I like to volunteer at the Madera County (Animal) Shelter. But a lot of my friends can’t volunteer down there because it would break their hearts to get attached to the animals and not be able to save them all.

Fortunately… there are many jobs that they’ve identified that can be done from the comfort of your own home.

A few volunteers started putting pictures of our dogs on Petfinder.com several years ago. Because of their efforts several dogs were adopted through this adoption portal. Now our pets are featured on over 10 similar portals and nearly 80 percent of the dogs featured this way are adopted.

A person never has to set foot on shelter grounds in order to do this work. Anyone with Internet access can upload pictures and biographies of the dogs.

Lots of jobs are available for the stay-at-home volunteer.

For example, we need people to answer our phone lines and fold our newsletters before mailing. We need people to type up minutes of our volunteer meetings. We need assistant dog trainers to help with the free classes available to anyone fostering an animal.

We need people to pick up torn bags of dog food that are being donated, as well as the glass and aluminum that people donate to our Cans for Critters program.

Some of our volunteers hand out flyers and answer questions about spaying and neutering in public places like the swap meet, stores and coffee shops. Every dollar spend on spaying and neutering saves the county $18 in collecting, housing, feeding and adopting or euthanizing an animal. Friends of the Madera Animal Shelter offers a voucher program to help low-income families spay and neuter their pets, and all of this paperwork done on this program is done in the private homes of volunteers.

Want to help save 50 animals in one day without spending a penny? Help take 50 of our animals to the Super Adoption Day in May. Last year, we took about 60 dogs and adopted out about 50 in one day.

The best part of volunteering is discovering like-minded friends that love animals as much as you do. If you’re interested in any of these endeavors and want to learn more, you can call Friends of the Madera Animal Shelter…

Andrea Robinson,
Madera

In an article by Jim Fox dated Friday, March 21, he writes, “You will see it when you believe it.” He was writing about the New Thought movement and “praying, knowing it is done you as you believe.”

I also say the same, but in this way, “you will see” Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world “when you believe it.”

It is true “one may believe in any way one chooses that feeds one’s spiritual hunger,” but that does not make one’s choice the right choice.

This can be related to the choices of food we partake of. Just because we can choose to eat anything we want does not make our choice right if it is not the best choice for the health of our body.

The New Thought movement is self-centered, not God-centered. From 1991 to 2003 this movement appealed to me until I was blessed with eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of Jesus Christ, not just a teacher but God in human form — our Savior who delivered us from the power of sin and the penalty of sin that is eternal death.

We can “will” things our way, but God wants human beings to “will His will” so we can receive His best now and eternally.

Katherine Atilano,
Madera

Is someone out there paying someone to malign Mr. Emo? It seems like every week there are statements from people, usually not identified, who can say nothing good about Leon.

These people seem to miss the whole point of his various presentations. Yes, sometimes he is serious, but usually most of what he says is tongue-in-cheek. Why can’t they just leave him alone and enjoy Leon’s wit and sense of humor? He has a great command of the English language (do you really think that he periodically butchers it so badly because of ignorance?) and works very hard at creating something that I enjoy reading — as it takes me back to what some see as a better place and time.

Leon, shake off the effects of the nay-sayers. They need to get a life and let the rest of us just spend some time in the 1960s, or the desert, or wherever, at least vicariously.

Leon, keep doing what you do. It gives me a way to forget what this world has become, at least for a period in time (sorry Bill!) and just laugh.

Ron Snipes,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Did sniper bullets fly, both near and far,
While Mrs. Clinton hoofed it to the car?

In a speech last week designed to show off her vast foreign policy experience as first lady, Sen. Hillary Clinton has been quoted by The Associated Press as saying, “I remember landing under sniper fire” when she made a trip to Bosnia in March 1996. She also said, “we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.”

After the speech, when what she said was called to her attention, she said she “mis-spoke” and that the misspeaking was a “minor blip.”

I have misspoken occasionally. For example, Mrs. Doud might ask me, “How many of those chocolate candies have you eaten?” And I might answer, “Oh, two or three.” And she might pick up the package and say, “There are five pieces missing.” And I might reply, “Oh, I forgot about those other two.” That is misspeaking.

It isn’t quite a lie, because I admit to eating the candy. Perhaps I’ve just forgotten how many pieces I’ve eaten. Or, I am in denial. But I think if I had been shot at, I would remember it a lot more clearly than I might remember how many pieces of chocolate I had eaten.

“Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result,” said Winston Churchill, who had first-hand experience of subject.

If Mrs. Clinton had had to duck sniper fire, she never would have forgotten it. She might not have been as eloquent about it as Churchill. She might have said, “Holy crap! They’re shooting at us!” I know, I would have.

In fact, I would have stayed in the plane, whimpering.

Mrs. Clinton could not “misspeak” about something like that. Just lie.

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

When someone throws a wrench into your game,
Just call that so-and-so a dirty name.

James Carville, Hillary Clinton’s chief name-caller, says he refuses to apologize for comparing New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to Judas, who betrayed Jesus. Richardson used to work for Clinton’s husband, the former president, as U.N. ambassador and as energy secretary. Sen. Clinton apparently thought Richardson would be loyal and endorse her.

But it was not to be.

Richardson, who himself had been a Democratic candidate for president but dropped out of the race, decided that based on his experience as a Clintonite, he would rather see Barack Obama as president.

It is an endorsement not to be taken lightly.

Which is why Carville, once described as Bill Clinton’s junkyard dog, was so upset. Carville is famous for mocking Clinton’s opponents, and even people who might take issue with Clinton, or endanger Clinton’s political position.

One of his most famous insults was against Paula Jones, who had accused Clinton of sexually harassing her while she was an Arkansas state employee.

“Drag $100 bills through trailer parks, there’s no telling what you’ll find,” Carville said of Jones, implying she had been paid to testify against Clinton, and that she was mere trailer trash.

The insult stuck, even though the evidence was heavy that Clinton had tried to take advantage of Jones, Kathleen Willey, Gennifer Flowers and other women, just as he later took advantage of “that woman” he “didn’t have sex with,” Monica Lewinski.

To Gov. Richardson’s credit, he didn’t insult Carville in return, which may add even more credence to his endorsement of Obama.

All comments are edited for length and content. Due to content some comments may not be published. Please limit your calls to two minutes or less. Repeat messages on the same subject adding to the length will not be published. Some weeks, due to the number of comments and space, some may not be published.

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A woman who “walks the (Fresno River) Trail everyday near Riverview, between Schnoor and Granada,” said, “all of a sudden there’s a lot of graffiti,” and she would like “to know what the Madera Police Department is going to do about it. We are taxpayers and we see this ugly graffiti.”

Another man voiced his opinion on the subject. “There is graffiti everywhere. It seemed to be under control until better weather. When are the City Council, the police and the judges going to get tough with these gang bangers and taggers? With the city growing we had better start stopping it now before it’s too late.”

A woman, “and Madera County resident,” responded to last week’s caller complaining about (County Supervisor) Frank Bigelow’s photo in the paper. “I’m glad to see Frank Bigelow’s picture in the paper. He has been to every meeting and he is dedicated to his constituents.”

A woman voiced her strong, but hard to understand opinion, and said she was tired “of people judging others by their skin color.”

A man commented on last week’s caller “about donating to the indoor soccer league.” He said, “I think it should be ran as a business and not as a non-profit organization. Then maybe they can buy a scoreboard.”

A “regular caller” said he had “this to say to the lady who complained about (columnist) Leon (Emo) wearing shorts. She has nothing better to do, and he probably has better legs that she does. I’ve seen him helping around town. He’s a pretty cool guy.”

A lady began, “Mr. Doud, if my preacher was a major racist, and as anti-American as Reverend Wright is, I would not attend his services with my wife and children for 20 years. One service and I would be gone.”

“When is this town going to get some traffic control on Wednesdays over at the fairgrounds?” asked a woman.

A gentleman wanted to know “why Madera High North track has not been in the paper yet?” He said, “every sport is published, except track.” He said a lot of teammates and parents would like to see “if not a picture, at least the results.”

“I’ve taken my 6-year old to the Easter egg hunt every year since he was 3,” began a lady. “This year, I was out walking my dog just at sunrise and I saw (Madera) Parks (and Community Services) people already setting up for the hunt. Every year they do a great job, despite the fact that some parents cheat and gather eggs for themselves.”

“I will say it once again,” began a woman’s call. “This is a city, not a town. When is that going to get through to you occupants of our city?”

“It’s good that the police department has two extra motorcycles,” said a gentleman. “Maybe they can start enforcing the speed limit laws on Yosemite, Olive and all around Madera High School.”

“I think Madera should not have a new casino on Indian land,” said a female. “We can’t keep fighting what happened 200 years ago. Enough is enough.”

“I am so tired of reading about all these negative comments about the casino,” began a woman’s call. “Why are people opposing everything in Madera that is going to be a good thing for us? Eventually, if you keep opposing and opposing we are going to become a ghost town.”

A lady agreed with “the letter by Mr. (Jon) Barsotti today (Monday, March 24). I cannot understand our city fathers welcoming the casino. They are either innocent, naïve or incredibly shortsighted.”

The caller said she “grew up in Nevada and knows the effects of gambling. It’s like having a rattlesnake as your roommate. Compulsive gambling is an addiction worse than heroin or cocaine. It destroys life and families.” By being built “on highway 99 it would lead to a congestion, bad air and water affecting the whole Central Valley.”

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An online reader, “Karri Lewis,” commented on a Tribune news article on home schooling regulation, “Each family’s needs are different. Some home schooling families have children with ‘special’ needs. We have all found that a one-size fits all approach fails our children. In this regard, a one-size fits all approach to standardizing and ‘testing’ home schooling will fail our home schooling families.”

Another Web visitor, “floydy,” wrote, “Madera is a sanctuary for illegal aliens because Madera is a sanctuary for an agricultural industry that capitalizes off of their cheap labor. If your ignorance doesn’t allow you to deal with the sight of migrant workers, then I would suggest you move away…”

“Some guy” responded to a woman’s online critique of Madera as a “pathetic little” city, “You cannot visit Wal-Mart and maybe one McDonald’s in town and say you have seen all of Madera and make one general statement or decision about it from that…”

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Thank you for your calls. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24-hours a day by calling 674-4478 or visiting www.MaderaTribuneRedLine.com.

So! Where were the city and county fathers the evening of March 12?

They certainly were not at the fairgrounds, testifying to the argument for not allowing the proposed Avenue 17 casino from coming to our community. Oh, there were citizens, and a few pastors who spoke against the casino. And some concerned tribal leaders and members of other tribes said their gaming operations would be negatively impacted by the unfair placement. Oh, and there were a lot of suits.

But, I don’t think there were any city fathers there.

There were a whole bunch of elected and appointed city and county officials there, numerous persons from the different chambers of commerce, building trades, Realtors, speaking in favor, but I don’t think I heard any city fathers get up and speak.

Call me old fashioned, call me archaic, call me the fringe, and maybe even call me delusional, but I think the phrase, “city fathers” was real important 50, 75, and 100 years ago. I think it meant there were men of the community, of stature and wisdom, who were certainly concerned about the negative affects of things going on in the community and how it affected families and especially children.

The city fathers’ wisdom to know when it was time to build schools, how and when the city and county governments would be formed, and even how and when to control sources of vice when it caused a serious problem is what made them city fathers.

Where is that wisdom now?

Jon Barsotti,
Madera

Marilyn Makham, accountant: “I look for local stuff. You can see anything about the world anywhere, but I want to see the local news.”

Dr. S.C. Menyhay, retired: “I look to see if they stopped the d-mn war and kicked Bush out of office.”

Jennifer Wright, home health nurse: “I like local news — AMBER alert, shootings in Chowchilla, Madera and Fresno. I also like the gossip sections, like the Red Line. I don’t read about politics.”

Bobby Tiwana, co-owner of a transportation company: “I want to know about the cost of fuel; $4.15 or $4.17 is pretty high.”

Beatrice Gonzales, office manager: “I look to see about the cost of fuel and how high it’s going to go.”

Sam Livinggood, nursing student and clerk: “I look for local news, mostly tragic events such as murder. I work at the hospital.”

Paulette Leonard: “I look for Leon’s column. I (also) have an interest in the casino and in development.”

Lupe Avila, retired: “I look at the headlines to see if (there’s something) of interest.”

Dora Rodarte, teacher: “I look to see the headlines and also the pictures.”

Gloria McCoy, housewife: “The headlines are what attracts my attention, crime watch and the ads.”

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Some state Democrats are beating up on State Sen. Jeff Denham, who represents Madera, by launching a recall election against him. His sin: He wouldn’t vote for the state budget last year.

Although he wasn’t the only Republican who refused to go along with the spending plan, he became a target for frustrated Democrats, who didn’t want to sit around in Sacramento during the heat of summer. The reason he became a target was that, in the previous year, he had gone along with Democrats to pass a budget, and they wondered why he wouldn’t do so last year.

Denham said he saw ill economic weather on the horizon, and was afraid an economic downturn could force spending cuts to programs he supported — public safety and education.

Guess what. He was right.

The governor already has ordered budget cuts that are pretty much in line with the cuts Denham had foreseen when he stood his ground against the last budget.

State Sen. Don Peralta, D-Oakland, meanwhile, lost an initiative election that would have given him another term in the Senate if he had chosen to run. He has become a tormentor of Denham. He has rallied his supporters among teachers and public employee unions, who pressured Denham last year to vote for the budget, to shop petitions around seeking Denham’s recall.

The recall, against Denham, of course, is a sham. Yes, Denham is to blame for holding the line against what he thought was a dangerous state budget, but if that is a recallable offense, recall all the state senators who stood with him. He was not a leader of that army, merely a faithful soldier.

I would like to congratulate American Paving Company and the City of Madera for the good job they did on paving Merced to Tulare Streets. Also for the nice sidewalks they placed on both sides of the street; believe me it was really bad, and bumps were all in the street. A very low spot was near Merced, and Lincoln Streets, right there by the water drain. Days when rain was heavy, it would create lots of mosquitos.

For the last five years, lots of people were driving on Daulton to Lake Street; it looks nice even though each property had to donate 10 or 12 feet for the sidewalks. Now property owners are putting new fences up, which makes it look nicer.

So once again, thank you American Paving Co. and the City of Madera for the job well done.

Eddie Chapa,
Madera