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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, 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS EventhoughIhaveoccasion- ally promised myself I would stop using bad language, even that bad F word can slip out. For instance, it can happen when I stub my toe badly or when I recently found myself in a car accident in Wil- liams. Once as a teenager I remember even sub- stituting the word "duck" for that bad word just as a joke. However, a brother of mine, who is a very good Mormon, told me once that I should not even use a substitute cuss word. I call my brother Uncle Bob. He went on to uncomfortably tell me that even "gosh darn" is no good to use. He explained to me that everyone really knows what those two substitute words really take the place of. I can tell you one advantage of using good words. I believe a lot of people would think I was more intelligent if I did. Countless decades ago my father gave me a game to play to improve my vocabulary. He challenged me to find a word in the dictionary that he could not use properly in a sentence. I never beat him, but I did learn that perspicacity means to be mentally acute. As a result I now can tell someone that they are very perspicacious. Please give me your opinion on pro- fanity. My excuse for using profan- ity has always been that I am only human. However, I do know that is a lame excuse. In fact, my actual take is that we should all do better than just cuss. All of us should be a little more civilized. I remember in high school I wanted to be a bigger man and occasionally cussed. And, even later in the Cali- fornia Assembly itself, I would use bad language from time to time when talking with some close friend. I usually kept it at a whisper. Like a lot of people, everyday I found it more difficult to re- member to use more cultured and classier words. Social me- dia is not helping me be a good boy either. There are so many ways to communicate that it sometimes sparks more adren- alin and somehow seems to make profanity easier to use. It's too easy then for the bad words to flow. One forgets that profanity is often vulgar, and it certainly is not very educated. Tell me what you think. I believe it goes to a lower level of communication and deserves no respect. To- day's movies, cable television, social media and satellite radio can make one more insensitive to all this bad language. Some of our media don't even censor themselves. And, when they do run across vul- garity they usually just give us a bleep sound. However, Uncle Bob has taught me now that the bleep sound is just a substitute cuss word. Mytakeonthemovies I am happy to report there was no profanity at all in "Star Trek Beyond." I never miss catching this franchise. I have always wanted to go where no man has gone before anyway. Anyone can enjoy this movie in 3-D or 2-D. I think it will brighten your day. Any Star Trek movie does mine. And, of course, Mr. Spock's logic is al- ways educational and refresh- ing. StanStathamserved1976-1994 in the California Assembly and was a television news anchor at KHSL-TV in Chico 1965- 1975. He is past president of the California Broadcasters Association and can be reached at StanStatham@gmail.com. Stan Statham My take on profanity these days Countless decades ago my father gave me a game to play to improve my vocabulary. He challenged me to find a word in the dictionary that he could not use properly in a sentence. I never beat him, but I did learn that perspicacity means to be mentally acute. Responsetocolumniston Trump Editor: Robert Minch has written an- other interesting column last Friday. I enjoyed his comments on Minch's Meats vs. the unions and the information about the library and about driving na- ked. And, as always, the aviation story at the end was most amus- ing. However, and you knew this was coming, his Trump remarks beckoned me to respond. Regarding the Republican convention and Mr. Trump, he wrote, "How could these osten- sibly intelligent people be led so far astray? What part of Trump could be so appealing that they would drop all vestige of com- mon sense?" It seems to me that this same comment could be made about the other side of the presiden- tial ticket this year. After many months of intense investiga- tion, the FBI's James Comey has stated that she has lied numer- ous times regarding her e-mails. And it appears they are continu- ing with the investigation into the possible corruption of the Clinton Foundation. And let's not forget that ei- ther she, as Secretary of State, or President Obama, counter- manded the order given by Sec- retary of Defense Leon Panetta to send in the military when the Benghazi embassy was under at- tack, and then lied to America and the parents of the dead de- fenders as to the reason for the attack. We may never know why she pulled out the security and refused time and time again to replenish those personnel be- fore the attack. Perhaps protect- ing the president's re-election, or protecting her gun running scheme? And there are so many more facts that show her true nature, and since 67% of the country be- lieve she is untrustworthy, she isn't fooling too many people. Just watch the new movie "Hill- ary's America" for more insight. Of course, Trump has never held political office, so has no re- cord to review. We only have his business background and a tele- vision show from which to glean an opinion. He certainly has made a lot of promises, as ev- ery person running for national or state office has done, and only time will tell if he can make good on them. But the lack of his political record seems to me to be better than the record Hillary Clinton has made for herself in the last 40 years. This election seems to be an- other one in which a lot of folks will have to "hold their noses" while voting for president. Given her record, and the fact that anyone would want her to lead this country, I have to say, "How could these ostensi- bly intelligent people be led so far astray? What part of Hillary Clinton could be so appealing that they would drop all vestige of common sense?" — John Ward, Red Bluff Greenislookinggood Editor: Kermit said that it is not easy being green. But it's look- ing pretty good now, to me, and many others I'm sure. Jill Stein gets an unexpected boost as the elections office gets busy with all the Democrats, Berning from be- ing given the finger by Hillary, re-register. Neither the local Democrats nor the Tea Party are working together for their both best inter- est, which is to picket the county building over the 5% raise to de- partments heads. Because, building a cadre of managers who are paid a little more, which makes them happy — all fine and good — but then instructing them that their job is now to cut labor's throat, in- creases the divisions between la- bor and management. Increases the "otherness" of each to the other. It results in two camps of adversaries, enemies. This is exactly the way it is working all over the US and the world. It's called everything ex- cept what it is. Identity politics. Divide and conquer. Whether it's woman's rights, LGBT rights, Jefferson State rights, pets rights, etc. It's all our own little separate rights so we don't get together and fight for the one thing that we all agree on. Is there anybody out there, whatever party or such, that loves big banks and bailouts? Ev- erybody just loves having a mort- gage that is worth more than the property? Adversity builds char- acter? Thanks, I needed that? The county budget is doing its own little bit to further the divi- sive constructs of the current ex- ploitative financial culture. Both here and everywhere. So, right now, the Green Party is looking kind of cool. Sort of a "no party preference" with at- titude. A recapitulated Monty Python's Black Night. Not big enough to be a threat. But maybe a start. At least it's honest. And I always liked Miss Piggy. — James Bryant, Red Bluff Poorchoiceatthepolls Editor: What a choice we have this November, an egotist with no of- fice holding experience at all who enriched himself by scam- ming others then protecting his loot by declaring bankruptcy, which screwed all his creditors. On the other hand a seasoned politician who promises to re- strain her biggest financial sup- porters from screwing you. As we've seen in her strug- gle with Sanders there are no tricks she won't stoop to in order to get elected. Both candidates deny overwhelming scientific ev- idence of devastating climate change caused mostly by human endeavors. And both are likely to plunge us into another hor- rific war we can't afford nor jus- tify; Trump because of his enor- mous ego and Hillary because her backers — bankers and the war industry — want one. So will you go for the insult expert or the skirt? I guess I'll just have to hold my nose and hope the stench resulting from our final decision isn't as bad as I fear. — Orval Strong, Gerber Your opinions Cartoonist's take Danny Tyree I've been undergoing physi- cal therapy as a result of a com- pression fracture, and my phys- ical therapist (Amy) got a "deer in the headlights" look when I said I would be writing about physical therapy this week. She needn't have wor- ried. I've thoroughly enjoyed my sessions at the clinic and look forward to a full recov- ery. The workouts are certainly less strenuous than the unan- nounced Dr. Seuss "Hop On Pop" exercises my brother and I used to put our father through. ("No pain, no gain. Ooh, what's that stain?") True, being on the honor sys- tem and having to keep up my exercises at home has been more of a challenge. There are so many rationalizations for slacking off on the regimen. No telling how many patients slink into their sessions with a calcu- lated confession of "I was going to do my exercises, but I spent two hours on dental flossing. Yeah, that's the ticket." According to Wikipedia, Hip- pocrates was one of the first practitioners of physical therapy (or physiotherapy); around 460 B.C. he was advocating massage, manual therapy techniques and hydrotherapy to his patients. That means any day now, the in- surance company should be ap- proving their treatment. Not everyone is a fan of phys- iotherapy. Part of it comes from scapegoating. You know how you think you recognize some- one in a crowd and then realize your mistake in the middle of waving at them? A Gallup sur- vey indicates that the top pride- saving maneuver is to mutter, "I swear, stranger — can you be- lieve the idiotic exercises my physiotherapist has me doing?" One preacher told me that he didn't have a physical therapist — he had a "physical terrorist." Yes, some physiotherapists need help with their bedside manner. The clinic I go to has all sorts of upbeat homilies on the wall, but I've heard of a therapist in one city who greets patients with, "You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders, buddy. Here, let's add another 20 pounds, maggot." Many people view physio- therapy as a necessary evil, but some shortsighted individu- als don't even admit the "neces- sary" part. "Physiotherapy is stu- pid," some jackasses scoff. Of course when you're enough of an expert on stupidity to have jumped off a bridge in a four- wheeler, with cherry bombs strapped to your chest, you're sort of asking for physiotherapy. Some tough guys think that physiotherapy is un- manly, a procedure suitable only for wimps. Um, it's not ex- actly macho to lie on the side- walk whimpering, "Little girl, could you pick up that penny I dropped? And could you cover me with that discarded newspa- per? I think it's going to rain." A good physiotherapist can work wonders with restor- ing your mobility, but even they may not be able to help you with your upward mobil- ity. ("You majored in what? And your resume lists Pokemon as a reference? Let's work on your hitchhiking muscles today.") Whether you've been sick, in- jured or just dealing with the dif- ficulties of aging, a good thera- pist can get you back to normal. "Good. Now I can go back to lifting bales of cotton to make 'Hamilton' costumes for my 75 cats. And my wrist can handle writing those twice-daily letters to Justin Bieber..." *Sigh* "Normal," of course, may still include people who are a couple of rowing ma- chines short of a royal navy, if you know what I mean. Danny Tyree welcomes email responses at tyreetyrades@aol. com and visits to his Facebook fan page Tyree's Tyrades. Danny Tyree Have you thanked your physical therapist today? My father never cussed much at all, that I remem- ber. My mother's words were regularly profane and o en quite funny. I feel I must tell you that I have not always used classy language either. Stan Statham OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, August 4, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4