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4A – Daily News – Friday, July 2, 2010 Opinion 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 You made me proud 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 I spent Wednesday night reading through the dozens of entries in our patriotic essay contest and have to say, it was a moving expe- rience. Readers wrote about everything from their ancestors coming to this country and making a bet- ter life to tales of service and sacrifice during war time. What the essays pro- vided, taken as a whole, was a rich mosaic of patri- otism that could not be expressed in a single essay. It was a bit surprising that we didn’t receive a *** If you sent me an e-mail over the weekend or earlier this week, my apologies if it took me awhile to get back to you. Our e-mail and Internet went down sometime late Saturday or early Sunday and didn’t get going again until late Tues- day. I sort of enjoyed being Chip single entry from either of the youth categories, but we’ll still be awarding three Golden Tickets to the top three essays sub- mitted by adults. Chances are, assuming we offer the contest again next year, some smart students will see some easy pickings. Almost as rewarding were the conversations I had with the win- ners when I called to congratulate them. Two in particular said that the exercise of writing the essay, searching their hearts for the true source of their national pride, has enhanced their appreciation for the Independence Day celebration. Look for the winning essays in Saturday’s edition and some honor- able mentions on redbluffdai- lynews.com. Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. offline for a couple of days. Sure, it made simple tasks take much longer than normal, but it was a reminder of the days before the answer to just about any question could be Googled in a matter of sec- onds. When getting word to somebody meant picking up the phone and talking to the per- son in real time. It was a kick, too, watching a newsroom of young reporters go through a form of digital withdraw- al. One stood in my doorway and said with a sense of amazement that she actually had to look somebody up in a phone book. As if. Of course, we got papers out just fine and each reporter showed an ability to practice old-school jour- nalism and research, but it was a nice reminder of how much more efficiently we can do our jobs with these electronic resources. Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112 or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. District maintains athletics Editor: It had been rumored that Vista Middle School would be dropping all of its sports programs for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year. District teachers, coaches, parents and stu- dents appealed to the School Board Tuesday June 22 at the School Board meet- ing to continue with the ath- letic programs. Larry Collins, a teacher and coach at Vista Middle School, led the advocacy effort with a presentation on the needs and benefits of athletics. Your Turn This situation had come about because of the lack of a state budget and the unknown facts of education funding in the upcoming year. The dis- trict has been diligent in keeping the education program operating amidst the turmoil of contin- ued state funding cuts and had questioned the possibility of eliminating athletics in order to retain basic education programs and staff. After a very professional and enthusiastic pre- sentation, Superintendent William McCoy and the School Board all indicated a desire to retain athletics at Vista. Vista will continue with its ath- letic program in 2010-2011 as it has this past 2009-2010 school year. Monies for the programs will come from Lottery money and fundraisers. It is hoped that the community will show its sup- port for athletics when fundraisers are held. McCoy and the School Board would like to thank the parents, teachers, coaches, students and community members for their courteous and polite presentations and for their advocacy for the students of the district. We look forward to a time when school funding will be at a level where we do not have to look at whether pro- grams are possible but rather how to best present the programs. Steve Meagher, Red Bluff Editor’s note: Steve Meagher is president of the Red Bluff Union Elementary School District board of directors. 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. Thoughts on the 4th of July Commentary The Daily News decided to have an essay contest in which readers could write about why they were proud to be Ameri- cans. I thought about entering, but didn’t want to make anyone else look bad by winning. I’m just kidding. So, here are some of my thoughts on the subject. Someone strike up the band. Please cue “America the Beauti- ful.” “O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain! Ameri- ca! America! “God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with broth- erhood from sea to shining sea!” What I love about our coun- try are the words poets put to paper that were later made into music. I love our patriotic songs because they were written cen- turies ago during a time of great strife and ultimate victory for our country. So many of our forefathers fought and died for our liberty. What I love about America is our intense desire for freedom, for the willingness to be left alone to pursue our own destiny, not only as a country, but as individuals. What makes me proud to be an American is that we stand for something. And this something goes beyond just the word free- dom. As I pondered the subject this week, the word legacy kept coming to mind. Those of us now living owe it to those great Americans of the past to keep the mighty flame of freedom burning, not only in our minds, but in our hearts. Our legacy can only be defined by how well we pre- served the principles of freedom set forth nearly 250 years ago. I am proud to be an Ameri- can because we have a constitu- tion that guarantees certain unalienable rights; such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happi- ness. How many countries around the world can repeat those words today? I’m proud to be an American because my success or failure in life is dependent upon one indi- vidual – me. I’m proud to be an American because I adhere to the philoso- phies put forth by great writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Self reliance and rugged individualism are what once made our country great – and I might say can make our country great again. However, there are too many folks out there who say we should share the wealth. They say that the lazy should be rewarded and those who prefer to work hard and be successful be punished. America should the values with which they raised us. never become a nation of entitlements. My own father, who turned 83 yesterday, taught me at a young age that the only person I could ultimately depend on in life was my own self. He was right. He lived through a depres- sion, learned that a pair of shoes was a luxury, barely had a high school diploma, and made $2 an hour as a journeyman plumber. He raised five kids who learned the value of God, coun- try and family. What makes me really proud to be an American are my father and mother, and Pat Gleason Simply Put I learned to love the Ameri- can flag from my father. He always told us it was the greatest flag on the face of the earth. He taught us about history and the sacrifices of millions that made our country the envy of the world. My father’s legacy is left with me. How could I not love him for that? Sadly, these days, I see too many sellouts. The only thing that will save us is the legacy of the greatest generation and the courage of those who are left to pass it on. Be proud to be an American. Hug your kids, and God bless the USA. Have a great Friday and a safe weekend. ——— 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.