Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/9348
4A – Daily News – Tuesday, April 20, 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 Statistics Editor: Just read Joseph Neff's letter 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 President Obama turned from the domestic third-rail issue of health care to the inter- national radioactive subject of dirty-bomb terrorism by host- ing a nuclear summit in D.C., convincing the leaders of 47 countries to attend -- presidents and prime ministers and kings and queens and a couple of expendable pawns. No bishops, they have their own problems these days. Pretty much all the cogs in the atomic machine showed up except North Korea and Iran, which admittedly is like hold- ing a steroids conference with- out Barry Bonds or Mark McG- wire, but hey, it’s a start. The focus was on security, an encouraging sign, since the global stockpile of bomb-mak- ing materials is now large enough for 120,000 suitcase nukes. Which most experts agree is about 120,000 too many. It wasn’t a total Potemkin summit. Everyone agreed that terrorism is bad and nuclear terrorism is real bad, and work- ing with one another is good and they should all meet again in South Korea in 2012 if the Mayans aren’t right. Took 60 years to assemble this pile of mutually assured regarding his opinion of public employee versus private indus- try employees’ pensions and benefits. Makes me realize the guy who said 62.5 percent of all sta- tistics are made up on the spot was right. Barry LaVette, Red Bluff Supersize fries Editor: I recently attended a school function where a meal was served to the kids. I sat at a table with several children and observed them eating. The milk, apple and salad all went into the trash but the pizza slice and cheesy rolled up thing were eaten heartily. The kids also got a bottle of water. So, why do we feed children breakfast and lunch? Why do they get water in a plastic throw away? Why do some schools actually reward kids for doing good? School buses can hardly get to the school parking spot because so many cars have dri- ven their kid to school, without checking to see if the neighbor kid needed a ride. You don't have to go back too far to see all those things absent from the culture, yet the results were pretty terrific. I pray that all this expected privilege will some day be appreciated, but I guarantee you I won't pray that prayer in a Cal- ifornia school. Tom Frantz, Red Bluff Gas prices Editor: I want to complain about the cost of gas. I want to get a large group of people and boycott Red Bluff stations just for one weekend day. Our government says there is no price fixing but isn’t it odd that all the stations have the same prices except for a couple of cents different? Most times it is always all the same price. What can I do to pursue my grievance? Lisha Goings, Red Bluff Double standard Editor: I am a 15-year veteran of the Tehama County Sheriff’s Department. I left the department on good terms as a detective and investigator in 2007. I tested and was hired by the Tehama County District Attorney's Office as a criminal investigator. I changed jobs because I could no longer abide with the double standards that were sneaking back into our depart- ment. I acknowledge elected offi- cials will make mistakes from time to time, after all to err is human. Losing the capability to admit your mistakes is the first step or conversion from a good man to a politician. In late 2006 and early 2007 just after Sheriff Parker accept- ed a healthy pay raise to become the county’s top dog catcher — Animal Control Department Head — I noted liberties being taken by Clay's inner-circle of supervisors. There were several who were spending an enormous amount of county taxpayers’ time work- ing on their personally owned business, run- ning off to public entertainment events across the nation and promoting their per- sonal social agendas. They were fabricating over- time as weekend dog catchers, which was outside the parame- ters of their contract with the county, these offenders were some of the highest paid employees in the department. At the same time deputies who needed the extra money and could legally draw this overtime under their contract were not even considered to perform these duties. One continues to this day to run his personally owned busi- ness on county time with total immunity from Parker, in my opinion that is a gift of public funds. I am personally aware that these shenanigans were brought to Clay Parker and his Undersh- eriff Dennis Garton in mid 2007 by Det. Rich Davidson, by the then Operations Lt. Darrell Ple- mons and by me. Once the cat was out of the bag, they imme- diately changed their contract with the county, which now allows Parker to set the amount of hours they are required to work each month for the same amount of pay. This maneuver is called over- Your Turn time exempt. The sheriff can now say as long as their work is done they can spend all the time they want running their person- ally owned business on county time running off to the boat drags, or snow skiing on county time and even hanging campaign signs for the boss on county time. My experience says regard- less of your rank if there is an open criminal investigation or a shortage of deputies on the street to respond to calls or a shift to fill in the jail or papers to be served, then the job is never done, to think otherwise is poor management on the sheriffs part and just another step on the slippery slope from good man to professional politi- cian. This all came to a head at a Tea Party gathering in Coming on April 1. I asked Sheriff Park- er this question: “Why have you allowed members of your administration to run their per- sonally owned business on duty?” Sheriff Parker's response to this question was “I don’t.” The conversion is now com- plete, once you are faced with the truth in public and you lie instead of admitting your mis- take, you have now walked over the threshold of being a good man to the title of professional politician. Dave Baker, Red Bluff 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. Loose nukes Commentary destruction. Going to take at least a couple of meetings to get rid of it. Only nine members in the nuclear club right now. But a lot of wannabees. And since you can’t tell your nuclear players without a Nuclear Play- ers Scorecard, here they are, with official Threat Level grad- ing. WILL DURST NUCLEAR PLAYERS SCORECARD United States. Have weapons. Duh. But we’re not the problem because we’re the good guys. TL: Dove of peace flying under the rainbow of international co-operation. Russia. Have weapons and big problem. Leakier than a tin- foil sieve after 3 days of target practice on a 50mm range, and the world’s largest source of loose nukes. TL: Giant Bear with flame thrower, roaming woods while being chewed on by Balkan squirrels. China. Have weapons. Con- cerned only with economic strength. Need to convince them an irradiated consumer is not a repeat consumer. TL: Drunken Panda staggering through a shopping mall with a fistful of short-fused flares. United Kingdom. Have weapons. Not quite positive where they are. In the garden shed of their lake-country home perhaps. TL: Your Aunt Gertrude with a bagful of knit- ting needles on the subway. Pakistan. Have weapons and worried we pay too much attention to India. As stable as a two-legged stool. TL: Swarm of angry wasps inside a papier mache tent on fire. India. Have in a mine field. Israel. Everybody knows they have weapons, but they won’t admit it and haven’t tested any. Making a scary situa- tion scarier. TL: Tas- manian Devil tethered to a water soluble stake in the rain. North Korea. Will weapons and worried we pay too much attention to Pakistan. Don’t you hate lovers’ spats? TL: Sacred bull in a china shop full of crystal decanters stop- pered to the rim with nitro. Germany. No nuclear weapons. But if they really need some all they have to do is knock on France’s door and ask to borrow a couple. TL: A domesticated wolf on an ankle bracelet, but a wolf nonethe- less. Durst Raging Moderate Have weapons. But delivery system is a team of musk oxen. TL: Electric Cuckoo Clock made out of C- 4 with faulty wiring. Iran. No weapons, but definitely in the market for a fixer- upper. TL: Cigar- smoking pit bull headed straight for the fireworks factory. Will Durst is a political comedian who has performed around the world. He is a familiar pundit on television and radio. E-mail Will at France. Have weapons, but more interested in discovering ways to use them to braise lamb. TL: Carnivorous escargot durst@caglecartoons.com. Check out willandwillie.com for the latest podcast. Will Durst’s book, “The All American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing,” is available from Amazon and better bookstores all over this great land of ours.