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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: Daily News 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS WhenIwasabout15years old, with three of four bud- dies I left my home, located on First Street, on a Hallow- een evening in pursuit of some good clean fun. In what seemed then to be a rite of passage, we were armed with water balloons and maybe six or seven dozen eggs. We had walked half a block or so when the first car came by, so the other stooges and I simultaneously lobbed water balloons and eggs at the pass- ing car. That was our first mis- take. The car was actually an unmarked police car being driven by an unmarked police officer. Mistake number two oc- curred immediately thereaf- ter, when my Hole in the Wall gang decided to take refuge in my home, located half a block away. I can still remember the look on my mother's face as the other geniuses and I burst through the back door, fol- lowed closely by a young, nat- tily dressed plain clothes of- ficer by the name of Harold Schoelen. Needless to say, that was the end of that particular rite of passage. Little did I know then that Harold Schoelen would become my great friend as well as an important part of my professional life as a mar- ginally responsible adult. When I was growing up in Red Bluff some 60 years ago, if you saw a police car on one end of town you could be reasonably certain that it was the only vehicle patrol- ling the streets of Red Bluff — save and except for the dreaded unmarked police car that was likely being driven by the equally dreaded Harold Schoelen. When I came to work for Tehama County in 1968, the Chief of Police was Marion Clay. Chief Clay, a laid back, aw shucks, almost disheveled bear of a man, was very much respected by not only his staff but by all with whom he had contact. I also suspect that Chief Clay's job was made easy by the exceptional quality of his staff. For three or four decades, beginning in the sixties, much of the heavy lifting within the police department was done by loyal lieutenants Harold Schoelen, Jerry Brown and John Faulkner. With the re- tirement of Marion Clay, both Schoelen and Faulkner served in the capacity as Chief of Po- lice, with Faulkner serving from 1984-1990. All three were excellent at what they did, and this community was lucky to have them. In 1990 the city went out- side the department and hired Richard Bull as Chief of Police. Bull had served as Chief in the central valley community of Patterson prior to coming to Red Bluff. Bull took on the job of City Manager in 1995- 97, during which time he was replaced by a Red Bluff native and all-around good cop Emil Slionys. After returning to his position as Chief of Police in 1997, Bull left in 2000 to be- come Police Chief in the City of Ripon. In the 16 years since, the City of Red Bluff has had seven additional Chiefs of Police: Mace McIntosh 2000-01, Ted Barnes (In- terim) 2001-02, Robert Pe- tit 2002-03, Al Shamblin 2003-07, Scott Capilla 2007- 09, Paul Nanfito 2009-15 and Kyle Sanders 2015-pres- ent. I worked with McIntosh, Shamblin, Capilla and Nan- fito prior to their appoint- ments to the Chief position and each, in my opinion, was a damn good cop. In addition to the many good men who have led the department, I was also fortu- nate to know and work with scores of other good, hard working police officers. Offi- cers like Paul Baer, Ray Ault, Richard Sampson, Ted Wiley, Jim Moore, Bob Salisbury, Ed Sisneros, Kevin Busikist, Rae McGregor, Jim Ainsworth and Robert Sanders — father to current Chief, Kyle Sand- ers. I have lived in this com- munity my entire life. The Red Bluff I grew up in was very much like the little town of Mayberry that Opie Tay- lor grew up in on the Andy Griffith television program. We didn't lock our doors, and the biggest crime in town, at least on one occasion, con- sisted of a half dozen idiot kids throwing eggs at an un- marked police car on Hallow- een. Unfortunately, Red Bluff is no longer like Mayberry; and I would submit that May- berry is no longer like May- berry, either. Today, we live in a very strange world; a world were al- most every day some nut-job somewhere decides it is his duty to ambush and assassi- nate a peace officer who is only here to protect and to serve each and every one of us. Un- fortunately, no one knows this better than the members of the Red Bluff and Tehama County law enforcement family. On a cold and dreary night in November of 2002, this community suddenly lost its last trace of innocence when anarchist and nut job An- drew Mickel lay in waiting at a department fueling station, where in cold blood he assas- sinated a fine young Red Bluff police officer by the name of David Mobilio. Dave Mobilio was a great husband and father. He was a great friend to all who knew him. He liked nothing bet- ter than working with kids through his assignment as the department DARE officer. He was one of us. Dave Mobilio was the kind of person we should all strive to be, and yet he was taken from this earth for reasons no sane person could even imagine. The next time you see a cop, whether wearing a badge or sitting in a chair next to you at a soccer game, take a minute to realize that he or she is some- one's spouse, someone's parent and someone's child. They are exactly like you and me, with the exception that when they leave home they can never be sure if and when they will re- turn. Take a moment to thank a cop for their service. That's the least you can do. •••• Tickets are still available for tomorrow night's State The- atre concert featuring eight- time CCMA Entertainer of the Year and Grand Ole Opry member Terri Clark. At only $25-30, this concert should not be missed. Call 529-2787 for ticket information. BillCorneliusisalifelong resident of Red Bluff, a retired Chief Probation Officer, a champion of the State Theatre and an exceptional athlete. He can be reached at bill. cornelius@sbcglobal.net. William Tells Takeamoment to thank a cop Cartoonist's take Editor's Note: A version of this column was originally pub- lished in 2007. Punxsutaw- ney Phil must be stopped. You know Phil. Every Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, he is yanked from a tree stump in Punxsutawney, Pa. If he sees his shadow, his organizers allege, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, spring will be just around the corner. Millions have enjoyed this primitive ritual for years, but now there's a problem. Groundhog Day evolved from Candlemas Day, a Christian tra- dition commemorating the pu- rification of the Virgin Mary. As this tradition evolved in Ger- many, it got ever more colorful. Germans soon believed that Candlemas Day could also pre- dict the weather. Somewhere along the line they began yank- ing a hedgehog out of a tree stump, and the tradition was born. When German immi- grants settled in Punxsutawney in 1887, they brought the tradi- tion with them. Now we have a problem. How, in this day and age, can any government body impose on our diverse society any celebra- tion that has its roots in a Chris- tian faith? Aren't the people of Punxsutawney providing their de facto support of one religion over the others? Isn't their out- moded event offensive to those who practice no religion? Isn't this annual event, then, out of sync with the American tradition of separating church and state? If Santa Claus and Christmas trees are being ban- ished in public squares, how can Groundhog Day not follow suit? Groundhog Day is guilty of numerous other offenses. In Punxsutawney, the event is managed by a group of men known as the "Inner Circle." These are the fellows who wear top hats and tuxedos and yank Phil out of the tree stump. As usual, it is the men who are exploiting a helpless little creature for profit and greed, and men who have kept women out of leadership positions within their Inner Circle clique. The hypocrisy of these alleg- edly Christian fellows is stag- gering. They talk of how they pamper Phil. That he lives in a heated home and is fed deli- cious treats. But then they boast about one especially disgusting tidbit. Phil has a harem. The Inner Circle provides Phil with three nubile female companions to take the edge off his lonely bachelor existence. That's right, this band of mid- dle-aged men is trafficking in "woodchucks of the night." For these reasons, I cannot understand how, in these pro- gressive times, such an offen- sive primitive ritual continues to be celebrated every year. Sure, I understand that small-minded people believe such traditions enrich our lives and bring levity to the hearts of millions. I understand that Ameri- can traditions evolved from a hodgepodge of cultural influ- ences, and that the best of them celebrate our common human- ity. But still, Groundhog Day as we know it must end — or at least be drastically modified. For starters, we must set Phil free. No innocent ani- mal should be kept in captiv- ity so that he can be exploited by greedy capitalists. We must release him back to his natural habitat immediately. We can replace him with a less offensive living entity, such as a tree or shrub. Trees and shrubs cast shadows, too, and holding them in captivity is much more humane, since their roots keep them from roaming freely any- how. ("Groundshrub Day?") Most important, this event should be entirely secular. Any reference to the Christian past must be deleted from the offi- cial Web site. I was shocked to find such references on the ex- isting Groundhog Day Web site. I'm confident that if the men in the Inner Circle make these needed changes — if they be- gin admitting women to lead- ership positions immediately — the Groundshrub Day tradition will continue for many years to come. If they don't someone is likely to take these suggestions seri- ously and file suit within the week. Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Wicked Is the Whiskey," a Sean McClanahan mystery novel, both available at Amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom@TomPurcell.com. Tom Purcell Why Groundhog Day must end The Red Bluff I grew up in was very much like the little town of Mayberry that Opie Taylor grew up in on the Andy Griffith television program. We didn't lock our doors, and the biggest crime in town, at least on one occasion, consisted of a half dozen idiot kids throwing eggs at an unmarked police car on Halloween. Tom Purcell Just one week in office, Pres- ident Trump is already follow- ing through on his pledge to ad- dress illegal immigration. While he is right to focus on the issue, there are several reasons why his proposed solution will unfor- tunately not lead us anywhere closer to solving the problem. First, the wall will not work. Texas already started build- ing a border fence about ten years ago. It divided people from their own property across the border, it deprived people of their land through the use of eminent domain, and in the end the problem of drug and human smuggling was not solved. Second, the wall will be expen- sive. The wall is estimated to cost between 12 and 15 billion dol- lars. You can bet it will be more than that. President Trump has claimed that if the Mexican gov- ernment doesn't pay for it, he will impose a 20 percent duty on products imported from Mexico. Who will pay this tax? Ultimately, the American consumer, as the additional costs will be passed on. This will of course hurt the poorest Americans the most. Third, building a wall ignores the real causes of illegal border crossings into the United States. Though President Trump is right to prioritize the problem of border security, he misses the point on how it can be done ef- fectively and at an actual finan- cial benefit to the country rather than a huge economic drain. The solution to really ad- dressing the problem of illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and the threat of cross-border terrorism is clear: remove the welfare magnet that attracts so many to cross the border ille- gally, stop the 25 year U.S. war in the Middle East, and end the drug war that incentivizes smugglers to cross the border. The various taxpayer-funded programs that benefit illegal im- migrants in the United States, such as direct financial trans- fers, medical benefits, food assis- tance, and education, cost an es- timated $100 billion dollars per year. That is a significant burden on citizens and legal residents. The promise of free money, free food, free education, and free medical care if you cross the bor- der illegally is a powerful incen- tive for people to do so. Likewise, the 40 year war on drugs has produced no bene- fit to the American people at a great cost. It is estimated that since President Nixon declared a war on drugs, the US has spent more than a trillion dol- lars to fight what is a losing bat- tle. That is because just as with the welfare magnet, there is an enormous incentive to smuggle drugs into the United States. We already know the effect that ending the war on drugs has on illegal smuggling: as more and more U.S. states de- criminalize marijuana for med- ical and recreational uses, mar- ijuana smuggling from Mexico to the U.S. has dropped by 50 percent from 2010. Finally, the threat of terrorists crossing into the United States from Mexico must be taken se- riously, however once again we must soberly consider why they may seek to do us harm. We have been dropping bombs on the Mid- dle East since at least 1990. Last year President Obama dropped more than 26,000 bombs. Thou- sands of civilians have been killed in U.S. drone attacks. The grand U.S. plan to "remake" the Middle East has produced only misery, bloodshed, and terrorism. Ending this senseless intervention will go a long way toward removing the incentive to attack the United States. I believe it is important for the United States to have secure borders, but unfortunately Pres- ident Trump's plan to build a wall will end up costing a for- tune while ignoring the real problem. Ron Paul is a former Congressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at the RonPaulInstitute.org. Ron Paul A better solution than Trump's border wall OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, February 1, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4