Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/7539
4A – Daily News – Friday, March 5, 2010 A MediaNews Group newspaper 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 Opinion Some say that perception is reality. What that means, basically, is that what a person "perceives" to be true about another person or thing, must be true to a cer- tain extent. It all comes down to how we process information through our senses. Namely, what we see, hear, smell, taste and touch. Our perceptions, though, often times lack one critical ele- ment – the facts. I know this by firsthand experience. Not only have oth- ers used their negative percep- tions against me, but I have done the same on occasion. Call it human nature or what- ever, but I still think it's wrong. Many prefer to fall back on their own baseless conclusions rather than seek out the truth. This idea struck me recently as I sat in the Spartan gym watching the boys' varsity bas- ketball team perform. I have to confess that I have not attended many games in the past five or six years. Based on their lack of success in the play- offs, I could have easily con- cluded that those teams were a poor job of making the boys better players at critical moments. There are some in these parts that would love to play that card. Somehow, though, I know better. So, I went to watch a couple of games over the past few weeks, and what I saw was nothing short of impressive. The boys were fun to watch this year. They had some wins and a number of close losses, but they never quit. As their teacher, it was fun to watch Trevor Capik and John John Velasco run the court and battle opponents. Both are good kids in the classroom. I'm certain they enjoyed their basketball experience on the varsity level. I got that sense just talking to them. I'm also sure they'll look back 10 or 20 years down the road, and brag to their own kids about their exploits on the court. Usually, that's how it is with former athletes. They sit around waxing over the glory days, while their fading memory exaggerates their actual ability. by whether or not they were good or bad players. For these boys, what will make an impact are the values that were taught and the lessons that were learned by coaches who understood the bigger picture. As I watched those games, it was obvious to me that Stan Twitchell and Andy Redfield knew what they were doing. They weren't just molding players; they were molding young boys into men. That's what great coaches do. I was impressed by how well prepared the players were. They understood their assignments and executed them on the court as precisely as they could. They were ruthless on defense, contesting every pass and challenging every shot. And when the ball was free on the floor, they dove head first trying to get it. What I saw was energy, intense desire to win each game. Unfortunately, they lost more than they won; their reward was minimal in that regard. It would be sad if these boys walked away from this season thinking they got little out of it. It would be unfortunate if, at 50, they only remembered the losses. What I noticed most of all – and what I hope they remember – is that their coaches prepared them for suc- cess in each game knowing full well the uncertainty of the out- come. Translation: in life, there are no guarantees. But, if we pre- pare to be our best and try our hardest to succeed, at some point, we will. And that's the truth, not just some silly perception. Have a great Friday. ——— Pat Gleason grew up in Los Angeles and has taught English Basketball is life, so it seems Commentary N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 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 Pat Gleason Simply Put STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), 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), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 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; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Your officials A bit of word play Following the passage last week of ACR 112, declar- ing this week No Cuss Week in California, Sports Editor Rich Greene mused that it would be fun to write a ditty about this lunacy along the lines of The Assumption Song by the Arrogant Worms. Many of you might recognize the tune as a campfire favorite. Each verse leads the audi- ence to expect a cuss word in order to satisfy the rhyme scheme. Cleverly, the song instead continues with a completely innocent word — leaving the audience feeling guilty for having assumed something naughty. Never one to back down from a word play challenge, I started tossing the idea around in my head. The Assumption Song is widely available on the Internet, so I refreshed my campfire memories and spent a few minutes Saturday evening jotting down the following, titles What the hell-o Legislature. There was a west coast state with plenty of bucks But many years later it's run by dumb People who don't even care what laws they pass Instead of a budget they sit on their Assembly chairs and chew on extra ice cubes It's clear that they're all just a big bunch of Overpaid actors who are pulling a scam They spend all our taxes and don't give a Reason our Golden State is no longer rich The shortfall we face is a son of a Problem that created a big budget gap The actors it seems that they don't give a Thought to what might be done or what might be missed And now the people are starting to get Angry because actors are wasting their time Banning the words that would make this song rhyme. Another word play challenge popped into my head a while back and I issued it to some of my writer friends. Perhaps, as some suggested I simply have way too much time on my hands, but one former editor of mine, took up the challenge and we had a pretty good volley. The challenge is called Writing to Three. Three rules. Sentence or paragraph must be a maximum of Tweet length —140 characters or fewer, be grammatically correct and contain three homonyms in a row. I offered the following example: "Tallu- lah once said, 'There have been only two geniuses in the world....' Her last words were limited to two, too." Troy — I'm the guy who buries Barry's berries. Chip — If you study your past too intent- ly, you're your yore. Troy — I just ate eight 8-ounce steaks. Chip — When do your parents arrive? They're there; their flight left on time. Chip — The scratches on this pot are an excellent example of ware wear. Where? Troy — The four-toed toad towed my car home. Troy — You just got served!!! Chip — I would rate the fair fare fair, fare thee well. Don't forget to tip your server. Troy — My left-handed friend has terrible hand- writing, so I told him: "Wright, write right-handed and see if that works better." Chip — While the others were producing ornate sea birds on a lathe, Jack couldn't wait for his turn tern turn. Chip — The Southeast Asia fashion accessory com- petition ended in a Thai tie tie. Tracy — For me, Troy is winning. His homonyms speak to me. Sorry Chip. I agree with Tracy. Victory is Troy's. Those of you who enjoy word play challenges are urged to send them along and, by all means, feel free to contribute to Writing to Three. Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112 or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. Chip Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. Unjust war Editor: We have to go through this again? Osama bin Ladin is a member of the Saudi royal family. All of the people that have been identified with the 9-11 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon are Saudi Arabi- ans. None of them were Iraqi. W's reasonfor attacking Iraq are his alone and have nothing to do with 9-11. Suffice it to say W got over 4,000 of our young people killed, for his ego, and bin Laden is still run- ning free in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Not to make light of this farce, but it reminds me of an old Abbott and Costello skit where they were looking for some- thing on the ground and finally Abbott said, "Well, where did you drop it?" And Costello says, "Over there in the alley." And Abbott says, "Well, why are we looking here under this lamppost then?" And Costello says the obvious, "Because the light's better here." There are none so blind as those that will not see. Fred Boest, Red Bluff Your Turn