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Areyou fat?Sources say today 1 out of 3 Amer- icans are too fat. But TIME magazine, arbiter of all subjects, says peo- ple who try to control their weight, have been going at it the wrong way. An article written by Bryan Walsh cites the 1977 landmark "Dietary Goals for the United States which urged Americans to eat less high fat red meat, eggs and dairy…and replace them with more calories from fruits, veg- etables and especially carbohy- drates. By 1980, the USDA is- sued its first dietary guidelines, and one of the primary directives was to avoid cholesterol and fats of all sorts. This was bad news for those in the meat business at the time…and my father dying of a heart attack at age 64, after a lifetime of no drinking, no smok- ing but plenty of red meat con- sumption, verified the edict. And yet, the rules of the game are be- ing re-defined once again. The author admits maintaining an ideal weight is very complex. Dramatic weight losses I have wit- nessed have involved overweights who elected to have their stom- ach surgically reduced. Only a few people have had the discipline to diet and drastically downsize…the late Russ Frey being a prime exam- ple. He noticed one day he could not button his trousers…….and he promptly went on the ultra-low carb Atkins diet. The results were impressive and Russ once again achieved his high school dimen- sions. But not everyone has this kind of resolve, and a walk through the narrow aisles of Walmart while trying to avoid overweight custom- ers, is a graphic reminder of how Americans are eating themselves to death. This is a pity because probably every fat person has an inner lean version of themselves just yearning to get out of their wallowing shackles. There was a time in the past that a rotund ap- pearance was a sign of one being well to do. Perhaps someday science will come up with the ultimate anti- fat pill…and all will be svelte and desir- able once again. And yet, however successful some might be in main- taining a reasonable weight, they are ultimately defeated by the laws of gravity. Tsk, tsk. And speaking of science of sorts, there is a new religious movement that goes by the name of "Terasem," and although your spell check will reject it, it is gain- ing followers by promoting im- mortality via technology. What kind of technology, you ask? Well, "transhumanism" advocates the ethical use of technology to tran- scend biology and enhance hu- manity's physical and intellec- tual abilities, or so says writer Jes- sica Roy who cites advancements in artificial limbs enabling para- plegics to walk again, the deaf to hear and so forth. However, the concept of Terasem goes a bit fur- ther by advocating that you realis- tically record your thoughts and feelings in great detail you can ultimately assem- ble a digital copy of yourself available for future use… or even transmit your brain into computerized vessels once you leave our physical bodies behind. Of course even columnists in this paper record their innermost thoughts for posterity…but seldom with clarity or conviction. Scary isn't it? If you follow SF Giants base- ball, you will have been, over the past several weeks, both elated and dismayed over their show- ings. Elated in their being over 10 games ahead of their nearest rival, the hated Dodgers, yet dismayed that the Giants lost 9 out of their last 10 games. But then our hopes were raised when they took the se- ries from the Arizona Diamond- backs and seemed to be back on track…just a blip in their otherwise splendid season. Ha! At this writ- ing, Wednesday, they have been shackled twice by the lowly San Di- ego Padres in our own AT& T Park! A Cuban pitcher whose name I can't spell, let alone pronounce, made his debut in the National League Monday…and shut out our boys 6 to nothing! What is happening? As long as the Giants are winning we can forget about the uprising of re- ligious factions in Iraq…the country we liberated a short 10 years ago? Perhaps the fault lies with "The Horse," Matt Cain, even though, I note, commentators do not re- fer to him as such lately because of his current losing season. But then, we had Hudson to pitch Tues- day. He would surely right the ship. Ha again! Baseball filberts say the game is all about pitching. It is. Last week's quiz was answered much too quickly once again by L. Brown who finished the following Herb Caen devised game: "I could have been a "Nun" but I had sworn to kick the habit. I could have been a "gandy dancer" but I could not make tracks fast enough. I could have been a "baker" but there wasn't enough dough in it. I could have been a "columnist's" assistant but wasn't enough far right for the job. He inserted a local conserva- tive's name, which shall go name- less in the event the Tea Party and the State of Jefferson overwhelms us all in a tsunami of hog wash.) This week's quiz: Who wrote the songs "My Wild Irish Rose," "Mighty Like a Rose," "Roses of Picardy," " To a Wild Rose" and "Rose Room"? A little old lady followed a man around in a supermarket. She fi- nally overtook him and said, "I hope I haven't made you uncom- fortable following you, but you look just like my late son." "That's OK," said the man. She replied, "Thank you, young man. I wonder if you would do me a favor. When I leave the store would you please call out, 'Goodbye, mother,' it would make my day." The man agreed. When she went ahead of him through the checkout stand and was leaving the store, he called out, "Goodbye, mother." How- ever, when the clerk ran up his or- der of a bottle of milk it came to $120. When he complained, the clerk said, "Your mother said you would pay for her groceries as well." RobertMinchisalifelongresident of Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and au- thor of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at rminchandmur- ray@hotmail.com. Isay What makes us fat changes yet again, go figure Of course even columnists in this paper record their innermost thoughts for posterity… but seldom with clarity or conviction. Misconductover State of Jefferson Editor: I am a business owner in Northern California and represent four major com- mercial property owners in Shasta County. The prop- erty taxes that we pay cov- er's all of the Shasta County Board's salaries, without mentioning the hundreds of thousands in sales taxes generated in this county by commercial tenants that we brought to the county. They have failed their constitu- ents and their actions at the Board of Supervisors meet- ing on June 24 reek of mis- conduct. Their handling of the State of Jefferson discus- sion is extremely suspicious. They obviously planned the rushed vote ahead of time based on the prepared clos- ing statements and based on their refusal to review the financials presented be- fore the meeting. This was the worst exam- ple of a pre-determined out- come I have witnessed, and they may all be investigated for violating the Brown Act in the pre-planning of this meeting. They rushed the item onto the agenda pre- maturely, just to get it out the way, and they know it. The Board completely ig- nored Bill Schappell's mo- tion to table the discussion until they could properly review the documentation presented, which is how the more respectable Butte County Supervisors voted. This is a technicality that will not be ignored. Mr. Moty, stated that Jef- ferson's proposed budget would cut 40 percent from teachers' salaries, which is erroneous and unsubstan- tiated. Had they taken the time to review the finan- cials, they would see that the actual budget numbers were used and respected and that the northern counties are still viable on their own. They simply chose to ignore the facts presented, because they planned the outcome. Mr. Kehoe's inclusion of a future gag order in the motion to reject the dec- laration is tyrannical and does not properly represent the needs of the constitu- ents. Ms. Giacomini's com- ment about going to Sacra- mento to fight for our rights was simply laughable. They do not think that Shasta County residents deserve better representation in their government and they should all be ashamed. We understand that we still have work to do in Shasta County and the rest of the State of Jefferson. We ask that they revoke the sec- ond part of the decision to disallow any further discus- sion of the issue. It is our intention to take this decision to the people when the time is right, as we are confident their deci- sion was premature. They have just alienated half of the Shasta County constit- uents, very possibly more than half, as was proven in Tehama County. — Karin Knorr, Corning Jefferson State and property rights Editor: The Jefferson State fan- tasy appeals to farmers, es- pecially wealthy ones. No income tax. They believe they can survive without the support of anyone, ex- cept 80 percent farm sub- sidies, and are fiercely in- dependent unlike subur- ban and city folk, who know their lives are intertwined. But, the large landholders might be in as much jeop- ardy as the urban folks. The Jefferson movement is to be built on mining, logging and fracking, supposedly using public lands. But it is very difficult to force the federal government to hand over land bought by all the US taxpayers, similarly, the State of California will also fight this, so it will be easier to pick off private landhold- ers, a few at a time. This is happening in other states. In Jefferson, there will be no laws to pro- tect property owners since the state sets property rights. In addition, min- ing, fracking, logging, all use and damage the water supposed to pay for Jeffer- son. For example, land use- ful to Kock's Georgia-Pacific lumber company could be stripped, and so on. If legitimate corporations thought it profitable, they would already be here. Without the power and protection of a state like California, in less than 10 years, without any assis- tance, Cal Fire, etc., the northern counties could look like the moon — des- olate, poisonous, polluted and good for nothing. Just look at West Virginia and some third world countries where this has happened. Test of a scam — it sounds too good to be true. — Diana Thompson, Red Bluff Take pride in America Editor: I am a resident of Te- hama County who has been living and working in Ku- wait for the past 5 years. I had planned on spend- ing this Independence Day in Red Bluff with family and friends, but sadly won't make it home in time. Liv- ing overseas has made me realize what's so different and so very special about being an American. First of all is our git 'er done attitude. We are the most creative and effec- tive problem solvers in the world. Why? American men and women are raised to be self-reliant and to fix stuff, that's why it's the lit- tle things like changing our own tires and fixing leaky faucets. Who doesn't have at least one roll of duct tape on hand? More importantly, we are taught to focus on the outcomes of problems, not the process, which al- lows us to be creative in our problem solving and not get bogged down in protocol. Second is the concept of stand your ground. I know there is an ongoing de- bate about this as a re- sult of the tragic Zimmer- man case. However, I have come to believe that stand- ing our ground is, in so many ways, the most pro- found aspect of the Amer- ican spirit. It allows us to protect our homes and fam- ilies. It makes us step in when someone is being ha- rassed or bullied. It is what gives our sons and daugh- ters the courage and values to join our military, defend our homeland, and protect others around the world. The world counts on Amer- icans being able to stand their ground; it gives them hope and courage. Lastly, a dear friend pointed out to me recently that while America may not be a perfect place, it is still the best example of de- mocracy, justice, reason, peace and tolerance in the world. Please enjoy a safe and happy Independence Day and take pride in what makes you American. — Doti Watkins, Sha'ab Al Bahri, Kuwait Your opinions Cartoonist's take By Peter Funt The headline on a new poll about Hillary Clinton's pre- sumed presidential bid is that fallout over Benghazi hasn't hurt her chances. The data show 67 percent of all voters be- lieve she is a "strong leader" and 60 percent find her to be "trustworthy." With the release of her book, "Hard Choices," this week, in which she addresses Benghazi and other challenges during her time as secretary of state, Clinton is oiling the machinery for a run. The ABC News and Washington Post poll results seem to fit perfectly: despite Benghazi and relentless at- tacks by Republicans, her num- bers remain just about where they were when she entered the 2008 race as the overwhelming favorite among Democrats. But deep inside the poll — so far down that the Post didn't even mention them in its story — are some details that the Clinton team might find trou- bling. It seems that as people become older, wealthier and more educated they are some- what less likely to support Mrs. Clinton. Put another way: Clinton is weakest among people who are most like her. Guest Column Hillary's puzzling democratic gap works against her GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@red bluffdailynews.com Phone: 530-527- 2151ext. 112 Mail to: P.O. 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