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Letters to the Editor (Editor's note: Regarding the letters of protest received at The Tidings for printing a submission on Dec. 23 from a Richard Baarsma, clarification is required. When the commentary was first submitted for publication, received via e-mail, it was signed anonymously. The Tidings answered the e-mail, indicating that it is not our policy to submit anonymous letters. The response came to The Tidings that a "first name" would be all right. Again, we contacted the writer and said that wasn't good enough. At that point, the writer gave his name as Richard Baarsma. The e-mail transaction was enough verification to presume the author to be authentic. The fact - as some letter writers have indicated - that the author did not have a listed phone number in no way eliminates him from writing to the paper. There are MANY un-listed letter writers, and even some who have no phone at all. E-mail or in-person verifications are accepted in lieu of a phone number. Since the last e-mail contact with the author, our e-mail inquiries have been returned with no such address. That was not the case during the verification stage of the process. Is it possible to dupe The Tidings in a fictitious manner? We suppose it is. We don't treat letters as threats to community security. We do what we can. If, indeed, this Richard Baarsma is a fictitious character - still unconfirmed by The Tidings - then to whatever degree we were hoodwinked, we apologize.) A problem with the 'trashy' Bush qualifications Regarding the trashy, disrespectful "freedom of slander" remark the clueless Tidings editorial staff deemed worthy of publication ("A pig in a pig sty is better qualified to teach physics than George W. Bush is qualified to be president"), I have to ask: Why drag Al Gore's tenure at Columbia University into it? Robert H. Bonter, Talent It may take until spring, but a new ginkgo is soon to be appreciated The Ashland Garden Club has donated a tree to the library in honor of Anna E. Hirst, who was a good friend of the library. It is a Ginkgo tree so the silly treesitting protester and his supply group can go away. It is a male specimen, to avoid the trouble there was before, with sticky ill-smelling fruit, which seemed to be falling forever. The new landscaping will not be seen or appreciated until the spring or summer, but it is a big improvement. Who says progress cannot be beneficial? Hildegard von Fuchs, Ashland More 'Baarsma' concerns from Mtn. Meadows I was truly surprised when read the Guest Forum written by "Richard Baarsma." I did not know that The Tidings printed articles by non persons. Anybody who lives at Mountain Meadows knows that the name was made up. The writer took the first name of a former employee and the second name of a different employee. Both of these men moved far away and I don't see how "Richard Baarsma" could have fielded calls from "unhappy and confused old folks," or anyone else for that matter. The writer also misspelled David Rothstein's name twice. Mountain Meadows is a wonderful place inhabited by wonderful people and staff. If the author of the guest forum is one of the unhappy and confused old folks there is a very simple solution - MOVE! Adele B. Shimanoff, Ashland 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 -