Ashland Daily Tidings :: Your Community News Source Since 1876

Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, OR — Wayback)

2003-07-08

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Editorial: Make each day an Earth Day One of the themes of the city-sponsored Earth Day celebration Sunday at North Mountain Park is "make every day Earth Day." It's a nice idea, but with everything going on in the world right now, even the official Earth Day is getting little attention. Making every day Earth Day will take some work. We can at least take a hiatus from haranguing the traffic and the tourists, a break from burning flags, a rest from rousting transients and come together for something we all agree on - the value of this planet and its environment. Horrific events often open our eyes to the world. We now know more about Iraq and Afghanistan than we ever would have. By accident or design, the United States is more connected now with parts of the world few Americans have paid much heed. Evolving political interconnectedness, however, pales in comparison to the rich environmental links which have always existed. We're proud to operate in a city where local government, schools and other groups encourage this yearly recognition of the earth, and we invite Ashlanders to take this time to consider ways to redouble efforts to build a better world. There are crucial issues today which divide (and distract) us - the war and reconstruction in Iraq, flag-burning, civil rights, homeland security, the death penalty, stem cell research and on. Disagreement, discussion and deliberation on these and other issues is fundamental in keeping the soul of our community - our city, our nation - from drying up and shriveling away. But communal "togetherness" experiences such as the Fourth of July, the Festival of Light and an Earth Day celebration are just as important. Everyone - children, women, men, mothers, fathers, grandparents, Women in Black, Women in White, flag-burners, flag-preservers, people of all shades and hues are connected by the earth. You don't have to agree with each other. You don't even have to like each other. But you must recognize you're all doing what you believe is right to make the world better. On Sunday, go down to North Mountain Park between noon and 4 p.m., hang out, eat some organic food, listen to stories and songs, and learn how you can do a little more. 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 -