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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us March 16, 2006 AT LENGTH Stop the attack on our constitution By Justin Tombe Ashland The current administration has sought to place itself above the law at every turn, and when confronted with its illegal activities, has called upon its allies in Congress, the courts, and the media to rewrite the rules or rewrite history. There is a dictatorial assumption of power underway, done under the guise of protecting us from the same “terrorists” that members of this administration have in the past, and in some cases continue to, sponsor, direct, and protect. Now, in a direct contravention of the law that is nothing less than treasonous in its implications, the American people are being spied upon by their own government. Peace activists, independent media, political dissenters and others have been revealed to be on the “terrorist” watch list. The renewal of the Patriot Act has made the frontal assault on the Bill of Rights as indefinite as the “War on Terror,” making a mockery of important legal safeguards such as habeus corpus. Posse comitatus, the guarantee that our own troops will never be used against us, has been severely undermined, and is now seen by some in Washington as an antiquated hindrance to their exercise of power. This is clearly the emergence of a full blown fascist police state, threatening the 200+ years of struggle to achieve a just, transparent, democratic republic based on the rule of law. It is time to reassert the spirit and authority of our constitutional form of government and show that no one is above the law. Congressional investigations must begin immediately into the illegal wiretapping, and other criminal activities of the Bush administration. They must be open and transparent to the public, and substantive and thorough in their scope. There must be follow through, with appropriate and severe legal consequences for those in violation of the law. If not, it will be clear that a police state every bit as immoral and unlawful as that of Nazi Germany has already arrived at our doorstep. Working-class parents do just fine By Louis Pierotti Ashland Every writer knows that the best way to get read is to create controversy. Jennifer Margulis is no exception. Having read her recent articles regarding child care providers I also closely followed the firestorm of letters they generated. I am disturbed by the judgmental elitism in both the articles and some of the subsequent responses. The writer from Menlo Park, a very affluent community, stopped just short of eugenics when she stated, “… if these women choose . . . kids, they should make the commitment to spend time at home with them.” The implication here is clear, only the affluent or self-employed should have children. What about those who are neither? Are they not entitled to have children? The Menlo Park mother has clearly overlooked parents who are not as fortunate as herself. Some of the finest humans I know come from large poor families who needed all the help they could get. Some of the most misguided and confused children I have ever known come from affluent families who provided all the time, money, and attention a child could possibly need. The real problem with most of the responses to this complex issue is that they are painfully over-simplified. In order to “put bread on the table” my wife and I both have full-time jobs. Not by choice, but rather by necessity. The economy we face is far more brutal than the one our parents knew. I have known both good and bad child care. The greatest blessing of my job at SOU is the Schneider Children’s Center, the only fully accredited children’s center in Southern Oregon. Schneider offers the best care I have ever known. They love, respect, support, encourage, teach, feed and nurture my 4-year-old in ways many parents cannot. I don’t agree with Hillary Clinton on much, however, I think she hit the nail on the head when she quoted the ancient African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” As Sara Simon pointed out in her letter, the real problem is not negligent parents; the crisis is the societal priorities of a culture that spends billions of dollars on Baghdad while leaving all their own children behind. Tillie Olsen’s poignant short story, “I Stand Here Ironing,” strikes a nerve for all single and working class parents. “She was a miracle to me, but when she was eight months old, I had to leave her daytimes with the woman downstairs, to whom she was no miracle at all, for I worked or looked for work . . .” I am privileged to have the Schneider Center to help me raise my son. Let us all give thanks for the help we receive from our “village” for the vital socialization, education and love they provide for our miracles. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Hunting is often about the freezer Let’s see....how can I put this? Harry Cook (March 8) is so far off base that he is invisible. Hunting cruel? I have been a hunter, deer and elk, for more than 30 years. Larry baby, this is meat. I do not run to the supermarket for my pre-packaged piece of sirloin. I have never lost an animal that I shot. I made sure that a well placed bullet would insure an instant kill. I grew up poor. Meat was what my father hunted for. Life was not so easy then, and I grew up to harvest (not murder) meat to put on the table. Do I enjoy being in the forest? Yes. Do I enjoy all wildlife I see on my hunt? Yes. I enjoy the camping, sometimes at 28 degrees below, and in three feet of snow. Deer and elk are what fills the freezer. Judy Van Blarcom Talent In memory of Rachel Corrie Rachel Corrie was a 23-year-old American peace activist killed exactly three years ago today by an Israeli Army bulldozer while trying to prevent the illegal demolition of the home of the Palestinian family (the Samir family) she was staying with. Six months after Rachel’s death, the Israeli Army demolished the Samir home claiming it was used to smuggle arms via underground tunnels. Subsequent investigation by the Israeli Army found no tunnels of any kind under their home. The Samir family was never compensated for their loss nor aided in any way to find a new home. They, along with the 10,000 other families who have had their homes illegally destroyed by the Israeli military (according to the Israeli group Rabbis for Human Rights), are now refugees in their own land. I believe we Americans should stop funding the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Israeli settlements are illegal according to the Geneva Conventions, to which Israel is a signatory. Those same settlements constitute land theft which is immoral according to the Ten Commandments (Thou shalt not steal). Finally, the occupation itself is not only a gross violation of Palestinian human rights, but is harmful to America's own international reputation and is ultimately the worst possible strategy for Israel's long-term peace and security. This is Rachel’s legacy to me, her uncle. Gene Robbins Ashland The Tidings gives priority to letters on local and regional topics of current interest. It seeks to encourage thoughtful, well-reasoned letters and to discourage personal attacks, repetitive messages and personal disputes. Form letters are not published in the Tidings, nor are letters identified as having been published in other publications. Contributions to the Opinion page should be e-mailed in text-only format to [email protected]. Please include your address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached for confirmation. Letters are limited to 250 words. At Length submissions are limited to 400 words. Submissions may be edited for length, content and clarity. See www.dailytidings.com for our expanded letters and opinion section. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams