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Letters to the Editor: A failed story Your lead article in the Monday Feb. 3 edition of The Tidings claimed that "nearly 200 people descended on the Unitarian Center � " which is true, but nowhere does the article indicate how they knew where to go. The program, only partially described by Myles Murphy, was widely advertised and notices were sent to 700-plus individuals by the Friends of Ashland Library, the program sponsors, who celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Friends' incorporation by the meeting so well attended. The news article focused on the "confrontational," while the entire program was much more comprehensive in nature. A significant amount of new information from all the panelists was shared in the two hours-plus we spent together. Further ignored was the masterful moderator role played by Scott Rayburn, our local commentator on JPR, among other talents. I write because I believe that the article does a disservice in its focus and its failure to acknowledge a program carefully developed by the Friends. You can do better, and the Ashland community expects better. Serena Stanford, President, Friends of Ashland Library, Ashland NASA people will bounce back You might think that the recent space shuttle tragedy would leave the people at NASA devastated but I suspect not. In January 1986, I was working with the Air Force rocket propulsion lab at Edwards Air Force Base. We were generating ideas to solve a problem that is classified. About nine of us were meeting in a motel room near the base. In the midst of our first morning's session one of the hotel maids interrupted us, saying, "You should turn on the TV." My room was the closest with a TV set and we rushed down there. When we turned on the set the networks were already re-playing the explosion of the shuttle over and over. The scientists leaned forward and watched the replay intently. One of them stood up and said confidently, "It's the O-rings." The others nodded. Within moments they had correctly diagnosed the problem that a fact-finding commission would take months to ratify. After a while we started back toward our meeting room. I thought to myself: This session is shot to hell. How can anyone continue to work in the face of such a catastrophic tragedy? I was wrong. Over the next couple of days we had very productive discussions. There were no tears, no hand wringing. These people are professionals who accept the risks and get on with the job. Jonathan Prince, Ashland A town that cares Once again, the community of Ashland has shown it cares. I was heartened by the turnout of Lower Pines residents and supporters at the City Council meeting of 2/4. It is vital that the Council and Greg Adams come to the mediation table on this important housing issue. Thanks, Ashlanders. Gracie R. O'Brien, Ashland Guest forum: Now is the time to be heard on Big Box agenda By Bill Street Ashland On a frosty fog filled walk to work the other morning, a friend of mine came screeching to a halt alongside the curb, rolled down his window, and yelled out, "So, what's with this Big Box rule change? I don't get it!" He's not the only one who's asking. The last two Ashland Planning Commission meetings have been packed. The January 14 meeting had the Big Box on the agenda - last on the agenda. And after four hours of waiting for that one item, we were informed that we might get to the Big Box next time. Well, next time has arrived, and according to Planning Director John McLaughlin's recent e-mail, "I haven't seen the final agenda, but from our last staff meeting, our intent is to place the Big Box ordinance first on the agenda to ensure it gets an adequate review, and to not make everyone sit through the meeting again." The date and time is set: 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 11, at the Civic Chambers on East Main. I believe that most of us want to maintain the small town qualities of Ashland. Remember why you moved here? What do we want Ashland to look like 20 years from now? Can we agree that traditional downtown building heights, sizes and designs, and our town views to Grizzly and the Siskiyous, are important to us, and worth preserving? Can we agree that 300 feet, the length of a football field, is NOT a meaningful and appropriate limit on the length of new buildings in Ashland? (Yes, 300 feet is the proposed length limit.) Can we agree that a building the size of Albertson's (45,000 square feet) is NOT an acceptable size or limit for our downtown? If we could agree on a new proposal to protect the downtown, would the majority of Ashlanders be willing to allow buildings outside of downtown to grow to 90,000 square feet, as proposed, or larger? Why are we reviewing the Big Box ordinance in isolation, when other rule changes such as the FAR rules (which make Big Boxes more likely) are about to come before the commission in the next few months and we still have not properly reviewed the Railroad Property Draft Plan or the Downtown 2 Draft Plan? Will the current proposals on the table protect the Ashland we know now, or will they take us down a development path that citizens and independent business owners will later regret? These are a few of the questions I have about the new Big Box ordinance amendment. I know you have more. Now is the time to ask them. Join me at the Public Hearing on Tuesday, Febuary 11. This is no time to idly stand by By Ramona DeVaul Ashland Let's be very clear. The decision to bomb Iraq is not the decision of George W. Bush and his administration alone. It is also the decision of every American who fails to raise his or her voice by phone, mail or marching for a peaceful solution in our dealing with Iraq. Within days or weeks, America will be killing many of the twenty million citizens of another nation which has done no harm to this country. Iraq, which is approximately the size of Idaho and is about four thousand miles off our east coast, is accused of presenting an incredible threat to the United States and the world with its weapons of mass destruction. If we examine the threat, it arises from the remains of a relatively small army, a wounded air force, a population decreased by over one million casualties from the Gulf War and unsubstantiated chemical or biological weapons originally sold to Iraq years ago by the United States. In response to the daily drum beat of the need to disarm and demolish this country, there are the questions that remain unheard or unasked. What happened to the Osama bin Ladin-Saddam connection? Why have not the neighbors of Iraq, with the exception of Israel, asked us to eliminate this "Evil" in their midst? Why have the inspectors found no weapons during their inspections? Why is the idea of chemical warfare promoted as unique to Iraq when countries all over the world, some bordering on Iraq, have their own chemical arsenals without the label of evil. And why does a country which lives by the rule of law allow its president and military to amass its own weapons of mass destruction rather than wait the outcome of the Security Council inspections and the decision of the world in concert? Why does a country using most of the oil in the world claim that the strategic location and oil value of Iraq plays no part in our rush to war? Frequently, the United States is referred to as a Christian nation even as we pursue a policy of mass destruction of people and land ill equipped to defend themselves or survive. Throughout history, people have allowed tragic consequences to occur by either following mistaken leaders or by idly standing by. That decision lies with all of us right now and the reality of the death and destruction of another country cannot be forgotten or forgiven by the strategic blackout of news on our televisions. 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 -