Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/35019
6A Daily News – Tuesday, June 28, 2011 Opinion I love this area 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: We live in a wonderful fun- 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 filled place. Such diversity,some- thing for all ages and interests. Hot Air Balloons, Christian Con- certs, Crawdad Festivals, to danc- ing at the River Park Festival. My favorite is the grandier of the 4th of July celebration with all of our family and friends. I hope each of you have had the opportunity to attend one or more of these events. We truly are lucky to have such a variety. As a member of the 4th of July committee I want to extend a per- sonal invitation to all to come to our Fairgrounds and enjoy the best fireworks display in the north state. This year the committee has worked especially hard to bring this amazing event to our area. For the first time we were able to secure a top notch freestyle motocross show in the main arena just before the fireworks. Hot Dogs, Burgers, ice cream, and cold drinks will be available. To offset the cost of the show there will be a minimal $2 admis- sion at the front gate. children 6 and under are $1 and parking will be free. Please come and enjoy the freedoms we have in a spectacu- lar show. Mark Eidman, Red Bluff Grandparent’s Day Editor: Recently I attended the Grand- parent’s Day at Bidwell School. I would like to express my appreciation to all the teachers and helpers that made it such a great experience. What made it special was the way Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Scharaga included us with the interaction with the kids. I sat down with Ethan at the computer and Mia working on a family tree. What really struck me was the kindness and consid- eration shown toward all of us. In addition, the overall atmosphere was positive and happy. I just wanted to thank Bidwell School for a great morning. Charliene Gleason, Red Bluff Column placement Editor: In today’s (June 4) weekend feature Religion: Faith & Wor- ship, the column by Reverend Jim Wilson seemed to me to be ill-placed. I believe this particular point-of-view would be more aptly expressed on the Opinion page. Reverend Wilson’s article expressed his secular, political views on the subject of govern- mental funding support of women’s health services. He tar- geted the not-for-profit Planned Parenthood organization which is the principle provider of clinical services for all American women. Such services extend especially to areas where men and women may be least likely to afford the cost of various services relating to reproductive health. Planned Par- enthood charges fees on the basis of the recipient’s ability to pay. So, of course, their clinics are largely in low-income neighbor- hoods, and in our country that is where most black Americans live. They provide the same ser- vices for-fee in more affluent neighborhoods. Apart from the faulty statistics and malevolent personal refer- ents, I have no problem with a public person such as a radio talk- show host talking or praying about politically-charged reli- gious matters in the public forum. However, I do think they should be stated more bravely as political convictions on the Opin- ion page rather than as matters of faith or worship in the Weekend Religion: Faith & Worship contributions. I write this letter from a perspective of respect for the pretty good editorial judgment you have shown in the past in providing balanced coverage for the crazies and the not-so-crazies in our county. Please try to address this issue in the future with a little more attention to the distinctions of what is really sound theology and what is Twenty-first Century political/religious mudology. Many thanks. Dorothy Breitegger, Red Bluff Cartoon Editor: The cartoon you published in the June 21 opinion section done by Monte Wolverton was certain- ly an attention getter. I assume this was sent to you by your syn- dicated newspaper’s political satire editor and the publishing was not of your choice. I am not familiar with Alaba- ma’s judicial system or their penal system but if I am wrong I am sure some of your readers will let me know. To my knowledge none of the residents of Alabama have been herded into box cars and been sent to prison camps surrounded by barbed wire fences, armed guards, and attack dogs. I doubt any have been stripped of their possessions and their dignity, subjected to tortures that are beyond all civilized peo- ples imagination, then sent naked Your Turn into shower facilities that did not supply water but spewed poison gases. And those that escaped the showers were then either shot, hung, or starved to death and dis- posed of in cremation furnaces by the hundreds of thousands. Mil- lions died. The cartoon seems to depict this happen- ing in Alabama. The point being, those murdered by the Nazis were not illegal aliens. These were first, second and third generation citizens of Germany or Poland or other European countries. It is my opinion that the car- toon was in poor taste and offen- sive to the millions of people that had lost loved ones in the holo- caust and being compared to ille- gal aliens is truly out of order. Enough said, but in closing, what part of illegal do some peo- ple not understand. Ken Hill, Red Bluff Budget Editor: What next? Our state legislators were given a deadline to pass the bud- get or they would not be paid. Unlike the previous budget bill impasse when they were paid for their continuing continuance. Lo and behold they managed to pass the budget ...right on time. Yahoo! Our legislators fulfilled their purpose and are still on the payroll, even though our gover- nor vetoed this budget. We still have a budget impasse, our state is still in a financial quandary, but as long as the elected are still paid, it’s busi- ness as usual...when will we ever learn? J.W. Ostrowski, 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. Killer carnivorous snails from France Commentary You don't need me to tell you that this country is broke. Not just broke. Flat busted. Un-flush. Tapped to the max. No bread or cabbage or scratch to speak of. Moolah-less. Holes in our pockets. Fresh out of chump change. Sans simoleons. Hands sparkling clean of any filthy lucre. Moths flying out of our wallets. Lots of red numbers. Flinching from the whis- tle of the wind over our empty piggy banks. Got us a dearth of dead presidents is what we got. So it's high time we start acting like it. As has been pointed out by pundits and politicians o'plenty, the guvmint needs to do what nor- mal 'Merican families do when they run into desperate straits: pre- tend nothing is going on while we watch reality TV shows and drink lots of beer. No, no, no. Tried that. Didn't work. First off, we got to stop handing over money to rogue nations that simply use it to buy guns they then turn on us. If we insist on helping these toads out, we should elimi- nate the middleman and furnish the guns direct. We can buy in much bigger bulk than they, procuring them cheaper, saving bundles of cash. And we taxpayers keep the kickbacks instead of the politicians. Win-win. Secondly, we should take advantage of this Arab Spring democracy movement. Provides the perfect cover to lay off some of our underperforming dictators. Isn't it about time we co-opted a new generation of despots? Since they'd be junior journeymen oppressors, they should cost less. Like major corporations lay off expensive senior executives, we'll replace our pricey aging tyrants. But we all know it's not enough to make a few minor cuts in the budget; we also have to work on increasing revenue. And I don't mean selling off ancient public institutions like various national monuments or Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Their resale values ain't what they used to be. Although it might help to seasonally adjust the bottom line. We need to think outside the box. Direct Research and Devel- opment to produce and sell some- thing that every American needs. Like an anti-SARS serum. The deal is, we engineer and market the antidote now, then fashion a huge penicillin-resistant SARS scare later, and have the FDA- approved shot or salve or cream or clear or whatever available at your local pharmacy in time for cold and flu season? Tie- Ming. Not just a city in China. Doesn't have to be SARS. Could be anything. If SARS is too scary for the squeamish, lay down a few well-placed rumors of rampaging, mutant Killer Car- nivorous Snails From France and change the product to Fast Acting Snail Repellent. Same formula. Different packaging. Then ratchet up the panic with a bunch of Will Durst Raging Moderate infomercials. You know: news sto- ries. Fox. CNN. Bloomberg. Cre- ate an imaginary vacuum and fill it. Worked for the Tea Party. Even if it does eventually come out the whole event was manufactured, the resid- ual damage would be mini- mal. What's the worst that could happen? People lose faith in their elected leaders? Oh, no. Not that. The govern- ment is already lying to us on a regular basis; the least we can do is figure out how to make some money off of it. Got to ask ourselves: What would Microsoft do? The New York Times says Emmy-nominated comedian and writer Will Durst is quite possibly the best political satirist working in the country today. Check out the website: Redroom.com, to find out more about upcoming stand- up performances or to buy his book, The All American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing.