Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/569627
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 For nearly three quarters of a century, each American generation has had that moment. The one so indelibly etched into our brain that we remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when it occurred. From theJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the as- sassination of President John F. Kennedy, to the slaying of Dr. Martin Luther King, to Neil Armstrong's moon walk. These moments are forever with us. Those who live long enough will surely experi- ence more than one, but each generation seems to have its own. For any American older than 20 such a moment oc- curred 14 years ago today when terrorists conducted a maniacal suicide mission to hijack four commercial air- liners and crash them into iconic American landmarks. Two of the planes brought down both towers of the World Trade Center in New York, a third wreaked havoc by crashing into the Penta- gon in Northern Virginia, while the fourth, which ap- parently had targeted the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, was thwarted by a heroic passenger revolt that caused it to crash into a field near Shanksville, Penn- sylvania. Fourteen years is not an anniversary that would ordi- narily evoke special meaning. But the events of Sept. 11, 2001, were not ordinary. Far from it. It was different from anything our nation had ever encountered. We had been savagely attacked and we didn't even know by whom. At first, anyway. That day's events were clear acts of war not so much against our country, but against our way of life. The problem was that they didn't come from any recog- nized state, but rather were the brainchild of a shadowy group of Middle East fanat- ics calling themselves al-Qa- ida who operated under a twisted and violent interpre- tation of Islam. As a nation we were at once stunned, sickened, afraid and heartbroken. But it didn't take long for that shock and hurt to turn to re- solve and, yes, anger. Lots of anger. We were so upset, in fact, that we declared war on a concept — terror — rather than a country. The advis- ability of doing so was ques- tionable, as it led us into ex- cruciating entanglements that remain today. But today is not about pol- icy choices. It is about re- membering the 2,977 inno- cents and heroic first-re- sponders killed at the hands of 19 terrorists. In the 14 years hence, our nation has accomplished much. It has rebuilt on the site of the World Trade Cen- ter towers, the Pentagon has been repaired and our mil- itary has killed Osama bin Laden, the plan's master- mind. But we haven't forgotten. Not at all. So the nation stops again — as it should always — to remember and grieve for those 2,977 people and their families. May they rest in peace. Editorial We have not forgotten, and we never will Cartoonist's take Tsk, tsk. Two letters to the editor taking me to task on the same — 5 September — day. P. Gleason's was worth a laugh because he is a L.A. Dodg- ers fan, and he certainly has the last laugh on me for the lack of success of our SF Giants. How- ever, the other letter was more serious and requires a more lengthy response. J. Ostrowski was ready to fight. He wrote that comparing veterans to veterinarians was an insult, "astoundingly rude" is how he put it. Q. Is there any profession that it would be po- litically correct to compare with veterans, or does the veteran stand alone as sacrosanct in the eyes of their countrymen? There is no doubt that the veterans of the Vietnam War were not accorded the respect and accolade bestowed on veterans of World War I and World War II. That Vietnam war turned out badly. And the same might be said for vet- erans of the Korean Conflict. But somewhere along the way, in the shooting wars in which this country has been engaged — Desert Storm a case in point — politicians have gotten into the act and decided that all wars in which the US has par- ticipated have been just wars, and therefore the hapless par- ticipants returning home alive or in body bags, are justly owed a debt of gratitude from the American people. And if the motives behind some wars have become suspect, it's best to lump them all as "justifiable intervention" and to salute them every time we salute the flag, which brings us to high- way signage greeting travelers arriving at our fair county's doorstep. "Tehama Honors Our Veterans" or words to that ef- fect. Of course we do. We don't dishonor them. However, to re- affirm their honor, Congress- man LaMalfa proposed that such statements be allowed on highway signs, and invited counties to do so. I know where Mr.Ostrowski is coming from. I suggest Jane Fonda is not one of his fa- vorite movie stars. However, he states "Apparently Rob- ert Minch has never served in the military…safer to serve the county than serve your coun- try." Strange he should men- tion the word "safer." I was drafted during the Ko- rean Conflict, decided I would have to take fewer orders as an officer than a non com, so went to leadership school, and then Infantry Officer Candi- date School at Ft. Benning, Ga. A week before I was to grad- uate, I heard that volunteers were needed for the Medical Field Service School. I applied, was accepted and received my bars in that branch of the ser- vice. While at Ft. Sam Hous- ton in Texas walking across the quadrangle one day, I met a fellow 2nd Lt. who was shak- ing his head. "What's up?" I asked. He responded, "I've been assigned to Alaska, but am also eligible for helicop- ter school in Oklahoma…and I don't know which assignment to take." "That's a no-brainer," I replied. "Go to helicopter school and you will have a job when you get out." He agreed with my logic, went to person- nel and checked out of Alaska. I followed him in, applied for the Alaskan post, and got it. That's where I spent a year or so, safe and sound. My father rued the loss of his brother in WWII because he was not able to get Ever- ett deferred into essential in- dustry. I found my own type of de- ferment from combat, and have never regretted it. For those that went overseas but never returned, they have my sincere respect and condo- lences. But I am alive today and hundreds of thousands are not. Call it fate if you will, but I find that my survival is greatly preferable to that of other alternatives. ••• "Defenestration." A word not used very often, even in this lit- erate newspaper. It means lit- erally to throw something or somebody out the window. It was liberally used when the country first learned of Bill Clinton's dalliance with a young intern, and some wits suggested his wife should de- fenestrate him. However, Hill- ary seems to have other con- cerns these days as the press seems hell bent on derailing her run for the presidency by harping relentlessly about her e-mails, etc. The pity is that al- though she may not be your choice to occupy the White House as the primary tenant, she is the best hope, so far, for a female President. I promote one such because the boys have always had a monopoly on this spot, and there is evidence that the majority of tenants have had little success in lead- ing this still great country. It is time for the distaff side to try its hand. Ironic how a female God is proposed by many, but a much more practical target for female leadership is that of the Presidency of the U.S. of A. ••• Proposals for making our schools more effective range from starting school later in the morning to even letting el- ementary students design their own curriculum. This would seem counter to common sense. I can assure you, through wasted years of my own school- ing, the object of any schooling should be to hold the attention of the student. Failing that, one course of action might be to lower the age level of entry into the armed services to ad- dress inattentive high school students in a more forceful and disciplined manner. Young peo- ple could profit by a cuff on the ear from time to time. Colum- nist Joe Harrop please respond. ••• A ventriloquist was putting on a show. With his dummy on his knee, he started with his usual dumb blonde jokes. Sud- denly, a blonde in the fourth row stood up and shouted, "I've heard enough of your stupid blonde jokes! What does the color of a woman's hair have to do with her worth as a human being? You and your kind con- tinue to perpetuate discrimina- tion against not only blondes, but women in general." The embarrassed ventrilo- quist tried to apologize, but the blonde interrupted yelling, "You stay out of this. I'm talk- ing to that little piss ant on your lap!" RobertMinchisalifelong resident of Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and author of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at rminchandmurray@ hotmail.com. I say Survival of service is preferable to alternatives As a nation we were at once stunned, sickened, afraid and heartbroken. But it didn't take long for that shock and hurt to turn to resolve and, yes, anger. Lots of anger. We were so upset, in fact, that we declared war on a concept — terror — rather than a country. The advisability of doing so was questionable, as it led us into excruciating entanglements that remain today. But today is not about policy choices. It is about remembering the 2,977 innocents and heroic first- responders killed at the hands of 19 terrorists. StateandNational Assemblyman James Galla- gher, 2060 Talbert Drive, Ste. 110, Chico 95928, 530 895-4217, http://ad03.asmrc.org/ Senator Jim Nielsen, 2634 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico 95928, 530 879-7424, senator. nielsen@senate.ca.gov Governor Jerry Brown, State Capital Building, Sacramento 95814, 916 445-2841, fax 916 558-3160, governor@governor. ca.gov U.S. Representative Doug La- Malfa, 507 Cannon House Of- fice Building, Washington D.C. 20515, 202 225-3076 U.S. Senator Dianne Fein- stein, One Post St., Ste. 2450, San Francisco 94104, 415 393- 0707, fax 415 393-0710 U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, 1700 Montgomery St., San Fran- cisco 94111, 510 286-8537, fax 202 224-0454 Local Tehama County Supervisors, 527-4655 District 1, Steve Chamblin, Ext. 3015 District 2, Candy Carlson, Ext. 3014 District 3, Dennis Garton, Ext. 3017 District 4, Bob Williams, Ext. 3018 District 5, Burt Bundy, Ext. 3016 Red Bluff City Manager, Rich- ard Crabtree, 527-2605, Ext. 3061 Corning City Manager, John Brewer, 824-7033 Your officials Robert Minch I found my own type of deferment from combat, and have never regretted it. For those that went overseas but never returned, they have my sincere respect and condolences. But I am alive today and hundreds of thousands are not. Call it fate if you will, but I find that my survival is greatly preferable to that of other alternatives. OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, September 11, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4