Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/11829
4A – Daily News – Friday, June 11, 2010 D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Opinion Election ennui Maybe that’s too strong. How about polling prostration, fundraiser fatigue or letter languor? Local elections give us plenty of 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 let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. 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 submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity 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 vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents 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 news and opinions to publish, and they are certainly exciting times. They also tend to get some folks pretty stirred up. The problem this raises for a newspaper is trying to sift through what is said to deter- mine what is true and what is hyperbole, misinterpretation or outright fabrication. But, hey, that’s what we do, right? Sure, but the dial gets cranked up to 11 during local races. It’s not easy to convince somebody who is sure his anger is justified that you can’t simply take his word for it and need to check out the facts of his statements. When the facts don’t support the statements, the calls usually end in a string of four-letter words. Speaking of which, did you hear there was a big marijuana festival in Red Bluff recently? How does the local paper treat a large, public event, new to the area, about Chip Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. But I’m happy to say we were able to publish nearly every letter to the edi- tor regarding the election prior to Tues- day — the reason this column has been on hold for a few weeks to allow more space for letters. In fact, one letter was mistakenly run twice. My apologies again to Will Murphy and his cam- paign. If you are one of the dozens who submitted letters regarding the World Hemp Expo Extravaganja event held Memorial Day weekend, or another topic, the letters are in the system and we’ll run them roughly in the order received until we are caught up. Thanks for your patience. *** which a large majority of local residents are very upset? That’s just one of the ques- tions that kept me up a night or two in recent weeks. Oth- ers included whether or not to run a photo showing someone smoking marijuana at the fes- tival, whether to preview the event as we would any other, how much coverage should we devote and should the edi- torial board publish an edito- rial on the subject? A preview appeared in the Friday edition, the first day of the event, with a photo of setup work, below the fold on the front page. Saturday’s front included coverage of the event from Friday and a photo of a young man smoking on page 7A. Monday, Memorial Day, we kept the festival off the front page and ran a photo on page 7A with a caption but no story. Finally, we published an editorial this week looking back on the event. It’s unlikely everyone was pleased with how we covered the event, but we tried to provide stories about probably the most talked-about event in recent years to come to Red Bluff while being sensitive to those who would rather it had not — particularly in light of its proximity to Memorial Day. Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112, or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. Patriotic concert Editor: Hip hip hooray, hip, hip hooray, hip, hip hooray for the Masterworks Chorale and Orchestra and the Red Bluff Community Band and atten- dees at these two performances over this Memorial Day weekend. Who says that you need to go to a hemp festival to receive inspi- ration or spiritual fulfillment. Those who attended the Sunday Your Turn night Memorial Service at the Church of God and those who went to the Memorial Service at Oak Hill Cemetery came out with a better feeling — I'll bet — than any of those attending the WHEE Festival. I am sincerely proud of what we have here in Tehama County and encourage all to attend these services, if offered next year. Thanks again to Mark Franklin and Jay Thiel for leading these performances. It also did my heart good to see the majority of the people place their hand over their hearts during "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the Pledge of Allegiance June Mott, Red Bluff Socialism alive and well Editor: Recently four teachers at Metteer Elementary School were informed they would be transferred to other schools in order to balance the district. So let me get this straight. Superintendent William McCoy is rewarding these four chosen high performing educators by ripping them away from the school they love and moving them to schools where they know no one because they are great at what they do? There cer- tainly is nothing like being rewarded for being excep- tional. That said, what would you expect from an education system, board and superintendent who relish complete control? Socialist systems fail not only because they neglect to energize the most productive among us but also because, as entrenched monopolies, they are totally unaccountable to the individual consumer. They provide no market in which competing ideas and products can be tested, priced, approved or rejected. By punishing the exceptional in the interest of mak- ing everyone equal, McCoy is contributing to the social- ist agenda of mediocrity and not one based on achieve- ment. Kris Koeberer, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. 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; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. To old friends, Coach Wooden and relevance Commentary I got a call from an old friend the other day. She said she didn’t know I had written a book. "Gleason - am I in it?" she asked. "No." "No?," she screamed. "Sorry." "I’ve known you since junior high and I’m still not in the book? How can that be?" she begged. I calmly replied, "Because you’re not relevant to Tehama County." "Not relevant?" At this point, her highly pitched voice was piercing my left ear drum, so I put her on speaker phone. I’m sure the neighbors could hear. She snapped, "How am I not relevant?" "You live in Visalia," I laughed. "This is a book mostly about local stories." "Well," she huffed, "I’d better be in the next one." For my own safety, she will. Her name is Cindy Hubbard. We’ve known each other since I was in junior high when I played baseball with her brother, Brian. I was the pitcher and he the catcher. We played seven seasons together. The more I thought about our conversation, the more I realized I was somewhat wrong in my assessment of our friendship. Cindy may not be relevant to the lives of those who live in our county, but she certainly is to mine. After all, close friends don’t need to live right next door to have a daily impact. My other best friend Chris lives in Apple Valley; I never see him and haven’t for nearly ten years. However, his influence on my life (when I was younger) still plays a part in how I live my life today. We talk on the phone from time to time and the memories come rushing back. I still honor his timeless pres- ence within my heart. All of these thoughts have crossed my mind after the death last Friday of legendary UCLA. basketball coach John Wooden. He won 10 national champi- onships during his tenure, and is the only man to be enshrined in the College Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Interestingly, most didn’t want to talk about his impact on basket- ball; they wanted to talk about his profound influence on their own lives. Those who knew John Wooden understand he wasn’t just a great basketball coach; he was also a great man whose life touched many, including mine. As a greasy 18-year- old, I had the chance to meet him and get an autograph in 1980. The encounter lasted only a few minutes, but in that time I experienced first- hand what everyone had previously said about him. Wooden was kind, gracious, and humble. I smile as I write this, but I was in awe. I couldn’t understand how such a great coach did not have a single arrogant bone in his body. After all these years, I haven’t forgotten that. So, last Friday night I basketball coach of all time. What many don’t know is that he was a teacher first. That’s what I’ll remember most about him. I think about my friend Cindy Hubbard and realize that, in fact, she is very relevant to my life. Pat Gleason Simply Put called friend and colleague Pep Roa. I knew Pep had met him at a couple of basketball camps; I wanted to talk about Wooden’s rel- evance to Tehama County. "It didn’t matter what we were doing in practice," Roa said. "There was always a lesson." John Wooden was the greatest Good friends are like coaches, I guess. They help teach us how to do things right and prepare us for future success. True friends are there to pick us up when we’re down; they brush the dirt off our backs and encourage us to get back in the game. Simply put, they stay relevant, no matter how many miles separate them. Cindy, you’re now in the book, but you’ll have to wait until the next one. Have a great Friday. ——— Pat Gleason grew up in Los Angeles and has taught English at Red Bluff High School since 1990. He can be reached at phgleaso@rbuhsd.k12.ca.us.