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4A – Daily News – Friday, August 13, 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 Mountain lion 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 Editor: My family and friends have spent many a day enjoying our local parks. Many times we have seen wildlife. Something we haven't seen is the mountain lion that I have been reading about over the past week; and I don't want to see it. Mountain lion at Diversion Dam, Mountain lion in river park, Mountain lion at Dog island park. I almost fell out of my chair when reading that the Fish and Game stated "not a threat to humans." Tell that to the joggers or bicyclers who were killed or attacked by mountain lions in the past. So what is the Fish and Game basing its statement on? It hasn't eaten anyone yet? Maybe they think this one is a vegan and does- n't require nearly 8-10 pounds of meat every single day to survive? Fish and Game's website states statistically I'm more likely to be struck by lighting than attacked by a mountain lion. Well, if there was a huge thunderstorm in the park I guess my chances of being struck might go up wouldn't they? Do everyone a favor and move the man eating kitty cat, who has obviously lost it's wari- ness of humans, away before we become a statistic, too. And don't worry my dog never bites. Erik Lovell, Red Bluff Celebrating women’s rights Editor: Four score and 10 years ago — OK 90 years ago — women got the right to vote. Congress ratified the 19th Amendment on Aug. 18, 1920. The Red Bluff-Tehama County branch of American Association of University Women will be celebrating that right and honoring the women who worked long and hard for it with an informal lunch bunch gathering during the lunch hour at The Tremont Cafe and Creamery on Main Street in Red Bluff Aug. 18. The right to vote did not come quickly or easily. The Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY, was in 1848 at a time when California and many Midwest states were not even in the union. Some states, including California, did rec- ognize the right of women to vote, but it took all those years for it to become the law of the land. We honor those persistent women through generations. Some endured imprisonment and even being force-fed. Through their efforts, 21-year- old women, born in the previ- ous century, could legally vote. For those who would like to join us, our non-political, non- partisan gathering will welcome you. Just let us know, so that The Tremont can be prepared, by calling 527-4589. We'll just order from the menu, and those on lunch hours can just come and go. June Quincy, Red Bluff Editor’s note: June Quincy is president Red Bluff-Tehama County Branch of the American Association of University Women. Misdirected anger Editor: So the Tea Party is mad. After 30 years of primarily Republican rule — minus 8 years of "The best Republican president in 50 years," Clin- ton, per Alan Greenspan, they want to toss out Obama and primarily Democratic candi- dates. Yes, they demand promises of restraint from GOP pols, but they've already broken those promises. Even their hero, Reagan, yes, the amnesty advocate Reagan, tripled the deficit after promising to cut it. Talk about government waste; the GOP has opposed every effort to cure the eco- nomic mess they made, and when allowed input, all they can say is "More tax cuts for the wealthy." Most people would agree that our country had it's best years after FDR and before Reagan yet the Tea Partyers want to wipe out the New Deal entirely at the expense of the majority and to the delight of the rich. In the immortal words of GWB "You, you... you can't be fooled again" Mike Fleming, Red Bluff What’s at stake? Editor: The answer is everything. Our schools are underfunded, our streets, highways as well as the rest of our infrastructure is in shambles, yet as a nation we are wasting trillions of taxpayer dollars fighting for more corpo- rate greed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Your Turn Wake up folks, our young people need a clean safe envi- ronment and an excel- lent education, not to die to enrich the oil barons of the world. Also we as a nation cannot waste our most precious commodity — our youth — and to make matters worse we are borrowing trillions from China for untold time for our present and future youth to repay. Bob Hogan, Red Bluff Republican Congress letter Editor: The Aug. 5 letter from Kristopher Scott was quite entertaining. This is the first time that I’ve had a liberal — progressive — admit that they believe that they are smarter than everyone else so they must act in our best interests even though we may not be smart enough to under- stand. Obama is the best Presi- dent etc, etc. Conservatives are bad etc. I don’t know how Kristopher landed in Red Bluff but I’m sure he would be happier in the Bay Area where his views are more popular. Thankfully we have free thinkers up here. Don Perry, Corning 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. Summer fun has just begun – school opens soon Commentary Summer is almost over and most classes will begin across the county starting Wednesday. If you don’t have your child enrolled, you should. My daughter, Mia, will embark on her own educational journey in Penny Wilson’s kindergarten class at Bidwell School. I am very excited for her. My son, Ethan, will be in the first grade. He has become quite the little man around our house. I am grateful and blessed to have two such wonderful kids. As a parent, it’s my job to make sure they get as much out of their elementary school experi- ence as possible. I just wish all parents felt the same. As for my own goals, I chose them after some thought and reflection this summer. Number one, being still means doing my best to main- tain a sense of calm in the midst of a sometimes chaotic class- room. It also means deflecting as much stress away from me as possible. In a way, it means not letting all the little things that can go wrong bother me. I’ll do my best to remain calm and relaxed in the midst of trying to manage 30 students. Next, I’ve taken a vow of silence this summer. That does- n’t mean that I won’t ever speak again, but will be more cautious when I do open my mouth. This is especially true relative to high school politics. The busi- ness side of education can drive me completely insane some- times, but this year I will eat my words, even if I have to choke on them. Hopefully, this will help keep me healthy. If I remain still and silent, I’m hopeful my stress levels will be reduced. The bottom line for me is that I need to remember the most important aspect of my day is what takes place in room 408. That’s my room. I laugh sometimes when I think about teaching. For some of us, that’s just the start of what we do. There are days when I feel like part counselor, psychol- ogist and doctor. Many kids come to us with some serious issues, mostly related to their home life. The most rewarding part of the job is seeing those at risk students take advantage of opportunities available to them in helping to overcome their adversities. Recently graduated Rhonda Anderson is a prime example. She sat in my senior World Literature class last year. All she did every day was come to class with a smile on her face, in addition to getting straight A’s. I had no idea what kind of life loomed behind that smile, until one day I heard she was living in a tent in her Mom’s back yard. It turns out that It was my ground zero away from home." Instead of feeling sorry for her self, Anderson found anoth- er refuge – the Per- forming Arts Center. "The last two years of school, the P.A.C. was my home," she said. "Things at my own home were kinda weird, so I didn’t real- ly want to go there. "I made lots of friends – it was like my safe house," she added. Pat was only temporary, as she was shuffled into the garage after the tent blew down in a storm ("it was more like a corner," she said). I could not believe that a com- pletely normal looking 17 year old student was living that way. In a tent? In a garage? When I asked her recently how she dealt with that she said, "School became my everything. Gleason Simply Put Inspired by school, Rhonda Anderson refused to go negative. Instead, she put a pos- itive spin on nearly everything she faced and has a bright future ahead. "I have a lot to think about now," she said. And it’s mostly good. Have a great Friday. ——— Pat Gleason grew up in Los Angeles and has taught English at Red Bluff High School since 1990. He can be reached at phgleaso@rbuhsd.k12.ca.us.