Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/388450
Acuriousthinghap- pened the other day while my wife and I were driving to San Francisco for a medi- cal appointment. What happened made me think. No snickering, please. We had gotten to Williams when suddenly the right lens of my polarized sunglasses fell out. Apparently I had a screw loose. Again, no snickering, please. I was surprised by the im- pact the dropped lens had on my sight. At first everything I saw looked normal, that is, bright and clear with no "sun- glass" tint. Within seconds ev- erything looked like I was viewing the world through sunglasses. This switching back and forth continued for several seconds before I took the glasses off and put on my regular glasses. Driving down I-5 I nor- mally perceive my surround- ings with a uniform tint, us- ing both eyes without any con- fusion; my mind wasn't ready to have one eye see things dif- ferently from the other eye, or make my brain figure out which eye to use. I felt like my brain couldn't make up its mind which eye it should use and just vacillated from right to left and back again. I was truly in a state of confusion. In reviewing several re- cent events, it occurred to me how difficult it is sitting here in Red Bluff to jump to con- clusions about what happened in Ferguson, Mo., Washing- ton, D.C., or the Middle East. Our brain has to sort out vari- ous bits and pieces of informa- tion, filter them through our own particular mindsets and ranges of experience, and de- velop a conclusion, a conclu- sion that may change as evi- dence mounts. There was a great Mallard Fillmore cartoon in the Record Searchlight on Labor Day. It showed a man sitting in front of his television set; the news announcer says, "Warning: the following story may contain some facts that don't jibe with your preconceived narrative; viewer discretion is advised." The other night I had din- ner with an attorney friend, and we discussed the events in Ferguson. We both agreed it was not possible to know just what had happened and whether or not it was another incident of racial injustice. We also discussed how easy it was for people to read into the event based on whatever bias they had, regardless of the im- mense amount of unknowns involved, sort of like deciding which eye to use to view the situation. A retired journalist told me recently that the victim in Ferguson had broken the eye socket of the policeman who asked him to get out of the street. I am not sure why it was not reported, if that is true. Hopefully the truth will come out before too many of us make our pro- nouncements based on limited information. Our current concern about the President's ef- forts to curtail the in- fluence of ISIL is dif- ficult to articulate be- cause we do not know all the facts, but there are a wide spectrum of talking heads and elected represen- tatives who try to sound like they know what they are talk- ing about. It is clear that the Iraqi people have had a tough time since our pull out and their form of making decisions is different from ours. Now we have Syria thrown into the mix. Someone once said, "my mind is made up; don't con- fuse me with the facts." Some- times that quote could be at- tributed to most of us. I know that my worldview sometimes colors my judg- ment, much as my polarized sunglasses cut down the glare while I drive. Those polarized glasses are a safety matter, al- lowing me to see clearly down the road. My worldview may seem to do the same thing, but it can prevent me from seeing all I need to see to get to the truth. Glare is a reality of life. While it may be safer to cut down the glare while driving, the glare, cacophony, and dis- cord of life are with us all the time. We cannot use a filtering device to get to the truth of life's complex situations. H.L. Menken once said, "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." The simplistic thought that we can merely withdraw from California, for example, and solve all of our problems is a good illustration of his apho- rism. We are fortunate that we have opportunity to vote on a wide variety of issues in our country; it takes some effort to vote, and hopefully some preparation as well. It does not cost to vote, and neverthe- less, for Presidential Elections, the normal turnout of voters is rarely greater than 60 percent of those eligible to vote. Given that rate, normally around one third of those eligible to vote actually determine the result of the election, allowing many to belly ache they didn't vote for that guy, or issue. This off year election will likely see lower turnouts than in the years of Presidential contests, but in many ways this election is as important or more important. I know I will be giving more thought than usual to decide how to vote, putting on my reading glasses to try to see clearly the many issues involved. I am sure you will as well. JoeHarropisaretirededuca- tor with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHar- rop@sbcglobal.net. JoeHarrop Ascrewloose changes perception Cartoonist's take By Joe Gandelman The news stories on Google News are surging as forcefully as a tsunami. The subject: the NFL and domestic abuse. "Do- mestic violence much bigger than NFL...Domestic violence in the NFL...The Media's NFL Domestic Abuse Hysteria...NFL looks to training to prevent do- mestic abuse in players...NFL sponsors don't want their ads running during Ravens or Vi- kings games." But that's only one of the key issues. Unless you've been on Mars, you know the story about for- mer Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice, who's under indefinite suspension after a surveillance video showed him K.O-ing his then-fiance Janay Palmer, and dragging her unconscious body out of an elevator. It sparked a public furor over domestic vi- olence. Rice's newest defense: the video, ESPN reports his le- gal team argues, is a "cleaned- up, whittled-down and con- densed version," unfairly ed- ited. (Hey, if it was run in full, that punch wouldn't be so bad!). And unless you've been on Jupiter, you know about how the Minnesota Vikings initially invited running back Adrian Peterson back to the team after his indictment on child abuse charges for using a wooden switch to spank his 4-year-old son. After the uproar, the Vi- kings deactivated him. Peter- son's argument: he was merely disciplining his son the way his parents disciplined him and he turned out fine. (Hey, just rev up that catchy song "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof!) The NFL has had more hits than the San Diego Padres. Meanwhile, it has been pointed out that politicians don't lose their jobs as quickly due to big scandals as star ath- letes do. Fair enough, but ini- tially these athletes were given a virtual pass until me- dia coverage and growing pub- lic outrage forced their bosses' money-hungry hands. The bottom line? Celebri- ties often get a pass that us or- dinary mortals don't — and won't. Ted Healey, The Three Stooges original "boss" in the act (who had parted company with the boys earlier), died sud- denly on December 21, 1937 at the age of 41 after being badly beaten the night before. Re- cent accounts contend that a key assailant was Hollywood legend Wallace Beery, who won best actor for his role in the 1931 movie "The Champ" which also featured a scene-stealing child actor named Jackie Coo- per. Various accounts now say Beery's role was covered up by movie studio fixers. Remember O.J. Simpson? Yes, a jury didn't convict him, and polls showed a perceptual racial divide. But most now feel he got away with you-know- what, and many at the time de- fended him because he was a great football player who they admired. Michael Jackson? He was le- gally cleared in a high-profile child molestation case, but in 1993 paid $15.3 million to set- tle a boy's sex abuse claims. His estate is today being sued by James Safechuck, 36, who al- leges Jackson sexually abused him as a child 100 times over a 4-year period. In 1992, I heard rumors about Jackson's al- leged activities with boys when I did a show in L.A. If Michael Jackson hadn't been some- one so loved for his music but had been Howard Schmidlap down the street who routinely slept with young boys, would so many have rushed to Schmid- lap's defense to passionately de- fend him and diss accusers? And what about all the Holly- wood actors and directors (Pe- nelope Cruz, Tilda Swinton, Martin Scorese, Monica Bellucci and others) who in recent years defended director Roman Po- lanski, who in 1977 plead guilty to having had unlawful inter- course with a minor, then fled the country before sentencing? You defend your peers, right? In schools across the coun- try kids are taught that they must make good decisions to get good consequences. Schools are spending lots of time and money on programs hammer- ing home this theme on prob- lems such as bullying. And many of the kids are indeed learning. It seems like some grown- ups aren't doing as well — that there are some ready to cush- ion or block the the normally bad consequences that would naturally flow from their best buds' or heroes' poor choices. Can adults learn what kids are now learning? Or will the fear of losing big bucks, and the misplaced loyaltie, continue to reign supreme? Make your bets in Vegas now. Just don't bet your house. Joe Gandelman is a veteran journalist who wrote for news- papers overseas and in the United States. He has appeared on cable news show political panels and is Editor-in-Chief of The Moderate Voice, an In- ternet hub for independents, centrists and moderates. He also writes for The Week's on- line edition. CNN's John Avlon named him as one of the top 25 Centrists Columnists and Com- mentators. He can be reached at jgandelman@themoderatev- oice.com and can be booked to speak at www.mavenproduc- tions.com. Follow him on Twit- ter: www.twitter.com/joegan- delman. Independent's eye NFL gave domestic violence offenders a pass 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. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Joe Harrop Let them know How to contact your lawmakers from Humboldt County. Fax and email listed if available. PRESIDENT Barack Obama: The White House 1600Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456- 1414 Fax: 202-456-2461 Email: president@whitehouse.gov U.S. SENATE Dianne Feinstein: Hart Senate Office Building Room 331 Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3841 Fax: 202-228-3954 One Post St., Suite 2450 San Francisco, CA 94104 Phone: 415-393-0707 Fax: 415-393-0710 Website: feinstein.senate. gov Barbara Boxer: Hart Senate Office Building Room 112 Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3553 Fax: 202-228-3865 501I St., Suite 7-600 Sacramento, CA 9514 Phone: 916-448-2787 Website: boxer.senate.gov U.S. REPRESENTATIVE Jared Huffman: 1630Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C., 20515 Phone: 202-225-5161 Fax: 202-225-5163 3173rd St., Suite 1 Eureka, CA 95501 Phone: 407-3585 Fax: 407-3559 Website: huffman.house. gov GOVERNOR Jerry Brown: State Capitol Building, Suite 1173 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-558-3160 Fax: 916-445-4633 STATE SENATE (HUMBOLDT) Noreen Evans: State Capitol Building, Room 4032 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-651-4002 710E. St. Eureka, CA 95501 Phone: 445-6508 Fax: 445-6511 Email: senator.evans@sen- ate.ca.gov STATE ASSEMBLY Wes Chesbro: P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249- 002 Phone: 916-319-2022 Fax: 916-319-2102 Phone: 445-7014 Fax: 445-6607 Email: assemblymember. chesbro@assembly.ca.gov HUMBOLDT COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 1st District: Rex Bohn Phone: 476-2391 Email: rbohn@ co.humboldt.ca.us 2nd District: Estelle Fennell Phone: 476-2392 Email: efennell@ co.humboldt.ca.us 3rd District: Mark Lovelace Phone: 476-2393 Email: mlovelace@co.humboldt. ca.us 4th District: Virginia Bass Phone: 476-2394 Email: vbass@ co.humboldt.ca.us 5th District: Ryan Sundberg Phone: 476-2395 Email: rsundberg@co.humboldt. ca.us Mailing address: Humboldt County Court- house 825Fi h St., Room 111 Eureka, CA 95501 OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, September 27, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6