Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/256783
6A Daily News – Friday, February 7, 2014 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 Opinion The Super bowl was not as super as we had hoped. Hopes were dashed when, with the first snap of the ball, the Bronco's center sent the football sailing over the head of the astonished senior quarterback of the Denver team. How- ever, while the Seattle Seahawks gloat, I remind you that S.F. Giants spring training start is just around the corner…and I assure you that our boys will best anything in baseball that the Seattle Mariners can muster. *** Max Cavette, Jr. went to his reward a week or so ago, and a well written obituary defined, in part, why he will be missed. "Self educated & slightly eccentric, Max was fascinated by mystery, obscure & historical facts, UFO's, spiritualism, Edgar Cayce, ESP, Ancient Egyptians & Atlantis, locally infamous, find- ing amusement in almost any situation, his qui- etly reserved wisdom, slightly impish taunts, and honorable candor made people feel appre- ciated; he will be sorely missed." I knew him when he and his wife Arlene operated Dreamweaver's Ceramics at 124 S. Jackson St. He was a great guy and one of a kind, that's for sure. *** From a New Yorker Magazine filler titled Constabulary Notes from All Over (Ocean City , Md. Coast Dispatch). "On July 16, an officer on patrol observed a man behind the wheel of his car with the engine running, the lights and radio on and the windows down. The officer had to use smelling salts to awaken the driver, who allegedly woke up and ordered a chicken taco from the officer believing he was somewhere else." *** Son-in-law J. Konte, author of "The Rivalry Heard 'Round the World, the Giants/Dodgers feud" is perplexed regarding the new instant replay ruling for baseball. It appears that the managers will be allowed two challenges to the umpire's on the field decisions. Well and good, says Joe, but a recent candid remark, during an interview, by Giant's manager Bruce Bochey, somewhat muddies the water. In the past, managers have been known to dash onto the playing field and challenge umpire's calls. But what we didn't know, until the Bochey interview, was that he could…and did, look up at the Giant's announcer's booth where one of the announcers, Duane Kuiper or Mike Krukow, former big league players with smarts, with benefit of a television screen and a replay of a close call, signaled Bochey with a thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate whether a call of the umps was worth the manager's effort to challenge. With the new replay rule, giving the man- ager only two challenges to correct a call via replay, a new element has been added to the old ball game. This replay ruling may be amend- ed to prohibit a manger from seeking an opinion from a third party in this man- ner…but how would it be enforced? Managers must wear blinders? The mind reels. *** Here is a quote that will bring joy to some and anguish to others: "Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich." Napoleon *** A letter To the editor of the Chico Enter- prise Record from one M. Gailey states that "State Senator Roderick Wright (D) was con- victed of perjury for falsely claiming that he lived in an apartment in the district he repre- sents when he actually lives elsewhere. Aside for the obvious party difference, the similari- ties between Wright and our own local State Sen. Jim Nielsen are striking. For many years now, both have orchestrated the charade that they permanently resided in one location in the district they purport to serve in, while they actually lived in a permanent residence outside of the district. Here is the major difference: The District Attorney who had jurisdiction over the25th Senate district chose to pursue charges against Wright, while the District Attorney who has jurisdiction over Jim Nielsen's district (the 4th Senate District) has systematically turned a blind eye on Nielsen's ongoing intransigence." I know that some gadfly has been trying to get Nielsen convicted for this faux residence thing, but without success. I wonder whether our District Attorney, Gregg Cohen, would explain why Senator Nielsen remains untar- nished and apparently immune from prosecu- tion in this matter. *** Last week's quiz was once again answered promptly by L. Brown who knew that capital letters in the alphabet that are mirror images of themselves are A H I M O T U V W X Y...and he also completed the poem as follows: "Ladies and gentlemen! Toward me bow. Please watch the show; don't draw the bow. Please don't try to start a row. Sit peacefully, all in a row. Don't squeal like a big, fat sow. Do not the seeds of dis- cord sow." This week's quiz: What do you have to do to read this nonsensical poem? "AVA HTIW TUH A TA MA I" and what does the following contain: "Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs?" and what is the name of this exercise and cite a more familiar one. *** Wife's diary: We had made plans tonight to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. When he arrived he seemed upset, possibly because I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. He was unusu- ally quiet. I asked him what was wrong; He said, "Nothing." I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. Finally I decided to go to bed. Eventually he came to bed, but I still felt his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep; I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. Husband's diary: A two-foot putt ... who the hell misses a two-foot putt? Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and author of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail.com. Play ball! Commentary N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 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 Robert Minch I Say STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 150 Amber Grove Drive, Ste. 154, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@sen- ate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558- 3160; E-mail: governor@gov- ernor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Wash- ington, DC 20515, 202-225- 3076. 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; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Your officials Many in the community were stunned last week when it was reported that Tehama District Fair CEO Mark Eidman had been told to retire or the 30th District Agri- cultural Association board of directors would fire him. Eidman has been on the job more than 13 years. By most accounts he's done a fine job managing the fairgrounds and staging the Tehama District Fair during those years. In recent years Eidman has successfully guided the fair and fairgrounds through a 25 percent budget reduction due to the loss of state funding. Not so long ago, Eidman sub- mitted a balanced budget for the year ahead and the fairground is on the verge of entering a Joint Powers Authority agreement with the county to ensure viability moving forward without state funding. Yet today is Eidman's last day on the job. The Fair board chose this time to, in its directors' own words, move in a new direction. In a release issued just days after directors refused to com- ment on Eidman's employment status, the Fair board claimed, "We are also going to reach out to our community partners and reg- ular vendors to help us in recog- nizing the background, qualities, and skills required of a candidate as we begin our search for a per- manent replacement." We assume they are referring to the many community partners and regular vendors who came forward during a special meeting of the board Monday evening to protest Eidman's ousting. Seems the board's community partners and regular vendors were quite satisfied with Eidman's perfor- mance. The board voted to accept Eid- man's resignation during a closed executive session. The nature of public entities is that most of their per- sonnel decisions can be conducted confidential- ly. Only the outcomes of the decisions are required to be made public. Perhaps there was a very good reason to force out a competent chief executive with a proven track record even in the face of unprecedented circumstances and during a delicate transition. So far we haven't been able to find it. Eidman's supporters said it best Monday. If the board is look- ing to take a new direction, shouldn't that direction have been made public before shoving the CEO out the door? Or at least during the meeting during which Eidman was dismissed? Out with the old, in with…what? It seems the board is still hav- ing trouble articulating publicly what this new direction is. No details were offered in the release it issued. Many are speculat- ing about the motives behind the board's actions. None of these assertions even hint at Eidman's inability to run the fair and fairgrounds effectively. For the board that's now estab- lished an ad hoc committee that's embarking on a journey to deter- mine a job description for the Fair CEO — take a look at Eidman's track record. That's what you're looking for. We can only hope that a mem- ber or past member of the Fair board doesn't find himself or her- self in line for the Fair CEO job. This move that already stinks would then positively reek, and the questions won't stop. Editorial What do you think? Let us know Fair board has some explaining to do