Opinion
Posted inOpinion

Get on the Bus, Charles

Letter to the editor.
Source Weekly

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” Those opening words in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities comes to my mind when describing 2010, though not nearly so extreme.
Most people who know me for more than a short time are aware that I'm persistently advocating for Bend public transit.
2010 was not the “best of times” for enhancing Bend Area Transit (BAT) for at least two reasons: Bend still does not have fixed-route transit service on Sundays; and Bend has not promoted the use of BAT to alleviate the problem of downtown parking.

Posted inOpinion

Feelin' Grinchy: Hypocrisy on the Hill, hotpants, fun with Pakistan and more!

Source Weekly

The author is reporting from an aircraft carrier where everyone is asking and telling, margaritas and hotpants now the rage.
“Bigger government, 2,000-page bills jammed through on Christmas Eve, wasteful spending… ” Happy Kwanzaa, America! Oh, wait, such things are suddenly bad, according to Senate Minority Leader Mitch “Turtle” McConnell.
Feelin' Grinchy? Don't dare touch McConnell's 36 total earmarks, like $4 million for marijuana eradication and $650,000 for DNA research at the University of Kentucky.

Posted inOpinion

R.I.P. DADT

Source Weekly

There have been gays in the American military as long as there has been an American military. But for more than 230 years they've had to hide their sexual identity from the men and women they served with.
That stupid and shameful anachronism will come to an end soon, thanks to the 111th Congress's decision to end the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy. Support for repeal was bipartisan, and the margins were impressive: 250 to 175 in the House (with all of Oregon's representatives voting “yes” except our own lamentable Greg Walden) and 65 to 31 in the Senate (with Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley both in favor).

Posted inOpinion

Let's Drink: The DA Debacle Part XXV, Bend's Most Dangerous Patio and more!

Administrator

DA Office Drama Drags On
A deal that would have traded some salary and benefits for deputy prosecutors in exchange for short-term job security appears to be crumbling on the eve of DA-elect Patrick Flaherty's tenure. An attorney representing deputy district attorneys who have banded together in a state-certified collective bargaining union notified Deschutes County administrators on Monday that her clients are rescinding their proposal unless the county commissioners vote on the deal before Jan. 1 when Flaherty is scheduled to take office.

Posted inOpinion

Dog Access Is Not Unreasonable

letters

There has been much hyperbole and misinformation regarding DogPAC's work to regain forest access for dog owners, with winter access being a central aspect. Here are some facts to set the record straight.
The Deschutes National Forest is by far the most restrictive of the 12 national forests in Oregon. Even if all the changes proposed by DogPAC are implemented, the Deschutes will remain the most restrictive national forest in Oregon. Put simply, this forest is abnormal in its restrictions on dog owner access. That needs to change.

Posted inOpinion

Eat Cake as America Collapses: Obama's tax cut time machine, attack on the Royals, and the other Holbrooke

Source Weekly

The author is reporting from a bunker, surrounded by brilliant gold.
The confusion over the past week is understandable, as President Obama suddenly emerged as a Reagan-right-winger. Even this column was proved utterly wrong; none could have guessed that our president was indeed a trickle-down-your-leg traitor.
Elected as a liberal until being declared a Socialist by Republicans whose version of traveling abroad is crossing the county line, Obama made a deal this week that shook more than heads. Costing $850 billion and confounding poor folks who hate the rich people who employ them, Obama's gamble to continue unemployment claims for millions included the outsized ante of more tax breaks for America's elite. Get this: 3 percent of all beneficiaries will receive 38 percent of the breaks in the present legislation. Sounds fair to me, if only I had a job or an estate.

Posted inOpinion

Muchas Gracias!

Source Weekly

A big thanks to everyone that bid on items in our recently concluded Charity Auction and to all of our business and community partners that donated goods and services to this year's fundraiser. Thanks to you, we managed to raise more than $5,500 for our charity partner, the Family Access Network. It's money that will help support programs that keep kids in school by giving students and families the basic tools that they need, including food, shelter and a stable home life.

Posted inOpinion

Mean Mother Nature, Lawn Mower-Toting Tweakers, Deschutes Wilderness and More!

Source Weekly

his Week's Sign That Things are Just Fine: Tornados in Oregon
If you're like us, you probably watch those television programs that feature unkempt young men chasing after tornados in armored Ford Escapes and think of the people living in those often-storm-ravaged Midwest locales and say something like, “Isn't it great we live in Oregon where we don't have to worry about tornadoes?” Well, think again.

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