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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. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? 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 ... COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: Mr. Netanyahu goes to Washington Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Feb. 13, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Feb. 13, 2015 at 12:01 AM What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this story? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter or email ... » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this story? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter or email [email protected] . » Social News When commenting on Israel, it's almost always tricky to separate the vast importance of the Jewish State from the controversial nature of the man who currently runs it. While Israel has an inalienable right to exist, it is becoming clearer by the day that the country is being led down a reckless path by its current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Most recently, Netanyahu has been invited to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress for the third time. He shares that honor only with Sir Winston Churchill, and is ahead of Yitzhak Rabin and Nelson Mandela, each of whom addressed us only twice. Bearing in mind that Rabin was felled by an assassin's bullet, that Mandela spent 26 years in prison in protest of apartheid and that Churchill was one of three leaders who helped win the Second World War, what particular achievement invites Bibi Netanyahu to join such an illustrious group? He can, at best, be described as hawkish. His detractors, of whom there are many, view him as a war criminal. Is it wise, at such a critical time, for a loose cannon of his ilk to be given a bully pulpit so weighty as the one afforded him by House Speaker John Boehner? The arrangement, which was made without any concession to the White House, is a serious miscalculation by both men. They are playing with fire, insulting the U.S. president, mocking Article II of the Constitution, and significantly undermining the democratic process. Many Democrats will not appear at the speech, taking a cue from Vice President Biden (whose office has announced that he will be "traveling" while Netanyahu is in Washington). While some Republican and conservative Jewish groups are pressing for shaming campaigns against congressional leaders who do not attend the speech, the more liberal sectors of the Jewish community are requesting some conciliatory gesture by the Israeli prime minister. Many are suggesting that he cancel the speech altogether. The address itself is intended to highlight "the grave threats that radical Islam and Iran pose to our security and way of life." That is a highly reckless position to be publicly fielding at exactly the moment when President Obama is using every available back channel in an attempt to find common ground with Iran on a host of mutually problematic strategic issues. ISIL, Iraq, the Iranian nuclear program, and many other pressing concerns could offer the United States a real opportunity for discussion and detente with the Islamic Republic. Netanyahu's idea of good foreign policy seems to vacillate between jingoism (in the case of his neighbors) and blackmail (when dealing with his supposed allies). Boehner's peculiar approach to power continues to show up as pathetic and transparent. His current behavior is based on a combination of genuine political impotence and shallow spin. It is a cynical bid for additional conservative Jewish votes come 2016, and perhaps for additional funding from sponsors like Sheldon Adelson. While Boehner has little to lose from all this domestically, Netanyahu is further degrading his remaining credibility on the world stage. He is continuing to provoke division of opinion among the populations of both the United States and Israel. He is agitating Iran more than is necessary. He is attempting to represent his interests as more important, if not somehow extrinsic, to those of the current world order. One would hope that he will soon reconsider, lest he lose some or all of his few remaining friends, to the detriment of his country, and to the degradation of that ever more evasive goal — a two-state solution. Jeffrey Gillespie's writing has appeared in the Santa Fean and Art Collector magazines, the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week. He lives in Ashland. 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