Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/112879
6A Daily News ��� Saturday, March 2, 2013 Opinion 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 Missing girl Editor: First off my prayers go out to the family of the missing girl. Secondly, my daughter will be going to this school next year and we live just under two miles from the school, so she is not eligible to ride the bus. Did you know she would have to leave while it is still dark in the morning just to make it on time? We as parents should stand together and yell with one voice loud enough so the state capital can hear us and change the guidelines as to who can ride this school bus. Let���s face it, whose daughter will be next and for what? That bus passes right by my house. There should be no excuse. Anthony Gniech, Red Bluff Crime in Red Bluff Editor: We have lived in this community for many years. Recently there has been people missing, possibly killed or kidnapped, stabbings, gang tagging, numerous other crimes and even panhandling inside the largest store in Red Bluff. My question to the Red Bluff community and Law Enforcement is; are you going to continue to take this? Red Bluff has been a wonderful town. But if you look at it now, all the negative elements that are entering it, is going to destroy the beauty of it. This community used to be full of life, now it is full of death. I understand that sometimes things cannot be avoided, but you are allowing a very negative element to continue in destroying this town. For instance the gang activity, stabbings, puncturing tires at the Community Center and tagging are elements that can be stopped. Tough consequences on these types of behavior are one way to eliminate this type of crime. If you see tagging, paint over it immediately, do not let it stay up for even one day. Gang activity should not be tolerated at all. Also by allowing all the vagrancy and panhandling to continue, you are allowing a drug element to infect the community. Redding is doing something about this; can���t Red Bluff? My heart breaks when I see such a wonderful town turn inconvenience, but if you are on into what it is now becoming. I a motorcycle, it is an unsafe know somethings cannot be hazard. How about finishing stopped, but, somethings can. the job? C���mon Man! Do you want a safe environ2. The traffic light at Cedar ment for the children, the and Main in Red Bluff is the elderly and yourselves? Then most irritating signal light in the take action now, County. It sees you before you lose your coming and it will Your community completeturn red, even if there ly. An infection that is are no other vehicles left unattended can anywhere. If a car is become death to you in the right lane, it is and those around you. not going to make a Shannon Ruszczyk, left turn. So why does it turn red Red Bluff for the opposite direction? C���mon Man! 3. My other complaint is: just because I ride a motorcyEditor: cle doesn���t mean that I am a Michael Irvin did a bit on bad guy or a threat to you. ESPN���s Monday Night Count- Some drivers act like they down called, C���mon Man! It don���t want you on the road at was about silly and bad perfor- all. Also, please pay attention, mances that happened in the put the phone down, and do previous week end games. I not text while you are driving. have a few C���mon Mans for Defensive driving means conlocal performances. stantly watching out for all 1. I don���t know how many things, including pedestrians, millions of dollars have been bicycles and motorcycles. spent on revamping I-5 here in C���mon Man. Northern California, but will 4. Oh yeah, turn your car someone please tell me why stereo down. The rest of us do they did not finish the job? They not want to hear it. C���mon Man! left several gouges where they I know these are not neceshad painted lines for temporary sarily related, but they are all, lanes. If you drive a car or pick- C���mon Mans to me. up, this is unsightly and an Bill Jackson, Red Bluff Turn C���mon man! 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, 530223-6300, Fax: 530-223-6737, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR ��� Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 5583160; E-mail: 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) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Dialogue or diatribe? I notice that the Tuesday spokesperson for the local Tea Party has been peppering his fellow commentators with terms like "reliably left leaning" and "liberal". I thought it might be good to reprint a submission I made to the Daily News two years before I undertook these Saturday commentaries; I believe what I said seven years ago still applies today even if it refers in part to some current events at that time. At the time I was responding to the fusillade of labels being tossed about by those defending and attacking candidates for a judicial position. I have omitted the specifics of that event in what follows. I have always had an interest in looking at the history of words. Many words have undergone significant meaning changes over time. For example, the word ���gay��� once meant carefree, bright, or showy. Mark Twain and others used it that way. However, in the 1930s it became a referent to homosexuals. Today it is hard to use the word ���gay��� without seeming old fashioned or to be using a double entendre. Some words gradually transition from one prominent meaning to another preferred meaning over time. The word ���suffer��� as in ���Suffer the little children���.��� Originally was used in the sense of ���let��� or ���allow��� or ���tolerate.��� Today, when we use that word we usually mean something about experiencing an unpleasant experience. The word moved from describing a personal decision to a word indicating the receipt of pain. I looked up the word ���liberal���. The definition of liberal is very clear: open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values; favorable to or respectful of individual rights and freedoms; generous. [The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage] The word derives from the Latin, which means ���free���; in this case free from having to labor. Nowhere in the dictionary did I find liberal defined as any kind of an epithet, no, not epaulet, which our military wear on the shoulder of their dress uniforms, but epithet, a harsh name which people may call each other. Epithets are often used indiscriminately to label someone or some group, usually ones with which we do not agree. Liberal, however, was used as an epithet in our most recent local judicial election and also frequently on the editorial page. During the Red Scare of the McCarthy era we heard people called ���pinkos��� and ���commie sympathizers��� when it was convenient for the junior senator from Wisconsin to do so rather than attempt to articulate what it was that he claimed people believed or did. The Red Scare was a shameful time for our country. Name-calling is a common children��� playground activity. It by spin doctors hawking their is applied to individuals and employers��� view of events; we groups. (We even have a certain look at Congress insult our intelligence daily level of it on the editowith the charades and rial page of our local smokescreens they paper where one parade before us a columnist practices ���deliberation���; we what I term, ���scraphear the shrill voices book journalism.��� His of left and right columns are often telling what is wrong nothing but cut, paste, with their opponents��� and label.) The probideas, but offering us lem with name-calling no clear explanation is that while it may of what those ideas label someone, it mostare or what the alterly tells us about the Joe native might be; we person doing the labellet our legislators vote ing, usually that he/she both ways on issues is mad or angry for so that they can satissome reason. fy all constituents; we Therefore, I would like to propose that the editorial allow federal bills to be packed page place a moratorium on the with pork unrelated to the subterm ���liberal��� and require its ject of the bill; we snicker at columnists and those writing those who get caught; and we letters to the editor to articulate become cynics. Our country���s strength the point of view or action that they would place that label on. I comes from an informed elecbelieve this would be healthy torate. It is our responsibility to contribute to the dialogue that for all for several reasons: 1. It would make those who will propel us into a bright write think through what they future. By having a moratorium on ���liberal��� and similar name are going to say. 2. It would improve under- calling we can contribute in a small way to just that here in standing. 3. It would promote dia- Red Bluff. Maybe it will logue, a critical ingredient in a spread. That is still my hope in 2013. democratic society. 4. It would increase the Joe Harrop is a retired maturity level of the newspaper. 5. It would decrease the heat educator with more than 30 years of service to the North of emotion. In our political environment: State. He can be reached at we are constantly bombarded DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Harrop