Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/777963
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: Daily News 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Thespokenwordalongwithhowandwhere it is delivered is what I call the power of lan- guage. Mark Twain once said, "If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper you are misin- formed." Thatisbrilliantstuff,but my granddaughter Lauren Hejsek, who lives in Austin, Texas, told me something even more brilliant. Lauren's mother, my daughter, asked her to text me instead of phoning me. Maybe some money could be saved that way. So, Lauren texted me a few times the very next day. I texted her back and asked her to call. In less than a minute my cellphone did ring and I an- swered to hear Lauren say, "Grandpa, you said to call." I repllied, "It's great to hear your voice. Tell me what's hap- pening in school." She then said, "I will, but can I teach you something first?" To which I said, "I will not speak. I will only listen. What is it?" Then Lauren taught me when she said, "I just found out that if you put your cell number in your cellphone you can text yourself." Lauren might never know about those old rotary phones we all used to use, but she certainly is brilliant. Those phones only required one fin- ger in a hole that went clock- wise to dial. Winston Churchill is often quoted because of the count- less gems that flowed from his mouth like, "I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man stand- ing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." I wish I could have thought of saying things like Mark, Lauren and Winston when I was in the California Assem- bly. More than 20 years ago I got to know California Trea- surer Jess Unruh. He would often ask a question to make a point when making his speech. He would ask, "What is more powerful? A Smith & Wesson or friendship?" After usually a considerable pause most peo- ple usually answered correctly. The answer is friendship. My father was highly edu- cated in a private school near London, England. When my two brothers and I were not yet in our teens, he played a vocabulary game with us. If we could find a word in the dictionary that he could not use correctly in a sentence, he said he would then reward us with a dime. My brothers and I were never able to beat him at this game. I was play- ing it with him when I learned the word perspicacious, which means smart. Yes, my dad had a lot of perspicacity. I remem- ber occasionally using that word later with the hope that everyone would think I was smarter then I really am. Years later, while serving in the Assembly, Republican leader James Brulte asked me to speak more often on pro- posed legislation. He said at that time my presentations got more attention and even changed a vote or two. I must tell readers that was not be- cause I was more intelligent and riveting. I simply spent a good deal of time reflecting and thinking about what I was going to say. I think properly chosen words are often worth more than a picture. Please let me know if you agree. 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 the power of language Yes, my dad had a lot of perspicacity. I remember occasionally using that word later with the hope that everyone would think I was smarter then I really am. Reactiontotheclosing of lunch program Editor: I am concerned over all the misguided responses speaking out against the closing of the Vineyard's serving of the Lord's Table. Lunch being gone does not deny a nourishing meal to the homeless and disadvan- taged. Anyone that does any re- search at all sill easily discover that food stamps, now called the CalFresh program, are more than enough to feed a person well for a month. Many people say it's not enough, but you will find that these are invariably people that buy pre-made frozen food, soda pop and snack foods. This town is littered with people that feed two or more people a month on one person's food stamps with little or no added monies. You can't throw a rock in this town without finding an organization that will give you rice, beans, and pasta for free; so if you buy about 30 pounds of whatever meat's on sale at Food Maxx, vegetables and whatever sea- sonings you're low on, you'll eat quite well. If you take a walk through the homeless camps, you will see camp stoves, cook fires, pans and utensils and high quality ice chests. The only remaining factor is if someone is willing to spend an hour or so actually cooking a meal, which a person doesn't have to do if they get a lunch and dinner from the shel- ter handed to them. Learning the discipline and initiative to do the work to pre- pare a meal is one of the many crucial parts of becoming able to "sustain one's self in the long term." If you take the time to get to know the local regulars at the lunch kitchen, you'll find that 7 in 10 of them are on disability, many of those for 10 years or more. This is an absolute fact, and it is not in dispute. These people choose to live in a camp so that they can have drinks or drugs till the money runs out; then those without checks pan- handle, hustle and traffick for unearned dollars to find the back half of the month. The rest of this statement will address, in order, many points in the letter printed by Dorothy Breitegger in the Jan. 19 issue of the Daily News. For starters, the Bible and proper Christian behavior tell us it is our duty to "feed those unable to feed themselves," not to "feed those who choose to spend their money and Cal- Fresh on finer things." Secondly, her entire let- ter overlooks the fact that the very first church in our gener- ation to close its doors on the daily lunch program was Sa- cred Heart Church in the '90s. Funny how it was the right de- cision for it to send the lunch elsewhere, but it's supposed to be "unchristian" for the Vine- yard to do it. I don't know what she means by "suitable jobs." Earning min- imum wage for even a scant 25- hour work week will give a per- son, after taxes, about $120 more than a person on dis- ability is allowed to have. Any- one who cries that it's not good enough is the living embodi- ment of this generation of enti- tlement. Drug abuse is "a human problem," not a "poor prob- lem." As such, it is either igno- rant or delusional to include in this forum. Also, there are at least three 12-step meetings in this town every weekday. So yes, there are enough meetings available. Nobody thinks the homeless will go away if we stop feed- ing them. If you ever go outside, you've seen many of the same faces for 25 years and more. The point is not "to make them go away," it is "to make them spend their check and CalFresh money on food instead of intox- icants." This town has quite a few places that will help a family with a roof for two or three pay- checks till they can afford to rent a place. The legitimate "hit hard times for a minute" fami- lies will never go without help in this town. This should not be a com- munity that blames the vic- tims, true. Dorothy simply ne- glects to mention who this cir- cumstances' victims are. How about the people who are afraid to go to the store during certain times of the day because they'll likely be accosted for a handout and cussed out if they don't give it? How about this town's el- derly and infirm that depended on many business' benches for rest during their shopping day? These businesses have specifi- cally cited "panhandling squat- ters" as the reason for their bench removals. There is much more that needs to be said about the letter Dorothy wrote, but this is an in- appropriate forum for personal messages, no matter how neces- sary or correct. — Joshua Tanner, Red Bluff State, county affected by tumors Editor: We have a new president, Donald J. Trump, thank you, Je- sus. While Tehama County and most of Northern California supported the Donald, the ma- lignant tumors — aka South- ern California, L.A. County and all the Bay Area counties — gave Hillary 7 million votes to Trump's 1.4 million. In L.A. County English has become a second language. How many non-English speaking illegals' votes are counted in the 7 mil- lion? This shows Tehama County and Northern California is rela- tively healthy and out number- ing the "tumors" and keeping them in remission. However, your opinion page will display one or more of the "local tu- mors" that need a shot of che- motherapy. These people include but are not limited to Pat Johnston, Or- val Strong and Bob Mulholland, who uses a fake name to slime his foes. — Les Wolfe, Red Bluff Your opinions Cartoonist's take One of the great things about living in the country is neigh- bors. Not that you can't have good neighbors in the city — but it's more of a hit or miss proposition — and depends upon whether you're living in a big city, a house, an apartment or condo. Big cities are notorious as places where folks have no idea who lives next door, even if they've been there for years. People living in the boonies tend to be a bit more indepen- dent and like their privacy. After all, that's why they're there. But there are times when we need help, so it makes sense to be on good terms with one another. That's how friendships with neighbors begin. I first learned something about our neighbors when an older fellow rode up on his ATV soon after we bought our place. He knew quite a bit about every- body, and soon everybody knew quite a bit about us — the new folks. Over the years this WWII vet and I have become pretty good friends. Our neighbor the chicken whisperer — who had originally gotten us our pullets — nursed our injured Buff Orpington back to health after she caught her foot in the fence. We have benefit- ted from her expertise numerous times, as detailed in my column about our chickens. But enough about poultry — our neighbor also bakes! Whenever there's some filling left over, that means an extra pie — and it usually has our name on it. Her bean soup is also pretty spectacular. My wife likes to return the pot with some- thing of ours — so we try to recip- rocate — but it seems that more comes over the fence in our direc- tion than goes back. I occasionally feed their horses and help with the chick- ens when they are away. And I also get to feed their big loveable dogs, which is a special treat, since I'm still without a canine companion. We have other great neighbors too. We had two beautiful black belly sheep who were killed by a critter who got under our fence. I had buried the mom, and started on the hole for the daughter when my neighbor came bounding over the fence with a shovel. I was sure glad to see him, since digging holes, es- pecially deep ones, is not the forte of older guys like me. In 20 minutes, he had a hole twice as deep as the one I had dug, which had taken me far longer. I should also mention that the sheep initially came courtesy of the chicken whisperer's husband and his horse trailer. When I was out of town last fall, my wife was struggling to find a way to attach a wheel she had bought to the bottom of our front gate. The neighbor who had been so handy with the shovel saw her struggling, and did a quick spot-weld for her. Then there are the two young brothers, now in college I be- lieve, who always helped when- ever I needed some muscle. When we finally moved up here, we arrived late one afternoon with a 24-foot U-Haul truck, which had been professionally packed to the ceiling with all of our worldly possessions. My wife and I had envisioned unloading everything into the garage, and then gradually bringing it into the house ourselves. But I en- ticed the boys to come and un- load it for us. In less than two hours all of our furniture was placed within our cabin and all of the boxes were inside. What a relief! It's nice to know we look out for one another. Good neighbors are definitely a blessing. Corky Pickering and his wife relocated from the Bay Area to Cottonwood in 2014. He recently retired from the federal government as an attorney advising law enforcement. He has been a rock and roll bass player and a Marine JAG. He can be reached at thecork6@ gmail.com. Corky Pickering Getting to know your neighbors Corky Pickering Stan Statham OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, January 26, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6