Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/427583
GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD 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 Are you addicted to some of those communication de- vices? Do you email, text, In- stagram, go to Facebook, play Candy Crush or Farmville? Are you also Linke- dIn? My wife and I got an edu- cational treat a couple of years ago when our 10-year- old grand daughter Lauren called all the way from Col- orado and said her mom, my daughter, wants her to stop phoning and use texting in- stead. That would save a lot of money. The next day I got at least two dozen texts say- ing hello. I sent a text back asking Lauren to phone. When she did, she anxiously told me she had learned something and wanted to teach me. She told me if you just put your cell number into your cell phone, then you can text yourself. How darling that was. A while back President Obama took a selfie of him- self and the good look- ing blond prime minis- ter of Denmark. It was at a memorial for Nelson Man- dela of all places. Fox News even made a "Late Breaking News" story out of it as they suggested our First Lady Mi- chelle seated just behind her husband in the photo might have been "gritting her teeth in rage." Are people now addicted to constant contact? I like to get away from all that com- munication sometimes. That would include my friends, loved ones and relatives. My wife Roleeda and I have traveled many times to vaca- tion in beautiful Hawaii. We love that state because it al- lows us to get away and be by ourselves. I don't think you can actually die from a "low bat," but you better not forget your communica- tion device and make certain you stay away from any ra- bid bats. I talk to my four adult stepchildren with some reg- ularity. They are all African- Americans. I spoke recently with Eric, 34, on the impor- tant subject of respect, in- cluding use of that bad "N" word. I asked him to either turn off his cell phone be- fore we started our conver- sation or simply set it aside because it always interrupts every conversation we have. The same thing often hap- pens when I am alone with his brother Steve, 31, who also loves constant contact. Their sister Janis, 30, always wants to borrow her moth- er's laptop. And, her sister Jessica, 31, once became very angry with me when I "wrote on her wall." That is what one can do when one goes onto Facebook. I got into trouble because I cracked a joke on her wall. Jessica had already told her world on Facebook about getting along better some- times with a female friend than her male friend. I had fun as I wrote on her wall that she could now officially marry her female friend in the state of New York. Gay marriage had just been sanc- tioned there. Wow. She told me it took her more than an hour to erase that from her wall. Do you think I stepped across the line? Or, do you think Jessica needs to have a bet- ter sense of humor? I am not a therapist, but sometimes it's fun to pre- tend to be one. If I was a counselor this would be my advice to you. Ask your- self as you begin to use your communication de- vice of choice next time, are you controlling it or is it in charge of you. Be bold and give me a candid view. Whom do you think controls your commu- nication device. Let's have fun with this one. Thanks. Stan Statham served 1976- 1994 in the California As- sembly and was a television news anchor at KHSL-TV in Chico 1965-1975. He is presi- dent of the California Broad- casters Association and can be reached at StanStatham@ gmail.com. My take Communication devices and social media Are people now addicted to constant contact? I like to get away from all that communication sometimes. That would include my friends, loved ones and relatives. Getjailoutofdowntown Editor: I say no jail downtown, pe- riod. Move the jail to the facil- ity on Walnut, build the court- house where the existing jail is and leave the library where it is. Build a new one on that prop- erty if needed. —Marcia Lyons, Red Bluff No say on tax hike Editor: In Los Molinos and Tehama, probably Gerber and maybe Corning, our ballots did not have the measures D and E on them. What gives? We are taxpayers, property owners, citizens and registered voters that also shop locally and support Red Bluff stores. Yes this tax is for the city of Red Bluff, are the stores exclud- ing those from outlying towns from paying this tax at the reg- isters? It is a much needed issue and I would have voted yes had it been at the polls, even though it only affects my pocket book as out here we use Cal Fire and Te- hama County Sheriff's Depart- ment, not Red Bluff Police and Fire departments. I can see not voting for school personnel, except high school which we use, as you would not voter for Lassen View. Why are we being excluded? —Beth White, Los Molinos Angry with utility company Editor: I am furious with what PG&E is allowed to get by with. The Public Utilities Commis- sion rubber stamps rate increase after rate increase. What does PG&E do to help the ratepayer? They run prime-time ads on TV and full page ads in the news- papers. Why do they advertise? It's not like I will decided to do busi- ness with them. I'm a captive au- dience. They keep telling us how won- derful they are. Well, I'm sure not convinced. Maybe I would be if I was on a program to cut my rate by 30 percent or give me a new refrig- erator, winterize my house or some such, but I don't qualify. I don't get any of it. I pay for it. —Linda Richards, Cottonwood Community generosity is legendary Editor: When asked to give, this com- munity's generosity is legendary. Over the years I have asked you to join with me in paying it for- ward and supporting local non- profits that have given so much to us. This holiday season I am again asking you to share your generous spirit with those less fortunate with Christmas For A Cause. Eighteen Tehama County non-profits have given us a list of items they are wishing for this Christmas. The need is so great that even basic needs like toilet paper are in short supply. Would you consider as a fam- ily, service group, class room or business taking an item from any wish list? Eight food banks that serve the hungry are looking for items to provide a healthy meal. In an attempt to make every child's Christmas bright, two Christmas Festivals have taken on the challenge of ensuring no child goes without a toy. Items are being collected through Saturday, Dec. 13 and donations can be new or gen- tly used. Wish lists are available online at www.ChristmasForACauseTe- hamaCounty.com or at the Gold Exchange on Walnut Street. For more info call me at 528-8000. —Jessie Woods, Red Bluff Set the example by giving, not taking Editor: Doodles says it's remember President Kennedy and giving season. Ask not what your coun- try can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. Not what an employer can do for you, but what you can do for an employer to improve produc- tivity. Not for me, but a more mature what can I do for others. It may be more effective than raising the minimum wage to increase the standard of living. Consider athletes, musicians and craftsmen who improve their productivity to earn meri- torious rewards. Also, the adult example may teach preschoolers how to use honesty, respect and trust in all relationships. This may change teen years and lower the crime rate. —Steve Kelsey, Corning Obama should be impeached for ignoring the Constitution Editor: Illegal border crossing is a criminal action. This crimi- nal action is increased by those crossers using forged docu- ments to work and obtain a driver's license, hence mini- mally three criminal actions. We do not know how many il- legally voted since so little doc- umentation is needed to fraud- ulently vote for Democrat can- didates. The action in refusing to de- port those illegally here is crim- inal, as were the lies and decep- tion used to pass ObamaCare. State governors should file law- suits to start the action to have President Obama impeached. Illegal border crossing puts a huge tax burden on responsi- ble US citizens to pay for the al- most $1 million cost to provide birth to age 18 education, Med- icaid and multiple services for the typical illegal border cross- ing family of three children. Obama has ignored the US Constitution and deserves im- peachment. Buying votes through ObamaCare and al- lowing illegal immigration is a crime. —Joseph Neff, Corning Your opinions Cartoonist's take Movie fans, remember a time when the only "F-word" was "fid- dle-dee-dee"? That question comes to mind as I see December 15 and the 75th anniversary of the world premiere of "Gone With The Wind" approaching. I have so many fond mem- ories of November 1976 and NBC's much-hyped two-night network television premiere of the Technicolor masterpiece. I remember my mother tell- ing about watching the 1947 re- release of the film at the appro- priately named Dixie Theater in Lewisburg, Tennessee. I remember getting confused over Red Buttons (comic ac- tor) and Rhett Butler ("GWTW" character). I remember my boss's wife glibly dismissing someone's con- cerns about some subject with "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a hydroelectric dam." I remember gushing to conve- nience market customer Wood- row Helmick that I was going to watch the film that night, and being incredulous that "Gone With The Wind" didn't ring a bell with him, even though he was an adult when Leigh and Gable were working their magic. ("What is that — a Dis- ney film?") I actually remember one of the high-priced commer- cials from the broadcast. (A pizza chain was touting its "new deli pizza," causing a be- wildered turbaned fellow to ask, "Did someone say 'New Delhi'???") I remember being told by ju- nior English teacher Mrs. Jones that I couldn't write a book re- port on Margaret Mitchell's 1936 "GWTW" novel because it wasn't a "classic." Maybe she would have thought more highly of it if Ashley Wilkes had harpooned a Great White Carpetbagger, or if Prissy had hornswoggled Gen. Sherman into whitewash- ing a fence instead of burning Atlanta? I remember swelling with pride as the broadcast broke Nielsen rating records — and wincing a few months later when ABC's "Roots" eclipsed it. I don't really remember mak- ing a deliberate decision to add it, but "Tara's Theme" joined the "M*A*S*H" theme and other dit- ties as a tune I still catch myself whistling. I'm glad the film set such box office records and garnered so many awards, but I wait with bated breath to see if new gen- erations will embrace my favor- ite film or wonder "What's the big deal?" Would "GWTW" really be better if it had all the bells and whistles of modern films? Would it be improved by the ad- dition of a subtitle ("GWTW: The Julep Awakens"), a hip hop soundtrack, computer-generated special effects that add umpteen extra wounded soldiers to the gut-wrenching battle aftermath scene or trendy lines such as "As God is my witness, I'll never be a man trapped in a woman's body again?" "GWTW" can certainly be faulted for its sanitized, roman- ticized version of the antebel- lum South (although we South- erners have always taken a per- verse pride in the fact that for once a "loser" got to write the "history"), but the passion of its story should resonate for years to come. (Yep, the passion of Rhett sweeping Scarlett into his arms and carrying her up the stair- case still inspires many a male, as in "Honey, I'm really comfort- able here on the sofa. Could you fetch the —yawn—remote so I can rewind that scene?") That's right: don't let anyone take this film for granted. Peo- ple should still be honoring it in another 75 years — even without a blooper reel at the end. ("Af- ter all, Tuesday after next is an- other day. No, wait—TOMOR- ROW is another day. Let me try that again!") Danny Tyree welcomes reader e-mail responses at tyreetyrades@aol.com and vis- its to his Facebook fan page Tyree's Tyrades. Danny Tyree 'Gone With the Wind' celebrates its 75th anniversary Stan Statham OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, December 4, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6