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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2021)
2 Wednesday, September 1, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O N New deputy welcomed Letters to the Editor… By Greg Walker Guest Columnist 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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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. A note of appreciation To the Editor: It had been four years since my last visit and the changes to the town are impres- sive. New stores, houses, school upgrades, and trail improvements are some of what I witnessed, but what was most impres- sive is what had not changed: the com- munity participation through action, and the kindness toward one another abounded. I am taking the goodness I experienced while there and will pay it forward to my community here in Connecticut. I won9t be able to recreate what you all have, but realize I am grateful for my time with you all and knowing there is a little town like Sisters out there. Be well. Bill Rexford s s s Strengthen power grid To the Editor: We must do more to strengthen our power grid against an electromagnetic pulse See LETTERS on page 14 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sept. 1 • Sunny Sept. 2 • Sunny Sept. 3 • Mostly Sunny Sept. 4 • Partly Cloudy 76/41 76/43 82/47 85/49 Sunday Monday Tuesday Sept. 5 • Sunny Sept. 6 • Sunny Sept. 7 • Sunny 85/48 85/50 84/52 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759 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 Creative Director: Jess Draper Community Marketing Partner: Vicki Curlett Classifieds & Circulation: Angela Lund Proofreader: Kit Tosello 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, $55; six months (or less), $30. First-class postage: one year, $95; six months, $65. Published Weekly. ©2021 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is pro- hibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. 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 unconditionally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper’s 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. PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT PHOT Oregon Public Broadcast- ing9s (OPB) Emily Cureton recently wrote a story regard- ing the findings of an internal investigation conducted by the Bend Police Department (BPD). The investigation was initiated by a complaint filed by Mr. Michael Satcher, a cofounder of the Central Ore- gon Peacekeepers (COPK). Satcher, while being cited for criminal trespass by Corporal Josh Spano, noticed a keychain holder with the phrase <Molon Labe= present on the officer9s equipment vest. Rachel Basinger, Histo- ryNet, notes, <The phrase comes from the Greek his- torical account of the battle at Thermopylae where 300 Spar- tan warfighters stood against a massive invading army from Persia.= The phrase translates as <Come and Take Them,= refer- ring to the weapons of the ancient Spartans. The com- plaint alleges that the phrase is associated with right-wing extremism. The officer was fully exon- erated on the most serious alle- gation and the nine others were deemed unfounded. The phrase <Molon Labe= has long been popular with those who believe in the supremacy of the U.S. Consti- tution. During my own service in Iraq (2003/2004) I saw it displayed by our military war- fighters in the form of tattoos, patches, and <battle flags= flown from our vehicles. It is the official motto of the U.S. Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT). Both Mr. Satcher and Corporal Spano are combat veterans who participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Both men suffered military-service- connected wounds and injuries and draw VA disability com- pensation for these. But that9s where their shared personal narratives end. On August 8, 2020, Satcher was arrested during what became a violet confronta- tion during a demonstration in Prineville. Satcher is charged with Assault in the fourth degree, use of ESG/tear gas/ mace in the second degree, interfering with peace/parole and probation officer, disor- derly conduct in the second degree, and harassment. Of the charges, Satcher posted this on his Facebook page: <The Crook County District Attorney offered me a plea deal. I respectfully declined, because I9m the sort of nerd who believes in living by a code of ethics. The conse- quences of not taking the plea could be unpleasant, and I9ve chosen to believe that I will likely be convicted.= From its inception the Central Oregon Peacekeepers have professed their hatred of law enforcement and their intention to see the Bend Police Department, in specific, defunded. Defaming cops, past and present, is one of the tac- tics they use in pursuit of this objective. Left out of the OPB story was Corporal Spano9s military accomplishments 4 accom- plishments listed in the final BPD report. These include his enlisting in the Army in 2003 as a combat medic; serv- ing in Mosul and Baghdad, Iraq, during some of the most intense house-to-house fight- ing of the war; calling in 9-line MEDEVAC helicopters for his wounded soldiers while at the same time treating both U.S. and enemy wounded under fire. He is the recipient of or mentioned in 23 letters of com- mendation. In addition, he has received seven lifesaving awards in the course of his mili- tary and law enforcement career. He had no disciplinary problems while employed by the Bend Police Department. Corporal Spano is on the board of directors of War- fighter Outfitters, a nonprofit, veteran-run organization head- quartered in Sisters. The group provides wounded warriors with outdoor-related activi- ties at little to no cost. None of those on the board receive compensation. The report affirms this: <Corporal Spano participates and donates his time, money, and effort to assist veterans and law enforcement officers who have been engaged in traumatic incidents and need ways to decompress.= Bend PD9s report is exhaus- tive in its detail. It mirrors a similar complaint and inves- tigation reported on in June 2021 by the Akron Beacon Journal 4an investigation that likewise exonerated the accused officer, the complaint filed by local <social activists= for whom law enforcement is the enemy. Where did the officer get his key chain? According to the report, <Corporal Spano described the brown fabric key chain with Greek lettering is a key chain that was given to him by a friend... The friend who gave it to him was a mem- ber of the 19th Special Forces Group&= That9s the same spe- cial operations unit I retired from in 2005 after 20 years as a Green Beret. Prior to the internal inves- tigation, Corporal Spano inter- viewed with the Deschutes County Sheriff9s Office. Since 2018, DCSO has asked local officers in good standing to apply, offering lucrative incen- tives for doing so. Corporal Spano is now Deputy Spano and we, as a community and county, are blessed to have him. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.