Wednesday, March 11, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
In the
PINES
By T. Lee Brown
Change is one
phone call away
Sometimes it seems
impossible to change things. I
mean, it9s hard enough to eat
better or get more exercise.
What about changing the
world?
It looks impossible.
Governments, businesses,
bureaucracies 4 they seem
so huge and impenetrable. We
call our senators, send peti-
tions to CEOs, show up to
council meetings 4 and noth-
ing changes.
At least, it doesn9t change
fast. Our gumption-impaired
culture doesn9t prepare us for
long, complex efforts.
There9s a popular saying
to express the resulting bit-
terness: <You can9t fight City
Hall!=
Oh, really? Tell it to the
suffragettes. In 1848 some
ladies thought women ought
to be able to (gasp!) vote. At
the Seneca Falls Convention,
they vowed to make it happen.
<You can9t fight City Hall=
frames government, or some
other large and convenient
scapegoat, as the bad guy.
There9s no point trying, in
that viewpoint; you9ll never
get entrenched bureaucracy
to budge. May as well stay
home and watch Fox News or
Rachel Maddow.
Problem with that view? It
ain9t true.
Things do change. They
change because people get out
there and make stuff happen.
For the suffragettes, every-
thing went smoothly along,
women received equal pay
to men9s, and a woman presi-
dent was elected& ha ha, just
kidding. No, the movement
advanced in fits and starts,
complete with hunger strikes
and prison sentences.
In 1920, the 19th
Amendment to the
Constitution was passed.
It reads, <The right of citi-
zens of the United States to
vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States
or by any State on account of
sex.= Nice work, gals!
Fighting for what you
believe in can be frustrating.
It can take a long time. The
suffragettes were at it for over
70 years. As an ovary-toting
American, I9m awfully glad
they bothered.
One cause I care about is
reducing single-use plastics.
Some view it as a doomed
cause; they say Americans
will never change. SUPs are
great for Big Oil and conve-
nient for makers of packaged
goods.
But boy oh boy, are they
bad for our health.
Plastic doesn9t biodegrade.
Instead it breaks down into
teeny-tiny particles, releas-
ing toxic chemicals in the
process.
The toxins show up in
water systems and the blood-
streams of humans and ani-
mals. They disrupt our endo-
crine systems, causing cancer,
infertility, birth defects, and
other fun stuff.
Even before they break
down, SUPs cause problems.
They9re found inside dead
birds and whales. Lightweight
plastic bags blow into forests
and oceans. Animals become
entangled in them; some ani-
mals mistake them for food.
They ingest our plastic
junk, and it kills them.
Here in Sisters, hardwork-
ing students petitioned City
Hall to ban those deadly,
unnecessary bags. City Hall
wasn9t up for the challenge.
The answer to that isn9t,
<Let9s give up. Boo hoo.=
See CHANGE on page 15
7
Obituary
Daniel Roger Mills
July 29, 1949 — February 26, 2019
Was born in Jacksonville,
Florida, son of James
Howard Mills and Mabel
Nadine Aaron. He was a
retired software engineer.
He transplanted from Los
Angeles, California, to
Sisters in 2004 and never
looked back.
Dan loved to play tennis,
take pictures, surf, work on
computer problems, spend
time with his dog Dakota
and help out his friends,
family and neighbors. He
loved to make people laugh
with his wit, charm, and
wicked sense of humor.
He is survived by
his daughter Adena of
California, his brother John
Mills of California, and his
daughter Mychelle of Texas,
along with seven grandchil-
dren and one great-grand-
child. He was a loving, car-
ing father, brother, grandfa-
ther and friend and he will
truly be missed.
There will be a celebra-
tion of life for family and
friends this summer.
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