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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Jackson County not enforcing GMO ban ... Inner Peace: Your beautiful, beneficent mind ... Ticket Availability ... Jackson County not enforcing GMO ban ... Inner Peace: Your beautiful, beneficent mind ... Ticket Availability ... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor, Aug. 4 DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Aug. 4, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Aug. 4, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Getting there Although Ashland is a wonderful town, Ashlanders occasionally want to travel. And sometimes they want to leave their car at home. Until its recent lamented demise, Shawn's Van Ride Share ferried passengers to the Bay Area (and back!) several days a week for $80 one way. Now that it's gone, there are just two public transit alternatives — neither ideal. 1) An Amtrak Thruway bus leaves Ashland at 4:35 p.m. and arrives in Klamath Falls at 6:50 p.m., giving passengers a three-hour wait for the train, which reaches Oakland at 8:35 a.m. (Yes, that's an overnighter.) Remember that freight trains have the right of way, which may add hours to this journey. A one-way ticket is $112. 2) A Greyhound bus leaves Medford at 6:30 a.m. and reaches Oakland at 4:30 p.m. A one-way ticket is $93. Several years ago, there was an Amtrak bus that traveled to Sacramento to connect without delay to the train. Apparently that ceased because of competition with Greyhound. So why might you choose to take public transportation to the Bay Area, when your automobile gets you there comfortably in about 7 hours and leaves on your own schedule? Well, some people (like me) find that an onerous drive. Others (also like me) seek to lower their personal carbon footprint and help save the environment. And still others own no car, either by choice or by circumstance. Where there's a problem, there's often an opportunity. Will some savvy entrepreneur take up the challenge? Trish West Ashland Support diplomacy Regarding the Iran deal: If we didn’t have an opposition party of dunderheads, Congress would be hailing the deal worked out by the U.S. and allied nations with Iran as a historic breakthrough and lauding Secretary of State Kerry and the other diplomats for their courage and persistence. But, of course, the dunderheads can’t applaud anything the Obama administration does or says and would send us to war at the spin of a centrifuge rather than admit that diplomacy does work. Polls show that most Americans are tired of war and want diplomacy with Iran. And what’s wrong with that? Kate Gould, a Rogue Valley product, is lead lobbyist on Middle East policy for the Friends Committee on National Legislation in Washington, D.C. She writes: "The deal reached in Vienna is a watershed achievement, proving that with determination and political will, diplomacy works. Diplomacy has already been successful in freezing Iran's nuclear progress for the first time in a decade. Today, diplomacy has carved out a future that keeps Iran from the bomb, and keeps the United States from another catastrophic war in the Middle East.” Each of us can help Congress do the right thing — endorse the Iran deal by the mid-September deadline — by writing emails or phoning our congressional members, Rep. Walden and Sens. Wyden and Merkley, urging support for the Iran deal. If the dunderheads vote to kill the deal, we’ll need to write or call again to urge Congress not to override President Obama’s promised veto. Allen Hallmark Talent Plastic grass unsightly Many thanks for the opportunity to voice my opinion on the low-water median segment in front of Omar's. This segment has trees and very little grass-like area, while many median segments are grass only. It wasn't clear to me if the intention was to replicate the test segment, including bushes and trees, or if the median areas that are currently grass would become entirely plastic grass. Either way, I find the plastic grass very, very plastic and unsightly. I favor further investigation of low-water, natural materials to replace grass and a clear presentation of plans for medians the entire length of Siskiyou Boulevard. I would like to see drought tolerant, small diameter trees in every median on Siskiyou Blvd, along with other low-maintenance, low-water landscape features. Sue Newberry Ashland   DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Aug. 4, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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