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Begin forwarded message:
From: David Irons <llsdirons@xxxxxxx>
Date: January 3, 2016 at 8:11:33 AM PST
To: OBOL <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Is OBOL a community?
I contend that it is. While I can appreciate this interest in avoiding
divisive political debates and having bird posts only forum rules in place to
avoid them, those rules have been stretched in cases when painful events have
befallen our community.
When our community is hurting because one of our own--in this instance a
place--is hurting, members of our community want to reach out and grasp the
hands of other community members and squeeze tightly. This forum makes it
possible for our widely scattered community to do that.
We are humans not birding robots. Humans seek out a sense of community and
the company of others who share their pain during tough times. For many of us
Malheur is a sacred place, a cathedral, a sanctuary. There is a bench with my
late daughter's name on it that sits on these occupied grounds.
I can't imagine that any of us wants to see this place scarred by a battle,
standoff or occupation by people who don't love it like we do. This is not a
political debate it's an affair if the heart that brings us together as a
community.
Dave Irons
Portland, OR
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