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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2022)
8 Wednesday, January 26, 2022 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon LETTERS Continued from page 2 whose beauty can disappear unless we value it. So, make a wish on the first star you see tonight, hopefully from your front porch or out your bedroom window. And be thankful for our dark skies. Paul Bennett s s s ‘Whataboutism’ To the Editor: I experienced a sense of déjà vu when I read Mr. Flavel9s letter in response to my op-ed. It showed so many similarities with what I encountered over 40 years ago in the USSR on the U.S. exhibit I served on as a temporary for- eign service staff officer. When our Soviet visi- tors were confronted with facts that they found disagreeable and unwelcome, they frequently responded with <whataboutism= (the practice of responding to an argument by changing the subject and accusing others of offenses) and then often followed that with fearmongering. Mr. Flavel9s first tactic to rebut my article is to engage in whataboutism. Note that Mr. Flavel didn9t contradict any of the facts I asserted. He can9t. They9re true. Instead, he makes new arguments based on things I never said in order to deflect the reader9s attention elsewhere, citing <deplo- rables= and <rednecks= (that9s sort of funny since I am of Scots-Irish heritage, was born in Alabama, grew up in Georgia, and have a Southern accent!), the Steele Dossier, and on and on. None of this has anything whatsoever to do with my column. Whataboutism is merely annoying and dis- honest. But fearmongering is a different mat- ter. It is dangerous. Chillingly, Mr. Flavel9s last sentence reads: <Be advised, folks, they walk among us.= The day when people telling the truth or expressing differing opinions are perceived as scary and threatening merely for doing that is a dread day for everyone. Mary Chaffin s s s Living ‘The Hard Way’ To the Editor: I really appreciated reading <The Hard Way= in The Nugget (Focus on Health, January 19, page 14). A very clear and con- tent-rich article about pushing ourselves physi- cally, mentally and emotionally. It9s always been my view that humans have evolved into survival machines. And boy have many people forgotten this in our modern world! Challenging ourselves physi- cally, mentally and emotionally can be a life game-changer in a society where ease and convenience are the name of the game. In the end it makes us much better able to handle the unforeseen challenges that daily life will bring to all of us. Though many intuitively know this, the cognitive sciences are now prov- ing that people who live <The Hard Way= are much more robust outwardly and inwardly ful- filled throughout their lives. And daily life is the crucible where the <The Hard Way= lifestyle is most powerful. A loved one passes, you get that health diagnosis, a divorce happens, or you lose that job. With the immense speed of technology development and the conveniences we now have as a result, both individuals and a society need to very careful to not lose our inherent sense of survivability. Society needs resil- ient, tough, and compassionate people so it will thrive into the future. Yes, we owe our ancestors much more than can be expressed in words. But how can we start to repay them? To start living the <The Hard Way.= The path is different for each of us but what9s most important as they say is that first step. It9s a tried-and-true path that has been time tested and now being proven that it works to make lives immensely more robust, inwardly satisfying, and resilient. Peter Holocher s s s It’s about our freedoms To the Editor: England, Scotland, Czechoslovakia, Kazakhstan, Ireland (and France to a lesser degree) have canceled restrictions for masks, masks in schools, vaccines, green passes, cur- fews, etc. America may not be next, but it will be soon. The narrative of the <COVID Pandemic= is falling apart and we need to look at the larger picture. To Monica Tomosy (<A call to action, op-ed, The Nugget, January 19, page 2): It was never about you vs. us, left vs. right, vaxxed vs. unvaxxed, Democrats vs. Republicans, Biden vs. Trump. It was always about all of us losing all of our freedoms. Thank you, Jim Cornelius, for pointing this out in your com- mentary, <The law of suspects and civil death.= We must talk about the elections. Why? Because the pandemic was politically moti- vated, and not by any one political party. I have heard that 98 percent of politicians in Washington are corrupt. Many have been found out. Notice how many Representatives and Senators are not running again. Democracy will be stronger than ever after the November elections, no matter who wins. Voter ID isn9t prejudicial; it ensures election integrity. Our country overwhelmingly wants honest and fair elections. No one wants illegal noncitizens, multiple votes, voters who have moved away from a state, and dead voters voting and taking away our right to a valid election. Biden and his team have implemented failed policies with the southern border, Afghanistan, inflation, energy resources, not-so-green deal, climate change, and international diplomacy. One has to wonder why. If the Democrats don9t win seats in the House and Senate, there is a reason. Oregon9s ballot machines were put in place in 2008 and haven9t been calibrated since 2017. The software is outdated and obsolete. A lot has happened since 2008 and 2017. Shemia Fagan has been served <Statutory Notice of Violations of 52 U.S.C. #20507 by Judicial Watch= for failure to update voter rolls for people who have moved. <The data shows that 14 Oregon counties reported removing five or fewer voter registrations pursuant to Section 8)d)(1)(B) in that four-year period. Many of these reported removing no regis- trations at all.= Shemia Fagan has <failed to remove names of ineligible voters= from the voter rolls. There are many other problems with the counting of Oregon9s votes and until these are fixed, I believe hand-counting and elimi- nating mail-in ballots would be great ideas. Lastly, we need to stand united for the com- mon good of our country. Whether we stand up, sit down, or fight, fight, fight, we are all in this together. United we stand, I hope and pray. God bless America. Jayne Simmons Obituaries Willy Frits Alexander July 22, 1941 — January 17, 2022 Willy Frits Alexander, 80, of Sisters passed peace- fully in his sleep after bat- tling cancer for two years. Born in Vlfjord, Norway, Willy immigrated to the United States in 1946 with his family to Laramie, Wyoming, as survivors of World War II during Hitler9s reign. Once established in the U.S., the family relo- cated to Creswell, Oregon, where Willy spent the majority of his life as a pro- fessional heavy equipment operator. He married Gerri Alexander in 1984 and lived in the Willamette Valley for many years before retir- ing in Central Oregon to be closer to family. Willy was a passion- ate fan of Oregon State University football and basketball. He also enjoyed classic cars and spent many years restoring a beauti- ful black cherry 956 Ford pickup. He and Gerri enjoyed attending classic car shows throughout the Valley and showcasing the Ford in parades. He is preceded in death by his parents, Afhild and Oscar Alexander; and sib- lings, Laila Workman, Vidar Alexander, and Olsa Scott. He is survived by his wife, Gerri Alexander; daughters, Kelley Alexander, Holley Caley, and Bethany Smoltz; and sons, Rob Alexander and Christopher Borla. He was fortunate to have 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. A graveside memo- rial will be held in Eugene, where Willy will be laid to rest with his parents. The family will notify loved ones when details are available. In lieu of flowers, dona- tions can be made to Our Beaver Nation Philanthropic Support Fund or Sons of Norway Sonja Lodge in Eugene. Obituaries Policy: The Nugget Newspaper does not charge a fee to publish obituaries. Obituaries may be up to 400 words and include one photo. Submissions must be received by noon on Monday. Let Us s Help You Ge Get et Thro Through T h r o ugh hro h . . . R E T N I W ls Snow Shov e kes a R Roof Snow very ellets & Deli Wood Fuel P on Pipe Insulati ore! Ice-melt & M Hours: M-F H M F 8 t to 5 5, S Sat. t 8 t to 4 4, Cl Closed dS Sundays d 440 N. Pine St. • 541-549-8141 • www.hoyts.net SUDOKU Level: Moderate Answer: Page 30 Year-round FIREWOOD SALES — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com MEAT S, GAME ALASKAN SEAFOOD CHEESES SANDWICHES BEER, WINE, CIDER 110 S. 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