12
Wednesday, September 2, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
LETTERS
Continued from page 2
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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
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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
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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
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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