Document text
Letters to the Editor, May 10 Wednesday May 10, 2017 at 12:01 AM Playground messages Have you noticed what are we teaching our children? A friend — a young mom — her 2-year old daughter and I were at the new Ashland Creek playground recently. I noticed a child-sized opening and counter. Under the counter is the word "Store." When I pointed it out to my friend, she said, "Yes, and you know what? There's a "Jail" at the playground near where we live!" Long before last week when we became painfully aware of these children's "activities," playground designers and those who make decisions about purchasing and installing playgrounds chose to relay these messages to our very young children. How can it not be clear that our consumerism and our rate of incarceration are major obstacles to environmental and human health and well-being? How can it not be clear that we are instilling such harmful messages in the tender consciousnesses of our youngest, our most vulnerable? Please, let's bring awareness to playgrounds. Let's remove these images, ideas, these "stores" and these "jails"! And let's come up with some new ideas for playground activities, like "Recycle Centers" and "Restorative Circles" and "Flower Healing." Use your imagination — there are so many more possibilities! Joanna Niemann Ashland Genise does it again Livia Genise has done it again — produced and directed another timely and precisely relevant theater piece. “God’s Country,” by Steven Dietz, is a disturbing education about the white supremacist movement in the U.S. — and locates it right here in our own backyard, the Pacific Northwest. The virulent anti-Semitism and racism revealed in the piece is not in some distant place on the other side of the country but in Portland, Seattle, Whidbey Island, right here in “God’s Country.” The dramaturg notes in the program that of the 917 hate groups in the U.S. tracked by the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of them, Rense Radio, is based here in Ashland. Though set in the late 1980s, some of the circumstances and dialogue in the play could be drawn from current news stories. Fast-paced and well-acted, this staged reading of Dietz’s work left me with an understanding of the conditions and complex motivations that draw some to get involved in right-wing hate groups. As we make our way through these “interesting times,” trying to stay awake and aware, this play offers a window into what has recently happened in our nation and continues to happen. As timely as a newscast. You have one more weekend to catch it, at the Ashland Community Center, Saturday, May 13 at 8 pm and Sunday at 2. Shoshana Alexander Ashland Thanks for response Thanks to the many community members and SOU alumni who responded to the April 28 Daily Tidings column and Facebook request inviting online participation in SOU's strategic planning process. Your particular insights and perceptions about the university's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are already being analyzed by the Strategic Planning Committee as part of our wider "SWOT Analysis." This analysis will inform the larger plan. We expect to have a first draft of the entire plan by this fall and will ask for additional commentary and feedback then. Thank you again for your considerable participation. Jon Lange, professor emeritus and chairman, Strategic Planning Committee Southern Oregon University Article fell short I just read the article by Tony Boom entitled “Incumbents face off in Fire District 5 race” published May 8. First, the article mentions several district problems, but comes up short in explaining them or providing any context. Second, it feels very much like a hit piece designed to help defeat incumbent and longtime volunteer board member Bill Robertson. That’s unfair. I know very little about the internal circus that’s been going on inside the district administration, but I have known Bill for many years. He has always had the courage to stand by his convictions, whether doing so is popular or not. He’s a standup guy who will not be bullied. I think the Tidings could have done a better job of explaining the issues in these board races, the personalities involved and the underlying motivations of those running for office. That’s your job. John Enders Talent Supporting Hart Wilson Hart Wilson is a candidate for the Jackson County Library District Board, Position 2. I’ve known Hart for 50 years, first as a 4-H Club member and later as a colleague at Southern Oregon University. Hart is a loyal, generous and honest friend, and a bright, innovative, perceptive and collaborative professional. As friend or colleague, she is an excellent listener. It’s a pleasure to watch her lead people of different — often dissenting — opinions to collaborative solutions. Hart doesn’t need to need to be right and she doesn’t need to be the loudest person in the room. She is a great example of leadership through service. Our Library Board needs people who work together for all the libraries of Jackson County. Hart lives in the rural, northern corner of Jackson County, and works in the urban, southern corner. Hart will represent all of us. Meredith Reynolds Ashland