12 Wednesday, September 2, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon LETTERS Continued from page 2 s s s To the Editor: Once in a great while you are given the pleasure of meeting someone who is more unique and kinder than nearly everyone else you know. Nearly 30 years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Anderson. He spoke at a meeting of the Friends of Black Butte Ranch. His knowledge of the natural world into which we had moved was astounding. But it was his humor that really captivated me. Over time we became friends. Our most recent adventure was live-trapping a skunk who had been terrorizing my neighborhood. He told me to bait the trap with Ray9s roasted chicken. It worked. Others had been trying to trap this skunk but it was Jim9s method that succeeded. If you like nature and love humor you need to read Jim9s wonderful book, <Tales from a Northwest Naturalist.= Many people are good writers, very few know how to write with humor. Jim9s an expert. We will all miss him. Jean Nave s s s To the Editor: I am writing in response to the letter writ- ten by Owen Herzberg published August 26. Every Saturday morning I attend a peaceful protest in Sisters to express my opposition to racial injustice in our country. I attend because I am sickened that an unarmed Black man can be shot seven times in the back, in front of his children, in broad daylight, with no appar- ent consequence to the shooter, a policeman who has sworn to serve and protect his fellow citizens. I attend because I am outraged that delib- erate and systemic racism has created huge disparities for People of Color in many suc- cess indicators including wealth, the criminal justice system, employment, housing, health care, politics and education. I attend because Black lives matter. That is not a political statement; it is a statement of belief. My belief. I am not a member of any organized, anti-racist group. I do not follow the directions nor endorse the beliefs of any so-called <leaders= of any organization. It is not my intent to <disrupt communities, fami- lies and social norms.= I am not a Marxist, nor do I endorse anarchy. I am just a well-informed citizen who wants to live in a country where each and every individual is equal under the law, regardless of skin color, country of origin, sexual orientation, zip code, religious belief, gender or political affiliation. I want to live in a country where each and every citizen is afforded equal opportu- nities to succeed and prosper. I want to live in a country where violence is not tolerated and perpetrators of violence are held account- able. This is why I wave my BLM sign every Saturday morning. Why is this so hard for you to understand? What, exactly, are you afraid of? What kind of America do you want to live in? Janet Keen s s s To the Editor: On Saturday, August 29, we had our 14th consecutive weekly rally at the corner of Cascade Avenue and Larch Street in support of Black Lives Matter. While most of the responses we elicit are positive and respect- ful, the opposition usually boils down to two arguments: 1. <All Lives Matter.= This is a true state- ment, but all lives do not and cannot matter until Black Lives Matter. One month after the murder of George Floyd 3 8 minutes and 46 seconds of horror while a defenseless and unarmed Black man was slowly strangled to death by a Minneapolis policeman 4 we held a vigil to memorialize not just Floyd but the deaths of 96 other victims of white supremacy over the past 10 years. The fact that there were so many names (and I9m sure we didn9t find them all) speaks for itself. After the video documenting the slow murder of Floyd, can anyone now ignore the reality that Black people are endangered because of the color of their skin? We want to see <all lives matter= become a reality but that can only happen when Black Lives Matter. And that can only happen when we recognize and address the racism that causes Black lives to be de-valued. 2. <BLM is a Marxist movement with a Marxist agenda.= This argument seeks to a nonprofit charity that provides fully guided and outfitted trips for disabled Veterans at no charge more than 2,000 disabled veterans have been served All guides and board members are disabled veterans. There are no paid employees. Warfighter Outfitters is 100% volunteer-based and only spends donor dollars on basic operating costs of fuel and food. All operating costs are funded by donor dollars. Would you consider making a donation to Warfighter Outfitters today? warfighteroutfitters.org Warfighter Outfitters • 541-719-0071 • 501(c)(3) Nonprofit See LETTERS on page 16 SCHOOL: Year will start under distance learning protocols Continued from page 1 needs to be five percent or lower over a seven-day span for three weeks in a row. A s o f A u g u s t 1 6 , Deschutes County had dropped to 17 cases per 100,000, down from 54 a month earlier. A total of 13 counties have dropped under the <magic number= of 10 per 100,000. Crook County, at 9 per 100,000, is the only county in the region under that number, but many of the rural counties of Eastern Oregon are well below the reopening standard. Jefferson County num- bers dropped significantly, but remain among the high- est in Oregon at 130 per 100,000. Complete statistics for Oregon are available on the Oregon Health Authority website and are consistently updated. I n S i s t e r s , g r a d e s K-12 are scheduled to begin September 8 under Comprehensive Distance Learning. If the metrics con- tinue to improve and remain sustained at acceptable levels required for reopen- ing, K-3 students could be back in school buildings by September 28 and grades 4-12 by October 19. T h e S i s t e r s S c h o o l District website (www.ssd6. org) has more detailed infor- mation on its front page under <COVID-19 Menu.= Allen and Sidelinger both encouraged Oregonians to keep practicing mask wear- ing, social distancing, hand washing and, in particular, urged people to keep Labor Day celebrations close to home and in small groups, citing the surges in COVID- 19 cases following Memorial Day and Fourth of July. We’re Hiring! See available positions at SistersRecreation.com 541-549-2091 • 1750 W. McKinney Butte Rd., Sisters