Letters to the Editor 09/28/2023

If the hills are alive with the sound of music, it’s because of @jeshuamarshall. Thanks to Jeshua for tagging us in this amazing photo and letting us know about his brand-new album, “The Flood.” Photo credit: @unlockedfilms Don’t forget to share your photos with us and tag @sourceweekly for a chance to be featured as Instagram of the week and in print as our Lightmeter. Winners receive a free print from @highdesertframeworks. Credit: @jeshuamarshall

RE: BEND-LA PINE SCHOOLS REVIEWS POLICY AFTER SPORT SPONSORSHIP BACKLASH. NEWS, 9/21

From a quick glance at the Nosler product website, you can order the “Nosler 22” cartridge for your converted AR 15. (Then you can click on over to the AR-STONER website and order a 25 round capacity magazine for your Nosler 22’s.)

The Nosler 22 is a cartridge that was designed to surpass the industry standard .223 Remington cartridge in terms of cartridge capacity, increased muzzle energy (20% more), and increased bullet velocity. One enthusiast called it “hot-rodding” his AR 15.

Fine, “supporting our schools” is a meritorious community service. But, maybe, buying unavoidably eye-catching ad space on a scoreboard is laying it on a bit thick.

At any rate, I’d feel better if I knew the folks at Nosler have been playing a role in promoting gun safety reform. Are they?

—Foster Fell via bendsource.com

I feel like a better brand alliance for them would be to sponsor gun safety education sessions in schools with associated materials, as well as free trigger locks for any family who wants them. Set up a booth at football for gun safety education and hand out the locks.

—Debbie Pickens Pantenburg
via Facebook

They are supporting the community, they are supporting youth sports, they are an active and longtime community member. Do your homework people, many families hunt, they produce ammo for this, Mt. View has an amazing clay target club, Mt View has the #1 NJROTC program and you are worried about what? This school is lucky to have such a great sponsor for youth sports. Sports keep kids out of trouble and busy, this is another weird move from those trying to control and change things to fit their agenda. Kids need to get off of social media and into a sports program, work on that.

—Patty Miller via Facebook

CLIMATE CHANGE, DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL & URGENT REQUEST

Thanks, Cindi Garvie, for your NYT reading recommendation about climate change. [Letters, 9/13] Also check out “Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility,” ed., by geniuses R. Solnit and T. Y Lutunatabua. A provocative, inspiring, hopeful book and genuine eye-opener/mind-shifter for me. Short chapters, beautifully written. I wish everyone would read and discuss this book.

Related to climate/environment: the proposal for a mixed-use riverfront project along the river trail at the Old Mill (in the area across from the amphitheater) that includes: 31,000 sq. ft of retail space, nine rental units (high end or vaca rentals) and parking on 3.54 acres.

I emailed Aaron Henson, senior city planner, to vigorously oppose the plan. My concerns: yet more congestion, loss of open, green space and land impact (above and below, not just on the land).

And the impact of construction/development on endangered spotted frogs that live in and about the casting pond (which is near one of the sites to be developed), and birds, dragonflies, damselflies, leeches, tree frogs, ants, yellow jackets and grasshoppers, etc.

And…more concrete. Environmental damage due to the making and pouring of concrete alone is staggering. This isn’t hyperbole. Check it out: fairplanet.org/story/concrete-climate-change-environmental-injustice/

— Krayna Castelbaum

RE: GREETINGS FROM CENTRAL OREGON. FEATURE, 8/3

There’s actually a national project called “Greetings Tour” that has been doing similar work since 2015. You can see their Greetings from BEND mural here: greetingstour.com/murals/bend-oregon.

It’s similar but a completely different vibe. The official Greetings Tour one was painted after but it involved a lot of locals in the process still. All love and the more murals the better honestly!

—Victor Ving via bendsource.com

Letter of the Week:

Thanks for highlighting yet another lovely mural for Bend, Victor! For those curious, the new “Greetings From” mural can be found on the U.S. Bank building at 450 NW Franklin Ave. in Bend. Its team of national and local artists, which included David Wang, Janessa Bork of Vivi Design Co., Victor Ving, MelonJames and Josh Ramp of Vivi Design Co. posted a story about its creation — including their efforts to do this mural as early as 2018, when Bend still suffered from its draconian mural code that basically made it difficult to get one done – on the Greetings Tour website, listed in Victor’s comment above. If you’re already on the next part of your tour, Victor, let me know and I’ll pass your Letter of the Week coffee gift card to another deserving letter-writer!

(See picture below at left).

—Nicole Vulcan

This article appears in Source Weekly September 28, 2023.