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4A – Daily News – Monday, January 24, 2011 Opinion Fifty years to fruition 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 \It was less than fifty years ago that Martin Luther King spoke to throngs of followers at the Lincoln Monument to demand equal pro- tection and opportunity under the law in his "I have a dream" speech so today a black American serves in the highest office of the land. This is a compelling demonstra- tion of our abilities to evolve both individually and as a nation to fully appreciate the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pur- suit of happiness stated in our Dec- laration of Independence. These events also underscore the arduous struggles and immense patience necessary to fully appreciate what it means to be an American as we perfect our union. Many documents now echo the phrase used in the United States Declaration of Independence. The preamble to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts that rights are inalienable: "recognition of the inherent digni- ty and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of free- dom, justice and peace in the world." Article 1 of our California Constitution recognizes inalien- able rights, and articulated some of those rights as "defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy." Nonetheless there is still much dispute over which "rights" are truly natural rights and which are not, and the concept of natural or inalienable rights is still controversial. It was just over fifty years ago that Ike Eisenhower said in his farewell speech as president, "Until the latest of our world con- flicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast pro- portions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations." "This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, politi- cal even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the mili- tary/industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of mis- placed power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endan- ger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge indus- trial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and lib- erty may prosper together." Military spending continues to rise inexorably in spite of Ike’s prescient words. It is now fiscally and morally imperative that we reduce military spending and return troops from foreign lands to save lives, balance budgets, and adequately rebuild infrastructure, educate youth, and ensure health and welfare. This would benefit the north state where economic dependence on the military/indus- trial complex is limited. Ike ended his speech Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point with this: "We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied oppor- tunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for free- dom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensi- tive to the needs of oth- ers will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disap- pear from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love." It is my hope that like Martin’s dream, Ike’s prayer will now fully manifest having fifty years to fruition. Richard Mazzucchi makes his home in Los Molinos, where he is striving to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle. He can be reached at living-green@att.net. 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. It’s Palin’s fault, or not, but it is Commentary The title is my attempt to sum- marize the utterly hypocritical con- tradictions contained in pieces by a local writer, as well as our weekly syndicated hyper-liberal and offi- cial basher of all things Sarah Palin, Tina Dupuy. I wish only to draw attention to the rather obvious charade of both writers in their selective use of facts to accuse Palin of perfidy whilst simultane- ously denying it. Since both writers had opportunity to adequately inform themselves of facts and write fairly, I can only conclude that the liberal mind simply has no use for such things before conclu- sion-jumping with the leftist groupthink. I almost forgot, if you are among the Palin-haters, or clinical- ly immersed in Palin Derangement Syndrome, please spare yourselves any further discomfort and move along to items less likely to offend your sensitivities. First, as any gun owner would know, a circle with two crossed lines is many things, but it is not a "riflescope icon," "infamous crosshairs," or "rifle site (sic) crosshairs." Used in survey maps and publishing, the mark is a simple location identifier with no inherent malintent. I’m quite certain neither of these writers are aware of, nor would they likely have objected to, Democrats using "bulls eye" icons, as the DLC did to associate Repub- licans with "enemy territory" on a target map, or the DCCC using similar "bulls eyes" on a map. Likewise, left wing blogger Mar- cos Moulitsas, of "Daily Kos," had a "bulls eye" for Gabrielle Giffords district in 2008, targeting her for being too moderate for his loony- left tastes. Also featured was a let- ter from a former Gifford support- er saying Gifford "voted against Nancy Pelosi! And is DEAD to me!" I’ve seen both of these myself, but they’ve been erased from the blog. Then we had lip service about "productive and civil discourse" and "toning down the vitriolic rhetoric and the demonization of others" from one writer who juxta- posed Palin’s political so-called "crosshairs" with, in the next sen- tence, "a bullet through (Gifford’s) head." The other writer bemoaned that Palin supposedly "demonized" Gifford (which she did not) but shamelessly called Palin "coward- ly" and a "catty mean girl who can’t tell the difference between an opponent and an enemy." Methinks the pot calleth the kettle black. When Sarah Palin said that "journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel" by shamelessly casting-but-not-cast- ing blame on her for the murders, she was right. To these writers and anyone else who thinks unhinged, hateful, violence is a new phenomenon spawned by reaction to President Obama, Democrats and the health care law, I’ve got some bad news. Go on the Internet and type "Pro- gressive climate of hate" into a window, click on the link that starts with Michelle Malkin’s name, and spend a little time reading the text, watching the You Tubes, and using the multitude of links to source articles. Finally, read about the anti-right violence by the left (against Republican campaign HQs, military recruiters, and homes). You’ll see dozens of mug shots of perpetrators (that got caught, anyway). There’s 10 years worth of hate speech, actions and vic- tims. It speaks for itself. The liberal minority, with their insistence that the rhetoric didn’t kill Gif- ford but contributed somehow, is further undermined by polls showing Americans over- whelmingly rejecting "political anger" (Ras- mussen), or the "harsh political tone" or "talk radio" (CBS) as a cause. "Inflammatory political language by conserva- tives" shouldn’t be part of the debate, and most Americans feel that trying to do so is just "an attempt to use the tragedy to make conser- vatives look bad" (USA Today/Gallup). Don Polson The way I see it President Obama delivered a good speech – he rarely fails to read movingly, with conviction – but I will feel better about his call for "a more civil and honest public discourse" when he acknowledges the inflammatory rhetoric that’s come out of his own mouth, and admits that his opponents have made good faith, honest and truth- ful arguments against his policies. News media will rise in my esti- mation when they push Obama to so admit. Or when any of them admit direct connections between violent Islamic rhetoric and terror- ism. Or when Democrats quit com- paring Republicans to Nazis for opposing ObamaCare (Rep. Steven Cohen). New entries into the Hypocrisy Hall of Shame: Demo- crat Ex-Rep. Paul Kanjorski called for "civility and respect" and political discourse "without fear of vio- lent confrontation" in the NY Times, but in October said, of Republican candidate for Florida governor, Rick Scott, "they ought to put him against the wall and shoot him." Liberal Political Action Com- mittee, 21st Century Democrats, sent a fundraising email using the Gifford shooting to bash Palin and Gifford’s oppo- nents. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Socialist-but-Democrat for voting purposes, also jumped right on the killings in Tucson in a fundraising appeal, citing vio- lence and threats from "right-wing reactionaries" which have "intimi- dated people with different points of view from expressing their political positions." Have these people no shame? I agree with former VP, Dick Cheney, that we should not "some- how take a system that was designed for political combat between parties, ideas, principles and set that aside – that’s the heart and soul of our political system." Don Polson can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.