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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 BasedonfeedbackIreceived concerning a recent column on dogs, it seems that everyone has a dog story. Let me share with you one last dog story before I move on to some- thing of greater importance. My mother lived alone for the last sixty years of her life. As she reached her so-called golden years, she ventured out less and less. While she would not admit it, she became lonely and de- pressed; in an attempt to pro- vide her with companionship, we convinced her to get a dog. Over the last couple decades of her life she owned three dif- ferent dogs, but it is dog num- ber two, Salty, that I write about today. Salty may have been just about the stupidest dog I have ever seen. While I believe Salty may have had a bit of Labradoodle in him, he also had some other stuff in him that apparently caused him to be an idiot. Did I tell you Salty might have been about the stupidest dog I have ever seen? In addition to being stu- pid, Salty was a runner. My dear mother did not dare allow him out in her front yard, as he would immediately bolt away in order to explore a world that he was woefully unprepared to handle. Those of you who were lucky enough to have known my momma will remember that she loved sitting in a lawn chair in the front yard of her South Jack- son Street home while reading the Daily News, and at the same time watching the world go by. Much to his chagrin, my mother would put a leash on Salty and attach it to her lawn chair, thus ensuring that he would not bolt from her front yard, at least that was her plan. One day while sitting in her front yard with Salty securely tethered to her lawn chair, my mother heard her phone ring- ing inside her house. Knowing that Salty was tied to her chair, she headed inside to answer her phone. Much to her surprise, when she returned to the front yard Salty was nowhere in sight; and, sadly, neither was the lawn chair. I am not sure if she was more concerned over the pos- sible loss of Salty or the loss of her lawn chair, but she imme- diately called out the cavalry, in the form of my sister Judy, my brother Don and me. We in turn recruited family friends Larry and Shirley Brown to assist in our search. Individually and col- lectively we began scouring the city. I can only imagine mild- mannered Larry Brown stop- ping folks on the street to po- litely inquire if they had seen a goofy-looking dog run by, drag- ging a lawn chair behind him. In what I guess should be re- ferred to as a happy ending to the story, hours later we found the lawn chair in a neighbor- hood near the high school. Un- fortunately it was still attached to the stupidest dog I have ever seen. ••• Things are a happening at the historic State Theatre. You are likely aware that we are planning to replace all 740 sev- enty-year old seats during the summer of 2017. You may not be as aware that during that same time frame we will be undertaking sev- eral other restoration projects, as well. With the Lindauer Audito- rium being empty for the first time since the theater was con- structed in 1946, we will com- plete the following restoration projects that would be difficult, if not impossible, to address with a theater full of seats: When private ownership sub- divided the theater into three separate movie houses in 1978, they gouged and scarred the otherwise beautiful State The- atre ceiling. With the chairs out, we can repair and repaint this badly damaged portion of the ceiling. Our balcony section has beautiful hardwood flooring that has not been refinished since being installed. This sum- mer will be the perfect time to sand and refinish this beautiful feature. This summer will also be the perfect time to repaint concrete flooring and install new carpet- ing through the entire theater. These projects, along with the installation of new seats, will be completed during the months of July and August, 2017. ••• Replacing 740 seats, install- ing carpet, patching ceilings and refurbishing seventy-year- old hardwood flooring is a very expensive undertaking. It is only with the amazing financial support of this wonderful north state community that we dare tackle this ambitious undertak- ing. Let me share with you how we are paying the bills associ- ated with these exciting new projects. STFTA has created a spon- sorship program where for $500 per seat members of the com- munity are able to honor family, friends and events with a name- plate inscription on a brand new State Theatre seat. While seat sponsorships are selling at a brisk pace, we have a long way to go, and need your sup- port if we are to meet our goal to sell all 740 seat sponsorships by July 1. One of the questions we of- ten receive in connection with this project is, "What are you doing with the old seats?" The answer: We are selling the old seats. Let me tell you how this will work. Current State Theatre seats may be purchased for $25 per seat with a two-seat minimum. They will be sold as is, and buy- ers will be required to pick up their seats at the theater during a three-day period in early July. We hope you honor that spe- cial someone in your life by be- coming a State Theatre seat sponsor. For additional infor- mation regarding new seats and old seats, call 529-2787 or check it out on www.statetheatrered- bluff.com. Thank you for your support. ••• Kudos to the Tehama County Arts Council for again bringing the always-popular Missoula Children's Theatre to the State Theatre. This week-long theat- rical experience will culminate on April 8 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. when over 60 local children present Treasure Island on the State Theatre stage. Great show sponsored by a great supporter of the arts. 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. WilliamTells Bypopular demand, one more dog story Cartoonist's take Get this: More people are flee- ing big cities for rural areas and some are doing so because they fear a major finan- cial collapse is im- minent. According to U.S. Census Bu- reau estimates, big cities are los- ing population at a rapid clip. Chica- go's Cook County saw 66,000 people move out in 2016. Many of these people are mov- ing to rural areas in the North- west and elsewhere. The Chicago Tribune explains that a growing number of them are survivalists who seek homes that they can defend in the event that a col- lapse occurs. Lucky for me, I already have a rural homestead outside of Pitts- burgh. I bought the modest fixer- upper 20 years ago. It sits high on a big piece of ground near a small town I shall refer to as Hickberry. My father and I did some ba- sic renovations to make it liv- able. I lived in it for a few years, then rented it out to live the high life in Washington, D.C. I moved back to the house five years ago and am almost done with a to- tal rehab. But here's one thing I learned along the way: The people in metro Washington are way dif- ferent from the good-natured people of Hickberry. You see, D.C. is populated with thousands of people with mas- ter's degrees, who rely on other people to feed them and keep them sheltered when it is rain- ing. If something calamitous goes down, they won't have any idea how to survive. Unlike the sophisticated folks in Washington, however, my Hickberry neighbors are re- sourceful and clever. They rely on no man. My neighbors know how to grow, trap or shoot their own food. More importantly, they know how to make their own al- cohol. No matter what might happen, they will stay relatively comfortable and safe. If all heck breaks loose, my neighbors and I will be just fine. All of my neighbors have shot- guns and pistols and they know how to use them. Nobody with any sense would ever try to break into their homes to rob them — unless he wants a load of buckshot deposited in his der- riere. There is no need for contin- gency plans in places like Hick- berry. If the electricity shuts down, all my town will lose is one stop- light and a couple of streetlamps. If the water stops pumping, few will mind; a lot of folks have wells that produce tasty water. If there is a food shortage at the su- permarket, country folks are pre- pared. All of my neighbors have deer meat stashed somewhere within their houses. Even if an electrical glitch stops everyone's car from run- ning — late-model automobile motors are computerized — my neighbors will be fine. Their 1976 AMC Pacers — and other pre- computerized cars that so many country folks keep on blocks — will be put to good use. A few years ago, a professor in England made the news by criticizing today's young peo- ple for their inability to fix any- thing. They didn't grow up build- ing shacks and go-karts, as I and millions of other kids did in the '70s. No, they grew up with elec- tronic devices that hardly ever break and get replaced with new electronic devices if they do break. These little snowflakes will be in for a world of hurt if the doomsday scenario that the "preppers" and survivalists keep preparing for ever does come to fruition. I'll be just fine in Hickberry, though. I'll still be able to amble down to the VFW to sing Willie Nel- son tunes on karaoke night. I'll snack on some deer jerky as I en- joy a snort of a neighbor's home- made hooch. So I can see why more peo- ple are fleeing big cities for rural places like Hickberry. 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 Rural folks living what 'preppers' seek I am not sure if she was more concerned over the possible loss of Salty or the loss of her lawn chair, but she immediately called out the cavalry, in the form of my sister Judy, my brother Don and me. Bill Cornelius Tom Purcell At a March 28 White House press conference, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired what could be his last warning shot over sanctuary city may- ors' heads. Sessions' blunt mes- sage: Obey immigration laws or your dangerous cities will lose Department of Justice federal funding, have existing grants canceled, and become ineligible for future grants. Sanctuary cities, estimated to be more than 500, are com- munities that refuse to cooper- ate with Immigration and Cus- toms officials' requests to hold illegal immigrants. Federal law requires local jurisdictions to inform ICE when they've de- tained, and before they release, an illegal immigrant, even if a criminal conviction hasn't been handed down. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued its first weekly report which identi- fied the jurisdictions that denied ICE detainer requests regarding aliens charged with or convicted of a serious crime. In a single week, municipal officials ignored more than 200 ICE requests for murderers, drug traffickers, rap- ists, and hit and run drivers. Now free in the general popula- tion, their continued presence puts more Americans at risk. Kate Steinle's 2015 high-pro- file, broad daylight murder in San Francisco by a five-time de- ported, seven-time convicted felon, the early March Mary- land high school bathroom rape of a 14-year-old girl by two re- cently arrived Central American aliens, and dozens of other vio- lent crimes during the interven- ing 18 months have convinced most Americans that enough is enough. Even those conflicted about immigration want to feel safe in their neighborhoods. The pro-sanctuary holdouts are, not surprisingly, the may- ors that endorse noncoopera- tion. On the same day that Ses- sions made his statement, the sanctuary leaders convened in New York to make their well- worn, flawed arguments that their cities are among the United States' safest. But the unarguable counter is that if Juan Francisco-Lopez San- chez had been deported, Steinle would be alive today. Still, the mayors talk tough. Chicago Mayor Rahm Eman- uel called denying federal funds unconstitutional, and insisted that his city would remain "wel- coming." New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened to sue DOJ. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said that Sessions' pro- posal to withhold funds is "de- structive" and "irresponsible." Walsh added that aliens can conduct their business from his office or any other City Hall of- fice. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray vowed that his city would not be "bullied" by the Trump ad- ministration. The San Fran- cisco Mayor, dismissing Stein- le's murder, reaffirmed the city's sanctuary commitment. And California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Lee³n protested that defunding the state's sanc- tuaries would be "race-based scapegoating," and "inhumane." In February, de Lee³n admitted that without sanctuary, "half his family" could be deported. Here's the law that Sessions cited that gives him the author- ity to deny funding. Readers can determine for themselves who is right —— Sessions or the may- ors. According to 8 U.S. Code, Section 1373, "A state or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict... sending to, or receiv- ing from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service informa- tion regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual." The law is clear; the mayors' thinking, wishful. Joe Guzzardi is a Californians for Population Stabilization Senior Writing Fellow. Contact him at joeguzzardi@ capsweb.org and on Twitter @ joeguzzardi19. Joe Guzzardi A final warning to tone deaf sanctuary mayors OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, April 5, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4