Opinion

Make par, not warOregon Republican Sen. Gordon Smith is one of Capitol Hill's most enthusiastic and skillful golfers - so much so that he made Golf Digest's 2005 list of Washington's Top 200 Golfers.
But Gordo's name is missing from the 2007 list.
Smith, whose handicap was given as 4.5 in 2005, told the magazine he hadn't been playing enough last year to determine his handicap - too busy campaigning for re-election.
Overall, the Washington golf scene has changed quite a bit since 2005, Golf Digest (golfdigest.com) reports: "Ethics legislation passed in 2007 has curtailed the kind of 'let-me-explain-my-issue' rounds that enabled congressional staffers to play in groups co-hosted by lobbyists on Friday afternoons.
As a result of a ban imposed on gifts and services, lobbyists have to pay thousands of dollars to play in elected officials' fundraisers to spend time with them on the golf course - hardly a bonding opportunity." Also, the storm of scandals swirling around Jack Abramoff and other lobbyists has created "a greater-than-ever hesitancy among golfers to admit they play."

This week's letter of the week goes to Phillip Randall. Thanks for the hyperbole-free letter, Phil. You can pick up your $25 gift certificate to Dinner's Ready this week at our offices, 704 NW Georgia. For all the rest of you, the woodshed if officially open for business.

After all the polarizing letters about the ongoing wars and recruiting it is nice to see a letter like Stephanie Bearse's (letters 2-27). Since she seems to be listening, I'm replying in the same spirit of reconciliation.
We in the peace movement have spent the last five years protesting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and though there has been a dramatic shift in popular opinion against the wars this work has been at times dangerous and frustrating.
I would like to address her point about talking to our representatives. And I'm going to give Rep. Greg Walden, Sen. Gordon Smith and Sen. Ron Wyden grades based on their listening skill. We have really tried to lobby our three representatives, and to be perfectly honest I'm disappointed by their responses.

Desperate to catch Barack Obama, Hillary let a nasty secret escape: Her affinity for power exceeds her fidelity to the public interest.
This became clear in a recent campaign commercial tailored to the politics of paranoia. The gist of the commercial was that she was better suited than Obama to "answer the phone" when the ominous call (exact context unspecified) arrives at 3 am in the White House and "your children are asleep in bed." The ad implied that she, not Obama, is the one who can safeguard your spawn from the overseas evils that daily threaten our excellent (not to mention skillfully governed) domestic existence. It is pathetic to watch the Hill-Billy campaign play the Republican bogeyman card: Elect me, or your kiddies will be killed!

Lately (as in, the last couple of months), the Source has been less than impressive. The article on Kyle Sonnen & Laura Deatherage reminded me why I continue to pick the Source up every week.

Willie Nelson has recently joined the millions of people speaking out for 9/11 truth and working towards an independent citizens' investigation into the attacks. Willie's statements are based upon his own observation of the events and common sense. Put simply, Willie is thinking for himself and possesses the courage to speak out.
Willie's voice, as part of the 9/11 truth movement, is important because he is widely appreciated by country music and contemporary music lovers alike. His voice and music have appeal for their creativity and integrity. One might say that Willie Nelson has bridged the social gap between the rednecks and the hippies. He is a real uniter.

Please print my anonymous letter, as I speak for so many responsible citizens who share my frustration in this matter, I believe my name is unimportant. I think freedom of speech includes freedom of anonymity.
Central Oregon law enforcement, what are you trying to do? Destroy the already shaky financial stability of our working-class families?
The [Redmond] bypass project that we are all excited about and looking forward to is moving along.
No doubt it is costing more than expected, because the citizens are being robbed to pay for it. There has been a predatory and pervasive practice going on since its inception - traffic officers hiding, "laying in wait" for anyone who didn't notice the sudden speed limit changes along Highway 97.

This week's letter of the week comes from Bill Bodden who takes issue with notion that people don't have the right to protest outside military recruiting offices. The First Amendment thanks you Bill and so does the Source. As a token of our gratitude were picking up the tab for dinner tonight. You can pick up your $25 gift certificate for Dinner's Ready at our office, 704 NW Georgia, anytime during business hours.
 
To put it in polite terms, Stephanie Bearse (Feb. 28) chose the wrong target when she criticized war critics in Bend. She objected to Code Pink picketing the recruiting offices where ill-informed young people go to join the military and possibly participate in the fighting in Iraq. The recruiters may be doing their duty and may not lie, but they won't volunteer the whole and sordid truth. They won't tell applicants this is an illegal war or that they may have to fight in it with defective or insufficient armor and supplies. Nor will they tell young women they will be at increased risk of being raped.

Today I read the official announcement of the opening of Trader Joe's on March 28. This exciting, quite longed for and overdue event is finally coming to Bend.
I have been a fan of Trader Joe for so many years that it dates me. I know there are many other fans chomping at the bit, hearing it discussed at the gym, in the grocery store, and almost any place people gather… "Have you heard yet when Trader Joe's is opening? Oh, you don't know about Trader Joe? Let me tell you"