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Letters to the Editor: War not about oil? Oh, really? The looting of the Baghdad museum in the wake of the successful U.S. invasion of the city will surely go down as one of the great cultural losses in history. Over10,000 years of artifacts from the dawn of human civilization have been stolen or destroyed. Military planners admit that they fully anticipated the destruction of the museum and yet made no plans whatsoever to protect it. In contrast, one of the first acts of the American ground forces was to secure the Iraqi oil fields in the south. Days after the fall of Baghdad, the water remains off, yet monumental efforts are being made to get the oil production running again. While the priceless treasures of the world's culture and heritage were disappearing forever, the Oil Ministry office in Baghdad sat carefully guarded by U.S. Marines. Not about oil? Jon Vote, Talent If I were an Iraqi If I were an Iraqi today, I would be compelled to express my overwhelming joy over what has happened: Today God has granted us liberation from an evil indescribable. While others in past generations have known such evil, this one was ours to bear and to pray would end. Many of our loved ones are gone by the hand of this man, so it is up to us to accept the task of rebuilding our country and to insure that men like Saddam will never rule again. America has sent its soldiers to risk their lives so that we might taste one of man's most precious entitlements - freedom. To the mothers of those who have died for us, please know that your loss will not be in vain. We will not squander this gift. Thank God for America; thank God for men like George Bush. Greg Reeser, Ashland Soldiers face a difficult task Even though I am not a Bush supporter and was very much opposed to the war in Iraq, I was very offended by Mr. David Wicks' letter in the Daily Tidings. To criticize what our soldiers are not doing in Iraq makes little sense to me. Give them a break. Our soldiers are trying to stay alive, and at the same time are attempting to liberate the people of Iraq. Unfortunately some of the liberated Iraqis are out of control and are looting their own banks, museums and businesses. Sure Baghdad is an ugly place right now. That's a no-brainer. It's going to take a while to bring order to Baghdad and all of Iraq. Please tell me Mr. Wicks how you would go about fighting the Iraqi soldiers, protecting innocent Iraqi civilians, and at the same time trying to figure out if that next seemingly happy Iraqi is going to blow you up or instead give you a hug and kiss because he is so thankful to be out of Saddam's control. Not an easy task! Craig Templeman, Phoenix Guest forum: Council can save flag protesters By Andy Bayliss Ashland Dear Ashland City Council Members: I witnessed the Saturday, April 12, American flag burning from a few feet away, and I want you to know that there was no reason for an arrest. Please ask the district attorney to drop charges and get these innocent guys out of jail. A trial always introduces the (distinct) possibility of a miscarriage of justice, and it also keeps the protesters unjustly in jail in the meantime. Please ask the Ashland Police Department to allow peaceful protest and desist in their intimidation tactics. I'm wondering if you know of any reason why there was such an outrageous action by the police to squash our constitutional rights. It may have been a simple misjudgment by a policeman, and if that's the case, it needs to be corrected fairly and quickly. It makes the whole town look bad. As a 25-year resident of Ashland, I thank you for taking this time to consider the importance of protecting our constitutional rights in my hometown. The following is what I saw during "the flag burning" in downtown Ashland, Saturday, April 12, 2003: I was standing about 8 feet away and to the northwest (to the side) of the protester on the flag's right side (as viewed facing the way the protesters were). This meant I was near and behind "the bench" where the bystanders were sitting. I saw two men, standing, holding a medium size (maybe 3x5 foot) American flag step forward a little, into the space that was inside the rough circle that was formed by participants as presentations were made. The men held the flag in the typical position it is displayed in (horizontal). They were holding it by the corners, either all four corners or by the two upper corners. One man lit the center of the flag, on the bottom, with a lighter, and both men held the flag calmly as it burned up through the center. It took about 30 seconds to a minute for the flag to burn into two parts, and as it did so they both dropped the burning pieces onto the pavement. The action was deliberate and calm. The men stepped back a pace or two and allowed the flag to burn. At this time and later, the burning flag remnants were about 5 feet away from a bench with some people sitting on it. At this point the flames were about 1 to 4 inches high. One of the protesters began stepping on the flames, apparently to smother them, and as he did so they flared a little. Some flames rose up to about 12 inches at that time, in spurts, and so he stopped this, at which time he stepped back and observed. At this point both men were taken from the area. They complied with the officers and left the area quickly in police cars. I at no time saw the flames as a threat to anyone. The burning was not done in a wanton or careless manor, nor was it done where it could threaten people. The protesters were calm and deliberate, and chose a space away from people to light the flag. 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 -