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4A Daily News – Saturday, August 25, 2012 Opinion An apology DAILYNEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY 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 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 In the late 1970s my younger son and I were trying to pull up a large patch of Bermuda grass that was located in an out-of- sight area of our yard that we call "the north forty." The grass was well dried out, and we did- n't seem to be making much progress. I had a brilliant idea; I got the can of lawn mower gaso- line, spread it over the grass and, after telling my son to stand back, tossed a match onto the grass. Poof! There was a flash of flame and smoke, but there was still a lot of grass left, so I took the can and tossed some more gasoline onto the smoldering grass. There was another poof, and suddenly the flames were climbing up toward my gas can. I tossed the can, grabbed a water hose, and told my son to never do what I just did. My eyebrows and the hair on my arms were singed, my smugness evaporated, and I learned that it is not good to play with fire. The local fires have made me think of a book I read about 20 years ago, Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean. I was introduced to Norman Maclean's writing by now Con- gressman Mike Thompson (First Congressional District) at a meet and great when he was running for the State Senate, District 2. I expressed an inter- est in fly fishing, and he not only recommended A River Runs Through It, Maclean's sig- nature work, but a week later he sent me a copy in the mail. After reading that book I looked for other works by Maclean and found Young Men and Fire, a nonfiction book that is chock full of fire forensics. the fireman that was in Walmart the other day to purchase a tooth- brush, toothpaste and a package of socks whom a resident would not let go ahead of him. It is very embarrassing to all of us to see a human treat another human the way you were treated by that customer. I know your crew was waiting for you and his basket was very full and he surely showed what a self-centered per- son he is by not letting you go ahead of him. For what you are doing for him, and all of us, he certainly owes you a big apology for being so rude. I know I speak for all of this area — thank you, thank you, thank you. God bless — a thankful resi- Editor: Hello. I want to apologize to dent. Phyllis Burrits, Red Bluff Editor: God's laws are perfect power, truth and love. Most man's laws are imperfect run by power, greed and lust; money and women is his god. Money changers in high USA, the big lie places who destroy nature and people for profit to feed his carnal nature. He lives in his head and not his heart. Don't put your faith in the arm of the flesh. The people that rule us never earned the right to rule us. They were put there by rich for the rich, under man's law, not God's laws. Most man's laws are bogus, to fleece the poor and what's left of the middle class who pay for the bottom feeders, which is coming to an end as I write. The rich have eaten up our resources and future. The American Dream for the majority is an illusion created by the image makers and government and corporations who control the market place. Every four years, the rich put another president in office and start the same con game over again. The majority vote means nothing. Only private interest groups count. Welcome to the real truth. Robert Pruitt, Red Bluff In a letter published recently in the Daily News titled "Wind Tur- Defending wind Editor: bines Waste of Taxes," the author takes an unfortunate one-sided look at a renewable resource that provides jobs, cleaner air, and a balanced electric supply to resi- dents of the North State. America's invest- ment in wind power is paying off for Califor- nians. The state's wind projects have created thousands of new jobs, many of them helping Your Turn Northern California communities through difficult economic times. In addition to the construction and maintenance jobs created by wind projects in California, at least 15 different facilities around the state are currently involved in manufac- turing for the wind industry, and any more manufacture materials required for other types of clean energy. That means more jobs here. The sharks win, the poor lose. invest in clean energy, it has not abandoned subsidies to more tra- ditional sources of energy. In fact, the federal commitment to oil and gas was five times greater than the federal commitment to renewable sources of energy during the first 15 years of each subsidy's life. It is also important to keep in While America has chosen to mind that wind power won't pro- duce any pollution. The National Academy of Sciences has estimat- ed the hidden costs of traditional energy sources — largely due to the human health impacts from pollution — at $120 bil- lion per year. Altogether, America needs a diverse energy supply, not just for jobs and increased consumer savings but also for increased security. Just ask Texas, where in 2011, despite having a large supply of energy from both coal and natural gas, wind power stepped in twice to keep lights on when fossil-fuel power plants failed – once during a heat wave and another during a cold snap. Domestic investment in wind and other clean energy technolo- gies is essential for California's economic recovery, air quality, and energy independence and reliabili- ty. Danielle Osborn Mills, Palo Cedro Editor's note: Mills is the policy director for the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, based in Sacramento. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, 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), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 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; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Playing with fire Commentary Maclean put together the evi- dence necessary to determine what caused the deaths of 13 firefighters during the Mann Gulch Fire of 1949. His book pointed out some erroneous rea- soning by those who were in charge of firefighting; the result was some new insights into fire fighting and wild fire behavior. His book received the National Book Award after it was reis- sued posthumously. I still don't know where my copy is, per- haps at the Book Barn. I've been thinking a lot about smoke and fire recently; even at night while we cool off under the stars before retiring we can notice the star light being fil- tered by the smoke. In the morn- ing the sunrise is different, and the sunsets remind me of Los Angeles. Smoke can be impressive from a distance. In the summer of 1992, at the height of the Round Mountain Fire in Shasta County, my wife, our two sons and I climbed, or rather strolled, to the peak of Mt. Lassen. The view was both impressive and disturbing. We could see a wide vista, but what struck us most was the sea of smoke that appeared to have settled in between the mountains that sur- round the northern Sacramento Valley; there was no valley floor, just a dark smoke colored sea. It reminded me of the sea of fog you could see when climb- ing Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County and looked back toward San Francisco. Fog looks soft and non-threatening, however, but the smoke we saw far from non-threatening. In Greek mythology Prometheus was a Titan, one of the older gods who ruled before the Olympic gods overthrew them; Prometheus is credited with creating humans out of mud, and of stealing fire so humans could use it. Much has been made recently about our mis- use and/or misunder- standing of fire. ish experiment above, my exposure to fire has been from a safe dis- tance; I am lucky. Per- sonally our family has been fortunate, only marginally impacted by fire and smoke; the most dangerous exposure to fires has been the smoke laden air; we have lost no property nor lost any friends to fire. Except for my fool- Joe Harrop season." In 1987 we were visiting potential college campuses with our family and spent two nights in Santa Barbara; it was the summer of the Matias fire, and while we were relaxing on the beach potato chip size ashes started to rain on us, soiling our picnic lunch and chasing us off of the beach. The air made our eyes water, and we retreated to the hotel where we stayed until the next spot on our college tour. We visited Yellowstone National Park twenty years ago, four years after the famous 1988 fire that was let burn and got far larger than anticipated, becom- ing the largest fire in the park's history. The park still appeared devastated. After the fire, one park official was quoted: "We knew it had started naturally, and we assumed the summer rains would keep it in check. What we didn't know was that [the] summer was going to be one of the driest and windiest since the park was established in 1872." This last fall we spent a week in Yosemite and wit- nessed several small managed fires, each set with the intent to clear out the accumu- lated fuel on the for- est floor. They appeared to be care- fully monitored. None got out of hand, but we were there during the "non fire It seems like just yesterday a "controlled burn" in Trinity County got out of hand and smoke rolled over the moun- tains west of Redding. Now we are dealing with the fire that jumped over soft containment in Shasta County as well as the Ponderosa Fire which has grown to over 40 square miles and is threatening three commu- nities and approaching Highway 36 as I write. The most recent controlled fire in Lassen Park went uncontrollable, in the mid- dle of the fire season. The Red- ding Searchlight reported that the Lassen Park Superintendent apologized for the spread of that fire. I have added a new oxy- moron to my vocabulary, how- ever: "controlled burn." Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.