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4A Daily News – Wednesday, September 4, 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. Don Bird's citation Editor: Whether or not you agree with Don (Don Quixote) Bird, one has to admire his tenacity putting himself in front of the public to express his beliefs and use his first amendment right to do so. Do I believe this outcome will be any different than his last encounter with the court system? No, it's just another windmill. While Mr. Bird's bold move to challenge California's right to require a license to fish on public land and waterways may be futile, it may bring to the forefront the cost of that license and the reason why it costs so much. Just recently, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) became the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). This didn't happen overnight in my humble opinion. DFG has been, for many years, spending too much time and money on nongame species (wildlife). Now, the name change will most likely broaden their involvement in non-game species such as the toad or frog in the Sierras that will put more restriction on access to two million acres of California's waterways. Add to the cost of such studies, for the non-game species, the DFW has the burden of cleaning up the pollution of pot gardens that also add to the cost of our fishing license along with the top heavy management of the DFW. We need fewer wildlife biologists spending time studying non-game species and more wildlife biologists studying our game species such as our deer herds both east and west and along the Sacramento River cor- 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 Mexico to fight the drug cartels? You want to know why we Editor: don't stand up to this crap — it's On the eve of the invasion of because we are already beaten. Syria by the US military —- pre- The war on drugs has been lost sumably because they are killing and we Americans are the viceach other with atrocities and tims, either through incarceration chemical weapons — south of or via victimization by thieves our border, some 55,000 Mexi- and crooks desperate for their cans have been tortured, burned next fix. alive in 55 gallon drums, decapiI as a proud American am tated and buried alive in totally disgusted by mass graves in the War what I see even in a Your on Drugs. small town like Red Why should we help Bluff. God please help the Arabs when they our nation. hate us and Israel and Laurence D'Alnot help the Mexican berti, people who are mostly good, hard Red Bluff working Christians? I worked in the World Trade Center after they tried to blow it Editor: up the first time and when I got The greatest emancipation back to Jersey City that night the since the Civil War. Arabs were having a massive This is probably the sentistreet party. Why do we want to ment touted by you dinghies. help these savages? Do any of those instigating I have studied this problem long and hard and we as a nation this crap, realize the impact you are completely going the wrong have placed on this state? Genway in the Middle East. We der bill be damned. Personally I wont be surshould cut all ties off with the prised to see the first lawsuit. I Arab nations and before it is too late — invade Mexico. Yes I am give you 30 days after school serious. The police and officials resumes, before some dimwit are totally corrupt down there and sneaks into a girls locker or let drug gang prisoners out of restroom, accosts a student their cells at night, arm them, give under the pretext that he is entithem cars and let them go out on tled to be there. I can only hope the public massacres and killing and torturholds you totally responsible. ing sprees, and then returning to their cells at night. Meanwhile, That you pay from your pockets most of the cocaine, heroin and the litigation about to occur. Mr. Brown , let it be known methamphetamine in the USA is my taxes will be paid under coming straight from Mexico. How long are we going to tol- protest. I don't want a single erate this as a nation? Millions of lousy cent going to defend your our young men are in prisons now stupidity. You may call this crap emanon account of using these illegal cipation, I call it a pernicious drugs from Mexico. Why don't we fight fire with fire — train and perpetration Where in hell are arm our non-violent drug offend- your minds? Thad Blanchard Sr., Gerber ers in prison, and send them to Eve of war Turn Politicians 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. 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 ridor. Wardens should spend more time catching poachers and less time raiding pot gardens. The high cost of a fishing license only affects two classes of people, low-income working class citizens and retired working class citizens. The $40 or $50 fishing license fee is nothing to upper middle class yuppies from the big cities that are willing to pay $200-300 a day to fish waterways on private land to catch and release genetically altered hybrid trout bred for fast growth and size. Neither are they so concerned about access to public land such as the 2 million acres in the Sierras. The working class citizens rely on public land to pursue a hunting, fishing or any other outdoor recreational experience and are the silent majority until they come upon a closed gate or trailheads moved and roads ripped up to deny access to public land. For low-income working class or retired people to enjoy an outdoor recreational experience, access to public land is very important. California has the largest number of people living in poverty of any state, worse than Mississippi, worse than West Virginia, worse than Nevada. Yet the liberals that control the state continue to tax and spend us into oblivion. When it comes to no fishing license or over-charging for a license, I say to Mr. Bird, good luck. The Tehama County Fish and Game Commission meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Court House Annex Conference Room E at 8 a.m. The commission agenda is posted on Tehama County's web page — http://www.co.tehama.ca.us/. Les Wolfe, Red Bluff Commentary A New Yorker's view of gun control During my last visit to New York City, I stumbled into an unexpected discussion about its restrictive gun polices. The discussion occurred after I ducked into a coffee shop. The place was empty except for three transit employees. "I don't know why the kid shot me," said one of the men. "But I got myself some protection now." Curious, I introduced myself and asked the fellow about his story. "One day three years ago," he said, "I'm sitting in my Brooklyn neighborhood in my 2008 Lincoln, eating a sandwich. "This kid comes up to the passenger side and tells me how nice my car is. A lot of people compliment my ride, so I think nothing of it. "But then he tells me to give him the keys. I think he's kidding, so I laugh. He pulls out a gun — a 9-mm handgun, I think. "I tell the kid I don't want no trouble. I open the door to start getting out. But then I make a big mistake. When he reaches through the window to grab my keys, I grab the keys before he can get them. "He says, 'I'm gonna pop you, man!' I look into his eyes and they're black as death. Then BOOM! "The next thing I know, I wake hooked up to all kind of wires in the hospital and the doctor is telling me how lucky I am. The bullet hit me in the right shoulder and passed out the left armpit — just missing my heart. "That was three years ago, but I'm OK now. I guess it wasn't my time to go." I was spellbound by his story and the matter-of-fact way he told it, but his story grew more fascinating when he told me how he now is breaking the law to protect himself and his family. "In New York," he said, "the gun laws are so strict, the majority of people who have them are the criminals. Maybe if you're a small-business owner or have some other valid reason for pro- guns that flood the city, most are in the hands of the tecting yourself, you criminals. might get a permit to Thus, if you can't carry. But if you're a get a permit to carry regular guy like me, — which is difficult to forget about it. do in New York — and "But I live on the you choose to arm Brooklyn-Queens boryourself for personal der, and in that part of protection, you town there's only one become a criminal. way to protect your"What if you use an self — you got to let illegal weapon to the punks know you're shoot someone who packing heat. tries to shoot you or "So I bought myself Tom steal your car?" I a street gun that I carry asked the transit workwith me everywhere. er. "Won't you face Lots of the decent peocharges yourself?" ple in my neighbor"Maybe so," he said, "but at hood are carrying illegal guns. least I'll be around to do the It's the only thing we can do." The fellow knew what he was explaining." talking about. Tom Purcell, a humor A Cato Institute study found that 60 percent of criminals columnist for the Pittsburgh would not attack if they knew a Tribune-Review, is nationally potential victim were carrying a syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper gun. In New York City, though, it's syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web the criminals, not the innocent at www.TomPurcell.com or ehim at civilians, who are often armed. mail Of the estimated 400,000 illegal Purcell@caglecartoons.com. Purcell