Document text
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 10 things to know for Thursday Outstanding local young women awarded scholarships 10 things to know for Wednesday Rising from the ashes Ashland Elks grant aids veterans Education Rising from the ashes Ashland High School again earns national honors Preschool's future not yet secure Ashland Middle School student spearheads Nepal relief effort Southern Oregon University's week-long Arts & Research showcase offers a potpourri of academics Environment Jackson County declares drought disaster Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Some trails, roads remain closed due to controlled burn Business Ashland joins in Craft Beer Week with toast at Standing Stone on Wednesday Cars We Remember: Noted musician unravels 55-year Nash Rambler mystery 'Fill'er up' will mean with beer, not gas Ride & Drive: 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe Ashland Safeway closes Thursday, to reopen as Haggen on Sunday Politics and elections City of Ashland to consider making recorder position appointive, not elective Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Gray's death Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics State News Oregon's snowpack at just 11 percent of average Lack of snow nixes ski portion of popular Central Oregon race Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Death Notices Death Notices Ronald Mitchell Betts Dickie Miles Hayes Death Notices Shareable Check out top import and export for every U.S. state Patriots fan sets up GoFundMe page to help pay for team's Deflategate fine Sports Latest Stories Ashland heads to Eugene for MWL district meet Clive McFarlane: Football ethics take center stage Ayers pitches Eagles past Grizzlies Cascade Conference Track & Field Championship Stormy weather for footgolf kick-off day High school Ashland heads to Eugene for MWL district meet Ayers pitches Eagles past Grizzlies Raiders Maguin, Parks, Sanders highlight first day of CCC track meet Ashland boys sweep doubles, beat GP Living on the edge Southern Oregon University Ashland heads to Eugene for MWL district meet Raiders Maguin, Parks, Sanders highlight first day of CCC track meet SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August Same old Raiders Voices Latest Stories Our View: Elected or appointed? Ashland by the numbers Letters to the Editor, May 14 Granlund cartoon: Christianity declining in US Landgren cartoon: Roger Goodell’s NFL scales of justice Editorial Our View: Elected or appointed? Our View: Change is brewing Our View: Forest work is a bargain Our View: What price history? Our View: Waging peace after war Letters Letters to the Editor, May 14 (No heading) Letters to the editor: Tuesday, May 12 Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ambrose spins a conservative fantasy Guest Opinion: Restoring the Plaza's sense of place Guest Opinion: Making conservation a game Guest Opinion: A good day to act Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Columns Ashland by the numbers Chris Honoré: Supreme Court grapples with tradition, suffrage Guest Opinion: Ambrose spins a conservative fantasy Herb Rothschild Jr.: The courage to ask Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Ashland Calendar, Thursday, May 14 4 Things To Do This Weekend Movie listings: May 15-21 Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum at The Mountain House Steve Poltz, Grant-Lee Phillips at Old Ashland Armory Theater Departing Ashland Independent Film Festival programmer talks about what makes a good movie Ticket availability Ticket Availability OSF to commission three new 'American Revolutions' plays Ticket availability Music The Farr Side: Contest open for singer-songwriters The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Visual Art Movies Your A-to-Z guide to the ‘Mad Max’ franchise Movie listings: May 15-21 'Wild Tales' is twisted, dark and lovely Movie review: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ will leave your inner 12-year-old giggling with glee Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Pergola, arbor, gazebo: Learn the differences Marketta Gregory: God doesn’t need our polished marketing Community Blog: An Open Mind is Inner Peace Page H. Onorato: Cookbook offers old friend in the kitchen today 5 Things to Do This Weekend (May 15-17) Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Elected or appointed? ... Ashland by the numbers ... Ticket availability ... Our View: Elected or appointed? ... Ashland by the numbers ... Ticket availability ... Shayne Looper: Who we were, who we are and who we aspire to be Comment By Shayne Looper More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Shayne Looper More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 at 9:17 AM Updated Dec 30, 2014 at 9:22 AM By Shayne Looper More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 at 9:17 AM Updated Dec 30, 2014 at 9:22 AM » Social News On Dec. 9, a Senate Select Committee issued a report on CIA interrogation methods that focused on the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques.” The report was clearly flawed. Nevertheless, it brought to the light a policy that all Americans should denounce. According to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who served on the committee, the interrogation process failed on five major points. First, the program was conceived by people who had never met a terrorist and was conducted along the lines of untested theories of interrogation. Secondly, the people performing the enhanced interrogation techniques lacked the necessary linguistic skills, interrogation training and real-life experience to know whether the process was working. Thirdly, senior officials failed to provide sufficient oversight for the program, which was fraught with the personal and financial conflicts of those involved. Fourthly, and most disturbingly, the techniques used were brutal. The acronym “EIT,” despite Dick Cheney’s denials, means nothing more or less than torture. Finally, the quality of the intelligence gained from the ruthless treatment of detainees was suspect, and claims that it prevented further attacks or saved Americans’ lives are doubtful. To someone who grew up watching old war movies in which the Americans acted with honor, regardless of the ruthlessness of their enemies, the report is deeply distressing. As a follower of Jesus, I find it simply appalling. Freezing a man to death, threatening to rape and murder a detainee’s children, placing a man in a coffin-sized box for 11 days, and perpetrating other acts of torture — in one case on a man later discovered to have been wrongfully accused — these are not the kind of things that Americans do. They are certainly not things a Christ-follower can approve. Some people have argued that, while excessive, these methods were necessary to protect innocent lives. But how do we know that? Even the director of the CIA cannot say that these techniques provided life-saving intelligence that could not have been otherwise obtained. And even if it did, are we willing to corrupt our character and stain our national honor to obtain that information? Are we willing to become the kind of people we deplore? Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., himself a victim of torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, put it this way: “The main reason to oppose its use ... isn’t about our enemies; it’s about us. It’s about who we were, who we are and who we aspire to be. It’s about how we represent ourselves to the world.” McCain hit the proverbial nail on the head. It’s about who we were, a people who stood, at great cost to themselves, against Nazi brutality. It’s about who we are, a nation that promises “liberty and justice for all.” And it’s about who we aspire to be. Ah, but who is it that we aspire to be? On that point, I think, there is confusion and a lack of consensus. We no longer share a common vision, one capable of evoking our aspirations. As the biblical proverb rightly warns, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This lack of an inspiring vision helps explain the bitter partisanship that has crippled our government in recent years. We cannot find common ground on issues of immigration, race and taxes partly because we have no guiding vision of who we want to be. We can’t decide on a road because we’re not sure where we want to go. There have been calls for a national conversation on these issues, but that conversation keeps turning into a shouting match for just this reason. Before a national conversation about legislative issues can be productive we need to have a conversation about national aspirations. What kind of nation do we want to be? That may be, in our increasingly pluralistic society, a long and difficult conversation. One thing I hope we can all agree on: we do not want to be the kind of people who resort to torture when we’re afraid. Shayne Looper is the pastor of Lockwood Community Church in Branch County, Michigan. Read more at shaynelooper.com. By Shayne Looper More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Shayne Looper More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 at 9:17 AM Updated Dec 30, 2014 at 9:22 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 Propel Marketing 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. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501