Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/71510
4A Daily News – Saturday, June 23, 2012 Opinion Abomination DAILYNEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer's home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 not a newspaper Editor: People make a Tehama County for the remain- der of my life I simply cannot suffer in silence that abomina- tion you claim is a daily newspa- per. Since I plan to be a resident of It is a sad shadow of a once excellent small daily. It is and crap, no matter how you may choose to attempt to portray it. At least give your reporters some direction and instruction. And edit their copy. Write decent headlines. Give a damn about your cho- sen profession. Give a damn about your readers and about the community. The worst product I ever put out in more than 50 years in the business is better than the best of what I've seen you produce. You profess to care. Prove it. pap Cliff Larimer, Red Bluff High school graduation is a time for reflecting on the past and anticipating the future. Reflecting on the past school year at Centen- nial High School, it occurred to me that there have been many people and organizations that have chosen to make a difference in the lives of students by supporting and invest- ing in them. This bespeaks of a community where people truly care about others. Thanks to the support of our community, another group of students have graduated from Corning Union High School District's Alternative Education programs. difference Editor: ple and organizations that have sup- ported our students without leaving someone out. There have been so many that have supported our stu- dents well. With this in mind, I would like to acknowledge and thank the following organizations It is hard to thank all of the peo- and businesses for their support: The Red Bluff Elk's Lodge; The Corning Exchange Club, The Tehama County Chapter of ACSA; The Soroptomists; The Corning Rodeo Associa- tion; Corning Little League; Sierra Pacific, Corning Medical Associ- ation; The Tehama County Office of Educa- tion and staff; Officer Pryatel and The Corning Police Department; Janet Blackketter and The Job Training Program; Lila Park and the Tehama County Probation Department; Carol Scott who vol- unteered to help with our Women's Circle all year; and the Corning Observer and the Red Bluff Daily News for covering all the positive events our students participate in each year. I would also like to thank the Governing Board and former Superintendent of Corning Union High School District, Bruce Cole; as well as Lonnie Thomas and crew; Tehama County Drug and Alcohol; Tehama County Mental Health; the HOPE Marriage and Family Therapists; the families of current and former students and the community. Your Turn The teachers in our schools also deserve to be recognized for their dedication and willingness to go above and beyond in mentoring our youth. This is a position that is best viewed as a calling. Thank you for all that you do for students every single day. You are awesome. In the last analysis, it is all about the relationships we form and build with others that make a difference. It is important to count our bless- ings and share them with others. I appreciate the many people and organizations that have supported Centennial High School and its stu- dents over the years in their own unique ways. Andrea Nilsen, Corning Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Buying bad memories Commentary As a pre-teen I was fascinated by airplanes. I had an aircraft spotter book for WWII planes that included all the planes of the Allies, the Germans, and the Japanese; I kept up on the latest developments in aviation at least through age 13. I kept track of air speed records, developments in foreign aircraft, the growth of helicopters, the development of rocket planes, and flying in gen- eral. Things must have changed after I hit 13; I think I started looking at other things. On our way to Juneau this spring we stopped in Seattle for three days. One morning we vis- ited the Museum of Flight, just south of the city, and spent over four hours gawking at old air- planes, space flight information, aeronautical displays, and spe- cial exhibits about World War I and World War II. The museum brought back many pleasant memories. My favorite plane as a pre- For me, the memories that return are usually pleasant ones; they bring a smile and often fond reminisce. When an unpleasant memory pops up, at this point in my life I can most often turn it into a learning expe- rience. While we were talking to an elderly docent about the space exhibit in the Museum of Flight, he mentioned he was a World War II and cold war veteran, and that he was very upset when Macy's added the red star to its name where there had once been a simple apostrophe. He could not abide by anything that might be seen as a tribute to the Rus- sians. He was very gentlemanly in describing his long standing grudge with Russia, a grudge he had carried for over 60 years. I grew up during the Cold its political and economic sys- tem. I decided, however, it would do no good to discuss this with our docent. teen was the P-38 Lockheed Lightning, a twin hulled plane that performed incredible endurance feats in combat dur- ing WWII. Just after WWII was over our family went to an air show at the SF Airport, and we were able to see close up many of the warplanes that had helped us win the war such as the B-17, B-24, B-29, P40, and P51. I felt like the proverbial kid in the candy store as I examined the planes up close. Then some- thing else caught my, and I was drawn away from my family toward a P-38 parked a short distance away on the runway; when I reached the plane I put my hand on the propeller, much as a child would put his hand out to pet a dog. The plane had just landed, and the propeller was scorching hot; it gave me a blis- ter, and a memory that is still with me. Memories are tricky; they return from time to time when situations beckon them. War, and I have never had a warm feeling about the Rus- sians. We had to wear dog tags and practice disaster drills to teach us what to do when we were being invaded or, worse yet bombed (most likely, we thought by nuclear bombs); we would stay in our school hall- ways with our backs to the wall for what seemed a long time. We would follow our teacher on what seemed long evacuation routes. One of my friends told me that his parents were not planning to save any money because "everyone knows the Russians are going to bomb us." It was a scary time. extreme sacrifices the Russians made in combating Hitler's forces, and that Russia has never felt it received the credit it deserved for weakening Hitler's armed forces, and from its point of view being bossed around by the Allies. (Hitler, of course, miscalculated his ability to carry on a war on two fronts.) I learned to understand some of Russia's point of view, even if I did not approve of its actions, or I later learned about the many long running disputes. One definition of grudge is: "A grudge is something that is held against someone for something, or for an issue, they haven't resolved peacefully or discussed." Grudges can be between indi- viduals, or between groups. Much of the Bosnian conflict was triggered by long standing ethnic grudges; genocide in Ruanda is another example, as are some of the violent actions between Moslem sects in the Middle East. Grudges are the basis for Joe Harrop Some grudges are manufac- tured; a good deal of anti-Semi- tism has been manufactured to produce a common enemy for certain groups. Art Hoppe wrote a book entitled "Love Every- body except Penguins Crusade"; it was his satirical attempt to poke fun at the "designated enemy"; if we designated pen- guins as our true enemy we might unite and make some progress as a human race according to Hoppe's thesis. Science fiction satirists have written stories about how alien invasions have united mankind. Joe Pelanconi, retired Princi- pal at Red Bluff High, once said "People collect stamps." He was referring to some people's ten- dency to never forget something unpleasant about a person or a group. My father was a "stamp collector" when it came to cars. He had test driven a Pontiac in 1937, and the car rattled. For the next 60 years of his car purchas- ing life he never even considered buying a General Motors prod- uct. Almost $47 million was spent by interest groups to defeat the proposition. RJ Reynolds and Phillip Morris together spent over $38 million dollars to defeat the proposition; curiously the California Republican Party donated $1,140,909 to defeat what would seemingly have been a non-partisan cause. As of this writing the total number of votes against Proposition 29 was 2,455,127; in other words those against it spent $19.14 for each vote! They appear to have a mar- gin of victory of about 16,778 votes out of 4,873,976 votes cast. (My understanding is more absentee ballots have yet to be counted.) I have faith in the American field is littered with attempts by candidates, political action com- mittees, and parties to help us look at our stamp collections. Whether it is telling us that the Republican candidate was a "bully" in high school or that we need to be afraid of "liber- als", the attempt is to make us focus on something unpleasant, rather than the real issues on hand. For example, politi- cal action groups spent large amounts of money to paint Propo- sition 29 as another governmental boon- doggle that could export California money to other states. The current political battle- A very special thank you goes to the mem- bers of Corning Veter- an's Memorial Hall that so generously allow us to share their building each year for graduation. voter, and I truly believe that the influx of money to stir up bad memories will in the long run be counterproductive. In the mean- time we need to work to keep the electorate fully informed. Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.