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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 Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup Tripp Street closure planned for today, Thursday 10 things to know for Wednesday Emergency services, May 11 What you'll find at the growers markets this week Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, May 11 Police reports Medford police use anti-overdose nasal spray to revive heroin victim Emergency Services, March 10 Medford man arrested for growing marijuana Politics and Elections 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 Judge upholds Phoenix's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out Friday Education St. Mary's reaches out to China Work your body to save your braaaaains Inert grenade spurred White Mountain Middle School evacuation Willow Wind students raise money for water District considers options to keep school tracks open, safe Environment Low snow closes Mt. 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Christofferson Death Notices Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society This $1 million Mercedes is like an armored private jet for the road Sports Latest Stories Raiders romp to victory in NAIA start North Medford downs Klamath Argentina probes copter wreck as France mourns Gonzaga trips BYU for 14th WCC title James fuels Cavs in rout of Mavs Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders romp to victory in NAIA start Gonzaga trips BYU for 14th WCC title Beaver QB race down to three players Ducks prep for multiple foes Raiders out to end drought in NAIA tourney Pro Sports James fuels Cavs in rout of Mavs Blair plays four tours to earn PGA card Race safety measures become hot topic Wheeler-dealer Kelly trades Foles for Bradford Trades steal spotlight from free agents Community Sports Business Latest Stories Jackson County jobless rate falls to 7.7 percent Blog: Manufacturing leads Oregon's export expansion Disruptive forces: Coming to a business near you Four Rogue Valley companies make business magazine's top-100 list Blog: Cash deals for homes remains in decline Real Estate News 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 CEO Rieder leaving Erickson March 31 Lodging gains bode well for travel industries Medford airport flies past January record Agriculture Harry & David announces new president Warm winter has fruit growers poised for action Briefcase: Business briefs for Feb. 21 Opinion Latest Kent Bush: The Internet is governed by people who have never sent an email Our View: Medford council shouldn't over-regulate backyard pot gardens Letters to the Editor, March 11 Kathleen Parker: Adolescent senators dunking the president Landgren cartoon: Farewell to circus elephants Editorials Our View: Atkins a safe choice for secretary of state Our View: Driving voter turnout is no sure thing for Oregon Our View: Cheers and Jeers Our View: Take it slow on legal marijuana Our View: Small climate steps add up to big ones Letters to the Editor Our View: Medford council shouldn't over-regulate backyard pot gardens Letters to the Editor, March 11 Letters to the Editor, March 10 Letters to the Editor, March 9 Letters to the Editor, March 8 Columns Kathleen Parker: Adolescent senators dunking the president Kent Bush: Things will never change unless we change them Michael Gerson: Viewing Ferguson from Selma — and fixing it Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Kathleen Parker: 'Just look at him' Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report GUEST OPINION: Police, community should work to prevent profiling Guest Opinion: Don't overregulate Oregon's hemp industry Guest Opinion: Predatory banking practices bilk citizens Guest Opinion: Is less education the answer? Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Fewer and fewer of us eschew brilliant beets The Pacific Crest Trail in 30 Years Season Stepp: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with authentic Irish recipes Derek Kelly: Putting the pieces back together Page H. Onorato: The 10 commandments for the Southern cook Food Community blog: Fewer and fewer of us eschew brilliant beets Season Stepp: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with authentic Irish recipes Page H. Onorato: The 10 commandments for the Southern cook Page H. Onorato: Try out this hot stuff in your kitchen on a cold night Serra storms Seattle Home and Garden Dear Monty: Successful rezoning property requires a plan Garden Cameos: Time to give your garden a new look Carol Link: Eradicate weeds completely, use edgers to help keep thrift on slope Paul Rogers: Daylight Saving, full moon hopeful signs for spring Home Help: 4 ways to redefine your outdoor space Health Community blog: The Future is Now Dr. Murray Feingold: Cognitive-behavioral therapy shown to help hoarders Dr. Jeff Hersh: Gallstones affect 25 percent of American women Health Watch: Get prepped for spring break HealthStyle: Marriage care and maintenance Hiking Biking Faith More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Religion briefs, Feb. 27 Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 20 Religion News: Pope makes surprise shantytown visit Milestones and Achievements Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Anniversary: Hofer Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Warren G. performs at the Historic Ashland Armory Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Zepdrix! 'Shook, Rattled and Rolled' Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Theater Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' TMTO's 'Bye Bye Birdie' takes flight Brava! Opera presents classic Mozart and Poulenc Review: 'Fingersmith' a twisting thriller with love TMTO presents 'Bye Bye Birdie' Music Warren G. performs at the Historic Ashland Armory Zepdrix! 'Shook, Rattled and Rolled' ZEPDRIX! at the Historic Ashland Armory The Bee Eaters play Headwaters Ladysmith Black Mambazo plays the Craterian Theater Community Events 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' Third Fridays showcases local artists Dining Serra storms Seattle Sakura Japanese Sushi Restaurant opens in new location Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, March 1 Great Outdoor Grill offers healthful options Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 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 Our View: Medford council shouldn't over-regulate backyard pot gardens ... What you'll find at the growers markets this week ... Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax ... Our View: Medford council shouldn't over-regulate backyard pot gardens ... What you'll find at the growers markets this week ... Special election: Jackson County voters OK marijuana tax ... ANOTHER VIEW Michael Gerson: Viewing Ferguson from Selma — and fixing it MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Mar. 10, 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" --> The juxtaposition of the Justice Department's damning Ferguson report and President Obama's fine speech to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday was coincidental. But the founders of the civil rights movement would certainly have found it providential, so I'll go with that. The report cleared a man while indicting a system. It describes a patchwork of municipalities that have become predators, trapping residents in a web of tickets, fines, fees and warrants in order to raise revenue. Police officers and municipal judges are employed as collection agents, squeezing citizens on behalf of local officials who want to spend public money without the inconvenience of taxation. And police departments such as Ferguson's — lacking diversity, proper training and accountability — are prone to swagger and profiling. This is the elevation of the speed trap into a philosophy of government. Citizens are treated as marks and suckers. And the burdens fall heaviest on those without the resources to game a system that is gaming them. In this atmosphere of exploitation, any racially charged incident — even one in which racial animus can't be demonstrated — can set spark to tinder. The details of these practices are important to guide changes in Missouri law. But the situation in Ferguson also reveals something broader: How people who do not regard themselves as biased can be part of a system that inevitably results in bias. How men and women who view themselves as moral can make up an immoral society. It is inherently difficult to stand in judgment of a social structure that one is part of. It is hard to see the wheel on which we turn. This requires empathy — the ability to imagine oneself in a different social circumstance; to feel just a bit of the helplessness and anger of someone facing injustice. And it calls upon moral imagination — the capacity to dream of a better future in accord with first principles. Both empathy and moral imagination are achievements of rhetoric. Some use the adjective "rhetorical" as an epithet — denoting something artificial or manipulative. But there was a reason the civil rights movement set great store by well-crafted words: to reveal the routine cruelty of segregation and to place unfair suffering in the context of a story that gives it purpose. That story is perhaps the most extraordinary outside the Bible: a captive people, by their courage and persistent demands, eventually redeeming the democratic soul of the nation that enslaved them. Events like the Selma march demonstrate that history is not bunk, or one damn thing after another, or any such cynical rot. One week after Bloody Sunday, America was fortunate to have President Lyndon Johnson provide rhetorical context. "At times, history and fate," he said, "meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom." And America was fortunate, 50 years after Bloody Sunday, to have Obama appeal to America's moral imagination. "In one afternoon 50 years ago, so much of our turbulent history — the stain of slavery and anguish of civil war; the yoke of segregation and tyranny of Jim Crow; the death of four little girls in Birmingham, and the dream of a Baptist preacher — all that history met on this bridge. It was not a clash of armies, but a clash of wills; a contest to determine the true meaning of America." Obama, for whatever reason, has often been hesitant to provide rhetorical leadership on civil rights. He embodied something he seldom adequately explained. But that can no longer be said after Selma. His speech was skilled in its use of quotation and refrain. But it was remarkable for expressing the creative tension at the heart of the civil rights movement: a set a principles that both ennoble and judge our country — ideals that make it lovable and make it restless. Obama told a compelling story of genuine but incomplete progress, while expressing a deep confidence in national ideals and character. He embraced "the belief that America is not yet finished, that we are strong enough to be self-critical, that each successive generation can look upon our imperfections and decide that it is in our power to remake this nation to more closely align with our highest ideals." This is the reason that, while Ferguson may be our reality, it is not our identity or our destiny. America has a vision of human dignity that stands in perpetual challenge to our fallen practice, leaving us always haunted and always hopeful. Michael Gerson's email address is [email protected]. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 10, 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. 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