Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/12998
6A – Daily News – Tuesday, July 6, 2010 Opinion Duped or doped? 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 Editor: We've been duped. Our county 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. 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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 officials and our sheriff have deceived us. Here's the deal. County supervisors told the planning department. to revise ordinance 13.12. Section 1-(D), (E), (F) has the words: Reliably enforceable regulations. Provide County with clear, reliable, and enforceable regulations for special events. Immediate adoption of these amendments is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety. 13.12.030 states: It shall be unlawful for (C) Any special event permit or organizer to willfully violate the terms and conditions of the permit, or for any Special Event partici- pant, with the knowledge thereof, to willfully violate the terms and conditions of the permit. 13.12.100 Civil Enforcement; Office of the County Counsel; vio- lations maybe redressed, enjoined, and abated by civil action. Enforced by County enforcement officer. 13.12.110 Criminal Penalties; Persons violating any provision SHALL be guilty punishable by a fine of a thousand dollars, per per- son, or imprisonment. This pun- ishment is per person per day. The Planning department added 17 other conditions, all was agreed on by Donna Will and her partner. SB 420, which is in Prop. 215 states; Disallows marijuana smok- ing in no smoking zone, included a motor vehicle being operated... Patients allowed 6 mature or 12 immature plants... In difference to local autonomy, SB 420 allows counties and cities to establish higher - but not lower guidelines if they want. Prop. 215 does not give a broad freedom to medical marijuana patients to use marijuana any- where, anytime. Can't distribute or sell marijuana under any circum- stances to anyone if caught it would likely be a felony. Conduct that endangers others "remains illegal.” This was affirmed Jan. 21, 2010 by the Calif. Supreme Court. The county never had an enforcement officer at the festival. The county never charged for any of the violations. Nor did the coun- ty enforce any of their require- ments for their permit. The sheriff nor any other officer ever stepped foot on the grounds. They never gave out citations or enforced the law, they looked the other way. Avoid the five was else- where pulling drivers aside to check for DUPs while the sheriff sat and watched people smoke then drive away with little kids in the car. Licenses for venders were never collected. Donna Will and partner are going to sue the county because they didn't make the money they thought they should. These people should stop crying, I have my rights and be forced to abide by the laws like everyone else. Did the county set a new prece- dent, setting the stage for others to disregard the laws? Or are they playing favoritism for pot heads? What ever the reason the county can not pick and choose who will be forced to obey their rules and laws and who won't. This sounds like a hell of a lawsuit to me. At least we should hold the county responsible for loosing all that money they could of collected from all the violations. Maybe we're not as broke as they claim. Kathy Nelson, Red Bluff Nation’s future Editor: On Face the Nation, one of four panelists reporting on the Gulf oil spill was Senator Barbara Boxer. My question is, how did I miss knowing of her involvement in this? My husband knew she was an EPA nut, I didn't for some rea- son. And why now is she on national television? Maybe our president gave her a leg up? In this administra- tion, anything is possi- ble. I've only heard one of Boxer's political digs about her opponent and it was of a personal nature. Your Turn This oil spill fiasco has been going on for two months, not much happening except a lot of finger-pointing and legalities mak- ing it impossible to fix the prob- lem. President Obama setting-up one commission after another and still the oil spills. Last week it was reported that seventeen barges that will contain 90,000 barrels of oil a day, sitting idle because they didn't have the proper fire extinguishers and life jackets aboard. Is this crazy? BP leases this site from our government who in turn requires BP to drill according to our EPA standards, etc. but it appears the blame falls entirely on BP. I have no doubt BP cut corners. Where were our inspectors? As usual, government not doing the job. And something about our Jones Act preventing other countries from helping us. What's that about? Business as usual. Both sides can share the blame in this, and forget the silly commissions, fix the problem first. Then you can ana- lyze it to death. I wonder if we'll be seeing more of Senator Boxer in the lime- light on this issue. Her re-election is coming up. If she can tear her- self away from the Bend project. Do we need another expensive project in this hard times? Gas continues to rise, no more going for a drive on a lazy afternoon. We have parks closed now because we can't afford to maintain them. Another dumb idea, nothing new. Medicare has cut doctors 21 per- cent, we have Obamacare on the horizon, and now Cap and Trade being shoved down our throats. We're getting the change, now all we can do is hope it goes away. Most salaries have been cut, except for our elected officials of course. A few officials have not taken the raises, which I think is admirable of them. On another issue, two weeks ago President Obama met with Arizona's governor. The president said he would get back to her in two weeks with a plan. I was under the impression he was going to work with her. Not so it appears. The Justice Department is suing Arizona. I guess we have to have a another civil war to right these injustices. We have laws but can't or don't enforce them. When someone with brass tries to do the job, their own president comes after them. I hope Arizona stands their ground and fights for what is right. The immigrants have more rights than we do. States boy- cotting each other. I think we should boycott Mexico and not vacation there, import produce, goods, prescription drugs or get our dental work done there. Where are the jobs? Look on the labels of your clothing, anything, not made here 90 percent of the time. Bernice Cressy, Cottonwood 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. Dead-solid summer Commentary Here’s hoping your Indepen- dence Day is or was beyond ter- rific. Got to love the loudest and most American of all the holi- days. Just one of the moments that makes a person prouder than papaya punch to be a citizen of this fine country. The greatest place on the planet, which is why we have all those darn problems with our borders. After all, you don’t see a lot of stories about the teeming humanity streaming across the border into Kazakhstan. Or Kyr- gyzstan. Which many experts claim are two different countries. Although the Summer Sol- stice was but a few weeks ago, the Fourth of July is still dead- solid summer. It means baseball and hot dogs and picnics and suntan lotion and ice cream trucks and road trips in the back of a station wagon bouncing around like a fleshy pinball, beg- ging Dad to turn up the air con- ditioning and screw the gas mileage. Being a native of the Mid- west, I am used to celebrating this noisy and sweaty occasion by intensely charring immense amounts of flesh, both mine and that of assorted animals, then drinking a cooler full of suds and shooting off firecrackers. That’s right, we drink beer and handle explosives, explain- ing why this is the day many nicknames like "Lefty" and "Patch" are christened. No matter what side of the political spectrum your team plays on, this is a non-partisan party. Hippies and hawks both can be seen exercising their free- dom by flipping Frisbees and fir- ing up the grill, although it’s a lot easier to keep a rack of baby- backs from slipping through the grates than it is for bean sprouts. Hard to think of a snapshot of the USA more iconic than a small-town Fourth of July parade with kids stringing bunting in their bicycle spokes, and stream- ers doing their streaming thing from the handlebars. Where tri- cycles and Big Wheels careen between crawling convertibles containing beauty queens wav- ing with one hand and holding tight their tiaras with the other. Where hardware stores sponsor Uncle Sam floats, and politicians are good-naturedly booed. Speaking of which, the Fourth of July also signals the apex of the marching-band year. This is their day to shine. Good march- ing bands and bad marching bands. Which admittedly is hard for the layman to tell the difference, but no whin- ing. These poor people practice all year long and get one lousy day. Be honest, how many John Philip Sousa albums do you own? Even as a transplant and drip off your elbow. Snore in a hammock. And blow some stuff up real good. Because it won’t be long before we’re stuffing the flip-flops back in the closet and hauling out the school back- packs and pumpkin- carving kits. Happy 234th birthday, Amer- ica. And I got to tell you sweetheart, in the right light, you don’t look a day over 195. Oooh. Aaaah. to the West Coast, my wife and I will attempt to do the red, white and blue thing so big and bad that the ghost of Patrick Henry slaps us an imaginary high-five. It’s the perfect time to forget the troubles fac- ing this nation and concentrate on the good things. Food, family, friends and fireworks. So get in your summer licks, people. Buy a new bathing suit. Wear white shoes. Fly a flag. Eat a roasted cob of corn and let the butter slide right down your arm Will Durst Raging Moderate Will Durst is a San Francisco-based political comedian who often writes. This being a festive example. Catch his one-man show, "The Lieutenant Governor from the State of Confusion," at a performing arts center near you. His new CD, "Raging Moderate" from Stand Up! Records, is now available on both iTunes and Amazon. Coming this fall: "Where the Rogue Things Go." E-mail Will at durst@caglecartoons.com.