Document text
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 Levy backers eye final push No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday Ashland man allegedly dragged woman with vehicle Jacksonville man who summited Everest will help in Nepal relief efforts BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Crime, Courts and Emergency Services No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday Ashland man allegedly dragged woman with vehicle Jacksonville man who summited Everest will help in Nepal relief efforts Emergency services 'Stolen' wheelchair actually traded by owner, police say Politics and Elections BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Education Levy backers eye final push Two seats contested on Central Point School Board Neal Simon: This is a test Four candidates run for two Eagle Point School Board slots Ashland students reach out to help pets in need Environment Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Residents say armed mine supporters sully Josephine County's reputation Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute Jackson County's wildlife services agent seen as both killer and savior Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste State News Fixit tag for Portland's noted Portland Building: $175 million Fee targets rail cars that haul oil, other flammables Boyfriend of psychic sentenced in con of Oregon timber heir Oregon judge goes light on repeat drunk-driving offender Obama to talk trade in visit to Oregon, Nike Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Tim Lawrence Yockey Penelope Catherine (Turner) Martens William "Bill" Geisslinger Alice Irenia (McFall) Calkins Dennis Dean Ekwall Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Levy backers eye final push Yreka's late homer sinks Eagles Clippers top Spurs, force Game 7 Despite suitors, Titans were all in with Mariota Ravens visit area where protests started Varsity 541 College Sports National champ SOU's spring game is tonight Oregon coaches, players ready to ‘split up and play’ Donahue, Beavers down USC at home King's single lifts OSU over No. 10 USC Emmert, Silver not on same page with one-and-dones Pro Sports Clippers top Spurs, force Game 7 Despite suitors, Titans were all in with Mariota Ravens visit area where protests started Fowler wins to secure weekend spot Will fight live up to hype? History gives a clue Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Blog: Do You Want Cheese with Your Wine? Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Comcast deal dropped along with Pac-12 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option Real Estate News Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house GREEN ACRES: Southern Oregon provides escape from the maddening crowd People In Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Philip Maddocks: Candidates eager to reconnect with everyday billionaires Matthew T. Mangino: Baltimore boils over again Granlund cartoon: Cities and fire starters Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Letters to the Editor, May 1 Editorials Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Our View: Medical marijuana market not at risk Our View: Don't wait on public records reform Our View: Yes to faster speeds, no to lane splitting Our View: Sensation and sensibility: a balancing act Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Letters to the Editor, April 28 Letters to the Editor, April 27 Columns Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore George Will: What stands in Lindsey Graham's way Dana Milbank: Billionaire politics Kathleen Parker: Comedy, tragedy and fear of free speech Michael Gerson: Weighing the baggage Hillary brings Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Lifestyle Latest stories Go with the (low) flow Find the starry ‘kite’ in the eastern sky Life Lessons & Loves: An ode to the sane and wonderful mothers-in-law Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Food Andrea Honaker: Mexican-inspired dips for Cinco de Mayo Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Community blog: Variations on potato patties please brunch palates Food for Thought: Grill up a storm as the weather gets warm Home and Garden Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Clean out household chemicals Friday and Saturday Dear Monty: 10 tips to avoid tenant complaints Home Help: Upgrade your entryway with simple DIY projects Costa Living: Basking in flower power Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items HealthStyle: It’s all in the family dinner 'Game changer' for heart patients Health Watch: Tips for protecting your eyes Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Milestones and Achievements ENGAGEMENT: Sellers-James Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories 5 picks for live entertainment Live Music in Local Clubs Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Theater Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Thanks for the Memories stages 'Company' one night only Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' 'Secret Love' playwright Stan Lai appears in Ashland Music Thunder's Edge, Steel Cranes tonight at Club 66 The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Live Music in Local Clubs Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Foreign language film festival set at SOU Movies Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party Catching up with the Avengers Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more Dining Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Set a table from your local farmers market Let's do brunch! Restaurant inspections: April 26, 2015 Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Citywide yard sale season kicks into gear ... No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday ... Ashland man allegedly dragged woman with vehicle ... Citywide yard sale season kicks into gear ... No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday ... Ashland man allegedly dragged woman with vehicle ... ANOTHER VIEW Kathleen Parker: Comedy, tragedy and fear of free speech MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 29, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Apr. 29, 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" --> True words are often said in jest, it has long been said. But a harsher idiom has been taking shape in recent years: Jest is becoming the only  way to express truth. It is the columnist's curse to entertain such thoughts about disparate events that seemingly share only coincidental timing — President Obama's comedic speech at Saturday's black-tie White House Correspondents' Association dinner and the growing unrest in Baltimore 40 miles away. Both reveal in their own way our increasing powerlessness to express what is real and true before the intimidating power of political correctness. We can't call a fool a fool because we might need his vote. We remain mum in the face of horror or incompetence lest we offend someone and enter that particular digital hell where Internet mobs rule. Comedians are fast becoming the only people who can lampoon the emperor or call out the idiot without tempting the guillotine. Obama's performance, riotously funny, bordered on parable as his so-called anger translator "Luther" (portrayed by comedian Keegan-Michael Key) acted out what was really in the president's head as Obama expressed banal pleasantries about the media and politics. "Awwwww yeah. She's [Hillary Clinton's] gonna get that money," Luther shouted just inches from Obama's ear. "She gonna get ALL  the money." The crowd laughed so hard because it was so true. Obama the impenetrable surely has such thoughts dancing in his head even as he remains virtually expressionless. In jest, he was also able to speak for himself without Luther: "Some people still say I'm arrogant, aloof, condescending. Some people are so dumb." No one thinks he was kidding. There was nothing funny going on in Baltimore, yet the protests that later became riots exposed both what happens when people feel marginalized — and the absence of other voices that should be heard during such events. Where is  the outrage beyond the African-American community about police brutality and the deaths of young black males? Where are  members of Congress other than those belonging to the black caucus? My God, the list of those killed is staggering, yet this is not a new phenomenon. Baltimore's Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old who suffered spinal injuries and died while in police custody, is but the most recent. Yet you see only the usual black activists speaking up. My guess? Whites are too uncertain of the proper way to express their anxiety and would rather not risk the potential backlash. Trip lines are everywhere. Even this paragraph feels risky. On the other side of the coin, we all want to call the criminals who have been looting, burning and targeting Baltimore police officers "thugs," but only African Americans — President Obama and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake — would dare to say it. At the same time that people avoid too-sensitive subjects, they seem to fear stating the obvious lest their thoughts be interpreted as an act of betrayal to "the group." Politicians are the most risk-averse of all. Few are the Democratic women who will find (or express) fault with Hillary Clinton. It is the rare African-American who finds fault with Obama. When Rawlings-Blake also said that she "gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well," her Democratic colleagues spoke only of her "poor choice of words." Not poor thinking? Not lousy leadership? Republicans don't get a pass. Heaven forbid they should call out someone who wants to inject biblical end-times into political debate. Obama the jester didn't hesitate. Poking fun at Michele Bachmann's recent remark that he would bring about the end of days, Obama quipped, "Now that's a legacy!" With a joke, Obama exposed the absurdity of such thinking. But the joke would have been far funnier and provided a greater sense of relief had a Republican said it. Alas, this will never happen — and not because Bachmann is no longer in office. She still speaks to and for a large swath of Republican voters, which means that the GOP party is doomed to pretend that 2,000-year-old prophesies are perfectly relevant to today's geopolitical debate. That's a lot of turf to cover in a column, but the unifying theme is that we are slowly becoming a nation that pays greater heed to sensitivity than truth, and that prefers the comfort of committee-crafted thoughts that neither offend nor enlighten. In time, we may mourn even the jesters. Kathleen Parker's email address is [email protected].   MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 29, 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 MailTribune.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 Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked 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. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501