Wednesday, June 17, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon LETTERS Continued from page 2 meaningless until apprehended. So in these circumstances are we not doing our children a disservice by not forcefully instilling boundar- ies that they must follow? And yes, we should expect that from our authorities also. There will always be bad decisions made by all persons but accountability and reason- able rules should be understood and followed by all of us. Is it not said there are usually two sides to every story? Byron Blake s s s To the Editor: It9s all about lives these days; everybody is arguing about whose life matters more. This life, that life, your life, my life, black life, brown life, all combined and mixed up with a bunch of different colors, together equal <All lives presented in one predominant color.= Race should not be a partisan issue, issues like abortion, gun control, immigration, LGBTQ issues, etc. These are issues that affect particular segments of society, where, unfortu- nately, politicians are required 4 hence mak- ing it a partisan issue. Race, on the other hand, affects each and every one of us and each and every one of us has a life. This racial thing has gone on for nearly 300 years in America, Politicians can9t fix it. The root cause is piss-poor parenting by white lives, brown lives, black lives and all lives. Yes, all lives matter and all lives need to fix this. Terry Coultas s s s To the Editor: Hats off to the nature and art people of the Sisters Country! Really! You wonderful peo- ple have made Sisters into a pollinator and art lover9s paradise! Coming into town from the east, it9s a won- der there aren9t traffic pile-ups daily. The route is so attractive with the cyclone fence holding Sisters Elementary School kids9 incredible art work that is so beautiful. Now, with the com- ing on of summer, we add the magnificent job the Sisters gardening and ODOT crews have done with the wildflower plantings and we end up with a Pollinator9s Paradise. I stepped out of my vehicle to go in and get a haircut last Saturday morning and was greeted by (at least) four species of native bumblebees all spaced out on the beautiful wildflower plantings in the lovely flower- laden intersections. As a person worrying about the disappear- ances of all too many species of insects world wide, I am so grateful to the Sisters public works staff for doing all they do to help our world of nature to heal. Jim Anderson s s s To the Editor: I was born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, in the Jim Crow South. I was taught that the Civil War was <The War of Northern Aggression.= I grew up <whistling Dixie.= The Confederate battle flag was on the <Dixie Crystals= packets of sugar on restaurant tables. It was only later that I learned that this lan- guage and symbolism were not just wrong but were intentionally used to injure and oppress black people. The Ku Klux Klan has used the Confederate battle flag to intimidate the black community for a hundred years. That flag was added to the Georgia state flag in 1956 because it was seen as a symbol of segrega- tionist resistance to the Supreme Court9s deci- sion in Brown v. Board of Education. Now, it is the symbol of racial oppression and white supremacy adopted by avowed racists and murderers like Dylan Roof, who killed nine black people at a prayer meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. It is past time that we as a society stop See LETTERS on page 17 TEACHING: Parents should lead by example Continued from page 4 " Practice self-love: In the Ted Talk by Brene Brown on the <Power of Vulnerability,= she stresses the importance of chil- dren growing up believing they are worthy of love and belonging. Encourage your children to love themselves while respecting and valu- ing differences in others. A friend from Warm Springs shared her amazement when her son stated, <I9m not an Indian.= The stereotypes he had been subjected to about his own race didn9t ring true. She realized she had much work to do to help him rec- ognize the beauty of his identity. " Pay attention to y o u r c h i l d 9s e n v i r o n - ment: How are characters 7 portrayed in TV and sto- ries? Ask teachers about the curriculums they are using. " Advocate and teach safety and caution: Most white families teach little about race and racism. Black families must. Their children need to be taught to be care- ful. A friend shared the story of a black man who was pulled over by the police while lawfully traveling after dark in his car. Consciously, he responded with what he had learned as a young boy, keep your hands out in front of you, answer <Yes, Sir= and <No, Sir= and do what you are told. Most white people can go any place in our country without fear of the police; black people can9t. Racism is systemic, com- plex and subliminal, tak- ing many forms, visible and invisible, making it impera- tive to teach our children about it. Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there! 541-549-4349 260 N. Pine St., Sisters Licensed Bonded / Insured CCB#87587