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Letters to the Editor: Borderline logic by reps on Capitol Hill In the history of world civilization, has there ever been a nation, until now, which declared a national security crisis and was preparing to go to war, which did not close, protect, and defend its borders so as to be impenetrable from enemy infiltration? It seems our internal security measures extend no further than the scrutiny of American citizens in their homes, and on the job, as well as over the telephone and on the Internet. Perhaps the real crisis here is the myopic vision and misplaced priorities of our representatives on Capitol Hill. Both major parties are derelict here. No wonder we can't find many staunch allies, we look pathetic and asinine to the entire global community. Perhaps when our politicians are prohibited from soliciting illegal aliens to register and vote for them and their social giveaway programs, things will change. Robert H. Bonter, Talent What happened to freedom? I was present at the burning of the flag on Friday. In my opinion it was a very effective tactic for sparking a much needed debate about war. More importantly it has created a forum to discuss as civil people what freedom truly means. I ask does the Bill of Rights only apply to "real Americans" or are these right for the protection of all people? The principles expounded in the Bill of Rights are the basis of a free and just society. The administration at many levels is doing away with these rights and replacing them with a police state similar to Nazi Germany. They are using the USA Patriot act to strip us of our rights. As our leaders burn away our rights we fight about a flag burning. I see the burning of the flag as a symbolic vision of what is happening to the freedoms we hold dear. We all must realize that once our freedoms are gone they will not just be handed back to us when we are no longer threatened by "terrorism." If we truly believe in freedom for all we must fight the real enemy. I ask are foreigners taking our rights or is our government? We must stop the destruction of our rights and stop this arguing about a symbolic protest. I for one will resist the rising global fascism until I die. I hope you will join me. Trever Jones, Ashland Guest forum: Bush is out of step with the rest of the world By Al Bodin Ashland As I sit here today, the stock market has just reached another low, unemployment is up, welfare rolls are up, every state in the union is running an overwhelming budget shortfall, gasoline prices are skyrocketing, the number of uninsured citizens has risen dramatically, and $7 trillion has been stolen from investors by corrupt corporations. Many of the freedoms we used to take for granted are now restricted or eliminated by Herr Ashcroft. We have American citizens that are now locked up without being charged with a crime and without being allowed legal counsel. Now as if things weren't enough, our un-elected emperor, who went AWOL during his military duty, is hell bent on invading another country. It's not a pretty picture. Bush knows North Korea would be a much more difficult enemy than Iraq, and North Korea has no oil fields. Let's face facts, Bush is lusting for the rich Iraqi oil fields. Many of us may be tempted to blame this current state of affairs on the terrorists attacks last year, but that is absolute nonsense. The terrorists didn't squander an $800 billion surplus to further enrich the wealthiest people in the country. The terrorists didn't attack social security, public education and the environment. The terrorists didn't set up a "Faith Based Initiative" office in the White House to further the erosion of the wall of separation of church and state. The terrorists didn't set up "first amendment zones" to squelch free speech. The terrorists didn't establish a "shadow government" without consulting our impotent Congress. Millions of us have decided that Dubya is a pathological liar. He can lie to us when he knows we know he is lying. Sept. 13, 2001, Bush said "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." March 13, 2002, Bush said, "I don't know where he is. I have no idea and I don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." No. These attacks did not come from outside. They came from within. As Abraham Lincoln said, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Patriotism includes an understanding that the government gains and grows from free exchange of ideas as guaranteed under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Would America be stronger or better off had dissenters not questioned slavery, the prohibition of women's right to vote, or the wisdom of continuing the war in Southeast Asia, etc. etc.? When we view dissent as disloyalty are we not clearly drifting toward the evil we condemn in dictatorships that repress opposition? Furthermore, would it be equally just for Iraqis to initiate a war to kill our leaders because we have weapons of mass destruction? We threaten to disregard international law if the U.N. is slow to authorize war in Iraq. Do we really believe that if we as a nation practice unilateral killing of our enemies, our children will grow up seeking peaceful paths to conflict resolution? Is our killing of Iraqis likely to decrease their hatred of America or eliminate seeds of further terrorism? When Bush took office, America was the most admired nation on earth. Now, at least 44 nations see America as a menacing force led by a stumbling, arrogant, dictatorial warrior president, out of step with the rest of the free world. Is it just a coincidence that our country began this perilous downward spiral with the illegal GOP takeover of our presidency? Engaging (gladly) in class warfare By Jon Vote Talent I am a class warrior. Deep down inside I've known it all along, but it was made official recently by the man who was chosen by the Supreme Court to run things in Washington. His W-Ness recently proclaimed that criticism of his plan to rob the U.S. Treasure and give to the rich was nothing short of class warfare. I sure fit the profile, so it must be true. An article in the Jan. 20 edition of the New Yorker cited the results of a study by the Bloomberg financial news service. According to the results, Dick Cheney could expect a savings of over $300,000 on his current tax bill under the new "stimulus" plan. Think about that for a moment. Someone reading this article will spend their entire life paying taxes to the federal government just to fund Cheney's refund check. And there are lots of Cheneys to pay for. Even if this massive tax cut only goes to the top 2 percent of the population, that makes for a lot of happy billion-heirs come tax time in a country of 290 million people. Is there anyone who honestly believes the purpose for all this is to create jobs as the lies from the administration would have us believe? What utter nonsense. Perhaps Mr. Cheney will add a maid or two to his household staff. That will create jobs. Maybe he will employee a car salesman for a year by purchasing a new SUV for each day of the week. More jobs. I can feel the economy rebounding already. In fact, this plan is nothing more than a shameful attempt at profiteering on the backs of the working class, the poor and our future generations. Why not create jobs by spending the money on teachers, police and firefighters? Why not make our streets safer and our schools better? Why not put the money - our money - into infrastructure instead of lining the pockets of the very wealthiest among us? Why not? The answer is obvious to me. If it is class warfare to speak out against this outrage, than that is what I am doing - and proudly so. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -