Document text
Letters, Sept. 2 By Ashland Tidings readers Sep 02, 2020 09:24 AM A A Nuclear attack in slow motion In my time, I’ve had a couple life-changing events: One in 1967 and another occurring now, with the pandemic devastation. Fifty-three years ago I was married in Sasebo, Japan. During my two-year stay, I visited the Nagasaki Memorial Museum. I viewed photos and relics of the 1946 atomic bomb attack that slaughtered many of its inhabitants. I was shocked and saddened at the number of lives lost. Push ahead to 2020. Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program, described the 2020 coronavirus pandemic as a “nuclear attack in slow motion.” Trump, the self described “wartime president” has nearly 200,000 deaths on his watch, the same number of deaths in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Many U.S. deaths and related illnesses could have been prevented if the commander in chief was competent. This coronavirus has spun out of control with the lack of leadership at the top and a scientific understanding by Trump. He failed to protect us as his oath declared. Maybe we should build a 2020 Pandemic Museum like the Japanese did in Nagasaki. Cici Brown Ashland Census — please! I assume most Jackson County residents immediately filled out their Census forms — it only takes five minutes online and is vitally important. My concern now is that the nation may have totally back-burnered the Census with all our current multiple crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, political conventions and the very serious acknowledgment that Black and brown lives really matter. But it does make an accurate national Census even important for Americans! We need to count every single Black and brown person as well as all white folks. Everyone needs to be represented in Congress when we re-draw our congressional district lines in 2021, especially for states like Oregon which stand to gain an additional representative in Congress with our increasing diverse population. No matter what you may think of Congress at this moment, having more representation, not less, helps Americans. Please remind everyone you know to remind everyone they know of the urgency to complete the census. This Administration wants to shorten the Census collection period to hamper a full and accurate count. Please spread the word to respond now — and remember census privacy is protected for 72 years! I do believe our democracy depends on it. Bonnie Johnson Ashland We must change We have seen the pandemic deaths rise when actions were based on the economy rather than on medical science. The results of climate change are equally disastrous when we fail to use science, but instead try to preserve the economy that led to climate change in the first place. We’ve learned that to stop a pandemic we have to change how we do things. The same is true for the larger disaster of climate change. Substituting renewable energy for fossil fuels will help immensely, but preserving a system that requires continuous growth will only lead us back into exhaustion of resources and more greenhouse gases. Ken Deveney Ashland Catastrophe is here The pandemic has forced us into a world that is increasingly virtual. Zoom meetings, on-line schooling for all ages, including college, have resulted in shortages of laptop computers. It is no surprise that technology stocks are soaring, lifting the Dow Jones, Nasdaq and S&P 500 with their rise. Those who claim this is representative of our economy are charlatans. Rampant job losses, unpaid rents, impending evictions and foreclosures tell the real story. We are witnessing the cruel dynamics of further distillation of wealth to the top 1%. For many, catastrophe is no longer looming, it is already here. Jerry Nutter Ashland Webletters Graphic.jpg