2 Wednesday, March 1, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O N A despicable incident By Eric Wattenburg Guest Columnist Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address and phone number. Let- ters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily 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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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: As an airport supporter I am also concerned about excessive noise from the airport and I don’t think the principals have adequately addressed that in a cooperative manner yet. To that please let me introduce to the reader what the Aircraft and Pilots Association, a staunch supporter of General Aviation, has to say about that (paraphrased for space; Google, AOPA’s Guide to Airport Noise and Compatible Land Use). Many of the problems at airports today are the direct result of poor planning for compat- ible land uses. When trying to determine the best ways to resolve noise complaints at your airport, there are a few key issues to keep in mind. The sound you love, like the drone of a piston airplane, may be an irritant to others. Complaint about noise may really be mask- ing fears about the safety of having an airport nearby. It does not matter if the airport “was here first.” Now that it has neighbors, their con- cerns must be taken seriously. Providing community members with a forum to express their concerns is important. Taking voluntary action, demonstrating goodwill, and encourag- ing community involvement with your airport can go a long way to creating positive relation- ships and reducing complaints. Sound or noise is a matter of perception. I supported exactly those thoughts when I approached the skydiving persons last sum- mer regarding the importance of establishing a community meeting where they could listen, but also to explain the efforts they are taking to help, and to consider inputs of noise abate- ment and safety from myself and other experi- enced aviation supporters. I have professionally flown out of many See LETTERS on page 14 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday T2ursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Partly sunny Partly sunny Chance rain Chance rain Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy 45/23 44/29 45/29 42/27 39/25 42/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: Karen Kassy 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, $45; six months (or less), $25. First-class postage: one year, $85; six months, $55. Published Weekly. ©2017 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. I attended Senator Ron Wyden’s town hall meet- ing February 20, in Sisters, Oregon, at the Sisters High School auditorium, and there was an episode there that needs to be broadcast. The auditorium was standing-room-only, prob- ably 800 people attending. As one would expect, nearly all of the attendees were supporters of the Democrat senator, and the evening was dominated by the crowd clapping and cheer- ing like it was a campaign rally (which these always are, as elected officials are ALWAYS campaigning). Each attendee had been provided with a green sign emblazoned with the word “Agree,” and a separate red card with “Disagree.” These cards went up and down all evening like cheer- leader pompoms at a home ball game (no offense to cheerleaders). Speakers were chosen by lottery. Most of the night was dominated by activist supporters bringing up the typical anti-Trump talking points and fear-mongering. However, and probably to the chagrin of the lib- eral crowd, a conservative had his number chosen near the end of the evening, and he challenged some of the statements and positions taken by Senator Wyden. I must admit that the Senator is very well-spo- ken, intelligent, wise, slick, and a consummate politi- cal professional; I came away from the evening with a new impression of the Senator in contrast to that which I have had up to this point based on the usual conservative vs. liberal positioning. He is a feel- good politician and adeptly handled the challenges. But then came the despi- cable incident on the part of the entire audience, save for the two of us conservatives (not sure about the speak- er’s wife who was there with him, but she often held up her card in opposition to the rest of the crowd). The speaker simply asked Senator Wyden if he accepted the outcome of the presidential election and the presidency of Donald Trump, and to his credit, Senator Wyden responded “yes,” but with very little comment otherwise. The house was abso- lutely quiet and calm, not a clap or gasp or whimper to be heard, and surprisingly, no cards (that I could ascer- tain) went up in the air. Now, mind you, I arrived just before the performance started, and since the house was already standing-room- only, the only place remain- ing for me to stand with- out obstructing the view of others was to position myself along the left side of the auditorium up near the stage, against the metal railing of the ramp lead- ing to the stage, so I was above the crowd level near the stage, standing, and noticeably visible. I was wearing a black jacket; I am Caucasian, tall with a broad athletic build, mostly bald with a closely trimmed gray goatee beard — I eas- ily stand out in a crowd and I might have been mistaken for a security guard. I was stunned that not one person in the audience cared to display their plea- sure or disappointment with Senator Wyden’s appropri- ate and affirmative response to the validity of the elec- toral results — the bedrock of the Constitution of these United States of America. So, I clapped deliber- ately and exuberantly to honor and thank the Senator for his patriotism. Not one other attendee joined me. My clap echoed throughout the darkened auditorium like the howl of a coyote in the dead of our high desert Central Oregon nights. What have we become as a society if we cannot acknowledge and be grate- ful for that most precious feature of our system of government — fair and open elections? Here, I will criticize Senator Wyden for not making this point before or after this incident; he should have lectured his audience as to their com- placency, particularly in the context of this gathering, taking place at a public high school, an educational insti- tution that ought to symbol- ize more of those other pre- cious bedrocks of our great country. It’s not about whether it’s Right or Left — it IS about what is Right or Wrong. Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.