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4A Daily News – Tuesday, April 24, 2012 Opinion Earth Day 2012 – a tip toward divinity or demise DAILYNEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY 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 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 More than one billion people called for the protection of our planet last Sunday as they gathered around the world to celebrate Earth Day to raise sup- port for a more sustain- able future as climate change wreaks havoc across the globe. Unsea- sonable weather includ- ing tornadoes, droughts and record temperatures are the most recent evi- dence that climate change is of increasing significance as our species continues to escalate fossil fuel com- bustion and release unprecedented volumes of greenhouse gases that increase the retention of solar ener- gy and adversely affect ocean acid- ity. Should we fail to rapidly con- vert to renewable energy supplies and increase energy use efficiency it should be clear to all but the most myopic of conservatives that we will rob our progeny of a habitable planet. Fortunately for them and us Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point large solar projects for the benefit of all customers. This includes PG&E's own expanding solar facili- ties, which when com- pleted will deliver 250 MW of clean energy -- enough to power about 150,000 average cus- tomer homes. "We con- gratulate PG&E for being a solar power leader in the electric util- ity sector," said Julia Hamm, President and CEO of the Solar Ener- gy Power Association. "PG&E successfully adapted its business models and operations to allow for a significant amount of solar energy Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) helped more than 12,000 customers in Northern and Central California connect 162 megawatts (MW) of solar at their homes and business in 2011, bringing their total number of customer solar installations to more than 63,000. It also connected 135 MW of new Scotland already derives over 30 percent of its power from green sources and Denmark plans to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Other nations will follow -- the question is whether the nation that consumes the most fos- sil energy per capita will support the leadership of a president to wean themselves from toxic oil and coal dependencies or adopt the "drill baby drill" tactics of a con- to be integrated into the grid last year, delivering the many benefits of clean solar energy to its cus- tomers. The impressive gains solar energy made in the U.S. in 2011 can be largely attributed to PG&E's leadership." servative replacement bent upon the exploitation of our planet in the name of short-term economic gain. Hopefully more Americans will choose the sustainable path by placing human health, safety, and security above the pursuit of exces- sive material gain and environmen- tal abandon. One need only remember the global food riots of 2007 and 2008 to recognize the huge potential for social unrest going forward. Many argue that it was higher food prices that unleashed last year's Arab spring and that an interconnected web of life-threatening risk of potable water insufficiency, food insecurity, over population and consumption of finite resources are now exacerbated by extreme weather and climactic change. As individuals, communities, and a nation we must enter a new para- digm of life characterized by responsibility for the holistic impact of our choices, and the alignment of value with the costs and adverse impact of choices so we make more sound economic decisions that help ensure sustain- ability and reduce resource deple- tion and other planetary damage. Like any paradigm shift there is uncertainty and reticence of change, but the trends are clear for those who choose to see. A sustainable society will only come about through the accumu- lated actions of billions of individ- uals, and the moment we become concerned with nature only as something that unconditionally sustains us - rather than something that demands respect to feed us spiritually, psychologically, and physically - we confirm our own demise. Planet Earth will continue to exist and evolve with or without humans, I argue that with each fail- ure to make a sustainable choice we inextricably lurch toward the latter and selfishly deprive our off- spring of livelihood. The presidential election of 2012 will portend the future of civ- ilization like none other as we choose to either retreat from the tipping point of environmental cat- aclysm with President Obama's leadership or cavalierly cross it with a conservative agenda placing the accumulation of wealth before responsible stewardship of the planet. I beseech you to respond to the cries of billions of your fellow earthlings last Sunday by proclaim- ing your position on Earth Day 2012 — a tip toward divinity or demise. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now makes his home in Los Molinos, where he is striving to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle and operate a BBQ equipment and supply business. He can be reached at living-green@att.net. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, 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), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 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; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Local candidates, causes; leftist tactics several candidates at tonight's 6 p.m. meeting at the Westside Grange. Steve Chamblin, running for Supervisor District 1, the seat being vacated by Greg Avilla, will address the Patriots. State Assem- blyman Dan Logue, who's running in the recently reshaped 3rd Assembly District against Bob Williams, will also appear. Finally, someone familiar to many for his candidacy over the years for Con- gress, Colonel Pete Stiglich (ret.), will round out the slate of speakers. They will all entertain questions under the Patriots' format – ques- tions only, no statements or speech- es in the interests of everyone's time. The Tea Party Patriots will host The Tea Party Patriots candi- dates' forums are not the only venues for the public to meet, hear and question those running for fed- eral, state or local offices; they offer a somewhat more intimate, casual and personal opportunity to rub elbows with folks that have taken that bold step as citizens to step up and let voters judge their worthi- ness for office. Such forums are hardly the only informative service performed by the Tea Party; mem- bers provide updates on Supervisor meetings (not many of us can regu- larly spare hours of our time on Tuesday mornings), as well as the local and regional activities (some would say malicious designs) of the Forestry, Fish and Game, and Caltrans departments. We have updates on the Antelope Sewer Project, such as it is. An upcoming June event will be the Support Rural America Sheriffs Event at the Tehama District Fair- grounds. It will be a public infor- mational meeting with free admis- sion, hosted by our Tehama Coun- ty Sheriff Dave Hencratt, and a panel of Sheriffs addressing Con- stitutional issues with a Q and A following. You see, while liberals and Democrats tirelessly lambaste and pillory the character and politics of the Tea Party movement that, through its members, wishes only for fiscal restraint, Constitutional liberty and economic freedom, the real Tea Party Patriots across the country found that it all starts local- ly. That key to the longevity and impact of the Tea Party is perhaps what is behind the hateful, hysteri- cal histrionics emanating from lib- erals from Washington to Portland to Chico. But not everywhere: We've seen local Democrats come, take notes and depart with little to reinforce predetermined images. We've seen the Coffee Party movement come, fizzle and go. The Occupy crowd made a couple of local articles and photos, after which they, like the Coffee folks, folded into the only local, or nationwide, home for the left – the Democratic Party. Since so-called "Tax Day" protests have become rallying events for the Tea Party, the Occu- py and other left wing rabble have taken to tactics of disruption and intimidation, as happened in Port- land and Chico recently. Portland being a nexus for the more whacked-out of the Occupiers, they organized just such a counter protest at the place and time of the Tea Party rally. In the finest Andrew Breitbart tradition, our side took great photos and videos of the outrageous signs, actions and screaming directed our way, and immediately post- ed it all for everyone to see. One priceless vignette: an Occupier/union/student type giving a double-mid- dle-finger gesture, com- plete with twisted, scream- ing face, in front of a young woman simply singing the national anthem. Classy, no? Disgusting, yes! Based on Internet sites catering to that crowd, it was clear that this attempt to intimidate and silence conservatives' free speech was well orga- nized and planned. I heard of a similar show of disrup- tion occurred in Chico at their Tea Party rally. Not so at the Bend Tea into a Washington, DC, voting location and identified himself as one "Eric Holder" (as in the Attorney Gener- al), asking if they wanted to see any identification to prove it. They insisted it was not necessary. Don Polson The way I see it Party rally we attended on Sunday, the 15th, in a downtown Bend, Oregon, park, which drew about 400 Patriots to hear speakers and get state and national updates on various topics. The issue of vote fraud was to be addressed by none other than James O'Keefe, whose exposés of reprehensible and ille- gal activities at ACORN offices forced them to disband and lose funding. There have been numer- ous prosecutions and convictions of ACORN employees for vote fraud. O'Keefe has more recently recorded how easy it is to commit fraudulent voting, first by just walking into a voting precinct back east and using the names of dead people from the obituary page; no ID was requested. He then went was Eric Holder. Also, when I asked what they knew about vote fraud in Oregon, the speakers told me they knew of as many as 10,000 phony votes in Portland routinely used to tip elections. Last but not least, lefty activists from Occupy Philly and Fight For Philly attempted to crash a Philadelphia Tea Party event attended by Republican presiden- tial candidate, Mitt Romney. Orga- nizer Don Adams heroically blocked their entrance; their attempt to use disruptive tactics under the guise of "just asking questions" failed. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com. he never voted, never produced any fake ID, but on the advice of his attorneys, he did not appear at the Bend rally because the Jus- tice Department was investigating – not the ease with which an unidentified person could easily, illegally, vote – but rather whistleblower O'Keefe for saying he Bear in mind that