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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 2021)
2 Wednesday, September 8, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O N Thoughts on Critical Race Theory Letters to the Editor… 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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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. Response to the pandemic To the Editor: In response to Richard Esterman9s letter of August 11: There is a thorough review of stud- ies supporting the effectiveness of masks in reducing transmission of the COVID-19 virus which was compiled by CDC available on their website CDC.gov. It is titled <Human Studies of Masking and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission= and includes reviews of 16 different studies. A brief search online led me to this informa- tion, so it is readily available to anyone. Now that the delta variant is here we need to return to wearing masks outdoors since people refuse to stay over six feet apart! Standing side-by- side, even out in the open air, is simply not safe. It9s unknown whether cloth masks will prevent the delta from spreading, so I9m going back to N-95s. The response to the pandemic is a work in progress. The world has not seen a crisis of this magnitude since the Spanish Flu, which was prior to vaccines and only stopped by masking and a (fortunate) decline in potency of the flu virus not fully understood. Meanwhile, there have been 150,000 new cases and 1,000 deaths every day in the last week in August in the U.S., according to the New York Times! Sharon Booth, M.D. ó ó ó See LETTERS on page 9 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sept. 8 • Mostly Sunny Sept. 9 • Partly Cloudy Sept. 10 • Partly Cloudy Sept. 11 • Partly Cloudy 90/54 82/49 80/48 82/47 Sunday Monday Tuesday Sept. 12 • Sunny Sept. 13 • Sunny Sept. 14 • Sunny 76/43 76/44 80/46 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759 Tel: 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. Big red sun blues… Air quality in Sisters Country was dire over the weekend, with conditions ranging from unhealthy to hazardous. Outlaws football had to cancel a contest with Burns, and locals were constrained in their outdoor activities. Conditions are expected to slowly improve through the week. PHOTO BY CEILI CORNELIUS By Janie Martin Guest Columnist <Be egalitarian regard- ing persons. Be elitist regarding ideas.= 4 Peter Kreeft While studying to receive my MA in counseling, I was introduced to Critical Race Theory the first time through my textbook, which is being used in counseling curricu- lum throughout the country, <Counseling the Culturally Diverse= (7th ed.); author: Chinese American, Derald Sue and Sue, who served on Bill Clinton9s President9s Advisory Board on Race in 1996. The book was harsh and confrontational to those of white skin. I gained a much-needed understanding of what people of color expe- rience in America9s domi- nant culture! However, the book leaves people of any other race feeling angry and resentful toward whites. It offers no movement toward understanding, reconcilia- tion, or forgiveness. Through articles, books, and discussions on CRT I discovered everyone has a life story we must listen to. Some people of color have genuine experiences of injustice and prejudice and have suffered psycho- logically. I empathize with my kind, law-abiding Black friends9 feelings of oppres- sion when they get stopped several times a year by police asking if it is their car. I don9t downplay the genu- ine challenges many people of color face due to hidden stereotypes whites can carry. On the other hand, I9ve expe- rienced some people of color offended by whites9 apolo- gies when they have worked their hearts out for their good job, saying: <If I hear one more white person apologize I am going to explode.= A young minority man who got a sought-after posi- tion in the university later discovered they were award- ing his position only to peo- ple of color. He was disap- pointed! He thought he got it because of his hard work and character 4 not simply because he was a certain race. I lived in China for 10 years, starting in the mid- 1990s. Between the 1960s and late 970s, China followed Marxist thinking to the core. Marx observed that the peo- ple around him were dis- content over who had what. He saw economic inequities as the source of all societal ills. He understood the rich had privilege and power. If everyone were financially equal, then everyone could be happy and get along. Sounds good. The problem was that people would not voluntarily do this, so the Communist Party enforced it, overthrowing the rul- ing, rich, privileged class. It failed miserably in its goals and it murdered millions. Everyone had equity now! They were all equally poor, except the Communist Party, who was now the privileged class oppressing everyone equally. This was any nation that adopted Marxist philosophy of how to create equity (i.e.: Cambodia, Soviet Union, Vietnam, North Korea). The Chinese today are embar- rassed by the cultural revo- lution, where they took jobs from professionals, doctors, teachers, and sent them to the countryside to experi- ence a peasant9s life. The country underwent famine and many more millions died because of an economic sys- tem that does not work. The founders of BLM (Black Live Matter), strong advocates for CRT, admit they are Marxist-driven 4 America is experiencing Marx-like, anti-racist train- ing. Shame, intimidation, resentment, and forced con- fessions across the nation are similar to the <struggle= meetings of the Chinese cul- tural revolution. Definitions of CRT found online are soft and truly sound good. But activities which have stemmed from years of the teachings reveal it is no longer merely for lawmakers. It9s throughout universities and flows to k-12 as well (e.g. Tualatin, Beaverton, Tigard). Good news. We are not beyond reconciliation. We still have time to discover better options, which can bring flourishing to our nation! We must be willing to hear and enter into oth- ers9 stories, discover their experiences, and seek to understand and be familiar with cultures other than the dominant one. We must learn to enjoy one another. Let9s ask ourselves: What are we personally doing with our money, time, and posses- sions? Can we give time to tutor someone, mentor the broken or oppressed? Can we wisely give money to help others less privileged build their skills, talents, and intellect? Can we be thank- ful for what we have? Can we respectfully speak when feeling oppressed without accusation or destroying others? Can we keep seeking ideas that work, that promote flourishing and unity in our communities worldwide? Views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.