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6A Daily News – Friday, May 25, 2012 Opinion DAILYNEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y 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 let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer's home street address and home phone num- ber. 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 submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. 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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 Amessage to Message to recent gradu- ates, in the land of make- believe an oldster asked, "Have I existed instead of liv- ing my whole life? I've remained in the me-me gener- ation demanding I'm entitled instead of maturing to the level of carrying the responsi- bility of enhancing the lives of others, never trying to make living more pleasant for others to live. In essence, I didn't try to earn rewards. I always said I'm entitled, you owe me or I deserve. I've grown old without maturing normally." graduates Editor: to improve or at least change? What will happen to the next generation that tries to follow my example? A fairy tale with some truth, Questions: When is it too late maybe? Steve Kelsey, Corning Oil is a beautiful thing. The other day as I was adding oil to my mower, I watched the stream of golden fluid flow. As the sunlight hit it, I thought to myself, what a beautiful thing. It looked like honey. This set me to thinking about all the goodness and plea- sures in everyday life that oil gives us. Abeautiful thing Editor: that somehow isn't touched by oil. Nothing has eased the labors of man more than oil. For the foreseeable future, there is no alternative or "green" energy source that could achieve a tiny fraction of what it takes to achieve the greatness of oil on a massive scale. More than any other element on earth, besides air, food and water, it's oil that has brought goodness to mankind. What else fuels our cars, can fly massive airplanes, propel huge ships, run huge industries and factories and produce, harvest and deliver the tons of food that feed the world? It's because of oil that the masses are employed and our nation has enjoyed the most wealth and the highest standard of living for the middle class the world has ever known. It's hard to think of anything in our lives Barack Hussein Obama keeps saying that oil is "a thing of the past." This is a dangerous attitude and a false premise. We know the U.S. has enough oil and shale in Alaska and the lower 48s to run the country for around 200 years. Yet we still keep buying oil from Middle East countries that use the huge profits to fund murder and terror against the U.S. and around the world. It's insane to put ourselves and our economy in such a vul- nerable and dangerous position - at the mercy of our enemies. The oil producing countries needn't worry about Barack Hussein Obama's "Green Revo- Your Turn lution" because the Chinese, Russians, North Koreans and Middle East countries will be more than happy to produce and buy oil to run their dictatorships and grow their already mon- strous military machines (and they don't give a damn about the ecology), while Obama slashes and dismantles our military. The dictators of the military monsters, especially Vladimir Putin, must be drooling and holding their sides from laugh- ing so hard. If Obama has his visions of America come true, I say to him the only thing that will be "a thing of the past" is the greatest and freest country that has ever existed. That would be a real tragedy. We owe it to the past genera- tions who sacrificed so much in Europe and the Pacific and all the brave men and women since then to not let his visions become a reality. Joe Manoguerra, El Camino Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Ba ba ba boom Commentary As to Clint Eastwood, he flies his own helicopter to places to play golf. He also flies it to the ranch and keeps it in a hanger there." J. Giessner checks in with a follow up to last week's quiz wherein I asked for the middle names of Bing Crosby. She writes, "Interesting that you mentioned Bing Crosby (Harry Lillis Crosby) today in your column. I had just watched Dina Eastwood on The View this morning talk about her new Reality TV Show and it stirred memo- ries when Bing owned the Rising River Ranch in Cassel*, and now Clint Eastwood has had it for several years. Our family has owned the ranch "next door" for a 100 years now, and as a teenag- er, I rode some of the Crosby quarter horses and used to get the Welsh ponies ready for the young Crosby kids to ride. I was once referred to by Harry as his favorite babysit- ter. I know Harry was named for his father and grandfather, but I'm not sure his middle name. I called him Harry Deluxe Crosby as items such as Lazy Boy Chairs, Jeeps, and other deluxe items used to arrive at the ranch for Bing as gifts and advertisement. Once, young Harry was telling me about something just arriving and I said "Well, isn't that Deluxe" pronouncing the "lux" and Harry said "My Dad would say "Deluxe" as "loux" so I said, "Ok. Harry Delouxe Cros- by" and that was our thing for several years. As for Bing, I called him "Mr. Crosby." Once when I was dropped off to babysit, he was sitting on the house steps and humming his "ba, ba, ba boom" sound. He was very pleasant and smiled with those beautiful blue eyes. Only once was he not so nice, and had to come back and apologize to my Grandmother. He'd lost his black lab and was driving around looking for it. He backed his big Rolls Royce car into Grand- ma Eva's gate and dented the gate quite noticeably. I'm not sure what happened to his car. He did apologize later to "Grand- ma," as he called her too, and had the gate fixed. level and evidently a pleasant place for peo- ple in the limelight to get away from it all. In reply I men- tioned to Jo that Bing and Phil stopped by our plant occasionally to buy a leg of lamb. I waited on them but could never think of any- thing clever to say. *** A man is standing alone in front of the post office. He is grasping a little pam- phlet firmly in both hands and holds it away from his body as though presenting an offering of some sort to passersby. He doesn't force the tract on anyone, he just stands there stoically and impassive. I wonder what he considers a good day of hand outs...5...10? Does he have to buy the pamphlets or does he get them free from his church? Does he get a mark next to his name in the church's book of records…or is he assured an exclusive but limited place in heaven? We don't know the answers…but then he may not know the question. It is what he does. Instead of join- ing forces with the 99 percent folks on the Cone & Kimball corner he chooses to stand alone and perhaps dream of a better life; if not here, then there, wherever "there" is. *** form was otherwise limited in those puri- tanical times. Now, as the song implies, "Anything Goes." Last week's quiz asked the middle names of Bing Crosby, what was the Nairobi Trio and what did the weakling weigh when sand was kicked in his face by a bully in the old Charles Atlas ads? J. Angelo was first in Robert Minch I Say knowing that Bing was christened Harry Lillis Crosby, the Nairobi Trio was a skit by Ernie Kovacs and the weakling weighed 98 pounds. However, agreed with John, so perhaps, as we are now a nation of the overweight, 98 will prevail. This week's quiz: Where does the Alcan recall he weighed 97 pounds, but other readers I Highway officially begin and end, what was the real name of Lewis Carroll creator of "Alice in Wonderland" and what was the full title of the novel, and when was the ear- liest university in the U.S. established and its name? *** *Cassell, for those who have not been up in that neck of the woods, is between Bur- ney and Fall River Mills though to the south. It is about 3,000 feet or so above sea A recent photo on the cover of TIME featured a woman with her exposed breast feeding a child, and it brought in a firestorm of response from readers. So the photo was controversial and the depiction of a woman's breast in a national magazine has laid one more taboo to rest. In my day, upstairs in the old Kraft library on Jeffer- son, was a treasure trove of National Geo- graphic magazine. Certain frequent library users, such as yours truly, were allowed access to the upper sanctum by the stern and vigilant librarian, Ella Hendricks. She was probably pleased that some of us would take such interest in the cultures of other lands. However, it was the photos of women in Africa, au natural, that proved titillating to young males, whose study of the female Rock McClellan checks in and commen- surates with me about the suspension of the S.F. Chronicle for home delivery. He has to drive all over town to find a newsstand that has the Chron on its lid only to find it empty...and then when he does luck out, it costs $1 instead of the 50 cents he was pay- ing for home delivery. Tsk, tsk. *** vously pacing the corridor, and when he spotted a nurse he said, "Nurse, how is that little boy doing...the one who swallowed all those quarters?" Nurse: "No change yet, doctor." Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and author of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail.com. The new doctor in the hospital was ner-