Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/13041
6A – Daily News – Wednesday, July 7, 2010 Opinion Enough pot talk 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: You know what? I'm really getting tired of people that not only want to tell me, but think they have the right to tell me, what I should be doing on any given holiday, or any other day for that matter. Like what I do with my time is any of their con- cern. 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 Ah, July, the wedding season. What a great time of the year to not marry. So suggest Jessica Bennett and Jesse Ellison in the June 11 edition of Newsweek magazine. The two young, urban women write that marriage no longer makes sense -- they cite an anthropologist who says humans are wired for a series of relation- ships over time. They say that, thanks to the feminist movement, women no longer need husbands for finan- cial security. They say that divorce rates are high — that with our life expectancy into the high 70s it is unrealistic to commit to one other person for life. They cite all kinds of statis- tics and anecdotes to document why they believe marriage no longer works. Of course they're looking at the institution of marriage from the vantage point of youth. When you get older, you realize most people are better off mar- ried. Men who are single too long are a scourge on society. We take chances, eat badly, smoke too much and are far likelier than married men to wake in a pile of newspapers still clutch- MYOB. Enough of the Hemp Fest already. The supes approved it; the police attended it; there were no problems except those created in some people's minds. I know. Some of you don't like marijuana. Well it's going to be on the ballot in November. Make your statement at the ballot box then. You're just becoming tire- some. While you're at it, why don't you prohibit alcohol too? You see how well that worked out the first time. Fred Boest, Red Bluff Immigrants Editor: Ever since our former presi- dent instigated this bloody immoral and unjustifiable war in Iraq, I have voiced my opposition to it through this newspaper. Others say, “support the troops,” but what is actually meant by that slogan is support the war. Well I don’t support this war nor do those who do really support the troops. Time after time I have learned new ways in which our govern- ment has been shafting our sol- ders. They were sent into harm’s way without proper equipment. They were required to serve mul- tiple combat tours, and many have been cheated out of their well deserved VA benefits. I recently learned of yet anoth- er way many who have put their lives on the line for us are being screwed. A good example is Orlando Castanea who joined the U.S. Army and spent 12 months fighting in Iraq. He was told that his military service would secure his application for citizenship. Instead of citizenship papers, he was rewarded with a notice of deportation. If this was the only instance of this outrageous policy, it would be bad enough, but it has hap- pened to more than 3,000 others. You can say all you want about illegal aliens, but I say any- one who has risked his or her life in defense of this country has earned the right to live in it. Orval Strong, Gerber Missing school Editor: A recent letter writer expressed concern because he faced charges because of excess school absences by his child. As one of the 50 percent of families that pay federal, state, and local income and property taxes, I expect parents to take maximum use of the 180 day school year, that costs an average of $10,000 yearly per child or $130,000 for grades K to 12. These costs includes school employee pay, benefits, retire- ment funds, supplies, and school bond issues. Teachers, adminis- trators, and classroom aids are hired based on all students under age 16 attending classes. The contract does not allow terminat- ing teachers because of reduced class size from student absences. Parents should not have their children skip classes with the excuse of family educational opportunities, staying up too late playing computer games or watching TV or faking sickness. The US has only 180 school days versus 210 for many countries that exceed academic performance of US stu- dents. Every school day is impor- tant for the child. Teachers must interrupt their classroom sched- ules and harm the education process to accommodate those who skipped classes . Use weekends and school vacations and holidays for family education opportunities. It is not true that all kids are bound to miss school. I had per- fect attendance from first through 12th grade, as did my 11 siblings. I can count on both hands the number of missed workdays dur- ing a 42-year career. Parents of children deserve court punishment for excess school absences for non medical reasons. About 15 percent of par- ents are denied use of their edu- cation taxes, because they chose other than the public education union monopoly. It is only fair for parents rewarded with public education to reduce the tax costs by maxi- mizing education days and hours. Joseph Neff, Corning Blown call Editor: Your Turn There are many exhilarating aspects to the game of baseball. Certainly getting that RBI in the ninth inning to win the game has to be one; making that defensive play to stop the go-ahead run has to be another. It does not happen very often, but pitching a no-hitter has to rank up there at the top. Of course, the best no-hitter has to be that perfect game. Twenty-seven bat- ters come up to the plate and 27 batters go down, with no one reaching base. Defensive perfec- tion. Now most of us will never get to tell our grandkids that we played that wonderful game of Major League Baseball, much less pitched a perfect game. A young kid named Armando Galarraga came so close to pitch- ing his perfect game for the Detroit Tigers recently. What happened? A blown call in the ninth inning with two men out by the first base umpire. Yes, the replays have proved over and over that the man was out. To the umpire's credit, he admitted he blew the call. Should we include instant replay in base- ball? Yes, we should. Will it slow up the game somewhat? Yes, it will. My hat is off to you, Arman- do Galarraga. In my heart, you threw the perfect game. Hold your head up high when you show that video replay to your grandkids. Tom Robinson, 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. The case for marriage Commentary ing the bottle of tequila we began sipping from just before the party broke up. We forget important dates — we arrive at our parents' 50th wedding anniversary a week after the celebration occurred. Single women do better, but not a lot better. The longer they go without marrying — the more relationships they pass through in their pursuit of the perfect man — the more cynical and disappointed they will become. The average male can barely drink a beer and rub his belly at the same time. How the heck can he ever fulfill the job require- ments of "soulmate?" The women who penned the Newsweek article believe we have been liberated by our enlightened, progressive era — our era of unlimited choice and freedom. I think the opposite is mostly true. With all our wealth, you see — the recession notwith- standing — we are strangled by choice. When we wake in the morn- ing, we choose among hundreds of breakfast cereals, drinks, cof- fees, toothpastes, shampoos, towels, clothes ... Picking out a lousy pair of blue jeans — stone-washed, acid-washed, relaxed fit — can take an entire Saturday if you're nutty enough to allow it. And now we're applying the same approach to dating, relationships and mar- riage in our fruitless search for our "soul- mates?" Sorry, but there is no soulmate, this lazy sense that someone will enter your life and keep you in a perpetual state of bliss. choice. Could you imagine being an artist, he said, who is trying to paint a canvas as large as the moon? Where do you start painting? By being boxed into a small rectangu- lar area, the artist gains a point of refer- ence and perspective. It is the frame that sets the artist free. Tom Isn't human love as much the result of work, commitment, kindness and sacrifice as it is chemistry or dumb luck? Unlimited choice — holding out for our soulmates — isn't making us happy. It is making us miserable. Rather, the act of making, and sticking by, a decision to love and care for someone — before your family, your community and your God — is the only way meaningful happiness can be found. G.K. Chesterton said mar- riage brings a man and woman happiness because it limits their Purcell That is what mar- riage ultimately is: a decision. We've become a nation of adolescents, with unrealistic expecta- tions, who aren't much in the mood to make adult decisions. Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com. The authors of the Newsweek are trying to paint the moon. It may be just a matter of time, as I have learned, before they run out of paint. ———