Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/13630
6A – Daily News – Wednesday, July 21, 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 Cannabis patients’ suit against county In response to the newspa- 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 per’s statements about our law- suit against Tehama County, several corrections must be made in order for local resi- dents to understand the facts and to have an informed, intel- ligent discussion about the merits of this case. We identify ourselves accu- rately as qualified patients in this lawsuit, not as "pot grow- ers." The cannabis we grow is our own medicine, and 100 percent of it is grown for law- ful, medical uses. We also identify as property owners and as legal residents of this county who are being deprived of our land-use rights and our medical rights by an over- reaching government bureau- cracy. Our county supervisors most certainly did not pass this nuisance ordinance and the corresponding ban on dispen- saries "to reduce crime stem- ming from medical (cannabis) theft." No mention of protect- ing patients was ever offered at the public meetings, and in fact, patients who had suffered criminal attacks were derided and scapegoated as somehow responsible for neighborhood unrest, merely for exercising their rights. Furthermore, no statistics were ever offered in support of claims that cannabis gardens or dispensaries attract unreason- able levels of crime. Our side offered factual crime statistics from Los Angeles that show banks attracting far more bur- glaries and robberies than either cannabis dispensaries or gardens. Yet, nobody has demanded that banks, or even more dangerous victims of crime, like mini-marts, liquor stores and bars, should be reg- ulated out of existence in order to protect our community. The real effects of this ordi- nance, not surprisingly, would enhance the ability of crimi- nals to target medical cannabis gardens, as it places blame for such acts on the victims, rather than the perpetrators of the crimes. This ordinance declares open season on cannabis farms, which will only increase the problems associated with crimes in our neighborhoods. Had we not sued Tehama County into eventual compli- ance with California laws, every legitimate cannabis gar- den here would be subjected to endless harassment by the dis- gruntled opponents of our rights. This ordinance not only empowers busy bodies with lots of idle time to blame peo- ple they know little about for problems they don’t fully understand, but it gives politi- cians and bureaucrats access to state resources in the form of tax money to harass their polit- ical opponents. It also allows fat cats who own hundreds of acres to grow nearly unlimited amounts of cannabis, with no adherence to state laws, while depriving legitimate patients of the right to merely grow enough for their own medical needs. Guest View Jason Browne This is nothing more than good ole’ boy politics and old money vs. new money, and it’s keeping our county from earn- ing the tax revenues and increases in local economic growth that are available from the cannabis industry through- out the state. Please take note that we did not sue the Sheriff’s Depart- ment, as we didn’t want to take away resources that our com- munity needs. We also feel that our sheriff respects the rule of law and accepts our rights, regardless of his personal opin- ions about cannabis. We sued Tehama County in order to protect the property rights and medical rights of everybody who lives here, and in support of our state and fed- eral constitutions. Lastly, to those of you who are still upset that we were able to exercise our First Amend- ment rights in holding our WHEE festival, please look in the mirror, read your Constitu- tion or Bible and ask your- selves if it’s really worth all the fuss. How many alcohol fueled events occur here every year? Even though such events attract far more problems and public costs than our events do, we support your right to hold them here. You really don’t present your side very well, when you vandalize our private property, harass our sheriff for not rounding us all up or come to our event to start trouble. Please consider supporting our rights, just as we support yours, and if you aren’t willing to consider changing your mind about cannabis, try find- ing more constructive uses of your spare time. We are not your enemies, even though you attack us, and it seems we all have more important things to worry about than who does or does not use cannabis. And for the record, WHEE had more than 3,000 people in attendance during the peak of the festival Saturday and the sky didn’t fall. Jason Browne is a medical cannabis advocate and lives in 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. Needed: Blue-collar horse sense Commentary The article in The Washing- ton Post filled me with hope: There's a trend toward college- educated people getting into the trades. One 29-year-old fellow in Washington, D.C. -- he has a degree from Notre Dame -- con- sidered going to law school, like many others in the lawyer-satu- rated town. After watching his friends work long hours as paralegals -- and watching his lawyer pals sign their lives over to their firms -- he did something sensi- ble. He became an electrician's apprentice. He's not alone. The Post says more 20-somethings are forgo- ing the white-collar world to become plumbers, electricians, mechanics and carpenters. I think it's great. This country was designed by people who worked with their hands. Ben Franklin started off as a printer's apprentice, a messy job. His trade helped him master communication, business man- agement, politics and human nature. George Washington, a farmer, toiled in his gardens to cross-breed the perfect plant. He was forever trying new ways to cultivate and harvest his crops. Many of our Founders were farmers. They were humbled by the unforgiving realities of nature. Hands-on labor made these fellows sensible and innovative. Their good sense is evident in the practicality of the Constitu- tion. We have lost touch with such common sense. The shift happened over many years, of course. Industri- alization moved Americans to the cities and, gradually, to paper-pushing jobs in the ser- vice industry. Now we're a country of white-collar snobs with an underdeveloped understanding of how things work. The snobbery starts in high school. Parents and guidance counselors both point kids toward college and white-collar careers -- they save the blue-col- lar careers for the kids whose grades aren't so hot. It makes no sense. A skilled laborer earns more than many lawyers do -- and likely enjoys his work more. Show me a dozen lawyers and I'll show you 11 people who have considered driving a cab for a living. Skilled laborers are good for our country -- white-collar folks are not always so good. Consider an important white- collar maxim: "If you can't daz- zle them with bril- liance, baffle then with BS." I've seen highly skilled BSers establish long careers without producing anything of any value. Blue-collar workers cannot BS their way through their work. An electrician mixes up the hot wire and ground wire only once. A carpenter is kept honest by his level -- he measures twice, cuts once. Now any old Ivy League graduate can become an invest- ment banker and put his compa- ny, and country, at incredible risk as he pursues a multmillion-dollar commission. I hope more col- lege-educated folks leave the white-collar world to become skilled laborers. Tom Purcell A plumber's skill is evident when the water valve is opened and the pipes don't leak. Blue-collar workers have no choice but to develop horse sense -- to develop efficient ways to solve real problems. There was a time in America when many white-collar jobs were also infused with horse sense. An employee started as a bank teller right out of high school. He'd work his way up, through performance and sound judgment, to the highest levels of the organization. I hope we stop glamorizing careers on Wall Street, the legal profession and many other paper- pushing businesses. I hope more people use their hands to pro- duce something of value every day -- and use their practical, decision-making abili- ties to help resolve other chal- lenges we face. If we don't get a serious infu- sion of blue-collar horse sense, God help this country. ——— 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.