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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 Get Up & Go: Jan. 7 Emergency services 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 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services 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 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 Edgar Frutchey III Shirley M. Lindstrom Walter (Jim) Dave Schraub Alan Roy Hamilton William "Bill" Raupp 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 North falters in SWC opener No. 1 Kentucky escapes upset bid Sharapova breezes in opener; Serena loses Pistons rally in final seconds to beat Spurs Ducks gear up for title game Varsity 541 College Sports No. 1 Kentucky escapes upset bid 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 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 After seven decades in Medford, Larson's will be emptied Saturday Patchwork of talents Irrigation system upgrade gets a forum Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Crosstour Positive Steps 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 Opinion Latest Our View: Falls has work to do to restore trust Letters to the Editor, Jan. 7 Kathleen Parker: Stirring the pot: our bias, ourselves Our View: WISE project offers many benefits Kent Bush: Food labels mean nothing Editorials Our View: Falls has work to do to restore trust 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 Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 7 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 6 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 4 Letters to the Editor. Jan. 2 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 5 Things to Do This Weekend (Jan. 9-11) Lost in Suburbia: The bug stops here 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Dave Ramsey: Sharing and planning as one Dear Monty: Eight great tips to ponder before investing in real estate Food 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 Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Food for Thought: Tips for cooking when you have food allergies 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 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 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 Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Our View: Falls has work to do to restore trust ... After seven decades in Medford, Larson's will be emptied Saturday ... UPDATED: Medford police arrest man suspected in Purple Parrot robbery ... Our View: Falls has work to do to restore trust ... After seven decades in Medford, Larson's will be emptied Saturday ... UPDATED: Medford police arrest man suspected in Purple Parrot robbery ... Shayne Looper: Who we were, who we are and who we aspire to be Comment By Shayne Looper More Content Now MailTribune.com By Shayne Looper More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 @ 9:18 am Updated Dec 30, 2014 at 9:23 AM By Shayne Looper More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 @ 9:18 am Updated Dec 30, 2014 at 9:23 AM » Social News On Dec. 9, a Senate Select Committee issued a report on CIA interrogation methods that focused on the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques.” The report was clearly flawed. Nevertheless, it brought to the light a policy that all Americans should denounce. According to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who served on the committee, the interrogation process failed on five major points. First, the program was conceived by people who had never met a terrorist and was conducted along the lines of untested theories of interrogation. Secondly, the people performing the enhanced interrogation techniques lacked the necessary linguistic skills, interrogation training and real-life experience to know whether the process was working. Thirdly, senior officials failed to provide sufficient oversight for the program, which was fraught with the personal and financial conflicts of those involved. Fourthly, and most disturbingly, the techniques used were brutal. The acronym “EIT,” despite Dick Cheney’s denials, means nothing more or less than torture. Finally, the quality of the intelligence gained from the ruthless treatment of detainees was suspect, and claims that it prevented further attacks or saved Americans’ lives are doubtful. To someone who grew up watching old war movies in which the Americans acted with honor, regardless of the ruthlessness of their enemies, the report is deeply distressing. As a follower of Jesus, I find it simply appalling. Freezing a man to death, threatening to rape and murder a detainee’s children, placing a man in a coffin-sized box for 11 days, and perpetrating other acts of torture — in one case on a man later discovered to have been wrongfully accused — these are not the kind of things that Americans do. They are certainly not things a Christ-follower can approve. Some people have argued that, while excessive, these methods were necessary to protect innocent lives. But how do we know that? Even the director of the CIA cannot say that these techniques provided life-saving intelligence that could not have been otherwise obtained. And even if it did, are we willing to corrupt our character and stain our national honor to obtain that information? Are we willing to become the kind of people we deplore? Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., himself a victim of torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, put it this way: “The main reason to oppose its use ... isn’t about our enemies; it’s about us. It’s about who we were, who we are and who we aspire to be. It’s about how we represent ourselves to the world.” McCain hit the proverbial nail on the head. It’s about who we were, a people who stood, at great cost to themselves, against Nazi brutality. It’s about who we are, a nation that promises “liberty and justice for all.” And it’s about who we aspire to be. Ah, but who is it that we aspire to be? On that point, I think, there is confusion and a lack of consensus. We no longer share a common vision, one capable of evoking our aspirations. As the biblical proverb rightly warns, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This lack of an inspiring vision helps explain the bitter partisanship that has crippled our government in recent years. We cannot find common ground on issues of immigration, race and taxes partly because we have no guiding vision of who we want to be. We can’t decide on a road because we’re not sure where we want to go. There have been calls for a national conversation on these issues, but that conversation keeps turning into a shouting match for just this reason. Before a national conversation about legislative issues can be productive we need to have a conversation about national aspirations. What kind of nation do we want to be? That may be, in our increasingly pluralistic society, a long and difficult conversation. One thing I hope we can all agree on: we do not want to be the kind of people who resort to torture when we’re afraid. Shayne Looper is the pastor of Lockwood Community Church in Branch County, Michigan. Read more at shaynelooper.com. By Shayne Looper More Content Now MailTribune.com By Shayne Looper More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 @ 9:18 am Updated Dec 30, 2014 at 9:23 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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