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WEDNESDAY December 24, 2003 - Subscribe - Contact Us Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels Letters: President better at sending others to battle than self With spiraling casualties in Iraq (16 soldiers reported killed in a helicopter shootdown as I write), it may not be inappropriate to take a renewed glance at our commander in chief's own record as a warrior during the conflict of his generation - Vietnam. A member of the Texas Air National Guard, our president switched to its Alabama equivalent and subsequently vanished, yes, vanished, for an entire year - only to resurface when combat was nigh over. His pappy being who he was, senior son was never taken to task by any authority, national, Texan or Alabaman. In the event you are not familiar with this phase of our leader's record, perhaps you may wish to give it your consideration. Kurt Hartmann Ashland Popular measure of the economy is not all that useful Disraeli spoke of three kinds of lies: "lies, damned lies and statistics." Used to tell us how well off we are, GDP fits the great conservative's worst category. Whether talking of our nation or valley, the thinking behind GDP is misleading and destructive. Example: GDP places no value on the contribution of the family to our well-being. Often subconscious, "GDP thinking" underlies much of local decision-making. It's time to call on our representatives to be conscious of the assumptions in their thinking. Every voter and representative needs to read "If the GDP is Up, Why is America Down?" (1995, available on the Web). It shows the flaws in GDP and offers a superior alternative, the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI). For our children's sakes, and our own, we need to know what "If the GDP is Up ..." explains. Stan Druben Ashland Thanks to those who supported animal shelter On Saturday, Oct. 25th, people from all over Jackson County pulled together to save some very wonderful cats and dogs. Yes, there was a party goin' on at the Windmill Inn of Ashland, and the 12th successful Puss 'n Boots Ball paved the way for Friends of the Animal Shelter to continue its many programs that help care for and find homes for thousands of homeless animals who end up at the Jackson County Animal Shelter. Thank you to all of you who attended; to all of you business owners who contributed to the Silent Auction; to Marilyn Moore, Laurie Gadois and crew who prepared food; to SNYP (Spay/Neuter Your Pet) who were the "Bar Czars;" and to the many, many volunteers who donated countless hours putting on the event, from gathering silent auction items to decorating the day of the ball. Thanks also to the Tidings and Mail Tribune for donating a complimentary "thank you" ad, so that we can acknowledge our very generous sponsors. By working (and playing!) together, we have made life a whole lot better for the homeless pets of Jackson County. Julia Roupp President Friends of the Animal Shelter Ashland Animal shelter is part of annual Santa's parade Ashland is really going to the dogs - in a good way! Seems like every other dog you meet in Ashland was rescued from a shelter. We call them Lucky Dogs, although usually it's really the people who adopt them that are the lucky ones. If you are one of the angels who have adopted a Lucky Dog from the Jackson County Animal Shelter and want to show the rest of Ashland what wonderful dogs can be adopted there, you are invited to join Friends of the Animal Shelter as we march along in the 11th annual Santa's Parade on Friday, Nov. 28, starting at 5:00. The parade, an Ashland tradition that attracts thousands of spectators and is broadcast on RVTV, is the kickoff event for the Festival of Lights. To join us, please RSVP at 774-6646 or surf over to www.fotas.org for e-mail contact information. Robert Casserly Program Manager Friends of the Animal Shelter DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams