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Wednesday, December 1, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Commentary...
Out on the edge
By Erik Dolson
Columnist
One can become
detached, hunkered down
on a rock in the middle of
nowhere, or in a boat out on
the edge. It9s a lifestyle with
consequences, even if not
consciously embraced, it9s
often pointed out.
But there9s a perspective
in that detachment, though
it should not be called
objective. There9s no such
thing. Let9s get that out of
the way.
Yesterday I gave up
my membership in the
Democratic Party and
became <unaffiliated.=
Not Independent, and God
knows, not Republican 4
even though I tend toward
fiscally conservative.
Honestly, I9m not sure I
actually walked away from
the Democrats. It9s more
like the party left me, a shell
left to dry by a tide receding
from shore.
Though I disagree with
much of the <progressive
agenda,= that wasn9t what
drove me away. It was the
realization that I simply
can9t fight the condescen-
sion of true believers, and
that their arrogance is going
to keep them from creat-
ing the change I believe
America so desperately
needs.
Democrats are becom-
ing a left-handed reflec-
tion of the true believers
that worship Trump. Just as
distasteful as Donald, Jr.9s
smirk as he gloats about
<triggering the libs,= Dems
are shaking their heads at
the simpletons of America
who <vote against their own
interests.=
I won9t repeat the litany
describing their arrogance.
It9s enough to say they
believe anyone who does
not embrace all of their val-
ues and accept their ortho-
doxy without challenge is
less smart, less moral, less
informed, less woke, less,
less, less.
Confirming their suspi-
cions about me, I9ll say to
them, <How9s that work-
ing for ya?= A year ago
they did not win close to
what they had hoped in
the national election. They
just lost another election in
Virginia. Yet, utterly incapa-
ble of honest introspection,
they blame the people they
hoped to represent.
We are too stupid, too
ignorant, too inbred to vote
for our own good. They just
can9t help us if we insist on
not buying what they are
selling. Which includes a
blend of hope mixed with
accusation into a frothy
view of the world unhinged
from history and human
nature.
And dishonesty. They
blame racism for their
losses, rather than the
hollowness of their own
message. They blame
Republican dishonesty
(which certainly exists)
rather than exposure of ele-
ments of their own agenda
that threaten liberty. They
deny that they assemble
facts to fit their narrative,
rather than let facts guide
their words and actions.
So, yesterday I went
into the county clerk9s
office and changed my
voter registration to <unaf-
filiated.= It9s only symbolic,
if I know what that even
means, because I haven9t
really changed at all. My
hopes for America haven9t
changed, either, but as the
Democratic Party recedes
deeper into divisiveness and
partisanship and lies while
clamoring incoherently for
unity, I no longer identify
with what the party has
become.
Sitting on my rock in the
middle of nowhere or on a
boat out on the edge, I9ve
lost a bit of optimism, along
with my belief that America
will always be better than
she was and that our ide-
als will survive for another
generation.
For more from Erik
Dolson, visit https://erik
dolson.substack.com.
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Volunteering for
Sisters Trails Alliance
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
Sisters trails are subject
to wear and tear from heavy
use and from the impacts of
weather. Volunteers keep them
in good shape, in work parties
organized by Sisters Trails
Alliance (STA).
This fall, a cadre of 21
volunteers put in 240 hours
working on winter trails to the
south of Sisters (see related
story, page 1). According to
STA Volunteer Coordinator
Greg Vandehey, the organiza-
tion has no problem finding
people to lend a hand.
<I didn9t have to work very
hard to find volunteers, to put
it plainly,= he told The Nugget.
Many of the volunteers
who brush out trails and log
out deadfall trees and maintain
shelters and the like are long-
time residents of the Sisters
area, people who use the trails
and want to contribute to their
maintenance. But especially
over the past year, there has
been an influx of newcomers
eager to help out.
<Ten to 20 percent of our
volunteers are new to Sisters,=
Vandehey reported.
Like their veteran peers,
they are motivated to maintain
the trails they use 4 but they
also find volunteering a way
to meet people and integrate
into the Sisters community,
Vandehey said.
The work is physical, but
well within the capabilities of
active trail users.
<The people who come out
to volunteer are people who
like to hike and be out in the
outdoors, so they9re in pretty
good physical condition,=
Vandehey said.
He did acknowledge that
the day spent cutting firewood
to stock the Jefferson Shelter
was pretty demanding for
everyone involved.
Volunteers who put in
16-plus hours with STA are
rewarded with a Northwest
Forest Pass from the U.S.
Forest Service 4 though
Vandehey said that that9s just
a nice perk; the incentive is
the work and its results.
STA welcomes new mem-
bers, but you don9t have
to be a member to volun-
teer for work parties: www.
sisterstrails.org/Volunteer.