Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/5653
6A – Daily News – Thursday, December 31, 2009 A MediaNews Group newspaper 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. 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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 Opinion On the eve of a new decade, many are still scratching their heads and wondering how Presi- dent Barack Obama, who has just escalated a distant and pos- sibly unwinnable war, can merit the esteemed Nobel Peace Prize. But if Obama can begin to lead the world into a new era of the Golden Rule — based on the fundamental ethic that we must treat others as we wish to be treated — through actions as well as words, skeptics will have their answer. In accepting the honor in Oslo, Norway, Obama spoke of war and peace and, affirming humanity's capacity to bend his- tory in the direction of justice, he ultimately turned his atten- tion to the role of religion, which, he observed, has all too often been invoked as a justifica- tion for heinous acts against oth- ers. The perversion of religion for violent means is a theme he has sounded several times before. Last February at the National Prayer Breakfast, the president noted how "far too often, we have seen faith wielded as a tool to divide us from one another — as an excuse for prejudice and intolerance. Wars have been waged. Innocents have been slaughtered. For centuries, entire religions have been perse- cuted, all in the name of per- ceived righteousness." Contemporary examples of faith used as a divisive tool abound. Daily news headlines — bombings in Baghdad and Lahore, a recent mosque dese- cration in the West Bank — remind us that those who claim to be agents of God's will con- tinue to wreak their havoc in too many corners of the globe. In Oslo, Obama emphasized that in the face of these uncon- scionable acts, we simply can't let humanity move backward. And as the centerpiece to his campaign, he repeated his impassioned call to those of all religions to struggle against what separates us from one another, and to recognize, beneath the veil of difference, the common humanity that binds us together. By asserting that the very purpose of faith — and the "core struggle of human nature" — is to strive for closer adherence to the "law of love" in our relations with one another, Obama essen- tially neutralizes religious dif- ference. Whatever one's belief system — whether religious or secular — it all boils down to the same crystallized essence: an "irreducible" something, as he puts it, which is simple and universal. It is the common ideal embodied in the Golden Rule. In June, concluding his his- toric speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, Obama pro- claimed that the Golden Rule's truth "transcends nations and peoples — a belief ... that isn't Christian or Muslim or Jew. ... It's a faith in other people, and it's what brought me here today." Having often repeat- ed these sentiments, can Obama now lead a movement that actuates his words, and that ushers in a new rubric for global human rela- tions? That's the challenge — presented, unfortunately, in so many venues across the planet. Perhaps the first and most fit- ting place to meet it squarely is in Israel/Palestine. What better opportunity to engage, with empathy, the many disparate narratives of those who call that region home? What more intractable conflict in which to chisel the fundamental truth that despite decades of fear and mutual distrust, the only answer is to move forward by recogniz- ing one's own humanity in the humanity of the other, and the needs of the other — whether Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim, Christian or Jew. This is what is needed for dignity and security to thrive. Conveying that foundational message, Obama must redouble his efforts to promote a just and lasting peace, not only for Israelis and Palestinians through two viable and secure homelands and a shared Jerusalem, but also for all who live in that long-troubled region. Success is pos- sible, and it is essen- tial. With a bold begin- ning there, the world will have ample cause for celebration. And the naysayers will be oblig- ed to acknowledge that Obama's Nobel was, after all, more than aspirational. Because we will have taken a few first steps across the threshold into what can become — with inspired leadership and an awakening commitment to the world com- munity — a new era of the Golden Rule. ___ Michael Felsen is a director of the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service. Readers may write to the author at cgnews@sfcg.org or Search for Common Ground, 1601 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20009. Toward an era of the Golden Rule Commentary N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 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 Guest View Michael Felsen STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), 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), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 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; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Your officials Marijuana is very harmful Editor: As a former marijuana smoker from the age of 14 I can weigh in on this issue from experience. To any young people that are reading this and thinking about trying marijuana please realize that all it will do is make you halu- cinate with heart palpitations. Also, tolerance-builds up very rapidly and the smoker must con- sume more and more and more to get the high they once thought they enjoyed. Eventually the user will be smoking the drug all day long with no effect simply being addict- ed. Marijuana smoke is filled with carcinogenic chemicals and most definitely can cause lung cancer or throat cancer. It is totally irrespon- sible for a doctor to issue a pre- scription for marijuana. They are issuing these recommendations purely and simply to make money. So in my opinion there is no med- ical application for marijuana. The people in this town that are pushing for legalization are the ones who are addicted to pot or are dealing it. I know most of them. Do we really want to send a mes- sage to our youth that it is OK to smoke marijuana? Do these users really want to grow and have access to an addic- tive drug that causes emphysema? Also alcohol is actually worse of an addiction than marijuana and should be banned as well, but that is another topic. Laurence G. D'Alberti, Red Bluff Don't do away with the manger Editor: Not wanting to offend, allow me to ask a seasonal question. What is it about the manger scene that offends? Surely, it cannot be the poverty of the newly married couple. Is it the embarrassment that even in this day and age peo- ple find no room for the poor? Oh yes, of course, it is the "religious" connotation, whatever that means. Is it that the same religious con- notations of the "decorated Christ- mas tree" the candy cane and yes, even the icon of Christmas, Santa himself? Legend has it that Martin Luther, a follower of Christ, began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with can- dles, which he lit in honor of Christ's birth. As for the candy cane, there is reason to think that the red-striped candy of Christmas became a cane because a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, in 1670, bent straight candy sticks into canes to represent a shep- herd's crook, and gave them to children at church services to remind them of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus, the Good Shep- herd. Also, a strong case can be made that the legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a Christian monk named St. Nicholas, born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. He was much admired for his piety and kindness and often gave joy to poor children by throwing gifts in through their windows. Later, the Orthodox Church raised St. Nicholas, miracle work- er, to a position of great esteem. It was in his honor that Russia's oldest church was built. For its part, the Roman Catholic Church honored Nicholas as one who helped children and the poor. St. Nicholas made his way to the United States with Dutch immigrants, and began to be referred to as Santa Claus. So what is it about the manger scene that troubles this society? Does it remind us of a childhood beyond our grasp? Does it remind us of unfulfilled dreams? Or does it remind us of our weakness and need as human beings? The One born in the manger does not come to kill and destroy, but rather to help and to heal. He comes in mercy and love, without demands, only to give of Himself to set men and women free from their self-centered ways in the for- giveness He won upon the cross. Ah, that's it, isn't it? There is the offense. It is the cross. The manger, stable and all proclaim the birth of the Lamb of God who came to die for the sin of the world and also the promise of His return as King of kings and Lord of lords. The Rev. Dallas Dubke, Red Bluff Citizens arrest Editor: I will be attempting a citizens arrest for Assemblyman Jim Nielsen. Our small group of dedicated citizens, who will be witness to this peaceful exercise of one of our rights, will happen when the sub- ject, Nielsen, is known to be at any public event or function. I have met all the criteria of the California Penal Code, and I alone will choose the time and place. The probable cause required is the proof we have that Nielsen committed perjury an fraud when he filed to seek elected office in the Second Assembly District on June 3, 2008. This, when convicted, is a felony. The accusations are absolutely provable, but have been sup- pressed by our Tehama County District Attorney, Sheriff, Grand Jury and two Superior Court Judges. The citizens arrest is the only option to encourage the media to inform the voters of this public servant's illegal victory. We believe he cheated and lied to win. Donald Bird, Coming Your Turn