Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/682605
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 LastSaturdaynightIwit- nessed a gala event in the cafeteria of Red Bluff High School. The cafe- teria was almost unrecognizable; tables were cov- ered with floor length white ta- blecloths cov- ered diago- nally with bright green and gold square tablecloths. There were center pieces of dried flowers surrounding an upside down golden goblet, on polished wood slabs, with soft blue-white accents from bat- tery powered candles. Chairs were draped in white with green and gold ribbons secur- ing the drapes to the shape of the chair. Jeannie Garton was responsible for the lovely dec- orations, and she set a new standard of grandeur. The occasion was a 25-year reunion of all the graduates from Mrs. Sherry Drake's class in room 101. She and Glenda Gutierrez along with Laird Richards, all of whom are retir- ing this year, hosted the event. There were lots of volunteers who worked to make this one of a kind event a reality. Many people chipped in money, time, and food to provide this memo- rable event for all. Fifty-two of the ninety-four graduates attended; some from as far away as Los An- geles. Food included hors d'oeuvres, ice water and punch, a full course meal of enchila- das, refried beans, salad, veg- etables, and cake. Jake the Snake donated his time to be the Disc Jockey, and Bill Treat did the same to take pictures of all who were there. There were a few speeches, and not many dry eyes. After dinner and speeches some graduates insisted they be given a chance to thank the staff that supported them while in Room 101. There was a long list of staff, and many heartfelt words. After that the current seniors went to the prom, and other graduates stayed to dance energetically to the disco music. While there were some high school staff there, and all graduates were accompanied by parents and or other fam- ily members, none of the high school administrators invited to the celebration showed up, even for a token appearance. They missed a joyful event that reflects well on Red Bluff High. It was heartwarming to see the joy in the eyes of the graduates as they recognized former classmates and staff when they came in the door to receive their name tags on a Spartan lavalier. Hugs abounded. Their parents and family members also did lots of hugging and smiling as they recounted the support they received from Drake and her staff. Some graduates were work- ing, some dependent on care, and all were smiling. Drake will be missed, but her influence on the lives of her graduates and the special needs community will last for- ever. She started the recycling program at the school, got her students involved in the Holi- day Classic, supported her stu- dents as they attended other classes, and worked closely with North Valley Services and the Opportunity Center. In our community we often take time to find things to com- plain about: the roads, the drab leaders, the sometimes bum- bling governing bodies, person- nel decisions, and the list goes on. We often do not take time to embrace the good things that are happening here. I know that Sherry Drake felt embraced Saturday night as all who attended collec- tively affirmed her and her dedication to her students. There was not a dry eye in the house as Drake recounted her 25 years serving these stu- dents, and as she teared up at the end of her brief talk, there was a lump in my throat. Her final sentence summed up her dedication and joy for the job she has so miraculously per- formed for 25 years. "Each day I never thought I was going to work, I just thought I was go- ing to school." JoeHarropisaretired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Joe Harrop Silver anniversary reunion for Room 101 The occasion was a 25-year reunion of all the graduates from Mrs. Sherry Drake's class in room 101. Cartoonist's take Winwascity doing right thing Editor: Over the last couple of weeks quite a few people came up to me to congratulate me on my lawsuit win over the smell in my neighborhood. They insinuated I had won a large amount and was quite happy for me. I told them that it hadn't been brought be- fore the council as of yet and I asked how did they hear this. I was told everyone knew it. So I want to set the record straight. I did win. However, I don't see it as a glorification. I see it as a shame that we had to go through all this to make the city fix the problem they should have fixed four years ago. My agenda was not for a profit. I only asked to be paid back for the money I spent out of my pocket and for the city to fix the problem correctly with a deadline for completion. This way all my neighbors and I won; now we will be able to enjoy our back yards any- time we want, run our swamp coolers, and not be embar- rassed when we have company for the holidays. The project should be finished by Septem- ber. I do realize this City Coun- cil has inherited projects they've had to contend with by past council members includ- ing bringing the city into com- pliance with state laws. I can't wait to see the new airport res- taurant when it opens and see what their plans are when they put the old city dump into com- pliance, a park maybe? Another project that was promised to me is that the city will widen Paskenta Road by using the easements on each side to make a right hand turn lane going onto Walnut. Hope- fully that will help ease the backup there when the new courthouse opens. The upgrade should be finished by the end of this year. Thank you all who have worked on this. Don't blame the city for the traffic problems, as that is the state's responsibility. The city has been trying to get the state to comply with its own state laws since it started building this courthouse. I worked with Sen. Jim Nielsen and Assemblyman James Gallagher along with Kathy Bonner, Scott Camp and the city trying to resolve the traffic problems by sim- ply adding a stoplight. But I have heard it might take a cou- ple of years for completion. If the traffic becomes too prob- lematic, it might be best to just put a stop light up ourselves. However, I feel that's bull crap because then the state doesn't have to deal with it. Maybe we could just take one from Luther Road. — Kathy Nelson, Red Bluff An inadequate system Editor: While our friends, trading partners and fellow NATO al- lies are all part of the family of western industrial nations, they have nevertheless main- tained their own identity, flag, language, customs and obvi- ously history and heritage, but do have one overarching prin- ciple in common, which is gov- ernment provided universal, one payer health care for all of its citizens, from birth to death bar none, that encompasses all possible aspects, from doctors, to dentists, hospitals and pre- scription drugs, regardless of income or place of work and without co-payments, rationing or denial of treatment. It is curious and comes as quite a surprise, that citizens of the richest country in the world are actually denied these basic human rights, the symp- toms of which are devastating and often result in lack of ad- equate coverage, sky high pre- miums, medical bills that lin- ger for years, thousands of pre- ventable deaths and a whole litany of other devastating con- sequences. The fact that 60% of US bankruptcies are health care related, points to the fact that human misery, sickness and suffering has become a com- modity which is used by vul- ture capitalists as a cash cow and convenient source of profit. Millions of our citizens are relegated to toiling in the cor- porate field at a minimum wage of $58 per day, frequently even less as part time and without benefits and no hope for change is evident on the ho- rizon, because both wings of our Republicrat party are to- tally beholden to their corpo- rate masters. It seems to be high time for this country to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century and thus obliged to finally live up to its promises. — Joe Bahlke, Red Bluff Letters to the editor Another view By Christine Flowers Twenty-nine years ago this week, I graduated from law school. It's been almost three decades since I've been able to officially call myself an "officer of the court," a title I wear with a great deal of pride. But while I will always be ex- tremely proud of my pedigree and of the work it involves, I do not equate it with the pro- found physical courage de- manded of other "officers." On Monday, President Obama awarded the Medal of Valor to 13 public safety offic- ers who "have exhibited ex- ceptional courage, regardless of personal safety." The honor, created by Congress in 2001, recognizes the type of brav- ery that requires both mental and physical acuity, the sym- biosis of mind, body, and most especially, heart. Twelve of the men who received their med- als were able to take them from the hands of a clearly moved commander in chief. One, tragically, surely sur- veyed the ceremony from heaven, as his grandmother accepted the award in his name. Sgt. Robert Wilson III earned that medal on March 5, 2015. He was at a GameStop store in North Philly, buying a present for his son, when two brothers entered the store and announced a robbery. They brandished semi-automatic handguns, Wilson drew his weapon and engaged the rob- bers, two on one. He is cred- ited with having distracted the robbers from other cus- tomers in the store, and didn't stop shooting, even though he himself had been wounded. He was stopped only by a fatal bullet to the head. There were no other casualties that day. I remember reading about Wilson last year, and I could barely make it through the re- ports without stopping to wipe my eyes. That man's courage is too big for words, too deep for normal understanding, too painful for dispassionate dis- cussion. He, and his brothers and sisters in uniform, stand alone. They form an island of honor we can observe, but can- not hope to inhabit. The other officers honored this week had similar stories, and, while they escaped with the precious rest of their lives, their acts are no less heroic than Wilson's. One rescued a toddler from a knife-wielding predator. One, off duty, res- cued a man from a burning car and suffered serious inju- ries. One engaged in gunfire with a young man who had shot and wounded his parents and was threatening to go on a rampage near an elementary school. I know police officers have been the target of negative publicity in the past few years. Some of it is justified, I sup- pose, although I do think there has been far too much nega- tivity and far too little context given to the stories in Fergu- son, Mo., Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia. Hashtags about racial divides are news- worthy, and make for juicy headlines, but they have a ten- dency to demonize one side and canonize the other. Neither posture advances the truth. What I do know is that the bad cops, that bread and but- ter of investigative journalists, are in the minority. And even the bad ones are still, on occa- sion, noble creatures who have willingly enlisted in a pro- fession that places them on a collision course with danger, every blessed day. The vast majority court that danger with pure hearts, and the souls of giants. I re- member that period of 18 so months about 10 years ago, when it seemed as if Philadel- phia police officers had targets on their backs. I remember the names: Officer Gary Skerski, Officer Chuck Cassidy, Sgt. Ste- phen Liczbinski, Officer Isabel Nazario, Sgt. Patrick McDon- ald, Sgt. Timothy Simpson, Of- ficer John Pawlowski. It was a continuous chain of pain. It still is. A month or so ago, a po- lice officer I knew who was a very good man took his own life. There were the complica- tions of a troubled life, but, in the end, he was an honorable man and served this city up to his final moments. The shad- ows surrounding the circum- stances of his death do not change the importance of that service. All of this is to say we owe this profession a higher level of deference and respect than we do almost any other, except perhaps the firefighters who run toward the flames and the soldiers to who run toward the gunfire. Their flaws come from their humanity, and we are all susceptible to that. But their heroism reaches heights that we will never touch, and that should be remembered. I'm grateful to the presi- dent, for remembering Philly's brave son. Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, and can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com. Show police the respect they deserve Joe Harrop Local Tehama County Supervisors, 527-4655 District 1, Steve Chamblin, Ext. 3015 District 2, Candy Carlson, Ext. 3014 District 3, Dennis Garton, Ext. 3017 District 4, Bob Williams, Ext. 3018 District 5, Burt Bundy, Ext. 3016 Red Bluff City Manager, Rich- ardCrabtree,527-2605,Ext.3061 Corning City Manager, Kris- tina Miller, 824-7033 Your officials OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, May 21, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4