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Letters to the Editor: Very, scary sight Tonight, I saw a very scary sight. Two young teen girls on skateboards heading downhill near Ashland Middle School, in total darkness, veering in and out of the bike path, their backs to heavy evening traffic. No helmets. No reflectors or lights. And - where do they get the idea? - talking on a cell phone. Having often witnessed this self- centered and dangerous behavior in older teens and adults diving cars in Ashland, I nevertheless found myself horrified. Last week in the Griffin Creek area of Medford, one child was killed and another very seriously injured because of unwise and, tragically, unsupervised use of a skateboard. Kids don't know any better. They need parents and the larger community to help protect them, and to set examples. Skateboards aren't a crime, nor are cell phones. Irresponsible use of either, heaven forbid in combination, can be fatal. Education, prevention and accountability, please. Kathleen Dunn, Ashland End the debate on ski expansion I am writing to support the Sierra Club for their efforts to expose the questionable economic side of the Ski Ashland expansion proposal. The history of economic failure and public bail-outs enforce the fact that this proposal is not a good idea. Ski Ashland was completed in 1962. Within two years the development faced eminent failure due to inadequate snowfall. Jackson County voters passed a bond to keep the development afloat through taxpayer subsidy. Again, in the early 70s, inadequate snowfall forced economic failure and bankruptcy. In the late 70s another bond was put before the voters to provide permanent public support for the development again because of dry years. Voters refused to pass the subsidy. Then again in the early 90s inadequate snowfall forced the development to the brink of economic failure when public fundraising bailed out the investors and the City of Ashland took over the lease. A larger development will mean more operational and maintenance costs. This will mean greater public liability. It is time for a rational solution. Let's replace the antiquated Ariel lift with the new lift purchased for the expansion and end this costly debate. Eric Navickas, Ashland Peace does not come with war George Bush does not know how to handle difficulties without insults ("Axis of Evil"), threats and actions of war. He is no different than the playground bully in his emotional maturity. Unfortunately, George Bush is the President of the United States. We are the most powerful country in the world. Therefore, we have the greatest responsibility to lead the world to peace, cooperation and respect for others. Isn't that the kind of world we want? To get to peace you don't use war. The means don't justify the ends. The means ARE the ends. Beth Heller, Talent Guest forum: Eventually, we must ban all guns By Edgar Shannon, Ashland I have been rallied by the recent letters commenting on our local gun enthusiast James Farmer, and especially by the January 29 commentary from Kurt Hartmann. Mr. Hartmann correctly suggests that we should carefully distinguish between NRA lovers such as James Farmer, and the larger group of our nation's unaffiliated hunters and sportsmen. He argues that if we concentrate our efforts on cheap handguns known as "Saturday Night Specials," we will avoid alarming the legions of hunters and target shooters who might otherwise flee to the protective ramparts of the NRA. He finishes his commentary by observing that if we follow his prescription for limited gun control, "more than half the battle will have been won." He is right, but I wish to remind everyone that the "other half" of the battle is important, too. It was a bolt-action hunting rifle with a telescopic sight that Charles Whitman used in 1966 to shoot 46 innocent people from the observation deck of the University of Texas clock tower. Other examples of criminals using rifles and shotguns can be cited, of course, not to mention hunting accidents, suicides, irresponsible storage and use at home, etc. The point is, we will need to eventually ban hunting rifles (which we should more properly call "sniper rifles") and shotguns ("street sweepers") along with all the "Saturday Night Specials," "assault weapons," and various other kinds of firearms. Personally, I think anyone who owns a gun is a "gun nut" regardless of whether or not they belong to the NRA. Nobody in our modern society needs to own a gun. Those who claim we need guns for self-defense forget that police are only a 9-1-1 call away. Those who claim we need guns for hunting forget that the supermarket is only a few blocks away, and that we can manage wild animal populations with contraception and other modern scientific means. There is no need for people to be out in the woods with guns. Those who claim that we need guns for protection against a future tyranny are just plain paranoid nuts. They need to let the police and military do their job, which is to maintain order over us. We need to follow the example of Great Britain, where guns have been vigorously confiscated since the Dunblane massacre of 1996, in which a madman shot 15 innocent children. At this point, all firearms possession is essentially illegal for British subjects, except for those who are allowed to register a .22 caliber target rifle, to be kept stored at their local gun club. Yes, for now, let's take Mr. Hartmann's advice, and just concentrate on eliminating the inexpensive handguns, the "Saturday Night Specials." However, in preparation for the "other half" of the battle, I endorse registration and licensing of all owners of rifles and shotguns. We need to find out who these people are, now, before they join the NRA. 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 -