Document text
3 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 Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Police Reports Education 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 Teacher's Tips: Who gets to teach history? 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. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Test Drive: 2015 Honda Accord Cars We Remember: The original Candymatic Ramchargers Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Tot owners buy Playwright, hire Amuse chef Politics and elections Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Alicia Applegate Hardy Death Notices Rosalind Dee Death Notices Norman Christlieb Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Sports Latest Stories Guthrie kicks off fundraising drive Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Grizz bats heat up in Bend Kansas City Royals star pitcher Jeremy Guthrie visits Ashland to kickoff fundraising campaign Ducks enjoy the challenge High school Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Grizz alpine skiers finish strong at state Southern Oregon University Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Oregon State women come up short in second-round loss to Gonzaga Raiders roughed up at Corban Voices Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: Kraft and Heinz merger Landgren cartoon: Muddy baseball fields Our View: How it should work Letters to the Editor, March 25 Rick Holmes: What addicts say about getting high and getting better Editorial 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 Our view: Keep it simple in developing marijuana rules Letters Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Letters to the Editor, March 18 Guest opinions 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 Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Columns Council Corner: Getting to yes or no — or maybe Chris Honoré: 'Like a ghastly rapid river, through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out ...' Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Herb Rothschild: Donating with care Matthew T. Mangino: When is a confession not a confession? Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories 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 Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Best bets for entertainment around Ashland, March 19 Theater 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' Ticket Availability Camelot Theatre in Talent: This 'Sunset' is not as dark Music 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 The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 More wonderful wrinkles at 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' 8 must-see spring films Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Joanna McQuillan Weeks: Almond cookies pass the test Page Onorato: Cranky old winter may finally come to an end Garden Cameos: Welcome spring to the garden Page Onorato: Come grow old along with me, someday Tammy Kelly: Lighten up traditional Easter desserts 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 Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 ... Ticket Availability ... Have you filed your tax return yet? ... Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 ... Ticket Availability ... Have you filed your tax return yet? ... COMMENTARY Chris Honoré: 'Like a ghastly rapid river, through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out ...' DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 23, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Mar. 23, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> ISIL/ISIS, a cohort of zealots, a caliphate — to borrow their word — of men who have banded together in northern Iraq and Syria beneath a black banner with white letters (the Shahada) that implicitly promises violent jihad against the West and against the corruption of modernity. They exist outside the tenets of civilized society. With cameras rolling, they have beheaded journalists and aid workers; burned alive a caged Jordanian pilot, his clothes saturated with gasoline; walked Egyptian Coptic Christians along a remote shoreline, each accompanied by a man carrying a large knife, and then beheaded them. Northern Syria has been emptied of Assyrian Christians, men killed, women taken hostage, many raped, others forced into slavery. In Mosul, Iraq, they have destroyed priceless artifacts. It’s as if barbarians from the Dark Ages have suddenly been unleashed, wreaking havoc in every village and city they occupy. Stark images reach us of men clustered in the back of pickups, their Kalashnikovs raised in defiance, peering out through narrow slits in black cloth masks, their humanity long ago abandoned. This corrosive cohort brings to mind the words of Edgar Allen Poe: “While, like a ghastly rapid river, through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out forever and laugh — but smile no more.” And lest we think they are religious purists, we soon understand that they are poseurs who hide behind Islam and their flimsy rationale referred to as jihad. In truth, they are plunderers who seek land and money and power and have long ago dropped any pretense of following the teachings of Muhammad or the scriptures of the Quran. They are not holy warriors (or Islamic extremists, using the parlance of the West). They are thugs. But here is the question raised: Given all of the above, shown graphically and repeatedly on the Internet, how is it possible that young people from across Europe, from America and parts of the Middle East are gravitating toward ISIS/ISIL in such significant numbers? Look closely at the security camera image of three teenage girls from England as they walked through a Turkish airport preparing to get on a bus bound for the Turkey-Syria border where they will join ISIS, hoping to serve in whatever capacity asked. It is chilling to imagine what that capacity will be. How is it possible that young people (of whatever age) would watch online the brutality of these men and yearn to join them as they kill and maim and wreak havoc? What emptiness must a young person feel, what absence of purpose and identity exist within that allows them to embrace such evil? The young are vulnerable, granted. But this? Reports have come back describing small towns replete with severed heads on spikes, lining the streets and byways. Why would the seductive voices of those who recruit for ISIS resonate with those three girls, for example, causing them to leave their families, homes and countries and gravitate to the darkest side of the moon and become handmaidens to remorseless mayhem? Is it simply misguided idealism, a yearning for meaning, their naïve and immature emotions saturated with fraudulent propaganda and a promise of … what? Do young people raised in the West (be it Europe or America) or in the Middle East, believe that waging jihad is the equivalent of an exhilarating video game? Or a movie peopled by heroic comic book characters, costumed in black, pure of intention and noble in spirit, a band of brothers who will embrace them and then convince them that they are now part of a transcendent cause? But regardless of the reasons or the emotions, however ingenuous or shallow, the outcome for these young people is often deadly. For many this choice will not end well. Of course, zealotry, in all its permutations, will ever be with us. It has threaded its way through our history for millennia and always found those eager to take up sword and banner and gun in the name of a cause that even they may find hard to explain. And still they rush through that pale door to laugh but smile no more. Chris Honoré lives in Ashland.   DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 23, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » 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. 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