Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/462019
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 Idon'tbelieveany group in our world has ever been discrim- inated against more than women, and that includes blacks. Whether they are cit- izens, politicians or even on the big screen in Hollywood. Women are under-repre- sented in our society and around the world. I think women deserve a great deal more power now, especially in the political arena where pub- lic policy is decided. The ma- jority of our voters already are women. Maybe it's time for them to step up and receive a more appropriate share of power. The best example to prove my point is the fact that America still does not have an Equal Rights Amendment — equal pay for equal work, etc. — as part of our constitution yet. Once as the Assistant Re- publican Leader of the Cali- fornia Assembly, I spoke on behalf of such an amendment. I have always been surprised that my remarks caused the other members of our cau- cus to get so angry. One told me that such an amend- ment would simply inspire women to sue every time they thought they had been treated unfairly. One country on earth, Saudi Arabia still refuses to even allow women to drive a car. China has moved for- ward more quickly. In the 19th Century, 45% of their women had bound feet — about 4 inches long. Such a custom did limit their phys- ical activities. Their leaders ordered that to stop in 1912. They can now step forward and walk alongside their men. But even Hillary Clinton still talks about breaking through that glass ceiling. I want to send my con- gratulations to one woman who just moved for- ward at the relative young age of 37. Au- drey Cooper has re- cently taken over the position as editor in chief of The San Fran- cisco Chronicle. Audrey is the first woman to hold that influential position in the newspaper's 150-year history. The statistics easily show the disparity between women and men. Out of 100 United States Senators there are only 20 of the female persuasion. In the House of Representa- tives they number 34 out of 435. When I was elected to the California Assembly in 1976 there was only one woman, Senator Rose Ann Vuich of Dinuba. There was even a controversy at the time be- cause that house of the Leg- islature had but one bath- room. Should one be built for Rose Anne or make the existing bathroom co-ed? My most fun memory of her is that she would ring a tiny bell whenever her male col- leagues addressed each other as "gentlemen." That was to remind them the chamber was no longer just a man's domain. And, I have another Red Bluff memory from 1975, dur- ing my very first run for pub- lic office. As I asked some guy at the Red Bluff Round- Up that year for his sup- port for my effort to be- come a California Assem- blyman, his response was: "You already have my vote. A woman should not have a job like that." I now occasionally wonder if that man is happily married or would even know the meaning of the word "mi- sogynist?" Remember that Susan B. Anthony fought for 50 years to give women the right to vote, yet tragically died 14 years before it happened in 1920. Now, almost a century later, President Obama has moved to permit women in our mili- tary the right and ability to do all the jobs that men do. I am very glad to see that "the beat goes on." I think women should have always been given the same rights and opportunities as men. Please give me your thoughts. StanStathamserved1976- 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 The power of women As I asked some guy at the Red Bluff Round-Up that year for his support for my effort to become a California Assemblyman, his response was: "You already have my vote. A woman should not have a job like that." Kra LibraryBuilding Editor: The Kraft Library Building is a "... magnificent old struc- ture...," as Mr. Minch says in his weekly column. We are not likely to see it's quality built again in our city. The demise of its use as a li- brary, or any use as a public building, came with the imple- mentation of the laws provid- ing access to public buildings and interior facilities for per- sons with disabilities — handi- cap access. When I was in high school Red Bluff had two libraries. The Kraft Library for use by those living within the city. And the smaller county library located in the south end of the base- ment of the courthouse. I grew up in the county and could study in, but not borrow from, the Kraft Library. With the adoption of laws protecting persons with disabil- ities and due to economic rea- sonableness, the two libraries were joined and placed in their present location. — Harold Lucas, Mineral Opposed to library move Editor: I am a member of the Te- hama County Friends of the Li- brary. No one needs to be re- minded that a free public library is essential to an en- lightened society. Our library serves everyone who can avail themselves of its many offerings regardless of age, interests or fi- nancial status. When the Friends were told of plans to build a new and big- ger building for the library at a different location I felt greatly concerned. In my 80 years I have observed the changing na- ture of plans and good inten- tions. I called one of our supervi- sors to express my concern and suggested that options to mov- ing the library be investigated. Our library is conveniently lo- cated and is an asset to down town Red Bluff. I did not join other mem- bers of the Board of Directors of the Friends in endorsing the move to the south end of Jack- son Street. As to the deferred mainte- nance conditions which have caused an almost crisis situa- tion regarding the library, I be- lieve these problems should have been addressed several years ago when leaks first ap- peared. May I suggest that a more positive and less costly plan would be to repair the library, leave Madison Street open to the flow of traffic and seek ways to incorporate the old court- house, including departments 3 and 4 of the courts, in the en- largement and realignment plans for the jail. — Mary Jane Watkins, Red Bluff Who is running this asylum? The city has this new tax money burning a hole in their pocket. They've allocated some millions of dollars for a boat ramp at the park. Which inci- dentally they don't need as they already have two ramps at the dam. Granted one of them is in disrepair, but a couple thousand dollars worth of cement could fix that. Too cheap? They want to move the county library so they can ex- pand the jail across the street. They need to have the jail en- larged as well as they need to have it in close proximity to the courthouse. Incidentally, also, the roof on the current library is leaking. Last I heard if the roof leaks you fix the roof; you don't start looking for a new building. They have already started construction on a new court- house that will be a few miles away from the current and pro- jected jail annex so that story kind of flies out the window. Apparently, shortly, mari- juana will be totally legal in the state of California and thus we will probably need a lot fewer beds at the jail and also fewer cops to enforce the non- law. Then we could sell off forty or so vehicles that mostly sit parked in the lot behind the po- lice station and sheriff's office out on Antelope. Besides fewer pot arrests, possession etc., there will prob- ably be a lot fewer failure to ap- pears as there just won't be as many cases. Maybe since they won't need the new courtrooms they can rent them out to the li- brary while they get the roof fixed. Lastly, yesterday I took an- other look at the Kraft building. I'm happy to see it is in good re- pair and providing a value to the community. I also looked at the current library and I think it would continue to serve the community well if they fixed the hole in the roof. However, I would like to hear from the librarian. A lot of people have had a lot to say about the library but I have not heard from the librarian on her view of the future for the library. I know that with the elec- tronics now available and more advances to come the library's function is constantly chang- ing. I just might add, not neces- sarily for the better. I still pre- fer to hold a book as I read it. Something about having a book implanted into my brain elec- tronically just doesn't appeal to my aesthetics. Like I said, who is running this asylum? — Fred Boest, Red Bluff Your opinions Cartoonist's take Brian Williams proba- bly isn't a liar. Based on re- cent revelations, amplifica- tions and clarifications, he appears to be a serial exag- gerator. To his critics that's a dis- tinction without a differ- ence, which is why NBC News would be wise to replace him permanently in the anchor chair rather than suspend him for six months. Williams' case is enlightening, reminding us that even honest folks occasionally take liberties with facts. Fishermen seem particularly prone to exaggeration. "The one that got away" is always described as larger and more feisty when the tale is told back on shore. Golf, dependent on self-penal- izing and complete honesty dur- ing play, is often marked by em- bellishment at the 19th hole. That two-foot birdie putt be- comes a twisting four- footer. The drive that trav- elled 215 yards is recalled as soaring at least 260. What about parents? "When I was your age..." What? The snow was deeper, the walk was lon- ger, the times were tougher. Per- haps. Or, maybe it just seems that way in life's rearview mirror. It could be said that a liar is someone who wasn't even there, while an exaggerator is someone who was so close he could see it, feel it, taste it. Indeed, "It could have been me!" When I was a kid, Bobby Ken- nedy came to our small New York state town, campaigning for the presidential nomination. It was brief. He was on a flatbed truck that pulled into the local drive-in theater so the candidate could say a few words, shake a few hands, and quickly move on to the next stop. I couldn't squeeze close enough. He spoke with a bullhorn and his words were drowned out by the truck's engine and the crowd noise. I watched in envy as he shook my friend's hand. For the next several years — until I acquired better stories to replace it — I claimed to have "heard" Bobby that night, which I did not. I told a few people that I "met" JFK's brother, and more than once I recounted how I "shook his hand." The more I told it, the more convincing it became — so much so that the story began to ring true in my own ears. Besides, I was there, so close, that it could have been me. I've heard panelists on cable talkshows say that when Brian Williams speaks about riding a chopper that took fire in Iraq, or when he describes corpses float- ing by his window during Hurri- cane Katrina, he really believes what he's saying is true. I'm not buying that. To go that far he'd have to be clinically delusional. Williams wasn't boasting to bud- dies in a bar, he was speaking as a managing editor of NBC News to millions of Americans on televi- sion. He should have known bet- ter. The problem with exaggera- tion is that it becomes less ac- ceptable in inverse proportion to the size of the stage and the weight of the speaker. Even Wal- ter Cronkite, often referred to at the height of his career at CBS as "The most trusted man in Amer- ica," acknowledged the distinc- tion. Asked to comment on sur- veys about his trustworthiness, Cronkite said, "they clearly hadn't polled my wife." Journalists today face a tough time with credibility. A Pew poll a few years back had 44 percent of Americans giving news me- dia a negative believability rat- ing. That's the lens through which Brian Williams' comments are seen. He should step down perma- nently and pursue other things. He should do it voluntarily, not through back-room arm twist- ing with NBC's lawyers. That way, when Brian Williams recounts his departure he can say it was en- tirely his decision, and he can say it without any exaggeration. Peter Funt is a writer and speaker. His book, "Cautiously Optimistic," is available at Am- azon.com and CandidCamera. com. Peter Funt Six months suspension won't solve Williams' woes Stan Statham Peter Funt OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, February 12, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6