2 Wednesday, June 3, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O Editorial… We’re all on edge Here at the office of The Nugget 4 your hometown newspaper 4 we consider our- selves among the fortunate ones. The press, like it or not, are deemed essential in times of crisis, so we get to work through this global pandemic. So most of our work these days centers around this crisis, and the pain and disruption that it is causing. All of us have seen friends and loved ones lose jobs over the past two months. One in four Americans have been forced out of their jobs. That9s pretty depressing for the out-of- work, who may struggle to find value in their lives and to pay their bills. And it9s depressing for those of us still employed. But people who work in the media tend to be different from most folks in that we thrive on conflict. This newspaper suffers from the same affliction. And for good reason. It9s not that we relish bad things happening to people, it9s simply that conflict is what makes for good story telling. So we hope you9ll believe us when we state, things are not as bad as you see, read, and hear in the national media, especially in the electronic media. Clickbait is a term that applies to the head- lines in electronic media that are specifically designed to get you to click on their link, transporting you (they promise) to a story that will change your life. And with a fourth of us unemployed and a third of who9s left working from home, we9re all spending more time getting our news from social media. This isn9t a harmless practice. You know this when you lay down your smart phone in anger. But perhaps you already scroll past all of the nonsense: speculation of what might happen or a story about how one person is incensed, usually on behalf of a third party, for what they interpret to be an offense. Well-intended people, masons of the pathway to Hell, use social media as a plat- form to rise to the defense of someone who wasn9t actually offended. The Internet is well-populated with both amateur-police and amateur-journalists. This has the effect of an Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail. Anger begets more anger and modern tech- nology spreads conflict virally (excuse the pun), the effects of which are insidious, dam- aging our souls rather than our flesh. As we emerge from two months of shelter- ing and begin the inevitable rebuilding of our society, please be kind to the people whom, for what ever reason, aren9t wearing a mask. And be kind to those people who are wearing masks. We9ve all been cooped up for too long, get- ting our news from sources designed to make us angry. Our real-world social skills are a bit rusty. Please be patient with each other and rather than condemning someone9s actions, try to help those in need. Tom Mullen Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address and phone number. Letters 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 10 a.m. Monday. To the Editor: As a member of and volunteer with the Sisters Rodeo for 14 years, my most special memory is this: A few years ago I was acting as an usher during an afternoon performance and just after our entertainer, John Payne the One Armed Bandit, finished his act and left the arena a woman came running up to me and with the most urgency said she had to speak to him. As we were near the main entrance into the arena I tried to explain that there was no public access but she continued to implore me for help. She looked down to the little boy at her side and my eyes followed hers. There was this sweet boy, maybe 5 or 6 years old, See LETTERS on page 23 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy AM Showers AM Showers Partly Cloudy 78/46 77/47 73/45 57/37 56/36 59/39 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Email: 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 N A response to Richard Esterman By Don Utzinger Guest Columnist Thank you very much for your letter to the editor pub- lished in the May 20 edition of The Nugget. I sincerely hope that all intelligent and caring people in Sisters will read, digest and remem- ber it. Perhaps The Nugget will even consider reprint- ing it closer to the Sisters City Council candidate fil- ing date, and/or the election date, to remind potential candidates and voters. It appears that you have a mistaken understand- ing of both the Oregon and United States Constitutions, as well as the legal defini- tion of perjury. As arbiters and ultimate interpreters of the Constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court has previ- ously upheld the constitu- tionality of orders designed to protect public safety. While the Constitution of Oregon specifically grants the Governor the power to declare a