Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/130160
6A Daily News – Tuesday, May 14, 2013 Opinion Is the right's rights fight right? DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong community newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 The title of this column is certainly a loaded question (no pun intended) and the answer is one which our polarized electorate has widely divergent opinions. While no one will deny the virtue of the inalienable rights defined by our constitution, the devil is in the details of the statutes guiding our great republic. Unfortunately our ability to reach a consensus if not workable compromises seems to be evermore unlikely as richly paid and staunchly supported pundits and politicians stake their claims. As in most disagreements, variant perspectives and interpretation of facts are the roots of dispute. An awareness of these realities by both parties can be of great assistance during negotiations in their resolution. When driven by ego, particularly in our culture of entitlement, it is human nature to have your own opinions reign supreme and to challenge those that suggest alternative views. While respectful debate of differences can provide a clearer understanding of one another leading to compromise, the more popular of late knee-jerk defenses and insulting invectives serve to widen the divide and harden positions. Sadly the common decency, sense, and respect Americans had for one another in the past are increasingly uncommon with tragic consequences. Instead of resolution we face roadblocks - in place of progress we experience more of the same. It seems that with the advent of the quick and unbalanced internet inquiries, 30 second sound bites, and a 24/7 news cycles that few of us take the time to consider, much less contemplate the bases of our opinions, instead girding ourselves with borrowed arguments of support and tuning-out that we find disagreeable. While we perceive such practice to be beneficial, it most often only strokes our egos by suggesting we are right, and furthers an autocracy, which is the antithesis of the democracy upon which our republic is founded. So back to my question, is the rights' rights fight right? In a word my opinion is unsurprisingly – no. In a democracy one should not "fight" for rights, using moneyed and specialized experts to arouse resistance to "leftist loonies, socialist sympathizers, communist conspirators, and Marxist misanthropes. Instead the right should stick to their conservative talking points and steer clear of casting aspersions upon those they wish to vilify. But with overblown mouthpieces like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Charles Krauthammer, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Newt Gigrich, Michelle Malkin, Mike Huckabee, Ann Coulter, and Sarah Palin spouting contempt and disrespect ad nauseum on conservative media it is difficult if not impossible for less partisan voices to be ally our rights to free speech, bear heard, much less appreciated. Clearly such partisanship is not arms, due process, equal opportunity and others in this only the domain of the context pondering not right, but it seems they who's understanding of have refined it to a polita right is right, but ical science that is comreflecting upon those pelling to supporters and thoughts that best serve nauseous to others – a our democratic repubvery effective battle cry. lic. A liberal need only For it seems to me select a topic and with a that each of us have simple Google search two antipodes within, can be buried under a loving compassionmountains of specious blather from a chorus of Richard ate humanist, and a defensive security driacrimonious nabobs of ven warrior. If asked negativity. Personally I who is most likely to would rather be poswin at the end of the sessed by the irrational day my response is exuberance decried by that derived from past Federal Reserve sages of old, "the one Chair Allen Greenspan – you feed." So please a fate much more expansive than the "just say no crowd." feed your humble, teachable, One can only wonder if, and much and hopeful humanist to banish less how such divisiveness can rec- your defensive fear driven wartify, short of a cataclysmic apoca- rior and peacefully ponder my lypse where all take arms to question, "Is the rights' rights fight right?" defend their rhetoric! Let me suggest a more hopeful Richard Mazzucchi is a retired but perhaps idealistic future where evolved voters shun the invective research engineer specializing in of pundits, spin-doctors, and cam- energy efficiency and renewable paign managers to harken back energy. He has travelled with a humble respect for the var- extensively and now makes his ied views that Americans hold home in Los Molinos, where he is dear, a goodness of concern for striving to manifest a sustainable fellow man, and a belief that ours and spiritual lifestyle and operate is a nation perfected by, rather than a BBQ equipment and supply befallen to diversity. In future business. He can be reached at columns I will consider individu- living-green@att.net. Mazzucchi Positive Point Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-225-3076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary The snow, train, wolves, liars & thugs Your local Tea Party Patriots continue to host weekly presentations on topics of wide interest. Last week, we watched a riveting video of the devastation to both range animals and wildlife brought about by the deceptive and poorlythought-out reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park and their predictable spread throughout the region. This week, there will be some folks from the coast to talk about the train route they are advocating over and through the Coast Range. I recommend you come and hear their case for what could be a huge boost to the north state's economy, 6 p.m. at the Westside Grange. Anyone who knows us knows that Barbara and I spend every day we can from Thanksgiving to Memorial Day snow skiing on Mt. Bachelor in Oregon. Nothing bad to say about the many Tahoe area resorts; locally, Mt. Shasta has a fine ski and board park, but the lateness of arriving snow, as well as the early end of their snow pack in April, spurred us to acquire property in Bend. Many folks from California to Washington have similar second homes there for when the ski bug bites. I write that just to get around to registering a bit of remorse that the season ends, either when the lifts stop running or when the snow turns to dirty, sloppy slush with no meteorological hope for fresh, white stuff to replenish it. To have to admit that legs that are used to 30,000 vertical feet on a good day, lasting hours before giving out, that those same legs get humbled by less than 10,000 feet of pushing heavy slush around—well, all things come to an end. However, with spring comes the warming and greening of the forests as the snow recedes; the mosquitoes will come and go as the lakes welcome our little inflatable boat and motor. Bluegrass festivals beckon; the Columbia Gorge and its many spectacular waterfalls invite; the famous Spruce Goose, that huge and cavernous plane built by Howard Hughes for military transport during WW II (but never used due to the war ending), in McMinnville will remind us of Hughes' accomplishments. We both have a connection to the plane: I worked for a catering company in Los Angeles at the prepublic-opening party, and went into and stood on the flight deck, looking down into the cavernous cargo area and the wings in which a man could easily stand upright. Barbara's dad actually saw the Spruce Goose fly on its maiden and only flight in the Long Beach harbor. We will engage in our annual clam chowder taste test in the Newport, OR, area. Once on the road, my columns and blog posts at "Polecat News and Views" (DonPolson.blogspot.com) will, hopefully, continue uninterrupted, wireless Internet service allowing. The aforementioned wolf problem in the northern Rocky Mountains bears further comment. You can purchase the video, "Crying Wolf," at "vimeo.com/kingjd"; I couldn't actually watch it online, however. Some items I remember from the Tea Party viewing: News reports have pointed to a wolf, OR7 I think, wandering around either side of the OR/CA border, in response to which Tehama Coun- ty's supervisors have registered denial of increased security, even objections to giving any preferred the lowering of the protective force, making the status to the animal. The Obama State Dept. and usual enviro-liberal others fully responsible activists in Sacramento for the deaths. We have advocated for desigknow of four separate nation of wolf "habitat" decisions to not send in our state, a ludicrous any help, from Tripoli, and threatening (to priItaly or America, the vate property) step. Tripoli efforts (told to The wolf population "stand down") being in Idaho, Montana and certain to have preventWyoming has grown to ed some of the deaths nearly 2,000; every wolf and injuries. We know destroys up to dozens of of the factual fabricawild (elk or bighorn Don tions, the bald-faced sheep) or cattle or sheep Polson lies, repeated ad infiniper day; destroy, not tum, ad nauseam, by consume, because they The way Obama, Clinton, Rice leave partly eaten and and others. The covermutilated corpses in I see it up going on to this day their wake. The toll is should bring about such that game hunting is being abandoned in Montana; demotions, even impeachment, of sheep and cattle ranchers are any Secretary of State or President being driven to insolvency. of any party. Powerlineblog.com Wolves were rightfully hunted to and HughHewitt.com have all of near extinction for good reason: the developments in real time and only in the absence of wolves can archived. The deeply troubling revelahuman industry and sport thrive. Montana is taking steps to tions relating to the scandalous, increase the hunting allowances anti-Constitutional and quasifor landowners and others; let's despotic use of the IRS to target hope they can carry through in the Tea Party Patriots and other conface of the enviro-and-wildlife servative group needs far more extremists that irrationally push in space than this column has left. favor of animals and nature over The news media seems to smell such a Nixonian level of political humans. Brief observations on the retribution, and shredding of citigrowing scandal over the Septem- zens' protection from same, that ber 11 terror attacks on the Amer- this should only get bigger; more ican consulate in Benghazi, Libya to come. (go to DonPolson.blogspot.com Don Polson has called Red Bluff and use the "Libya" label to find out what few in the news media home since 1988. He can be by e-mail at have been eager to tell you): We reached know of the facts surrounding the donplsn@yahoo.com.