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4A Daily News – Tuesday, January 22, 2013 Opinion Obama's no-buy zone 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 President Obama concurs with the proposals of vice-president Biden and his advisors to limit American gun violence. The proposal is broken down into four key subsections: law enforcement, the availability of dangerous firearms and ammunition, school safety and mental health. In an effort to touch on all four of those elements, the president recommended requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales; reinstating the assault weapons ban; restoring a 10-round limit on ammunition magazines; eliminating armorpiercing bullets; providing mental health services in schools; allocating funds to hire more police officers; and instituting a federal gun trafficking statute, among other policies. The cost of the package, senior officials estimated, would be roughly $500 million, some of which could come from already budgeted funds. Since most all of these recommendations require congressional approval, and all signs indicate that Republicans will continue their intransigence to enact legislation, the administration enacted 23 immediate executive actions. Federal agencies must hand over relevant data for a background check system; provide law enforcement officials, first responders and school officials with better training for active shooting situations; and the Centers for Disease Control will research the causes and prevention of gun violence; and many more. Not surprisingly the gun-rights lobby will try to block the administration's effort. The NRA says it is unfortunate that this administration continues to insist on pushing failed solutions to our nation's most pressing problems, and they will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen. In addition they launched a disrespectful advertising campaign attacking Obama as an "elitist hypocrite" for opposing their outlandish proposal to place armed guards in all of the nation's schools although the vast majority of Americans object to it. As part of its policy recommendations, the White House called on Congress to act on an old administration proposal to spend $4 billion to keep 15,000 cops on the streets. In addition, the president is proposing a new initiative that would incentivize police departments to hire more school resource officers and encourage schools to hire more mental health professionals. The president's plan also calls on Congress to allocate resources to help schools, other educational institutions and houses of worship develop emergency management plans. Unfortunately none of the proposals, other than the ban on high-capacity magazines could have had a tangible impact on the shooting in Newtown, and it's unclear what, exactly, the effect would have been. Moreover, the administration is pointedly not going after those weapons and ammunition maga- gun violence as the zines that are currently legitimate national and lawfully owned. The health concern that it proposal would instead truly is. affect the future producFrom the midtion and sale of military1980s to the midstyle weapons or high1990s, the CDC concapacity magazines. ducted original, peerTherefore the cries of reviewed research into fervent 2nd Amendment gun violence, includprotection advocates are ing questions such as entirely without merit whether people who since no one is going their after their existing stock Richard had guns in protechomes gained of weapons or magation from the zines, as the proposals weapons. (The will only limit the manuanswer, researchers facturing of assault found, was no. Homes weapons and clips going with guns had a nearly forward. In a nation three times greater risk already flooded with of homicide and a easily accessible high caliber and rapid fire weaponry nearly five times greater risk of this action is a sound response to suicide than those without, the concern of the American peo- according to a 1993 study in the ple over our high levels of gun New England Journal of Mediviolence and homicide relative to cine. But in 1996, the NRA, all other developed countries. It is with the help of Congressional time that folks demonstrating in leaders, moved to suppress such Red Bluff and elsewhere last Sat- information and to block future urday for unrestricted access to federal research into gun violethal weaponry gain some per- lence because it revealed inconspective to honor the lives of those venient truths about the real dankilled by heavily armed mass gers of public gun ownership, murders, their families, and the which might bring Americans to majority of Americans that know their senses with facts in place of that public gun ownership signifi- tenuous rhetoric of tyranny and cantly increases the likelihood of constitutional overreach. domestic gun violence and homiRichard Mazzucchi is a retired cide. research engineer specializing in I believe the most significant action to address the issue is the energy efficiency and renewable allowance for the Center for Dis- energy. He can be reached at ease Control (CDC) to research 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, 280 Hemsted Dr., Ste. 110, Redding, CA 96002, 530-223-6300, Fax: 530-223-6737, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; Email: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. 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. Commentary Bush, Tea Party and gun derangement While months short of the 8year anniversary of the April 2005, inaugural "News and Views" column, newer readers, even long time readers who've forgotten what brought it about, might find it interesting to look back. In 2009, it was renamed "The way I see it" as "Polecat News and Views" (DonPolson.blogspot.com) began providing informative, analytical articles on politics, news and issues, beyond what could have been contained in a weekly column. For instance, go to the blog, scroll down to "gun rights/2nd amendment" and you'll find nearly 100 articles revealing far more than anyone on this page could ever tell you. One writer was so uninformed on the subject that they insisted we need to get rid of "automatic" weapons (illegal for private citizens to own without special federal license, for most of a century), practically unheard of in crime except on TV or in movies. You'll find 38 pieces on that dastardly gun-running scandal, "Fast and Furious," which transferred thousands of high-powered weapons into the hands of Mexican drug gangs, resulting in hundreds of dead Mexicans, including certainly dozens of Mexican youths or children. Educate yourself and find out why I adamantly condemned President Obama for never apologizing, let alone shedding a tear, over the lives lost under his responsibility. Even now, AG Eric Holder is trying to persuade a federal judge to prevent Congress from getting emails related to that deadly gun-running program. This bunch of duplicitous, corrupt cowards has earned my enmity, regardless of the tut-tutting of another writer. I stand fully with the NRA and their hard-hitting ad blasting Obama, and other prominent figures like NBC's David Gregory, for having the unmitigated gall to send their children to wellarmed-and-guarded schools while using the Sandy Hook massacre to lecture the rest of us on the futility of armed guards, even qualified, trained concealed carrying school personnel. The inception of this column: In the early 2000s, this page often printed opinion from those fitting the euphemism coined by psychiatrist Dr. Charles Krauthammer, "Bush Derangement Syndrome." First came the diatribes over the Bush v. Gore election, followed in short order with the unhinged conspiracy-mongers' lunacy surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That led to further nonsense over the Patriot Act (excepting, of course, those who had genuine civil liberties concerns). Then the Congressionally-authorized Iraq war provided a nearly unlimited trove of supposed lies surrounding the case for war, that were invariably lies themselves. Local Republicans and conservatives, tiring of the one-sided nature of opinion printed here, asked if a local writer might be allowed to regularly offer some balancing opinion from the right side of the spectrum. So, in the spring of 2005, a trial piece was provided to the editor, and this column began on a biweekly basis, moving to a weekly piece later that year. Another writer, in a self-serving recollection of the pointed, sometimes harsh language I used in pushing back against the "Bush deranged" liberals (which I specifically addressed to national, posedly made by his public figures), clearly critics and 2) resorted to misremembers the years thinly-veiled legal of invective from the left. threats against said critConsider the continuics, without the slightest ing acrimonious Tea legal cause of action. So, Party bashing that reguwhen a strident and, in larly appears. Consider my opinion, largely also the aversion such wrongheaded column writers obviously have for appeared in last week's reducing the entitle"Positive Point," strident ment/welfare state expenand strongly-worded ditures to a reasonable objection predictably portion of our governappeared in online commental budget. That's the Don ments, together with the only logical course other name. You than just sending all our Polson critic's the exchangecan access to money to government make up your own mind and letting government The way by using the link to Mr. provide for us all. Oh, Mazzucchi's "A license wait – that's Marxism. I see it for insurrection." Yes, in spite of massive The critic was failure, some folks accused of expressing "armed and believe in socialism. Readers, particularly the conser- violent indignation"; nothing the vative super-majority of Tehama critic wrote came close to such a County, have tolerated the weekly mischaracterization – nothing! offerings from the other three writ- RM: "Comparing me to a Nazi ers, who reliably lean to the left on because I don't subscribe to your any given issue. For instance, rationalizations for armed conflict Americans in general, voters in is beyond ludicrous – it is downTehama County in particular, have right evil. What you state is very a more favorable opinion of the close to libel and a disgusting National Rifle Association's ideas characterization of a peace loving for school safety than they do human." Mr. Mazzucchi, not one Obama's (Rasmussen found Amer- word of criticism suggested you icans favored armed guards 2 to 3 were being compared "to a Nazi." times more than those against). I Saying your critic's comments favor armed guards and allowing were "downright evil" is in itself a qualified personnel to carry con- "disgusting characterization" of cealed weapons, a perfectly reason- someone who simply believes able proposition; no other writer so differently than yourself. An feels. Future columns will elabo- apology is in order, in my humble opinion. rate. I have genuine regret over the Don Polson has called Red Bluff next topic. It was resolved, or so one would have thought, last year home since 1988. He can be by e-mail at when a columnist was shown to reached have 1) fabricated statements sup- donplsn@yahoo.com.