Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/23563
6A – Daily News – Saturday, January 22, 2011 Opinion Law is clear 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 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 Why is the city of Corning dragging its feet in moving rapidly to rule Jesse Lopez ineligible to be seated on the city council? Politics and personalities need to be set aside and the ruling be rendered in compliance with the clear provi- sions of California law. City Attorney Fitzpatrick only refers to the Government Code in his media interviews. Why hasn’t he made mention of the State Con- stitution and Penal Code? The State Constitution, Article 7 states, "Laws shall be made to exclude persons convicted of bribery, perjury, forgery, malfea- sance in office, or other high crimes from office." CA Govern- ment Code, Section 1021, states, "A person is disqualified from holding any office upon conviction of designated crimes in the Consti- tution and laws of the State." Penal Code, Section 1203.4(a) provides that individuals convicted of mis- demeanors or felonies can petition to have the convictions expunged - but it also very specifically pro- vides, "Dismissal of an accusation or information underlying a con- viction pursuant to this section does not permit a person prohibit- ed from holding public office as a result of that conviction to hold public office." Mr. Lopez’s conviction of felony forgery clearly disqualifies him holding public office as a City Council member. This could have been resolved before the election without all the embarrassment and controversy if Jesse had only dis- closed his felony conviction before running; especially given that he now admits that he was aware of the law but simply felt it didn’t apply to him. John Richards, Corning Evolution, God Editor: My name is Madison Stevens. I'm a freshman at Red Bluff High School. In my Biology class we have been discussing Nancy God- ina's and Evan Hinton's letters con- cerning the teachings of God and evolution. I have read some of the com- ments of the blogs, and I too have commented on them. I understand that every one has a different opin- ion, but, also people need to respect each other’s ideas and opinions. They need to undertsand that they can't forcefully change others minds, or be rude to them about it. I'm 14 and understand these things, so why can't the adults of our time? It's not the teachers’ faults for teaching us this subject, it's the state’s curriculum that we learn this. I learned this in 7th grade. When my teacher told us we would be learning about Dar- win, I thought, "It's wrong, and I don't have to learn this." Then when I was talking to my grandma about this she told me that I still needed to learn this topic. She said that I needed to know that people had other opin- ions, other than my own. She also said that it was important that I know every theory, law or fact about it. Because when I get older I would need to make my own choice about what I believed. They don't teach about God in a scienece class because that is not a scienece subject, but a history sub- ject. And they teach us about Christianity, Islam, Buddism, along with other religions through- out the middle school years. They may not go into depth with them, but they go over the basics and how they started. Would Nancy Godina like her son to be pulled out for that portion of learning? I repsect Evan and Nancy both for stating their opin- ions. Evan went at a different approach for explaining his opi- onons, and made it clear. With out being disrespectful. Just as I'm try- ing to do. I wish everyone would be as understanding as he, instead of being rude and trying to change others’ minds. Madison Stevens, Red Bluff Do the math Editor: As an independent, I try to stay as informed as possible. Both Your Turn major parties are prone to make mistakes, but sometimes they do it on purpose. I would like to correct mistakes by checking out the truth. Independent voters have proven to be a lit- tle too gullible lately and I will try to show the facts by researching what is written in our paper by the left and right leaning people. My first discovery is on what Mr. Polson wrote in one of his columns. He said that since Obama took office the unemploy- ment rate in Tehama County is now at 14 percent. He is absolute- ly right. It has gone up .8 percent from 13.2 percent to 14 percent. But independents beware of what his math doesn’t show. Under Bush, unemployment went up from 7 percent to 13.2 percent. That’s a whopping 6.2 percent rise in Tehama County. That’s almost double. I’ve noticed that, in this paper, sometimes truth is half the story. By the way, the unemployment in the US has dropped down a lot in the last couple of months. Also, the experts say that it could take six years for unemploy- ment to drop back to the normal average range. Independent voters must be prepared to vote Democ- rats in 2010, Republicans in 2014 and probably Democrats in 2016. What can I say, it’s what we do now. Jon Blankenship, 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 — Jerry Brown, 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. Follow the Yellow Brick Road Commentary My wife gave me a Kindle for my birthday and Christmas. I have enjoyed it immensely, download- ing five books. I have already read three and am working on the fourth. We have a moratorium on bookcases in our house, and the Kindle seems like a simple way to honor that. The first book I read was about the American Revolu- tion, comparing the facts with claims made from both the left and right about its true nature. Next I read a novel from the New York Times top one hundred list. The third book was one I had never read, but one I had remem- bered my father reading to me and my brother when we were very young, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum. This is a straightforward children’s tale with no excessive verbiage or col- orful elaboration. The 1939 movie elaborated upon the book, adding color, comedy, and music to what was a rather dry, if imaginative story. Gregory Maguire’s book, Wicked, and the musical that fol- lowed presented a different point of view about Oz. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz did not receive much critical or scholarly attention until the 1960’s when, typical of the times, it was invested with political and social relevance by some in the academic community. My prefer- ence is to take Baum at his word in the preface when he said: “The story …was written solely to please the children of today.” A lot has been claimed about the poisoned atmosphere of public discourse lately. Some have even jumped to the conclusion that it may have caused an apparently deranged young man in Tucson to take a gun and attempt to assassi- nate a Congresswoman, killing at least six others in the process. In light of that concern over public discourse, there may be some lessons in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz that we can all appreciate. As you recall, Dorothy ends up in Oz after a tornado lifts her house up and sets it down on the Wicked Witch of the East in the strange land of Oz. She would like to return to her home in Kansas, and the local residents suggest she follow the yellow brick road to the City of Oz and ask the Wizard to help her. Along the way she encounters three unusual crea- tures that join her in the journey to the Emerald City of Oz. The first character she encoun- ters is the Scarecrow who would like some brains; he is ignorant, but not stupid. The second charac- ter is the Tin Woodman who seeks a heart; something he lost after a terrible accident. The third char- acter is the Cowardly Lion who seeks courage. At some level we need to check to make sure we have used these three same sought after ingredients when we participate in our public discourse. As good citizens we need to use our brains to learn as much as we can about the matters that interest or concern us; we need to ask questions of those who might be in charge of the programs/poli- cies that we worry about. We need to check sources of “information” that comes our way. We can use our reason to make good judg- ments. There is an old saying that “The Good Lord gave us two ears and one tongue; there is a lesson there.” Each of us should remember that. While hearts are nec- essary muscles for us to stay alive, “heart” is also a synonym for empathy and compas- sion. A person with a “good heart” remem- bers that other people have worth, feelings, and unique back- grounds and history; “good hearted” people respect others, even when they disagree with them. They debate issues and do not attack personalities. Karen Armstrong, the former nun and renowned religious historian, has headed up a project, The Charter for Compassion, which promotes the growth in compassion, which it claims is “a principle embraced by every faith and by every moral code.” Regardless of the cause for the recent tragedy in Tucson, one reaction to it has been a call for more civil discourse; whether our fifteen minute attention span can heed that is a good question, but the “new” rhetoric may be a step in the right direction. As adults we know it's not like when we were children, who could just lose our tempers, point fingers, and say, "I'm going to take my ball and go home." We are all connected; pouting doesn't solve anything, and it makes us even more isolated from the reality we are part of. Courage is a word Joe Harrop derived from a word meaning heart. Courage is equated with bravery, the willingness to face difficulty or danger. If we have used our brains, considered oth- ers, and want to speak out, we should have the courage to speak out in an appropriate manner rather than let our con- cerns fester and infect us to the point of anger, irrational- ity, and sickness. It takes courage to speak publicly, but if we have prepared ourselves by examining facts and considering others, we need to speak out so that the pub- lic dialogue can continue. It sounds trite, but if we speak out with preparation and heart, we will be part of the solution, not the problem. Perhaps we can change the atmosphere of public discourse even if we cannot solve the prob- lem of helping deranged individ- uals. Wouldn't that be wonderful. Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.