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6A – Daily News – Thursday, April 15, 2010 Opinion D NEWSAILY 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 Clouding the pot issue Editor: As the marijuana debate rages I would like to interject one small, presumably over- looked point. 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 As we battle toxic environ- mental issues ad-infinum, adding the smell of burning hemp to the fray will be one more assault on our senses. As a society we are already exposed to an overwhelming amount of sensory stimulation; noise from audio boom-boxes, loud motorcycles and passing trains, car and tobacco fumes and burning fireplaces just to name a few. Living in a society of intoxi- cated and stoned people notwithstanding; if legalization of marijuana is accomplished, you will not be able to walk across a common parking lot or enter into public space without encountering the pungent odor of burning dope. Likewise, it is guaranteed that all public events will be accompanied by that same acrid aroma. Any place where tobac- co may be consumed, including the car idling next to you at a traffic signal, will most certain- ly produce that familiar noxious odor. A simple walk through the park or down the street with family will expose you to what once was unlawful activity. Future generations will have to suffer the consequences of sec- ondhand smoke exposure to a degree no less than that experi- enced by their parents. Except that this time, the emitted smoke will incorporate the abil- ity to intoxicate, not just annoy. At a time when we have declared war on cigarette and tobacco usage and are debating the burning of summer barbe- cues and placing catalytic con- verters on all combustible engines, the question is, do we really need this additional envi- ronmental burden? Burning marijuana is much more noticeable than cigarette smoke and certainly just as annoying and aggravating to anyone respectful of their fami- ly's health. Do you really want to live in a society rife with the permeating stink of burning weed? Think about it. Harvey Waver, Red Bluff Response to Tea Party movement Editor: Relative to Mr. Polson’s Tea Party article.: In answer to the question about why someone would call an elderly woman a nazi. (1) Some person, obviously not in control of themselves and not presenting as the responsible adult they should, could react this way when (2) over whelmed by the fact the Tea Party adher- ents appear to act as the Nazi’s did. The town meeting with Bar- ney Frank demonstrated that and the words "nazi" and "Beer Hall Putsch" definitely spring to mind when observing that event. The apparent goal was, not to engage in a sharing and/or dis- cussion of views, but to disrupt the meeting and turn it into a rally for - their- view. They used yelling, jeers, verbal attacks, excepting only violence. I assume that they knew they could not get away with violence in this country at this time.. They did have some success in disrupting the meeting and turning it into a rally for their cause. Just of late, they have hurled the n-word and spit upon the highest representatives of our country. No brown shirts. No German language. No violence, YET. The rest is the same. Disrupting the oppositions political meeting, including using violence, and using that as a basis to further their cause was a basic mechanism the Nazi’s used (see "Beer Hall Putsch" on Wikipedia). The Tea Party’s behavior is just the distance of a right cross from being full mea- sure. Perhaps this is because their cause is similar to causes gener- ated by H.L. Hunt’s 331 radio stations in Texas 50 years ago. Script writers hidden in Wash- ington D.C. foundations sup- Your Turn plied the radio stations with vitri- olic, conservative, hate speech which some feel contributed to the atmosphere culminating in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. "Looney liberals". Yup. Absolutely correct. It’s a crazy world. The original communistic, socialistic, document of redistribution of power and therefore access to wealth was ..... the Magna Carta. Followed by that ultimate redistribution of power, and therefore wealth, all the way down to include ALL the people, our Constitution. We have a several hundred years tra- dition of coming away from slavery and being communists. A continual tendency to take wealth from the rich and distrib- ute it to the poor. Perhaps that has been enough time so that a few "freedom" genes have evolved into the behavioral part of our DNA. I don’t think so but it’s a nice thought. A crazy thought. But after all, if our whole tradition, going back hun- dreds and hundreds of years is the opposite of what we have thought. That’s looney. It’s just that it seems that (a little music please) Freedomm- mm’s jost anoooother woooord for the rich mannnn’s gonna loooose. James Bryant, Red bluff Editor’s note: At the author’s request, this letter appears as submitted, unedited. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), 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), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 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; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. 2010 The Year of Conservatives Roaring 20s Commentary During the long cold winter of January 2009, Republicans were dreading the impending thaw of an Obama Administra- tion. It was just after the mas- sive “compassionate conserva- tive” bank bailouts, the econo- my was hemorrhaging millions of jobs and yet a CBS/New York Times poll reported Presi- dent George W. Bush still had a 22 percent approval rating. It was the end of a disastrous second term, a bitter end to a bitter era. It was back when the best thing anyone could say about Bush was, “He showed some great reflexes when he dodged those shoes, huh?” So one could guess around 22 percent is pretty much the core of the Right. The die hards. The ones who will forgive any- thing — i.e. Katrina, no WMDs, children left behind etc. Biker gangs have their “one per- centers” – Republicans have their 20 percenters. They too should get a patch. Republicans like leather, right? Speaking of respectable Republican cloth coats, even President Richard Nixon had a 27 percent approval rating months before he resigned, of course that was a more polite era – less slander more assassi- nations. The point is, the nucle- us of Republicans is absolutely committed to their guys regard- less. Twenty percent is the base- line number – the base. Put a necktie on a German shepherd who’s strong on defense and hates taxes and if he’s a Republican, he will get at least a 20 percent approval rat- ing nationally — as long as he’s not openly gay or Mormon. He doesn’t even have to be running for anything. Just wearing something that has a flag pin attached so people will know he loves freedom. Last year an Associated Press-GfK poll found only 21 percent of adults now identify themselves as Republicans. This is much smaller than just a couple months prior at 28 per- cent. And since the now sainted and intellectually irreproach- able President Ronald Reagan said the 11th Commandment is “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican,” the party now has tons more Americans they can speak ill of. They are less than a quarter of adults cur- rently; leaner and meaner. So it is not surprising to hear a Gallup Poll report that 28 per- cent of Americans support the Tea Party. One can assume that it’s mainly Republican support and so it’s not a coincidence the devout of the GOP hovers around that same number. What is surprising to hear is Republicans or Tea Partiers calling themselves the “silent majority,” a throwback to the same Republi- can Revolution rhetoric back when family values House Speaker Newt Gin- grich was still on his second wife. Now “silent majori- ty” is a double mis- nomer due to their decibels and their numbers. Even if no Tea Partiers were Republicans and vice versa, if you added the two groups together, according to the data, they would still not be a majori- ty of Americans. Tina Dupuy That’s the actual majority. According to a Winston Group study that came out this month, 86 percent of the Tea Partiers are over 34 years old. Are they the “new” GOP? For the most part they put the “old” in the Grand Old Party. They’re older Americans who are upset their candidate wasn’t good enough. They’re angry. They’re afraid of change but like to threaten revolution and secession. They The majority of Americans voted for Barack Obama. They did. By an overwhelming mar- gin. He was the better candi- date. Our economy was in a freefall. They voted for a policy wonk. They voted for the candi- date who won the debates. They voted for a dude whose middle name is the same as an evil dic- tator’s last name we took out because it wasn’t relevant. get so much press because of the novelty of America’s crotch- ety great-aunts and uncles shak- ing their Medicare covered fists at The Man. It’s like the soda ads where old people drink Pepsi and start acting like crazy teenagers. But it’s tea. But no matter how much attention they receive, they are still the 20 Percenters. Tina Dupuy is an award- winning writer and the editor of FishbowlLA.com. Tina can be reached at tina@caglecartoons.com.