Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/26294
4A – Daily News – Thursday, March 3, 2011 Opinion Changing times 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 Editor: I was raised in Red Bluff and graduated from Red Bluff High School in 1957. I moved to Wil- lows in Glenn County in 1970. After I retired, I returned to Red 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 Bluff in 2003, and moved into our new home in Antelope Valley. Red Bluff has changed a lot, and is con- tinuing to change, and not for the betterment of our area. The city of Red Bluff owns property in the sloughs next to the river, bounded on the west by I-5 .The area is now starting to look like some second rate country. People are setting up shanty camps and urinating and defecat- ing in an area that floods when the high water comes. About a month ago, I called the city manager and apprised him of the facts. He said, “thanks for the call.” Nothing has been done. I think it would be nice if the Daily News could take some pic- tures of these camps and write an article, and possibly get the people we pay to manage our city to do their job. Also it would be good if the paper would give the people of our community the unpleasant facts about this problem that con- tinues to grow, unless something is done. It will continue to fester until our public officials act. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Glenn Felder, Red Bluff Church, science Editor: Is the Church against science? Did Jesus agree with Evolution? Did the Bible change and morph over time? I was surprised that an article by an award-winning author claimed these and other unsubstantiated statements as fact. No amount of writing ability is sufficient to make up for false information. There is not enough space here to address all of the fal- lacies, but here are responses to some of the most glaring: Tina Dupuy: "Has the church ever been against science before? Yes. Pope Urban VIII condemned the 'father of science, ‘Galileo’. Actually, the church of Galileo's time was not against sci- ence; rather, it was defending the accepted "science" of that era against less substantiated ideas. Galileo's studies were new, still incomplete, and went against most other scientific studies at that time. As a result, though incorrect, the Pope did disagree with Galileo's writings on heliocentrism. Regard- less of that fact, Galileo was still treated quite well by the church overall, and Galileo himself remained a staunch Christian throughout his life. Unfortunately, just as Galileo's church was defending the accepted, but false, science of that day, his church at present is now supporting Dar- win's Evolution, the accepted, but false, "science" of today. Tina Dupuy: "Even the Christ- ian Bible, the basic text of Chris- tianity, has evolved" Has it? I was unaware of that "fact." On the contrary, I have been very aware of the many facts that effectively prove that the Christian Bible's content has not changed over the years. Fact One: The Dead Sea scrolls, written around 150 BC, were found to have no significant differences with Hebrew manu- scripts written 1,000 years after them. This is strong evidence of the incredibly accurate copying methods of Hebrew scribes in that day. Fact Two: The New Testament gospels were all written around 60 AD, by those who witnessed Jesus' life and resurrection. And the earliest manuscripts that have been found are papyri written between 125 and 200 AD, only one generation after the gospels were originally written, leaving no opportunity for modifi- cations. Fact Three: We have over 24,000 New Testa- ment manuscripts (handwritten portions of the Bible), all of which have been found to be in agree- ment with each other. So tell me, where is the evi- dence that the Bible evolved? Tina Dupuy: "The point is: Christ wasn't against Darwin's the- ory of evolution" This is probably the most sur- prising of all the author's claims as a simple look at the New Testa- ment will tell the true story. Though Darwin obviously was not alive at the time of Jesus Christ, Jesus' teachings are very definitely against Darwinian Evolution. All one has to do is look at Mark 10:5- 6: "Jesus replied. "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female." Reading this statement, there can be no question that Christ is at direct odds with the ideas of Darwinian Evolution. Oh yes, and lest we forget about male nipples, since the author asked. Scientists are finding that, just like the appendix and the coccyx, male nipples have purpose as well. Faith Dubke, Red Bluff Opinions Editor: The Opinion page is just that, Your Turn someone’s opinion. That opinion doesn’t have to be true, it doesn’t even have to make since. Trouble is some believe everything seen in the paper. Mr. Polson claimed in his Feb. 14 column that the “richest 1 percent of income earners already pays about 40 percent of the Federal Income Taxes that go to Wash- ington. However, they only earn about 20 percent of the income.” I believe the key word in that last sentence is earn. If true, they obviously take in much more than they earn. Now before you send that check to help the Rockefellers and Bill Gates meet their financial obligations keep in mind that the top 1 percent of US households own 38.3 percent of all privately held stocks, 60.6 percent of finan- cial securities and 62.4 percent of business equities. The top 10 percenters have 80 to 90 percent of stocks, bonds, trust funds and more than 75 per- cent of non-home real estate. In other words the top 10 percent of the richest people in our country control 83 percent of this country’s wealth and the next 10 percent control another 10 percent of our wealth. So, the bottom 80 percent of Americans have only 7 percent of our national wealth to fight over. Does it make a lot of since to you to continue feathering the plush nests of our richest citizens while cutting back services to those who desperately need them? I don’t think so. Orval Strong, Gerber 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. It’s time for a pro-quality-of-life movement Commentary The problem with the pro-life movement is their concerns for "life" end at birth. While writing a story about the famed Octomom (who living up to her comic book villain moniker managed to incense both pro-life and pro-choice groups), one of the pro-life advocates I interviewed explained they were concerned with "life that needs to be protect- ed and children’s welfare." Then realizing the slip, she quickly cor- rected, "We don’t agree with wel- fare though." So in their view every pregnan- cy must be brought to term — but after that it’s hands off and there’s "freedom" from intervention. Then you should have your rights to pri- vacy. Then you should make your own decisions. The wedge issue of abortion is a red herring. It’s a giant distraction — a shiny thing we all focus on and a drain on resources that could actually be going to making "life" better for American children. The easiest example is how the House GOP, riding on a wave of fiscal outrage with the promise of jobs, has spent their precious little time in session trying to criminal- ize a procedure for which only a minority of Americans are even eligible. Plus, numbers of abor- tions per year don’t change even with changing legality or availabil- ity of abortions. This means no matter how much money is thrown at making abortion not exist, according to data, the same amount of abortions still take place. So no amount of activism or mouth foam has made the numbers of abortions fewer. But it still eats up plenty of legislative time around the country. South Dakota tabled a law allowing certain people related to a fetus to be able to kill an abortion provider. Nebraska then doubled down and introduced a bill to de- criminalize all murders if the vic- tims are abortion providers. How pro-life is that? What we lack in this country is a pro-quality-of-life movement. You know what’s killing children more than abortion? Obesity. Lack of health care. Poverty. I don’t understand how the Christian religion can be used as grounds to take a hard line on abor- tion, while simultaneously giving widespread poverty a pass because it’s a "personal responsibility" issue. The poor have no more famous an advocate than Jesus Christ. However, swath of Christians who are like die hard Michael Jackson fans that have never heard his music: They admire the man but are missing what he was all about. I don’t understand there’s a big how people who are so revved up over what a woman does in the priva- cy of her doctor’s office can just sit back and watch an entire genera- tion of American chil- dren be doomed to a shorter lifespan than their parents. Obesity is more than a big health issue – it’s a big death issue. Condemning women’s right to choose an abor- tion while letting "choice" be the permis- sion for an epidemic of overweight kids is like being a school adminis- trator who’s really only concerned with chalk. I don’t understand how the title of "pro-life" can be claimed for any movement that does not march on the Capitol in support of better health care for post-partum kids. "Life" has to mean more than just treating women like public incubators. Truth be told a big fac- tor in the one out of every five pregnancies ending in abortion is unemployment. Lack of money. Lack of resources. Being pro-life is short-sighted when it comes to liv- ing. Tina Dupuy If the goal of pro-lifers is elimi- nating all abortions, they should start by eliminating the reasons for abortions. Unwanted pregnancy is number one, so they should be for birth control. The second is financial. So they should be for what the right wing likes to refer to despairingly as "socialism." What would a pro- quality-of-life move- ment support? A living wage for people who work for a living. A viable middle class. An economy that lifts all people, not just the uber-rich. Honest, transparent and accountable corporations and elected officials. Infrastructure. Education. Health care for all. Healthy kids. Instead, those who call them- selves pro-life can’t see the forest through their abortion clinic picket signs. Tina Dupuy is an award-winning ----- writer and fill-in host at The Young Turks. Tina can be reached at tinadupuy@yahoo.com.