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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 2019)
2 Wednesday, February 27, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O N Respect should be extended to all By Terri Kemp Correspondent Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s 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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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: In last week9s letters to the editor, it was stated that I stepped down from my posi- tion at Sisters Folk Festival to pursue other opportunities. Nothing could be further from the truth. I quit in protest of the elimination of Ann Richardson9s position at SFF, and what I see as a wrong-headed decision on the part of whoever9s making decisions for the organization. Pete Rathbun s s s To the Editor: I started skiing with Oregon Adaptive Sports four years ago. Since then I9ve been trained to hike and bike with the blind. I also kayak, bike and hike with a variety of dis- abled athletes. Our fundraising helps to support these athletes with equipment, transportation, les- sons, scholarships and more. A sit-ski can run $2,500 and a recumbent bike up to $5,000, depending on disability. I am a volunteer, but there is a small staff of paid employees. They are amazing. We are in the midst of our second annual <Ski For All= fundraiser. We all have our own web page. Please consider donating to my OAS web page. https://support.oregon adaptivesports.org/fundraiser/1845976. Denice Cristiano See LETTERS on page 17 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Snow Showers Mostly Sunny Snow Showers Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Mostly Sunny 31/11 35/16 38/17 31/13 30/15 30/12 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC 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. Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Easterling Graphic Design: Jess Draper Community Marketing Partners: Vicki Curlett & Patti Jo Beal Classifieds & Circulation: Lisa May Proofreader: Pete Rathbun Owner: J. Louis Mullen 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. ©2019 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. 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 Newspaper9s 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. My heart sank as I read contentious letters relating to the book <George.= I read the content page, additional pages, and reviews. Many liked it; oth- ers did not. Several, teachers included, felt it was inappro- priate for fourth-graders. Curiosity led me to seek what the percentage of LBGT persons are in this country. 2012 reported 3.5 percent (Gallup9s first report) 2016 reported 4.1 percent May 25, 2018, NBC reported <4.5 percent of US adults identify as LBGT& The increase was driven pri- marily by millennials, 8.2 percent of whom identify as (LBGT).= Could there be a link to the rising numbers due to increased exposure to and notoriety of alternative lifestyles by <celebrities,= media, and entertainment? Could exploitation of the lifestyle confuse and possibly encourage experimentation in ways taboo for millennia? Regardless of the num- ber, everyone has the right to be treated with respect, love, and dignity. My heart goes out to those who deeply struggle with gender issues. That being said, our love and respect should be extended to all people, including those with gen- der issues; those who are religious, or not; those with divergent political views or economic status; and those of all ethnic backgrounds. Though I support giv- ing appropriate space in the public library, I9m not con- vinced that impressionable young ones beginning the voyage of maturing bodies and minds 4 which is often frustrating and confusing 4 need <walls= of books like George. Parents are responsible to teach or not teach their chil- dren sensitive topics. May I suggest that most parents want to raise their children while giving schools the responsibility of teaching core learning and providing guidance for further learning 4 with parental knowledge. I do not agree that it is the schools responsibility to teach <gender politics.= Civics and government classes cover societal and governmental issues. No one should feel the need to put their child in a separate school. Balance and impar- tiality should be in schools, whether politically or on sensitive subjects such as gender and sexuality. It is unfortunate that some teach- ers use school as a platform to express their political or moral views bringing into schools disharmony, rather than focusing on teaching educational skills, particu- larly at the university levels. God makes no <mis- takes.= He does, however, give guidelines. Adam and Eve left his protection in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:16-19, King James Bible, which refers to the conse- quences of disobedience. Every person is a divine reflection of our Creator: pieces of coal with potential to become a beautiful dia- mond. There are things that we don9t and maybe will never understand, but God gave us Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-20, KJB). Focusing on those alone would lead us to a wonderful world. Christ died for our sins. Yes, there are sins. Christ acknowledged them and fur- ther said <go thy way and sin no more.= (John 8:11) Our humanness, upbring- ing, social circle, etc. influ- ence us. We automatically make judgments and dis- cernments. It takes work to overcome our natural ten- dencies to judge. John 13:34 4 Christ speaking to his dis- ciples said: <A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.= I am so weary of peoples9 pride getting in the way of reasonable, civil, exchanges. I feel strongly about my opinions and hope I display civility toward those that differ from me. It seems, as a society, we are missing civility, respect and love that makes a town wonderful, a state productive and a coun- try great. May our goal be to cre- ate an environment within ourselves that will pave the way for us to sit together with love and concern one for another to make this an even better place and a more peaceful world to live in. Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.