COVID (vaccines), and many other policies are
taking a backseat to politics.
I am sure I forgot something on this long list of
issues our state, our country, and the global popu-
lation face, but this is a very stressful list of issues
we face every day.
Do you want to be part of the many deci-
sions we face? Do you want to help? We have
Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and those
who do not care and don9t want to be involved 4
fine! But if we don9t communicate to one another
in some type of town hall or forum, then we will
just be going in circles trying to help our com-
munity deal with these issues and those coming
in the future. We need to govern in a respectful,
inclusive manner. If we can put our personal anger,
frustration, and knowledge in a direction of calm,
understanding, and growth, this community will be
rewarded.
Let9s get our City Council and local leaders to
allow this to happen. They need to schedule town
halls not council meetings 4 to be allowed to dis-
cuss and respond to the many decisions we are
faced within our city.
Diane L. Hodgson
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Certificate of Acceptability
To the Editor:
I was pleased to see the explanation by Sisters
City Council President Nancy Connolly of the des-
tination management (DOA) effort underway to
assure that those coming to visit will add to <resi-
dent livability,= since they <share our cultural and
environmental values.=
Perhaps the City should develop a process by
which potential visitors can be certified as to their
acceptability prior to visiting. These people can be
issued a Certificate of Acceptability (COA) that
can be displayed at entrance gates to be installed
at City entry points.
Perhaps our local realtors could be <deputized=
by the City to assist with the issuance of COAs
since they are already doing a good job of making
sure those who visit and decide to stay possess at
least a half million dollars should they want to buy
a house here.
Roger Detweiler
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9
Thankful for Title IX
Not so secret
To the Editor:
Thank you to Paul Bennett for celebrating the
50th anniversary of Title IX in his recent letter to
the editor, and for inspiring me to respond to how
it had an effect on my life. Title IX had a huge
impact on my life prior to and post-passage in
1972. I was born in the middle of six boys who
were all very active in multiple sports. I wanted
to play competitive sports such as basketball and
football, but most competitive sports weren9t avail-
able for girls at my high school.
When I decided to try out for quarterback of the
boys9 high school football team, my mom told me
to give up on my dream and that the coach would
just turn me away. Unfortunately she was right. Yet
I persisted by asking the boys9 coach if he would
coach our powder-puff girls9 football team. We
practiced for several weeks to play one 30-minute
game for the season, yet I was excited and I got to
be the quarterback.
When girls9 competitive tennis was available
in my high school in 1970, I jumped all over it,
even though I had never played before. Our coach
hadn9t either.
Today, I have switched from tennis to pickle-
ball. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the
United States, and is expected to be an Olympic
sport in the year 2028. It9s a sport for all people of
all ages. Title IX has taught me to advocate for rec-
reation for all people of all ages and especially for
public recreation. Learning to advocate for sports
for women prior to and post-Title IX has inspired
me to help promote the sport of pickleball and to
pursue public courts for our Sisters community.
Our Sisters Country Pickleball Club partnered
with Sisters Park & Recreation District to promote
the joy of pickleball to our Sisters community.
We all know the benefits of recreation and thanks
to Title IX, in the United States; we now have
equity in opportunities and funding on the basis
of sex.
Yes, the 2022 Olympics are an excellent dis-
play of the positive results of Title IX. They just
held the first-time Mixed Team Aerials competi-
tion. And yes, there are even girls on the boys high
school football teams today. And yes, Sisters will
someday soon have public pickleball courts for
our Sisters community and visitors. Paul Bennett,
thank you again for inspiring me to use my voice.
Lori Chase
To the Editor:
I hate to tell you, but the notion of secret social-
ists has long since passed in the state of Oregon
as well as our shrinking island of conservative
American values in Central Oregon. Bend left the
party a long time ago and Redmond and Sisters have
quickly followed.
All you have to do is look at the makeup of local
government and the infiltration of not-so-secret is
staggering. Yep, these <secret socialists= are crazy
like a fox. Just take a look at the <new= District 5.
Brian Chugg
LETTERS
Continued from page 2
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Unmask the children
To the Editor:
A scene played out during last week9s Super
Bowl that is indicative of how shameful our
COVID-19 policies have been. Two singers per-
formed as dozens of kids played instruments behind
them. The adults were unmasked, while the kids
were masked, and faceless. Later during the game,
they cut to show all the <celebrities,= none of which
had masks on.
Just a week before this, a maskless politician
posed in front of a class of masked young school
children and proudly released the photo, only to be
surprised by the backlash.
Our children, who the data showed were never
at risk from COVID from the very beginning, have
suffered psychologically and developmentally from
the devastating effects, not of COVID, but of how
the adults forced them to respond to it. We still mask
our children for a seven-hour school day, when they
face almost zero risk of severe illness or death. It9s
shameful.
In a month and a half, the masking mandates will
end in Oregon. What changed? The medical science
has not changed on COVID-19, but the political sci-
ence certainly has, as polls clearly show that those
who support masking and mandates are facing a
bleak future.
My greatest regret as a father has been sending
my four daughters to school each day, masked and
faceless. Have we forgotten that life comes with
inherent risk and it is our responsibility to mitigate
those risks as best we see fit? We9ve instead turned
that task over to the government, and their failure
has taken a devastating toll on our children9s mental
See LETTERS on page 16