Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/43219
6A Daily News – Wednesday, September 28, 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 Inappropriate 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. 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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 Now they tell us. I speak of the erstwhile Obama supporters and admirers, in par- ticular journalists, who are sud- denly finding fault with our pres- ident. New York Times columnist David Brooks says he's a sap for believing Obama "when he said he wanted to move beyond the stale ideological debates that have paralyzed this country." Brooks is disappointed, you see. He had famously said, prior to the 2008 election, that Obama had a perfect crease in his pants - - that he had the appearance of a fellow who was going to make a fine president. Well, Obama inherited a siz- able mess, to be sure. The hope was he'd be the reasonable cen- trist fellow his supporters and admirers said he would be. And since we knew so little about him -- and the press passed on many opportunities to exam- ine him in detail during the elec- tion -- I certainly hoped and prayed for the best. Then he and the Democrats rammed through a massive stimu- lus bill, much of it wasteful, a massive government-directed health bill and all kinds of new Editor: I must take strong exception to Robert Minch's reference to Roger Ebert in his column, and the callous referral to his current health status. Your flip statement that "He hasn't been well, you know" trivializes and makes light of his devastating problems in dealing with cancer. Like Roger, I have also devel- oped cancer of the mouth, which required surgery to remove a metastasis in the neck area, fol- lowed by radiation and chemotherapy. I was more fortu- nate than Roger, however, as I did not require surgery to mouth, where radiation and chemothera- py were successful. Therefore, I am still able to speak and eat and my face is not disfigured. Roger, however, faced the difficult decision to courageously proceed with the surgery and adapt to the radical- ly altered life he is left with. Recognition of his strength in doing so would have been far more appropriate than your petty sniping, I suppose in order to make yourself seem clever. Jean Wagoner, Gerber Senator Editor: Wow! A Senator from San Francisco rebutting a letter from a small town news paper. I'm impressed, not for words writ- ten but how fast it was pub- lished. It only took four days to get published, mine takes from 2 to 4 weeks. Mr. Leno, I'm not a politi- cian therefore I can prove what I write. SB 48 was written for the special interest group who helped get you elected. So was SB 543, and I do hope our read- ers look that one up. SB 48 has loopholes as large as a crater. It was written with the intent to deceive the pop- ulist. You wrote, "This coopera- tive approach will help ensure that our history is accurate and that all California students have a safe place to receive their con- stitutionally protected right to an education." Our history has never been accurate, just ask a historian. You also left out the word free education, as schools still charge for classroom mate- rials, and after school extra cur- riculums, plus we already have anti-bullying education codes in place, AB 394 is one. These are excuses you used to deceive. I also call your attention to the part "incorrectly claims that I am personally writing pam- phlets." I actually wrote, Sen. Mark Leno, a gay rights activist, is heading a group to write pam- phlets promoting gays etc. Another inaccurate attempt to discredit me is the part of how I would have benefitted from such information when I was in school. Mr. Leno I will write this very slowly to give you time to comprehend cor- rectly what I'm writing. I was a big bully in school as I bullied the bullies. I can't stand to see someone bullying another just to rectify their actions to get what they want. That's why I'm trying to protect our kids from people like you. Kathy Nelson, Red Bluff Rebuttal Editor: Grand Jury Foreman Richard Sol says I don't have the facts right. I drove by Nielson's mobile on Monday. The Legis- lature is not in session and the mobile remains unoccupied. What family is going to live full time in a mobile in Gerber, when they can be living in a million dollar mansion clos- er to both Nielson and his wife's government jobs in Sacramento. Common sense and the fact that Sol has only seen him there a few times in the last four years and the lights are never on shows it is not his legal residence or domicile. and County Council Will Mur- phy to know the law. Don Bird, myself and others Your Turn have nothing to gain from our four-year effort, except to have everyone, who could do anything ignore us, ridicule us or trivialize us. However, Record Searchlight, Corning Observer, Chico News and Review and Sacra- mento Valley Mirror stories were excellent. The blogs are on our side. Republican leaders in Sacramen- to worried covering for Nielson will ruin the election for Herger and other Republicans. According to Article IV, Sec- tion 2(c) of the California Consti- tution, "A person is ineligible to be a member of the Legislature unless the person is an elector and has been a resident of the legislative district for one year, and a citizen of the United States and a resident of California for three years, immediately preced- ing the election." The dictionary definition of a legal residence (according to the law) is "that residence where you have your permanent home or principal establishment and to where, whenever you are absent, you intend to return; every per- son is compelled to have one and only one domicile at a time." Anyone can have several resi- dence or property owned, but only one domicile. Clearly a res- ident is not a domicile. Taxpayers expect and pay Judge Garaventa Nielson has a cattle ranch in Fresno. Judge Wanger, of Fresno ruled to steal Lake Red Bluff, so Senator Doug LaMalfa can fill up Sites Reservoir. Recently, the same judge ruled against Tehama Colusa Canal Authority origin of protection which should assure TCCA's rights to be protected from Central Valley exports to receive water supplies in dry years, before it is sent south. Now, it appears Wanger has ruled against the salmon he's suppose to be protecting for water exports to Southern Cali- fornia. Wanger, along with Nielson, Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa and Congressman Wally Herger took our lake and water, put in pumps to pump water to South- ern California bypassing Sites Reservoir, North State farmers and the Delta. It appears I have been right about BOR's real intent in removing our lake all along. Pat Johnston, 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; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. What took them so long? Commentary regulations, and it became clear we were in for a rocky ride. Now, as the economy stumbles with no end in sight and our debt grows by leaps and bounds, some former supporters are questioning Obama's abilities. Drew Westen, a professor at Emory University, examined the matter in a Sunday edition of The New York Times. His essay "What Happened to Obama?" offered some interesting insights: "Those of us who were bewitched by his eloquence on the campaign trail chose to ignore some disquieting aspects of his biography: that he had accom- plished very little before he ran for president, having never run a business or a state; that he had a singularly unremarkable career as a law professor, publishing noth- ing in 12 years at the University of Chicago other than an autobi- ography; and that, before joining the United States Senate, he had voted 'present' (instead of 'yea' or 'nay') 130 times, sometimes dodging difficult issues." Sheesh! Wouldn't this have been helpful to point out before the 2008 election? I suppose it takes some courage to publicly question your decision to support a fellow who turned out differently than you expected. Though the real courage would have been to do so during an amaz- ing campaign when it would have been heresy to question Obama's abil- ities. Heck, people were fawning and fainting every time Obama said "hope and change." Such people were in no mood for criticism of their sav- ior. he is in full campaign mode, demonizing "the rich" and offer- ing up platitudes he knows have no chance of becoming law. Just as we need to come together, the leader of the free world is driving us apart in a desperate, hollow attempt to politicize his way to a second term. So here we are as a Tom Obama is to be credit- ed for running a slick campaign and maneuvering events to his advantage. But during that whole period, I felt like a movie actor in a bizarre scene who looks directly at the camera and says, "What the ... ?!" The hypnotic effect he had on so many was surreal to me. Now, as we near 2012, reality has set in and our president is not up to the job. Just as we need our president to lead genuine tax reform and entitlement reform -- which would bring needed stability to get our economy going again -- Purcell country, badly in need of leadership, and Obama's erstwhile supporters have decided it's finally a good time to examine his ability to manage the hardest job on Earth? Oh, well. At least they aren't waiting until two and a half years into his second term. ——— Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web at www.TomPurcell.com or e- mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.