Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/653961
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 Forthefirstfourorfivede- cades of our life, most of us take most things for granted; after all, we have the rest of our lives to get things accom- plished. And then we wake up one morning, and we realize that there are still many things to be done and perhaps there is not enough time in our lifetime to live out our dreams. Though the timing differs for each of us, the result of this re- alization often results in the cre- ation of a list of things that we would most like to do or accom- plish before we meet our maker. The current popular term for these must-do activities is "bucket list." Though admittedly not an expert on bucket lists, I believe most involve some sort of sin- gular event, accomplishment, or experience such as skydiving, running with the bulls, or fin- ishing a marathon. My personal bucket list is not particularly long, nor is it par- ticularly impressive; but it is my bucket list, and that is all that really matters. In the past few years I have been able to cross off some pretty big-deal life ex- periences, so I am feeling pretty good about the progress I have made in completing my per- sonal list. A few years back, my son and I attended the US Open golf tournament when it was played at the Olympic Club in San Francisco; not at the top of my list, but on the list just the same. In 2012, my son and I at- tended a World Series game at ATT Park as the Giants captured their second World Series Cham- pionship in three years. For this baseball nut, this was a major bucket list accomplishment. Half dozen years or so ago the wife and I killed two bucket list-birds with one stone when we took a ten-day trip through the New England states. Not only did we enjoy the beauty of the fall foliage (her list), we also spent a full day in Cooperstown, New York, wandering through the Baseball Hall of Fame (my list). A few months back my sister Judy, along with her entire fam- ily, fulfilled a bucket list wish of my brother-in-law Henry, who wanted to build a sand castle on a beach in Hawaii with all six of their grandchildren. Boy, did he get his wish. Based on the Face- book photos that trickled in on a daily basis, old Henry and his grandchildren built the sand castle of all sand castles. That sucker was big enough to rent out rooms. Not on my bucket list, but a bucket list just the same. Coincidently, Billie and I just fulfilled a joint bucket list proj- ect by taking our two chil- dren, their spouses and our four grandchildren on a week-long vacation to Hawaii, as well. While our Hawaii trip had relatively little to do with build- ing 22-story sand castles like Henry, our trip had everything to do with spending time with family. Even though we all re- side within a half dozen miles of each other, other than spend- ing certain holidays together, the influence of life has not al- lowed us and our two children, their spouses and our four beau- tiful grandchildren to stay and play together at some magical location for the past half-dozen years. I have been married for a very long time, and have learned that it is best to do as I am told; so I argued hardly at all when the wife informed me that we would spend a sizable chunk of our children's inheritance by staying at one of those fancy five-star, 70-story resort hotels located on the sandiest beach in Maui. We arrived at our palatial hotel and were immediately greeted by a beautiful Island na- tive who said aloha, while plac- ing the requisite leis over our head and handing each adult a complimentary Mai Tai. I al- ways thought that the mean- ing of aloha was hello or good- bye, but soon found out that aloha really means, "that will be $37.50 for the Mai Tai." We spent the next week liv- ing the dream in Hawaii. We touched noses with giant sea turtles while snorkeling in the beautiful waters of Hawaii. We oohed and aahed while watch- ing whales and their calves sur- face all over the ocean. We went horseback riding, zip-lined, vis- ited the aquarium, and we golfed. We danced on stage as part of a luau. We ate too much, and stayed hydrated by drinking every adult beverage invented by man. We frequented the hotel gym (once) and walked on the beach (often). We spent a portion of each day at the hotel pool; the kind of pool that meanders throughout the property. There were tun- nels and slides in several differ- ent sections. The mother of all waterslides (Hilo Hattie's Re- venge) seemed more suited for the Jamaican bobsled team than for emaciated, over weight, over- aged tourists; but as most of you know, I was an exceptional ath- lete and somehow survived this terrifying experience. My four- year-old granddaughter han- dled it better than I. And then, way too soon, it was over. All ten of an ex- tremely tired and sunburned Cornelius clan boarded a plane bound for a place called Re- ality. Most of us attempted to help the grandchildren com- plete a week's worth of school- work in the short five-hour flight home. I have come to the conclu- sion that bucket lists are so much more than attending a World Series game, visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame, or even sliding down Hilo Hattie's Re- venge. For me, at least, these activities only make my bucket list because I have been able to share them with the best fam- ily in the entire world. I am a lucky man, indeed. What's on your bucket list? Comingattractions This Saturday, March 19, the State Theatre will host the amazingly talented High Street Band. The Rotary Club of Red Bluff is bringing this fun group to the State Theatre as a fund- raiser in support of community projects. At $25 per ticket this is one concert not to be missed. Tickets are available at the Te- hama Country Visitor Center, Amundson Physical Therapy or at the Theatre box office on Saturday evening. BillCorneliusisalifelong resident of Red Bluff, a retired Chief Probation Officer, a champion of the State Theatre and an exceptional athlete. He can be reached at bill. cornelius@sbcglobal.net. William Tells Scratching items off the bucket list Cartoonist's take St. Patrick's Day couldn't have arrived at a better time. With all the nuttiness going on in the presi- dential election — with the coun- try more divided than it has been in years — we all could better our- selves by em- bracing the Irish spirit. Some of the name-calling tak- ing place reminds me of the time Pat and Mike visited an airport bar after a long flight. "We'd like two whiskey sours," said Pat to the bartender. "Sorry," said the bartender, "but airport regulations forbid us from serving mixed drinks." "Who does the bartender think he is?" said an annoyed Pat to Mike. "I ought to punch him in the nose for referring to us as 'micks.'" It's my great fortune to be a fellow of Irish descent. I share my good fortune with a quarter of all Americans, who can trace their heritage to the rolling, green hills of Ireland. I remember Sunday after- noons on the back porch as my father and my Uncle Mike en- joyed a couple of Pabst Blue Rib- bons and celebrated their Irish heritage by swapping self-depre- cating Irish jokes. With so many people choos- ing to not participate in the workforce, this one resonates: St. Patrick walks into a pub. Donovan, McNally and Finnegan see St. Patrick and each buys him a beer. Before leaving, St. Patrick shakes Don- ovan's hand. Donovan says, "My arthritis! St. Patrick, your touch has cured it!" St. Patrick shakes McNally's hand, and McNally says, "My blind right eye! St. Patrick, you've cured it!" St. Pat- rick goes to shake Finnegan's hand. Finnegan shouts, "Get away from me, St. Patrick. I'm on disability!" Democrat presidential can- didate Bernie Sanders prom- ises to not only raise taxes on the wealthy, but on everyone — which will turn some otherwise fine citizens into tax avoiders. That reminds me of the time an IRS auditor paid a visit to Fa- ther O'Malley: "Father, do you know a Jack McGinness?" asked the auditor. "Aye," said Father O'Malley. "He's one of 'me' parishioners." "Did he donate $10,000 to the church?" said the auditor. "He will," said Father O'Malley. I know that I'm not re- ally "Irish," but an American through and through. Still, in my family we celebrate the best of the Irish spirit. Being Irish means to laugh easily, never to take yourself too seriously, to be cautious of getting stuck in the narrowness of your own point of view — fine attributes that are in short supply in our country this election cycle. We need to loosen up and relax if we really want to re- solve the daunting challenges our country is facing. Which reminds me of the one about McAlister, who went to the pub one Saturday night and ordered three pints, then sipped each pint until all three were gone. "Why don't you just order a pitcher?" asked the bartender. "You see," said McAlister, "I've got two brothers, one in America and one in Australia. We made a vow that every Sat- urday night at 7 p.m., we would drink together. Right now, they are sipping three pints to pay homage to their two brothers." For several months, McAli- ster continued his tradition. But one Saturday he ordered only two pints. "Blessed Jesus," said the bar- tender, "did one of your poor brothers die?" "The brothers are fine," said McAlister. "But I gave up drink- ing for Lent." British academic and joke theorist Christie Davies says a good joke can help clarify and express complex feelings. A good joke can cut to the heart of the matter better than any speech or law or government policy. These days, with all the nutti- ness and disagreement going on, couldn't we all profit by embrac- ing the Irish sense of humor? Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom at Tom@ TomPurcell.com. Tom Purcell St. Patrick's Day brings needed levity Based on the Facebook photos that trickled in on a daily basis, old Henry and his grandchildren built the sand castle of all sand castles. That sucker was big enough to rent out rooms. Bill Cornelius Tom Purcell During her appearance be- fore the Senate Judiciary Com- mittee last week, Attorney Gen- eral Loretta Lynch admitted that she asked the FBI to ex- amine whether the federal gov- ernment should take legal ac- tion against so-called climate change deniers. Lynch is not responding to any criminal acts committed by climate change skeptics. In- stead, she is responding to re- quests from those frustrated that dissenters from the al- leged climate change consen- suses have successfully blocked attempts to create new govern- ment programs to fight climate change. These climate change censors claim that the argument over cli- mate change is settled and the deniers' success in blocking con- gressional action is harming the public. Therefore, the govern- ment must disregard the First Amendment and silence anyone who dares question the reigning climate change dogma. This ar- gument ignores the many repu- table scientists who have ques- tioned the magnitude, effects, and role of human action in causing climate change. If successful, the climate change censors could set a prec- edent that could silence numer- ous other views. For example, many people believe the argu- ment over whether we should audit, and then end, the Federal Reserve is settled. Therefore, the deniers of Austrian eco- nomics are harming the pub- lic by making it more difficult for Congress to restore a free- market monetary policy. So why shouldn't the government si- lence Paul Krugman? The climate change cen- sorship movement is part of a larger effort to silence political speech. Other recent examples include the IRS's harassment of tea party groups as well as that agency's (fortunately thwarted) attempt to impose new rules on advocacy organizations that would have limited their ability to criticize a politician's record in the months before an election. The IRS and many state legis- lators and officials are also try- ing to force public policy groups to hand over the names of their donors. This type of disclosure can make individuals fearful that, if they support a pro-lib- erty group, they will face retalia- tion from the government. Efforts to silence government critics may have increased in recent years; however, the sad fact is the U.S. government has a long and shameful history of censoring speech. It is not sur- prising that war and national se- curity have served as convenient excuses to limit political speech. So-called liberal presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt both supported war- time crackdowns on free speech. Today, many neoconserva- tives are using the war on ter- ror to justify crackdowns on free speech, increased surveillance of unpopular religious groups like Muslims, and increased gov- ernment control of social me- dia platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Some critics of U.S. for- eign policy have even been for- bidden to enter the country. Many opponents of govern- ment restrictions on the First Amendment and other rights of Muslims support government ac- tions targeting so-called "right- wing extremists." These fair- weather civil liberties defenders are the mirror image of conser- vatives who support restricting the free speech rights of Mus- lims in the name of national se- curity, yet clam to oppose au- thoritarian government. Defend- ing speech we do not agree with is necessary to effectively protect the speech we support. Ron Paul The government's war on free speech OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, March 16, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6