Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/21897
4A – Daily News – Thursday, December 23, 2010 Opinion Tolerance 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 needed Editor: not have Why is it that those who do faith in Jesus Christ continue to put up such a fuss about the fact that others do and find joy in saying so? Christians have a right to 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 Ever been stuck in holiday traffic fighting to be stuck in a holiday cashier’s line so you can purchase low-price pre- sents on your high-balance Visa listening to high-volume holiday music and think, "Why am I doing this to myself?! I don’t even really like Christ- mas. It’s just a scheme to get me to gain more weight and gain more debt." When you’re broke, there’s nothing like Christmas to make you feel bad about yourself. Nothing shatters one’s con- tentment more quickly than that ever-looping commercial in which a guy buys his wife a bow-wrapped $100K Lexus as a "surprise." Every time it airs I think to myself, "My husband would have to put just that bow on layaway, and I’d still know." But if you confess this deep- est of secrets – this latent loathing of holiday "cheer" and the futile materialism of these now six weeks out of the year — someone inevitably hurls the accusation: What are you…a Scrooge? Yes, Englishman Charles Dickens penned an American Classic. His A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, is now a sta- ple of the season. It’s been re- express in public places what they think and believe just as muchas any other American. Don't like it? Then don't read it; ignore it. No one will care. Leave the Christians alone. Freedom of speech is their right as well as anyone else's. Chris- tians do not have to walk around on eggshells to make everyone else comfortable. A loving tolerance is what is needed on all sides. That's one of the things that has made America so great. Virginia Hall, Red Bluff Two Holiday classics Editor: ThE RBUHS Holiday Clas- sic basketball tournament was, as usual, a huge success. I real- ize a tremendous amount of planning and decision making is needed to accomplish this. It requires a huge amount of work by many employees at the high school and many volunteers. I noticed a man in particular that never, never stopped work- ing. When the sound system in the gym decided to shut down he was right there. It was evi- dent he had many duties let alone bringing food to those working the score table. He was constantly checking in with other workers to make sure everything was going smoothly. Seldom did he walk, usually he ran. His title? Technical director? Tournament director? I don't know, but Joe Palubeski deserves so much credit for his tremendous effort to make sure the Holiday Classic Basketball Tourney ran as smoothly as it did. The other Holiday Classic? The Red Bluff Vineyard Fellow- ship Christmas musical that took place last Sunday. Too often I have attended plays locally where the actors could not be heard or participation was too low keyed. This presentation was price- less. The young cast could all be heard easily. They all knew their various parts and sang the songs loud and clear. The little 5-year-olds were unbelievably precious. Those responsible for this play are too numerous to mention, but their four weeks of preparation truly paid off. Many thanks to everyone involved in these recent classics. Nora Rick, Red Bluff Dispensaries Editor: Cities and counties across California are being sued or threatened to be sued if they don’t concede to the whims of the marijuana groups. The deficit caused by the economy has put fear in the local govern- ments that these lawsuits might drain their budgets. The law firm of E.D. Lerman and J. David Nick has filed a class action suit against Tehama County. They claim their plain- tiff’s rights under the Prop.215 cultivation for their medical marijuana for themselves are being violated by adopting ordinances that restrict how much a caregiver can grow. Ms.Lerman told a group of hundreds who showed up and signed on for this class-action-lawsuit at a meeting in April, "They can’t take every- one’s rights away. California law states (medical marijuana) patients can have whatever they need for themselves and for col- lectives." Ms. Lerman also told the people, "to start raising money to cover some of the costs the lawsuit will incur." However, this is being financially support- ed by California NORML, a pro- medical marijuana group wanti- ng to reform marijuana laws. Knowing these groups are out to bully cities and counties into allowing them to do as they please or they will bankrupt them with lawsuits is extortion. I for one believe these lawsuits should be thrown out of court on the grounds they’re frivolous suits as the proponent can pre- sent no rational argument based upon the evidence or law in sup- port of that claim or defense. These poor gullible people, Your Turn is arrested, isn’t it their burden to prove that their medical condition needs that amount to maintain in a normal daily lifestyle? And if they claim it is for a collective wouldn’t they have to prove who they’re a caregiver for? Plus prove they are a non- profit? It would seem to me that in this class- action-lawsuit each per- don’t they know the only money makers of class-action-lawsuits are the lawyers? Cities and coun- ties can establish higher but not lower guidelines. However if a marijuana patient gets caught with over the limit allocated and son would have to prove their own rights violation as each per- son would have individual needs, they can’t all have the same med- ical condition or the same person they’re caring for. Hmm. Would- n’t the court have to have the doc- tors who recommended marijua- na to these individuals testify to the fact this patient needs this much medication? Dispensaries are illegal. You cannot sell marijuana, or make a profit, that is repeated through- out Prop 215 and SB 420. So they call themselves collectives or cooperatives and want cus- tomers to claim they are their caregiver. The A.B.C., a state agency, has denied collectives a liquor license for a party claim- ing collectives do not fall under nonprofit classification, as claimed on their application. My interpretation of this means cities and counties would be breaking the law if they gave dispensaries, collectives, and cooperatives a "not for profit" business license. If a state agency can deny a license say- ing they don’t qualify as a non- profit then these businesses would be operating illegally either way. Kathy Nelson, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3063 Sacramento, 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. We are not Scrooges Commentary made, re-hashed and re-imag- ined more times than John McCain’s political convictions. In the story a stingy old man hates Christmas until ghosts scare him into being generous. He ends up loving the holiday and all the trimmings. However, Dickens unknow- ingly created a character who is now used as propaganda to quash all voices of Christmas Present dissent. The dreaded: You are a Scrooge. To which I say: No, I am not. If you read the tale, Scrooge is — wait for it — rich. This is a widespread yule- tide misnomer. It must be stopped now. I’m not even going to comment on Christ never envisioning his birthday plagued by obligatory tchotchke acquisitions; sense- less seasonal slaughter of Dou- glas Firs; or the pointless battle about Walmart greeters mutter- ing "Happy Holidays" (a con- traction of holy days) versus the more allegedly pious "Merry Christmas" to an indif- ferent public. Charles Dickens, an advo- cate for the poor, certainly never meant for Ebenezer Scrooge’s name to be applied to those with a paycheck the size of Bob Cratchit’s. Bob Cratchit — Scrooge's underpaid underling — is nice to people all year round even though he’s paid hardly anything. You know, Tiny Tim’s dad. That’s who 98 percent of Americans are. We’re a nation of Bob Cratchits who are terrified of being Scrooges. Yes, the difference between a venerable philanthropist and a charitable person — is a charitable person works for a living. But we want the picture-perfect holi- day gift-buying guidebook Christmas. So we fret, agonize and figure out a way. We create for ourselves unnecessary annual stress. And then it all goes on a credit card with inter- est paid perennially. All because we don’t want to be seen as a miser. We have to do Christmas, or we haven’t done something right. Not giving on Christmas is a moral shortcoming. Or so we’re told. Not having money? A sin. In a Dickensian reality, if we Tina Dupuy haven’t made enough money to fall in a certain tax bracket the Ghost of Christmas Past won’t even waste his time with us. Any apparitions 98 percent of us see are from the 90-proof in our eggnog. Holiday ghosts and specters — we’ll call them executive bonuses. From Cratchit’s point of view he just worked hard, enjoyed his family and was pleasantly surprised when his boss had a change of heart. The U.S. poverty rate is now at 14.3 percent. Our current unemployment is 9.3 percent. Our once robust mid- dle-class is looking a little ane- mic. The vast majority of us are stretched thin. My point is: It’s time to lighten up…mainly on ourselves. We are not Scrooges. We do, Tina Dupuy is an award- winning writer and fill-in host at The Young Turks. Tina can be reached at tinadupuy@yahoo.com. however, work for some -----