Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/5665
4A – Daily News – Friday, January 1, 2010 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. 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 Opinion In case you didn't know, this holiday is no myth. It's real, my friend, very real. As the Internet states, "The holiday, as portrayed in the Seinfeld episode and now cele- brated by many, includes prac- tices such as the "Airing of Grievances," which occurs dur- ing the Festivus meal. "Each person tells everyone else all the ways they have dis- appointed him or her over the past year. "After the meal the 'Feats of Strength' are performed, involv- ing wrestling the head of the household to the floor, with the holiday ending only if the head of the household is actually pinned." Does this sound like fun or what? It was originally created by one of the writers for the Seinfeld show. According to a Web site, many people now cel- ebrate this Dec. 23 holiday. Now, I know it's New Year's Day and all, but the thought of me writing a hope-filled, touchy-feely column just didn't stike me right. I think, as a nation, we'd be so much better off if folks would just air out all of their frustra- tions at those who have disap- pointed them in one way or another the past year. Americans don't take out their personal garbage very well. We tend to hold onto things, and let them well up inside of us for far too long. And the result? People crack, and the rest of us sit around wondering why. So, without further ado, I'd like to present my Festivus grievences — remember, sar- casm is a service we offer here. To our country in general – we have begun to take ourselves much too seriously. Hardly any- one laughs anymore, and I think it's time we change that. We've lost our sense of humor, mostly because I think we're too cautious about being politically correct. Folks can't say what they really want for fear of offending someone. C'mon, how many times do we see someone apologizing in the media for something they said? The one incident that sticks out to me this past year involves former football player and tele- vision commentator Bob Griese. During a game, the subject of car racing came up. The play by play guy was promoting an upcoming race, and playfully analyzing the recent troubles of a certain top-ranked latin driver. To which Griese replied something like, "He's probably been eating too many tacos." The media ripped him for it. When they asked the driver what he thought of the com- ment, he said, "I don't care; I don't even know who he (Griese) is." I think most Ameri- cans would agree polit- ical correctness has its place, but we've also gone too far overboard trying to police the thing. So, lighten up, America. Laugh a little more. Next, to the Dodgers. Now, I know you made it to the playoffs again, but you lost to the Phillies because your pitching sucked. We fans want a World Series and we want it now. Please go get some arms, and not ones like former Giant ace Jason Schmidt. The guy pitched like 16 games, blew out his shoulder, and had to quit the game. Yet, he's still making millions. Ouch. Now, it's time to get local — this is where the fun starts. To my chiropractor, Scott Arons. Can you get a new parking lot? Yours stinks. And stop brag- ging about the Fakers all the time – I mean the Lakers. That's annoying. To some drivers. Do you know how to use a blinker? It's there for a reason – to let me know which way you're going. Speaking of dri- vers, can you stop staring at me every time you drive past? This lady scowled at me the other day, and all I was doing was sitting at a stop sign. As for my wife, could you please put the peanut butter away in the morning after you're done? See, no one escapes. Have a great Friday. ——— 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. Happy Festivus, a week late 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 Pat Gleason Simply Put 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 New Year's Day is a great time to be in the news business. First, we get to look back at the previous year and pick the biggest stories. For folks who walk into the office every day for the sake of the story, this is not just fun but a cause celebre requiring vast debate. Weeks of such discussion have resulted in the top 10 local stories of 2009. I'm willing to concede the order is up for criticism, but we tried to go from the broadest impact to the most immediate local interest and, finally, to the unforgettable. But these criteria left out many quite significant stories, not the least of which is the death of Tommy Botell on the Lassen Peak Trail. Certainly, to the Botell family members and the hundreds of friends and neigh- bors who mourned with them, this is by far the biggest story of the 2009. The family could have launched the story into the broader impact category by filing a massive lawsuit against the Nation- al Park Service, costing each taxpayer a fraction of a fortune. But it chose to invest its energies to settle the problem of an unstable trail structure. Likewise, the man who is charged with lighting his live-in girlfriend afire with her children in the next room, or a major event promoter charged with a large, undercover marijuana grow. These stories had plenty of you talking, but their impact was mostly emotional and not tangible, except for those directly involved. The process of picking the top stories is not much different than that we use each day to pick the stories that are of broadest interest. Therefore we had to include the impact of a sluggish economy on local private and public entities. Medical marijuana has been hard to avoid as the debates and bans occupied most of the latter half of the year. Other stories, including the Walmart Supercenter and the loss of Lake Red Bluff, began long before 2009, but both came to some form of conclusion in the last 12 months. Probably the most satisfying highlights of a year of some tough news were the opening of the new Tehama County campus of Shasta College, which came in under budget allowing the addition of a third building, and the success of two new Red Bluff-Tehama Coun- ty Chamber of Commerce event — the Heritage Days Fourth of July Celebration and Ribs, Rods and Rides hot air balloon festival. Honorable mentions in the good news category go to Los Molinos High School and the Tehama County Department of Education for great strides in the past year and St. Elizabeth Community Hospital for once again being recognized as a Thomson Top 100 Hospital. It's easy to gripe during difficult times, but it is uplifting to know there are those in our community willing and able to make a positive impact. Here's to a happy and safe 2010. Chip Thompson can be reached at 527- 2151, Ext. 112 or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. The good and bad of 2009 Chip Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. Benefits outweigh the hardships of limiting pollution Editor: Don Polson seems to want to spread a lot of coal around based on his Dec. 28 col- umn. Apparently, he is oblivious to the fact that burning coal is a major air pollution source. But, like so many of his other ideas, he could not care less about the air we breathe. He argues that scientific evidence about air pollution and climate change is all false, despite over- whelming evidence to the contrary. As someone who lived in Los Angeles for 10 years and who has visited places like China, Mexico City and Cairo, where air pollution is so bad you have trouble breathing, I do not need scientific evidence. I can rely on personal experience and common sense. As someone who has owned a diesel automobile and an old clunker, I know that diesel fumes and gaso- line exhaust are major air polluters. Even in the North State, you can see the yellow air over the Redding area during the hot summer months. Yes, complying with the new diesel exhaust regulations will be a hardship for many truckers, just as the regulations for improved auto- mobile emissions have been and will be for most of us, but the benefit to all of us in the air we breathe out- weighs that hardship. Robert Wilkinson, Cottonwood Your Turn