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Letters: Take cell phone safety in their own hands Our neighbors in California just rejected legislation that would have made it illegal to drive while being interrupted by a "distracting activity." The bill identified distractions faced by drivers including the use of hand-held wireless phones. If passed, the legislation would have required drivers in California to use headsets, ear pieces or speaker phones. Although the intent of the bill was good, and I urge drivers to use hands-free devices, education - not legislation and the introduction of "wireless driving bans" - is the answer to this public safety issue. Wireless phone users have a tremendous responsibility. We can make our roads safer by following eight simple tips: * Pay attention to the road and traffic conditions; safety always comes first. * Make calls from your car only when necessary. * Ask passengers to place or take calls, or let calls go into voice mail. * Wait until you're stopped at a traffic light to make a call. * Never take notes or look up phone numbers while driving. * Make use of services such as Directory Assistance Call Completion. * Use hands-free devices and speed dial to maintain focus on the road. * End a call if traffic becomes heavy or road conditions become hazardous. We need to educate, not legislate, and carefully consider the safety and consequences of our actions. Denise Hutton Director of Sales, Southern Oregon U.S. Cellular Medford *** Thanks for not feeding the horse This letter is to acknowledge my deep appreciation to all of the gardeners down at the Ashland Community Gardens for their understanding and cooperation in honoring my beloved horse by not giving him any tidbits of food whatsoever. Everyone has been great! Some of the gardeners have even offered to help watch out for Barra so that others don't feed him. I can't begin to say how much this means to me, especially after these past few years of heartache, worry, and tremendous vet and ferrier bills. Although there's no cure for the Cushing's Disease, Barra is doing quite well and so are the gardens! It's great to share the land space with such a great group of people and it's great to see such a wonderful project unfold day by day. Thanks to the "Carols" for the great idea! Ellie Read Ashland *** Guest forum: Time to rally around the preferred choice By Michael Goldman Ashland After years of divisive debate and dueling opinions, a "preferred choice" has been issued by the Forest Service regarding the expansion of Mt. Ashland. The draft EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) has just been published and it has wisely taken intoconsideration all the facts and expert research about the proposed ski area expansion. Our community has had enough time and forums for all sides to offer their thoughts, fears, and support for, or against, the expansion. Now, after all these years of hearingfrom all sides on this issue, the deciding entity being the US Forest Service, has endorsed one of the many options that was developed as a reflection of the various sides. No one side, or perspective, has been endorsed in its entirety. Instead, the preferred choice is a compromise in which all sides can feel re-assured and comfortable. The preferred choice is a platform for expansion while at the same time it is a protectorate of the mountain, its habitat, the watershed, and our community. The hard working people at the Forrest Service have spent an enormous amount of time and taxpayer money being more than fair to all sides of this controversial issue. They have remained even handed and diligent in their review of all the materials given to them from the beginning. They have also obtained original research and expert testimony on the various aspects of the expansion. Now, finally, they have rendered a position detailing their preferred choice. The deciding moment is here for our community. They are allowing for one more community comment period to take place. NOW IS THE TIME TO RALLY TOGETHER IN COMPROMISE. For the sake of our community, for the sake of our ski area, and for the sake of the division caused by this issue, it is time for all sides to take a deep breath and allow for the process of "compromise solution" to go forward. Nobody gets everything they wanted but everyone gets something. It is a solution that we can all live-with and our community owned ski area can go forward into the future. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | 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 -