Rabbi Jackie Brodsky: As many seem to have forgotten or denied, the current war in Gaza was started by Hamas terrorists breaking a ceasefire on Oct.7, 2023, when the worst attack on the Jews since the Holocaust took place.
Rep. Pam Marsh: What saved us were the local nonprofits, churches, businesses and other entities that stepped up in crisis. Few if any of these organizations had formal training in disaster response and recovery. Unlike FEMA, they had trusted relationships with the community.
Ransom Stephens: Are we experiencing the inflection point of history when we will confirm that our worst nature is our true nature? Or is this most recent affection for fascism the last gasp of our generation’s evil wolves, its Battle of the Bulge?
Bob Kaplan: I know many of our neighbors are struggling to pay their bills and are worried about the future. Holding on to a mish-mash of outdated pay scales is a false solution.
Michael O’Looney: If only our current president could reflect on our history; if only he could govern with malice toward none. If only he would try to govern all of America instead of only those who voted for him.
Skeye Hridayam: There has been more than enough data collected, studies done, and reporting on the subject of policing over the last few decades at least to show that what better improves the safety and health of a community is not intensified policing that emphasizes stricter laws and punishments, but looking to mitigate the circumstances that create the conditions for crime in the first place.
James Lobsenz: The same government officials who praise the religious organizations that provide relief simultaneously adopt laws and regulations that make it more difficult for them to do so, because many residents are unhappy about long lines of poor people gathering at churches or the offices of charitable food distribution centers.
Denise Krause: A group of advocates visited shelters around the state and found that the best shelters were run by nonprofit organizations, often with public-private partnerships, contracting with their county to include dog control services, which counties are mandated to provide.
Michael O’Looney: Checking in on Donald Trump and sometime friend Elon Musk.
James Lobsenz: There is a difference between a protest and a rebellion. Hundreds of thousands of people protested the Vietnam War. But the fact that they marched, carried signs, chanted, engaged in sit-ins, and burned their draft cards, does not mean they engaged in a “rebellion” against the United States.
After a successful production of “The Vagina Monologues” and raising more than $2,000 for Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon, Ashland actor and director Lia Dugal intends for “The Climate Monologues” to premiere in Oregon in late 2025 or early 2026 at the Bellview Grange in Ashland.
It’s complicated.
Herbert Rothschild: Whether visualization and intention by themselves can effect broad social change is impossible to determine, but the question merits sustained consideration.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz said he is willing to return to in-person town halls if decorum and safety can be guaranteed. He specifically called out the group ORD2 Invisible, which Bentz said has orchestrated disruptions at meetings. The group pushed back, and said Bentz is scapegoating the organization to avoid accountability.
KS Wild will celebrate their annual dinner event Saturday, Sept. 27, at the historic Ashland Armory, 208 Oak St.
Rabbi Jackie Brodsky: As many seem to have forgotten or denied, the current war in Gaza was started by Hamas terrorists breaking a ceasefire on Oct.7, 2023, when the worst attack on the Jews since the Holocaust took place.
(It’s free)
