Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/803454
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 Ijustreadagreatnovelcalled,"AMan Named Ove." It is about a curmudgeonly Swedish man who wants things to be just right. Heregularlypatrolshis neighborhood, making sure his neighbors are following regulations re- garding the placement of garbage cans, bi- cycles and such. He is a nitpicker. Sometimes, I wonder if some of his habits are rubbing off on me. (I highly recommend the book. It is heartfelt and engag- ing.) For example: Recently, we have been do- ing a lot of walking as weather has permitted around our neighborhood. I noticed that many people have not picked up their Yellow Pages phone books for Glenn and Tehama counties. The books had ar- rived a week earlier. The unclaimed books are still in their plastic bags in the middle of driveways and in gutters. I counted at least 30 of them on our last two-mile walk. I got to thinking, something that happens now and then. Three things occurred to me. First, many people do not have land lines and there- fore no need for a phone book. Second, another thought was some people are lazy and don't feel obligated to pick up de- bris, which is what these phone books amount to. Third, then I wondered who gave the Yel- low Pages folks permission to toss their books onto our prop- erty. I don't remember giving them permission or signing an agreement of any kind regard- ing their phone books. I recently tried to find the phone number of a backyard neighbor. The Yellow Pages book was useless because it does not have residential phone numbers. It will end up in the recycle can. I finally just walked around the block and rang his doorbell. So, I wondered, why do we allow Yellow Pages to kill who knows how many trees, and then litter our property with their advertising material? Is there a way we can control this? Is there a city ordinance they are violating? I did look on the first page of the Yellow Pages phone book. If you want to opt out you can go to www.YellowPag- esOptOut.org. I am not sure why I need to opt out if I never gave them permission to lit- ter my front yard in the first place. So I went to the website and found out some interest- ing but irrelevant facts (or po- litically correct propaganda statements): • Publishers use leftover lumber and recycled material for directories. Publishers use paper made largely from left- over woodchips and other by- products of the lumber in- dustry, and some also include recycled content from newspa- pers, old directories and other paper-based products. • Directory paper demand is dropping by 70 percent. Pa- per usage has decreased 70 percent since 2007, driven by changes in directory sizes, more efficient manufacturing, reduction in residential white pages and YellowPagesOptOut. com. • Directories are made with non-toxic inks, dyes and ad- hesives. Yellow Pages directo- ries are printed with soy-based ink and bound with vegetable- based adhesives that are envi- ronmentally safe. • Directories make up a miniscule portion of the waste stream when compared to other non-durable products. The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated in past studies that directories make up less than one-half of 1 per- cent of the municipal solid waste stream. Now the EPA has chosen to stop measur- ing directories altogether, fur- ther signaling the minor im- pact of directories on munici- pal waste. • Yellow Pages directories have a high recycling rate. I am sure that the last state- ment is true, and that the other statements are irrele- vant. I also found out that I had to fill out an online form with personal information if I wanted to opt out. I am sure if I filled out that form I would receive bulk mail and email stuff I don't need. So, I didn't do anything. Maybe I will write Congressman Doug LaMalfa. We have also seen dozens of rain-soaked newspaper- like bundles of ads featuring coupons and store ads. Some of the same thoughts flashed through the small space be- tween my ears. Who told those publishers they could just toss these things in my driveway? Is there a way to prevent this? At our house these also have a high recycling rate. We subscribe to magazines and newspapers and various other items. We can cancel subscriptions with a click of a mouse or the check of a box. We can unsubscribe unwanted emails, usually with one click, but often with some awkward procedure designed to dis- courage unsubscribing. What can we do to discour- age those who think they can just toss things on our prop- erty to provide an advertising splash for their clients? We've had more color- ful things to observe on our walks, even things on the ground. For example, after a recent wind and rainstorm many front yards were covered with the beautiful, if fallen, ca- mellia flowers. We have also witnessed the reflection of the sun on new snow fall to the west, and, of course, the greening up of lawns all around us. Walking is a refreshing ac- tivity. In Red Bluff, it gives you not only the opportunity to see various sights, but also to meet and greet friends and neighbors along the way … and do a little thinking. JoeHarropisaretired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Observations Soothing walk gives way to Yellow Page rage Cartoonist's take By Carl Golden It's difficult to not sympathize with presidential press secretary Sean Spicer. For an hour or so each after- noon, the White House press corps turns Spicer into their personal dart board, flinging barbed and frequently disre- spectful questions at him and of- ten arguing with him if they're dissatisfied with his response. The uproar over President Donald Trump's unsupported al- legations that former President Barack Obama had tapped tel- ephones in the Trump Tower campaign offices sent media eve- rywhere into indignation over- drive, but reporters assigned to the White House all but scaled the podium in the briefing room to get at Spicer. After more than a week of ex- plaining, clarifying, and defend- ing, Spicer finally conceded that the president's use of the word "wiretapping" shouldn't be taken literally and he didn't mean to suggest that the former presi- dent had personally ordered the eavesdropping. He redefined "wiretapping" to mean electronic surveillance generally — not simply tele- phones — and it was "the Obama administration" that Trump had in mind as the culprit, rather than Obama himself. It was a hard sell and didn't accomplish much in the way of deflecting the media's torrent of darts. Demands for proof of the wiretapping rained down on Spicer's head while his explana- tion that the issue was a matter for the appropriate committees of Congress to investigate did lit- tle to quell the storm. Even in the face of congres- sional testimony from FBI Direc- tor James Comey that the agency found no evidence of wiretap- ping, Spicer reiterated the pres- ident's claim and said there would be no apology. He earlier caused an interna- tional furor when he referenced a news account that claimed the Obama administration had en- listed British intelligence to spy on the campaign. The Brits, not surprisingly, hit the roof of Par- liament and a White House apol- ogy followed. He hasn't been helped by pres- idential counselor Kellyanne Conway, who hit the talk show circuit again, including an inter- view in which she asserted that everyone knows surreptitious surveillance can be conducted through television sets in Ameri- ca's living rooms and by cameras in microwave ovens in America's kitchens. When asked for proof of the snooping allegations, Conway airily dismissed it, saying "I'm not in the evidence business." Conway, who laid low for a week or so after a string of pub- lic blunders drew ridicule and disbelief, resumed her media tour in an attempt to reclaim her reputation as a White House in- sider. Like press secretaries before him, Spicer has become the face of the Trump administration, and his televised press briefings audience exceeds that of after- noon soap operas. Because Spicer is the presi- dent's front man with reporters, he bears the brunt of whatever criticism and anger spills from the Oval Office. Presidential press secretary is an extraordinarily difficult posi- tion under any circumstances. It demands serving two masters — the president and the news me- dia — while maintaining an even disposition and a calm demea- nor in the face of an often hos- tile, skeptical band of reporters. Spicer has displayed a com- bative side when peppered re- peatedly by the same question posed in slightly different form or when interrupted in mid-an- swer by a reporter who feels a challenge is in order. As long as his boss contin- ues to tee up debates and contro- versy with 140 characters blasted out at 6 a.m., Spicer will remain in the eye of the storm, explain- ing and establishing context fa- vorable to the administration. For her part, Conway should realize and accept the reality that she shouldn't add to Spicer's burdens or heighten his angst with tales similar to the micro- wave oven spying. He'll still face the media darts on a daily basis, but at the very least he deserves a chance to be- come more adept at dodging them. Another view It's OK to feel bad for Spicer I recently tried to find the phone number of a backyard neighbor. The Yellow Pages book was useless because it does not have residential phone numbers. It will end up in the recycle can. I finally just walked around the block and rang his doorbell. Joe Harrop The entire nation is trans- fixed like a litter of kittens in front of a fishbowl of hyperac- tive minnows as the screwy she- nanigans known as March Mad- ness unfold. And mad is right. It's crazy out there. To- tally zany. Nuttier than the hospi- tality suite at a squirrel conven- tion. As kooky as a skateboard rack in the foyer of an assisted living facility. The productivity of offices has sunk to 4 a.m. levels as Ameri- cans find it impossible to turn off our devices and look away from the streaming spectacle of back- court body slams, missed lay-ups and crowd hysteria. The howl- ing of normally disinterested by- standers periodically shatters the quiet hum as we watch amateurs get smoked and lambasted in the face of daunting odds. But alas, this isn't about a bad case of hoops frenzy. We're talk- ing about the wild, weird and wacky machinations emanating from the Trump White House. Most administrations try to hit the ground running. This one careened out of the tunnel trip- ping over the ball rack, hoist- ing crazed half court hook shots while backpedalling into mas- cots and playing defense. Badly. Instead of a fast break after his opening tip, both POTUS's Muslim bans got blocked. The 45th president stomped up and down the court railing against the refs for banning the ban, and the media for calling his Mus- lim ban a Muslim ban. One an- nouncer wondered why Muslims wouldn't enter the country sim- ply pretending to be Christians, as that's what most of us do. They'd fit right in. Next, in what should have been a slam-dunk, TrumpCare, was criticized by both teams, the crowd, shoe manufacturer reps, beer vendors and even some cheerleaders, for looking suspi- ciously like ObamaCare, without any of that "Care" part attached. Although he's plastered his name on chocolate bars, vodka, eyeglasses and barstools, the president objected to calling the replacement health care bill, TrumpCare, which sort of made even his own trainers and assis- tant coaches wince and do a dou- ble take. With the clock winding down on his credibility, both the House and Senate Intelligence commit- tees announced they found no evidence to the president's ac- cusation that his phones were tapped by former President Obama. He said he heard some- one on Fox News making the claim, but even Fox News said, "You're kidding, right?" Sean Spicer, the press spokes- person, whiffed on a series of free throws, trying single-hand- edly to keep the ball in play but got caught double-teamed on the baseline with nowhere to pass, because Kellyanne Con- way was back in the locker room nursing a strained microwave or some other subversive kitchen appliance. The president himself was of little help, demanding to play point guard, power forward and center without any knowledge of the playbook, game, opponent, what was at stake or on which bench the rest of his team was sitting. Trump committed so many flagrant offensive fouls it was a miracle he wasn't hit with three or four technicals and kicked out of the game if not sent back to the team hotel on the com- pany bus. But he wasn't, be- cause, as those of us watching at home know: he's also the coach. And the sponsor. Will Durst is a columnist, comedian and former short haul truck diver of plaster molds. For a calendar of personal appearances, visit willdurst.com. Raging moderate Trump perfects March Madness Will Durst OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, March 25, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5