IN REPLY TO "THE MANY PROBLEMS CAUSED BY FREE ROAMING AND FERAL CATS" (4/3)
[Oh my] goodness all these statistics....for real? Come on.... humans started all the hub bub when we socialized and tamed creatures now we want to kill them cuz we screwed up...and now there are so many...blah blah blah... I live in the city—I see hundreds of migratory gorgeous birds of all kinds hit building windows...what to do? Shoot the architects that won't work with conservationists to use different materials that won't attract birds? AIDS is passed on from human to human...should we kill them too? So we can save our children from contracting it? Statistics are skewed according to political beliefs and so on...intelligent compassionate evolved humans keep animal companions inside—trap, neuter, rehome or release and manage the feral colony, when the feral becomes ill—it is the colony caretaker's responsibility to either make sure that cat is properly treated by a vet or if quality of life is threatened by an illness or disease, gentle euthanasia is the way to go.
—Veronica Nakulski
IN REPLY TO "DUFFY'S" LETTER (5/22) REBUTTING "THE MANY PROBLEMS CAUSED BY FREE ROAMING AND FERAL CATS" (4/3)
"Duffy's" sophomoric "two things I would like to address" are unhelpful and not surprising. They are typical of the contentious issue regarding health-hazardous feral and free-roaming cats in our towns and cities today. His first comment insulting Mr. Anderson deserves no reply.
His second comment, about "toxemia sic" (toxoplasmosis) is misinformed and incorrect. Cats kept indoors 24/7/365 do not pick up the Toxoplasma parasite from eating infected meat (mice, shrews, voles, rats that have nibbled on cat poop). The parasite, which sexually reproduces only inside the cat's gut, thus cannot be passed as "eggs" (oocysts) into the litter box, the garden soil, the kids' sandboxes, or the water supply.
Mr. Anderson's column was no "cat-hate-rant." Instead, it listed sensible steps toward solving this growing human health problem. Sadly, the needed pet restrictions and elimination of ferals, when implemented, probably will not be followed by the Duffys of this world.
Lastly, Duffy proudly puffs that in his 56 years he has had no problem with toxoplasmosis. He just doesn't know this—he's likely never been tested. Worse, he may not realize that in the U.S., one in five of us is infected with this parasite—often with undiagnosed health morbidity, e.g., depression, senile dementia, eye problems, lower academic performance (in kids), gut tract inflammation syndromes, seizures, slower reaction times while driving, and more.
—Bill Burley
IN REPLY TO "WHAT A LONG AND TWISTING RIVER IT HAS BEEN" (5/21)
It would be beyond foolish for any city department to accept the unknown financial risks that come with the ownership of this dam. The numbers provided do not even begin to represent the actual total costs that any of the options would ultimately require. Most of those costs such as engineering, construction permits, water rights, political opposition, environmental clean up, siltation mitigation, fish passage, dam decommissioning, adjacent property stabilization, historic building preservation, are unknown. It is evident that Bend's leadership does not have the experience to understand or value "Risk Avoidance," and they are willing to gamble for the taxpayers of Bend. Did we learn nothing with Juniper Ridge?
—One Plan for All Needs
There is no evidence that a river will damage homes along Mirror Pond. Get rid of the dam entirely. It's the most responsible thing to do.
—FiscalResponsibility
BENDITES CONTINUE WORK WITH ZAMBIAN ORPHANAGE
In 2010 you did a feature on Malerie Pratt and Marlena Bellavia and the project they started in Zambia back in 2010 ["From Bend, With Love: On the other side of the planet, there's an African orphanage powered almost exclusively by Bendites" 8/4/10]. I am wondering if you are interested in doing an update? A lot has happened since then. Malerie just got accepted into Medical School and the home continues to provide shelter and education for these formally abused and severely disadvantaged youth.... [Zambian orphanage Vima Lupwa's] annual fundraising Garage Sale is next Saturday, May 31st. If nothing else, would it be possible to put a notice in your community section?
—Leslie Blok
WARMONGERS' GREED LEADS TO NEEDLESS TRAGEDY
Another Memorial Day and sad memories of failed policies that resulted in millions of lives being needlessly lost in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. What good did it all do? The Iraqi people were much better off under Saddam Hussein than they are now. Vietnam was a total farce that resulted in the country being annexed to North Vietnam after all our efforts. Nothing has changed in Afghanistan and never will, due to the nature of the people, the country and economic factors. But as usual the military-industrial complex made out like criminals and bandits, reaping billions through the sale of bombs, weapons, tanks, etc. in all these conflicts. It is tragic that so many lives had to be needlessly squandered and so many brave warriors needlessly crippled to satisfy the insatiable greed of the warmongers for ever bigger and bigger profits. Take heart though, for they will reap what they have sown.
—Mike Epstein
IN REPLY TO "GIVING MORE THAN THEY TAKE (THE GREEN ISSUE) 4/10
And SHAME on Bill Smith and Miller Lumber for selling/cheating Bend residents and tax payers with the "sale" of a piece of land they couldn't build on to use as public development...Summit HS and Westside OSU are similar "sales" they've profited from!
—Lahaina
IN REPLY TO "A TAXPAYER'S" LETTER REGARDING BEND PARKS, MILLER'S LANDING (5/22)
Last week, "a taxpayer," in a letter ("In Reply to 'Giving More Than They Take (The Green Issue' 4/10") (5/22), described the Bend Parks and Recreation District as "the most bloated public service in Bend (that) has a trophy riverfront office. They couldn't buy Miller's Landing without donations but they sure take care of themselves."
I disagree on both counts.
For many years, the District studied a new headquarter site, set aside money, and did not ask voters for funding in developing and constructing the present office building located on Columbia Street. Anyone who had cause to visit (or try to park a car) knows the old District office and its footprint were simply insufficient. In planning its new office the District did what one would expect of an organization charged with planning for both the present and the future needs of Bend: build a modern, green structure that will serve District taxpayers for many decades.
As for Miller's Landing, by including donated funds, the Parks District was able to save local taxpayers many thousands of dollars. This is a bad thing? People contributed dollars, hundreds of dollars, even thousands. I drank beers Monday nights at the Riverside Market knowing that with each beer the Market contributed $1 to Miller's Landing. By including the local public in purchasing this property, Miller's Landing truly became a community park. This partnership allowed Bend citizens to be involved in purchasing and planning a wonderful, common space.
I appreciate letters to the editor probably more than most. I don't have an argument with The Source for printing "a taxpayer's" letter. It just seems unfair that an organization that makes Bend so special can so simply be denigrated and dismissed.
—Bob Almquist
Letters of the Week
Bob - And we appreciate that you appreciate our Letters to the Editor, and to show our appreciation, we hope you appreciate a $5 gift certificate to Crow's Feet Commons. Stop by our offices to pick up our token of appreciation.
