Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/480625
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 Beforeyousettle back to soak in all the undeniably impor- tant information con- tained in this week's column, take a mo- ment to open either Webster's or Fred's dictionary and look up the following words: tena- cious, intelligent, dedicated, organized, energetic, opin- ionated, tireless, determined, dogged and special. For the two or three of you who are actually foolish enough to do so, not only will you find some highfalutin' def- inition for each word, if you look close enough you may ac- tually see a photo next to each word of a very special lady by the name of Venita Philbrick. When Messrs. Sale and Clark purchased the theater in 1997, it remained vacant for only a short time before a highly energetic group of community-minded cit- izens rented the theater. They applied for and received non- profit status under the name State Theatre for the Arts. I believe the very first presi- dent of STFTA was Polly Hilsee. Ms. Hilsee served in that capac- ity from 1997 to 2002, when she was replaced by banking mogul John Dickerson. Mr. Dickerson served very capably until turn- ing over the position to Nigel Mist in 2005. Though it is un- clear in my review of STFTA re- cords how long Mr. Mist led the organization, what is very clear is that dozens and dozens and dozens of folks from within the community stepped forward in one capacity or another to en- sure that the historic State The- atre would serve the community as a performing and cultural arts venue now and for future generations. What is equally clear is that a single person served as the anchor member of the STFTA Board of Directors from its in- ception in 1997 through calendar year 2011, when a decision was made by the organization to pur- chase the historic State Theatre. For 15 years Venita Phil- brick served on the theater board, first as treasurer, then as its secretary and for her fi- nal seven years on the board as board president. Along with too many hard-working board members and volunteers to list in this limited space, Ms. Phil- brick tore down the hideous multi-screen partitions, ex- tended the 1946 vintage stage, obtained a McConnell Fund grant to install a badly needed lighting system, obtained an historical building designation, created a top-notch performing arts product, solicited and ob- tained badly needed sup- port from local sponsors and orchestrated a gen- erous financial contribu- tion from Tom Hanks. She and the board also socked away some mean- ingful cash, allowing the current board to continue the amazing work begun some 15 years ago. Venita Philbrick also worked tirelessly on behalf of the Cone and Kimball Plaza, the Tehama County Education Foundation, Tehama Trails, Tehama County CattleWomen, the Ide Adobe Interpretive As- sociation and on and on and on. During her residence in this community, Venita re- ceived just about every com- munity award imaginable, in- cluding the Sunrise Rotary Volunteer of the Year award. I believe the only award she failed to win was the title of Miss Tehama County, and though I may be wrong I think she may have finished as sec- ond runner-up in 2003. And then in 2012, as if her work in Red Bluff and Tehama County was done, she moved back to her childhood home- town in Idaho without fan- fare or regret. Venita Philbrick is special, and this community owes her a debt of gratitude that we can never repay. By the way, if you stayed home last evening to watch Swamp People or the House- wives of New Jersey on televi- sion rather than attending the Count Basie Orchestra concert at the State Theatre, you made a very poor decision. The big band sound was expected to be simply amazing in the Lindauer Auditorium. Our next State Theatre concert also promises to of- fer good times and great mu- sic when the High Street Band takes the stage on Fri- day, March 27. The Rotary Club of Red Bluff is sponsoring this great show. I suggest you check them out yourself on YourTube, MyTube or maybe even YouTube. Comingattractions March 27 — Red Bluff Rotary presents the High Street Band April 10 — Shasta College Presents Heritage Film Festival For more information, visit www.statetheatreredbluff.com or call 529-2787. BillCorneliusisalifelong resident of Red Bluff, a retired Chief Probation Officer, a champion of the State Theatre and an exceptional athlete. He can be reached at bill. cornelius@sbcglobal.net. William Tells Philbrick's value defies definition Cartoonist's take As Iran continues to take an active role in helping Iraq fight the Islamic State group (ISIS), many neocons are up- set that the U.S. military is not over there on the ground do- ing the fighting. They want Americans to believe that only another U.S. invasion of Iraq — and of Syria as well — can defeat ISIS. But what is wrong with the countries of the re- gion getting together and de- ciding to cooperate on a com- mon problem? While the entry of Iranian- backed Shi'ite militias into ISIS-occupied areas may not be ideal — there is bound to be revenge killings and sectar- ian fighting — it is far more likely that the ISIS problem will be solved by the coun- tries in the region than by U.S. bombs and ground troops. Our bombs will continue to make the problem worse because it was our bombs that helped create the problem in the first place. What the neocons who lied us into the Iraq war don't like to admit is that there was no ISIS problem and no al-Qa- eda problem in Iraq and Syria before we invaded Iraq. ISIS is an idea, not a coun- try or an army, which is why the U.S. declaring war on ISIS makes no sense. It is clear that if we really want to de- feat ISIS, the last thing we should be doing is bomb- ing and sending troops back to Iraq and into Syria. Our bombs and involvement in the region only serve to re- cruit more fighters into ISIS. To make matters worse, many of these radicalized fighters come from Europe and even the U.S. What happens when they go home? What if the U.S. had not gotten involved with Iraq in 1990 when Saddam Hussein went into Kuwait after getting what he thought was a green light from the first Bush Ad- ministration? The interven- tionists were saying that if we did not act, Saddam Hussein was going to take over the re- gion and perhaps more! But what about the other countries in the region that may have felt threatened? Maybe Saudi Arabia would have made a move; maybe Israel would have taken care of the prob- lem. Why does it always have to be the U.S.? The dedicated neocons and other interventionists will not cheer Iran currently tak- ing steps to defeat ISIS even though they claim that ISIS is at this time the number one threat to the U.S.. Why don't they like this good news? Be- cause they desire the rest of the world to believe that the U.S. is the only indispensable nation. They want the rest of the world — and especially the American taxpayer — to believe that no problem any- where can be solved without U.S. involvement. It diminishes our prestige, they argue, for us not to take the lead in every conflict ev- erywhere on the globe. Per- haps if people overseas begin to see that they can solve their own local and regional prob- lems without the U.S. mili- tary involved, more Americans would come to see the neo- cons as the real threat to our national — and financial — se- curity. Instead of being angered at Iranian help to address the problem of ISIS, perhaps we should send them a "thank you" note. Ron Paul is a former Congressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at VoicesofLiberty. com. Ron Paul Iran fighting ISIS — is it really a problem? Another view St. Patrick's Day cel- ebrations are getting a wee bit out of hand. St. Patrick's Day oc- curs every year on March 17, the date when St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, died in 461 A.D. According to The History Channel, St. Patrick was born in Britain in 385 A.D. to a well- to-do family. Captured by Irish marauders when he was 16, he worked as a herder in Ireland for six years before escaping and returning home. In his book "Confessio," he describes a dream in which he was called to serve the Irish people. After 15 years of study, he was ordained a Catho- lic bishop. He returned to Ire- land in 433, devoting the rest of his life to building churches, preaching and caring for the Irish people. For about 1,500 years, St. Pat- rick's Day has been celebrated as a religious holiday. The Irish attended church in the morn- ing and enjoyed modest gather- ings with friends and family in the afternoon. They didn't be- gin hosting St. Patrick's Day pa- rades until 1995. The very first St. Patrick's Day parade occurred in Amer- ica, not Ireland. That happened in 1762, when Irish soldiers, serving in the English military, marched through New York City. "As the years went on, the pa- rades became a show of unity and strength for persecuted Irish-American immigrants," says The History Channel. The parades grew in size and statute as millions of Irish flocked to America. During the potato fam- ine of the 1840s, the Irish came to America to work in mills and coal mines and along rails and wa- terways. If you follow the waterways and rail lines, you'll find the many places where the Irish settled. Today, one in four Americans can trace his or her heritage back to the rolling green hills of Ireland. Irish culture has had a tremendous impact on Amer- ica. According to author Bob Callahan, in a Salon article, pub life was an Irish-Catholic tradition. The melodies of the Irish fiddle were blended with the rhythms of African music to give birth to today's popu- lar music. (And until you have heard Celtic Woman, an all- female Irish ensemble, per- form "Amazing Grace," you will never fully comprehend the meaning of the word beau- tiful.) Callahan says that Irish vaudevillians, masters of knockabout physical comedy, influenced early Hollywood filmmaking and even gave birth to the newspaper comic strip. He says the mischievous- ness of the Irish spirit has had a great influence on American culture — that the "hard-boiled, darkly humorous, racetrack bitten" language of the Irish was the precursor to "brilliant, wisecracking Irish-Americans," who were precursors to the gre- garious American spirit we en- joy today. To be sure, there are many Irish contributions for Amer- icans to celebrate and revere every St. Patrick's Day. But, as I said, some of our celebra- tions are getting a wee bit out of hand. I speak of the goofy lepre- chaun hats and the gaudy green buttons and scarves that mock and caricature, rather than cel- ebrate, our Irish heritage. I speak of the T-shirts the big store chains sell by the boat- load: "I'm so Irish, I sweat al- cohol;" "So this Irishman walks out of a bar — no, really, it can happen;" "Kiss me — I'm Irish, drunk or both." I speak of the copious amounts of alcohol that leave some parade goers drunk and passed out in alleyways well be- fore lunch is on the menu. Hey, if anyone enjoys some self-deprecating humor, it's the Irish. But aren't these activities getting a wee bit out of hand? Aye! On that serious note, I leave you with some St. Patrick's Day humor: "Knock, knock!" "Who's there?" "Irish!" "Irish who?" "Irish you a happy St. Pat- rick's Day!" Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom at Purcell@ caglecartoons.com. No way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day Tom Purcell President Barack Obama: The White House 1600Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 Fax: 202-456-2461 president@whitehouse.gov Governor Jerry Brown: State Capitol Building, Suite 1173 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-445-2841 Fax: 916-558-3160 State Assembly Jim Wood: P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0002 Phone: 916-319-2002 Fax: 916-319-2102 Eureka phone: 707-445-7014 Fax: 707-445-6607 To email, visit http://asmdc.org/ members/a02/ Let them know How to contact public officials. Bill Cornelius OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, March 18, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6