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Letters to the editor: Rotten situation exists with plan for large home I find it very disturbing that Ashland would even consider allowing a 10,000-square-foot home to be built in an historical district, and especially by someone who is a brother of our mayor. Something is rotten in this situation. To keep the character of our city, we need to have neighborhoods that reflect diversity, but not ridiculous exaggerations. It simply is not true that most people want or need gigantic homes (why!?). And even if they did, so what? We have a right to keep this city as we would like it to be, and people who wish to live here can get creative to meet their space needs. Designate areas outside of the town center, new development areas, for gigantic homes - and not on our hillsides, either, where they stick out like sore thumbs! Vanessa Scott, Ashland Guest forum: The relevance of the U.N. in times of war By Donald A. Wells Medford Kofi Annan reminded us recently that the United Nations is more relevant than ever if we want to "rid the world of the scourge of war." President Bush asserted that if the UN did not support his war aims, then the UN was irrelevant. At least one of them is mistaken. The U.N. has demonstrated its relevance in providing peacekeeping in 49 countries that would otherwise have engaged in war. Since 1945, in over 170 instances of inter-nation disagreement that might have resulted in armed conflict, the United Nations successfully negotiated peaceful settlements. We are only too aware of what happens when nations refuse to bring their problems to the UN. Since the founding of the UN in 1945, a total of 126 nations participated in 291 needless wars in which over 22 million people were killed. At least 15 million of these were civilian men, women and children. Who says the U.N. is irrelevant? War brings with it disastrous civil, social, and health consequences. The U.N. relief agencies currently provide aid and protection to some 25 million refugees and displaced persons. The U.N. World Food Program provides famine relief to over 230 million people in 100 developing countries each year. Every year the U.N. through the World Health Organization and The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) saves over 3 million children through their immunization programs. The U.N. drinking water supply and sanitation programs have resulted in over one billion persons receiving safe drinking water and over 750 million receiving sanitation for the first time. In 1974 only 5 percent of the children in developing countries were immunized against polio, tetanus, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, and tuberculosis. By 1995 as a result of the efforts of the World Health Organization and UNICEF there is now an 80 percent immunization rate. In 1980 there were 58 democracies worldwide. Due largely to U.N. involvement there are now 115 democratic nations. It is timely to note that in none of these cases was democracy brought by military invasion. It is especially timely to recognize the tragedy of the current U.S. led invasion of Iraq to get rid of their weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which it is now evident they do not possess. The U.N. inspection team found no significant evidence. Since this team is the only world-wide sanctioned body with credibility to determine who has or does not have WMD, it is particularly important that they be allowed to return to make their final report to the U.N. The United Nations Association of Southern Oregon board regrets that the case of Iraq was not handled by the Security Council and the General Assembly. We regret that this proper role of the U.N. was flouted by the U.S. led military action as well as by the current U.S. role as "nation builder." We all need to remember that the U.N. was not founded to provide "a fig leaf of legitimacy" to the war aims of any nation. We urge the current Administration to cease playing the role of world ruler and bring the future of Iraq to the 191 member U.N. The United Nations is the only world organization both empowered and qualified to help Iraq establish the conditions for political, social, medical, and economic health. Editor's note: Donald Wells is an historian and a member of the executive board of the United Nations Association of Southern Oregon. 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 -