Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/10332
6A – Daily News – Tuesday, May 11, 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 Rename trail Editor: I’m writing in regards to the National Park Service and their clear undisputable negligence. Just in case anybody has 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. 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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 They’ve tried fire and robots and domes and booms and drones and boxes and rosary beads and even pantyhose stuffed with human hair, but so far nothing has slowed the Deepwater Horizon oil spill from creeping towards our Southern Coast like a drunken lobbyist staggering towards a free seafood buffet. And almost as ugly. This maritime miasma promises to be the most monu- mental attack of sludge to hit American shores since Ann Coulter’s most recent book. Hard to say what frightens Gulf Coast residents more; the toxic slick bearing down on their shore or the administration’s guarantee that our government is poised and ready to swoop in with federal assistance. It worked so well after Katrina. The kind of news that prompts residents to wake screaming -- bathed in sweat -- from nightmares of FEMA load- ing trucks full of mutant hair sausages never to be delivered. And ice. But never let it be said that Congress doesn’t know how to exploit a crisis. They’ve leaped into action and appointed been living under a rock and hasn't heard the latest report regarding the Botell tragedy back in July of 2009, allow me to refresh your memory. According to the National Park Service report, back in 2002, the very wall that collapsed, killing Tommy Botell and critically injuring his sister Katrina, was deemed unsafe. I personally find this sicken- ing and infuriating. I’m wonder- ing how many parents out there who have done this hike with their children, just as the Botell family did that day, have thought, but for the grace of God go I? I know I have thou- sands of times in the weeks fol- lowing the release of this final report. It's clear now that this tragedy was so completely avoidable and that the National Park Service was negligent in allowing the public access to a trail that seven years earlier was deemed unsafe. If it was unsafe in 2002, I can only imagine how unsafe it was in 2009. This was not a tragic accident as I know many of you have thought. The park service played God that day and every day before. This tragedy was inevitable if the National Park Service’s stance was to ignore this report. If a restaurant or school were found to be unsafe for the pub- lic, it would be closed down immediately until the proper corrections have been made. Why not the trail that thousands hike every year? Did they have no regard for life? Was every day since the 2002 report released just a crap shoot for the National Park Service? Shame on them. As I’m sure many of you know, the Botell family have asked that the trail that claimed the life of their son be renamed in his honor. Seems easy enough, especially considering that there is no denying that this was 100 percent the fault of the National Park Service. Sadly, they continue to refuse to rename the trail. My husband’s employer has offered its services free of charge to make whatever changes needed to see that the trail is named in honor of Tommy BoteIl. The wood, the labor, all of it with zero cost to the National Park Service and they have still said no. I feel we as a community need to come together and make calls or write letters, or no longer give our patronage until they have agreed to honor the life of Tommy and the wishes of his family. Let’s, as a communi- ty, take a stand and show Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Botell family that Tommy mat- ters to us, and he should matter to the park service as well. What happened to this family is incomprehensible to me and I assure you their lives have been altered forever. The National Park Service office is in Miner- al at 595-4444. Their wishes to honor their little boy seem so attainable. Please Red Bluff, this family needs this to happen. Let's help them see that it does. Heidi Root, Red Bluff Hemp festival Editor: If Donna Will accepts the county’s new ordinance and proceeds with her plans for her love, in I guess I’ll be going to a festival. In my interpretation, those Your Turn Under county code there is a requirement for security for events. I want to be there to make sure they have proper security and they’re doing their job. Will stated, quite defiantly, that she would tolerate mari- juana smoking but no alcohol would be allowed. Her friend Steve Hager said, “Donna wants to do a peace ceremony. She has a spiritual commitment to this plant, as do I, and we feel these cere- monies help the suffering that has been created by the war on drugs.” She has also said the people will not be asked to show their prescriptions. In the Health and Safety codes, adults employing or selling to minors; minors under or over the age of 14 punish- ments. Administer means direct application of a con- trolled substance, whether by injection, inhalation, ingestion or any other means, and it goes on and on. Furnish has the same meaning. words mean if you light up and exhale smoke, you are furnish- ing and administering your legal drug prescription to those who do not. I also believe that smoking marijuana falls under the same laws as smoking cig- arettes. You should provide an enclosed area for the ones who do want to smoke. May I suggest your home? Out of the 1,800 or so expected, maybe not every one will be smoking at the same time. That way you will be in the bounds of the law. Or may I suggest taking the pill form called Marinol. It has the same psychoactive chemi- cal as marijuana, delta-9-THC. It also has the same effects of drowsiness, euphoria, dizzi- ness, anxiety, muddled think- ing, perceptual difficulties, poor coordination, irritability, a separation in time and space, hallucinations, paranoia etc. So you could still have a great time, legally. However the law says you can’t drive while under the influence so I guess you’ll have some overnighters. But hey there won’t be any alcohol. Don’t forget that California also has a lot of laws pertain- ing to paraphernalia like in the Health and Safety code. Mr. Hager, you stopped hav- ing these festivals in your state because of the, “weary of antagonistic government reac- tion to the gatherings.” Well, you haven’t seen anything yet. Kathy Nelson, 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. Brainless pinheads Commentary a panel. The one positive to come out of this amphibious affliction — besides never hearing another New Orleans restaurant say they are out of blackened redfish — is we can expect to hear a lot fewer of those strident rallying cries of “Drill, Baby, Drill” this election year. They’ve already given way to the more muted “Cap, Baby, Cap,” and threaten to digress into “Tax, Baby, Tax.” Right now though, those responsible seem to be sticking like shrimp to otter fur with “Prevaricate, Baby, Prevaricate.” BP, which apparently stands for Brainless Pinheads, first announced the seepage from the MC252 well — isn’t that cute — was barely a couple of drips. Nothing to worry about. More oil pooled on your average garage floor. Then it bounced up to 1,000 barrels a day, then 2,000, and now that we’re obviously in gushing territory estimates are not really useful anymore. Num- bers can be so misleading. Chemicals were sprayed on the leak to disperse it, but that was curtailed because the dis- persant might be doing more harm than good. They don’t know. Oh, good. Turns out, these guys don’t know a lot. They won’t even say what’s in the dis- persant because it’s proprietary. All they can reveal is it’s not harmful. However, if you do happen to get a smidgeon on your skin, you immediately want to flush it with a bleach bath. That they know. You’d think a com- Will pany that makes its living poking holes in the bottom of seas would have a plan to close them back up, wouldn’t you? Well, you’d be wrong. Actu- ally, you’d be half wrong. They do have means. Using technology they’re required to install when drilling in other countries. Not here, though. We encourage voluntary participation. And let the indus- try write the regs. And then pray to the oil fairies. Maybe this will signal an end Durst Raging Moderate to our bowing down to the fossil fuel gods. Maybe Obama will seize this reprehensible moment to carve out an anti- carbon strategy and the whole country will rise as one and demand a national policy based on clean energies and shared sacrifice. Yeah. And maybe ring-tailed squirrel monkeys will replace hockey referees during playoff games. Its times like these that make you wish hari- kari had become a cor- porate CEO global tra- dition. Will Durst is a political comedian who has performed around the world. He is a familiar pundit on television and radio. E-mail Will at durst@caglecartoons.com. Check out willandwillie.com for the latest podcast. Will Durst’s book, “The All American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing,” is available from Amazon and better bookstores all over this great land of ours.