Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/134628
6A Daily News – Tuesday, June 4, 2013 Opinion DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Tea Party tyranny tirades 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. 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. 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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 When I hear my colleague below the fold cry about the tyranny of President Obama and read the incessant complaints of local Tea Party compatriots about administration policies and leadership, I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry. At first blush I just laugh it off as the partisan tripe of a bunch of sore losers dead set upon vilifying the majority of Americans that voted for Barack, but as I ponder their motives more deeply I am struck with a sense of chagrin and lost opportunity to help rather than hinder the functioning of our democracy. Like others although I have served in our military to fight for their right to their own opinions, I am at times brought to tears by the degree of disrespect for the office and the many Americans who support our President even when they may personally disagree with his decisions. I wish our local Tea Party Patriots had been around when the actual Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773 when Samuel Adams and a small group of Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded the British ships and jettisoned the tea to protest tariffs being imposed by England. It took nearly three hours for more than 100 colonists to empty the tea into Boston Harbor. The chests held more than 90,000 lbs. (45 tons) of tea, which would cost nearly $1,000,000 dollars today. Perhaps they might more fully appreciated what real tyranny is, not just because of the Tea Tax, but because we had none of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights that we have today, and their complaints about oppressive governance would have more merit. I mean come on, to hear them whine about difficulties obtaining tax exemptions as social service agencies so they can hide and wash contributions that are clearly for political aims hardly compares to having troops stationed in their homes or their persons and effects searched without warrants and probable cause for concern, both now prohibited by the third and fourth amendments to the United States constitution respectively. While I can appreciate their ire at misdeeds by some overzealous and overworked tax examiners doing the jobs they are paid to do this hardly constitutes tyranny, or is evidence of a White House inspired conspiracy to deny their constitutional rights. The so called liberal leaning press did a pretty good job of elevating this to a topic of national concern, and heads have rolled as an investigative witch hunt by Republican congressmen gains steam, and Americans must now listen to them wax profusely with righteous indignation with their Tea Party supporters ad nauseum. To refresh your memory here by ''special needs beyond the normal need for law is the text of the third enforcement.'' Under amendment: "No solthis general rubric the dier shall, in time of Court has upheld warpeace be quartered in rantless searches by any house, without the administrative authoriconsent of the owner, ties in public schools, nor in time of war, but government offices, in a manner to be preand prisons, and has scribed by law." Not upheld drug testing of much controversy here public and transportaas soldiers have their tion employees. All own homes or barracks, government and in times of emerRichard the today is have need do reagency can always camp son to believe someout in their tents. one is engaged in terThe fourth amendrorism to search and ment is much more condetain persons indefitentious and relevant to nitely, as evidenced at American lifestyles to Guantanamo Bay wit: The right of the where the governpeople to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and ment's interest has been found to effects, against unreasonable outweigh the individual's. Fortusearches and seizures, shall not nately we don't see cases where be violated, and no Warrants Tea Partier's are being searched shall issue, but upon probable and detained indiscriminately, cause, supported by Oath or affir- otherwise their might be merit to mation, and particularly describ- the Tea Party tyranny tirades. ing the place to be searched, and Richard Mazzucchi is a retired the persons or things to be seized. By 1992, it was no longer the research engineer specializing case warrants based upon proba- in energy efficiency and ble cause where required for all renewable energy. He has searches. Exceptions have multi- travelled extensively and now plied, tending to confine applica- makes his home in Los Molinos, tion of the requirement to cases where he is striving to manifest a that are exclusively ''criminal'' in sustainable and spiritual lifestyle nature. The most important cate- and operate a BBQ equipment gory of exception is that of and supply business. He can be administrative searches justified reached at living-green@att.net. Mazzucchi Positive Point 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) 558-3160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-225-3076. 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; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary The more things change, they remain the same As I read and reflected on the "hate Polson" screed from Mr. Larry Gray (titled "Hypocrisies" 5/30), I thought "Where have I read all of this before?" I researched my Polecat News and Views (donpolson.blogspot.com) posts and my own file of columns since 2005. Not surprisingly, I found nearly identical character assassination and anathema nearly 4 years ago, similarly following one of my "salute and commemorate the fallen vets" columns. For the time being, while endless space won't be used responding to a critic, the charge of "hypocrisies" will not be ignored. Mr. Gray's broadside would seem to focus on the change of heart I have had over the decades: going from a campus anti-war radical for the 2 years I was in college—after which I sought out religious communities in California out of disgust over the moral and political corruption I found in the anti-war movement—back to my conservative upbringing in more recent decades. I suppose the collegebound course, with scholarships, set for me by my parents, and the requisite college deferments for '69/'70 and '70/'71 terms, can be criticized if someone is determined to throw disingenuous bricks at my life. I further suppose that having a draft lottery number too high to get drafted likewise won't let me off the hook for someone like Mr. Gray. I guess being a scrawny kid that wouldn't have met the height/weight requirements anyway will not sway the man. However, none of that puts me outside the mainstream of college age youth in 1970. I never, let me repeat never, did one single thing to disrespect any member of the military and have never suggested so much; for Mr. Gray to, in essence, lump me in with draft dodgers and those who spit at and harassed returning troops is truly despicable and deserves my absolute condemnation. I'll let readers decide what's normal or diabolical. You may be scratching your head, therefore, over the fuss. That's where having perspective on the same complaints from Mr. Gray, 4 years apart, with virtually the same verbiage and illogical arguments, is revealing. He singles me out for my temerity in criticizing President Obama. Indeed, in June of 2009, Gray vehemently objected to my including criticisms of Obama in my "Honoring vets, what they died and serve for" Memorial Day column. At that time, I noted that Obama was not well regarded by the military, who mostly voted for his opponent, Mr. McCain. Obama was manipulating the health care for wounded veterans, trying to force them onto private plans, reneging on the implied promises of our government to care for them. Obama released ("leaked" you might say) "interrogation memos" that provided potential captured terrorists with a roadmap to know how to resist the methods that were still permitted to use. Obama was going to allow the release of photos that, while showing nothing previously unknown, would have aroused more anger among Muslims, directed at our military. The final bit of hypocrisy, I wrote: "Obama had the gall to tell a graduating class of cadets that he out his butt") and irrefutable logic wouldn't send them into battle ("(my) constant slamming of union labor"/the writer had to without complete supgo back 7 months for port from America. This my last "constant" comfrom the guy who actualment). Then the reducly voted against funding tio-ad-censorum: these a war his party voted to clowns always default authorize, who proto wanting to get rid of claimed the surge me, such is their respect doomed before it started, for free speech and and who refused to visit diversity of thought. wounded military in GerWith private sector many on his trip there." union membership Currently we have barely over 6.5 percent more of the same of the workforce, it's hypocrisy from Obama: Don not this columnist As U.S. Senator, he said "The president does not Polson who's out of touch. The union verbal thug thinks have the power under the The way he'll intimidate me— constitution to unilateralguess again, loser. ly authorize a military I see it Next week, readers attack in a situation that should expect to learn does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the more about the greatest affront to nation." As President, of course, America's system of freedom, libObama not only unilaterally dis- erty, Constitutional rights and selfpatched forces to Libya, he didn't rule in our time: the IRS targeting, even bother to follow up 90 days profiling to use one of the left's later with a request for authoriza- buzzwords, of conservative, Christion, as specified under the War tian, voter integrity and even proPowers Act. (hat tip to Power- Israel groups since 2008. That despicable abuse of power has, at lineblog.com) Mr. Gray had his say; I've now the very least, verbal leadership had mine. If any readers wish to that comes from President Obama peruse my meticulous arguments himself; it deserves unremitting that ensued 4 years ago, including critical examination. News media, point-by-point rebuttals to Gray's the MSM, are going to do their diatribes, go to best to tell us all to "move along, DonPolson.blogspot.com, where I nothing to see here" but Ameriwill repost the relevant blog entries cans of all political stripes are outfrom the "critics" label of June 15 raged and likely to become more and 18, and July 26, 2009. You so. should read nothing more of the Don Polson has called Red Bluff matter on this page. I hope you read my union hack home since 1988. He can be by e-mail at critic last Friday: With such classy reached donplsn@yahoo.com. (NOT!) form of arguments ("talk