Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/143055
6A Daily News – Wednesday, July 10, 2013 Opinion DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF 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. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong community 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 vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents 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 Government fails Red Bluff Editor: The East Sand Slough fire should have never happened. This fire showed how broken, corrupt and lazy government is. Since last October, I had been contacting elected officials and several agencies responsible for the slough warning about the fire danger. Bureau of Reclamation, along with Judge Wanger of Fresno, who was recently rewarded for his decision to pull the gates and put in the pumping station with a very cushy job with Westside Water for his ruling, manipulated law, our judicial system and local officials into stealing our water, with no compensation. Tehama Colusa Canal Authority along with elected officials, like Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Congressman Wally Herger, Senator Doug LaMalfa and Assemblyman Jim Nielson helped by pushing in illegal EIR; schmoozing conservatives and scaring farmers, south of the dam, and telling us they would have our backs, when they haven't. The Board of Supervisors said and did nothing to help or protect our interest. The city sold our water down the river for 30,000 pieces of silver. All sat by and watched the slough fill up with dead weeds, trees, many put there illegally by local businesses, who cleared their lots. They impotently watched as 15 tons of toxic garbage accumulated, the homeless and crime problem exploded, with one lame excuse after another why they couldn't do anything. The Department of Water and the State Water Quality Control Board are responsible for making sure we have safe and clean water. Where were they as this Federal Waterway filled up with garbage and as our groundwater disappears into the ugly cement bluffs covering our beautiful Red Bluffs, screeching loudly, while sucking our river dry, leaving our boat docks high and dry. How about CalFire? I'm sure they must have noticed the slough was a fire disaster waiting to happen. Thank God, our ground crew is so awesome and saved the community of Antelope, but why was management so neglect in addressing this problem and why no charges against the children and parents responsible for this? A control burn would have saved a lot of money, while protecting our riparian growth and wildlife. I've been calling CalFire since May 1 trying to get my next door neighbor to abate his weeds. They still Wildlife wanted permits and threaten my home, as the tem- money to protect the critters, perature burns hot at 115 even though they easily degrees. Every street in town ignored that the critters couldn't migrate has unabated weeds, through their much of it on City and Your wildlife corridors, County property. Spibecause of the der Island is still a homeless in the risk, as is the new slough, and even if large homeless they did, they encampment under the Paynes Creek slough. Cal- would have to prance through Trans has tried, but until the human waste, drug parapherCity and County act with real nalia and broken glass. All of solutions, they tie their hands this would have burned up and the hands of every volun- had Tehama Action Team not teer group trying to deal with gone into the pit of Red Bluff the problem and puts us at and cleaned it up. All of that would have ended up in the risk. Mendocino National Forest water, BOR and Governor owns the slough South of the Jerry Brown, along with Senators Dianne Feinstein and Antelope Bridge. I met with them just before Barbara Boxer are so eager the clean-up and was told I and willing to steal. So with no permits or couldn't remove the dead brush and trees, until I had a money, everyone said we didpermit, which would cost n't have to fix the problem; $600.00 and take six months. neglect and a couple of unsuWe hiked under the bridge pervised kids and two liable and the slough with Anne parents the slough is clean, Minch and met with Mike leaving it a clear pallet to creRoberts, they were shocked at ate something beautiful and the condition and concerned, amazing for Red Bluff. My but couldn't or wouldn't help. question to all mentioned in They had to make sure the this letter — What are you wildlife and riparian habitat going to do about this? Will were protected. Well they are you sit by idly and watch as gone now. Up in a big toxic the problems return and grow puff of smoke, while they sat worse? We need action, not by and got in the way. They lists or census or permits or told the Record Searchlight excuses that don't add up. they never met with Tehama When are you going to get off your duffs and do your jobs? Action Team. Unbelievable. Pat Johnston, Red Bluff California Fish and Turn 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) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Lessons from the photo box Exclusive Excerpt from: "An Apple Core, a Toilet: Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" by Tom Purcell Here's something you should do if you haven't done so in a while: visit your mother and father and get out the old photo box. Surely you have one. Ours is in my parents' hall closet. It's in a sturdy old Pabst Blue Ribbon beer case. Lucky for me, I needed some photos for a humor speech I am giving about growing up in the '70s and I had a reason to go through the old photos. As my mother and I dug through the box, I came across a black-and-white photo of a little girl. She's holding a stuffed toy as she looks, suspiciously, into the lens of the camera. That photo was taken 75 years ago, when the girl had her whole life before her. She didn't know yet that one of her sisters would be struck with polio 12 years later, that her father would die at 49 just a month before her wedding, or that she'd have six healthy children and 17 grandchildren. That was my mother's picture. It was taken when she was 2. I found my father's black- and-white high-school graduation photo. He was trim and handsome -- a thick head of hair. The photo had red coloring around his lips. When I asked my mother what it was, she explained. When he was away in the Army, she used to kiss the photo. The red coloring was her lipstick. My parents' wedding photos are striking -- both of them so young and attractive. She was 19 and he was 23. They had very little money, but it was 1956, a time of hope and optimism. They were intent on building a life together. Many other photos from over the years show that they succeeded. The old Polaroids, in their greenish, yellowy hue, documented so many instances in their lives: the new home built in 1964; Jingles, our beloved mutt dog born in 1972, getting a bath, which she hated; birthday parties, Christmas mornings and many other family events. The newer photos document the thinning and graying hair, the high school and college graduations, the surprise party we threw for my father when he turned 50 and, eventually, the surprise retirement party. These photos transport me me that every day really is preright back to those moments I cious -- every moment is. That is all a photo knew as a kid, both sad is, too: a snapshot of a and happy: the cold moment in time. It January day in 1972 locks our world and when my grandmother our lives in place, so died and my father we can see and feel sobbed; the sound of and understand the my father driving deep meaning in around the neighborthem. hood calling out for Our fast-paced our dog the time she world is in desperate disappeared for three need of such perspecdays; the Friday tive. As our markets evenings sitting around crash and our politics the dinner table laughTom get ugly -- as the ing with my sisters media report every day about everything and on the various ways nothing at all. the sky is falling -- we It's bittersweet to go through the old photos. They need to stand above the fray. We make me sad. They reflect the need to keep hold of ourselves. I know a perfect way to get speed with which time is passing -- the speed with which time started. If you're lucky enough to still is aging us all and, in the process, taking so many people have your parents in your life, go to their house and get out the I love away from me. But those photos fill me with old photo box. calm. They make me remember Tom Purcell, a humor how blessed I have been to be given the family I was given -- columnist for the Pittsburgh how blessed I've been to go Tribune-Review, is nationally through life with such a colorful syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper cast of characters. They bring perspective and syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web clarity -- they help me see the at www.TomPurcell.com or ehim at long view, something I forget to mail do far too often. They remind Purcell@caglecartoons.com. Purcell