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4A Daily News – Monday, May 30, 2011 Opinion Political posturing, perishing prisoners 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 A divided U.S. Supreme Court ordered California to dramatically reduce its prison population. The justices, who were split five to four, found that overcrowding in California prisons violates consti- tutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. With no further opportunities to appeal some 21 years after first being sued by the Berkeley Prison Law Office, California must finally address chronic prison overcrowd- ing. There are now more than 143,000 inmates in California pris- ons designed to hold 80,000. Under the ruling just about 33,000 will have to be transferred to another jurisdiction or released to bring prison occupancy down to 137.5% of design limits. In the words of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, living conditions are toxic and they cause needless suffering and death. In its decision last week, the Supreme Court essen- tially agreed with the Prison Law Office assertion that we have grossly psychotic prisoners who are not being treated in an appro- priate setting because there's no room for them, literally no room. Prisoners with serious medical conditions, such as cancer, can't get access to the physicians in a timely manner, so that they end up dying prematurely. Prisoners suf- fer and die because nobody knows about it for hours due to the over- crowding, warehoused on triple tier bunks in what used to be recre- ational areas. But if overcrowding is the prob- lem, then reducing the prisoner population isn't the solution, said Justice Antonin Scalia, who read his dissent aloud. He said the rul- ing will put a staggering number of convicted felons on the street, adding that terrible things are sure to happen as a consequence of this outrageous order. Our local con- servative representatives immedi- ately began sending out press releases to amplify Scalia’s scare- mongering. It’s "an egregious travesty of justice … that will result in hun- dreds of thousands of crimes being committed against our citizens," harrumphed our 2nd District Assemblyman Jim Nielsen. His fellow Republican, 3rd District Assemblyman Dan Logue, was only slight- ly less hyperbolic. "If we just release 46,000 prisoners…, they will reoffend and many of these crimes will be vio- lent." In addition to get- ting the number wrong in his rush to bluster he discounts the governor’s proposal to keep offend- ers in county jails and along with Nielson and Scalia blithely assume that released low-level non-violent inmates will endanger the public. Our legislators should have seen this coming since our prisons have been shamefully overcrowd- ed for decades. The courts have consistently found that overcrowd- ing is the "primary cause" of "severe and unlawful mistreatment of prisoners through grossly inade- quate provision of medical and mental health care," leading to "needless suffering and death." There’s Mr. Nielsen’s "egregious travesty of justice"—turning prison sentences for non-violent offenders into death sentences. The Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says violent offend- ers, like murderers and rapists, will stay in state prisons. But parole violators and non-violent offend- ers would be moved to local coun- ty jails. If such re-alignment is done quickly, and fully, and as the Governor has proposed, this will solve much of the problem through diversions, not releases. But that plan depends on whether the state can provide local counties with new money to handle these low level offenders. And right now, any additional revenues are subjected to the budget blockade erected by the same Republican representatives responsi- ble for the problem that they still deny exists! The Supreme Court Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point gave California two weeks to offer-up its plan for reducing its prisoner population and two years to achieve it. If history serves our dys- functional legislature will fail to act as more inmates suffer and die from unconstitutional inhumane treatment as useless partisan dema- goguery continues unabated. Instead of fear-mongering, Logue and Nielsen should be working with Brown to find a way to fund the realignment that will enable county jails to help solve this problem, create local jobs, and keep low-level offenders close to home. Now that the Supreme Court has ruled, the state has no choice but to do its bidding. Perhaps if Assemblyman Nielsen were pros- ecuted for fraud by misrepresent- ing himself as a resident of Gerber, and other state legislators were held accountable for campaign fund abuses, disbursement impro- prieties, and selling-out their con- stituents we might have more prompt and sympathetic action as they join the prison population they so deride. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now 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. Obama Irish? Editor: OK, Obama is a bi-racial child, so it is possible there is some Irish ancestry from generations ago, however, let’s get real; even Ameri- can Indians cannot claim Indian heritage that far back. And con- sidering the f inancial state the USA is in right now, I sure hope Your Turn the American people didn't finance this genealogical excur- sion. Priscilla Duberowski, Corning Education Editor: There is a great need to enhance our public education as our SAT scores are well below that of our competitor nations — China and India, etc. The difference lies in the fact that these nations have one master plan on education. Whereas we as a nation have 50 states with as many different educational standards. With that in mind we must realize that this will lead us down the path to being a third world country. For you see, ladies and gentle- men, this leaves the nation’s chil- dren at a disadvantage in the global economy. As the other nations pros- per we are falling further down the educational ladder, which in turn leaves America at an educational disadvantage leading into the work force. Then we must look into our state’s education funding. School funding is based on property taxes of the district. Thus the districts in North Hollywood are better funded than the ghetto of East Los Ange- les, this trend continues state wide. Can you imagine how we could improve our education by putting the funds used in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan into our schools budget? Robert Hogan, 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. The ‘Valiant Hearts’ that have served, fallen Commentary If you are pressed for time on this Memorial Day, please don’t set aside and forget this column. Put it somewhere you will remember and devote a few minutes to savor the mar- velous poetic tribute to fallen veterans. It is very moving. Written in 1917 to commem- orate the lost British soldiers of World War I, it was first pub- lished in "The Supreme Sacri- fice, and other Poems in Time of War" (1919). It was later set to music by Dr. Charles Harris, and has been commonly sung in England on Remembrance Sun- day, November 11. It is also sung during special services – in schools on school days, for instance. O Valiant Hearts by John Stanhope Ark- wright, 1872-1954 O valiant hearts who to your glory came Through dust of conflict and through battle flame; Tranquil you lie, your knightly virtue proved, Your memory hallowed in the land you loved. on rank, to war Proudly you gathered, rank As who had heard God’s message from afar; All you had hoped for, all you had, you gave, To save mankind – your- selves you scorned to save. Splendid you passed, the great surrender made; Into the light that never- more shall fade; Deep your contentment in that blest abode, Who wait the last clear trumpet call of God. Long years ago, as earth lay dark and still, Rose a loud cry upon a lonely hill, While in the frailty of our human clay, Christ, our Redeemer, passed the self same way. Still stands His Cross from that dread hour to this, Like some bright star above the dark abyss; Still, through the veil, the Victor’s pity- ing eyes Look down to bless our lesser Cal- varies. Don Polson The way I see it These were His servants, in His steps they trod, Following through death the Martyred Son of God: Victor, He rose; victorious too shall rise They who have drunk His cup of sac- rifice. O risen Lord, O shepherd of our dead, Whose cross has bought them and Whose staff has lead, In glorious hope their proud and sor- rowing land Commits her chil- dren to Thy gracious hand. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.