THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2022 A5
Opinion
Wrong to celebrate People’s
Rights group in parade
The Redmond Fourth of July pa-
rade is becoming more ugly and un-
safe each year due to the same group:
People’s Rights OR 5. Last year, they
flew the Confederate flag. This year,
the Redmond Chamber of Com-
merce reassured everyone that they
wouldn’t be allowed to do so again
and put “rules” into place to prevent
it.
What the chamber failed to men-
tion, however, was that the rules
would not actually be enforced, so
People’s Rights was once again al-
lowed to shove their unwanted po-
litical opinions into the faces of chil-
dren.
All while the chamber called the
parade a “family-friendly, inclusive
event that is for the entire commu-
nity regardless of belief or back-
ground.” As an attendee, this cer-
tainly did not feel inclusive.
Write to us: news@redmondspokesman.com
Will the chamber ever be willing
to stand up for the rest of Redmond?
Or will they continue to be pushed
around by this loud minority until
the parade is nothing but People’s
Rights propaganda? We are grow-
ing tired of seeing it. Do better, Red-
mond.
Jordan Portier
Redmond
Extremist group should not be
in parade, newspaper
I bought a home in Redmond
three years ago and was excited to get
to know my new community. It was
also the first year of C OVID-19, and
everything was closing up.
Fourth of July was the Porch Pa-
rade, and the next year, there was a
parade, which I was looking forward
to attending.
I was taken aback when I saw the
People’s Rights group handing out
pamphlets and flying Confeder-
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ate Flags and other divisive flags. I
posted the Chamber of Commerce
questioning how or why this would
be allowed.
Imagine my disappointment this
year, when this same group was,
again, allowed to participate with
their divisive handouts and flags. The
so-called rules by the Chamber say
no flags except the U.S. flag, and yet
here we are again.
And then our hometown paper
prints a picture of their float! Noth-
ing about the Redmond Collective
Action blue-ribbon winner in their
category, which represented inclu-
siveness. I expect better of the local
newspaper in being representative of
our community.
Tomi Helm
Redmond
Redmond parade should
allow Confederate flag
Oregon has made the vile decision
to ban the Confederate flag from
its historic cemeteries. When it ap-
peared in Redmond’s Fourth of July
parade, an anonymous woman said it
was a symbol of hate and racism.
The Star-Spangled Banner and the
Confederate Battle Flag (as opposed
to the Confederate national flag)
should elicit equal reverence. What
began as a war to preserve the Union,
regardless of slavery, was fought to
the last ounce of human endurance
and abolished slavery. Battle flags
North and South testify to the sincer-
ity and suffering of those Americans
who endured the catastrophe of this
needless struggle.
Whether referenced in statutes as
Civil War (Union and Confederate),
Spanish-American, WWI, WWII,
Korean, Vietnam or Desert Storm
veterans, all are also brothers in arms
for whom the term American vet-
eran applies.
Nolan Nelson
Redmond
Picture books are worth a thousand words
BY JOSIE HANNEMAN
Community librarian
Summertime and the great
outdoors: there’s nothing bet-
ter. If your family agrees, en-
joy these new titles in picture
book format that run to gamut
of reading levels and throw a
tinge of wonder, humor and
learning into the mix.
“Uncle John’s Garden” by
Bernette G. Ford, illustrated
by Frank Morrison
Three siblings join their
uncle in cultivating an urban
lot. Li’l Sissy, the youngest,
picks okra for her row of veg-
etables, and her brother and
sister round out the ingredi-
ents for succotash; a recipe is
included. Oil and spray paint
illustrations transition from
the browns and tans of an
early garden,
to the grays
and blues of a
scary storm,
and finally
to the joy-
ful greens of
Hanneman
full summer.
Great for any
aspiring gar-
dener, or ages 4-8.
“Tiny Dino” by Deborah
Freedman
Is a hummingbird a tiny
dino? Yes! Freedman’s book
has easy text exploring the re-
lationship between birds and
dinosaurs, and more com-
plex images and text that can
be read in conjunction or
skipped depending on the age
and interest of the child. Great
for prereaders who like dino-
saurs, up to about age 7.
“Listen to the Language of the
Trees” by Tera Kelley,
illustrated by Marie
Hermansson
Did you know that trees
talk to each other, and to
mushrooms? This book ex-
plores the evolving science,
and the beauty of a Douglas
fir dominant biome. Perfect
for an elementary aged reader,
with help for the younger end
of the range.
“Dear Little One” by Nina
Laden, illustrated by Melissa
Castrillon
A letter from Mother Na-
ture to a young child, first
exploring her world. I imag-
ine flipping this book open
to a random page and using
Latino Association raises
$75,000 in local donations
BY TIM TRAINOR
Redmond Spokesman
Donors have pushed the
Latino Community Associa-
tion across the finish line in its
campaign to meet a $75,000
challenge match from the M.J.
Murdock Charitable Trust.
Thanks to the support of 31
returning donors and 165 new
donors since July 2021, the
Trust has granted LCA an ad-
ditional $75,000 to advance its
work to empower Latino fam-
ilies in Central Oregon. May-
belle Clark McDonald Fund
provided a boost of $25,000.
The Murdock grant caps a
bountiful year for LCA. In 2022,
the organization raised the most
funds in its 22-year history.
Since 2000, the Latino
Community Association has
been working to empower
Latino families and children
and building bridges across
cultures to create a more re-
silient Central Oregon. Its
programs include: workforce
education and training, family
empowerment, healthy fami-
lies, youth rising and cultural
enrichment. It serves more
than 8,000 people every year.
For more information, visit
www.latinocommunityassoci-
ation.org or call 541-382-4366.
█
Reporter: ttrainor@
redmondspokesman.com
Read and recycle
OBITUARY
Veronica Jean Kuper
February 12, 1937 - June 28, 2022
Veronica (Vera) Jean Kuper of Redmond formerly
of Salem passed away at age 85.
Veronica was born in Salem to Adam and Lena
Ziebart on February 12, 1937. She was one of 12
Children. She married Donald Duane Kuper on
November 5, 1955 and was married for 62 years.
She had 6 children, Kenneth (deceased in 2010)
Brenda (Mike) Purkey, Michael (Bev) Kuper,
Wanda (Ron) Clark, Tony (Kathy) Kuper, Valerie
(Vern) Lackey, 18 Grandchildren, 30 Great
Grandchildren and 5 Great-Great Grandchildren.
Veronica had a great love for her Faith, Family, and Friends. She
very much enjoyed being a member of TOPS and Sweet Adeline's.
The family would like to mention a heartfelt appreciation to St.
Charles Hospice Team and to Father Todd Unger of St. Thomas
Catholic Church.
Is a hummingbird a tiny dino? Yes! Freedman’s book has
easy text exploring the relationship between birds and
dinosaurs, and more complex images and text that can be
read in conjunction or skipped depending on the age and
interest of the child.
that as a starting point for a
daily exploration: for exam-
ple, “Celebrate the flowers. Be
grateful for the bees.” Great for
ages 4-5, and fun for the na-
ture-loving or curious child of
any age.
mals, poisonous ones, those
that smell like rotten meat,
or worse! A friendly bee hu-
morously narrates this tour
of interesting, dangerous, and
gross flowers. Great for the
naturalist in grades 1-3.
“Flowers Are Pretty Weird!” by
Rosemary Mosco, illustrated
by Jacob Souva
Do you think of flowers as
pretty and nice smelling? This
book will shift your paradigm!
Flowers that look like ani-
“Am I Even a Bee?” by Felicity
Muth, illustrated by Alexa
Lindauer
Solitary bee Osmia ques-
tions her identity: is she even
a bee when she’s shiny and
green? Can she claim the iden-
tity when she isn’t fuzzy and
fat? This is a delightful explo-
ration of the diversity of bees,
and is just silly enough to en-
tertain those not interested in
insects. Great for grades K-3.
“A Warbler’s Journey” by Scott
Weidensaul, illustrated by
Nancy Lane
A painted journey of a
young warbler from the high-
lands of Nicaragua to her nest-
ing grounds in northern Can-
ada, explained by the humans
who observe her in various
locations. Bird migration is a
fascinating natural phenom-
ena, and this book makes it
accessible to young readers.
Perfect for elementary aged
children.
█
Graham Fox is a community librarian
for the Deschutes County Library.