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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 Churches start new year with messages of hope Car crashes into Medford yard New Year's Eve 10 things to know for Friday Emergency services Expanded library hours begin today Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Car crashes into Medford yard New Year's Eve Emergency services Emergency services Community blog: Mentoring=Crime Prevention Two Eagle Point men charged in Lake Creek Road poaching case Politics and Elections Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change Education Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament Environment Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams State News Oregon fans get married Rose Bowl parking lot Earthquake off coast shakes Humboldt County Stranded sea turtle recovers at Oregon aquarium Oregon minimum wage rises to $9.25 Storm brings snow, cold to West Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Jeannine Gardiner Dr. Kenneth Emerson Janet E. Leonard Lyle Roberts Death Notices Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories And then there were two Challengers’ late charge falls short Buckeyes stun Alabama in Sugar Bowl Soft label fuels UO fire Rose, Bulls down Nuggets Varsity 541 College Sports And then there were two Buckeyes stun Alabama in Sugar Bowl Soft label fuels UO fire One to go Arizona at top of Pac-12 Pro Sports Rose, Bulls down Nuggets Capitals top Blackhawks 3-2 in Winter Classic LeBron to miss two weeks with injuries Ravens head of security charged with sex offense Lions’ Suh refuses to talk about incident Community Sports Business Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Crosstour Positive Steps Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Milken economist headlines Southern Oregon Business Conference Real Estate News Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate People In Business Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Palestine statehood bid Michelle Teheux: Lucky to be alive (and white?) Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Michael Gerson: Clear choice, or clear trauma? Letters to the Editor. Jan. 2 Editorials Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Our View: Help clear the air for the new year Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait Other Views: Oregon incomes still lag behind Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor. Jan. 2 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 1 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 30 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon 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 Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Get the New Year off to a Great Start Hobart Bluff offers top-notch views Fishing report: Jan. 2, 2015 'Wild' about hiking Churches start new year with messages of hope Food Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Food for Thought: Tips for cooking when you have food allergies Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Home and Garden Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Bathtub or shower: What’s best for you? Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Health Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Dr. Murray Feingold: Have a happy and stress-free holiday Hiking Biking Faith Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Little Yaretzi is county's first baby of 2015 Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Hundreds enjoy Christmas dinner, gifts at St. Vincent de Paul SinceYou Asked: SBA would work with Mt. Ashland Ski Area about loan Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer Top 10 CDs of 2014 Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you Theater Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning Music Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' The Farr Side: Top 10 album count-up for 2014 Top 10 CDs of 2014 A tribute to Joe Cocker Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you Community Events New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dining Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Man on parole for robbery arrested after crashing stolen truck ... Car crashes into Medford yard New Year's Eve ... Expanded library hours begin today ... Man on parole for robbery arrested after crashing stolen truck ... Car crashes into Medford yard New Year's Eve ... Expanded library hours begin today ... Michelle Teheux: Lucky to be alive (and white?) Comment By Michelle Teheux More Content Now MailTribune.com By Michelle Teheux More Content Now Posted Jan. 2, 2015 @ 6:54 am By Michelle Teheux More Content Now Posted Jan. 2, 2015 @ 6:54 am » Social News A Facebook meme the other day caught my eye because it included a picture and summary of a Pekin, Illinois, police case. The site that created the meme was making the same point that occurred to those of us in the newsroom right away — namely, that Brandon Meinders is pretty lucky to be alive. Meinders is the 20-year-old Manito, Illinois, man who fought two police officers, a firefighter and a paramedic after his recent shoplifting arrest in a Pekin store. Meinders struggled to grab a police sergeant’s Taser from his belt, admitting afterward that he had been trying to grab the gun. Yet Meinders lived to be booked into jail with a variety of charges. Meinders is luckier than many who had some kind of altercation with authorities and didn’t live to see jail time. Meinders is white, yes. Also, his alleged misdeeds took place in a community that has a good and professional police force. Pekin is not the kind of town where police expect to have to shoot anyone. It’s worth asking what the public reaction would have been if police had shot Meinders. It’s very easy to argue that the things he is accused of doing are comparable to the actions attributed to Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York, and probably worse. Do people deserve to be shot for stealing things? How about for attacking officers? How about for grabbing for their weapons? Does it matter what color the person is? The Facebook meme showed several people who had been involved in altercations with police. All the white people were arrested, and all the black people were shot. It’s just a meme. Yet it’s worth thinking about, isn’t it? I understand the mantra “black lives matter” and I also understand “police lives matter,” but the way I’d say it is “all lives matter.” Maybe we can all agree on a few things: 1. Behave in such a way that the police have no reason to confront you. 2. If the police do confront you for some reason, comply with their demands. It sucks, sure, but your lawyer can sort it out later. 3. Even if you end up being confronted by a bad cop — because yes, we all know they exist — don’t fight back. Just don’t. Period. 4. Body cams would go a long way toward protecting good officers and exposing bad ones. 5. Police sometimes have to make split-second decisions, and sometimes they will make the wrong ones, because they are human. We need to recognize that. 6. There’s nothing wrong with questioning why black suspects seem to be taking the brunt of bad decisions. 7. People who would have been upset if Meinders had been shot but who think Brown and Garner had it coming should stop insisting they aren’t racist. Go shave your head, learn to goose-step, buy a copy of “Mein Kampf” and be done with it. Pekin Daily Times editor Michelle Teheux may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @michelleteheux. By Michelle Teheux More Content Now MailTribune.com By Michelle Teheux More Content Now Posted Jan. 2, 2015 @ 6:54 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 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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