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6A – Daily News – Tuesday, November 23, 2010 Opinion Linda Griggs Editor: 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 A year ago today, Linda Griggs 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 was found beaten to death in her home in Corning. Her longtime live-in boyfriend, Steven Piazza was arrested that same day. Two weeks ago, Steven Piazza was sen- tenced to eleven years in state prison for the voluntary manslaughter killing of Linda Griggs. By the year 2021 at the lat- est, he will have served this sen- tence and be paroled. As for Linda Griggs, she is gone forever. Linda worked for the Coming Union Elementary School District as a paraprofessional for twenty- four years. She also handled the district's employee absent call-in duties, calling substitutes to work for absent certificated and classi- fied staff. I first became acquainted with Linda in 1997, when I began substituting for the school district as a secretary. Linda usually called at around 6:15 a.m. when she need- ed me. She always began the con- versation with an apology for call- ing so early in the mornings. When I finally met her in person, we were already familiar with each other, having exchanged information about our lives and families. We were the same age, but her children were grown while my children were in middle school. Still, we had much in common and I con- sidered her a friend, although we did not run in the same social cir- cles. When her youngest daughter Rhianna Piazza was born, she described Rhianna as a special blessing from God. I remember seeing Linda at Walmart's with a shopping cart full of grandchildren and Rhianna, having the best time with all of them. Linda always had a smile for anyone who crossed her path. She was a wonderful person. When my own personal life began to unravel, I told her of my inten- tions to separate from my husband. She listened and told me that life was too short to be unhappy. Little did I know the extent other well- guarded misery. I knew her rela- tionship with Rhianna's father was not the best, but she never talked about how volatile he was. Domes- tic Violence is not something one talks about, until something serious happens. During the next-to-last physical altercation I had with my now ex- husband in April 2009, I sustained injuries which required medical attention. I called Linda that evening to request a substitute for me, as I did not feel I would be able to work the next day. Linda was not required to look for substitutes for the school district until 6 a.m. in the mornings. I explained what had happened, and she found a substi- tute for me within twenty minutes. When Linda called me back to tell me of the substitute, she also vol- unteered to pick me up and take me to the hospital that evening. She was ready to put Rhianna in the car and come to my aid, no questions asked. I refused her offer and man- aged to bandage up my wounds while spending the night in the car. Although I had been locked out of the house by my ex-husband, I did not want to seek emergency med- ical care, as I would have had to report this domestic violence inci- dent to law enforcement. This would have resulted in an arrest of my ex-husband. This is a common characteristic of the battered woman syndrome. Even after being battered, the woman still seeks to protect her batterer. As with Linda Griggs’ private life, I, too, never called the police when my husband became violent. I remained in the marriage for the sake of my children, and I did whatever it took to maintain the intact family home. When my youngest son was in his last year of college, I started saving money to move out. With the emotional support of friends and family, Linda Griggs included, plus professional help from a good therapist, I was able to break the cycle of domestic violence in my life. In Linda Griggs’ case, she paid the ultimate price for remaining in a violent, troubled relationship. Seven months after Linda helped me that night in April 2009, she was beaten to death by the father of her youngest child. In Loving Memory of Linda Iris Griggs (Dec. 12, 1953- Nov. 23, 2009). Daugh- ter, mother, grandmother, sister, a friend to all. We will never forget you. Vickie Darnell, Corning Learning from a mistake Editor: With reference the Nov. 13 let- ter from RBUHS cheerleader Brit- tany Tatro, this teenager deserves compliments for her apology to the family offended by her cheerlead- ing group's decision to concentrate the final minutes of a game on photo ops instead of the football game. Teens and young adults are learning the process of making mature adult decisions and there will be mistakes that occur from a lack of experience. Many adults never learn to make responsible choices, as evidenced by the credit and sub-prime home mortgage cri- sis that has burdened taxpayers with out of control Federal and State deficit spending. Miss Tatro's letter to the editor was very mature. As the father of four and the grandparent of 11, I Your Turn would be proud if I were the parent of Miss Tatro for her letter of apol- ogy and her learning from the experience. Instead of having heli- copter parents hover over every action of a teen or college age stu- dent, it is apparent Miss Tatro's parents have acted responsibly in let- ting their teen daughter make responsible, life learning, decisions. Congratulations to Miss Tatro and her parents. Joseph J. Neff, Corning Bus request Editor: I’m responding to Larry W. Gray’s letter concerning Mary- bel Torres and her lack of satis- faction with Shasta College’s response to her unfortunate experience on a field trip. Gray wrote, “What does Ms. Torres want, the driver terminat- ed for his unforgivable act? What would satisfy Ms. Torres' traumatic experience on that fateful bus trip? I would suggest that Marybel Torres take a deep breath, grow a thicker skin and get a life before any more state monies are wasted on her ridiculous and childish tantrum with the Shasta College bus dri- ver. What nonsense.” Interesting. I was just won- dering: is the bus driver’s action — asking Torres and her friend to move seats because they were speaking Spanish — akin to a white bus driver asking Rosa Parks, a Negro, to move to the back of that Montgomery, Ala. bus? Maybe Ms. Torres sees it that way; our history certainly does. Therefore, why should anyone minimize her requests? Pat Gleason, 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. Thanksgivings of yore Commentary The fourth Thursday of November is definitely the bestest holiday. Food, Family, Friends and Football. Four of the five F’s. I most fondly remember the Thanksgivings of yesteryear. The big, old family reunions, which I looked forward to, until about five seconds after I hit the driveway, then it all comes back… why I left home. And they always made me sit at that stupid fold-up cardboard kids’ table. Never got to graduate to the wooden table because none of them would die. Darn medical advances. Thanksgiving was my mother’s designated holiday, and she thought she was cooking for the Eighth Tank Battalion. Every year she’d seek out a mutant poultry farm and buy a turkey the size of a La-Z-Boy recliner, so it was turkey for weeks. Turkey till YOU trot. Turkey sandwiches, turkey salad, turkey a la king, turkey shakes, until finally, turkey carcass in hot water. Soup? No, Ma, it's skeleton juice. Gobble till you wobble. These were potluck occasions, with every family responsible for schlepping their version of a vision of a side dish. Lime Jell-O with olive shreds in it. Because green food is nutritious food. Oys- ter-raisin dressing. Lamb pudding. Creamed rutabaga. Beet-pear slaw. Hollowed-out pickles filled with ranch dressing and cheese curds. Herring balls. Thirteen-bean salad. No, I wish I were making this up. I had no idea there were 13 different types of edible beans. I had no desire to eat them all at one sitting. I cer- tainly would not have chosen to be in a houseful of 23 other people who had eaten 13 types of edible beans. “Crack a window, Billy. Well, break it then.” Candle flames turning blue all over the house. “Methane is our friend." Dinner is delayed because my mother’s sister is late, and four assembled families who last ate at breakfast are taunted by the fowl perfume of a roasting turkey for six hours and are as frenzied as coyotes suspended over a yard full of wounded bunnies. All of the nuts and chips and some of the throw-pillows and smaller chil- dren have long since disappeared. My aunt finally arrives accom- panied by her bizarre mystery food. Seems innocent enough; a glass Pyrex dish with tinfoil on top. International symbol for normal food, I believe. But no, it’s a food ruse. A culinary ambush. Lift the foil and this stench shoots straight up. Ceiling tiles curl- ing at the edges. Three rooms away watching football, grown men go, “The hell was that?” Chil- dren crying uncon- trollably, “Daddy, I’m scared.” A greasy, grey mass that appeared to be boiling, but is nowhere near any apparent heat source. Round, misshapen objects floating to the surface. Nobody would go near it. Some- body made a feeble attempt and the spoon broke. Mom elbows me in the side: "Billy, try some of Aunt Hoogolah's Dupamouche." "Okay, Ma, let me get a separate Will Durst Raging Moderate plate." The old separate plate trick. We lost more animals that way. The evening ends with two matriarchs locked in a mor- tal death clinch, bumping bellies on the back porch with 100 mm. menthols dangling from their mouths while their spouses trade wild, drunken blows on the driveway and the kids pelt them with greasy poultry bones from behind raked piles of leaves. Aah, mem- ories. And that was way back in 2009. Some tradi- tions never die. This year, I’m bringing the Dupamouche. Will Durst is a San Francisco-based humor columnist who frequently tells jokes. Out loud. On stage. In front of people. Ideally. His new CD, “Raging Moderate,” is now available from Stand Up! Records on iTunes and Amazon. Early next year: “Where the Rogue Things Go!” from Ulysses Press