Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/24909
6A – Daily News – Thursday, February 10, 2011 Opinion 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 Water quality Editor: I believe the people of Los Molinos need to “pay attention” to our local Los Molinos Com- munity Services District. The old adage, “Water is for 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 fighting and whiskey is for drinking” comes in play here. The water for drinking area is in the process of expanding up to Mill Creek on the north to the Vina Tehama Road on the east, south to Englehorn, across the railroad in one area, up Oak Street and out Tehama Vina Road to the rivers. The “problem” that this is working on is arsenic in the existing wells. But the expan- sion of the sphere of influence is excessively more than the coun- ty plans new Los Molinos sphere of influence in their $20 plan I bought. A meeting was held Jan. 19 at the Palms Mobile Park out of the water district’s sphere of influence — not a public meet- ing. Who was there, in body or on the phone? Department of Water Resources. Local? No. When I went to DWR in Red Bluff, they knew nothing about any meeting (Feb. 10) but by the 11th they had tracked down a phone conference from Sacra- mento. Why not our local DWR? Is there a reason for not let- ting us know what is going on? I went to Red Bluff building and planning and was told LAFCO would have to approve any and all plans and it would come through their office and they had no information on it. And environmental would have to be notified also. So why was the person at the meeting (some in body and some on the phone) not from our county services but in the Redding or Sacramento office by phone? The problem the water dis- trict is dealing with is parts per million of arsenic. My problem is our well is free of arsenic but the main point is, for people of Los Moli- nos this huge expansion of the water district costs money — lots of money, and we will be paying for years. What I want is for meetings to be public. Let us know what is going on. Don’t keep us out of meetings as I was refused entrance to the Jan. 19 meeting. I have found out a lot since, and I believe the people of Los Molinos deserve public meet- ings. Not sneaky back door drop it on us after it is all done. Joann Landingham, Los Molinos Food drive Editor: As I read the headlines of economic struggle for families all across this great country of ours I wonder how our commu- nity of Tehama County is far- ing. Our neighbors are losing their jobs, the schools are expe- riencing cutbacks and mothers are struggling to feed their chil- dren. More and more we are asked to give to those less for- tunate than ourselves. How do we decide where to give our time, donate our dollars or which group or organization is more deserving than another? Truth be told, that decision can only be made by you. This past Christmas my staff and I at the Gold Exchange want- ed to pay-it-forward to this wonderful town we call home by hold- ing a food drive to benefit a local food bank. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. You, our community of neighbors and friends, heard about the plight of our local kids and came rushing in to donate tons of food to be given to struggling families. Many of you told us stories of how you also were on hard times but were opening your hearts to reach out to those that are our neighbors. I am asking you once again to open your hearts and your cabinets to help restock our local Tehama County Gleaners Food Bank. Friends, I challenge you to open your cabinets and pull out five cans or other non- perishable food items that you can donate. Please be sure to check the expiration dates. Drop them off with any of the downtown businesses with the red and white Food from the Heart poster by Feb. 14. Help us help our community. Jessie Woods, Red Bluff What’s an opinion worth? Your Turn Editor: I have come to an important conclusion — much of what ails our society could be cured if we would simply eliminate opinion pages and talking head news shows on networks across the country. After all, what's an opinion worth these days? Based on my experience, not much. It seems every one is right and every one is wrong all at the same time. It's enough to make my head spin. Sadly, I think we've reached a saturation point where opinion is now presented as fact and interpreted by millions of lazy Americans who refuse to think outside their own political or religious box. This goes for the right and left. Americans no longer think for themselves because too many do it for them — how convenient. Opinions are like drive-thru fast food; cheap and readily available. Further, extremist opinion makes for great entertainment, especially on tv, and that's where the money is. Whatever happened to reason and coming to conclusions based on proof? Finally, let the media give me the facts, and I can make up my own mind — that's if I can find it. Pat Gleason, 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 3070 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. Obama policies ensure the GOP never has to defend Bush Commentary This year the 40th President of the United States’ 100th birth- day was on Feb. 6. There was a weeklong celebration of adoring tributes to Ronald Wilson Rea- gan. The Grand Old Party went all out – using the occasion to give a platform to their party’s 2012 presidential hopefuls. Every potential GOP candidate from the obscure Senator John Thune to the reality show mainstay Sarah Palin spoke at the Illinois Republican Party celebration. Plus there were festivities at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara and the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. It was a parade of current con- servatives claiming that every- thing they are for, Reagan would naturally cosign. According to them, the man who gave amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants is now against it. He raised taxes nearly a dozen times but he’d now be against it. He, of course, increased the national deficit when he was in office, but now he’d be against that too. Everything conservatives agree with, Reagan now is. It was a jellybean induced sugar coma of neo-con sweet nothings. Much like a movie based on a true story, it was nicely polished for viewing pleasure. Reagan is conservative sacro- sanct. Even Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, who’ve dis- agreed with Reagan in obscure YouTube clips, would never dis- agreed with him now. There was notably a lack of veneration and participation from the most recent Republican president, one George W. Bush. Who knew that a president who spent 499 days of his tenure clearing brush would also do so little after leaving office. Yes, the current GOP doesn’t mention his name. To them Bush is a four-letter word, unless you’re talking about Jeb. Then maybe only when you hit your thumb with a hammer. When recently asked what he plans to do in the future Bush said, "Being out of the press…is somewhat liberating, frankly." The GOP doesn’t hate him for his freedoms. This omission was strategic - a great idea on the part of the GOP. The week the Great Com- municator turned 100 was the same week the Decider giving the go ahead to torture detainees turned nine. Now that Bush is in our rearview, he’s also nestled into our blind spot. While Americans no longer discuss the far-reach- ing implications of "enhanced interrogation tech- niques" the rest of the world still does. Mr. Bush announced he had to cancel his first trip to Europe since he pub- lished his memoir and admitted to authorizing waterboarding. There were calls for large protests and threats of investigations, so Mr. Bush opted (as always) to stay in Texas. inite detention of suspects with- out trials, is still open and oper- ational. This week, Wik- ileaks founder Julian Assange’s lawyers used Guantanamo as an argument against their client being extradited. We used to be a leader in human rights…now we have a gulag. So, we ignore him. The GOP doesn’t men- tion him. And the rest of the world wants to lob a giant shoe at him. To make this all worse, the only person who seems to be toeing the line for Bush is…Barack Obama. Yes, Obama, who within hours of being sworn in signed an order to close the black eye of a legal grey area, Guantanamo Bay. One of his first acts as President was to try and stop this blight on our human rights rep. But so far, the strict no torture policy of the Obama Administration, has been by some accounts not adhered to. And Guantanamo Bay, the prison camp with indef- Tina Dupuy Why hasn’t this changed with a new administration? There was an attempt. The right wing had a circus freak field day claim- ing Obama was a peacenik terrorist appeaser. In that way the GOP won the battle to normalize what used to be called war crimes. So as long as Obama contin- ues quietly with Bush’s War on Terror policies, the GOP can qui- etly never mention the existence of another Republican president besides Reagan, Eisenhower and Lincoln. Now that is a shellacking. ----- Tina Dupuy is an award-winning writer and fill-in host at The Young Turks. Tina can be reached at tinadupuy@yahoo.com.