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6A – Daily News – Tuesday, August 10, 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 The whole picture of HSUS Editor: 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 Just when you thought we were settling in for another typi- cal, slow August news month, along comes Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to over- turn California’s Proposition 8. The one that banned same-sex marriages. Did you get that? He overturned the ban. Loosed the bonds. Broke the chains. Raised a rainbow flag. And reopened a can of worms the size of the Louisiana Purchase. According to this federal judge’s persuasive opinion, restricting freedoms is bad. Hence, gay marriage is good. The 136-page judgment finds that discriminating because of religious convictions violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And no, this will not lead to legalized bestiality any more than eating Egg McMuffins leads to cannibal- ism. The message is, if you don’t believe people should marry someone of the same sex, then go right ahead and don’t marry someone of the same sex. That part hasn’t changed. No one will be dragged from their beds and forced to wear collared shirts or attend avant- garde theater productions in Jean Barton’s recent column, July 25, paints an incomplete picture about The Humane Society of the United States’ work. HSUS celebrates the protec- tion of all animals and con- fronts all forms of cruelty. We provide direct care to more ani- mals than any other animal wel- fare group in the nation, spend- ing more than $20 million annually supporting local ani- mal shelters, running our own hands-on animal care programs and providing other direct care services. We provide training pro- grams for shelters, host the nation’s largest trade and edu- cational show for shelter pro- fessionals, provide national shelter standards, support spay and neuter programs and just launched the first national advertising campaign to pro- mote the adoption of shelter animals with the Ad Council. At the same time, we also confront the large-scale nation- al and international problems facing animals, which local shelters don’t have the reach or the resources to take on, such as organized animal fighting net- works, puppy mills, seal killing and the illegal trade in wildlife. HSUS attacks the root caus- es of problems, not just the symptoms. While vital to our mission, rescuing individual animals is not enough. Our most important goal is to pre- vent cruelty to animals and to stop animals from getting into a situation of distress in the first place. We also work to promote food safety and curb the worst factory farming abuses, work- ing to end inhumane slaughter practices and the inhumane confinement of veal calves, breeding sows and laying hens in cages so small the animals can barely move an inch — practices that many farmers agree are abusive and unaccept- able. Many family farmers join these anti-cruelty efforts. We have worked collabora- tively with agricultural leaders in Ohio, Michigan, Maine and Colorado to phase out inhu- mane confinement practices, and we urge agricultural leaders across the United States to take a serious look at animal welfare issues, too. It’s because of our reach and our effectiveness that Cone and Intangible Business recognized HSUS as the 10th strongest brand of any nonprofit in the country — in looking at the 1,000 largest charities in the United States — and HSUS was named as one of Worth Maga- zines’ top 10 most fiscally responsible charities in 2009. But the best measure of our work is in the support we receive from more than 11 mil- lion Americans — one in every 28 — who join us in our cause of protecting animals from cru- elty and abuse. The Humane Society of the United States was created more than a half-century ago to fight cruelty against pets, wildlife, farm animals and animals in research. We have been faithful to that mission ever since. Readers who want to learn more or get involved in our work are invited to visit humanesociety.org. Michael Markarian, Wash- ington, D.C. Michael Markarian is the chief operating officer of the Humane Society of the United States. Enough warmongering Editor, Why do you give this space every week to a warmonger like Polson? Every week I have to read his drivel in defense of the Bush family and Republicans in general. These people will not spend a dime on anything not military, and I for one have had enough of war. He spouts his vitriol against bin Laden claiming bin Laden's hatred for the west comes from Cordoba Spain. I don't subscribe to that theory at all. In 1071 the Mus- lim Turks captured Palestine and declared it off limits to Christians. In 1096 Christians from Europe invaded the Holy Land and Christians and Mus- lims have been at war ever since. Your Turn Abraham is the father directly of all three of the major religions. Through his son Ishmael the Arab side of the family was founded and through his son Isaac the Jewish side of the family was founded, and through a Jewish woman Christianity was founded. Throughout the centuries the Arabs and Jews have fought over the holy land. Except for Germany in the 1940's, the Christians and Jews have lived together in relative peace. But Christians and Arabs have been at it for over a thousand years now and this war will never end until somebody says, enough already. The facts about 9/11 are well known and Iraq had nothing to do with it. But we invaded Iraq on that premise and we have killed thousands of people in the name of 9/11 and bin Laden, the Saudi, is still fomenting hatred against us, and Poison is still foment- ing hatred against Muslims and it is time we become civ- ilized. Does America deserve her enemies? No. But there is no reason for us to go out into the field every day and kill somebody so that we can cre- ate a dozen new enemies. For God’s sake, stop it. Fred Boest, 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. Flag-raising robester Commentary Tibetan restaurant stairwells or serve rumaki at backyard barbe- cues. However, if you don’t believe Other people should be able to marry someone of the same sex. Tough titty. Which is a big change. Sea change. See change. Be change. In this country one group of people is not allowed to stand in the way of other people’s happi- ness simply because they don’t dig it. Or get it. Or groove on it. Personal beliefs have nothing to do with how your neighbors get to live their lives. This is not about values, it’s about rights. You don’t want the Taliban telling your wife she has to walk five paces behind you in public while dressed as a grieving bee- keeper, now do you? And though Walker’s court is in San Francisco, this was not a flaming liberal ruling. The man was nominated by Ronald Rea- gan and appointed by George Herbert Walker Bush, for crum’s sake. So, if same-sex marriages ever do become law of the land, the opposite-sex marriage crowd is going to have to give a lot of the credit to Reagan and Bush. And being able to say that leaves a silky smooth taste in the mouth not unreminiscent of bacon- wrapped chicken liv- ers. Of course this ain’t over by a long shot. The status quo is froth- ing like whipped cream-covered rabid dogs running through a liquid soap factory whose fire sprinklers activated in their insis- tence that people con- tinue to live like them, exactly like them and nobody else but them. So help them God. The judge did stay Will his own decision post- poning further gay marriages in Califor- nia, while five states and D.C. have licensed same-sex marriages AND numerous states have banned them. So the situation is a foggier than a lighthouse near the Golden Gate Bridge at dawn in July, and headed straight into the wheelhouse of the Supreme Court. Is Perry v. Schwarzeneg- ger destined to be Dred Scott or Brown v. Board of Education? Robes and minds are being laun- dered and starched as we speak. In America, we don’t judge a Durst Raging Moderate person based on their color or creed or sexual prefer- ences: we judge them based on how little taxes they do or don’t pay. And no matter which way your head faces during sex, all of us have the same basic human right to be mis- erable. Besides, isn’t the whole idea to keep gays from having sex? What better way than marriage do you know? Your witness, Mr. Burger. Will Durst is a San Francisco-based political comedian who often writes. This being an irritating example. Catch him as part of the "Comedy Talks" series on August 15 at the San Francisco Presentation Theater with Robert Morse and Shelley Berman. For tickets: comedytalks.com or 800.838.3006. His new CD, "Raging Moderate," is now available from Stand Up! Records on both iTunes and Amazon. E-mail Will at durst@caglecartoons.com.