Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/656845
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 Goodmorning,RedBluff. Things are good in the north state. Thanks to El Nino, or global warm- ing, or maybe those mysterious black helicop- ters that fly over my home on the third Tuesday of every month, this has been an almost perfect winter. We have been blessed with enough rain to fill our lakes and reservoirs, and enough snow for my grand- daughters to build a snowman at the family cabin at Almanor West. While we could use some more rain and snow, at least we have put a significant dent in our five-year drought— and for that I am grateful. •••• Speaking of good things, I am pleased to report that in between rainstorms, the East Sand Slough adjacent to the Burger King complex has been undergoing a makeover con- cerning which we should all be pleased. I am not sure that the project is 100% finished, be- cause weather conditions have had an impact. Thus far the removal of burnt trees, snags and invasive plant life has not only opened up the area, but from an esthetic standpoint, the transformation is signifi- cant. It is also refreshing to know that in this era of duct tape and red tape so many folks are responsible for the cleanup of the slough. This project was completed only through the cooperative efforts of the Te- hama County Resource Con- servation District, the city of Red Bluff, Durango RV Re- sort, the California Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife, the California Department of Cor- rections, the Tehama County AB 109 crew and possibly Pat Johnston, if in fact she chose to participate. Thank you one and all. •••• To me at least, the cleaning of the slough represents much more than returning the area to its natural state. Let me tell you why. Those of us who have resided in this community for any length of time have wit- nessed our town transform from a bustling little commu- nity with well-compensated employment opportunities, to a town where finding decent- paying employment is prob- lematic at best. We grew up in a community where we seldom if ever locked our doors when we left our homes or went to bed. We now spend our days training guard dogs, install- ing motion sensors, and acci- dentally setting off our bur- glar alarms because we can't remember one of 37 passwords that control our lives today. Growing up in Red Bluff was much like growing up in Mayberry. Unfortunately, growing up in Red Bluff is no longer like growing up in May- berry, but you know what? Growing up in Mayberry is no longer like growing up in May- berry, either. This is a compli- cated time in a complicated world. Most of us are embar- rassed and disappointed when we hear that our community ranks near the top of the list in terms of crime rates, pov- erty rates, and the lack of em- ployment opportunities. As I see it, we have two distinct choices. We can wallow in our own woe-is-me self pity and do nothing other than complain about the sad state of today's society, or we can individually and collectively do everything within our power to make this community the best it can pos- sibly be. In my mind, the single best way to reduce crime rates, poverty rates and improve em- ployment opportunities, is to understand and accept that these numbers represent real live people who have moth- ers and fathers and sisters and brothers. While recent changes in law have undoubtedly gone too far, the undeniable truth is that most of those homeless folks, criminal offenders and high school dropouts were raised in this community, and as such it is our responsibility to provide services locally to break cycles of negative behavior that are passed from generation to gen- eration. While breaking cycles, reduc- ing crime, improving our edu- cation system, and increasing employment opportunities are daunting long-term undertak- ings, each of us has an opportu- nity to materially improve our community by simply accentu- ating the positive and taking care of what we have. That brings me back to the slough. Because of a coopera- tive effort by a half dozen enti- ties, no longer do thousands of vehicles pass by our town with a lasting view of a burnt out, snag infested, homeless en- campment-dotted landscape. Because of a tenacious hard working Blues for the Pool committee, our city swim- ming pool has remained avail- able for the past decade for use by community youth dur- ing the hot summer months in Red Bluff. Because of one lady named Kim Berry, we have a program where every child is now as- sured of starting school with new clothes, shoes, backpack and a haircut; and only be- cause of this amazing com- munity has the State Theatre project received more than a million dollars in support of the purchase, restoration and operation of the historic State Theatre. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. As with any town, Red Bluff has its share of problems. There remains a lot to do, but as some famous person once said, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." I am a proud resident of the tough lit- tle town of Red Bluff. I hope you are as well. •••• Thank goodness for base- ball. After a dismal football season and a rather under- whelming basketball season, the defending section cham- pion Red Bluff High base- ball team is back on the dia- mond with another solid team. Based on its start, 2-0 •••• Coming Attractions: On Fri- day, April 1 (April Fools' Day) the State Theatre will host the 3rd Annual Wild Oak Com- edy Night. A product of semi- warped minded Liz Merry and Aaron Standish this show features original stand-up, sketches, video bits, political satire, local spoofery and even a couple of funny tunes. This fun show is best suited for a mature audience and advance $10 tickets may be purchased at the Wild Oak store across from the theater. 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 Dauntingtasks, but plenty of good Cartoonist's take I'm lucky that my mother and father are doing so well — lucky that, in our transient country, their home is the hub that unites my extended fam- ily. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, nearly 36 million Amer- icans moved be- tween 2013 and 2014 — almost 12 percent of the population. Among our 36 million mov- ers: - 23,150,000 moved within the same county. - 6,961,000 moved to a dif- ferent county within the same state. - 4,770,000 moved to a differ- ent state. - 1,036,000 moved to a differ- ent country. Like nearly 5 million Amer- icans who moved to another state, I moved from Pittsburgh to Alexandria, Va., in 1998 to seek better job opportunities. I lived in the D.C. area nearly eight years and it proved to be a great experience, helping me land marketing clients who I am supporting still. As an adult, I've never lived in the same place longer than 4 years. Lately, I've been moving into a property, renovating it, renting it, then moving to an- other place to repeat the cycle. That is why I'm so blessed that my parents' home is such a central part of my life. Unlike much of the country, in which people uproot them- selves every few years, Pittsbur- ghers prefer to stay put. For 35 of my first 37 years, my mother and father resided in a two-story, four-bedroom design that was typical of 1960s suburbia. My father remod- eled the basement into a family room. And when my baby sister, Jennifer, expanded our house- hold to eight, my parents added a fifth bedroom onto the first floor — where they were able to enjoy space and comfort for the first time in their lives. That house was the hub of a lot of people's lives. The door was never locked and aunts, un- cles, friends and neighbors reg- ularly stopped in to say hello. My mother always hosted hol- iday celebrations, especially Thanksgiving. To house all of the kids and grandkids, however, we had to clear out the living room fur- niture. We pushed a large ta- ble up to the dining room wall, then pushed another ta- ble against that table to make one large L-shaped table. There wasn't much space, but nobody minded. To accommodate our expand- ing clan, my parents moved to a larger, contemporary house in 2000 — a scandalous affair, as far as my sisters and I were concerned, because Pittsbur- ghers are not supposed to move. The old house had so many memories, after all. On Sundays when we were little, our dad made us scram- bled eggs and bacon and we'd put cinnamon and sugar on our buttery toast. Our dog Jingles lived the good life under the large shrubs by the front porch. We have hundreds of photos of holiday parties, baptisms, con- firmations, graduations and the weddings of four of my sisters. Well, my parents have been in the "new" house 16 years al- ready and that has become the family homestead now, a place where many new mem- ories are being made — and where 30 to 40 Thanksgiving guests can sit comfortably in the massive living room and dining room. The longer-term Census trends show that Americans are beginning to move a little less — partly because our country is aging, that dual-income fam- ilies have less flexibility and, in a still challenging economy, be- cause Americans aren't switch- ing jobs as often as they used to. Well, moving is good for indi- viduals and the economy, and I wish my fellow Americans the best as they pursue their Amer- ican dream. But I also hope there is one home in their extended families that brings them as much peace and happiness as my parents' home brings to my family. 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 Transience and my parents' house Those of us who have resided in this community for any length of time have witnessed our town transform from a bustling little community with well- compensated employment opportunities, to a town where finding decent-paying employment is problematic at best. Credible reports and recruit- ing emails show that leftwing group MoveOn.org has been sponsoring protesters to disrupt Donald Trump rallies. Does this recuse Donald Trump from responsibility for vi- olence at his rallies? Not at all. The billionaire George So- ros-funded MoveOn.Org hands out thousands of dollars' worth of anti-Trump protest signs and banners, sending disrupters into the crowds. Naturally, all of the public MoveOn rallying cries laughingly plop the word, "peace- ful," into various sentences. The word is obviously not to be taken seriously. YouTube videos of protest- ers show them taunting, ver- bally abusing and occasion- ally throwing the first punch at rally goers. Police say Ber- nie Sanders supporters started the violence at Trump's Chicago rally. Trump's responsibility is to be the adult and encourage his fol- lowers to be better than the pro- testers. Instead, he encourages his followers to violence. "If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of 'em, would you? Seriously. Okay? Just knock the hell — I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise. I promise." In Michigan, Trump said dur- ing a scuffle, "Get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do I'll de- fend you in court." "Are Trump rallies the most fun?" he then asked the pliant crowd. "We're having a good time." Yup. As much fun as mass mixed martial arts in a mosh pit. Very Presidential. He marvels at the violence, confessing, "It was really amaz- ing to watch." Remember the old guy who sucker-punched a protester who was under control of security in Fayetteville? Trump basked in the adora- tion, declaring, "See, in the good old days this didn't use to hap- pen, because they used to treat them very rough. We've become very weak." Trump later claimed he did "not condone" the punch, and later claimed he never said he would pay the legal fees for vio- lent supporters who beat the hell out of protesters. Like much that Trump claims he never said, video shows oth- erwise. In an interview on CNN he ad- dressed the notion of a brokered convention in which Republicans would negotiate for a candidate other than Trump. "I think you'd have riots," Trump said. "I'm representing many mil- lions of people. If you disen- franchise those people, and you say, 'I'm sorry, you're 100 votes short' ... I think you'd have problems like you've never seen before. I think bad things would happen." Has Donald Trump has just called for a reenactment of the 1968 Democratic National Con- vention riots or is he "just sa- yin'?" The sign of a leader would be to increase security, tell fans to let security do their job, and "don't give in to the George So- ros liberals at MoveOn.org." Don't give the instigators what they want. Instead, expose the opposition for what they truly are: violent agitators. Rick Jensen is Delaware's award-winning conservative talk show host. Contact Rick at rick@wdel.com, or follow him on Twitter @Jensen1150WDEL. Rick Jensen Le -wing group successfully baits Trump Tom Purcell Bill Cornelius OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, March 23, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6