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Letters to the Editor: MIC is back and we're in trouble Republican President Dwight (General) Eisenhower warned of the growing influence of the Military industrial Complex (MIC) upon "The Peoples" government. MIC utilized the fear of communism spreading and dominating the world to justify its involvement in Vietnam's Civil War. MIC got the influential support of the "Best and Brightest" in government. "Truth is the first casualty of war." A majority of Americans supported the Vietnam War. Tens of thousands of young men lost their lives fighting for "Freedom." The truth was they fought and died for MIC, an industry shrouded in secrecy and controlled and motivated by certain greedy special interests. The prolonging of the Vietnam War benefited those special interests while innumerous supportive citizens of the war got rich investing in military stocks. MIC is back! It's stronger today because the CEO of our government and MIC are one. A new generation has been coerced utilizing the fear of weapons of mass destruction to justify a pre-emptive war in the Arab world. Tens of thousands of young soldiers, patriotic men and women have been called to duty. Most have no concept of MIC or Vietnam or their own mortality. How will "The People" demonstrate their patriotism for or against war in Iraq? What'll have to happen to change the minds of the supporters of war? Again, will it have to be too many of our young men and women coming home in body bags? Maybe it won't happen until MIC decides to prolong the war and invade neighboring Iran. Richard Altig, Talent Many of us have just begun to rail against the war Your editorial titled "Defining patriots and taking back of Old Glory" is one of the most sensible and encouraging pieces I've seen written anywhere since the beginning of this madness called Bush's War for Oil & Global Dominance. Please know that many of us out here have wept plenty, and yes, we have railed; but also be assured that the people responsible for this madness have just begun to hear America's railing. We will take Old Glory back! God bless you for seeing the whole picture and writing about it when so many in the print news media have sold out and jumped on the narrow-minded Bush administration bandwagon. Nicholas Hancock, Asheboro, NC 'Snap to' for Monday editorial Monday's editorial was in the best tradition of America's free press, defending the dissenters and upholding the real meaning of the First Amendment. We salute you! Ragan and Gerald Cavanaugh, Ashland Guest Forum: ACLT is best way to create, sustain low-cost housing By Tammi Spencer Ashland Fellow Citizens of Ashland, As a member of the board of directors of the Ashland Community Land Trust and a citizen of Ashland I would like to thank Mayor Alan DeBoer for his recent comments in support of our organization. An organization that exists to create and sustain affordable housing in the city of Ashland. We are losing valuable members of our community due to the lack of affordable housing. The closing of Briscoe elementary school is just one example of and a direct result of the lack of housing. There are families moving very short distances to more affordable communities and other school districts. The ACLT is currently in the process of developing 6 units of affordable housing. These units are just the beginning of the need for a pool of affordable housing within the city of Ashland. ACLT is the best way to create and sustain affordable housing. There are other communities throughout the country that are utilizing the land trust model to create permanently affordable housing for their citizens. It takes the full support of city government along with that of the citizens within these communities to make it happen. There is another affordable housing tool that we could utilize right here in the city of Ashland. It is called mutual self-help housing. It requires that several units of affordable home ownership opportunities be developed at one time. The model requires that qualified families invest their time and energy into the actual building of theirs and the other homes. This is an innovative resource offered through USDA! Rural Development, this tool works well with the land trust model. ACLT could take advantage of this The need for affordable housing is not going away and the time to act is now. ACLT has a 9 member volunteer board of directors, no paid staff and no office. And yet ACLT has developed three homes and is currently developing six more units of affordable housing. Just imagine what we could accomplish with a little financial support from city government and our community. The possibilities are endless. The goal of Ashland Community Land Trust is to make 10% of the housing stock in Ashland affordable. The organization needs staff and office space, as well as developable land. With the land, the housing is more than possible. I hope the letter I write this time next year will be to thank the city and the community for getting us all closer to our desired goals toward affordable housing units. The ACLT is a membership organization and membership is open to all. For more info on ACLT write us at P.O. Box 3027, Ashland, Ore. 97520 For more info on mutual self- help housing please contact Bruce Newman, Rural Community Assistance Corporation at (541)332-0703. Not unpatriotic By Donna Webb Ashland I find I can remain silent no longer! Since when is it unpatriotic to be anti-war, when the war in question is being thrust down our throats by a so-called president with questionable motivation? Why should it mean that we don't support our troops when we don't want them put in jeopardy for reasons that may have nothing to do with our national security? Of course we need to continue our search for bin Laden and his al-Qaida network. But none of the news reports that I have heard over the months since 9/11 have convinced me that the people of Iraq had anything to do with that horrendous deed. Al-Qaida is no more present there than it is right here in our country. Our intelligence people say that they are very likely living here, so does that make us responsible too, for 9/11? Of course not. So why are we so determined to kill the innocent ones in Iraq? Sure, we want to stop Hussein's activities, but is bombing the country to bits really the answer? Our so-called "smart bombs" have been proven to be not so smart and are quite capable of hitting hospital, schools, etc., rather than the planned targets. Am I unpatriotic to not want our sons and daughters to possibly be exposed to gas and germ warfare? Is it really worth their lives to give our oil companies control over all of that oil? Is it really our freedom that they are protecting? In this case, I think not. And anyone who considers this kind of thinking unpatriotic needs to ask themselves just exactly WHY this war is so important. Our beloved country is being made an object of hatred and scorn by this administration. I am ashamed to be represented by the likes of them. I doubt that anyone loves this country and the flag that symbolizes it more than I do. I do not approve of flag burning, but I understand and share the flag burner's desperation in wanting to make people wake up and think about how we are being misled and manipulated by our government. We need to pay more attention to which of our sacred freedoms are being stealthily taken away from us in the name of national security. Do we know who and where our enemies really are? It has recently been suggested that if we don't like the way our elected officials are serving our country, then we should move out. That is not the American way. If those supposedly elected officials are not acting the way the public wishes, then they are voted out and we stay. Don't call any of us unpatriotic just because we question the agenda of this administration. That is the American way 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 -