Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/705480
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, 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS WhenIsignedonasamem- ber of the State Theatre Steer- ing Committee in March of 2010, I assumed I would be in- volved with the project for a few months at most. I was wrong. More than six years have passed; my in- volvement con- tinues, as does that of a dedi- cated group of community vol- unteers who have made the acquisition, restoration and op- eration of the State Theatre a personal priority. While the hours dedicated to this project are many, and the problems attached to restoring a 70-year-old movie house are daunting, my colleagues and I have stayed the course for two primary reasons, and for many others. First and foremost, the entire community has rallied behind the project. It is clear to us that saving the theater is important to most every one in the Te- hama County community. The other reason I continue to stay connected to the project is re- lated to the numerous friend- ships I have developed. These friendships are with great folks who would not have become an important part of my life if not for my involvement with the State Theatre. I would like to honor one of those great folks in today's column. ••• After making our decision to purchase the theater, we hosted a May 5, 2011, benefit concert and auction featuring country music legend Merle Haggard. As part of the planning process, we learned that the then owner of the theater, Dr. Ron Clark, was a personal friend of the mother of America's favorite ac- tor, Tom Hanks. It was through Dr. Clark that I came to know Tom's wonderful mother, Janet Turner. In conjunction with the Merle Haggard concert, Tom Hanks was kind enough to provide the State Theatre with a promotional video in which he extols the virtues of the the- ater he attended as a child, and in which he also pays homage to his mother. I will never for- get the vision of a beaming Ja- net Turner, a spotlight shin- ing on her at the conclusion of the video, as she was presented with a dozen beautiful roses. From that time forward, Ja- net Turner seldom missed a concert at the State Theatre. Along with wonderful friends who also served as her caregiv- ers and assistants, Janet sat in the same seat at every concert. It was her practice to enjoy a glass of wine — but only one — along with a small bag of pop- corn, while tapping her toe and singing along to such fa- vorites as the Glenn Miller Or- chestra. Janet Turner loved the historic State Theatre, and the State Theatre certainly loved Janet Turner. Surprisingly, even though we had both lived in this com- munity for at least a half-cen- tury, our lives never inter- sected until that night she first sat down in "her seat" at the Merle Haggard concert. I never knew Janet Turner as the young mother who a lifetime ago started working as a waitress at Burton's Café. I never knew Janet Turner when she started keeping books not only for Burton's, but also for businesses throughout the area. I never knew Janet Turner when as a young mother she enrolled at Chico State, ob- tained a Master's Degree in Business, and went on to enjoy a distinguished career on local, state and national levels in the nursing home industry. On several occasions, I was fortunate enough to sit with Janet as I joined her for lunch at a local restaurant or vis- ited with her in her lovely fam- ily home. The Janet Turner I came to know always had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, especially when discussing her family. While she was ob- viously proud to be the mother of this nation's most beloved actor, all four of her children are extremely successful in their own right. As mommas are wont to do, she loved them all the same. Oldest son Larry is a re- nowned entomologist at the University of Illinois. Youngest son Jim, the spitting image of big brother Tom, is also an ac- complished actor, voice actor, director and filmmaker. Oldest child Sandy lives 12 time zones away, exactly half way around the world. Countless family photos scattered throughout her home demonstrated Janet's uncondi- tional pride in and love for ev- ery one of her children, and her grandchildren as well. Unfortunately, over the past year or so Janet's health dete- riorated to a point where we seldom found her sitting in her special seat at the historic State Theatre. Along with the rest of the community, we were deeply saddened to learn of her passing on July 7. Janet Turner had a special place in her heart for the State Theatre. So did her children, as they held fond memories of attending movies at the State while growing up in this com- munity. It was because of these connections that the Hanks family honored the State The- atre by selecting it as the venue for the "Celebration of Janet" held on July 12. Approximately 200 friends, colleagues and relatives at- tended the stirring 90-minute private service. Brothers Larry, Tom and Jim — through laugh- ter and tears — shared pre- cious stories of good times and tough times with their mother. Daughter Sandy, while not able to attend, composed a heart- felt poem titled "My Mother's Hands." The poem was shared with those in attendance. As this moving service con- cluded, and the entire Hanks clan adjourned to a short re- ception prior to scattering to unknown places throughout the world, something occurred to me. I realized that it really doesn't matter if you are the world's most famous actor or if you work at the neighborhood 7-11, losing your mother is one of the toughest things we face in a lifetime. On behalf of the State The- atre and the entire community, I would like to offer our con- dolences to Janet's children, Sandy, Larry, Tom and Jim, and to the entire Hanks family. Janet Turner was a very spe- cial lady, and all who knew her shall miss her greatly. ••• Happy Birthday Don. I love you like a brother. 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 StateTheatre mourns a treasured patron Cartoonist's take This presidential campaign is the nuttiest in my lifetime but at least America is maintaining its sense of humor. Late-night com- ics have found a treasure trove of material in Repub- lican presidential candidate Don- ald Trump. He's been mocked three times as often as any other candidate throughout the campaign. Many of the jokes have been very direct and even harsh. But some are pretty dang funny: "In a speech yesterday, Donald Trump spoke in favor of water- boarding. Trump said, 'It's how I got two of my three wives to say yes.'" — Conan O'Brien "A new Quinnipiac Univer- sity poll has Trump and (Hillary) Clinton almost tied. This is the first tie for Donald Trump that wasn't manufactured in China." — Jimmy Kimmel "After weeks of hesitation, Paul Ryan finally endorsed Don- ald Trump for president on Thursday. When asked what in- fluenced his decision, Ryan said, 'Xanax. Lots and lots of Xanax.'" — Jimmy Fallon Whereas Trump jokes tend to jab at the man's personal life and business and television ca- reer, jokes about Democrat pres- idential candidate Hillary Clin- ton are slightly tamer. They have been targeting her classified email fiasco, wealth and hus- band: "Although Hillary Clinton was cleared of charges in the investi- gation of her deleted e-mails, her actions were described by the FBI as 'extremely reckless.' How- ever in her defense, the report pointed out that she was Hillary reckless, not Bill reckless.'" — Conan O'Brien "Top Secrets? I don't think she should be allowed to handle Pop Secret. I wouldn't trust you with Secret deodorant." — Stephen Colbert "The L.A. Times just revealed that Bill Clinton has demanded private jets to get to speaking engagements. In their defense, Bill and Hillary need private jets 'cuz they're the only planes that can fit all of their baggage." — Jimmy Fallon Trump is a free, unscripted spirit who sometimes says re- grettable things — and teams of late-night writers are standing by eager to pounce on every slip- up or flip-flop. "Donald Trump is actually taking a break from the cam- paign to go visit his golf resort in Scotland tomorrow. Right af- ter he leaves the U.S., Republi- cans will say, 'Quick! Build the wall!'" — Jimmy Fallon "House Speaker Paul Ryan today announced that he will appear at (the) Republican Na- tional Convention to deliver a 10-minute speech that he is writing himself. As opposed to Trump, who will be giving a 10-hour speech that he will be writing as he goes." — Seth Meyers Unlike anyone who ever ran for the highest office, the more Trump has been targeted and mocked by comedians — the more he becomes a carica- ture — the more resilient he be- comes among his supporters. This portends an increas- ingly coarse election as Clinton and Trump battle it out for the presidency: "Hillary Clinton gave a speech in Columbus, Ohio, where she called Trump an un- caring businessman. Which, I guess, is supposed to be an in- sult, except those are the ex- act words he has printed on his business card." — Jimmy Kim- mel "In a speech today, Donald Trump blasted Hillary Clinton, calling her 'a world-class liar' and 'the most corrupt person to seek the presidency.' Trump then said, 'Wait a second, I think I'm in love.'" — Conan O'Brien This political season's bit- ing humor reflects the chaotic and divided state of the Amer- ican people — just as both can- didates do. Still, I think most of us can identify with this joke from Conan O'Brien: "A new poll came out and it claims that 25 percent of voters remain unde- cided. Apparently, they're un- decided on whether to move to Canada or Mexico." Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Wicked Is the Whiskey," a Sean McClanahan mystery novel, both available at Amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom@TomPurcell.com. Tom Purcell Late-night comedians on Trump and Clinton I will never forget the vision of a beaming Janet Turner, a spotlight shining on her at the conclusion of the video, as she was presented with a dozen beautiful roses. Bill Cornelius Tom Purcell Opponents of a central bank should take advantage of the post-Brexit vote revival of seces- sionist sentiments to promote a secession from central banking, or "Fed-exit." Ending the Federal Reserve's monopoly on money is the key to restoring and main- taining our liberty and prosper- ity. By manipulating the money supply to fix interest rates, the Federal Reserve engages in price fixing. After all, interest rates are nothing more than the price of money. Like all prices, they communicate information about economic conditions to market actors. Federal Reserve attempts to override the market rate of in- terest with a Fed-favored rate distort the price signals sent to businesses, investors, and con- sumers. The result of this distor- tion is a Fed-created boom, fol- lowed by a Fed-created bust. The Fed's action affects the entire economy and impacts the lives of all Americans, as well as of people around the world. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the attempt to fix in- terest rates is the most harmful example of price fixing. Many who normally oppose government intervention in the marketplace claim that cen- tral banking could work if only the Fed adhered to a mone- tary rule. Supporters of a "rules- based" monetary policy claim that a rules-based approach will bring stability and predictabil- ity to monetary policy, and thus put the economy on a path to permanent prosperity. But un- der a rules-based monetary pol- icy, the Federal Reserve retains the power to manipulate inter- est rates. So under a rules-based approach, investors and en- trepreneurs would still receive distorted price signals, which would still result in a boom-bust cycle. No rule can fix the flaws inherent in our system of mone- tary central planning. In recent years, many pro- gressives have joined libertari- ans and conservatives in criti- cizing the Federal Reserve. Pro- gressive Fed critics often focus on the ways the Fed's policies benefit big banks, Wall Street, and other special interests, and how the policies harm average Americans. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, many progres- sives do not want a free mar- ket in money. Instead they want a more "democratic" Fed. Thus, progressives favor, for example, requiring that more members of the Fed's board be confirmed by the US Senate. They also favor putting representatives of "pub- lic interest" groups on the Fed's board. The Fed's progressive crit- ics are correct that big banks to- gether with powerful financial institutions have too much influ- ence on monetary policy. While implementing progressive re- forms may reduce Wall Street's influence on monetary policy, it will likely also strengthen the in- fluence of the deep state — that network of crony capitalists, lob- byists, congressional staffers, and others who work behind the scenes to control our economic and foreign policies. Many progressives believe that middle- and working-class Americans would benefit from a more "stimulative" (meaning in- flationary) monetary policy. Say- ing that inflation would help the average American turns re- ality on its head. Middle- and working-class Americans are the main victims of the Fed's infla- tion tax. Average Americans also suffer the most when the bubble created by the Fed's inflationary "stimulus" inevitably bursts. The true beneficiaries of inflation are crony capitalists and big-spend- ing politicians. Instead of fruitless efforts aimed at "reform" of the Fed, those concerned with restoring a true free market, reducing eco- nomic inequality, and promot- ing peace and prosperity for all should work for a "Fed-exit." The first step, of course, is to pass Audit the Fed. Once Congress and the peo- ple learn the full truth about the Fed, they can begin to consider the best ways to Fed-exit. There are a number of steps that can and should be taken toward that goal that I will outline in a fu- ture column. Ron Paul is a former Congressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at the RonPaulInstitute.org. Ron Paul Don't reform the Fed, Fed-exit OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, July 20, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4