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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2015)
2 Wednesday, June 3, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not neces- sarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: My idea of a trail in the woods is walking on dirt and pine needles, not an asphalt trail. Sheryl McLaughlin s s s To the Editor: We are Black Butte Ranch homeowners who support the development of a bike trail between BBR and Sisters. Current owners and registered guests use and enjoy the exist- ing bike trails at the Ranch. The development of the trail to Sisters would extend safe biking opportunities beyond the Ranch and in gen- eral add to the recreational options available. We know our guests, children, grandchildren would appreciate such an amenity and use it for both biking and walking We have no concerns about increased crime or trespassing as a result of such a trail. As far as we know, there is no factual data from the police department or board that sug- gest the existence of such a bike bath would significantly increase any of these undesirable outcomes. Even if trespassing were to become an issue, we are confident that Ranch man- agement could institute appropriate access controls. For two decades one of us has closely observed the Row River Bike Trail, a 15-mile paved trail that is used by hikers, bikers and equestrians. It starts in Cottage Grove and runs along the shores of the Row River and Dorena Reservoir. The initial widespread fears of homeowners regarding increased vandalism, trespassing and crime have proven totally unfounded. Property and other crimes have not increased in the area even as trail usage has increased. Locals as well as visitors now view the trail as a major area attraction and amenity. The second signer of this letter has had a similar experience at her home in Stinson Beach, California. A survey of Ranch homeowners completed last spring suggests that a significant major- ity of owners support the existence of such a trail. After thinking about the proposal and weighing pros and cons, we, too, believe the potential benefits far outweigh any hypotheti- cal negative outcomes. Sue Wickizer Diane Wara s s s To the Editor: Last weekend I had the honor and the priv- ilege to attend and speak at the Memorial Day Ceremony at Village Green Park. As a family man and a business owner I have found it only too easy to forget what this three-day weekend is really about. This cere- mony helped me to remember the importance of this weekend, and for that I am extremely grateful. I was encouraged to see so many people turn out to honor those who are serving, who have served, and those no longer with us. So thank you to all of those who had anything to do with putting this event together, and giving people in Sisters the chance to celebrate those who have given everything for our country. Chris Frye s s s To the Editor: Oregon Adaptive Sports would like to go on record as being fully in favor of the pro- posed paved trail from Sisters to Black Butte Ranch. Such a trail would clearly support our mission which is “to provide life-changing outdoor recreation experiences to individuals with disabilities. Participants gain confidence, build self-esteem and strive for indepen- dence leading to an enhanced quality of life.” Ultimately, we envision a day when every- one has the opportunity to experience the benefits of outdoor recreation, regardless of ability. This asset to the Sisters community would See letteRS on page 20 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Mostly cloudy Mostly sunny Sunny Sunny Sunny Sunny 61/39 69/41 78/43 81/45 83/48 82/na The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Fax: 541-549-9940 | editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Publisher - Editor: Kiki Dolson News Editor: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Williver Classifieds & Circulation: Teresa Mahnken Advertising: Lisa Buckley Graphic Design: Jess Draper Proofreader: Pete Rathbun Accounting: Erin Bordonaro The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $40; six months (or less), $25. First-class postage: one year, $85; six months, $55. Published Weekly. ©2014 The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as uncondition- ally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. N Rachel Marsden American Voices PARIS — The fight against the Islamic State is making for some odd bedfellows — namely, the U.S. and Iran. Perhaps that isn’t a bad thing, as average Americans could be the ulti- mate beneficiaries. U.S. military action against the Islamic State has already cost $2.44 billion, according to the Pentagon. For that price, the terrorist group has actually GAINED ground. As much as it might make other regional players nervous, America’s best bet to wipe out the Islamic State is the Iranian army. The U.S. and Iran appear to have come to an under- standing on military coop- eration, with America focus- ing on airstrikes while Iran leverages its field intelli- gence to strike at the Islamic State on the ground. Iran is currently helping old foe Iraq and its beleaguered military reclaim a major oil refinery from the Islamic State, and the Iranians also helped win back Saddam Hussein’s birth city of Tikrit. When asked about the nature of Iranian-U.S. coop- eration, anonymous U.S. officials were mum, citing operational security. Iran is playing it equally coy. I asked my own anonymous Iranian official sources this week, “You guys aren’t cooperating with the U.S. against the Islamic State, are you?” The response: “Oh, really? We aren’t?” Get these guys a room already. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Iranian military soon decided to sweep through Syria and Iraq to wipe the Islamic State off the face of the Earth. Syria is a critical Iranian ally, and you’ve got to figure that Iran views Iraq as a highly attractive power vacuum. Who else in that region is going to get rid of the Islamic State? Not the U.S. alone, apparently. And not Saudi Arabia, which pro- vided the seed funding for the Islamic State back when it was part of the Syrian rebel movement. Besides, the Saudis really aren’t ready for prime time. They haven’t done much militar- ily since the first Gulf War in the early 1990s, and they’ve recently demonstrated their lack of might by getting their rarely used warplanes bogged down in squab- bling with Houthi insurgents (Iranian allies) right on the Saudis’ own border. As for Israel, it already raises ire in the Middle East by virtue of its mere existence and likely isn’t keen on creating more trouble for itself. Iran has the military power and the intelligence capabilities to wipe out the Islamic State. And Iran has been quietly playing foot- sie under the table with the U.S. for longer than many Americans are probably aware — much to the frus- tration of the French, who consider it to be two-faced behavior by their ally. In 2010, the New York Times pointed out that the U.S. government had granted special licenses to bypass Iranian sanctions under the guise of humani- tarianism to scores of American companies. And yet the U.S. has imposed fines on foreign companies for violating sanctions against Iran — like France’s largest bank, BNP Paribas, which was recently ordered to pay a $8.9 billion penalty. If Iranian sanctions are dropped, other American companies will have a shot at the Iranian market, rather than just the select few cho- sen by the U.S. government. Will all of this mean that Iran won’t have a nuclear weapon someday? Maybe not. Thus far, Iran has largely ignored attempts to thwart its nuclear program any- way. At least if it’s heading toward joining the nuclear club, economic cooperation will likely mean that we’ll learn about it faster. The West simply can’t afford to sacrifice real eco- nomic benefit to fight pre- emptive ideological wars in the Middle East or else- where. The U.S. is best served by having a construc- tive economic presence in the Middle East, creating new jobs and opportunities for Americans and foster- ing joint interests instead of parking troops there indefi- nitely and throwing more money down the well. © 2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.