Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/50633
6A Daily News – Tuesday, December 20, 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 Don't smoke marijuana to treat your glaucoma Editor: Although marijuana can 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. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. 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 lower eye pressure, recom- mending it does not make sense given its side effects, short duration of action, and lack of evidence that its use alters the course of glaucina, Marijuana's effect on eye pres- sure only lasts 3 to 4 hours meaning that to lower eye pres- sure around the clock would require smoking it 6-8 times daily. Its use could conceiv- ably make the permanent vision loss from glaucoma worse. No long-term clinical trials have been run to evaluate the long term damage to the optic nerve or eye pressure from depending on marijuana. The message is that although marijuana can lower eye pres- sure, recommending this drug in any form for glaucoma treat- ment does not make sense. In addition to marijuana's lack of glaucoma treatment value it also has mood altering effects prevents the patient from using it from driving, operating machinery, and func- tioning at maximus mental capacity, drowsiness, and loss of judgement. The reader should read the September 2011 Vol. 29 issue of Gleams, published by the Glaucoma Research Foundation, for which I have been a public speaker since 1995. As an advanced glaucoma patient since 1994, I can attest to the effectiveness of the available oral, eye drops, and surgical procedures to prolong vision without depending on mind altering marijuana. For me the effective lifelong treat- ment, confirmed by quarterly visual field and eye pressure tests, was 9 daily eye drops of three meds or 59,130 since July 1994, 6570 oral calcium channel blocker pills, and a dozen eye surgeries.during 1994,1995 and 1996. Untreated glaucoma will result in gradual vision loss and blindness with no pain. Joseph J. Neff, Corning Union dues Editor: On Dec. 14, a letter by Mr. Neff was printed regarding union dues being used to pay for the Democratic party. It is beyond understanding where the learned gentleman gets his misinformation, but while some if not most compa- ny union contracts require union membership, the mem- ber either pays his or her dues directly to the local union or by voluntary payroll with holding from her or his pay check. And as stated previously by me, and is by law, illegal for any moneys from union dues to be paid any political party. Robert Hogan, Red Bluff Sellout Editor: The ultimate measure of a concerted effort by the Elite to systematically dismantle the last vestige of Democracy, a proverbial finger in our collec- tive eye, is the Supreme Court ruling that money is the equiv- alent of free speech. Although the idea that money talks has been part of our vocabulary forever, it has now been given perverse legitimacy. Jesse Unruh once remarked that money is the moth- er's milk of politics, yet little did he realize the elite would some day end up owning the very cow that produce it. This, in tandem with the elevation of corporations to the status of personhood, which cedes them rights equal to that of a U.S.citizen, repre- sents the final sellout and sur- render of our commons to Banksters, Corporations, and Wall Street Tycoons. A sign held aloft by an old lady at OWS, an assembly of the powerless and disenfran- chised, is spot on and speaks for itself: "I believe corpora- tions are people, when Texas executes one." Just a little peek at the Good Book and the warning issued over 2000 years ago, still rings eternal and contemporary: "The love of money (greed) is the root of all evil". Truer words have never been spoken. One can't help but won- der....what are they up to, and will get away with next? What's left? Joe Bahlke, Red Bluff Job creators Editor: The rich are job creators is one of the biggest misconcep- tions of the decade. Granted a few jobs are established by catering to those with expensive taste and deep pockets. But the vast Your Turn majority of jobs have always sprung from poorer consumers. John Davison Rockefeller started out in business as a wholesale grocer. His initial millions came from the sale of kerosene. Gasoline was dumped in rivers early on because it was thought to be use- less. William Wrigley Jr. made his millions selling 2 cent chewing gum. And Sam Walton started his empire with the purchase of a Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Ark. It has always been demand from poorer consumers that created the majority of jobs in this country. Without the lower classes the higher classes of society would nor could not exist. We have never needed to cater exclusively to the billion- aire consumers — by lowering their taxes — to save jobs in this country and we still don't. First thing new CEOs do to justify their multi-million dol- lar contracts is to see how many people they can lay off in order to save labor cost. Laid off workers tend to spend less, a lot less, so stuff stay on the shelves. Consumer demand dwindles and so do more jobs. The rich don't create jobs they destroy them. Jobs are created by con- sumers who demand a product or service. Since there are a lot more peons than the aristo- crats, greater demand for prod- uct or services always come from the lower classes. So, we don't now nor have we ever had to depend on the rich to provide us with jobs. Orval Strong, Gerber 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), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 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. It's Christmas; is the world small or what? Commentary Dear Reader: I hope you didn't expect some sappy holiday column this week. Don't get me wrong; I love Christmas and all, but those seem- ingly festive songs in stores near you have burst a hole in my brain. Luckily, I stumbled upon this story. And, as I read the contents from one of my emails, it struck me that I should share this with everyone. So, as always: sit back, relax, and enjoy. Imagine you're a Red Bluff High School graduate walking alone out in the middle of nowhere – say, the desert of Afghanistan. You're in the Army, a gazillion miles from home. As the holidays draw near, all you want to do is get home to see some familiar faces. You know: friends, family, dogs, cats, and anything else rec- ognizable from your past. Heck, even the old, crabby neighbor you didn't like might even warrant a bear hug. So, you're out there doing your job in the middle of nowhere and…well, I'll let former student, Austin Cox, tell the story. He wrote me in a recent email while sick and off the front line: "Everything is good right now. Do you remember Dylan Peters? He graduated a few years ahead of me, with my brother. Anyway, he's been in the Army for almost 7 years now. We've been friends for a long time, and I happened to run into him here in Ghazni. "He does route clearance with his company here, and we're just passing through. It's a really small world right?" Now, the phrase, it's a small world, is commonly used, but is the world really all that small? I pondered that for a moment. So, I did some research; this is what I found: "The Earth is the 3rd planet from the Sun, and the largest of the terrestrial planets. It's a really big planet. But how many miles around the Earth? The equatorial circumference of the Earth is 24,901.55 miles. This is how many miles the Earth is around." That's approximately 25 thou- sand miles. Sounds like a heck of a road trip to me. Therefore, by defi- nition, the world isn't all that small. And, if the publication Univer- sal Planet says the Earth is a big, then it must be. On the other hand, those folks at Disneyland say it's small. I even asked my seven year old daughter, Mia, and she agreed. "It's a small world, Dad." Who can argue with that? But I digress. Austin found it truly amazing that he'd run into someone from his hometown – and a good buddy at that. He continued: "Never thought I'd run into someone from Red Bluff, let alone a close friend, but we've been hang- ing out the last few days and are having dinner tonight at one entrances. I always knew when Austin entered the room. Another former student, Pat Gleason Simply Put of the Afghan places before I fly out in the morning. "I just thought that was really funny." We wrote back and forth for another few days and Austin was off to god knows where. I haven't heard from him since. My hope is that he'll suddenly appear at my classroom door very soon, making one of his classic Kevin Holmes, has also taken the time to write me recently. He says he's doing well and, like Austin, is hoping to be home soon. I can't help but think about these boys, not just at this time of the year, but always. They grow up so young and full of promise. They put their lives on the line, offering a truly great sacrifice to our country. They do something I never did - enlist. As a teacher it makes me proud of them. As a parent, I worry for them. My wish is that all of our men and women in uniform return home safely. Let us all hope for that. Is that Pat Gleason grew up in Los Angeles and has taught English at Red Bluff High School since 1990. He can be reached at phgleaso@rbuhsd.k12.ca.us. sappy? Have a great day. ———