Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/539401
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@ redbluffdailynews.com Fax: 530-527-9251 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 Isthereanyonewhoisnot running for president this time? Anyone for letting The Donald put the name Trump on the top of the White House? Not me. I know he is rich and could be a nice man, but ready for our top job? We need a president with a better per- sonality. Trump's body lan- guage tells me he might be terribly arrogant. I don't say Dump the Trump, but I can't help but think our country is becoming a laughing stock be- cause of his trouble-riddled campaign. So far Trump's campaign is not off to a really good start. The most positive comments I have seen are from former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin when she quickly praised him on her Facebook page. That was followed by the support of country mu- sic star Don Rich. However, I feel I must tell you here that Rich was also a contestant on Trump's "Celebrity Appren- tice" show. I'm wondering now if Sarah is able to also see all the Trump Towers from her home in Alaska. What a view that place must have. When I watched the Don- ald's 52-minute announcement as he officially became a pres- idential candidate, I was riv- eted. Yes, I was riveted, but not for the right reasons. His voice and body language told me he feels he is too good for our most important job. Among the things the Donald said; "I don't have to brag, be- lieve it or not." Darn, that sure sounds like bragging to me. Then he said "I don't care. I'm really rich." How on earth did any woman ever find that atti- tude appealing? It is no wonder the tele- vision network Univision dropped his "Celebrity Ap- prentice" show after he said "When Mexico sends its peo- ple, they are bringing drugs. They are bringing crime and they're rapists." I wonder why he did not mention that no human beings are perfect. I personally consider Trump's candidacy for the White House the best thing that has happened in years, but only for the benefit of co- medians. Now, for the sec- ond time, ESPN is moving its ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic from a Trump property to an- other golf club in California's Orange County. All of this fun the Donald is having will probably make him more of a celebrity, which tragically will make him even richer. Not to be totally negative, I do admire his ability as a businessman. And, not to be catty, but what's up with his hair? It is obviously dyed and combed over so much that even it must have to wonder which way the Donald wants it to go. The Trump controversy was beginning to subside Mon- day when his campaign circu- lated yet another statement. The document reads like dic- tation from the candidate himself, including several pro- vocative and boastful asser- tions including: "Tremendous infectious disease is pouring across the border. The United States has become a dumping ground for Mexico." I think personally the Donald's race for president is now crashing and burning. Mytakeonthemovies My take on this week's movie fits nicely into this col- umn. I saw the film "Dope." In today's lexicon "dope" means cool or good. It is used as pos- itive slang, like "it's all good." "Dope" is about personal ambition and the ability and desire everyone should have to overcome adversity. I would not recommend "Dope." It al- most turns out to be very dopey. It is the cookie cut- ter version of what many in our society think of America's challenged black community. StanStathamserved1976- 1994 in the California Assembly and was a television news anchor at KHSL-TV in Chico 1965-1975. He is president of the California Broadcasters Association and can be reached at StanStatham@gmail.com. My take TheDonaldas a presidential contender When I watched the Donald's 52-minute announcement as he officially became a presidential candidate, I was riveted. Yes, I was riveted, but not for the right reasons. His voice and body language told me he feels he is too good for our most important job. Kudos to singing group Editor: The Tehama County Mu- seum would like publicly to commend the award-winning California Heat chapter of the Sweet Adelines for its years of musical service through en- tertainment to the Tehama County community. This group is a vibrant group of young(ish) ladies from all over Northern Cali- fornia who specialize in four- part barbershop music. They have entertained many organi- zations around the county in- cluding the Farm Bureau, Cal- ifornia Retired Teachers Asso- ciation, Dairyville Community Club, the State Theatre Re- hab group, Alternatives to Vi- olence, Tehama District Fair, Tehama County Arts Coun- cil and, of course, the Tehama County Museum. They have done this primarily at their own expense, appearing with- out charge, in costume and in character. It has come to our atten- tion at the Tehama County Museum that what they do takes money and we want to say thank you and we want to help. The music for every song the California Heat sings runs about $250, so every 10 songs they sing has costs about $2,500 just for the music. It has also come to our at- tention that the California Heat really likes the acous- tics in the Marty Graffell An- nex at the museum. The an- nex does for their singing what a shower does for yours and mine. So we are providing free of charge the venue for a Califor- nia Heat concert in the annex to raise money for the group to help with expenses. We are asking the Tehama County Community to help us say thank you by joining us at 7 p.m. July 18 in the annex at the museum for California HEAT Summer Fest. The tickets are $10 per seat with children younger than 5 getting in free. There also will be a Picnic Barbecue Basket raffle including an A&R Meats of Red Bluff gift certificate. All proceeds will go to the California Heat. Seating is lim- ited to 112, and pre-sale tickets may be purchased by calling 895-0139 or 527-4846. Come and say thank you with your presence. Let's fill the annex and enjoy a special evening. For anyone wishing to tour the main building of the mu- seum, we will be open from 6-7 p.m. before the concert. Ad- mission to the museum is free and donations are gratefully accepted. Anyone with ques- tions about the venue and the museum may call 384-2595. — Chris Bauer, Tehama Moose Lodge provides flags for holidays Editor: Wasn't it great to see all of the American flags flying in Red Bluff on the Fourth of July? For those who don't know, this service is provided by the Red Bluff Moose Lodge for all major holidays. A small annual donation helps support our charitable projects. For more information, please call the Moose Lodge at 529-6666 ask for me. — Rick Wilson, Red Bluff Question for columnist Editor: After reading Robert Minch's column of July 3, I was a bit puzzled by Mr. Minch's reasoning about the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage. Therefore, I have a few questions for Mr. Minch. Since the court has now nullified the state's defini- tion of marriage, how would Mr. Minch define it? Would it be limited to two people? If so, why, and on what basis? Would someone else have the same right to different defini- tion? What place or weight in society has traditional mar- riage had in the last 5,000 years of civilization? Can we now say they were unenlight- ened fools for valuing it so highly? Is there any moral conno- tation in this debate, or is it strictly a legal one? Is mar- riage to be codified without moral constraints? If marriage is now undefined, what is adul- tery? Or divorce? Since "love is a many splendored thing" is the justification for Mr. Minch's argument, would he agree with Barbara Mandrell that "if loving you is wrong I don't want to be right?" Does Mr. Minch think that codified laws are able to re- strain the dark impulses within each of us, or alter them? Does freedom from moral constraints truly let someone know liberty, or con- demn him to the harshest slav- ery, that of his own mind and what he thinks is right? Are there such things as ab- solute moral standards, ap- plicable to all and unchang- ing with time? If not, then how can the perpetrators of such great atrocities as seen in WWII be condemned, since their own societies approved them? The issue of whether fun- damental societal norms such as marriage can be redefined by a federal court is crucial to our continuance as a soci- ety with an unchanging foun- dation. Thus, I look forward to Mr. Minch's response to these questions. — Brian Ramsey, Red Bluff Your opinions Cartoonist's take Even though secular influ- ences have reduced the Bible Belt to a Bible Thong, one can still find plenty of Vacation Bi- ble Schools here in the South. My son Gideon (soon to be a seventh grader) recently com- pleted VBS at two different con- gregations, learning of prophets and kings and miracles and par- ables — prompting me to share some observations. I get a warm, fuzzy feeling hearing the youngsters sing classics such as "Roll The Gos- pel Chariot Along" and "Isn't It Grand To Be A Chrisian?". Un- fortunately, some songs have been modernized beyond rec- ognition, such as "The foolish man built his house upon the sand and the rains came tum- bling down and he laughed all the way to the bank because he had government-backed flood insurance." The themes for the VBS cur- ricula have been updated as well, in a quest for "relevance". Themes such as "Let's Tour Naz- areth" have been joined by "Eli- jah's fiery chariot: what sort of carbon footprint did that hotrod leave?" and "The meek shall in- herit the earth — those lousy one-percenters!" I'm glad that VBS lets kids have some reverent FUN with the Bible. Week in and week out, some of the more dour con- gregations can make an im- pressionable youngster feel like the hapless Charlie Brown. ("I got five pieces of candy!" "I got a chocolate bar!" "I got a quar- ter!" "I got a brimstone.") The VBS experience can vary widely between the liberal churches ("A prize for inviting the most friends to class? Oh, I was speaking metaphorically when I promised that") and the more conservative churches ("Yes, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, but he had a dinosaur saddled and ready just in case"). Congregations also vary in fi- nancial resources. Some get by with repurposed bathrobes and cheesy fake beards, while others get more sophisticated. ("Con- gratulations to our third-grade class for secretly bankrupt- ing the Greek economy as pun- ishment for all those heathen gods.") Children learn many lessons from the example of Jesus, but adults learn a lot at VBS as well, often the hard way. ("Y'know, there was a certain wisdom to Jesus feeding the 5,000 with loaves and fishes. Probably worked better than candy bars and sugary caffeinated bever- ages.") Most townsfolk smile at the sight of the happy young- sters streaming in and out of VBS, but there are always cyn- ics who cluck their tongues and sigh at the thought of kids be- ing taught "myths and fables". (Of course, these realists under- gird their own lives with princi- ples such as, "I'm from the gov- ernment and I'm here to help you" and "I'll still respect you in the morning.") The cynics shudder to imag- ine the indoctrination going on within. ("Brad, make sure the younger kids color within the lines, but you can color however you want. It's part of our mas- ter plan of filling the pews with hypocrites! Bwahahahaha...") Bless the teachers who work with VBS year after year. They do get to see individual students progress from the toddler phase to the graduating teen phase. In other words, from those with all the questions ("Does Jesus send God a Father's Day card?") to those with all the answers ("I pray I can keep my pride in check as I spend my entire ca- reer with one company and have my congressman weigh my every opinion.") Isn't it grand to be an opti- mist, isn't it grand? Danny Tyree welcomes email responses at tyreetyrades@aol. com and visits to his Facebook fan page Tyree's Tyrades. Danny Tyree Vacation Bible School — the untold story Stan Statham OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, July 9, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4