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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 Five years ago I was minding my own business, which at the time largely con- sisted of heading up a group trying to pur- chase the historic State Theatre. Aspartofthatprocess,the theater was to show a docu- mentary movie titled "Buck," featuring Buck Brannaman. Buck had over- come tremen- dous hardships, and an abu- sive upbringing, to become per- haps the pre- eminent trainer of horses and those who ride them in the entire United States of America. The primary reason for screening the film at the State was that Buck was at the time conducting a clinic in Te- hama County. He had agreed to appear at the theater for a question and answer ses- sion about the movie, and all things related to horses. During the event planning, I was informed that Buck en- joyed playing golf. Because folks were aware that I am a gifted athlete, I was asked if I might take Buck out for a round of golf while he was in town. Because I am nice, if nothing else, I agreed to do so—under the assump- tion that I would spend but a few hours with Mr. Big Deal Horse Trainer, and then he would be out of my hair for- ever. We met early that first morning, hit a small bucket of balls, and climbed into a golf cart for what I assumed would be a largely boring round of golf, followed by a polite good bye, and a "see you in the movies." Boy, was I wrong. At Buck's insistence we played 54 holes that day. And the next day. And the day after that, as well. Dur- ing the four days that Buck actually conducted his clinic, we still managed to get in a round of golf every evening. If my math is correct, I be- lieve we played 13 rounds of golf in seven days; and we spent approximately 50 hours that week riding around to- gether in a golf cart. But wait, it gets worse. ••• A couple of years back, Buck began scheduling a sec- ond clinic at the Equestrian Center at Rolling Hills Ca- sino. That was a good thing for horse lovers; for me, not so much. Instead of play- ing 13 rounds of golf in seven days, I now have an opportu- nity to play 26 rounds in 14 days. Instead of talking about family, sports, politics, reli- gion and favorite recipes for 50 hours, I now have the op- portunity to swap lies with Buck for 100 hours every year. Let me tell you what I have come to know about Buck Brannaman. Buck's early life was not a happy life, to say the least. Fortunately, things changed for the better when at 12 years of age he and his brother were placed in a fos- ter home with a couple with the last name of Shirley. Sadly, just a few days ago his beloved foster mother, Bet- sey, passed away at the age of 94. As Buck shared, Betsey Shirley was a terrific person, and a wonderful mother. She played a major role in making him the person he is today. She will be missed. Around horses his entire life, Buck studied under leg- endary horsemen Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance. Some- where along the way Buck hung out his own shingle; and the rest, as they say, is history. Buck lives on a beautiful ranch in Sheridan, Wyoming. He is married to and adores a beautiful lady by the name of Mary. Together they have three beautiful grown daugh- ters. His youngest, Reata, is a superior horseman, just like her father. I get the feeling that when Buck is home he is no longer the world famous horseman, but just another husband and father trying to stay out of trouble with the women he loves more than anything in this world. With success comes incon- venience. Buck finds himself on the road conducting clin- ics as many as 48 weeks ev- ery year. In addition to criss- crossing America, he travels to Europe, Australia and New Zealand to conduct clinics on alternate years. Buck has served as an ad- visor on numerous horse-re- lated films, and counts as friends, among others, Bo Derek and Robert Redford. He has nothing on me, how- ever, because as you may know, I am a close personal friend of Tom Hanks. Over the past few years I have spent several hours sitting in the grandstands watching Buck work his magic while sitting on the back of a horse. As relates to horses and the people who own them, Buck Brannaman is a genius. He is a savant. He is unquestionably one of the best who ever lived as relates to his craft. Golf, however is another matter altogether. ••• A typical day of golf with Buck starts at shortly after daylight, and ends with the sun setting in the west. If you play fast, you can easily fit in three full rounds; and believe me, Buck likes to play fast. Nothing frustrates him more than a group of slow players impeding his progress. If eating food is an impor- tant part of your routine, do not play golf with Buck, as the best you can hope for is a stale hot dog as you make the turn. Buck is definitely secure in his manhood, as he plays nothing but florescent yellow golf balls that are predomi- nantly favored by golfers of the fairer sex. Though Buck is a Christian at his core, he can cuss like a sailor when he hits a bad shot — which is of- ten, especially for a man who plays nearly 500 rounds of golf each and every year. Buck is undeniably a better golfer than I, but so, too, is 99% of the rest of the world. While Buck is a genius on the back of a horse, he is just an- other hacker when playing golf. What is most important is that Buck Brannaman is my friend. Travel safe, Buck; and I'll see you same time next year. ••• Coming Attractions At the State Theatre: May 15, 7:30 PM Tommy Castro and the Pain Killers. 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 Making the rounds with Buck Cartoonist's take "Sticks and stones may break my bones, and people sure are rude these days." "Ah, yes, you speak of a recent survey by The As- sociated Press- NORC Center for Public Affairs Re- search. It finds that '74 percent of Americans think manners and be- havior have deteriorated in the United States over the past sev- eral decades.'" "You got that right. I was at the movie theater talking to one of my pals on my cellphone and some elderly jerk behind me asked me to stop." "Sorry, but the study finds that people generally think such be- havior is unacceptable. However, there is an age divide. People be- tween 18 and 29 think it is fine to use cellphones in restaurants whereas only 22 percent of peo- ple over the age of 60 think it is acceptable." "Who doesn't like to talk on his cell while chomping on food? Those old fogies should get with the times!" "The study also finds that most people still think it is unac- ceptable to swear in public. How- ever, 34 percent admit using pro- fanity in public now and then. And 25 percent of Americans ad- mit using the granddaddy pro- fanity of them all — a 10-point in- crease since a similar survey was conducted by the AP in 2006." "Daily use of that word? In these nutty times, I use it by the hour!" "Some 80 percent of Ameri- cans agree that remarks or jokes based on race, gender or sexu- ality are inappropriate. Only a small percentage of those sur- veyed admitted to telling such re- marks or jokes." "Ah, come on, what's the harm in poking fun at the target of your choice? That reminds me of the one about the dim-witted wolf (here the joke teller can at- tribute to the wolf the character- istics of the person he wishes to mock) who got his leg caught in a trap. He chewed off three legs and was still caught in the trap." "Nearly 70 percent of Ameri- cans agree that our political cam- paigns are 'outdoing the public in levels of rudeness' during this election cycle." "What a bunch of crybabies. Hey, the economy is tough, find- ing a job is tough, paying bills is tough. Doesn't it make sense that our politicians might be less po- lite now than in the past because things are so tough for so many people?" "Fair enough, but 80 percent of Americans think political lead- ers should be held to a higher standard of behavior than other people." "A higher standard than every- day Joes like me? If I ever carried on like many of our political lead- ers — if I spent like a drunken sailor and told mistruths through my teeth — the wife would kick me out to the curb faster than you can say 'nonsense!'" "Whatever the case, lots more people think the Republican nomination process has been 'mostly rude and disrespectful.' Nearly 80 percent of Republicans 'regard their party's process to determine a nominee for presi- dent as ill mannered.'" "You got to admit that Donald Trump has come up with some great zingers when mocking his opponents." "On the other side, however, only 16 percent of Americans think the 'Democrat candidates for president are mostly rude and disrespectful.'" "Maybe that's because it's hard to be rude when you're that bor- ing!" "Look, civility and good man- ners are important to soci- ety. According to Judith Mar- tin, Miss Manners, good man- ners are the philosophical basis of civilization. Mannerliness is a common language of civil be- havior that restrains our im- pulses and makes for a more pleasant and well-functioning country." "Well, maybe if we get the economy well-functioning again, our people and politicians won't be so rude!" 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 Our growing rudeness and incivility I get the feeling that when Buck is home he is no longer the world famous horseman, but just another husband and father trying to stay out of trouble with the women he loves more than anything in this world. Tom Purcell Last week the House Armed Services Committee approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act re- quiring women to register with Selective Service. This means that if Congress ever brings back the draft, women will be forcibly sent to war. The amendment is a response to the Pentagon's decision to al- low women to serve in combat. Supporters of drafting women point out that the ban on women in combat was the rea- son the Supreme Court upheld a male-only draft. Therefore, they argue, it is only logical to now force women to register for Se- lective Service. Besides, support- ers of extending the draft point out, not all draftees are sent into combat. Most of those who opposed drafting women did so because they disagreed with women be- ing eligible for combat posi- tions, not because they opposed the military draft. Few, if any, in Congress are questioning the morality, constitutionality, and necessity of Selective Service registration. Thus, this debate is just another example of how few of our so-called "represen- tatives" actually care about our liberty. Some proponents of a mili- tary draft justify it as "payback" for the freedom the government provides its citizens. Those who make this argument are embrac- ing the collectivist premise that since our rights come from gov- ernment, the government can take away those rights whether it suits their purposes. Thus sup- porters of the draft are turning their backs on the Declaration of Independence. While opposition to the draft is seen as a progressive or liber- tarian position, many conserva- tives, including Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, and Robert Taft, where outspoken oppo- nents of conscription. Unfortu- nately, the militarism that has led so many conservatives astray in foreign policy has also turned many of them into supporters of mandatory Selective Service registration. Yet many of these same conservatives strongly and correctly oppose mandatory gun registration. In a free society you should never have to regis- ter your child or your gun. Sadly, some opponents of the warfare state, including some libertarians, support the draft on the grounds that a draft would cause a mass uprising against the warfare state. Pro- ponents of this view point to the draft's role in galvanizing oppo- sition to the Vietnam War. This argument ignores that fact that it took several years and the deaths of thousands of Ameri- can draftees for the anti-Viet- nam War movement to succeed. A variation on this argument is that drafting women will cause an antiwar backlash as Americans recoil form the idea of forcing mothers into combat. But does anyone think the gov- ernment would draft mothers with young children? Reinstating the draft will not diminish the war party's influ- ence as long as the people con- tinue to believe the war propa- ganda fed to them by the mili- tary-industrial complex's media echo chamber. Changing the people's attitude toward the warfare state and its propa- ganda organs is the only way to return to a foreign policy of peace and commerce with all. Even if the draft could serve as a check on the warfare state, those who support individual liberty should still oppose it. Libertarians who support violat- ing individual rights to achieve a political goal, even a goal as noble as peace, undermine their arguments against non-aggres- sion and thus discredit both our movement, and, more impor- tantly, our philosophy. Ron Paul Dra ing women means equality in slavery Bill Cornelius OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, May 4, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6