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6A Daily News – Wednesday, September 18, 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 Population Editor: In Dr. Joe Harrop's column on Saturday, Sept. 15 he tells us our 40 state senators each represent about 920,000 people while our 80 assembly members each represent 1.8 million. Maybe he will elaborate on his math when he writes more on the State of Jefferson. I look forward to reading it. Jack Fennel, Dairyville Traffic in Los Molinos Editor: Mr. Bunker is correct concerning my error on the location of the Sherman accident. That was, as he pointed out, based on erroneous information in the Daily News. However, the next day I made several trips through and around the accident site on Sherman and noted several options to improve the traffic safety in the area. I then wrote you an updated letter and included a handmade map. I guess you didn't read it even though I hand delivered it. You certainly didn't take the time to drive all the way down to Los Molinos to investigate my suggestions for yourself. I guess you could call Sherwood a primary thoroughfare through town although I would hesitate to use that phrase myself. It is a street through the residential part of town and passes nearby two schools so the speed limit should be of primary concern. The mere fact that it is a primary artery through Los Molinos makes it all the more important to have a left turn lane where it intersects with 99E. My other suggestion was in regards to the apparent differences in the speed limits, and signage coming into Los Molinos from the north or the south. Mr. Bunker seems to think that the two avoidable traffic deaths in the last year in a town of 2,000 inhabitants isn't all that significant. I however think that adding those to the fatal crash on Tehama Vina Road, the two fatal accidents in Dairyville and the one fatal accident in Vina, a stretch of road 14 miles long, in two years, is a bit more than one should expect, and certainly more than one should accept. Maybe instead of publishing that letter about my mistaken intersection ID, you could have written something about how the state's going to invest $750,000 in landscaping on 15 to the beautification of the freeway and the benefit of the birds. Really all I want is for the state engineers to take a hard look at the whole situation in Los Molinos and finish what they started. You don't suppose that was Mr. Bunker that sailed by me, over the double yellow lines at about 50 mph on Sherwood, as I was turning onto Mill Race this morning do you? Fred Boest, Red Bluff democracy a week before, looked it up again, just to be Editor: sure. The dictionary says An Aug. 13 Daily News "government by the people, article on the Bowman fire sta- directly or through represention included the statement tatives, a country, etc. with that $300,000 of your taxes such a government, equality will be spent for a of rights, opportuni785 square foot addity, and treatment." Your tion because Fire As usual, he's talkChief Schori said the ing the usual bull. single restroom is not He's the master of it. conductive to the A talk show host three or four people said the other day, serving on duty at he same exactly what I've thought for time. Times have certainly a long time. This president changed from the 1925 to had the perfect opportunity to 1960 era when my family of unite, bring races together, a 12 kids and mom and dad chance of a lifetime. shared a single bathroom in He totally blew it but I our four bedroom city home. believe I know why. I've It must have worked as we always thought he came from completed high school, four nowhere, someone behind enlisted in the Army, Navy, him, maybe multiple big shots Marines, and Air Force, and put him in place, got him half of us completed college. elected and he's just the pupBarracks or dorm life sleeping pet for those who are pulling and bathroom sharing contin- the strings. The only name I ued. Our 4 kids shared a single can think of is Soros, I know bathroom during their early there are others. years and I suspect many do My sister lives in Arizona, today. on a recent visit, we were Many today live a life of lux- talking about our truckers ury on others tax dollars. com- having to retrofit their trucks. pared to higher poverty, but self A friend of mine is giving it funded without welfare, in the up. Can't afford it. My sister pre-1960 era. said she read in the paper at Joseph Neff, Corning home, our government is paying for the Mexican truckers' retrofitting. You know, I can believe that. Editor: So much for democracy. I President Obama's short pray we can survive another speech had mention of democracy several times. I three years. Bernice Cressy, had heard the definition of Cottonwood Bowman station Turn Democracy 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 Health really is everything His neck and underarms were swollen. His skin itched, particularly on his arms. Sleeping at night was impossible. The symptoms started five years ago. He was 50 then. He'd been fit and healthy all his life. The diagnosis was not pleasant. He had contracted chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a cancer, says mayoclinic.com, of the blood and bone marrow — bone marrow being "the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made." CLL affects a group of white blood cells called lymphocytes, which help the body fight infection. It produces abnormal, ineffective lymphocytes. The abnormal cells may eventually crowd out the healthy cells, killing the patient. The silver lining: CLL typically progresses more slowly than other types of leukemia. Initially, doctors monitored the disease's progress. He would not receive his first chemotherapy treatment for six months. The treatment eased his symptoms quickly. He was symptom-free for almost one year. But the abnormal cells continued to multiply. His second chemo treatment staved them off for five more months. One challenge with chemo is that the body quickly becomes resistant to it. Doctors have to apply different chemo blends to overcome resistance. For the next few years, the different blends worked well. Until November 2012. His leukemia transformed from a chronic disease to a more aggressive form, acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). AML multiples abnormal cells at an aggressive rate, posing a real concern for the patient. But he still had plenty of hope. All he needed was the right chemo treatment to beat back and stabilize the illness. Then he could receive a bone marrow transplant from a donor. That procedure would "help re-establish healthy stem cells by replacing unhealthy bone marrow with leukemia-free stem cells that will regenerate healthy bone marrow," says mayoclinic.com . He had a donor lined up and took a heavy dosage of chemo, but he did not stabilize. He lined up another donor and was almost ready for the transplant, but his body failed to stabilize again. Now he is fighting for his help heal others like Don (go to life. His doctors are pulling out marrow.org). At the very least, all the stops, applying we can donate blood the most aggressive on a regular basis. blends of chemo they Patients like Don need have. But the AML whole blood almost has resisted and gotdaily. ten stronger. The docBut mainly I write tors say there is only a about Don because he 20-percent chance the is an amazing father, new treatment will husband, son, brother work. and friend. Those of What's worse is us lucky to know him that chemo wreaks can't image a world havoc on the body. without him in it. Each aggressive treatTom Don knows better ment requires a than most that too lengthy hospital stay. many of us take our That is where he is as blessings for granted. you read this. His name is Don Krieger, a He knows that this old maxim friend of mine and my family's is true: "If you have your for more than 40 years. He's health, you really do have one of the funniest, most cheer- everything." We pray that he beats the ful people you could ever meet. And all who know him marvel odds and makes it back to good at the grace and humor with health. which he is fighting this disTom Purcell, a humor ease. columnist for the Pittsburgh I share his story for the simple reason that he, and so many Tribune-Review, is nationally like him, could use our prayers. syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper Prayer works. I write about him because syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web we can all do something to help at www.TomPurcell.com or ehim at him. We can consider becom- mail ing bone marrow donors to Purcell@caglecartoons.com. Purcell