Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/117233
6A Daily News ��� Saturday, March 23, 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 Disease of greed Editor: There is this disease that has taken over our government in Washington DC. It has been there for years, but in the last 35 years it has gotten out of control, and has even spread a lot of the political people in state governments and it is being ignored by 96 percent of government officials. It has even destroyed the lives of some politicians. It is worse than cancer, Alzheimer's disease, alcoholism, cocaine, etc. etc. It affects all parties, Independents, Republicans and Democrats. It is getting so out of control, it is destroying the American way of life, and is ruining our country plus putting it into bankruptcy.. There doesn���t appear to be any cure. When our government officials become millionaires they���re not happy, want to be billionaires, then trillionaires etc., etc., etc. And by now this uncontrollable disease has taken over. This dreadful disease has been around for hundreds of years. It may never be conquered. It has destroyed lost of powerful men since time began and the worse case that has ever been reported is in charge of our country. God please help us, as there is no cure for greed. Jerri Champayne, Tehama Could this happen here? Editor: Shortly after World War I, Germany drafted a new constitution in the city of Weimer, Germany, which became known as the ���Weimar Republic.��� To cut to the chase, the Weimer government misman- agement of money or lack of bers. By the early 1930s the Nazis lead to a sever depression and triumphed. This of hyper-inflation which course brought about brought about much Your the dictator, der fuhrer chaos and upheaval in Adolf Hitler and S.S. Germany. With the and gestapo. Herr current leadership in Ernst Rohm and his Washington, could S.A. brownshirtsthis be a prediction of storm troopers. what is coming to America? Along with these two thugs The film of a Germ housewife heading for the local bread we had Josef Goebbels, Herstore pushing a wheelbarrow mann Goering, Adolf Eichfull of worthless German marks mann, Heinrich Himmler and to buy a loaf of bread will for- others. In the summer of 1934, ever be imprinted on my mind. This unstable government of Hitler took out his main compeWeimer, Germany brought tition and former supporter about all kinds of extremist Rohm in what was known as activities. Principally the com- ���The Night of the Long Knifes.��� Hitler took Rohm���s S.A. munist and the National Socialist, aka the Nazis. Running brownshirted storm troopers street battles between the two under his total control. All of this came about factions raged in Berlin all through the 1920s. Berlin was because of hyper-inflation and a known at that time as ���Red terrible depression. Could this happen to the Berlin��� because outside of Moscow, Berlin was second in United States of America? George Williams, Red Bluff the number of communist mem- Turn Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN ��� Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR ��� Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, 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 The Sistine Chapel and a Swiss Army Knife I���ve experienced a confabulation of sorts this last week, that is, a whimsical combination of reverie, actual facts, some coincidences, and my imagination involving seemingly unrelated events. We just spent a week in Phoenix helping my daughter and her family move into their new house. We did a lot of housecleaning, painting, minor repairs, and child care to facilitate their move. The move was quite a change for the family who had lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota for the last five years. The weather was at least fifty degrees warmer than in Minneapolis each day we were in Phoenix, and the two young boys enjoyed romping in their new backyard with shorts, sunscreen, and sandals instead of snowsuits, boots, wool caps, and mittens. We drove to Phoenix, so this was my first out of state trip of any distance we have taken in many years on which I could carry my Swiss Army Knife. My mother had given me the knife over 35 years ago and it has been a constant companion for most of that time. After 9/11 TSA made it impossible for those of us who try to fly with only carry-on luggage to bring a simple thing like a pocket knife on our flights. Admittedly a minor inconvenience, not having the knife prevented me from doing a wide variety of tasks from whittling my grandsons a new toy, to cutting the tags off of gifts before they tried them on. On this trip I was able to use that handy tool to pry out loose nails, scrape paint off of tile, cut rope and twine, unscrew receptacle plates, clean my fingernails, break down boxes, scratch tape off of wooden surfaces, and, most importantly, open bottles of wine���all without even a minor scratch which is a personal record. I understand the TSA has suggested it will now allow my knife on flights; I am not so sure that is wise; although I am certain I would never use my Swiss Army Knife as a weapon, I can���t vouch for the fellow next to me. I���ve done a lot of painting and preparation for painting in the last few days. I made the mistake of wearing shorts on the first day and ended up with rug burn on my knees; my joints seem to have survived okay, however. It is amazing the number of unusual positions you have to assume to just place a piece of painter���s tape in the right place, or feather a brush line along the border between a wall and a ceiling or along the door trim. In a typical fashion for me, I began to think of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, spending all that time on his back as he created an artistic wonder. We were able to see his handiwork a few years ago with some Red Bluff friends just after the chapel had been restored. It was both an artistic thrill and a visual shock to see just how bright his frescoes were, even more thrilling than when I opened my eyes after cataract surgery. I wondered if the rooms we were painting would look similarly shockingly bright as we covered up the dull accumulation of old paint, holes, and bumps on the walls of my grandsons��� new bedrooms. I made my grandsons promise never to use Scotch tape on walls and doors. Maybe it was the fumes, but while painting, my mind drifted further to the papal conclave and the selection of a new Pope; it is ironic that the new Pope has recent cover-ups in the Roman taken the name Francis. Catholic Church give witness to Although St. Francis, who was this. Our domestic auto companies went through this never a priest, was a stage before making servant of the poor, his serious changes. life was one of a disorWhile the message ganized radical, and he of the church may be was harsh taskmaster constant, the means of to his followers. delivery has to change Because he was a to meet the circumrebel, he had to try to stances. Jesus, himself, make peace with the preached in public, church several times to explained scripture in avoid severe consethe Temple, ate with quences. He preached the despised, and a life of simplicity and healed the rejected; he poverty; he would be Joe did not remove himrepulsed by the opuself from those he lence surrounding the came to help; he was current Vatican and the truly engaged in his Papacy these days. mission. The conclave took Diligent homeowners mainplace in the Sistine Chapel, probably in a very inspiring tain their houses, replacing roofs, environment; the new Pope is cutting back overgrown vegetafrom the Southern Hemisphere, tion, repainting rooms and the the area of the largest growth in exterior, keeping the lawns Roman Catholicism. It will be mowed, updating appliances as interesting to see if the new needed, upgrading energy effileader can do the needed house- ciency as the price of energy cleaning analogous to what we increases, repairing and or have done to prepare an old replacing furnishings , replacing house for a new family in Ari- batteries in smoke detectors regzona, a cleaning which many ularly, and generally keeping commentators say is needed things ship shape. For the homeboth within the Vatican and owner the goal is a safe and comfortable place to enjoy living. beyond. For churches and other large Religions, like homes, need some serious cleaning from time organizations there are different to time. Dust settles, creating goals, but they do not allow for unhealthy conditions; paint resting on their proverbial laufades and walls and ceilings lose rels; those goals urge believers their luster; hinges need oiling; on to bring peace to a troubled plumbing becomes clogged and world, to accept forgiveness, and needs replacement, wiring live changed lives. Let us wish the new Pope becomes overloaded and can���t handle new electronic require- well. ments, building codes change, Joe Harrop is a retired and things just sort of happen. Large organizations such as educator with more than 30 churches can reach a point years of service to the North where inertia and self preserva- State. He can be reached at tion replace missions and ideals; DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Harrop