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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 Emergency services, May 9 Jackson County deputies searching for wanted man after pursuit Medford schools still filling admin roles Amid the drought, Medford's water supplies still ample Nashville singer/songwriter with local ties dies of cancer Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, May 9 Jackson County deputies searching for wanted man after pursuit Medford man sentenced in machete attack Suspect in OSP meth stop will face federal charges Emergency services Politics and Elections Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford 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 Education Medford schools still filling admin roles Appeals court rules against Central Point schools on bus outsourcing Hedrick principal to take helm at North Medford High School More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Elementary students honor local police officers Environment Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Crater Lake may soon have China connection State waives college placement tests for students who hit high marks Stopping fire in its tracks Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford State News Obama makes pitch on trade deal at Nike: 'Just do it' Forecast for 2015 predicts busy wildfire season Cheers and protest signs greet President Obama in Oregon Oregon Senate OKs bill banning 'conversion therapy' Police: Welsh man traveled to Oregon to have sex with girl Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Dorothy Evans Helen Nadine Sankey Dickie Miles Hayes Nita Day Layne Alan Battenfield Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Newman deals with penalties after appeal denied Kelly, Na share lead at Players Championship After sullied week in sports, let's all shower off In complete control Chris Singleton: No need for a rematch Varsity 541 College Sports Oregon clinches share of Pac-12 title Ex-Panthers Baldovino, Owirka earn honors In the zone Ducks' Keys chases fourth Pac-12 crown Ducks bring in transfer from Villanova Pro Sports Newman deals with penalties after appeal denied Kelly, Na share lead at Players Championship Four tied for lead at Players Many happy returns for Singler Rockets survive Clippers, even series 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 People in Business Business briefs: Avista, Mcintosh, BOLI Blog: 1-800-Flowers.com SEC filing provides peek into Harry & David revenue and cost figures Blog: Mom is Our Hero! 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Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Granlund cartoon: Texas conspiracy Landgren cartoon: Deflategate intensifies Editorials Our View: Could self-serve ban be on the way out? Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Set firm deadlines on blighted houses Our View: Oregon's full of givers, and can use more Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 7 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Letters to the Editor, May 5 Letters to the Editor, May 4 Columns Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Guest Opinion: Child poverty and the Schneider Children’s Center George Will: A patrician blacksmith for president? 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Onorato: Baked potato soup is comfort in a bowl Home and Garden Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Dear Monty: Water rights of property owners Paul Rogers: ‘Living’ mulches a healthy alternative to bark Heirloom tomatoes bring ageless flavor Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Health Community blog: Don't Fall for This Part 2 Health Watch: Easy tips to drink more water throughout the day New cardiac rehab center opens at Asante RRMC Community blog: You and Me at 83... Search on for new medical provider for Butte Falls, Prospect clinics Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 8 Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Milestones and Achievements Bukair-Hinkle Wedding: Stephanie Anne Obad and Mark Douglass Schmor Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Drones helping create unique wedding photos Pick your favorite wedding flowers Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Flowers, art and music highlight Art in Bloom 5 picks for live entertainment Live Music in Local Clubs Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' Theater REVIEW: Randall Theatre's 'Little Shop of Horrors' a rollicking good time REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Music Live Music in Local Clubs Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Tina Malia at SOU Music Hall in Ashland Earthquake benefit for Nepal Community Events 5 things to see at Art in Bloom Flowers, art and music highlight Art in Bloom Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at OSF's Black Swan in Ashland Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Movies Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Victor D. 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Dianne Williamson: Let's end the marathon bomber saga Comment By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette MailTribune.com By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette Posted May. 7, 2015 at 8:13 AM By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette Posted May. 7, 2015 at 8:13 AM » Social News Dzhokhar Tsarnaev came from a far-away land exploited by the Russians. His mother was a radical and his father was mentally ill. His older brother was a controlling brute. When he was a boy, little Dzhokhar cried when Simba’s father was killed in “The Lion King.” As we enter month three in the interminable trial of the marathon bomber, seldom has so much time and effort been expended for such little return. By now, we’ve grown disdainful of the Dzhokhar documentary and the humanizing details intended to spare his life. Apparently the bomber was once a sweet, smiling kid who earned the singular devotion of a relative’s dog. His family spent summers along the Caspian Sea. He liked to smoke pot and was captain of his high school wrestling team. Most of all, the defense has stressed that Dzhokhar was in thrall to his older brother, Tamerlan, that Tamerlan was the mastermind of the bombings, that Tamerlan was the true zealot and Dzhokhar simply a follower. “In each family, the father is all powerful and the eldest brother has tremendous power,” Michael Reynolds, an associate professor in Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, told the jury in U.S. District Court in Boston. “And when the father can no longer fulfill his role, the elder brother rules the family.” I believe every word of this defense. And I don’t care. I’ve privately dubbed the attempt to spare Dzhokhar’s life the “so what” defense, because even if it’s true, well, so what? Nearly everyone who kills believes they have a reason to do so, and yes, society has determined that certain mitigating circumstances may partially explain behavior and result in a lighter sentence for the defendant. Examples include drug abuse that results in diminished capacity, or even a man who catches his wife cheating and commits a crime of passion. But nowhere has society determined that a killer could justify a lighter sentence by explaining that his big brother told him to do it. Not when this killer is 19. Not when he’s a rational college student fully capable of grasping the horrific consequences of his premeditated actions. I don’t care if he’s from Chechnya or Chicopee. This lame excuse doesn’t fly. Regardless, defense lawyers in the death penalty phase of this trial are presenting testimony that Tsarnaev was merely following the lead of his co-conspirator brother, Tamerlan, when he set off bombs on Boylston Street that killed three and wounded more than 260. A jury last month found Dzhokhar guilty of all 30 counts, including 17 that could send him to death row. From the first day of this trial in early March, his guilt was never in doubt. Defense lawyer Judy Clarke immediately conceded that her client set off the bomb and called his actions “inexcusable.” Still, though, that big brother was awfully belligerent! And imagine being raised by those crazy parents! This week, a psychiatrist portrayed Dzhokhar, now 21, as the product of a dysfunctional family. His father was tortured in a Russian camp in the 1990s and couldn’t abide light. Reynolds, meanwhile, gave the jury a history lesson of the Chechen region, including its centuries of war with Russia. Wednesday, a brain development expert testified that the section of the brain that matures last is the part that controls impulses. In teenagers, he said, impulse control is “still under construction.” Pity the poor jury, which is tasked with either sending Dzhokhar to his death or sentencing him to endure a sort of living death, in a federal supermax prison where he’d be confined in a tiny room for 23 hours a day. Even if he’s sentenced to die, his execution won’t come for years. Outside the courtroom, there seems little appetite for executing Dzhokhar, especially after the parents of the youngest victim said the death penalty “could bring years of appeals and prolong reliving the most painful day of our lives.” If you believe in state-sanctioned execution, perhaps no one deserves it more than Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. That’s what my head says. But my heart wants him gone as soon as possible, which rather perversely means locking him up for life. Either way, what a long way to go, and what a painstaking process, to finally say good riddance to a monster. Contact Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette columnist Dianne Williamson at [email protected]. By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette MailTribune.com By Dianne Williamson The Telegram & Gazette Posted May. 7, 2015 at 8:13 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 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 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. 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