Document text
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 Emergency Services Ducks, Buckeye fans make playful wagers ahead of championship game Old stained-glass windows face threats College on the K-12 dime Mobile Health Center pulls out of Gold Hill Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Emergency services One killed Friday in single-vehicle crash in Rogue River Emergency services Men sentenced in heroin case Politics and Elections Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Education College on the K-12 dime Students forge links between forest health and people Medford School Board meeting deferred because of Ducks game Medford bulks up student support for math, reading Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions Environment OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack Ashland trails up for changes Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock State News Oregon State University plans $60 million forestry complex Washington man arrested in Portland hotel slaying Timber group updates green label forestry standards Attorney: Use Boy Scout files in sex-abuse trial Oregon capitalizes on championship run Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Ricardo Ruiz-Santillan Richard Thompson LuErna Mae Jacobson Robert Charles Pollock Bob Lozano 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 Randolph, Grizz win 2OT battle No. 11 Oregon State drubs Oregon again Walker, Matsuyama tied for Kapalua lead Luck leads Colts to upset of Manning, Broncos N.C. State hands No. 2 Duke first loss Varsity 541 College Sports No. 11 Oregon State drubs Oregon again N.C. State hands No. 2 Duke first loss Will players show wear and tear? UO’s resilient receivers stay ready McShay’s take on pro Ducks Pro Sports Randolph, Grizz win 2OT battle Walker, Matsuyama tied for Kapalua lead Luck leads Colts to upset of Manning, Broncos Packers shake Cowboys, to play for NFC title Federer notches 1,000th match win Community Sports Business Latest Stories Business briefs People in Business Blog: Former Meier & Frank stores avoid Macy's hit list Ride & Drive: 2015 Chevrolet Trax Blog: One Frenchman's perspective on Jan. 7 attack Real Estate News Jackson County real estate market headed back to normal Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers People In Business Transportation Medford airport traffic flies to new heights Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Opinion Latest Jan. 11 Letters to the Editor Our View: A pipeline should not run through it Another View: A few questions to make the AG nominee squirm Another view: Politicians retreat from racism Guest Opinion: FERC fails our planet Editorials Our View: A pipeline should not run through it Other Views: ACLU leader helped change Oregon Our View: It's best to prepare for the worst Our View: Falls has work to do to restore trust Our View: WISE project offers many benefits Letters to the Editor Jan. 11 Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 9 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 8 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 7 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 6 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: FERC fails our planet 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 Lifestyle Latest stories Chasing the mopes The King's rocky career road ... past his supposed death It's about what we give out Medics in the Woods Resist, reject those uninformed attitudes Food Community blog: Happy New Beer Year! Community blog: Scanty spuds stretch winter greens into salad Entertaining with a gift of treasure Food for Thought: Save time on weeknight meal prep Community blog: Farm share boosts resolve to eat more veggies Home and Garden 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Dear Monty: Eight great tips to ponder before investing in real estate 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? Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Separation anxiety common in adults Health Watch: Staying fit as a frequent flyer Community blog: Tale of the Tape Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you 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 Old stained-glass windows face threats 50 years and counting: Bulebar Wedding: Lindsey-Maria Rios New arrivals Since You Asked: Sheriff's Office sells off foreclosed homes Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Live Music in Local Clubs Patty Groth's Morning Glory is still a delight 100 Watt Mind unveils 'Creatures' American Guitar Masters play the Imperial Chamber Music Concerts presents Tesla Quartet Theater Tangled up in Dylan OSF's 'Great Society' up for Kennedy Prize Next Stage presents a tribute to an iconic folk artist Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Music Live Music in Local Clubs 100 Watt Mind unveils 'Creatures' American Guitar Masters play the Imperial Chamber Music Concerts presents Tesla Quartet Blues jam tonight at Little Brown Jug Community Events Art Presence showcases 'Naked Art' 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 Dining Patty Groth's Morning Glory is still a delight Entertaining with a gift of treasure Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Old stained-glass windows face threats ... Mobile Health Center pulls out of Gold Hill ... Latest attempt at public safety levy targets specific needs ... Old stained-glass windows face threats ... Mobile Health Center pulls out of Gold Hill ... Latest attempt at public safety levy targets specific needs ... ANOTHER VIEW Another View: A few questions to make the AG nominee squirm Comment By George Will Washington Post MailTribune.com By George Will Washington Post Posted Jan. 11, 2015 @ 12:01 am By George Will Washington Post Posted Jan. 11, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News Senate confirmation hearings put nominees on notice that, as a Michigan state legislator reportedly once said, "I'm watching everything you do with a fine-toothed comb." Loretta Lynch, a talented lawyer and seasoned U.S. attorney, should be confirmed as attorney general. Her hearing, however, should not be perfunctory. Questions like the following would highlight some festering problems:  Next year is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, which began the slow, serpentine progress to our modern panoply of rights, including those of persons accused of serious crimes. Today, however, regarding sexual misconduct on campuses, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights uses the threat of withdrawing federal funding to coerce colleges and universities into jettisoning crucial defendants' protections when adjudicating, in improvised tribunals, accusations of sexual assault. Presumption of innocence? The new presumption is that accusations are valid until disproved. The right to confront one's accuser? No, it would be traumatizing to the "survivor" (note the prejudgment). Proof beyond a reasonable doubt? Now a mere "preponderance of the evidence" will suffice. Are you comfortable with this traducing of due process? Much ink and indignation have been properly expended concerning the torture of some detainees by counterterrorism personnel. But what about the promiscuous use — currently impacting thousands of prisoners — of long-term solitary confinement in prisons? In 1890, the Supreme Court said of such punishment: "A considerable number of the prisoners fell, after even a short confinement, into a semi-fatuous condition, from which it was next to impossible to arouse them, and others became violently insane; others still committed suicide." Given its deranging effects, does this practice constitute torture as defined by federal law — conduct "specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering"?  Years pass, studies are written and vows are made, yet the scandal of prison rape persists. When will the government stop this crime against inmates in its custody?  The U.S. incarceration rate is five times Wales and England's, nine times Germany's, 14 times Japan's. In 2010, more than 200,000 inmates — approximately the nation's total number of prisoners in 1970 — were over the age of 50. How can this be necessary?  When choosing between two evils, Mae West said, "I always pick the one I never tried before." The number of drug offenders in federal prisons is 20 times the number in 1980, and accounts for more than half of our federal mass incarceration. The "war on drugs" is horrendously expensive (in money and shattered lives) and hardly effective (drug prices fall as quality rises). Is it time to consider decriminalizing some controlled substances?  In California, which spends almost as much on corrections and rehabilitation as on universities, approximately 2,000 persons who have committed no violent or otherwise serious crime are serving 25 years to life under the state's "three strikes and you're out" law. It mandates such sentences for any third felony. Do you think that mandatory — and often draconian — minimum sentences prevent judges from judging? And that the threat of such sentences, by extorting guilty pleas, can vitiate the right to a trial? The Justice Department has been, to say no more, unhelpful regarding attempts to fully investigate and properly punish the politicization and corruption of the IRS. Given the department's seeming complicity in the cover-up, would it not be appropriate to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS practice of suppressing the political activity of conservative groups? Civil forfeiture — the seizure of property suspected of being produced by, or involved with, crime — has become a lucrative business for lawless law enforcement. Civil forfeiture treats citizens worse than criminals, seizing the property of persons neither convicted of nor even indicted for a crime. All or a portion of the proceeds from the sale of such property goes to those who seized it. You are familiar with this form of moral hazard: Between 2011 and 2013, your U.S. Attorney's office reaped more than $113 million from such forfeitures. Do you agree that this practice often is indistinguishable from robbery? Many progressives say that the 34 states that have passed laws requiring voters to have a government-issued photo ID are practicing "vote suppression." Does requiring a photo ID at airports constitute "travel suppression"? Visitors to the Justice Department are required to present photo IDs. Will you — we will be watching with a fine-toothed comb — plan to end this "visit suppression"? George Will's email address is [email protected].   By George Will Washington Post MailTribune.com By George Will Washington Post Posted Jan. 11, 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. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501