Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/198390
6A Daily News – Thursday, October 24, 2013 Opinion Virginia's other choice 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. 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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 ARLINGTON, Va. -- When William F. Buckley, running as the Conservative Party's candidate for mayor of New York in 1965, was asked what he would do if he won, he replied: "Demand a recount." Robert Sarvis, Libertarian Party candidate for governor of Virginia, will not need to do this. Hours before Gallup reported record nationwide support -- 60 percent -- for a third party to leaven politics, Sarvis was declared ineligible for the final debate for gubernatorial candidates because he fell a tad short of a 10 percent average in recent polls. None of this disturbed his leisurely enjoyment of a tuna-burger lunch before sauntering off in search of free media, about the only kind he can afford. Equanimity is his default position and almost his political platform: Why be agitated when your frenzied adversaries are splendidly making your case about the poverty of standard political choices? The Democratic and Republican candidates, Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli, each say no good can come from electing the other fellow; Sarvis amiably agrees with both. In Sarvis, the man and the moment have met. He is running at a time of maximum distrust of established institutions, including the two major parties. He has little money but McAuliffe and Cuccinelli have spent millions of dol- lars on broadcast ads making each other repulsive to many Virginians who surely feel as Will Rogers did: "You got to admit that each party is worse than the other." Furthermore, the partial shutdown of the government especially annoyed Sarvis' state, which has the nation's second highest per capita federal spending (Alaska is first) -- northern Virginia is a dormitory for federal workers and southern Virginia's military installations include the world's largest naval complex. At the national level, the most potent third-party candidates have had vivid personalities and burning issues: Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, taming corporations; Strom Thurmond in 1948, asserting regional grievances relating to race; George Wallace in 1968, venting class and cultural resentments; Ross Perot in 1992, shrinking the federal deficit. Sarvis is more bemused than burning. During an intermission in the telecast of a notably disagreeable McAuliffe-Cuccinelli debate, viewers heard from their television sets a woman's voice asking, "Can't vote for these guys?" Then Sarvis' voice: "Like you, I can't vote for Ken Cuccinelli's narrow-minded social agenda. I want a Virginia that's open-minded and welcoming to all. And like you, I don't want Terry McAuliffe's cronyism either, where government picks winners and losers. Join me, and together polls that reinforce the judgment we can build a Virginia that's that he is not newsworthy. But he is. open-minded and open William Buckley for business." won only 13.4 percent McAuliffe is an of the 1965 mayoralty enthusiast for, and has vote but he energized a prospered from, governgrowing constituency ment "investments" in and legitimized the preferred industries, practice of voting outwhich is a recipe for side the confines of crony capitalism. Cuctraditional political cinelli is a stern social choices. Five years conservative, an oppolater, the New York nent of, among other Conservative Party's things, gay marriage. U.S. Senate candidate Marriage equality interests Sarvis (whose moth- George F. -- Buckley's brother Jim -- was elected with er is Chinese) because 38.8 percent of the his wife is Africanvote in a three-way American, so his marriage would have been illegal in race. Third-party candidacies are Virginia before the exquisitely titled 1967 U.S. Supreme Court said to be like bees -- they sting, then die. Still, Sarvis is enabling decision Loving v. Virginia. Sarvis, who is 37 and may look voters to register dissatisfaction that old in a decade or so, gradu- with the prevailing political duopated from Harvard with a mathe- oly. Markets are information-genmatics degree, earned a law erating mechanisms, and Virdegree from New York Universi- ginia's political market is sending, ty and clerked in Mississippi for a through Sarvis, signals to the two judge on the 5th U.S. Circuit durable parties. "The saddest life," said the Court of Appeals. After a spell as a mathematics graduate student at dyspeptic H.L. Mencken, "is that Berkeley, Sarvis worked for a San of a political aspirant under Francisco tech startup, then democracy. His failure is ignoearned a master's degree in eco- minious and his success is disnomics at George Mason Univer- graceful." Sarvis will escape both sity. In 2011, he ran as a Republi- fates. can against the state Senate He George Will's email address is must scrounge for media attention because he fares poorly in georgewill@washpost.com. Will Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 150 Amber Grove Drive, Ste. 154, 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 The toughest play I ever saw Patty is one of the people behind the scenes at the Daily News that makes it possible to have a newspaper everyday. You see her work everyday, just her name's not attached to it. She's one of our production crew, responsible for assembling the advertisements you see throughout the paper and figuring out on which pages they belong. She's also a caring grandmother. I used to think so just because she keeps graham crackers at her desk and everyone knows good grandmothers always have graham crackers readily available. Last week I learned another reason why she's a caring grandmother. She was glad her grandson wasn't going to be allowed to play in Red Bluff Union High School's Homecoming football game. If that sounds like sports blasphemy, I would agree with you — 10 years ago. Heck, maybe even just a couple of years ago. Patty doesn't hate football. She actually has grandsons on the varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams. She goes to as many games as she can. A few weeks ago when Red Bluff was unknowingly beating Chico by losing 61-20 on the field, Patty took advantage of the blowout to leave early and babysit some other grandkids. I ran into her at halftime as she was leaving. As if she felt guilty, she explained her reasons for leaving. I thought that no Red Bluff fan needed an excuse — after all the players themselves didn't exactly show up that night. On the first play of the second half, Patty's grandson, Jared Poore, returned the kickoff. Jared made a nice little return and as the players started getting up from the pile, Jared took a bit longer than most. He started coming toward the sideline and then dropped to one knee. He was eventually brought to the sideline, where the good people at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy and Wellness Center, Dr. Riico Dotson and Lonnie Scott, checked him out. It seemed Jared had suffered a concussion. Back at work a few days later, Patty told me that Jared had indeed suffered a concussion and the coaches weren't going to allow him to play in the Homecoming game. Patty said she was glad. I knew what she meant. She wasn't glad Jared was going to miss the game, she was glad there were responsible people making that decision for him. I'm a huge sports fan and like most I probably am a little sick of constantly hearing about concus- I wish I would have told him sions and the tinkering with the game of football in the spirit of that sitting out of an important game like he was doing being safe. was a way bigger disBut at the same time play of toughness than what I do hope is haptaking the field against pening around the counthe doctors' orders. try are situations that Even the medical mirror this one. Responstaff and coaches, who sible people making order a player to sit, are responsible decisions for showing their toughothers. ness. Most Spartan fans When the Homecomknow, they could have ing game started the used Jared. Spartans put together In football, we used one of the coolest team to think playing through introductions I have seen Rich a concussion was being as the team came down manly — then again we through the stands filled were ignorant to their with their friends and effects. family, dressed in their With more knowledge gained black uniforms to Johnny Cash's we can't hide behind ignorance "God's Gonna Cut You Down." It sure had me fired up for the anymore. We have to call players who still play and the coaches game. But as the Spartans started their who let them what they are — stupregame routine on the field, I pid. Jared's memories of Homeglanced over to the bench where Jared was sitting, desperately try- coming will be different from the ones he envisioned throughout his ing to control his emotions. Head coach Corey Hein made high school career. However what I think his his way over to Jared and gave him grandmother believes is 30 years a big hug. When he left I went over and from now he'll be grateful he's tried to cheer up Patty's grandson. still able to remember the ones he He looked at me and the senior made. muttered, "It's my last one." Rich Greene can be I responded back something about just being a good teammate reached at 527-2151, Ext. 109, or by email at tonight. I wish better words had come to rgreene@redbluffdailynews.c om. me at the time. Greene