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6A Daily News – Tuesday, January 15, 2013 Opinion A license for insurrection 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. 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Our forefathers worked diligently to institute a democracy with the checks and balances of three branches of governance – executive, legislature, and judiciary that provide a deliberate and peaceful ways to govern and equitably resolve differences. The National Rifle Association and those that fervently reserve the right to override these processes with a rag-tag armed militia to guarantee that they get their way aren't patriots but insurrectionists poised to exert their views with paramilitary action. The throngs of Americans now purchasing weapons in fear that access may be restricted in light of recent mass murders and a call to action are only contributing to our nation's problem with gun homicide. The U.S. has the sad distinction of having an order of magnitude higher homicide rate by gun than other developed nations due in large part because we have by far the most guns in the hands of the public. Lax gun sale laws, easily avoided registration requirements, and fear of gun violence make for a gun manufacture, sales, and possession bonanza that feeds upon itself. Isn't it clear that as the number of hand guns and assault rifles in circulation grows so does the likelihood of guns in the hands of children and criminals to yield proportionately higher gun accidents and violent crimes? It is well and good to assert that responsible gun owners would keep this from happening – but what of the others? With more than 300 million guns now in public hands most believe the genie is out of the box so that anyone that wants a gun can get one legally or illegally. If things keep going the way they are going the only persons without guns might be law abiding persons, who with a simple non-violent drug possession felony decades ago are restricted from legally possessing weapons or ammunition for life. Should such Californians defend themselves or prevent property transgressions with nothing more than a baseball bat they can be sent to prison, much less wielding an assault rifle or concealed hand gun. For myself this fact is moot since I am a pacifist by nature that adheres to the Christian "turn the other cheek" ethic, even though it becomes a more fatalistic path in a land with more and more high caliber rapid uphold our freedoms and rights, and that our president is fire weaponry in public duty bound to protect us hands. from enemies both forSo now we are at a eign and domestic with crossroads to address the oversight of the legthe issues of gun vioislature and judiciary. I lence in our communican only assume that ties, with the NRA posithose using this card fail tion on one hand sugto appreciate the gesting the only way to mechanics of our rule of stop a bad-guy with a law or question the gun is a good-guy with a nation's ability to gun, while others like I believe it better to mitiRichard ensure its effectiveness. Both cases are a travesgate the problem like ty and affront to the other modern societies vision of our forefathers by restricting gun access failing to comprehend to anyone other than the the magnificence of our military and law constitution and quesenforcement officers. tioning the resolve with True, hunting with guns which true patriots and recreational gun use its application. would need to be restricted, but guarantee seriously do any of us really need Although I fear most of the local to hunt with guns for food or use readership fervently disagrees lethal weapons for recreation. I with me on these matters, I hope suggest that an evolved society that you can appreciate my pershould recognize that the danger spective as one with peaceful of recreational weapons far exceed intent asserting that the 2nd any benefit given the range of Amendment is not a license for foodstuffs and the wide variety of insurrection. safer recreational activities now Richard Mazzucchi is a retired available. But then the gun owners pull research engineer specializing in out their tyranny card, claiming energy efficiency and renewable that an armed militia is necessary energy. He has travelled to ensure that our government extensively and now makes his operates within accepted norms. home in Los Molinos, where he Never mind that the mightiest mil- can be reached at livingitary on the planet is sworn to 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, 280 Hemsted Dr., Ste. 110, Redding, CA 96002, 530-223-6300, Fax: 530-2236737, 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 Leftist indoctrination rife in schools Take heart or offense, as the case may be, over the utterances of the president of the Chicago Teachers Union, Karen Lewis. In a speech at the Illinois Labor History Society's "Salute to Labor's Historic Heroes from the History Makers of Today" conference, she decried the "wealth disparity" in America; with an uncomfortable laugh line (liberals peddle violent rhetoric with chuckles), she mentioned that in the "old days," the evil wealthy people were simply beheaded. "Diving deeper into her comments is revealing. She said 'Do not think for a minute that the wealthy are ever going to allow you to legislate their riches away from them.' Think about that statement for a minute. 'Their riches.' What does she mean by that? Money? Probably. Property? Possibly. Other possessions? Sure. "The fact is that 'riches' mean things which those people OWN. If they own it why would they let it be 'legislated' away? Why would ANYONE, regardless of income, support legislation that takes his or her possessions away? But that's how liberals think. They think government owns. Government commands. And people are there simply to serve the government. WOW!!! These are the people who occupy positions of leadership. And their entire platform is, 'What can I take away from this person?' That's not the kind of leadership we need." (Source not on printout) Remember that she led the Chicago teachers' strike last year, by the highest paid teachers in America, who inflicted massive, disruptive costs upon the parents of school children in a brazen strong- arm tactic for more salary and benefits at taxpayer expense. Our local teachers and union leadership may not sympathize with her perspective, but I have yet to hear or read of anyone from the education sector distancing themselves from her comments. The virtual media blackout eased them quietly into the memory hole. Violence-tinged language directed at rich Hollywood makers of leftist, trashy movies, uttered by a leader of one of the Tea Party groups, or a similar statement directed at wealthy abortion doctors by a Christian leader, would be condemned, not ignored. Union boss says "beheading"? Ho hum. I have an April/May 2011 issue of the California Federation of Teachers, "California Teacher," with several of their members holding their clenched fists high in solidarity with the Wisconsin unions fighting tooth and nail against efforts to rein in their power to grab tax payer money from members via dues. Folks, they may deny it, but I know exactly what a raised, clenched fist is: a decades-old symbol of leftist aggression. I ought to know, having been a college leftist who crafted a two-foot high, bright red classic communist fist on paper for display in my dorm window. I also have articles full of quotes from a teachers' demonstration in Los Angeles, illustrating in their own words how far down the leftist path many of our educators have gone. There is a reason why SDS Weatherman/terrorist Bill Ayers, then-Barack Obama's nearly best friend, abandoned trying to physically blow up the symbols of America, like the Pentagon. Through education ment." Students also believed: foundations he and Barack admin- "Corporations are bad, and profits istered, they worked to formulate are very bad. Business shouldn't make profits; they radical pedagogical (edushould give any excess cational) methods to money they make to incorporate leftist beliefs their employees. Taxes into curriculum; beliefs are good; they provide that would effectively the money for the govblow up the source of ernment to take care of America's wealth and people. Government dominance, the capitalist, should expand and take free market system. Havcare of everyone in the ing read and studied country. America, "The Pedagogy of the rather than being a Oppressed," a book used force for good in the in the classroom to world, has been a force advance socialism by Don for evil. Government destroying colonial capiPolson has an unlimited source talism, I know. via taxes." Of course, that's not The way of funds either due to "So how it is presented, but ambient progressivism the effective method for I see it in our curricula, a left advancing leftist, socialwing bias by proselyist ideology in the schools is to inculcate anti-Repub- tizing teachers, or parents who lican beliefs first. In "Republicans learned the same lessons in school and Conservatives Have Lost that they are now teaching their More Than Just an Election," children, students aren't just uninLarry Sand quotes of the findings formed, they are in fact misinof a Los Angeles-based Republi- formed." Also in American Thinker, psycan Party leader, Gary Aminoff, reported in American Thinker. He chologist and consultant Timothy had been speaking at middle and Daughtry wrote "We lost the high schools around L.A. and Republic in the classroom long found very bright students full of before we lost it in the voting brilliant questions suggesting what booth." NOTE: So teachers can't be they are concerned about, as well as what they are taught by parents, entrusted with guns in schools? Good thing they were never teachers, or both. Aminoff found students believ- trained to use weapons in any of ing Republicans: "care only about America's wars. What a mistake would have been the rich—the top 1 percent—and that don't care about anyone else," (tongue/cheek). "hate people of color, especially Don Polson has called Red Bluff Latinos," "hate gays," and are home since 1988. He can be "racist." When asked, "Who is it by e-mail at that creates jobs in America?" they reached invariably respond "the govern- donplsn@yahoo.com.