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0 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 Talent Citizen of the Year: 'She just does stuff' Transportation desperately needed for paralyzed father Malawian inspires Ashland kids with ndizotheka — 'it is possible' Since You Asked: Crows 'commute' to feeding grounds Mail Tribune 100 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Lawsuits claim sexual assault and whistle-blower retaliation at OnTrack Gang-related shooting in Portland sends 3 youth to hospital Emergency services Jail lobby commotion sends man back to cell 30 minutes after release Politics and Elections Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means East Medford's the charm Education St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament A lesson in giving Hedrick student council works to clean up the language Table Rock solid: Elementary school praised for keeping attendance up Eagle Point superintendent invited to White House Environment No fish, no funding for problem dams Most residents speak against gas pipeline Coalition asks for defense of GMO ban Home Help: Make your new house feel like home Bighorn sheep reintroduced along Klamath River State News As deadline nears, Oregon's health insurance signups still low Gang-related shooting in Portland sends 3 youth to hospital GMO labeling proponents concede defeat Tribes can decide whether to legalize pot Lawyer says football player had altercation Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Diana DeVoe Logan Ronald Bombick In Memory of Richard Eugene Snyder Rudy Giorgetti Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Hope lost Crater, North strong at Coast Classic Spartans complete sweep of Totems Raiders self-destruct in loss to Chiefs No. 3 Florida State turns to practice field Varsity 541 College Sports No. 3 Florida State turns to practice field Smith big in SOU’s rout of Pacific Union Baker happy to have Heisman company Mariota takes Heisman in landslide Brooks, Oregon beat Illinois Pro Sports Hope lost Spartans complete sweep of Totems Raiders self-destruct in loss to Chiefs Scott claims Australian gold Spartans race to early lead in win Community Sports Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape RESULTS/STANDINGS LOCAL EVENTS Business Latest Stories Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate Blog: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like... K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks State lags on grocery inspections Blog: Bear Creek Plaza next up on the market Real Estate News Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate More sales, but no change in residential housing median price Dear Monty: Violation of HOA rules creates conflict Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 People in Business, Nov. 18 Transportation Allegiant Air will resume Medford-Phoenix service May 22 Agriculture K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Southern Oregon wine industry had a robust 2013 Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, Dec. 15 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 14 Our View: Dana Milbank: The coarsening of politics George Will: The cheerfulness of tax reform Editorials Our View: Other Views: Riley leaves strong legacy at OSU Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Sentencing reform pays dividends Our View: Find middle ground on timber policy Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Dec. 15 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 14 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 12 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 11 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 10 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Guest Opinion: It's time Oregon put a price on carbon Lifestyle Latest stories Home Help: Create a happy homemade holiday Get A Life: The gift of meditation Give time as your holiday present The cure for nostalgia — Embrace it Community blog: Saving Lives Food Community blog: Gobble gougeres as appetizers or with light meals Community blog: Choose presents cooks can cherish, not regift Roasted vegetables are rich, flavorful Food for Thought: Meal-planning hacks to help you dine fast and healthy Kitchen Call: Hints for gluten-free holidays Home and Garden Home Help: Create a happy homemade holiday Rogue Valley Christmas light displays Remodeling your attic: Know the details before you start Dear Monty: When a lawyer’s fee is four times higher than the quote Home Help: Make your new house feel like home Health Community blog: Saving Lives Health Watch: Curb your kitchen cravings this holiday season Community blog: Unsubscribe.com Community blog: Redefining Family Dr. Murray Feingold: Say it like you mean it Hiking Biking Faith Religion news: Pope aims to expedite sex abuse rulings Milestones and Achievements Ashland celebrates 'Wild' screening with Cheryl Strayed Asante merger stabilizes Ashland hospital's finances Time running out for O&C funds Hire 'em and pray for snow Madi-Stiles Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories TMTO's 'Christmas Carol' a big, warmhearted extravaganza Phil Newton & David Pinsky at 2Hawk Winery Live Music in Local Clubs Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Meet the real Jacob Marley Theater Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning TMTO presents 'A Christmas Carol: The Musical' Theater review: 'Fiddler' charms audience in magical Camelot performance Music Rating old-timers’ albums from 2014 Phil Newton & David Pinsky at 2Hawk Winery Handel's 'Messiah' set for this weekend Live Music in Local Clubs Bob Haworth plays EdenVale Winery Community Events Rogue Valley Christmas light displays It's a Hamazon holiday at the Playwright Public House 4 Things to do this Week Soroptimist holiday home tour features four houses this weekend Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Dining Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Brunch at Loft Brasserie The Bohemian Club Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW 'Wild' author recounts journey from book to film ... Since You Asked: Crows 'commute' to feeding grounds ... Ashland celebrates 'Wild' screening with Cheryl Strayed ... 'Wild' author recounts journey from book to film ... Since You Asked: Crows 'commute' to feeding grounds ... Ashland celebrates 'Wild' screening with Cheryl Strayed ... ANOTHER VIEW Dana Milbank: The coarsening of politics MailTribune.com Writer Posted Dec. 14, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Dec. 14, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News "The report is full of crap." Thus spake Dick Cheney, on Fox News last week, when talking about the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on torture that occurred during his vice presidency. The line might have been funny, if Cheney were the funny sort, because the report talks about treatment of detainees that involved "rectal feeding." But Cheney is not the funny sort. More likely he was inspired by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who went on CNN last month to give his thoughts on a report by the (Republican-controlled) House Intelligence Committee debunking conspiracy theories surrounding the Benghazi attacks. "I think the report is full of crap," he declared. To both gentlemen, I pose a question: WTF? Certainly, the language could be worse. "Crap" is not on the late George Carlin's list of seven words you can't say on television. But the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms says the phrase is "considered vulgar," and my fifth-grade daughter says it would be frowned upon in class. The sin isn't the language itself but that its routine use contributes to a coarsening of politics and a tendency to substitute name-calling for argument — furthering an environment in which a lawmaker can shout "You lie!" at the president during a speech to a joint session of Congress, and one lawmaker can shout "Baby killer!" at another on the House floor. The phrase used by the president's senior advisers to describe the Obama doctrine is "Don't do stupid [expletive]" — a synonym for crap straight from Carlin's list. The president himself, on NBC's "Today" show, said he wanted to know "whose ass to kick" after the BP oil spill. A recently released email from Attorney General Eric Holder has the nation's top law-enforcement official saying certain Justice Department prosecutors could "kiss my ass." In October, Vice President Biden, at an event at Harvard University, said of the vice presidency: "Isn't that a bitch?" Previously, Biden was heard on a live mic telling President Obama the health care bill was a "big [f-wording] deal" and telling a senator who called him "Mr. Vice President" to "give me a [f-wording] break." Those weren't meant to be public, but the same can't be said of the time the vice president, with Pennsylvania firefighters, used the phrase "no bull-[forbidden Carlin word]" and when he told a Milwaukee custard-shop manager to stop "being a smartass." A friend of mine keeps a "swear jar" in her household so that users of unauthorized French must pay up. If swear jars were placed at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the federal debt could be retired by Christmas. Salty talk isn't new to politics, of course. One difference now is that political figures' blue language is more likely to be caught on tape. George W. Bush in 2000 was caught on a hot mic calling a New York Times reporter a "major-league [bad word for anus]." Back in the '90s, the University of Pennsylvania compiled a Vulgarity Index of words used on the House floor. But the top violations, words such as hell and stupid, seem quaint now. Lyndon Johnson had a famously foul mouth and used the word "piss" a lot, but that was generally in private. In public, he created the President's Commission on Obscenity and Pornography. The commission, were it around today, might do a report on Cheney, who on the Senate floor in 2004 told Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., now the Senate president pro tempore, to "[f-word] yourself." This resulted in the only time I got one of Carlin's seven words into the paper. Cheney's "full of crap" phrase seems to be flowing like sewage through the body politic. The Washington Post's Jaime Fuller did a search last month and came up with some 60 uses of the phrase in public life, many of them recent and on cable television. She listed an additional nine times Fox News' Sean Hannity alone has used the phrase, and that list was "abridged." Here's Dennis Miller on Fox News' top show, "The O'Reilly Factor," earlier this year: "Everybody is full of crap. The coin of the realm is being full of crap now. The best people — being full of crap are our leaders and our superstars. ... They're all full of crap." With so much desensitization, it's no wonder a Fox News poll in 2010 found that 57 percent of people did not think Biden's "big [f-wording] deal" line was offensive. Maybe it's time to reinstate Johnson's obscenity commission. That would scare the crap out of some people. Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. 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