Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/644928
MytakeonMuslimsisthattherearegood ones, bad ones and in-between ones. A er all, they are just human beings, similar to those in Tehama County and everywhere else around the world. Fortheveryfirsttimein President Obama's administra- tion he has visited a mosque. It is not unlike the one that I drive by from time to time located in Anderson, just east of I-5. Some of the President's opponents are probably wish- ing he had gone back to Kenya instead, where incidentally, I personally don't think he was born. I am kind of nervous writing this column about any religion. Not being able to stop my sense of humor, I suddenly thought maybe President Obama decided to go to that Baltimore mosque because he thought that might be the only place he would never run into Donald Trump. However, our President really went to that mosque to make an address on religious freedom. Several of the Republican candidates for President have already strongly criticized him for going there. Yet, that is part of what President Thomas Jef- ferson worked so hard to pro- tect for us as he and our other founding fathers helped create America. It was because Amer- ica wanted and fought for reli- gious freedom. Today, because of what I think was an outrageous com- ment by Donald Trump, "ter- rorism" is now applied to many who aren't doing anything but belonging to the Muslim faith. It feels to me that Muslims are now even more disrespected than they were right after those terrorists flew into the Twin Towers in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. Several of the Republican candidates now running to be our next President have already sarcastically said something along the lines, "maybe Obama would be more comfortable at a mosque." I know from personal expe- rience, when one runs for pub- lic office it becomes very diffi- cult to pass up a good sound bite like that, even if it is wrong. Sound bites are very powerful, especially on Bill O'Reilly's "The O'Reilly Factor," where he in- sists there really is no spin zone. I personally don't feel any disrespect for the millions of "good" Muslims here and around the world. I don't think that Muslims are any better or worse than Roman Catholics, Jehovah Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, Seventh Day Adventists or even atheists. However, reli- gion is a most sensitive topic. The people who always drive me nuts are the ones who be- lieve their religion is the only correct one. As just two exam- ples, I have a sister-in-law who is the world's most loyal Mor- mon and I also have a mother- in-law who believes Jehovah's Witnesses are members of the only true religion. Common sense tells me they are both off track. I think it is the "radicals" in each religion who take their be- liefs way too far. That's probably the reason so many people don't really like to discuss religion or politics. On the other hand, those two subjects happen to be two favorite topics of mine. However, I believe one should always discuss religion and poli- tics with respect and caution. Mytakeonthemovies "The Big Short" is a film with a remarkable cast of well known stars. This movie gives us its version of all the powerful banks on Wall Street who are often accused of defrauding the American people. I highly rec- ommend this movie with a cau- tionary warning that it is just one version of what happened to our economy in 2008. Please keep an open mind. StanStathamserved1976-1994 in the California Assembly and was a television news anchor at KHSL-TV in Chico 1965- 1975. He is past president of the California Broadcasters Association and can be reached at StanStatham@gmail.com. Mytake Muslims are just like everyone else It feels to me that Muslims are now even more disrespected than they were right after those terrorists flew into the Twin Towers in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. In defense of ousted superintendent Editor: There is some serious need for follow up and clarifica- tion of the story describing the ouster of Tehama County Superintendent of Schools Charles Allen. What we have heard so far actually raises more questions than answers. I write this on behalf of my- self and former colleague Billy Guild. As former public school teachers for a cumulative total of nearly 50 years, we have had some time to develop a per- spective. Mr. Allen is the most competent, dedicated leader we had the privilege of work- ing with. The two of us worked alongside Allen for years in the Colusa Unified School Dis- trict, both when he was a fel- low teacher, and later as our administrator. Allen is an exemplary educa- tor, a rare blend of hard work, extensive knowledge about re- search and curriculum and an acute concern for student is- sues and needs. In our experi- ence, he is honest as the day is long, an inspiring person who always went the extra step for students and teachers. He is not a petty thief. So what gives in Tehama County? We readily acknowl- edge that we do not know all the information. If one did not know Charles Allen, we can see how the ostensible facts might seem condemning. But we do know that Mr. Allen is an excellent person, a team player who worked tirelessly and gave freely and enthusias- tically of his time. It is a stretch to believe that such an individual is truly guilty of this type of miscon- duct. Are there some politics involved here? We look for- ward to more information. — Dave Hollingsworth, Chico Response to letters Editor: Orval Strong's letter posted Jan. 28, Sanders vs. Trump, states Sanders is the only major candidate worth voting for. Bernie Sanders is considered a Socialist by just about every- body. He believes in a big gov- ernment and promises to gives free stuff to just about every- body, including people who don't work and won't work and to the multi-millions of im- migrants both legal and ille- gal. I guess Obama isn't giv- ing away free stuff and money fast enough for Orval with his open borders and transporting unvetted Syrian Muslims by the tens and hundreds of thou- sands, mostly of military age, into the U.S. In Orval Strong's letter, "Bad news for Veterans," posted Feb. 18, Orv Opines: "A recent Gov- ernment Accountability Office report examining the VA's To- tal Disability Individual Un- employability benefit recom- mended cutting the benefit for veterans over the 'working age' of 65. The American Legion strongly disagrees with this recommendation." I may never agree with Orval again but I do believe our veterans have cer- tainly been dumped on by both Republicans and Democrats. Orval can chose Sanders over Trump and Trump has the loudest voice of all candi- dates promising to make things right for our wounded war- riors. As far as I can see, Sand- ers is not so much for our mil- itary in any way. Almost eight years of Obama and $19 trillion in debt — spending more than all other presidents combined — and how much of it went to help our wounded warriors? Carrier Corp. announced this week that it will close its plant in Indiana and relocate to Mexico. The result, 1,400 will be out of a job and HVAC, who also makes products for heating, ventilating and air conditioning, their relocation will bring the total loss of jobs to 2,100. Again, it is Trump with the loudest voice claiming to keep our jobs here and bring back the ones that left. All you can expect from Sanders is higher taxes, higher fees, higher prop- erty taxes, etc. on the remain- ing businesses and anyone else left with a job. Orval should know govern- ment doesn't make money — I'm not talking about printing — it takes money from busi- nesses and people that earn it so they can give welfare checks, medical care, rent subsidies, etc. for all those people coming from south of the border, China and Obama's Muslim friends from the Middle East. Orval's concern that the VA may or will cut disabled vets benefits should be a concern of everyone. The same concerns should be with the government cutting Social Security Insur- ance (SSI) benefits. Our last check was cut considerably; my guess the cut was to help pay for Obama Care. Those of us on SSI are continually being told by our elected represen- tatives that SSI is going broke, but there seems that no such threat of the government run- ning out of funds for welfare or for the elected officials' and department heads' paychecks and benefits that make these decisions. Welfare recipients are not and have not worked for their benefits and elected officials and department heads cer- tainly don't deserve the overly generous salary and benefits they give themselves. SSI re- cipients and their employers both paid for the checks they receive. — Les Wolfe, Red Bluff Your opinions Cartoonist's take Farout!Onlyajiveturkeywould pass up the chance to read the Huffington Post article "14 Teen Slang Terms Decoded For Middle- Age Parents." Some of the slang terms were fairly innocuous acronyms, such as OOTD (Outfit of the Day), PAP (Post A Picture) and GOAT (Great- est Of All Time); but phrases such asTHOTand"Netflixandchill"are a little too risque for me to discuss in this forum. (Check them out for yourself online.) On the plus side, articles such as the Huffington piece give par- ents a fighting chance at making sense of their kids' texts, both for the sake of clear interfamily com- munications and for the purpose of spying on the little darlings. Of course some parents would rather remain blissfully ignorant of any signs that their babies are grow- ing up and facing decisions about illegalsubstancesandphysicalinti- macy.("I'dlovetosnooponJunior's smartphone, but it's been a whole weeksinceIhadacolonoscopyand Ireallyneedtoscheduleanother...") Sociologiststellusthatslangisa way for teens to put space between themselves and their parents' gen- eration. Does that even work? Usu- ally we get more of a blending of eras, as when doting parents ob- serve ambitious teens achieving the Nobel Prize-worthy goal of shrinking "relationship" to "ship" and say, "Poor little tyke is plumb tuckered out." Fine. Give teens 10 years and they'll be trying to decrease the space. ("Hey, favorite empty-nest- ers, do you think I could crash in the basement for five or 10 years?") Give them 30 years and they'll be trying to put space between them- selves and cholesterol, mortgage balloon payments, ear hair and their own kids' college tuition. If teens are really so embar- rassed by their folks' musical tastes, clothing and technologi- cal cluelessness, perhaps parents should double down and create their own acronyms to embar- rass their teens in front of their peers. Off the top of my head, I can think of IBYBB (I Brought Your Baby Book) and SIWYBTCFYLS (Sweetie, I Washed Your Bra That Compensates For Your Left Side). I would caution parents against learning teen slang solely in or- der to be The Cool Parent. For one thing, hot phrases expire even faster than that $50 casual dining gift card you forgot was in your wallet. For another, actions speak louder than words. You could be the Cool Parent even if you said, "Prithee, let us ply thee and thy confidantes with a veritable end- less supply of free intoxicants." Languageevolves,butnotevery- one is onboard. As one of my high school English teachers might say, "Language is fluid — but so is the specimenIjustgaveatthehospital, andI'drather notseethat splashed across the media, either." I try to stay neutral in the slang controversy. Oh, sure, back in the dayIsometimesusedphrasessuch as "He's a spaz" or "Right on," and I dated a girl who said, "Grody to the max" — but I assure you those words were all used in their loftier contextfromShakespeare'ssonnets and the Sermon On The Mount. I hope this column inspires you to chatwithyourchildrenaboutslang down through the decades, and to be more active in their tumultuous social lives. "I don't know...they say root ca- nals are lovely this time of year..." Danny Tyree welcomes email responses at tyreetyrades@aol. com and visits to his Facebook fan page Tyree's Tyrades. Danny Tyree Parents, learn that teenage slang ... if you dare 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 Stan Statham By Danny Tyree Sociologists tell us that slang is a way for teens to put space between themselves and their parents' generation. OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, February 25, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6