Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/461347
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 WithValentine'sDayuponus,femaleread- ers are again pummeling me with questions on how to woo the modern male. DearTom:Iamas particular about the body washes, vita- min-enriched lotions and shower gels as any lady, but my boyfriend has taken such con- cerns to ridiculous lev- els. He has dozens of bottles in his shower and tells me he needs every one of them to achieve the optimum fra- grance. I fear he cares more for his shower gels than he does me. — Shower Gels Dear Shower Gels: It is true that your boyfriend's obsession with shower gels is a relatively new phenomenon. In prior gen- erations, when men were much less self-absorbed in superficial things, men measured them- selves not so much by how they smelled, but by how they lived and acted. But maybe your boy- friend's obsession with himself is partly related to his feelings for you. Maybe he only wants to achieve the optimum fra- grance because that's what he thinks you want. Dear Tom: I was never the jealous type, but I think my boyfriend likes the lady at my favorite clothing boutique more than he likes me. Every time we shop there, he talks to her excitedly about the latest fab- rics, colors and designs — even though she does not sell men's clothing. Does he like her more than he likes me? — Jealous Dear Jealous: I'm not sure what to make of your situa- tion, but I dare say that I think your boyfriend really is more interested in clothing and fashion than he is in you or the lady at the boutique. In the modern era, many men have become as passionate about fashion as a typical Manhat- tan designer. Next time he gets into a discussion with the bou- tique lady, wave a taupe-col- ored silk scarf in front of him and its effect will surely lure him right out of the store. Dear Tom: I appreciate that my boyfriend takes care of himself, in part because he wants to look good for me, but I wish he were a little bit more like my father's generation. When we went to a football tailgate re- cently, he refused to drink beer like the others — and whined the whole time that nobody brought a bottle of decent char- donnay. Also, his man bag — OK, it's a purse — is bigger than my purse and he doesn't even seem to be embarrassed about that. Am I being overly sensi- tive? — Overly Sensitive Dear Overly Sensitive: If any- one is being overly sensitive, it is your boyfriend and mil- lions of men from his genera- tion. These sensitive New Age men are often so in touch with their own emotions and needs that they don't much notice anybody else's. If such a fel- low drinks a beer, a rare thing, it will be an exotic brand from some remote part of the planet. He won't drink from a mug, ei- ther, but from a wine glass. At baby showers — yes, men are invited to those now — he'll get misty. If he ever becomes a fa- ther, he will clap the loudest the first time Junior uses the commode for "No. 2." Dear Tom: I read on Histo- ryChannel.com that one of the theories about St. Valentine is that he was a priest who was killed for defying a Roman emperor. Do you know that story? — Curious Dear Curious: Yes, Emperor Claudius II felt that single men made better soldiers than married men, so he outlawed marriage. St. Valentine put the love shared by young couples ahead of his own life and offi- ciated their marriages anyway. He was imprisoned and then killed. Selflessness and sacri- fice is what Valentine's Day is really about, or should be. Self- lessness, rather than selfish- ness, is the key to romance. To selfless romantics everywhere, happy St. Valentine's Day. TomPurcell,authorof"Mis- adventures of a 1970s Child- hood" and "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" is a Pitts- burgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to TomatPurcell@caglecartoons.com. Tom Purcell Valentine's Day advice for wary women These sensitive New Age men are often so in touch with their own emotions and needs that they don't much notice anybody else's. Cartoonist's take If I were still a practicing ob-gyn and one of my patients said she was not going to vac- cinate her child, I might try to persuade her to change her mind. But, if I were unsuccess- ful, I would respect her decision. I certainly would not lobby the government to pass a law man- dating that children be vacci- nated even if the children's par- ents object. Sadly, the recent panic over the outbreak of mea- sles has led many Americans, in- cluding some self-styled liber- tarians, to call for giving gov- ernment new powers to force all children to be vaccinated. Those who are willing to make an "exception" to the principle that parents should make health care decisions for their children should ask themselves when in history has a "limited" in- fringement on individual liberty stayed limited. By ceding the principle that individuals have the right to make their own health care decisions, supporters of mandatory vaccines are open- ing the door for future infringe- ments on health freedom. If government can mandate that children receive vaccines, then why shouldn't the govern- ment mandate that adults re- ceive certain types of vaccines? And if it is the law that individ- uals must be vaccinated, then why shouldn't police officers be empowered to physically force resisters to receive a vaccine? If the fear of infections from the unvaccinated justifies man- datory vaccine laws, then why shouldn't police offices fine or arrest people who don't wash their hands or cover their noses or mouths when they cough or sneeze in public? Why not force people to eat right and take vita- mins in order to lower their risk of contracting an infectious dis- ease? These proposals may seem outlandish, but they are no dif- ferent in principle from the pro- posal that government force children to be vaccinated. By giving vaccine companies a captive market, mandates en- courage these companies to use their political influence to ex- pand the amount of vaccine mandates. An example of how vaccine mandates may have led politics to override sound sci- ence is from my home state of Texas. In 2007, the then-Texas governor signed an executive or- der forcing eleven and twelve year old girls to receive the hu- man papilloma virus (HPV) vac- cine, even though most young girls are not at risk of HPV. The Texas legislature passed legisla- tion undoing the order follow- ing a massive public outcry, fu- eled by revelations that the gov- ernor's former chief of staff was a top lobbyist for the company that manufactured the HPV vac- cine. The same principles that protect the right to refuse vaccines also protect the right of individuals to refuse to associate with the unvaccinated. Private property owners have the right to forbid those who reject vaccines from entering their property. This right extends to private busi- nesses concerned that unvacci- nated individuals could pose a risk to their employees and cus- tomers. Consistent application of the principles of private prop- erty, freedom of association, and individual responsibility is the best way to address concerns that those who refuse vaccines could infect others with disease. Giving the government the power to override parental deci- sions regarding vaccines will in- evitably lead to further restric- tions on liberties. After all, if government can override paren- tal or personal health care de- cisions, then what area of our lives is off-limits to government interference? Concerns about in- fection from the unvaccinated can be addressed by consistent application of the principles of private property and freedom of association. Instead of justifying new government intrusion into our lives, the vaccine debate pro- vides more evidence of the need to restore respect for private property and individual liberty. Ron Paul is a former Congress- man and Presidential can- didate. He can be reached at VoicesofLiberty.com. Ron Paul Controversy makes case for markets, not mandates Another view By Tina Dupuy At the birth of every con- spiracy theory is the question, "Who profits?" In the dark reaches of anon- ymous Internet forums, the answer is always Big Govern- ment, Big Pharma, Big Farm-a and occasionally Satan, aliens, the Illuminati, the Knights Templar, or the Pentavirate— some omnipotent all-powerful force that enviously pulls off vast nefarious synchronization perfectly. And this assumption of di- vine coordination—an attempt to make sense of a chaotic in- different world—is very biparti- san. It's not just one party tak- ing to the Internet or broadcast television to wrap themselves in cozy half-baked hyperbole— denying science and doubling down on baloney—it's at the far reaches of both sides of the spectrum. Republicans will tend to see the threat as anti-Christian or Big Government tyranny — Sh- aria law and "gubmint coming fir yer guns." Democrats tend to see the threat as anti-alterna- tive medicine and anti-nature — i.e., animal protein causes cancer and there are chemicals in everything. Distrust, disinformation and a wide range of discussion boards have primed the Amer- ican public for leaders who can give them reassurance. Figure- heads who can tell them what they need to know, what no one else will tell them, what some don't want them to know. You know, the "truth." So in this land of the embold- ened science illiterate, I pose the question, "Who profits?" The answer? Charlatans. Pseudoscience salesmen. Quacks and swindlers ready to feed off human misery with overly simplistic — and proba- bly expensive — solutions. The herbal supplements mar- ket, for example, is a $100 bil- lion business globally. A study released this week from the New York State attorney gen- eral's office found major retail- ers like Target, Walmart, GNC and Walgreens are selling what for all intents and purposes is snake oil. Herbal supplements with fillers in lieu of herbs. An entire aisle of the placebo effect estimated in the billions. But if you think Big Pharma is trying to scam you, it's price- less. The History Channel, a joint venture between Hearst and Disney, has fed into this fevered fetish with their program- ming: "Ancient Aliens," "UFO Hunters," "Decoded," "The Bi- ble Code," "Cities of the Under- world," "Mystery Quest," "Nos- tradamus Effect," "Armaged- don." We effectively have an ahistorical History Channel. This is something no one else will tell you ... unless you turn on Disney-owned cable televi- sion. Speaking of television char- latans—"Dr." Oz. Not only has he let psychics come on his show to chat with the dead, he's a proponent of the widely debunked "detox" craze and was recently called out by Congress for hawking fake weight loss pills on his show. Quacks like a duck, must be a quack. But like "Dr." Oz, "Dr." Rand Paul also gains from his fans' beliefs rooted in junk science and disproved claims. Paul caused a stir this week by par- roting the universally (and fre- quently) debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. He's also involved with a phony sci- ence organization called the Association of American Phy- sicians and Surgeons. "Its pe- riodical, Journal of the Amer- ican Physicians and Surgeons, has published reports suggest- ing a link between abortions and higher rates of breast can- cer," reports The New York Times. "A tie rejected by an ex- pert panel of the National Can- cer Institute. Another report contended that illegal immi- grants brought disease into this country and benefited if their babies were born with disabilities." This is a doctors' association? First do no harm; unless they're illegals. Then private-jet-baller, Governor Chris Christie, hop- ing to split the anti-vax vote opted to feed into people's fears too. "Parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well, so that's the balance that the government has to decide," he said to a re- porter this week. Christie is suddenly and shockingly pro- choice when it comes to pub- lic health. Unlike when he was pro-mandatory quaran- tine, like in October. Charlatans are indicative of simple economics: supply and demand. As long as we demand manure, someone will step up to shovel it. And business ap- pears to be good. Tina Dupuy is a nation- ally syndicated op-ed colum- nist, investigative journalist, award-winning writer, stand- up comic, on-air commentator and wedge issue fan. Tina can be reached at tinadupuy@ya- hoo.com. The rise of the charlatans Tom Purcell If government can mandate that children receive vaccines, then why shouldn't the government mandate that adults receive certain types of vaccines? OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, February 11, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4