IN REPLY TO "SPORTS ARE SO GAY" (5/8)
Comparing Jason Collins and Michael Sam to Jackie Robinson is disgraceful. Have a heyday with me, gay mafia, but Jackie Robinson could never make a conscious decision to change his skin color. Here's an idea: Maybe it wouldn't even be an issue without all the orientation hustlers in the pro-gay movement attempting to force their intolerant views on the majority of people who find such lifestyles unnatural. Sam is a fringe-NFL prospect at best, but now some team (the St. Louis Rams) will demonstrate their "sense of inclusion" by drafting him, and he will have a roster spot and a rookie contract to the exclusion of somebody who might just deserve it more based upon football skill. Well played! The strategy will probably work for him, even though it didn't for Collins.
— Jon Jegglie
IN REPLY TO "NIGHT AND DAY" (5/1)
I like John Hummel. I would vote for him for just about any position he would run for. And why shouldn't Deschutes County be the first jurisdiction in history with a DA who never prosecuted a case? Why wouldn't the professional prosecutors in the DA's office respect a leader whose only familiarity with prosecution was as a spectator? This all makes perfect sense. Perhaps we can hire (first lady) Cylvia Hayes to run parking enforcement. Yeah, that'd be great.
— Philip Emerson
ON THE SUBJECT OF PATRICK FLAHERTY
Can we even afford another four years with Patrick Flaherty? He has made the statement several times that the lawsuits against him haven't been his fault. Really? Ask yourself what kind of administrator ignores all credible advice from everyone, tells one after another that since he is an elected official, no one can tell him what to do and completely disregards all laws and administrative rules in favor of what he wants.
Consider that every employee who filed suit against Flaherty prevailed. And then consider how badly you have to screw up for the state and county to want to make cash settlements, instead of taking the case to trial. I say again, these lawsuits all happened solely because Flaherty clearly has significantly flawed judgment. Flaherty is very good at making damaging accusations about anyone who doesn't fall into line behind him, but he has yet to provide any information to anyone to support those accusations. He is doing the same thing to his opponent,
Has anyone ever heard Flaherty take responsibility for anything he's done wrong—and he's done plenty. I've heard Hummel acknowledge his mistakes publicly, but not Flaherty. He is quick to state that he is not a politician, but rather a prosecutor. We need someone in that office who has the experience and the wherewithal to deal effectively with all the business relating to the DA's office, not just prosecuting cases. We need someone who can network appropriately from Central Oregon all the way to Salem. We don't have that now, but we do need it.
Also, just because the DA is an elected official doesn't mean that the person is above the laws we are all held to. For Flaherty, it's, "Do as I say, not as I do." Flaherty is quick to tout his high closure rate for cases in his office, but I would suggest that those figures might be skewed. Consider what his closure rate would look like if many of the cases coming into that office were either dropped or pled down for a quick closure. Don't just vote your party in this election. Evaluate Flaherty with a critical eye. Don't listen to the hostile bluster when he speaks. Listen to what he says and what he isn't saying. Look past his mud slinging, look past the character assassinations Flaherty is so fond of using, question everything he says and then go a step further and look for any verification you can find to substantiate his claims. So much damage has been done in only a little over three years, and it's time to put someone in that office with the qualifications to run it and the ability to learn from his mistakes. Let's fix this.
— Sharon Sweet, Redmond
IN REPLY TO "BOMBS AWAY, BONEYARD" (5/8)
Thom, your article is rather uninformed, as Widmer is far more experimental than Boneyard ever has been—that's not meant as a knock on Boneyard. Widmer has brewed and even bottled beers, like Prickly Pear Cactus Braggot and Marionberry Hibiscus Gose, and draft beers, like oyster stouts, pumpernickel bread based beers, pomegranate Berliner-Weisse, and has been brewing and bottling a black IPA for something like four years.
— Ezra Johnson-Greenough
IN REPLY TO "DAZED
AND OPINIONATED" (5/1)
Having tried a couple of the beers, they don't hold a candle to classic, but widely available Belgians, such as Trappistes Rochefort 8, St. Bernadus Prior 8, Westmalle Trappist Tripel. Which is odd: These beers are 2 or 3 times the price of those world-class Belgians. Can you say status beers? "Look at what I am drinking, and I paid more for this beer than a good bottle of wine!"
— Jonny
IN REPLY TO "DAZED AND OPINIONATED" (5/1)
You're correct that many world-class beers of similar style are much less expensive, Jonny. While tasting both Flanders reds, the comment was made that Rodenbach Grand Cru is only about $8 at Costco. All four of us in this tasting are fans of those benchmark beers you listed. So, you're right that for some people, expensive beer is a status symbol. Not everyone, though. Your point addresses a problem that beer shares with wine and spirits: Price is a terrible indicator of quality. That said, expensive local beer can be worth the money, but is definitely not for everybody. Fierce loyalty to old-world European-style guidelines will leave a drinker feeling overcharged.
— Thom Pastor
IN REPLY TO "TEACHING WITHOUT TECH (MODERN MOMS)" (5/1)
Thank you, Waldorf, for providing a conscientious approach to teaching our children!
— Roger Wayland
FREE AREA AT OLD MILL DURING CONCERTS
It's a mistake to think that the people (many with their kids and dogs) would buy concert tickets. Most don't stay for the entire show. Most do buy food from the nearby shops. But here's an idea—why not at least open up the so-called "free" area whenever a concert is sold out?
— Randy S. Kessler, Bend
IN REPLY TO "GOOD HOUSING NEWS, BAD HOUSING NEWS" (4/24)
What the writer failed to mention is that a good percentage of homes on Bend's west side are now vacation rentals. This further limits the number of "real housing" rentals available.
— Anonymous
BREWERIES CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL WARMING
Anyone who is mindful of global warming should be concerned by the greenhouse gases our local breweries are producing.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. "Balling's formula," used by brewers, shows that for every 2.0665 grams (of fermented wort extract), 1 gram of alcohol and 0.9565 grams of CO2 results.
Nearly a gram of greenhouse gas is produced to make a single gram of alcohol.
So, I contend that everyone should stop drinking beer and grow marijuana. Marijuana produces oxygen.
— Brandon Johnson
Letters of the Week
Brandon - This is the most Bend letter ever. Anti-beer for the sake of pro-weed? Hot box your way over to our offices for your $5 gift certificate to Crows Feet Commons and a thanks for the Letter of the Week.
