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4A Daily News – Friday, September 2, 2011 Opinion 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 Night of the living deadline We all face deadlines, but 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 few are as inflexible as newspa- per print deadlines. Most days we make small concessions to our deadline – late sports scores are listed as "late" in the agate, night meet- ings that go past about 8:30 p.m. don't get coverage in the next morning's edition and, occa- sionally, we pay a little less attention to detail as we rush to get pages to the press. High school football on Fri- day nights, though, presents a dilemma. Hold the paper to get the full game coverage into Sat- urday's paper, meaning you wouldn't get your paper until sometime after 10 a.m. Satur- day. Skip the game coverage and make readers wait all week- end to read the story in Mon- day's edition. Thanks to the Internet, which so many are convinced is putting us out of business, we're able to deliver the best of both worlds. While Sports Editor Rich Greene is on the sideline getting the stats and photos you want, I'll be back at the office putting the finishing touches on Satur- day's edition. On good weeks, Rich will call in the final score and some quick stats from the game in time for me to include them on the sports page. Other times, when games run long, this won't be possible. Some of you are saying, "Just hold the paper, I live for our local high school sports and expect to read the full story with my morning, albeit late morn- ing, coffee." The rest of you? "There's no way I'm waiting until late morning to get my sale inserts and garage sale ads. Don't you know all the good stuff is gone by then?" That's where redbluffdai- lynews.com comes to our res- cue. Long after the sports page is chattering through the press with the score and stats, Rich will be producing a page with complete coverage of North State high school football accompanied by full-color pho- tos of Friday's game that should be posted on the Web by the time you flick the switch on the coffee maker. Said page will then be published in Mon- day's paper – for those more patient and non- wired readers. He calls it "double coverage." I have to say I was disappointed that my suggestion of "late hits," suggesting hits on the website in football vernacular, was over- thrown. Have to admit, though, the better name won. *** Tehama County, a ideas in the fall edition. Guidelines are ideas that focus on experiences one can expect when visiting Tehama County and, specifically, those things that can be enjoyed through the winter. Chip real gem. Having moved here from the Gem State, I eagerly ask you to pro- pose your hidden gems of Tehama County. Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. After the successful launch of Tehama The Magazine this spring, we're looking for your suggestions of things to do – think experiences rather than back-story – in our diverse bit of the North State. So far we've had a few suggestions, but want as many as possible for story Here's your chance, all you Branding Project haters, to put forth your version of what attracts people to our little bit of paradise. Be specific – if I can't do it on a week- end stay, it won't attract me. Be concrete – the Western lifestyle and cattle country are great, but aren't things to do. Be honest – Red Bluff is a small town on a big road, so focus on the gems that are worth pulling over for a bit and maybe staying a while. Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112 or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. 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; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Does party affiliation really matter these days? Commentary My father was an avowed Republican, and when it came time for me to register to vote, he said, "I don't care how you register as long as it's not as a Democrat." I decided to register non-partisan and have never regretted it. As an added bonus, I seldom get mail from politicians asking for donations. Segue some 60 years later, and I am as smug and confident as ever of my decision. However, the majority of voters no longer line up on party lines…in fact they have formed third and fourth parties to rectify the mistakes of the donkey and elephant parties. Despite my non-partisan label, I have, over the years, felt more comfortable espousing the conservative rather than the liberal line and my jokes often indicate that bias. And yet S.F. Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll has explained why he is a liberal…and suddenly I find myself leaning towards his camp, but mind you, just leaning. His take on global warming is that it is real and I agree. But we have had global cooling in the past, so it is probably just a cycle we are going through. He believes human activities have contributed to the warming and we should do what we can to correct the system, although many scientists believe change, per se, is beyond mankind's scope. In any case, J.C. thinks Russ Limbaugh making fun of stranded polar bears is indicative of the mentality of the far right. He thinks the EPA is a good thing and that clean air and clean water are good objec- tives. However, he fails to account for the harm and the cost to small business when the bureau- cratic EPA gets too dictatorial. OSHA comes uncomfortably to mind when we were in the meat business. However, we are of a like mind when it comes to gay rights and a woman's right to choose. In conclusion, I am reminded of my Repub- lican father's decision to back our local boy (born in Manton and our former District Attor- ney) State Senator Clair Engle who was running for the U.S. Senate back in 1958. Clair was a Democrat…but according to father, he was the right man for the job. Pity we cannot see the tree for the forest or the man for the party these days. * * * The dedication at the Bend Bridge boat ramp apparently went off without a hitch, and if the late Helen Flournoy Coates ever comes back this way again, I think she will be pleased to see the memorial dedicated in her honor. As a sidebar to the event, L. Dill- abo called to say that Helen's nickname in high school was "Chic." It might have been spelled "Chick", but either way, you get the idea. She was a live wire…even way back then. * * * guys died defending the Alamo. The numbers vary but most sources say about 180 or so gave their lives battling 2,400 or more Mexicans, but all agree the alligator in the Pogo comic strip was named Albert. When I reported receiving an Internet invitation to meet "big beautiful women," I erro- neously assumed they were tall. Bob Kelley's daughter corrected me...says "big" means overweight, not tall. O.K. so advised. * * * J. Hanson dropped by to test my memory. She remembered a little park just north of the present US Bank, which was of course the Anglo California Bank as well as the Crocker Bank in the old days. I remember it well, but I wondered if it was between the bank and John Moore's Cadillac Dealership, or if John built smack up against the bank. I just reviewed a film of the site in 1954, and there was no park, just the bank and the dealership. Thus was her question answered. * * * An astute fellow says that the collective noun for baboons is "a congress." My source, says it is a "rumble." Present day congressional antics suggest that "a congress of baboons" is correct. * * * When the SF Giants are winning, we agree that baseball is the great national pastime. When they lose however, we conclude it is, after all, just a game. * * * Last week's quiz asked how many of our Robert Minch I Say This week's quiz: Is the track that runs around a ball diamond called a "warming track" or a "warning track," and why? Is the pitcher the only player that can be called for a balk, and what are the modern day specifications for a regulation baseball in the professional league? * * * Today's joke submitted by J. Angelo, who may or may not be a conservative. I was talking to a friend's little girl, and she said she wanted to be Presi- dent some day. Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, "If you were to become President, what is the first thing you would do?" She replied, "I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people." "Wow - what a worthy goal." I told her. "You don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house right now and mow, pull weeds and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward food or a new house." She thought that over for a few seconds because she's only 6… and while her Mom glared at me, the youngster looked me straight in the eye and asked, "Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?" And I said, "Welcome to the Republican Party, young lady!" Her folks still aren't talking to me. Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff and former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine. He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail.com.