Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/626680
Mostofuswithacable, newspaper or Internet subscrip- tion are familiar with the 21st Century's global epidemic: Sud- den Jihad Syndrome. First iden- tified outside the laboratory by Daniel Pipes, the disease is typi- cally confined to males. There also appears to be a correlation with Islam, but that's controversial. Mainstream media practitio- ners usually apply the Sudden Jihad Syndrome diagnosis to quiet, younger men who keep to themselves and do a great deal of research on YouTube. Hobbies include building pipe bombs, going to the shooting range and collecting anhydrous ammonia. The rest of us know we're in a Sudden Jihad Syndrome out- break when, for no particular reason, the young man yells "Al- lahu Akbar" and either starts shooting or explodes. Now, in the wake of the Phil- adelphia attack on a police offi- cer, I've identified a related pa- thology called Sudden Imam Syndrome. This occurs when a secular politician, typically a Democrat although weak- minded Republicans exhibit low resistance, assures us after an attack that the Moslem terrorist "had nothing to do with Islam." In Philly the shooter was cap- tured on camera firing at Of- ficer Jesse Hartnett 11 times, scoring three hits. At the news conference announcing the ar- rest, Police Commissioner Rich- ard Ross said: "According to him, he believed that the police defend laws that are contrary to the teachings of the [Koran]." Police Captain James Clark added the suspect "stated that he pledges his allegiance to Is- lamic State, he follows Allah and that is the reason he was called upon to do this." Mayor Jim Kenney — in office all of four days, but learning fast — stepped up to the microphone and suddenly underwent a star- tling transformation. Imam Kenney assured us that in spite of what the shooter admitted, "In no way shape or form does anyone in this room believe that Islam or the teaching of Islam has anything to do with what you've seen on the screen." CAIR (Conceal All Islam Re- sponsibility) seconded the may- or's propaganda. Reuters re- ported "At this hour, it does not appear that he was an obser- vant or mosque-going Muslim." As much as I respect the mayor's reputation as an Is- lamic theologian, I'm going to have to lean toward the shoot- er's explanation of his motive. Reuters interviewed Jan- nah Abdulsalaam "who asked to be identified by her [Moslem] name." She said the shooter was "'exceptionally knowledgeable' about Islam. A neighbor said she saw him attend services at the local mosque "each Friday" and another acquaintance said the triggerman was quite famil- iar with Arabic before he signed up for classes at the mosque. (Evidently CAIR was calling mosques in Philadelphia, MS a mistake anyone could make in the heat of the moment.) Mayor Kenney appears to be the kind of cafeteria Catho- lic who can support a Democrat party that worships at the altar of abortion, while still claiming to be a Christian. So if Kenney's so shaky on Christian doctrine, what gives him any credibility on the Koran? Here we have an ISIS-pledg- ing attacker wearing a dishda- sha, screaming the traditional "Allahu Akbar" while trying to kill a cop and it "has nothing to do with Islam"? It's like saying Japanese kamikaze pilots wear- ing a hachimaki headband had nothing to do with Bushido. And where do these non-Ar- abic speaking instant imams gain the confidence to inter- pret Islam? I'm very familiar with pre-Christ Judaism, but I wouldn't presume to tell a Jew where he's gone wrong. Just as I wouldn't tell a druid he's wor- shiping the wrong shrub or a wiccan she's mistaken grass clippings for sacred herbs. But both the mayor of Philadelphia and Sen. Bob Casey assure the nation there's no Islam here. But there is Islam here, just as there was in San Bernardino, Ft. Hood, 9/11 and the rest of the terror attacks. It's common- ality among these events that's inescapable, yet the powers- that-be won't acknowledge it. The fact is a Christian who becomes confused about Chris- tianity will often be seen sup- porting homosexual marriage or Joel Osteen, but when a Mos- lem gets confused about Islam the result frequently involves the coroner. There is no hope for a reform of Islam unless Moslems ad- mit there is something wrong and Islamic leadership unites to solve the problem. Relying on condescending practitioners of Sudden Imam Syndrome to de- flect blame only serves to create more suspicion and distrust. MichaelShannonisa commentator and public relations consultant, and is the author of "A Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times." He can be reached at mandate. mmpr@gmail.com. MichaelShannon Sudden Jihad Syndrome's pathology Shenanigansbythegood ol' boys? Editor: I would like to tell the peo- ple of Tehama County what I witnessed at the January 5 Board of Supervisors meeting. With the start of a new year, it was time for a new chair and vice-chair. Historically, the chair and the vice-chair seats go to the next in line. This meant that Supervisor Bob Williams was due to move into the chair position and Supervi- sor Candy Carlson would have moved into the vice-chair po- sition. However, Supervisor Steve Chamblin nominated Super- visor Dennis Garton. Supervi- sor Carlson immediately ques- tioned County Counsel Ar- thur Wylene about this action. He stated that it is at the dis- cretion of the board members. The custom of taking turns is a tradition and not a require- ment. Really, so why now? Super- visor Garton's nomination was seconded by Supervisor Burt Bundy. Not surprisingly, the vote was 4 to 1. That's all fine and dandy, but the whole process looked fishy. It came across as a pre- arranged maneuver on the part of Supervisors Chamb- lin, Williams and Garton. Not to mention it came across as very demeaning to Supervisor Carlson. The three supervisors men- tioned above appeared to be laying in wait. Has there been a violation of the Brown Act by the good ol' boys? Supervisor Carlson is an ex- cellent supervisor and is truly vested in the people of District 2, as well as the citizens of Te- hama County, as evidenced by her town hall meetings. She has been publicly demeaned and the other board members seem to be warning her that unless she goes along with the good ol' boys she will be pun- ished. As for me, I support my su- pervisor. I hope that when election time comes around we have people who will run against the good ol' boys. — Gail Egbert, Red Bluff InresponsetoSueGallagher Editor: I thank the Red Bluff Daily News for printing a great arti- cle on the State of Jefferson. I think that Sue Gallagher needs to call the Secretary of State to confirm the counties that have been submitted since she doesn't believe what we supporters have said. Yes, Del Norte voted it down, we haven't claimed otherwise. The residents of other counties have taken the situation into their own hands, gathering above and beyond the required citizen signatures to enter their own county into the state. The approval of supervisors is not required, just desired. Twenty-one counties have been filed with the state. There are committees in other coun- ties working towards their goal to be a part of Jefferson. And just to clarify, the name of the new state will be decided at the state convention after the state and federal approval of the constitutional state split. This is about representation. One senator represents 11 coun- ties in the top third of Califor- nia, while LA County has 11 senators representing them. "All political power is inher- ent in the people. Government was instituted for their protec- tion, security, and benefits and they have the right to alter or reform it when the public good may require." California Consti- tution Article II Section 1. — Patty Smith, Paskenta Regarding the State of Jefferson Editor: I read the letter and article about the State of Jefferson and can't believe how misinformed Sue Gallager is about it. I will tell you how it is, as of now 21 counties are interred into the State Capitol as of Jan. 6. Now Del Norte is not in yet may join later. Lake County was put in by vote of supervisors and sig- natures by the people. Trinity County also got signatures and Shasta also. I don't know why this person is not understanding that the people in the North State do not have any representation in Cali- fornia legislation and we are try- ing to get equal representation. The truth is we are working to have less laws that keep us from living a better life and so our grandkids have a better life too. Maybe she should show up to a meeting here in Red Bluff and let us set her straight on how it go- ing to work and spend less time trying to make people think, she is so not getting it. What is she afraid of? People want the government to stop charging them taxes for everything they do. Los Angles does not pay the fire tax and they are the ones that pasted it on us and building the train and tunnels we don't need or will ever use. We are working hard to make the North State a better place to live and have a great support from a lot of the people in it. — June Cooper, Red Bluff Consider the cost for wind, solar subsidies Editor: Too often we are seeing cities, counties and high schools install- ing solar farms, without consid- ering the cost to local taxpayers of funding the federal, state and local subsidies for these projects. Federal or state subsidies are not gratis donations but a direct tax burden. Just say no to solar or wind energy generation if it re- quires subsidies by taxpayers. So- lar and wind energy makes sense only if an economic benefits case can be made, without federal and state subsidies. Similar warnings apply to the use of engine damaging eth- anol. If you own a garden til- ler, lawn mower, or other yard and garden gasoline fueled de- vice. You are paying a heavy in- direct tax to repair the damage done to the fuel system by cor- rosive ethanol in the gasoline. Ask your State and Washing- ton representative to say no to the addition of engine damag- ing ethanol. The use of ethanol benefits only large corporate corn farms and ethanol produc- ers. Save energy by buying fuel efficient cars instead of man- dated ethanol subsidies to sup- port fuel guzzling vehicles and grain farmers. — Joseph Neff, Corning Your opinions Cartoonist's take The obituaries for rock star Da- vid Bowie waxed eloquent over his ability to change, evolve, rein- vent and metamorphosize. Sadly, the songs of our youth don't change as we progress through life; they possess a cer- tain nostalgic charm, but they fail to remain relevant. True, someone will occasionally record a cover version with a different tempo, but the lyrics remain preserved in amber, no matter how much sad- der but wiser we become. (As The Four Tops might declare, "It's The Same Old Song.") Is anyone up to the task of up- dating our rich musical heritage to reflect the aging process and harsh realities of life? (Granted, some songs don't even need the title tweaked. For instance, that paean to senior moments, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.") Yeah, songs about broken hearts always sell, but can't we have some songs bold enough to deal with other health issues? You know, like "Mama's Got A Pillbox" (with apologies to The Who) — or a reworking of songs by The Ani- mals, especially "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood — Help Me Put My Dentures Back In." Both of those would go well on a CD with "Papa's Got A Brand New Hip" or "If I Had A Rotator Cuff, I'd Hammer Out A Warning." Maybe Bob Dylan could be per- suaded to record "The Moles, They Are A-Changin'." That would complement "You Can't Always Pass What You Eat" and "Talkin' About My Defibrillation." And who wouldn't love the Muddy Waters knockoff "Got My Mojo Signed Up For Disability"? Don't get me started on obesity and lack of exercise. You'll have to hear "The Tracks of My Man- Boobs" to believe it. Economic issues would pro- vide lots of material for revamped songs, including that classic in- strumental "The William Tell Overdraft." Then there's "Ev- ery Deduction You Take (I'll Be Watching You)" and "Whole Lotta Auditin' Goin' On." Fans of The Supremes would surely rave over "Baby, Baby, Where Did Our Mid- dle Class Status Go?" Family dynamics are another rich area for song upgrades. For instance, "Baby, You Can Drive My Car — Because Obviously You're Never Going To Trust Me With My Keys Again." A group ca- pable of mimicking the harmo- nies of the Bee Gees could have a million-seller with "I've Got To Get An Alimony Payment To You." And let's not forget "Gimme Shel- ter — From Grown Children Seek- ing Shelter Six Months After Fi- nally Moving Out." Other socio-political aspects of 2016 culture would make great songs, such as "People (i.e. Mul- tinational Corporations) Get Ready," "The Long And Winding Line At The VA" and the defiant anthem that shouts, "Compound interest. Huh. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing." Nineteenth century updates such as "Jimmy Crack GMO Corn And I DO Care" could share "Bill- board" chart space with the All- man Brothers tribute "I Feel Like I've Been Tied To The Selfie Stick, Tied To The Selfie Stick..." James Brown is no longer with us, but surely some enterpris- ing impersonator could cash in with "I Got Your Identity (I Feel Good)." Pandora and Spotify would re- ally clean up streaming that soul- ful "Showboat" tune "Old Man- Trapped-In-A-Woman's-Body River." Wait — there's more. Every- one who agrees to purchase all the aforementioned songs is also promised a remake of one of The Drifters' greatest hits. "Up On The Roof"? It's now titled "I've Got Shingles." Hey, I'm just a man whose in- tentions are good. Danny Tyree welcomes email responses at tyreetyrades@aol. com and visits to his Facebook fan page Tyree's Tyrades. Danny Tyree We need songs that will age with the listener GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD 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 By Michael Shannon By Danny Tyree OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, January 14, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6