Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/741327
Haveyoueverwonderedwhatahypocrite smells like? All you need to do is sniff a home- less person to know what hypocrites don't smell like. Most of the homeless people I've helped straight-up stink. Theydon'tsmellasniceas all the self-righteous folks out there arrogantly condemning Christians who support Trump. That's why I prefer spending my spare time helping home- less people who pass through my little town on their way to nowhere in particular. They carry no pretenses, walking around in smelly clothes and worn out, oversized shoes. They are not hypocrites. Nor are they too proud to accept food, cash, a blanket, a warm coat. And ev- ery once in a while, they allow me the privilege of telling them about the time the "Friend of Sinners" befriended me, inspir- ing me to "go and sin no more." In fact, there isn't a person Jesus ever ate with, or a pros- titute he ever conversed with or a Pharisee he ever came in contact with that he did not re- mind to "go and sin no more." We're all sinners and at times we are hypocrites. A hypocrite is someone who pretends to have certain con- victions that they do not actu- ally have. That's why I'm not a hypo- crite when I call out Democrats on things like abortion, big government or religious liberty. I am a sinner saved by grace, though. You know from read- ing my column that I some- times write carelessly and later have to ask for God's forgive- ness, then do my best to "go and sin no more." We know Donald Trump wasn't a Christian 11 years ago, but we also know he pro- fessed to be a Christian in 2011 on CBN News Brody File. Dur- ing the interview Trump said, "I believe in God. I am Chris- tian." Obviously, his faith has influenced the political views he now embraces like pro-life and Scalia-like Supreme Court justices. But that's not enough for judgmental evangelicals who've thrown Trump and his sup- porters to the lions but oddly take President Obama at his word on his supposed Chris- tian faith, although he sup- ports much of what the Bible opposes. It's fair to ask what would have happened to Christianity if Paul the apostle was treated the same way as some evangel- icals treat Trump for his pre- conversion activities. While we don't have a hot mic to prove it, Paul, once known as Saul, was a Christian killer who had a divine encoun- ter with Jesus on a road trip. He was a changed man, over time. Apparently, old habits die hard if you read what Paul wrote in Romans 7:15. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." So I ask all my better-than- thou friends out there, where have your convictions been all these years? Where's your outrage now that Hillary wants you to fund partial birth abortions? Or the damning WikiLeaks emails? Or that she's spent her whole po- litical career embracing issues that break God's heart? We know how you feel about pre-conversion locker room talk, but where's your outrage over Obama's policies allow- ing boys to shower in your little girl's locker room? Why were you silent when the Obama administration slapped a $70 million per year fine on a group of nuns, Lit- tle Sisters of the Poor, who gave up their lives to care for the im- poverished elderly, punished for their faith's stance on birth control? Both Hillary's and Obama's policies show they are no friend of Christianity, so if you find yourself siding with them, you might want to ask yourself the same question I regularly ask myself: Are you on God's side? It's clear that many of my sweet-smelling friends have forgotten to remember that Christ came for sinners. All of us. SusanStamperBrownlives in Alaska and writes about culture, politics and current events. She was selected as one of America's 50 Best Conservative writers for 2015. Contact her by Facebook or at writestamper@gmail.com. SusanStamperBrown Judgemental evangelicals — what hypocrisy smells like Cartoonist's take We are coming down to the wire, and November's electoral day will perhaps be one of atonement. Of course, with accusations of a "rigged election" it could take a little longer, but sooner or later the country will know if it is to be governed by a man, or a woman. If the latter, it will be an historic first. Although other nations have successfully conquered their bias and submitted to a female head of state, the U.S. would be one of the last to do so. In this case we have a woman running for the high office who appears to tote political baggage. However, without experience in Congress or at least in high governmental office of some sort, a woman would be considered untested and voters might fall back on a male leader. But then, our male leaders have occasionally had "feet of clay" and, in retrospect, became untrustworthy. What a dilemma. I happen to be in the "anyone but Trump camp" and will vote for Hillary Clinton, warts and all. I can't understand why any sane and educated person would do otherwise. I have always been registered non-partisan, and as such have no party bias. In my early days, the Republicans were considered to be the choice of, and therefore favored by, businessmen. Along came television and release of documents and I suspect voters began to be influenced mainly by the charisma of the candidates rather than by their record. Hillary is shackled with e-mail controversy going back to when she was Secretary of State plus some sort of guilt-by-association when her husband was President. This is a unique situation which does not, in my mind, disqualify her from a being a leader of the free world. Donald Trump is guilty of too many infractions and indiscretions to count, and I hope most voters will conclude he has made them way too often. In short, he does not possess presidential majesty of character. That written, be sure to vote. By not voting you may influence the outcomes and your least favorable candidate might prevail. And, regarding voting, I urge you to vote for increasing the salary of our Tehama County Supervisors. Their current salaries do not attract business men or women, retired or otherwise. ••• In previous exchanges between the Tuesday columnist and me, he inferred that Trump's use of tax avoidance was no crime, and that any prudent businessman would do the same. Here follows excerpts from an article in Time regarding this country's current financial culture: "Since 2010, there have been major scandals at banks on nearly every continent for every reason: malfeasance, incompetence and complacency. Meanwhile, the Panama Papers leak confirmed that world leaders, celebrities and billionaires are adept at shielding their wealth from fair taxation. In the U.S., Donald Trump has even tried to make a virtue of his tax avoidance. Cases such as those revealed i.e. Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo, for example, foster the message that institutions and rich individuals can float above the system. In this sense, Trump may be the canary in the coal mine for the U.S. This election cycle has brought the public-approval rating of government to new lows. The GOP nominee has gone from obscuring how little he pays in taxes to arguing that it therefore qualifies him to fix the system." Tsk, tsk. The author concludes that Trump avoided paying taxes via loads of tax-code- incentivized debt, which was written off in ways that favored the investor while leaving others on the hook. ••• Some readers maintain the jokes in this column are the best part of my effort. However I direct your attention to the only critic regarding the joke last week in which a Trump supporter was urged to drink with both hands from a pond contaminated by cow poop. Seriously, Don, do you perceive this joke as a threat to the lives of Trump supporters? Perhaps you will lighten up when the contest ends and you are able to find a cause worthy of your talent. ••• When readers see ads of appreciation printed in this newspaper, do they scan them to see if their name is included? Sure they do, assuming they are in the habit of contributing money or services. However, how about the reverse — ads published naming the curmudgeons who have kept their hands in their pockets? Would that bring forth a few pinched pennies? How about one, for example, reading, "We stopped by your office the other day, Mr. Minch, soliciting funds for the people of Ireland who can no longer afford to wear green on St. Patrick's Day and you turned us down." Yes, that might do it. I couldn't afford to alienate the Irish and the Trumpeteers. ••• A 10-year study found that for women 65 and older caffeine consumption above 261 mg — at least two to three cups of coffee per day — was associated with a 36% reduction in the risk of dementia. So, drink up, ladies. ••• Computer literate folks know how their little machines require exact information when asked to perform, and they will actually tell the sender how to correct their mistakes. For example, I received the following e-mail from the Capital Letters Department of a personal computer: "Dear People who type in all lowercase, We are the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and doing the same without capital letters, which, we think you will agree, changes the meaning of the offer. Sincerely, Capital Letters." ••• The American Sociological Review finds that mothers experience more stress, fatigue and unhappiness than fathers during times with their children. I suspect one partner does not change diapers, wash and iron and prepare 3 meals a day, resulting in just a little mood adjustment. ••• Q. How many doctors does it take to screw in a light bulb? A. It all depends on the light bulb's health plan. "Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died," Erma Brombeck. Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and author of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail. com. I say Presidential election could be a historic first It's fair to ask what would have happened to Christianity if Paul the apostle was treated the same way as some evangelicals treat Trump for his pre-conversion activities. GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD 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 Robert Minch StateandNational Assemblyman James Galla- gher, 2060 Talbert Drive, Ste. 110, Chico 95928, 530 895-4217, http://ad03.asmrc.org/ Senator Jim Nielsen, 2634 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico 95928, 530 879-7424, senator. nielsen@senate.ca.gov Governor Jerry Brown, State Capital Building, Sacramento 95814, 916 445-2841, fax 916 558-3160, governor@governor. ca.gov U.S. Representative Doug La- Malfa, 507 Cannon House Of- fice Building, Washington D.C. 20515, 202 225-3076 U.S. Senator Dianne Fein- stein, One Post St., Ste. 2450, San Francisco 94104, 415 393- 0707, fax 415 393-0710 U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, 1700 Montgomery St., San Fran- cisco 94111, 510 286-8537, fax 202 224-0454 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- ard Crabtree, 527-2605, Ext. 3061 Corning City Manager, Kris- tina Miller, 824-7033 Your officials I happen to be in the "anyone but Trump camp" and will vote for Hillary Clinton, warts and all. I can't understand why any sane and educated person would do otherwise. OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, October 21, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6