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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2019)
2 Wednesday, April 3, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O Editorial… Examining the sheep’s liver One of the main takeaways from the con- clusion of Robert Mueller9s <Russia investiga- tion= is that the national media 4 especially the cable TV news networks 4 are not serving the Republic well. For nearly two years, commentators and panels convened nightly to pick over the daily dose of <breaking news= from the Mueller investigation, acting for all the world like a coven of Roman Haruspices studying the liver of a sheep to divine the future. And they were just about as effective. CNN and MSNBC look particularly ridicu- lous at the moment. Their rooting interest in the outcome of the Mueller investigation was as transparent as the much-derided in-the-tank bias of Fox News. Having speculated end- lessly and breathlessly for months and months about the potentially explosive, presidency- imperiling revelations that must surely be at hand, they were completely unprepared to deal with a damp squib, which is pretty much what they got. MSNBC instantly lost some 500,000 view- ers, who must have felt like they had been watching Geraldo Rivera uncover Al Capone9s secret vault. Or, as columnist Rich Lowry notes, <it9s also possible that the Mueller disappointment drove loyal viewers away in much the same way that people avoid look- ing at their 401(k)s when the stock market is down.= <We don9t have anything new on the Russia investigation tonight and it would be irrespon- sible to merely speculate; we9ll get back to you when we have something substantive to report= doesn9t fill the voracious maw of the 24-hour news cycle, and it probably isn9t good for ratings either. Nor, apparently, is simply reporting the news. The pressures are under- standable 4 but the ultimate result is that, despite a daily torrent of <information,= we are probably less well-informed now than we were when we got our TV news from a half-hour nightly newscast. The big push now is to insist that Attorney General Barr release the full Mueller report. And he must. We paid for it, after all; it belongs to us and we should read it for our- selves. Download it, study it, mull its implica- tions 4 then head on down to your favorite Sisters watering hole and hash it over with your friends. It9ll be a lot more edifying than watching Chris Cuomo or Rachel Maddow examine the pigeon entrails and pronounce upon the nature of the Emperor9s destiny. Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief 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: If you did not get the chance to attend the BendTED X on Saturday, March 30 you missed a very inspired speech from a local stu- dent at Sisters High School. Wyatt Hernandez retold his personal story of suffering through and recovering from a concussion he received while playing football. After a long recovery he realized the pas- sion that he still had for playing football and the importance of the sport in his life. It takes grit to put aside fears after a traumatic injury, and this young man came back to play again as the team9s kicker. More importantly Wyatt has become much more than just a cautionary tale 4 he has become an advocate for rec- ognizing the great benefits of the sport while pressing for safety advances, rule changes that See LETTERS on page 25 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Cloudy Rain Showers Showers AM Showers Showers 55/39 55/39 50/36 53/38 55/38 58/39 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. N Does our voice really matter? By Arthur Pope Guest Columnist I have followed plans by the Forest Service to limit public access to three of Ore- gon9s most popular wilder- ness areas for years. The Cas- cade Wilderness Strategies Project is intended to protect the wilderness from overuse by controlling public access. The public comment pro- cess for this proposal has stretched over three years and for me, involved attend- ing four meetings and sub- mitting four lengthy com- ment letters. Over the years, many comments have been submitted; few supporting the implementation of a fee- based, limited-entry, permit system that will keep many of us out of our local wilder- ness areas. The process has left me frustrated and wanting to lash out and vent my feel- ings. However, I live in Sis- ters. I have read too many letters and commentaries in The Nugget from unhappy, antagonistic, mean-spirited, people willing to attack their neighbors, stretch the facts 4 or make up their own. These people have taught me something valuable: I don9t want to be like them. I am deeply frustrated but want to be civil, respectful and as factual as possible. My frustration comes from a process that sucks up huge amounts of time and leads one to believe that their opinion truly matters. Realis- tically, one should know bet- ter. You know it isn9t a vote; you know that an agency is required to collect comments but not required to act on those comments. You know sometimes this can even be a good thing. Nevertheless, it is frustrating. The Forest Service recently released a memo detailing changes prompted by public comment. There are only three. One changes the end of the permit season by a few days; from the end of September to the last Fri- day in September. Another adds 11 trailheads to the list of those not requiring per- mits. (But still requiring a Wilderness Stewardship Fee). Lastly, a pass restrict- ing travel between one wil- derness and another has been dropped. That9s it. That9s all that came out of the time, effort and energy from the doz- ens and dozens of dedicated people who followed the pro- cess from day one. The Forest Service has steadfastly refused to discuss the budget for this project or address its financial impacts on users. They say any dis- cussion of fees can take place only after the program is implemented. What? Why? Frankly, it seems the agency is being less than forthcom- ing in refusing to openly address the financial impacts of this project. The document recently released does little to dispel my frustration at this lack of openness. It references a Wilderness Stewardship Fee. This seems to indicate users will be charged two fees; a permit application fee and the newly announced Wilder- ness Stewardship Fee. Why? Perhaps because this second fee will assure that day hik- ers, hiking on trails that do not require a permit, pay for their hike as well. Wilderness Stewardship Fee. It has a nice ring but I am afraid the Cascade Wil- derness Strategies Project is more about fees than stew- ardship. Perhaps I am wrong. I would like to be. I would like to imagine the agency is deeply and truly concerned about and protecting wilder- ness values, but past actions give rise to bothersome questions. Why did an agency con- cerned about protecting wil- derness values push to alter natural ecosystems in the Mount Washington Wilder- ness by using helicopters to set fires? Why do staff allow non-native fish to be stocked in wilderness lakes to compete with endemic populations? Why does an agency promoting a pack- it-in, pack-it-out ethos leave the trash from burned-out lookouts dotting the wilder- ness? Why do staff allow snowmobiles to destroy the solitude of a skier9s wilder- ness experience? Perhaps it9s simply a problem typical of any huge organization 4 government or otherwise. Too big. Not very nimble. Rarely open to creative thought. More, like any organization with thou- sands of employees, a pon- derous giant; slow to evolve but friendly and doing the best it can. I understand that. I appreciate the chal- lenges. But, I am still really frustrated! Arthur Pope is the direc- tor of Wilderness Report Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.