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Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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.