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--> --> Opposed to poem by writer's mother Considering this paper's long-standing policy against publishing poetry, one might have thought that, if that policy were relaxed, it would be only in the interest of disseminating some excellent verse, of whatever kind and on whatever subject. But if the "Poem from 1978" (July 24) is to be an augury of something new on the letters page, let's nip this novelty in the bud, and quickly. This "poem" was submitted by Louis Goldman, who claims it was written by his late mother. But wrapping these crude lines n the fluff of sentiment can't conceal the fact that they are a nasty, racist, lying caricature and slander of the Palestinian people, written in a feeble doggerel. It might be expected that a son's love for a parent may sometimes blind him to that parent's shortcomings, including poetic ones; but quite frankly, Mr. Goldman, if my mother were capable of writing such hateful trash, the last thing I would do would be to spread it around. I would blush for her, and then burn it. The Palestinian-Israeli debate, as some commentators have suggested, has reached the point among some of its participants in which truth, and factual accuracy, have become irrelevant. Heat, not light, is their preferred mode of discourse, which, once adopted, of course renders any meaningful discourse impossible. In publicizing these hate-filled lines of crude verse attributed to his mother, Mr. Goldman honors neither her, nor civilized discourse, nor this page, which, according to another often-published policy of this newspaper, doesn't publish hate-inducing letters. Remember? Isaac Walker Ashland Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing