Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/114685
4A Daily News – Tuesday, March 12, 2013 Opinion Assessing the veracity of opinions 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 Last Saturday reader Joe Busey wrote to the editor sharing concerns about my performance as a columnist along with suggestions to improve discourse. I appreciate what he has to say and devote this column to provide readers with my response. Words appearing within quotation marks below are extracted from Mr. Busey's letter unless otherwise cited. "I regularly enjoy your Tuesday 'Battle of the Antipodes,' though I think you should alternate who is above the fold; after all, it's only fair." Response: The position on the page makes no difference to me, although one of my adherents felt it appropriate that I appear as one "above the fold!" Should rotation be practiced I think it should extend to the Daily News opinion web page where a photo of my "antipode" routinely appears along with top billing. "Mr. Mazzucchi presented three points: the first and third reconfirming his Liberal bona fides, but the second sounding deeply scientific - except for one thing. Where were his citations?" Response: My ruminations on global warming are also Liberal bona fides (made in good faith without fraud or deceit). I provide more scientific treatment on this topic due to its scientific underpinnings and because I have studied this topic extensively. I did not cite material describing the work of Charles Keeling who began systematic monthly measurements of the concentration of carbon dioxide in 1958 to develop what is now known as "The Keeling Curve." (see http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/home/index.php). Portions of my comments were extracted verbatim from a web page and should have been cited accordingly – I apologize for this oversight and refer readers to www.planetforlife.com where the source material and an extensive list of references are found. "I think any writer presenting potentially controversial ideas as fact should either name his sources or else clearly state the measurements and conclusions are his own." Response: I agree this is generally considered good practice but as one offering only opinions it is not incumbent to cite sources or references that helped form them, rather the focus is upon clear and succinct presentation with supporting arguments. Because of space constraints I typically don't provide citations other than occasional hypertext Internet links that appear only on the electronic version of my column appearing on the Daily News website. In any event the conclusions regarding carbon-dioxide caused global warming, and anthropogenic (human) atmospheric carbon dioxide contributions, are my own based upon my understand- "When's the last time you read ing of chemistry and years of a discourse on global research conducted by warming, Keynesian the U.S. Department of theory, evolution, aborEnergy. tion, etc., where the "Details that could writer labeled moral throw doubt on your opinion as such, preinterpretation must be sented all sides, gave given, if you know them. citations and identified . . . If you make a theory, the sources of quotes? for example, and adverAnd no fair claiming tise it, or put it out, then your theory is a fact you must also put down and therefore exempt all the facts that disagree presenting all with it, as well as those Richard from equally — gravisides that agree with it." Such ty excepted, perhaps. is the scope of a scientifOh, just think were our ic treatise, not a 700educational system to word opinion column. I do this." An opinion refer to the National column is intended to Academy of Sciences' stimulate discourse, (NAS) finding of anthronot provide it. My pogenic causation of global warming based upon their overall goal is to have readers conconsideration of peer reviewed sider and question what I believe, studies in support of and against and in so doing, become better the theory. I would add that their informed advocates of their own findings are echoed by the G8+5 opinions. I encourage you and Academies, the American Associ- other readers to apply the power ation for the Advancement of Sci- of the internet and conduct indeence, the American Meteorologi- pendent investigation of data cal Society, the American Geo- sources, information, and analysis physical Union, the American Sta- methods to assess the veracity of tistical Association and a variety opinions. of other scientific panels. The relaRichard Mazzucchi is a retired tively small number of scientists in disagreement is populated by research engineer specializing in those having vested interests or energy efficiency and renewable garnering compensation from energy. He makes his home in industry and other climate change Los Molinos and can be reached at living-green@att.net. deniers. 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: 5302 2 3 6 7 3 7 , 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) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Victims of crime; victims of despotism Tea Party Patriots will be discussing an article by crime novelist Dean Garrison, "If they come for your guns, do you have a responsibility to fight?" Westside Grange, 6 PM. The ultimate culpability in any crime, particularly a horrendous murder such as we just witnessed near the high school campus, rests with the killer or perpetrator. We've seen the reported rap sheet for the suspect; it suggests a pattern of criminal mischief, including violence, that points to a larger issue. True rehabilitation is a rare occurrence, proving the rule that the only real assurance we lawabiding folks have against victimization is for the criminals to remain locked up. The suspect's past crimes, even dismissals since they don't prove innocence, might show how much longer he would have been incarcerated had maximum sentences been handed down for each crime. The larger issue here is that, for most criminals, the only time they're guaranteed to not re-offend is the time they are locked up. Would harsher, longer sentences have left a young girl alive today because her killer wouldn't have been out preying on the innocent? If the police have their man, will we have our own version of the horrific Polly Klaas killing from the 1990s? Then, a habitual scourge of a criminal, Richard Allen Davis, had a life long string of crimes against property and people, each of which seemed not to earn longer sentences, but rather a virtual revolving door of minimum or reduced terms. In particular, he served only half of a 16 year sentence for kidnapping, released only months before the kidnap, assault and murder of young miss Klaas from her own bedroom, with little slumber party friends gagged and threatened. Public outrage brought about numerous tough-sentencing "three strikes laws." The country song, "We're all victims of the system," makes me wonder who, in the criminal justice system, has responsibility or culpability. Defense lawyers are not blameless for their role in getting criminals off; they often make it so problematic for prosecutors and juries to seek and hand down appropriately harsh sentences, that shortened terms, parole, probation and reduced charges become the norm. It has already been stated by DA Cohen that he won't seek the death penalty for miss Nichols' killer; he will be out to kill again. I don't, however, hold prosecutors blameless; the soft-on-crime, soft-headed-and-hearted defense/judiciary cabal could be challenged. Then there are politicians like Gov. Brown and President Obama that appoint ACLU and criminal defense bar types to the bench, facilitating all of these travesties. Finally, we have the outrage of a judge taking over our entire prison system over prisoners' health care, resulting in our current crime wave known as "realignment" due to AB 109. Shame on all of them. Another irritation was the glowing lionization by our liberal news media over the demise of Venezuelan leftist dictator Hugo Chavez. More accurately, the Miami Herald editorialized: "His skillful rhetoric, which filled supporters with utopian dreams, was used to justify the methodical destruction of Venezuela's democratic institutions and the free market. Shortly after coming to office, he rewrote Venezuela today is a polarized the constitution to his liking and society divided between the intolerant supporters of Mr. aggressively set out to Chavez's Bolivarian rig elections and stifle Revolution and a democadversaries in the legratic opposition that, islative branch and the against all odds, has courts. Unable to brook waged a courageous criticism, he turned his fight for a democratic fire on the independent alternative." Substitute news media, eventually "Obama" for Chavez, silencing most voices of "Democrat" for Bolivariopposition by bully tacan and "America" for tics and economic Venezuela and each senintimidation. His Bolitence could contain elevarian regime rewarded ments of real or potential supporters and punished Don truth. ("Venezuela's opponents, giving rise to Hugo Chavez and his enormous corruption Polson legacy of plunder" and the creation of a new class of greedy oliThe way 3/05/13) Obama was phogarchs with political I see it tographed giving Chavez connections. Unfortua warm "yo' brother" nately for Venezuela handshake, and received and for all his political skills, the president was both an an anti-American screed-of-aincompetent executive and a worse book, "The Open Veins of Latin America" at an April 2009 global economist. "In an energy-rich country that economic conference. Obama has once knew no blackouts, electrical often expressed near-regret over shortages are frequent, the result of having to accept limitations on his Mr. Chavez's plundering of the power. His "I am not a dictator …" country's public oil company. In a supposedly explained why he country that once enjoyed a thriv- couldn't use the Secret Service to ing free market, prices are con- confine Congressional Republitrolled and food items often cans in a room and force cooperascarce." Multiple devaluations of tion. He said not being "emperor" its currency resulted from "a series was a "problem" that he has of disastrous economic decisions "struggled with throughout my that included nationalizing the presidency." Given other such sentelephone company and other util- timents, we may see levels of ities, which scared off foreign despotic collectivism unheard of investors and spurred capital in a free, liberty-blessed America flight." As is typical in downward- over the next 4 years, the way I see spiraling socialist cesspools, crime it. and homicides soared, and Don Polson has called Red Bluff "Venezuela has become one of the home since 1988. He can be most violent countries in the reached by e-mail at world." "As a result of all this, donplsn@yahoo.com.