Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/11945
6A – Daily News – Monday, June 14, 2010 Opinion The good, the bad and the ugly D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY The World Hemp Extravagan- 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 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. 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The result is to widen the divide between those that feel marijuana is an effective medication or rela- tively benign recreational drug and those that believe marijuana use sets a bad example and is a stepping stone to corruption and evil. It is difficult for me to be dis- passionate on this topic as a child of the sixties generation with the Age of Aquarius promising an era of peace, love, and happiness. I was a teenager when Woodstock showed that tens of thousands of stoned flower children could gath- er and enjoy three days of music and merriment without violence or civil unrest. A decade later President Carter recommended that marijuana be decriminalized as thousands of young Americans were being persecuted and jailed for nothing more that possessing a weed with more names than any plant ever known. It seemed obvi- ous that this plant had taken on far more significance that it alone jus- tified – it became a symbol of a generation of freedom loving and liberal Americans who are feared and disrespected by millions of conservatives because they do not conform to their visions of Amer- ica. Now 50 years later, with mil- lions of Americans in jail, and millions more with arrest records for drug possession this symbolic battle continues due to the persis- tence of irrational fear and the stereotyping of hippies, pot heads, longhairs, peaceniks, liberals, and whomever by those that are feel threatened by change, take offense at the expression of alter- native ideas, and lack the humility needed to live comfortably in an integrated and diverse population of individuals each having their own personal preferences, cultural norms, and belief systems. While I do not recommend the use of mood altering substances, unless prescribed, I assert that the mood altering affects of marijua- na use are benign relative to alco- hol and know the legal and per- sonal consequences of choosing the former over the latter are any- thing but benign. I now fully understand from personal experi- ence the wisdom of a platitude my father shared with me upon discovering a small amount of rag weed in the pocket of his flight jacket that I had worn earlier that day when home from college. His simple, short, and heartfelt statement was, "Rick, this is nothing but trou- ble!" I hoped then, and continue to hope today that better days lie ahead when a God given plant would no longer be feared as a root of evil. Public events like WHEE2010 reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly of marijuana. Many passion- ately believe that marijuana is good to relieve pain, induce appetite, or just relax and reflect by stimulating the senses and appreciating things from a differ- ent perspective. Others rightly claim that marijuana is bad for developing minds, respiratory health, worker productivity, short term memory, and for the legal and family problems that often come with it in our society. The ugly aspects are the inducement of minors to use marijuana and the disparaging associations and sweeping indictments against adults that choose to support, experience, or gather to appreciate marijuana as a thera- peutic or recreational drug. Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point The ugliest effect of all is the wholesale stigmatization and incarceration of mil- lions of peaceful Amer- icans for doing nothing more than enjoying or treating themselves with a natural weed. A far greater good will prevail as adults are allowed to make their own personal choices with appreciation of our diversity and uniqueness, and our laws more fully embrace constitutional protections of unrestricted speech, assembly, and privacy of effects to include what substances one wishes to consume. God will bless America as our laws evolve to better respect everyone in our great nation. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now makes his home in Los Molinos, where he is striving to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle. He can be reached at living-green@att.net. 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. Potluck, patriots, polecats and ass-kicking Commentary As of last Friday, it was still mathematically possible for Sheriff Clay Parker to win, with thousands of absentee ballots uncounted and only 350 votes separating Parker and his challenger, Dave Hencratt. Al Gore withdrew his concession when he thought he had a chance to win; if re-elected, will Parker serve? Some thoughts occurred while cooking chicken for the Tea Party Patriots potluck in the park – mov- ing to the park became necessary since Trinity Landmark Church was a polling location: 1) The warm camaraderie and conviviality shared by the 80+ folks that brought tables, chairs, hot and cold dishes, and even a saxophone and sound system, was a privilege to be around and cook for. 2) Most of these caring, inher- ently happy, deeply devoted believ- ers in American exceptionalism, and in the need for vigilance and activism in defense of Constitution- al principals, didn’t know each other a year ago. That leads me to my last thought: 3) Taking some time on a Tuesday evening is a small investment in the cause of acting together as a group and mak- ing the effort to effect conservative change locally, statewide and in Washington. Hot issues and cam- paigns come and go, and the Patri- ots will have speakers and causes but, seriously, a couple of hours a week rubbing elbows with this group is worth your effort. Forgive me for a bit of shame- less self-promotion. If you tune your AM radio to 1490 from 7 to 9 a.m. on Monday through Friday, you’ll notice that the popular "Cal and Bob Show" is now (for a month until Bob’s return, anyway) the "Cal and Don Show." Don’t tune in for boring dissertations or analysis of issues, just a lot of yukking it up over the wacky stuff we find in the Daily News, on the Internet, police logs and in Sacra- mento and Washington. You’ll never know what to expect, except that a lot of it will make you laugh. It’s been about a year since "Polecat News and Views" made its debut on the Internet with incisive articles and observations on sub- jects ranging from the anti-business attitudes of then-Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor, to how the news media helped Obama get elected and continued to provide friendly cover for him, how the political fortunes of Democrats were already declining, and warn- ings about the loss of freedom and the specter of inflation. It’s also been a while since I mentioned the blog; I post a few of the very best items I find from throughout the world of conservative websites and writers every day. If you only have a few minutes to devote to observations and analy- sis on the hottest issues, go to don- polson.blogspot.com or use the link to "Polecat News and Views" at the home page for the Red Bluff Daily News under the "Blogs" tab. Thou- sands have already made that little detour while online; you’ll be glad, and better informed, if you do, also. Bonus: no advertising. I came across a humor- ous take on President Obama’s description of his search for "whose ass to kick" that approached it from the literal definition of "ass": "a long-eared, slow, patient, sure-footed domesticated mammal, Equus asinus, related to the horse …" also "a donkey." Wesley Pruden wrote for The Washington Times ("Would Obama settle for kicking a mule?"): "When Barack Obama says he wants to kick somebody’s ‘ass’ over the Gulf oil spill, we presume he may be willing to settle for a mule, since mules are easier to find than asses and provide bigger targets. But he has to be care- ful whose ass to kick. Pick the wrong one, and he’ll get a swift kick in return. The Secret Service would shoot the offending ass and ask later whose it was. But still, it’s undigni- fied for a president of the United States to suffer an ass-kicking … "Mr. Obama told a television hearty kick. Anyone who has dealt with an ass or his progeny would know instinctively which one to kick. Harry S. Truman, Mr. Obama’s distin- guished predecessor, would have known bet- ter than to kick a Mis- souri mule … But this president is a city boy and might not even know the difference between jack and jenny … Don Polson The way I see it "The most unex- pected people can be familiar with the ass. A little known fact is that the late Teddy Kennedy kept a pet ass in Hyannis Port. When he challenged Jimmy Carter in the Democra- tic presidential pri- maries in 1980, Mr. interviewer he’ll have to ask ‘experts’ to tell him which stubborn ass deserves a presidential kick. He didn’t say who among the BP exec- utives may be keeping an ass … You wouldn’t expect an experi- enced ass-kicker to call in experts to identify the right one for the Jimmy was so enraged at this affront to his dignity that he, seek- ing revenge, famously boasted that ‘I’ll whip his ass.’ Mr. Kennedy took the animal to an undisclosed location for safekeeping, and Mr. Jimmy left office never having whipped or kicked anybody’s ass." Let’s all hope the rhetoric over the Gulf oil spill re-focuses on solu- tions, rather than scapegoats, or scape-asses. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.