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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Police Reports Schneider Art Museum installation re-imagines Rivera UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit 10 things to know for Friday Education New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. 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Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Letters to the Editor, March 27 Editorial Our View: Build it; they will play Our View: How it should work Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. 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Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Top 5 things to do this week Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Ticket Availability The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Music Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: In ‘Danny Collins,’ Pacino helps us imagine a Lennon story Noah Baumbach talks Ben Stiller, adult comedies and more In 'Timbuktu,' lust for power disturbs peace Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque App Finder: Best barbecue apps Health Watch: It’s OK to have a cheat day Inner Peace: The good, the bad and the spiritual Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... RELOCATIONS Herb Rothschild: What to do about ISIS? Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Feb. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Feb. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News My next column will mark six months of publication. In it I’ll reflect on my intentions for the column and invite you to help me achieve them. One thing I’ll ask of you is to question more openly my assertions. There was one question I thought my column last Saturday would surely prompt. You may remember that I spoke unequivocally against spilling more blood in the Middle East to achieve whatever elusive goals we’ve been pursuing there since the invasion of Iraq. More than one of you must have asked yourself (though not me), “But what should we do about ISIS? Are we simply to let them be? Their behavior is dreadful.” This specific question opens more general ones, such as the role of the U.S. in the world and the legitimacy of military force. I cannot hope to discuss adequately such weighty questions in a single column. Today I’ll make a few points and anticipate a continuing discussion. First, ISIS. What we hear about their conduct — and we only hear what we are meant to hear — is appalling. Unfortunately, ISIS is not unique. There are numerous governments and rebel groups that rival ISIS in brutality and in religious intolerance. Which ones are singled out for attention depends on where the White House believes it will be useful to direct our easily aroused moral outrage. Take eastern Congo, for example. There, a variety of players — governments and warlords — have caused more than 2 million deaths and terrible suffering. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival stirred our consciences when it staged Lynn Nottage's “Ruined” in 2010. In contrast, no administration has chosen to spotlight that horror as it continues year after year. Beyond indifference to the depredations of many morally repugnant regimes, our government has had supportive relations with many others — the Shah of Iran, Pinochet of Chile, Suharto of Indonesia, Abacha of Nigeria, Marcos of the Philippines, to name a few despots we found congenial. Most tell-tale, perhaps, were our close ties to Saddam Hussein during the 1980s, even aiding his chemical weapons program. Only when it suited their turn did George W. Bush and the Neocons hold him up as a monster. My point is this: that any claim we might make for being humankind’s moral champion has been so compromised by inconsistencies dictated by motives at odds with morality that the world just doesn’t buy our claim. We shouldn’t either. So if something is to be done militarily about ISIS, we are not the ones to do it. Connected to that point is my second: Any such intervention is the responsibility of the United Nations. The world would be much better off if, like less powerful countries, the U.S. behaved as a global citizen, not a self-styled exceptional nation. If we had to act within an international legal framework, we couldn’t pursue selfish aims under the guise of altruism. Last, a word about war. That human beings organize ourselves to kill each other is an offense to the human spirit. At the least, those who advocate war should have to convince us that their end is indisputably moral, that it is achievable, that there is no other way to achieve it, and that the war they propose won’t cause at least as much harm as it aims to prevent. There is a finality about killing a human being. There is nothing final about the consequences of doing so. Let us rightly order ourselves before we presume to order the future. Herb Rothschild Jr. is chairman of the board of Peace House.   DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Feb. 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. 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 Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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