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Letters to the editor: Editorial about flag pole right on Wow! Your editorial about the flag pole was right on. It was refreshing to read an opinion which dealt with facts and not some politically correct drivel previously seen on this page. Congratulations and I look forward to future plain speaking opinions. Emile E. Cloutier, Jr. Ashland Editor should encourage free speech, not attack it In regard to today's editorial ("Flag pole �") it surely is incumbent upon an editor, especially in these troubled times, to exercise some rhetorical restraint and to avoid further aggravating an already emotionally-charged situation. Your editorial badly fails that test, especially in a town like Ashland, where people know a lot and like to speak their minds. Surely you do not really believe that it is mere "typical liberal jabber" for citizens to voice their opposition to showing the flag. And if you do, you dramatically misunderstand what American freedom is all about. Just because there is a law requiring the flag to be flown does not and should not prevent anyone from protesting its presence. Our country is in a crisis, with an administration that wraps itself in the flag while habitually deceiving the citizenry, engaging in illegal wars, and subverting our Constitution. It is not the flag that needs defending, but rather the civil rights of all our citizens to speak their minds without fear of retribution or editorial abuse. Whether or not you agree with their words, an editor of a free press must accord them respect, the patriotic intentions of a 13-year old notwithstanding. Gerald and Ragan Cavanaugh, Ashland Shift in philosophy? Is it just me or has there been an abrupt shift in the editorial philosophy of the Tidings? In the July 11th editorial "Flag Pole: Accept it, or move out" (reminiscent of one of my least favorite phrases from the 60s,"America, love it or leave it") Mr. Bolsinger and Mr. Murphy use the expression "� typical liberal jabber" to describe the objections of some Willow Wind parents to a flagpole on school property. The whole editorial, and that expression in particular, left me feeling like I was reading a hate talk radio script. I hold the opinion that characterizing people in trite phrases like "typical liberal jabber" or "typical right-wing demagoguery" only serves to polarize our community. I am very disappointed to see our local newspaper characterize any group of us in such a simplistic and divisive way. Personally I could care less whether Willow Wind has a flagpole or not, nor do I care what flags we choose to fly there. The more flags, the more points of view represented. That's a democracy. Jim Shames, Ashland Military budget is essence of imperialism If a military budget over $400 billion, exceeding those of the next twenty-six countries combined, and bases in most of the countries on the planet is not imperialism, what is? Hal Jamison, Ashland Country not a democracy You might want to remind the folks out in Willow Wind that this country has never been a democracy, it is a Republic. However, it is rapidly moving towards a democracy (mob rule) due to the attitudes and efforts of people like Ms. Bungay and Ms. Bedford. Nick Ackerman, Morgan Hill, Calif. Guest Forum: Editor cloaked in mindless patriotism By Paul Copeland Ashland Speaking of showing your true colors, the July 11 Daily Tidings editorial on flying the flag at Willow Wind says a lot about the ideology of the new editor. This kind of mindless patriotism, my country right or wrong, cloaked in cynical support-the-troops rhetoric is precisely why the flag has become a symbol of partisanship, not patriotism. I salute Tracy Bungay and the parents at Willow Wind who have shown the courage to say what we all know is the truth. The truth is that these brainwashed lemmings with flags plastered all over their SUVs (not to mention the toy soldiers driving the Humvees) are not making a show of patriotism. Rather they are making a political statement in support of might-makes-right world domination and destructive domestic and international policies of every kind. The Superintendent is determined to support freedom by forcing the home school community to fly the flag against their will. This is based on the tortured logic that Willow Wind is a "school building", while not actually a "school" per se. A crowning insult is the flag was supplied by Perry Atkinson, one of the most offensive right wing so-called Christians and school hating politicians in Oregon. The Superintendent is using "its the law" as a gambit to avoid doing the right thing by facing down the bellicose demagogues who pretend that worshipping the flag has anything to do with real patriotism. Editor has disdain for dissent Shelley Elkovich Ashland The July 11 editorial headline "Flagpole: Accept it or move out" sums up the editor's disdain for and misunderstanding of dissent. This attitude reminds me of the drivel to which protesters have been subjected since the invasion of Iraq. The editorial itself is a hostile, knee-jerk reaction to Tracy Bungay's statements in the Tidings� hyperbolically headlined "Flag Feud" story. The editor dismisses Bungay's views on what the flag represents to her as "typical liberal jabber." Our "republic," with an un-elected President at the helm, has conducted an illegal war under false pretenses. Our national identity is becoming one of unchecked aggression, consumerism, corporate-dominated monoculture and "patriots" who routinely tell those who resist the status quo to leave the country. To many here and abroad, what the flag represents has been bastardized by the corrupt actions of a government deeply embedded with corporate interests. A symbol is always viewed through a cultural lens. Of course our nation's flag once connoted freedom, democracy, and the "American way of life." That is precisely why some citizens feel pain and rage when viewing the flag today. Finally, I take exception to the consistent subtext in Tidings coverage of Willow Wind: the editorial bias that taxpaying homeschooling families should have no right to access state funds if they choose not to participate in government schooling. Story was inflammatory journalism WWCLC parents and teachers: Charlie Bauer Laura Roe Laureen Sutton Brint Borgilt Audrey Flint Tim and Melinda Schurr Gary and Jane Price Ken and Susanne Barnes Michael Gandy Margaret Shockley Cindy Eggers Darrell Bluhm Janie Chandler Leah Henigson Jeanie Chourad The recent Tidings article regarding the U.S. flag at the Willow Wind Community Learning Center (WWCLC) was a very unfortunate example of inflammatory journalism. The story told in the article was not representative of the WWCLC. Very few members of the WWCLC community were polled on the issue; indeed, it appears that only three parents were interviewed. The current enrollment at the WWCLC is approximately 275 students. This hardly seems a fair representation of the entire WWCLC community. In the future, we urge the Tidings to do a more thorough and balanced job of investigative reporting on issues that are potentially divisive and detrimental. The negative repercussions of this story affect not just the WWCLC, but also the entire Ashland community. The AP picked up the story and the image it disseminates to the country about our city is certainly not a flattering one. We lament the lack of journalistic rigor that produced this article, especially because the issue was truly a non-issue. The WWCLC's competent coordinator, Debbie Pew, was already handling the matter before the filing of the story. She had already consulted with Superintendent DeChiro and the proper steps were being taken to resolve the problem. The district had already set in motion the steps to erect a flagpole in order to honor the student request to raise the U.S. flag at the WWCLC. Furthermore, the quote attributed to Debbie was incorrect. It appears that the article was not fact-checked thoroughly. We request that the Tidings conduct future investigations with greater integrity and precision. 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