Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/10070
6A – Daily News – Wednesday, May 5, 2010 Opinion D NEWSAILY 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 Bend Recreation Area designation Editor: 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. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity 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 vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents 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 Barbara Boxer has a plan to change 17,600 acres in the Hog Lake-Bend Recreation Area into a National Recreation Area. This will skyrocket the bud- get from $200,000-$300,000 a year, already too high, to $800,000-$1 million, and know- ing the government it will be higher yet. As it is there are complaints that the restrooms and boat ramp are not main- tained properly. There are talks to close 200 parks in California this year, so why is this being considered? This property is only comfort- able a few months of the year, most of the time it is hot and dry, infested with poison oak, rattlesnakes, star thistle, etc., or it's cold, windy and wet. I won- der how much time Barbara is going to spend camping out there? Area residents are against it because there is already a lot of problems with trespassing, shooting, littering, traffic, etc. There used to be a huge flock of swans and other birds that win- tered on Hog Lake, due to pub- lic access they have moved to the adjacent private ranches. If more people go there all the wildlife will leave. When our schools are hurting so badly due to lack of funding, they are laying teachers off, I can't imagine why we would sacrifice the education of our children for this. There is also a plan to spend $50 million to purchase more BLM land in Northern California this year. Why add to our deficit and take more property out of the private sector and off of the tax rolls? We all need to let the politi- cians know we want them to stop spending our money on stupid, unnecessary projects. Every time they get involved, spending goes out of control and common sense goes out the window. As it is they are spend- ing our money they haven't even printed yet. Dena Hendricks, Red Bluff Round-Up Editor: Congratulations Red Bluff, you really know how to put on a great show and do it right. We had the privilege of attending your rodeo both Sat- urday and Sunday and thor- oughly enjoyed every minute. It was a great joy to be in a group where God and country mean so much. The respect shown by all those involved in welcoming the crowds and the care shown towards the animals was amaz- ing. The Tough Enough to Wear Pink was such a remarkable event and to see how the citi- zens of Red Bluff turned out in all their pink clothing to support a good cause, was just great. St. Elizabeth Community Hospital was truly the winner in this endeavor. We would personally like to thank Mike Dudley and all the directors for a wonderful time in Red Bluff and look forward to enjoying your Round-Up again. Sheila Gray, Willits In praise of firefighters Editor: On March 12 we had an attic fire. We live in the Bend District and no longer have an active volunteer fire depart- ment, so when the 911 call went out it went to the Red Bluff CDF, who responded along with the Antelope, Dibble Creek and Evergreen Volunteer Fire Departments. The 911 call went in at 4:48 p.m. My husband called me about 5:20 p.m. to tell me we had an attic fire, but not to worry, the fire personal where there and it was okay. I was in town and headed directly home, trying not to panic thinking “Okay. How can it be okay? Every house in the Bend that has caught fire burned to the ground.” When I arrived and saw 3-4 fire trucks, 2 water tankers and numerous pick ups, I almost came apart. All this while observing no one was running around in a hurry, no smoke was pouring out of the house and all four walls and the roof appeared to be in tact. After I was assured all really was okay and I could even go in and see I began to get the pieces of what happened. One of the firemen was on his way home from work when the call went out, so instead of going home he came to our house. Thank you. He was the first to arrive, turned off the electricity and propane to the house. He then came in and shut doors into rooms and moved some furniture outside. Your Turn Again, thank you. At that time the ceiling had begun to blister near the stove pipe around the wood stove, and the rest of the fire personal and trucks began to arrive. Thank you. My hus- band said his heart absolutely sank when he saw that big hose begin to fill with water and it was going into the house. Now from this point on I’m not sure how the events unfold- ed, I know they pulled some of the ceiling drywall down to get to the fire and hit it with water, but not so much the rest of the ceiling sagged. Thank you. They took the pictures of our grand- children, that had gotten wet, off the walls and handed them to a neighbor to take care of. They covered the floors with tarps, and cleaned up as much of the dry wall and insulation as possible, sucked up moisture out of the carpet and off the floors, all while inspecting and watch- ing for hot spots. Thank you. We have nothing but thanks and admiration to these fine men who came so quickly, knew exactly what to do and did it. They were courteous and under- standing, respectful and helpful and saved our home and belong- ings. I am not sure how they got here so fast, nor how they did it all, but they did and we are grateful and thankful and want- ed to thank them publicly. Thank you to all emergency personal who put their lives on the line every time they answer a call. Nicki Carper, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), 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), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 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; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. For Mothers Day - Spreading the art of laughter Commentary I handed my debit card to the owner of a barbecue restaurant. He saw my name on the card. "Is your mother's name Eliza- beth?" he asked. When I nodded, he burst out laughing — and proceeded to confess to a prank, motivated by my mother, that he'd pulled on my family 30 years ago. My mother, you see, is a little bit "out there." People would refer to her as "eccentric" if she were as wealthy financially as she is wealthy otherwise. Her greatest wealth is her mastery of the art of laughter. She knew laughter's benefits long before scientific studies confirmed them. When she was- n't laughing herself, she was teaching us how. Most nights after dinner, we sat around the table, relating sto- ries about things we'd done and laughing aloud. While many parents in our neighborhood went out on Sat- urday nights, my mother pre- ferred to stay home. We'd make banana splits and watch the Carol Burnett show, and as Tim Conway's old-man routine made me laugh so hard that I'd fall off the couch, she'd watch me, delighted that I was learning her art so well. She collected friends even more eccentric than she. One lady, Marty, had five children — my mother had six. Both had been housewives their entire adult lives — both wanted to try their hand at writing. My mother soon published a few magazine articles — Erma Bombeck-style housewife humor. She and Marty wrote a play, "Betty's Attic," that a local theater company performed. They sold jokes to Phyllis Diller. They were thrilled to see her do their jokes at a live show — delighted by the laughter their jokes provoked. The writing never produced much money, though, so my mother concocted another plan to generate extra cash. Did she get a part-time job, like normal moms in our neighborhood? No, she dressed up like Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Raggedy Ann or Clown Clara and staged chil- dren's parties for parents desper- ate to pay her. It was easy for her to bring instant order to a room of 40 kids or more. She was soon staging three parties every Saturday — all of them as Clown Clara, to avoid costume changes. As fate would have it, though, a thief dressed as a clown had been rob- bing area banks; the clown robber had been widely reported upon in the local media. Nonetheless, my mother was surprised when a cop roared into a driveway where she had just pulled in for one of her gigs, jumped out and began barking at her. He and his buddies, aware that my mother dressed as a clown — everyone in our neigh- borhood knew about Clown Clara — could not fend off the temp- tation to prank-call our home. Late at night, after sneaking beers in the woods, he'd call our house, disguising his voice as Mickey Mouse. It took some time to clear up the confusion — at one point, the cop thought my mother was in cahoots with the guy who'd hired her to stage his kid's party. When everybody figured out what was going on, she had but one response: a giant burst of laughter. Which brings us back to the barbecue restaurant. The fellow who owned the joint had lived in a neighbor- hood near ours during my moth- er's Clown Clara period. A teen then, he was friends with my sis- ter Mary. Tom Purcell "Is Clown Clara there?" he'd say, his friends laughing aloud in the background. It happened 30 years ago and both of us laughed aloud as he related his tale. That's my mother: spreading the art of laughter wherever she goes. Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com. ———