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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Missing man found dead in forest in Applegate Lake area Firefighters stop shed fire before it spreads 10 things to know for Friday 'We tried to de-escalate it' App Finder: Top tax apps Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Missing man found dead in forest in Applegate Lake area Firefighters stop shed fire before it spreads 'We tried to de-escalate it' Emergency Services Boyfriend gets 20 years for abuse of toddler Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state Ashland: Budget increase, swimming pool funding discussion on council agenda Education Eight vie for Medford School Board positions Proposed Medford textbook raises constitutional concern North Medford High School principal to retire in June Southern Oregon University's building boom adds up to $130 million South Medford, Ashland, St. Mary's students building video game Environment Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Odd visitors found off Oregon Coast Forum explores data gathered in Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Herptilian haven Proposed new rules for Oregon critter catchers would require the killing of nuisance animals State News Bend company's aim: Connect investors to Africa Brown proposes $1 billion in California drought spending Are they decorations or desecration? 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Test Drive: 2015 Subaru Outback Limited Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Oregon winemaking emerges as mighty agricultural force Rogue Disposal plans natural gas fueling site Real Estate News East McAndrews Road sees a resurgence in commercial projects Business briefs: March 7 New construction prices jump 18.2 percent in Jackson County People In Business People in Business: Feb. 28 People in Business Transportation Rogue Disposal plans natural gas fueling site Alaska, United Express boost Medford airport to record February CEO Rieder leaving Erickson March 31 Lodging gains bode well for travel industries Agriculture Harry & David announces new president Warm winter has fruit growers poised for action Briefcase: Business briefs for Feb. 21 Opinion Latest Our View: Textbook authors' reasoning hard to fathom Letters to the Editor, March 20 Michael Gerson: Hillary Clinton's Nixonian path to office Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Antionette Kerr: Some items shouldn’t fly with TSA Editorials Our View: Textbook authors' reasoning hard to fathom Our View: White House public records move is less than sunny Our View: Where the wild things shouldn't be Our View: Keeping the light trained on government Other Views: State must rein in medical marijuana Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Letters to the Editor, March 16 Columns Michael Gerson: Hillary Clinton's Nixonian path to office Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Dana Milbank: GOP budget is one big gimmick George Will: Kasich waits in the wings Kathleen Parker: Hillary and the Media: Act 2016 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Central Point Cemetery needs work and city action Guest Opinion: Return to clearcutting is wrong approach for counties Guest Opinion: Plan a Hawthorne playground for all children Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report GUEST OPINION: Police, community should work to prevent profiling Lifestyle Latest stories Barbara Presnell: Why poetry? And why do it now? Get Out! March 20 calendar of things to do Looking Up: Looking for the zodiacal light Ocean salmon look plentiful off the Southern Oregon coast this year, but next year's a different story Wood bison to roam Alaska again Food Eat this, not that Peanut allergy breakthrough Eat your sprouts More fast food perils Pork perfection: Consider pork steaks instead of ham for the Easter dinner table Home and Garden Hello, honey: Invite bees for a lush garden Understand home inspection Dear Monty: Tips for checking out an existing septic system Garden Cameos: Now is the perfect time to spot wildflowers Paul Rogers: It’s time to assess the damage to yards Health Health Watch: 5 tips for seasonal allergy relief A better bedtime Studying stress Eat this, not that Peanut allergy breakthrough Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs Religion News: Presbyterian Church gives approval on same-sex marriage Religion briefs: Friday, March 13 More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Milestones and Achievements Haga-Parks Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Anniversary: Hofer Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Here's five top entertainment picks for the coming week Alt-rock band Key of Three is a contender this weekend at Rising Stars Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Review: 'Same Time' after all these years Theater Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' Review: 'Same Time' after all these years Randall Theatre presents playwright Bernard Slade's comedy Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' Music Live Music in Local Clubs Alt-rock band Key of Three is a contender this weekend at Rising Stars Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Kites & Crows, Ryan Marchand and Mercy Duo face-off this weekend at Rising Stars music competition in Jacksonville Rogue Valley Chorale presents 'A Festival of Choirs' at the Craterian Theatre Community Events Rogue Valley artist Linda Evans' pastel paintings capture landscapes of Southern Oregon Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Dining Jasmine Thai Cuisine Restaurant Inspections Agave offers gourmet tacos, tamales, ensaladas and more Serra storms Seattle Sakura Japanese Sushi Restaurant opens in new location Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Missing man found dead in forest in Applegate Lake area ... 'We tried to de-escalate it' ... Our View: Textbook authors' reasoning hard to fathom ... Missing man found dead in forest in Applegate Lake area ... 'We tried to de-escalate it' ... Our View: Textbook authors' reasoning hard to fathom ... ANOTHER VIEW Dana Milbank: Jason Rezaian's detention a tragedy for Iran MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 15, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Mar. 15, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> If my Post colleague Jason Rezaian were home for his 39th birthday on Sunday, he'd probably be at his brother Ali's house in Mill Valley, Calif., building Star Wars Legos with his 7-year-old nephew and dipping into some spicy guacamole. Later, he'd likely tuck into a bowl of ghormeh sabzi, a Persian green stew, and perhaps hatch plans with his high-school buddies from Marin Academy to fly down to Arizona to see his Oakland A's in spring training. But Rezaian won't be doing that on Sunday, because he's in prison in Iran. The American-born Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post and his Iranian wife were taken captive by Iran's Revolutionary Guard in July, and he remains in custody after spending most of the past eight months in isolation and without access to medical care or a lawyer. His imprisonment on undisclosed charges is an international outrage. But for Iranians, it's also a tragedy. Rezaian, a dual national who is the product of an Iranian-American father and a European-American mother, had made it his life's work to change Americans' views of Iran, to show the world that his ancestral land does not deserve its caricature as a place of terrorists and nukes and flag burnings. The sad irony is that Iran's treatment of Rezaian reinforces the caricature and cements Iran's status as a rogue state that mocks human rights and ignores its own laws. As U.S. officials sit down in Geneva this weekend for nuclear negotiations with Iran, there is every reason to link Rezaian's case to the talks. It calls into question whether Iran's elected leaders, the executive branch with which U.S. officials are negotiating, can be reliable partners if they have no control over Iran's ayatollahs and their Revolutionary Guard. Iran's elected leaders seemed as surprised as U.S. officials were that Rezaian had been taken prisoner, and Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has said he hopes Rezaian will be cleared. This week, 47 Republican senators caused an uproar with their premature letter to Iran objecting to a nuclear deal that has yet to be inked. Those lawmakers, and their Democratic counterparts, would be more constructive sending their pen pals in Tehran a letter about Rezaian. The Post has raised the visibility of its efforts to free its correspondent. Foreign editor Douglas Jehl, joined by Ali Rezaian, highlighted Jason's plight Thursday in a news conference at the National Press Club and in 22 satellite interviews. A petition on change.org has amassed nearly a quarter-million supporters calling for Jason's release. There certainly is no legitimate basis for keeping him. The charge against him is vague and implies espionage, which is absurd. "My brother had no other job than to be a journalist," Ali told me Thursday. That job was good enough for Jason. His late father had emigrated from Iran long before the revolution and did well as a rug salesman, and the Rezaian's Marin County home, with a swimming pool, was the hub for the extended family. The gregarious Jason managed to become captain of his high-school basketball team even though he's all of 5-foot-7. Rezaian became interested in journalism after meeting the late writer Christopher Hitchens in college at the New School in New York. Also in college, Rezaian studied Farsi, which he hadn't learned at home. He took his first trip to Iran in 2000 and was enchanted; he spent more and more time there, eventually moving there in 2008 to be a freelance journalist. He joined the Post in 2012, and in 2013 married Yegi Salehi, an English translator who became a journalist. The half-Persian Rezaian made it his mission to explain his ancestral culture to his homeland. "He really wanted to demystify the place, to tell the truth about the people," Ali Rezaian told me, because he "realized that there's a big difference between what people saw on TV in the news and in the movies and real life there." His captors have instead shown the world that the Iranian regime can be every bit as thuggish as advertised. That may be just fine with the ayatollahs, who might lose their grip if Iran's isolation ended. But hopefully Iran's elected leaders will have the courage to insist on Rezaian's release. Otherwise, it's difficult to see how they get sufficient credibility to secure a nuclear deal, or anything else. And the Iran that Rezaian tried to bring into the world will remain a pariah. Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. 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