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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 UPDATED: Medford police arrest man suspected in Purple Parrot robbery Medford bear teeters on line between rehab, euthanasia Ashland comes under fire for 'racist and sexist' hiring practices State police arrest two for meth, heroin trafficking after I-5 stop Muddy footprints lead police right to burglary suspect's door Crime, Courts and Emergency Services UPDATED: Medford police arrest man suspected in Purple Parrot robbery State police arrest two for meth, heroin trafficking after I-5 stop Muddy footprints lead police right to burglary suspect's door Talent men arraigned on attempted murder, assault charges Emergency Services Politics and Elections Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Education Medford bulks up student support for math, reading Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions 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 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 may see hemp crop this spring under new rules Forest Service scraps $10 million PR campaign Eugene's federally funded car charging stations underused Court says Oregon's water withdrawal permits endangered Clackamas River salmon Seabird die-off puzzles scientists Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries William A. Neubert Thomas Joseph Death Notices Philip Richard Lind Howard S. LaMere 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 Sharapova breezes in opener; Serena loses Pistons rally in final seconds to beat Spurs Ducks gear up for title game Buckeyes appear loose as they practice Playoff families to be reimbursed for travel Varsity 541 College Sports Ducks gear up for title game Buckeyes appear loose as they practice Playoff families to be reimbursed for travel Wiese leads No. 11 Beavers past USC Irish edge Heels on late Auguste hoop Pro Sports Sharapova breezes in opener; Serena loses Pistons rally in final seconds to beat Spurs Golf begins with four events to follow Baseball welcomes four into Hall Lillard to the rescue Community Sports Business Latest Stories Irrigation system upgrade gets a forum Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Crosstour Positive Steps Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers 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 Our View: WISE project offers many benefits Kent Bush: Food labels mean nothing Letters to the Editor, Jan. 6 Guest Opinion: East is east and west is west Granlund cartoon: Patriots versus Ravens Editorials Our View: WISE project offers many benefits Our View: Waiting a little longer for the bus Other Views: Oregon's GMO battle is far from over Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Our View: Help clear the air for the new year Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 6 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 4 Letters to the Editor. Jan. 2 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 1 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: East is east and west is west Guest Opinion: Get the best deal on pipeline Guest Opinion: Say yes to clean energy jobs, no to the LNG project Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Lifestyle Latest stories Food for Thought: Save time on weeknight meal prep In Good Faith: Amending the resolution Dr. Elaine Heffner: The party’s over Blog: HAIKU MONDAY: Post-Vacation Malaise Barry Lewis: Big changes happening in 2015 Food Food for Thought: Save time on weeknight meal prep Community blog: Farm share boosts resolve to eat more veggies 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 Home and Garden Home Help: Timeless or trendy? Achieve both in your home decor this year 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 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 Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow 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 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Blues jam tonight at Little Brown Jug Songwriters Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker release 'Waiting for the Rain' Next Stage presents a tribute to an iconic folk artist Live Music in Local Clubs Generation Jones plays Paddy Brannan's Theater Next Stage presents a tribute to an iconic folk artist 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 Music Blues jam tonight at Little Brown Jug Songwriters Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker release 'Waiting for the Rain' Live Music in Local Clubs Generation Jones plays Paddy Brannan's Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker play 2Hawk Winery 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 UPDATED: Medford police arrest man suspected in Purple Parrot robbery ... Medford bear teeters on line between rehab, euthanasia ... Ashland comes under fire for 'racist and sexist' hiring practices ... UPDATED: Medford police arrest man suspected in Purple Parrot robbery ... Medford bear teeters on line between rehab, euthanasia ... Ashland comes under fire for 'racist and sexist' hiring practices ... ANOTHER VIEW Dana Milbank: America's Slacktivist generation Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 1, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Jan. 1, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News I wanted to do something for my country during the holidays, so I went to the movies. I watched the Christmas Day opening of "The Interview," to show North Korea that I wasn't afraid of its threats to blow up theaters that screen the parody of Kim Jong Un. The $9.50 I paid in the name of patriotic pride bought me stadium seating, a preview of the coming feature "Hot Tub Time Machine 2," and a feature film full of jokes about rectums, sex organs, ricin and the supreme leader defecating in his pants. Except for the Asian stereotypes, it was just my speed. Still, I wondered if there isn't a better way to sacrifice for my country. My patriotic gesture was a form of Slacktivism — a uniquely American form of engagement in which statements are made without any real sacrifice. The Slacktivist gets icy water over the head to fight Lou Gehrig's disease, or tweets out hashtags to fight kidnapping in Nigeria (#BringBackOurGirls). The Slacktivist wears color-coded bracelets for causes, "likes" causes on Facebook — and goes to see a Seth Rogen film to defy North Korea. This can be traced back to September 2001, when President George W. Bush launched wars without calling for sacrifice from Americans — other than to spend money. "Fly and enjoy America's great destination spots," he said. "Get down to Disney World in Florida. Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be enjoyed." He also asked Americans to "hug your children" and to pray for those in uniform. But hugging children isn't a sacrifice. The problem is that the nation's wars have been detached from any notion of sacrifice for the country — except for the fewer than 1 percent of Americans who serve in the military. In mid-December, the National Conference on Citizenship released its annual "civic health indicators" (volunteer work, contact with friends and family, confidence in institutions) and found a "broad decline" in 16 of 20 areas. The study was backed by the Census Bureau and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Similarly, Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that volunteering in 2013 was at the lowest percentage (25.4 percent) since the government started counting in 2002. The cause of this is fairly clear: Americans are not being asked to serve their country. With the passing of the World War II generation, veterans are just 7 percent of the population, roughly half of what they were in 1970. Fewer than 20 percent of incoming members of Congress served in the military; in the '70s, more than 70 percent had served. John Bridgeland, who worked on national-service initiatives in the Bush White House, sees the decline of military service as the cause of Washington's problems. "The World War II generation that served together had higher levels of charitable contributions, volunteering, voting, social trust, trust in one another," he told me. "Even the gap between rich and poor was at its lowest levels." Bridgeland's solution, joined by retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is to expand national service — military and other forms — to 1 million 18- to 29-year-olds each year, up from the current 100,000. While far from mandatory national service, this would be enough to create a social expectation that each 18-year-old would either join the military or spend a "service year" after high school earning a stipend serving in AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps and the like. They figure it would cost about $10 billion in taxpayer money and another $10 billion in private funds. "In the World War II generation, people felt like happiness wasn't some individual right but something we helped one another achieve," Bridgeland says. "We're trying to rescue that notion for a generation that's lost its way." McChrystal and Bridgeland, who work on the Aspen Institute's Franklin Project, have a difficult sales job ahead of them. Bush expanded the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps after 9/11, but most service programs have been frozen or cut in recent years, as Congress refuses President Obama's requests for them. But there's hope in the form of the would-be presidential and vice presidential candidates. Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio and Rob Portman have all expressed interest in the issue. This raises the hopeful possibility that national service could return to the agenda — and that a generation of Americans might be able to do something for their country other than pay $9.50 to hear crude jokes. Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 1, 2015 @ 12:01 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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