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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor, March 28 Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News More than life was lost Over the past several days, details have emerged over the killing of Andrew Charles Shipley, 49, a mentally ill man, shot by seven officers of the Medford police force. The facts as I understand them are: Mr. Shipley was mentally ill, armed and dangerous. He had been barricaded inside his home for 19 hours. Attempts had been made to communicate with him, but they were not successful. Mr. Shipley fired one shot inside his home, partially opened his garage door and fired at officers. They returned fire and killed him. We’re told that the police attempted to “de-escalate it” and that they did “all that they could.” Perhaps only some of what they could would have been enough. Why was the response so big, so out-of-proportion to the threat? Why would it take a military armored assault vehicle and seven heavily armed officers to take out one mentally ill man? How does this constitute de-escalation? What would escalation look like, Ferguson, Mo.? Sadly, more than a life was lost this week. Also lost is our trust and confidence in the good judgment of the agency sworn to “protect and serve” us. Hedy Schoonover, Ashland Beacons are for safety An article in the local section has me both angry and puzzled. Zach Brombacher strikes me as both uncaring and unthinking. My husband and I flew into the valley in our Piper 180 for 12 years, from 1976 to 1988. We grew to love the area, and especially the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I was a pilot, as was my husband. Lights on towers are special warnings to pilots, and a safety factor for pilots. Stop complaining about them. We liked the Rogue Valley so much that we moved here in 1997. I buried my husband at the veteran's cemetery in Eagle Point in 2010. I love my life here, and remember well that it was our flights from San Rafael, Calif. to here that convinced me to spend my remaining years here. Janet Stang, Medford Get a life Oh my God — I don't think we elected school board members to engage in extreme micromanaging and nitpicking, as portrayed in the MT on March 19. Certain members need to get a life. Plus, the controversy the MT is trying to cook up does not warrant a front-page article. Norm Nelson, Medford Don't give in I urge all parties involved in evaluating the AP History textbook's content not to give in to a slow degradation of our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. The Second Amendment was not intended to allow the right to bear arms for military use. Militias are not the military. Our constitutional authors specifically designed that amendment so that the private citizens of the United States could bear arms in order to fight off an oppressive government here at home, just as those authors had just done against unjust English rule. Shame on anyone who wants to water down the meaning of that most precious document. Chris Beard, Medford A venerable textbook I have to say it was intriguing to read in our local paper that Thomas A. Bailey’s book "The American Pageant" was the center focus of all eyes in Medford educational circles. A very long time ago, right after I got the Ph.D. in history from Stanford University, I devoted every Friday to seeking flaws in the initial manuscript of that very book! Then ensued a warm conference with its author. It has been a pleasure since then to see its rise to become numero uno among American history textbooks for high schools. Its author hoped for that, early on. Telling the Constitution as it is seldom satisfies everybody. I would wish partisans of specialized agendas would calm down, and let our educational system offer guided classroom discussion of the Founding Fathers, their documents, and their probable intentions. Vaughn Bornet, Southern Oregon College faculty 1963-1980, Ashland Why they like him Is it any wonder why the Republicans are so enamored with Netanyahu? He campaigns the same way they do. Helen Rosen, Ashland Build pipelines now The predictions are in, and it's surely not good! We are talking some near 70 years away, so it stands to reason to start building water pipelines now! Cost ought not be a factor, because in the long run this very event of building water pipelines will save trillions of dollars and save livelihoods, land and structures. If we don't, massively incomprehensible problems will occur. The idea here is to nip it in the bud before such catastrophic consequences occur. Drought is serious stuff, people! Let us get a grip here, or not-so-distant future generations will suffer immensely! Jeff Kassman, Ashland Police did their jobs The recent standoff here in Medford was tragic. Unfortunately, this is a situation where no one wins. People seem to feel you get involved too soon or you wait too long. Nineteen hours is a long time, and the police didn't just go in and end it. There were others living nearby who needed protection. Our officers' job is to protect the public and keep all of us safe. We had all hoped for a different outcome, but they did their job. My prayers go out to the family and our police officers. Phyllis Joy, Phoenix Commentary is biased We are fans of National Public Radio and supporters of KSOR, Jefferson Public Radio in Ashland. They provide an excellent service in almost every respect. However, when KSOR turns to an outside organization for commentary or analysis on environmental issues, they invariably choose Earth Fix or Earth Justice, and neither is likely to display an objective approach. Of course liberalism is endemic in our “public” broadcasting, but this blatant exclusion of opposing viewpoints in favor of groups devoted to a single perspective is noxious. Hubert Smith, Jacksonville Pen pals for 70 years On KDRV, I watched a 60-year pen pal couple who met each other, and I want to share my own pen pal connection. I corresponded with a girl in Roanoke, Va., from 1945 on. I lived in Oregon for most of the next 24 years, at which time I met her, her husband and daughter for the first time. Our correspondence has continued to this day, for 70 years. She still lives in Roanoke, while I corresponded with her from Hood River, Eugene, Japan, Germany, Coos Bay and now Ashland. Mitzi Loftus, Ashland MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » 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. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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