Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6098
6A – Daily News – Tuesday, January 19, 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. 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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 Just when you think we got enough to worry about, along comes a big, old raging controversy over airports utilizing full-body scanning machines that can see through fliers' cloth- ing all the way down to our naughty bits. Let me tell you where I stand on this brouha- ha: I don't care. Haha. In the whole mod- esty versus safety argu- ment, you can count on me to crawl behind the Kevlar couch with the Safety First crowd every time. All because of the underpants bomber. Yes, the underpants bomber. And no, it's not funny, but then again, yes, it is. Here's my theory: If the bad guys are willing to shove bombs up their butts, you know what, we're not going to win that war. Who can afford to pay the necessary costs to hire people to check for this? "More anal probes, please." Because when we do come up with a defense for explosive suppositories, the terrorists will just develop some sort of kimchee, 1000-year-old egg, garlic-onion paste result- ing in murderous bad breath. Another point as dependable as Tofu Corn Dogs at a Berkeley street fair, is these attacks always produce a surfeit of feigned media out- rage leading to an equally transparent government overreac- tion. Pilots now have the option of restrict- ing passengers from using rest rooms for the first and last hours of the flight. Battling terrorism with toity depriva- tion. And you thought those middle coach seats were grotey before. Captains have also been instructed not to point out land- marks along the way. And no peeking out the windows either. That would be cheating. Destination announcements — a thing of the past. From now on, guess where you're going. Even though the Fruit of the Loom bomb didn't go off, con- servatives are still screaming it's all Obama's fault. And one thing that hasn't changed with administrations is the executive propensity for deflecting responsibility. Must be on page one of the White House primer they hand out with the keys to the front door. Raising an inter- esting question; do you get actual keys to the White House? And if so, did Obama go down to Ace Hardware to have spares made, or did he make the kids do it? The official excuse reeked of recycling. "The information was there but nobody connected the dots." Connected the dots? This guy paid $3,000 for his ticket with cash, didn't have a passport, flew sans checked baggage after the British tried to warn us, and his own dad dropped a dime on him at the Nigerian embassy. Those aren't dots. Those are day-glo beach balls the size of weather balloons filled with concrete. Not to mention Mister Abdulmutallab was flying from Amsterdam to Detroit. C'mon, people, think about it, who vol- untarily leaves Amsterdam to go to Detroit? In the dead of winter? Without a frequent flyer number? Everybody on that flight should have been suspicious and subjected to a body cavity search with a defective chain- mail glove. Boarding and deplaning. But like our lame response to the shoe bomber —putting smiles on the face of sock man- ufacturers everywhere — it's only a matter of time before the TSA refocuses on the new most dangerous airborne menace known to man: poo-poo undies. Going to be tough training 45,000 screeners in the speedy implementation of the dreaded two-handed wedgie. Aah, the TSA: you got to love them. Fighting today's security threats with yester- day's technology, tomorrow. Will Durst is a political comedian who has performed around the world. He is a familiar pundit on television and radio. E-mail Will at d u r s t @ c a g l e c a r t o o n s. c o m . Check out willandwillie.com for the latest podcast. Will Durst's book, "The All American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing," is available from Amazon and better bookstores all over this great land of ours. Don't forget to check out his rooftop comedy minutes at: http://www.rooftopcomedy.com /shows/BurstOfDurst. The two-handed wedgie 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 Will Durst Raging Moderate 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 Rebuttal to the rebuttal on the harmful effects of marijuana Editor: Marijuana smoke has been identified as a cancer causing drug by the State of California. I get my information on the harmful effects of marijuana smoke from the top researchers. In the island of Bermuda mari- juana use has been studied for many years. People that smoke marijuana are self medicating for underly- ing mental health issues. If you are using marijuana it is sug- gested to get a mental health evaluation to find out what mental conditions you are try- ing to treat on your own. Drugs can help people beat mental problems or push them over the edge. Self medicating with mari- juana is not a good idea. If shelling out vast sums of money for marijuana, which will destroy your life, seems like the height of insanity, that's because it very often is. Addicts are often seeking temporary relief from psycho- logical conditions they don't know how to cope with. But instead of reducing their mental agony the self medicating mere- ly compounds it. The Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute psychiatrist says that research has shown that even among those aged 14-21 cannabis use was associated with a significant increase in development of psychotic symptoms later in life. There's visual hallucination. The most common disorder would be schizophrenia. It's a high price to pay for a few puffs of weed. These alarming findings are backed up by the respected medical journal The Lancet, which in July 2007 published a summary of 35 studies assess- ing whether there was evidence to connect cannabis use to psy- chotic or mental health disor- ders. It found that individuals who had used cannabis were 41 percent more likely than those who had never used the drug to have psychosis. The risk increased relative to dose, with the most frequent cannabis users more than twice as likely to have a psychotic outcome. I rest my case. Laurence D'Alberti, Red Bluff Messiah review Editor: It was a wonderful experi- ence on Sunday, Dec. 13, to attend the annual presentation of Messiah, the oratorio com- posed by George Fredrick Han- del. The Masterworks Chorale and Orchestra led by Pastor Mark Franklin is truly a local treasure to be celebrated, spon- sored and promoted. The ensemble presented Messiah Dec. 12 in the vesper chapel at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina. It was the first performance to be present- ed there by an outside group. From the beginning Over- ture, to the final Amen of Sun- day's performance, each talent- ed singer and skilled musician gave a grand performance. What a special treat it was to hear the mixture of voices, with sounds of stringed and wood- wind instruments in a live concert. Even more special, the per- formance was given by local residents -busi- ness owners, students, career professionals, retired persons, and others-all who love to sing. Tehama County is truly blessed, and can be proud of these dedicated individuals, who assemble weekly, out of love for God and for music. The concert was well attended by those who love God, music, and all those who sang. Of special note were the soloists - Dennis Murray - Comfort Ye My People; Richard Reynolds -Thus Saith the Lord and Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth ; Heidi Uptegrove -There Were Shep- herds Abiding in the Fields; Laurie Davis -Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive; students Court- ney Upshaw -Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind Be Opened and Katherine Dubke -He Shall Feed His Flock Like A Shep- herd. Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter Of Zion was per- formed by guest soloist Natasha Czajka, a junior at Mercy Catholic High School. Messiah is a work of art. It is a collection of 73 Bible verses set to music, that was first per- formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1742. For nearly 270 years, it has been presented countless times around the world, being enjoyed by audiences large and small- to monarchs, dictators, and ordinary citizens in diverse places. The music has been played in the grandeur of Westmin- ster Abbey in Lon- don, England; and at Carnegie Hall in New York City, as well as, a tribal meeting hall on the Pima Reservation in Arizona. I am grateful to the many sponsors who made the local performance possible at our own First Church of God. Thank you for donations go to Darlene Lee, Piano and Organ Instructor; Helser Chevrolet, Bill Greer Landscaping; Bick- ley's Air Conditioning, Chapel of the Flowers; Dr. Richard Dunbar D.D.S; Dave's Tractor; Faith Bennett Music; Dr. There- sa Asato; Dr. Paul and Cyndee Moon; Dr. Joseph Busey Fami- ly; Tehama Women's Health Specialists; Dr. H. Jack Fennel, and to those who attended. I am grateful to those who have invested their time and resources over the last 15 years to ensure the annual perfor- mance of Messiah in Red Bluff. I look forward to the next for- mal performance of the Master- works Chorale on Memorial Day 2010. James Nelson, Red Bluff Your Turn