Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/794700
ChipThompson, Editor 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 I got to thinking, something I do now and then, about Gomer Pyle whose most memorable quote was "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!" There were a few surprises this week. First,andleastconsequen- tial, was the mix up at the Os- cars when Hollywood's favor- ite, the block- buster La La Land, did not win the award for the best pic- ture. It's cuteness and Hollywood themed approach lost to a low cost, less glamor- ous, movie about black people, Moon Light. This mistake got a lot more press than it deserved. Then we found out that our new Attorney General Jeff Ses- sions is either exceptionally ab- sent minded, or has selective memory — not traits one would expect from someone who is the chief law enforcement offi- cer in our democracy. He may have outright lied about con- tacts with Russian officials dur- ing the election, or he may have been so busy worrying about other questionable acts in his past political career that he just forgot about this one. He and Rick Perry must not have taken memory tests during the vet- ting phase of their nominations and confirmations. "The mission of the Office of the Attorney General is to su- pervise and direct the adminis- tration and operation of the De- partment of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investiga- tion, Drug Enforcement Admin- istration, Bureau of Alcohol, To- bacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bureau of Prisons, Office of Jus- tice Programs, and the U.S. At- torneys and U.S. Marshals Ser- vice, which are all within the Department of Justice." These tasks require someone of clear mind, good memory, and hon- esty. Perhaps Sessions' session as AG should be up. The biggest surprise for me, however, was how Presidential Donald Trump sounded during his speech before Congress. His appearance was a far cry from the Tweets and raw call outs he has been known for. Perhaps he is beginning to understand his role and the need to get people to work together. I hope I am right. Now, of course, it would be nice to see some specifics about the things he told us he would like to do instead of just hearing about how afraid we should be. The Democratic response to Trump was a minor sur- prise; it actually reminded me of Gomer Pyle and the Andy Griffith Show, with the "down home" approach of the former Governor of Kentucky cozying up to us like a stray cat seeking food. While he may have had some interesting things to say, I felt like he was talking down to us. At least he wasn't rude as some members of Congress were as well as some commen- tators. Another surprise is the num- ber of people who have de- clared the drought over. I un- derstand that the water table still needs to be regenerated, and that we should continue to be responsible in our consump- tion of water. Wednesday was the begin- ning of our celebration of the biggest surprise of all time. It was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the 40-day period that ends in Easter. For Chris- tians, this is a particularly meaningful time to reflect on what the Easter message is, on what our role is in this world, and how each of us can accept the gift of Easter and make a difference in this world. If all of us would do that from time to time, there will be lots of great surprises ahead. JoeHarropisaretired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. JoeHarrop Surprise, surprise, surprise The biggest surprise for me, however, was how Presidential Donald Trump sounded during his speech before congress. Cartoonist's take Every time Senate Minor- ity Leader Chuck Schumer or his House equivalent Nancy Pe- losi scream outrage, rest assured that their end game is to delegit- imize President Trump's admin- istration and to delay his legisla- tive progress on tax cuts, health legislation and immigration re- form. The most recent target for the perpetually frenzied Democrats is Attorney General Jeff Sessions who they accuse of lying under oath during his Senate confir- mation hearings when he was asked about his contacts with the Russian government. The Democrats, along with their reli- able allies The Washington Post and The New York Times, want America to believe, as Minnesota Senator Al Franken suggested during the hearing, that Sessions colluded with Russia during the 2016 campaign and lied about it. The Times editorial page pro- claimed the story "a bombshell," but Texas Senator Ted Cruz more accurately labeled the storm sur- rounding Sessions a "nothing burger," and "political theater.", Here's how Cruz arrived at his conclusion. Franken's question about Sessions' possible machi- nations with Russians included these words: "claimed to have," "allegedly," "alleging," "if it's true." In other words, Franken's ques- tion was hypothetical. Absent specific evidence that Sessions is guilty of wrong-doing, Schumer, Pelosi, Franken, et al, have no case. Moreover, Franken's inquiry was posed in the context of on- going, core-election communica- tions with Russians. But Sessions met with the Russian ambassa- dor Sergey Kislyak while he was a U.S. Senator, a routine interaction between foreign dignitaries and congressional representatives. As an example of how common such meetings are, at least 30 Senate Democrats met with Russian offi- cials in 2015 to promote President Obama's Iran deal. Pelosi called Sessions a per- jurer, and along with Schumer and dozens of other Democrats, demanded he resign. For his part, Sessions said that the fake news charges against him are "hyped beyond reason" and "un- fair." President Trump said his Senate enemies are engaged in a "total witch hunt." In a move that doesn't appease his opposi- tion, Sessions agreed to recuse himself from future Russia-re- lated probes, but not quit his at- torney general position. The Democrats' goal is an FBI inves- tigation to determine if grounds for an indictment against Ses- sions exists, and to appoint an independent prosecutor to com- prehensively examine his con- duct, and to review the Trump administration's possible ties to Russia. After a lengthy delay when Democrats spent weeks of exer- cising every procedural maneu- ver in the books to slow his con- firmation, the Senate finally ap- proved Sessions on February 9. The reason behind the snail's pace: Sessions represents the biggest threat to the Schumer- Pelosi-led open borders congres- sional faction. The diametric opposite on im- migration to Obama's attorney generals Eric Holder and Lo- retta Lynch, Sessions will advise Trump to penalize sanctuary cit- ies that harbor criminal aliens, secure the border, enforce immi- gration laws in the interior, elim- inate visa fraud, and develop a more efficient plan to properly vet a slower influx of incoming refugees. Voters are weary of manufac- tured non-scandals, personal at- tacks and leaks from Obama's White House holdovers. Ses- sions' recusal is the smart thing, but he won't resign. For Trump's critics, be they in Congress, the White House or the general pub- lic, there's no successful out- come. Trump has more than 98 percent of his presidency left to serve, and the smart money ex- pects him to fulfill every day of it. The time has come for all who are "lighting their hair on fire," as House Speaker Paul Ryan ac- curately described the frenzied anti-Trump histrionics, to take a deep breath. Joe Guzzardi is a Californians for Population Stabilization Senior Writing Fellow. Contact him at joeguzzardi@ capsweb.org and on Twitter @ joeguzzardi19. Joe Guzzardi Who is behind the Jeff Sessions witch hunt? Another view My mother's favorite super- market is undergoing a myste- rious "repeal and replace" op- eration with its senior discount program. Of course nerves are on edge. Senior dis- counts used to be a kindly gesture to help out strug- gling "fixed in- come" elders and reward loy- alty; but in recent decades they have stirred up jealousy and made businessmen fear they've created an immortal monster. Of course that lobbying jug- gernaut AARP is responsible for a lot of the discounts. Heck, gas stations that already of- fered "free air" were strong- armed into promising, "We'll have Cletus install a free wind- mill for you." Statistics are a favorite weapon of senior discount crit- ics. Many of the articles I've read argue that "on average" or "as a whole," people eligible for senior discounts have higher income and more accumulated wealth than the younger folks paying full price. On the other hand, one of my gray-haired friends pointed out, "On av- erage, as a whole, my cous- ins are amazing drivers. But if you depend on dead cousin Er- nie to drive you to your doc- tor's appointments, you're up the creek." I cannot deny that younger consumers have legitimate complaints about their own bleak prospects. If some pros- perous seniors want to be mag- nanimous and forego their dis- counts, more power to them. Other seniors are a little less sympathetic. ("Sorry about your debt load, but I've got a prostate bigger than your stu- dent loan. Guess I would've studied up on touchy-feely stuff more if we'd had free Wi- Fi when I was in the Vietnam- ese P.O.W. camp!") Granted, some seniors do a better job of defending their entitlements than others. One guy went full "Charlie Brown's little sister" when the topic of tampering with senior dis- counts came up. ("All I want is what I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share. I've paid my dues — unless you count being a deadbeat dad and getting paid under the ta- ble and filing for bankruptcy to avoid my medical bills. I didn't say I was a fanatic about paying dues.") Senior resentment even fig- ures into the immigration de- bate. Lots of progressive thirty- year-olds have no qualms if immigrants bring different languages, different cultures, different laws or sketchy pass- ports — but if they're hauling Hummel figurines or grandkid photos, all bets are off. A dwindling number of peo- ple from the "Greatest Gener- ation" still turn out to social- ize on Senior Discount Day, but what really puts a burden on the system is the number of Baby Boomers. Yes, the people who danced to the Beach Boys, attended Woodstock and made household names of Cheech & Chong now dominate the dis- counts. But the former paci- fistic "flower children" have a new attitude. ("Sure, I'll still wear flowers in my hair — as long as you give me a 10% dis- count on the flowers. Other- wise, I'm going Hell's Angels on your butt.") The war between seniors and those who feel they're sub- sidizing seniors often turns into The Family Vacation From Hell. ("Mom, that old lady down the street is lookin' at me — through three cataracts and glaucoma, but lookin' at me. Make her stop!") There are always fights over how private businesses choose to discriminate between cus- tomers, whether with military discounts, teacher discounts, frequent-flyer miles, "bring in your church bulletin" dis- counts or whatever. Perhaps if we all work to- gether, someday we can achieve true fairness. "Hey, that guy's unicorn has more sprinkles than mine..." *Sigh* Danny Tyree welcomes email responses at tyreetyrades@aol. com and visits to his Facebook fan page Tyree's Tyrades. Senior discounts — boon or menace? Joe Harrop Danny Tyree OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, March 4, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4