Letters to the Editor 2/7/2024

Hometown heros

To the Editor:

Here’s a much-needed piece of good news!

Pat Burke and Cody Meredith, two of our Sisters-Camp Sherman paramedics, had an unexpected and special moment last weekend. On a call to help a woman in labor they found themselves in the ambulance assisting with the delivery of the baby when she was ready to give birth before they reached the hospital.

The end of the story is the best possible outcome: mother and child are healthy, dad was there, and able to cut the cord, the paramedics were trained and ready.

Anyone who can save a life in a pinch and also help to bring in a new life is a hero to me!

Candace Brey

Fish for roundabout

To the Editor:

I read with interest Bill Bartlett’s story about the delightful fish artwork on the Sisters Elementary School fence being moved to a temporary location because of the roundabout construction (The Nugget, January 31, page 1).

How about moving it back when the roundabout is finished and making it the artwork in the center? I can see a mound in the middle with a fountain spurting up water at the top representing Whychus and the Metolius waters, lots of river rock for the water to fall down on, and the fish swimming around the center supported on stakes which sink down into the rocks. Plants representing the riverbanks could be placed around the base of the perimeter.

It would be a nice representation of our Sisters riparian features and the fish could happily return to their original habitat. Let Brad Tisdel know if you think this is a good idea!

Sue Anderson

We are living in a different age

To the Editor:

In response to Mr. Campbell’s letter “Who’s Dangerous?”:

Sir, I did not label my article (must have been the editor). What I wrote was not disinformation, everything can be proven. I know exactly what ANTIFA stands for and I also know that they have done nothing but cause harm and destruction. The Republican Party inherited a lot of things, so has the Democrat Party.

Yes, President Johnson did sign the civil rights bill, however he did not want to, he had no choice. And Senator Biden voted against it every time it came up for a vote.

I, too was a Democrat until after I retired from the Navy (1992) and I didn’t like the way the party was headed. Ever think why we do not hear that much from the American Communist party any more? It seems that the Democrat party has pretty much taken their platform.

We are living in a different age. It is not the south or the north that want to destroy all of the statues or rewrite history, it’s people promoting socialism.

Lastly, if Paul Harvey told all the folks that Biden won the election fairly, would they believe him.

Thomas Nitcher

Might makes right

To the Editor:

They say don’t discuss religion or politics with friends. But I’m going to do both, in response to a previous letter to the editor. (The Nugget, January 17, “Israel History”).

The author of the letter bases much of his “history” on the Bible. Mixing religion and history together. Making his point that much of the Mideast once belonged to the Jewish people. And using their religion to justify their permanent right to the holy land. The author saying, “This (land) is forever (given) to the Jews” and “Israel is (for) God’s people for eternity.”

Suppose you applied that logic to the USA? Then it’s time for nearly all of us to climb back into the boats and leave. Using the author’s logic, Native Americans were here long before the arrival of us “foreigners.” And therefore they have a permanent right to this land for eternity. And all Indian groups had religious reasons for their claim to their homelands, too. Even attaching their creation beliefs to the landscape and landforms. Very similar to the Jewish people’s claim, but based on their own, Indian religious beliefs.

Simply put ...this land is their land forever. The Native Americans! But we took it and have no intention of ever returning it. It’s the height of hypocrisy to say a certain rule only applies to other countries, such as Israel and not to ourselves.

But it’s even far more complicated than that. Many, if not all, Indian tribes took land from each other through the centuries. (See Utes, Navajo, and Apaches.) How far back do we want to go? Who’s claim to the land is more valid? It soon gets incredibly complicated and hard to justify ownership.

I can see no alternative to “might makes right,” in the Mideast and in America. The way the world has always worked. Simply put, Israel belongs to the Jewish people ...for as long as they can keep it. The same goes for the Palestinians.

Barry Clock

No to Trump

To the Editor:

It is time to let the facts and the truth speak. We have a choice as to who we will vote for in the upcoming election, and, for me, it won’t be Trump.

The reason is simple, as follows: 92 criminal charges; twice impeached; business found guilty of financial crimes; his foundation found guilty of illegally using funds, fined $1 million; his now defunct university was closed due to lawsuit by students and had to pay $25 million; he is indicted for stealing classified documents from the government; he is indicted for trying to steal 11,000-plus votes in Georgia; he abused power by taking in $7.8 million from foreign entities while President.

He was recently found civilly liable for sexual abuse, owes $5 million to E. Jean Carrol (judge confirmed he committed rape), and found guilty of defamation, owes $83.3 million to E. Jean Carrol; he is accused by NY DA of paying hush money to Michael Cohen (who served time for helping Trump) described as legal fees, when in fact, they were campaign expenses meant to keep his campaign untarnished (first criminal case); he reveres fascists Putin, Orban, and Jong Un; he cheated on all of his wives (three) and he has lied over 30,000 times, confirmed, and continues to lie. He belittles and demeans anyone who challenges him.

Now, if that doesn't bring you some pause as to who you want in the White House, then remember what our Democracy stands for — no one is above the law. The Constitution comprises the law of the U.S. Federal Government, it describes the three branches of government and their jurisdictions and lays out the basic rights of U.S. citizens.

Trump has mocked our legal system, our judges, our voting system, and our country — he mocks our country! Our allies have continued to remind us of how ashamed we should be to have put him in the White House and how the GOP and some religious groups blindly continue to support him.

Wake up, America, the country we love and support needs you.

If you want to know what the current administration has accomplished, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov.

Diane L. Hodgson

Celebrating the wolves’ return

To the Editor:

Five groups of wolves are now living within Jefferson, Crook, Deschutes County, and the Warm Springs Reservation. When Wolf Welcome Committee began, in early 2021, none of these wolves called Central Oregon home.

Our ongoing commitment has been to promote co-existence. We have hosted events with biologists and authors, helped organize the 2023 Oregon Rewilding Conference and an educational workshop for the ranching community. Currently, two of our members serve on the Deschutes County Wolf Depredation and Financial Assistance Committee.

Under Oregon Wolf Plan rules, non-lethal deterrents should be undertaken before livestock producers are awarded compensation for any depredation. Wolf Welcome Committee actively supports proactive, non-lethal methods to reduce wolf-livestock conflicts. Guard dogs, fencing, fladry, motion-triggered devices, and range riders are some effective methods. Wolves are smart. When they get used to one type of prevention method, they can become desensitized and a new approach must be implemented. Wolf Welcome Committee does not support lethal control of wolves.

Contrary to anti-wolf mythology, wolves are extremely wary of humans and are opportunistic — only hunting the most vulnerable prey. The best available science also indicates that, when a wolf is removed from its pack, there is a negative impact on the remaining family members. That pack is less able to successfully hunt and provide food for its pups and more likely to target livestock. Wolf Welcome Committee strives to shift obstructive views about wolves through education and advocacy.

Wolves were exterminated from Oregon in 1949. We aren’t practiced in co-existing, yet the recent presence of wolves in our area has been largely non-eventful. Our wilder landscapes are benefiting from having them back since wolves and healthy ecosystems are inextricably linked. Thousands of people have attended “Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan,” at the High Desert Museum. The majority of Oregonians are celebrating wolves!

Susan Prince & Jennie Sharp