Letters to the Editor 1/8/25

Roundabout

To the Editor:

Sometimes I think people who haven’t been here for over a year should be wearing some kind of an arm band. I went through the roundabout, minding my own business, when someone was laying on their horn throughout, until I pulled over to let them pass. Then I realized they were from California. I’m sorry if I ruined their day.

Happy New Year.

Craig Cathcart

Free speech

To the Editor:

I believe in free speech. For the individual and the press as stated in the First Amendment. Is there any responsibility contained within this amendment for the right of free speech to be given to all U.S. citizens equally? Do citizens believe that egalitarianism is inherent in the first amendment as it applies to free speech?

If one considers “money” to be free speech does the fact that one person can contribute $250 million and another contributor might only be able to give $1,500 — does this support an egalitarian argument in relation to free speech?

The $1,500 is .00006 percent of a vote compared to the 100 percent vote of a person(s) that contributes $250 million. Does not seem very egalitarian to me.

I believe all citizens should work toward developing a statement of the associated problem, think about a plan to get back to an egalitarian approach, work to implement it, and then evaluate if the goal toward equality is progressing.

I would like to hear any ideas of moving toward fairness and equality as it relates to free speech.

Vikki Hickmann

Lose our voice, lose our choice

To the Editor:

We are so lucky to live in this country. We need to make sure those representing us are speaking the truth. We need to insure our rights, and make sure the law is upheld on behalf of all of us, not just the wealthy.

Why have we let ourselves be fooled by someone who does not respect us, does not respect the rule of law? If we want to be entertained, we watch sports, a movie, our children, a joke… we don’t want to be watching someone make fools of us, speak ill of our country, and degrade those who can’t speak for themselves. The media shines a spotlight on a man who has been found liable for sexual abuse, guilty of fraud, and an attempted coup (January 6, 2021, false electors, claims of a stolen election), of outright lies, of money laundering, election fraud, and convicted 34 times in a court of law and who is now a convicted felon, a felon.

But because some find him entertaining, they excuse his ugly rhetoric.  

This man is to be the next President. Let that sink in for a minute. You can say these trials, held in a courtroom, with a judge, jury, proper representation by attorneys on both sides, do not mean this man is guilty, but you would not have a leg to stand on because he has been found guilty. Being rich, he can play with the truth, call the media corrupt, call the judges corrupt, call the jurists corrupt, call those who testified against him corrupt, call those who don’t agree with him corrupt — but when you look at the facts, with the truth staring right at you, reality sets in and you realize, this is who will be representing you.  

This man who will be the President has shown us in the last few weeks how he will govern, and who he wants to lead the important governmental departments of this country. A lot of those he has chosen are billionaires who paid for these positions or have very sketchy backgrounds (like Gaetz), and some are just yes-men!  All of us watching this should be saying to ourselves, why is he doing this? Is he using fear and outright lies to put us in our place?

Why is this man not in jail for the crimes he committed? The answer to that one is, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to give him immunity, to let him run amok and do whatever illegal acts he wishes without any repercussions when he returns. Remember Watergate, “No man is above the law, including you, Mr. President.”? Remember?

This country was built and fought for by brave, honest, hard-working men and women and we should speak up against wrongdoing. If we don’t, we will only have ourselves to blame for letting our children, our environment, and our country down. Be the one to speak up, make a difference, and be responsible in keeping this country strong, both here and abroad. Our democracy depends on it and we can’t let wealthy oligarchs rule us.

If we lose our voice, we lose our choice.  

Diane L. Hodgson

Importance of The Nugget Newspaper

To the Editor:

Sisters and Sisters Country is lucky and blessed to have The Nugget Newspaper as a very important “glue” that helps make our community a community.

Just imagine, if you will, what Sisters would be like without The Nugget? No local sports, City news, interesting articles, letters to the editor, and many other items of information and interest that’s nice to know and know about.

Where am I going with this commentary? Simple: I suggest that everyone in town that is able should make a supporting contribution to The Nugget every year. A check to The Nugget of $50-$120/year ($10/month) would go a long way to helping our local newspaper be financially healthy and a weekly part of our lives.

Please don’t take The Nugget for granted. They need our financial support and the new year is a good time to start.

Bruce Rognlien

Editor’s note: The Nugget appreciates the support of readers like Bruce Rognlien. All supporting contributions are earmarked to paying the freelance reporters, photographers, and columnists who provide the content that fills The Nugget each week. You can make a supporting contribution at http://www.nuggetnews.com (click “Supporting Contribution” button at top right); mail P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759; or call 541-549-9941.

Subject of complaints

To the Editor:

It is becoming increasingly more heart-breaking to read a newspaper or watch the daily newscasts on TV, all of which depict yet another act of violence, crime, and man’s inhumanity to man. When I read Bill Bartlett’s Nugget article about “Wild turkeys subject of complaints” (The Nugget, December 18), it served as a timely reminder of how extremely fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful community as Sisters.

Mr. Bartlett’s article definitely put into perspective just how blessed our community is, and should give pause to those who believe that our wild turkeys “are a menace and a safety issue.” Consider the “audacity” of having to slow down/stop so that a flock of these turkeys, or any other wildlife, are able to cross the road! We should be grateful that we can afford a vehicle to drive, shelter to drive to and from, and an area in which the majority of the population remains safe, rather than being faced with crime, violence, and Man’s inhumanity to Man.

Perhaps I should refrain from wearing rose-colored glasses, but I believe there are far worse scenarios occurring in our world to consider and deal with rather than complaining about some of God’s creatures, great and small. If anyone only has a complaint about our wildlife interfering with our driving speed, you are indeed blessed.

Janet Swarts

No growth option

To the Editor:

Two previous Nugget letters to the editor have questioned why the City of Sisters did not pursue or even consider a no-growth option at the urban growth boundary open house.

I will be the third to ask the question, and I have heard many others, along with the idea of starting a petition requesting that a no-growth option be the focus.

I am very curious why there has not been a response to the question?

Linda B. Wolff

Roundabout art

To the Editor:

The stallion statue at the east entrance to the city of Sisters is iconic. It is also difficult to see given the new traffic pattern. Why not relocate this beautiful statue to the new roundabout? It would again welcome folks coming into town from the east with a symbol of Sisters past, present, and future!

The city would not have to spend a fortune on a new piece of artwork; it would just have to add some boulders or metal sagebrush artwork around the stallion. Please consider relocating this symbol of Sisters to the roundabout, where it would be again highly visible. Thank you! 

Terry Hardin

Thank you to Sisters

To the Editor:

To the City of Sisters and surrounding areas — we would just like to thank you all, for your support and kindness over these last nearly 14 years of doing business in this great little town. First, we thank all our past and present employees. We could not have done this without you! All our terrific locals who kept us going year round! We could not have survived without you all!

We came from humble beginnings with a dream to open a bar & grill and to see what would happen. People told us we would not last six months! Had a sheriff come in soon after we opened to tell us he would be shutting us down through all the DUIs he would get coming out of the bar. To others telling us, “This building is cursed, every business has failed that’s ever been in here!” Quite the start to overcome! Then after a few years, they started saying, “You broke the curse!”

We have had a few DUIs, but never made the OLCC “watch” list, we are happy to say! Also, we never had one OLCC violation in all those years. Another proud achievement for us. Lottery was a game changer. We wanted to prove that we could operate without the lottery first, and we also did that, getting the lottery in about two years after we opened! So thank you all.

We had a 10-year plan to sell and retire somewhere warm. Well, we now have a home in sunny Arizona, and the sale took almost 14 years, but hey, we would not have done this without all of you! We made many lifelong friends too. Bonus! We are not saying goodbye, as we will see you all from time to time, as family still lives in Sisters. Steve will be back to help Marvin, the new owner, and show him the ropes for his first Rodeo and first summer concert.

Thank you all. Have a great new year!  

Steve and Darcy Macey, Hardtails Bar & Grill