Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/122900
4A Daily News – Friday, April 19, 2013 Opinion Homeless 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. Editor: I was appalled to read some of the comments made by city residents in the front page article in the Daily News April 4 and in some recent letters to the editor. How ignorant they sound. In this day, when we are trying to teach our children that bullying, prejudice and hate are bad, here are, I assume, educated adults showing a shocking display of intolerance, with a mind-numbing lack of compassion for their fellow man. Those people who are unfortunate enough to be on the streets are not "hoboes" or "bums" as one writer so hatefully called them. Some are homeless by choice, some are mentally ill, but most are just down on their luck. They exist in every area of the country. But all are, or were, someone's child, parent, sister, brother, wife, hus- band or friend. It could happen to someone you know and love. Whatever happened to the Golden Rule? Is this how we would want our fellow citizens to treat us, or our children, should our situations change for the worse? I am aware of the panhandlers around town. The terms "poor," "homeless," "panhandler" and "transient" are not synonymous. When someone sticks a sign in my face at a store downtown, I may give or I may not, as I see fit. But that's my business. Giving makes me feel good sometimes. So, back to the problem of the homeless. What would they have us do? Shoot them? Send them down the river in canoes or out into the woods? Are these privileged people who believe that Red Bluff belongs only to them aware that a homeless shelter was proposed in recent years and the zoning change was denied. Where were you then? I was surprised to learn from Some of you say it makes the Friends Committee on you want to leave Red Bluff. National Legislation that 37 Please do. We don't need that cents of every dollar we pay in elitist mindset in our sweet little federal income taxes go to pay town. And, as I said before, for current and past wars. At the you'll just be moving same time, educato another place with tion, diplomacy, and Your its own homeless and help to the nearly 100 panhandling problems, million people living perhaps much worse. in poverty in this Try Sacramento. country get only penTo the rest of you nies on every dollar. silly, self-righteous fools — I just paid my tax bill and shame on you. If you aren't am alarmed and ashamed that part of the solution, get out of the proceeds are arming the the way. And quit whining. You military project that have creatdon't speak for all of us, and ed needless deaths abroad and this is not your shining moment. are redefining prisons and perL.L. Lazar, Red Bluff son rights at home. With so much of our tax dollars already going to military spending, I think it a catastrophe not to reshape our country's budget to reflect our priorities as a Editor: nation. It's tax day. But how many Congress has an opportunity of us know what the U.S. gov- - but will they take it? ernment is doing with the Sharon Young, Red Bluff money we pay? Turn Tax dollars to military 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 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 It's Round-Up time again One of the highlights of Round-Up week for our family is the bonfire down in our grove on Saturday night when friends join us for hot dogs and chili beans. Whereas the food is always great, finding ourselves transfixed staring at the bonfire late into the night is the memory we cherish. There is small talk, of course, but the reverie of heat from the fire puts us into a remote state where we recall bonfires past and those with which we can no longer share the experience. However, it has been recently postulated that such fires have, over the centuries, influenced the human mind in ways we might not have previously considered. Thomas Wynn writing in the Smithsonian states, "Being mesmerized by fire might have sparked the evolution of the human mind. It's well known that fire enabled the survival of early humans by providing warmth as well as means to cook food and forge better weapons. Yet research into cognitive evolution...a field of study that brings together psychology, anthropology, neuroscience and genetics suggests that fire's most lasting impact was how our responses to it altered our brains, helping endow us with capabilities such as long-term memory problem solving." It is a fascinating article and we will quote more from it another time. But for now, we know that staring into the fire is not wasted on the young or the elderly. *** A tenant asked for an old push mower to remove the weeds and lessen the fire danger this summer. We have one such and so I attempted to retrieve it from the barn. It was stored on a high shelf, and as I was extracting it, the handle came down and dealt me a smart blow across the bridge of my nose. It knocked off my glasses and hurt like hell. I grabbed my handkerchief and stood bent over to get my bearings and to determine how badly I had been injured. The focus finally returned to my eyes and only a modicum of blood stained my handkerchief. However, and the point of the story, is that it was so painful, that I recalled an anecdote told by Wendell Stringfellow, our sales manager at the meat plant years ago. He said, when he was in high school he was a good athlete, strong for his age, and figured he could handle himself if an altercation with a fellow student ever occurred. But when shouted insults came his way, and lines, side by side in the DN, were joined at he stepped into the fray, he took a punch to the hip, so to speak. They read, "Man shot on balcony" next to "Excithis nose…and it hurt so ing days to be in Red much, that he lost all interBluff," which obviously est in pursuing the fight furreferred to the upcoming ther. I asked whether he Round-Up. This reader later caught up with his also thought that my article assailant. He replied that last week about flatus, whereas he did not avoid might be followed up with the kid thereafter, he did one on "copremesis"... a not seek redress and felt term used in the study of that was a score he did not fossilized animal excrewant to settle. It is not often ment. I don't think she is that a person tells such a Robert putting me on, do you? story on himself. but after *** the blow to my nose from Last week's quiz was the mower handle, I could first answered by J. Bahlke certainly sympathize with who knew that Philadelphia him. Which brings me to is known as the City of the thought that the actors Brotherly Love, Boston the in the movies, with tough guy personas, have probably never taken a Cradle of Liberty, Denver the Queen of the good punch to the nose... and conversely the Plains, and Kansas City the Heart of Amerimartial arts cage fighters on TV must cer- ca. This week's quiz: Ebbets Field was home tainly have a high pain threshold to take the beatings they receive and still hang in there to what baseball team for approximately trying to inflict punishment on their oppo- how many years, what river in the U.S. flows backwards because of an engineering nents. feat in 1900 to prevent industrial waste from *** Speaking of blows to the head, I was flowing into a nearby lake, and Atlanta, showing the results of my accident to my Georgia had two previous names before the tennis doubles partners...and when they present one; what were they? *** asked what had happened I shrugged my A recent article in the Cincinnati Enquirshoulders and muttered "Domestic violence." They laughed, but then we agreed er reported that a woman, one Myra Yablonthere is nothing funny about such an ski, has sued Bethesda North Hospital, saying that after her husband was treated there offence. recently, he had lost all interest in sex. *** A hospital spokesman replied, "Mr. From last week's police logs: An employee of the Petro Fuel Island on South Avenue Yablonski was actually admitted into our in Corning reported that he was confronted ophthalmology department for laser cataract by a man with a long beard who asked if he surgery — all we did was correct his eyecould wash the employee's feet. The sight!" *** employee declined the offer thinking it A beggar says to a man, "I've seen better rather unusual. However, if he had been watching the proclivity of the new Pope days." The man answers, "I haven't got time to when mingling with the crowds during Easter he would have sensed where the vagrant talk about the weather." probably got his hygienic feet ideas. Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of *** "Human beings are the only creatures Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning that allow their children to come back Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and author of the "The Knocking home." Bill Cosby Pen." He can be reached at *** An astute reader thought that two head- rminchandmurray@hotmail.com. Minch I Say