’s amazing creation in her body.

Of course, the feelings behind the decision to abort must consider the life of the mother if in danger. In other cases, the decision process has alternatives, such as adoption and wisdom through prayer. For every child conceived, there are loving parents wanting, praying, and hoping but unable to conceive.

My youngest carried her daughter nine months without issue. Hattie died six days after birth in her mother’s arms. While grief can be overwhelming, so can God’s glory. Later, adopted sisters Renee and Lucy have since given our family immeasurable joy.

Jeff Mackey