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A man called “regarding the picture of the sobriety checkpoint and the people that were cited for not wearing seatbelts in a overloaded vehicle.”

He “hoped the judge in this case has more sense than the Madera Police Department. Trust me, I have nothing against sobriety checkpoints. They should have them every day. But to cite a driver who evidently was not drinking and hauling people from possibly a party where they were drinking and then to cite them for hundreds of dollars per person?”

“I called last week to The Madera Tribune,” began a lady who asked why the movie schedule was no longer being printed. “My family and I go to the movies a lot, and it really is convenient and I would like to see the service continued.”

A man commented on the same subject and said he “had learned that the owner of the movies had stopped advertising the movie schedule … Though I always try to patronize Madera businesses, I will be driving to Fresno again to see movies.”

A lady had a comment about “the service clubs of Madera. I recently was witness to some of the work they do on community, national and international levels. These clubs should be commended for all the work they do and their members recognized more often. It is just amazing the work they do.”

“I’m a 50-year resident,” said a man, “retired military. I plan on staying here the rest of my life, but this graffiti thing is so far out of hand.” He mentioned “a building out on 15 1/2, a residence, abandoned and the graffiti letters are four and five feet tall. Everyday there is more. All they’re doing is mocking the police. It’s a perfect place for a stakeout. We live in a modern age. We could set up cameras. It’s horrible. If the cops were serious about catching them they could.”

Another lady who “moved here from an east (San Francisco) bay town so I wouldn’t have to see this crap” was getting tired of the promises. “So we pay for an outside agency to come in and fix this graffiti. When? And for how long? Between the graffiti and gangs, I think I made a mistake in moving here.”

A woman who “has lived here 50 years and has always taken her animals to a veterinarian” (name given) “and I took my dog in there. The new owner (veterinarian) said ‘yes, he had a bite wound or a tumor.’ The doctor left and the technician came in. She looked at it and said it was neither a bite wound nor a tumor. It was the dog’s nipple. Male dogs have nipples, too. Needless to say, I will never be going back to that one again.”

A man who was “enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning” said, “Just when I think I’ve seen it all,” he saw his weekly garbage truck arrive. “I see the driver jump out of the cab and climb in the open bin of the truck. I can only see him from the waist up, but I can’t help but notice that he is unbuttoning his pants, disappearing from view for a few minutes and reappearing. He pulls up and zips his pants. He engages something that begins churning things up in the bin. He once again climbs up and takes a look to see what he has deposited is mixed with whatever was there in the first place. Satisfied, he quickly climbs in the cab and drives off down the street. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination what he did.”

The man suggested, “Wouldn’t it be possible for the city to provide facilities for the urge to go? Needless to say, the serenity of the Friday morning was broken, and left a memory that it will never be the same.” (Editor’s note: The city doesn’t operate the trucks. A contractor does.)

Though her message was mostly not understood, a lady said, “she was very upset when she entered a classroom at an elementary school and only saw the Mexican flag displayed in the classroom. Nowhere was the American flag.”

“I miss a lot of things about Madera,” said a man. “I am a veteran and went to the ceremony in (Courthouse) park Monday morning. Afterwards, I thought the Elks lodge, across the street, would be open. I always enjoy talking to the members and buddies from all branches of service. They were closed. I hope they are open for Veteran’s Day. Even if just a few of us show up, because there are fewer every year.”

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

President Obama has done it again. Once again he has shown his brilliance and intelligence by naming Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to the Supreme Court. She is everything this country about. I was going to put all her attributes down in order but Huffington Post did it for me…

I felt the article hit the nail on the head about the career of the judge. I wanted the citizens of Madera to be aware of this extraordinary woman who has risen from the bottom, and through hard work and determination is about to make history.

She is a real inspiration to all Americans, but especially to our Hispanic brothers and sisters who have helped build this community, state and country.

Viva Sotomayor!

Fred Thomas,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Despite its supporters’ optimism, it would seem the high-speed rail for California is farther away from reality than originally thought. The $10 billion voters approved to build the first phase probably will be spent before the first train ever rolls. The private money being counted on to bring the project to fruition is unlikely to materialize for many years, which is a shame.

There is a way to save the program, though, and bring it in on time. That is to build a monorail instead of a surface rail system.
A monorail, which rides suspended from towers above traffic would be cheaper to build and cheaper to operate.

It could be built on existing rights-of-way, namely those along freeways, including State Route 99 and Interstate 5. That would save the enormous problem of acquiring right-of-way from the railroads, which are privately owned and don’t want to share their track-ways with passenger trains. Whether straddle-beam or suspended variety, a single monorail beamway can accommodate cars whizzing both ways without expanding its footprint on the ground.

Monorail stations could be built as parking garages alongside freeways, with the top floors being the terminals into which the monorail cars would rapidly glide.

Being suspended travelways, monorails don’t interfere with surface traffic, negating the need for bridges and tunnels.

Monorails are popular, quiet and profitable. Being above the road grade, they offer great views to passengers, who enjoy zipping along on them. They ride mostly on rubber tires, and thus are quiet, both in the rail cars and outside. They are energy efficient, and being electric are low polluters. They are safe.

Monorails are easier on taxpayers. Private money moves into monorails because they tend to operate profitably.

They are easy on the eye, and can be built quickly. Many operate successfully throughout the world.

Let’s stop, already.

About a month ago, The Madera Tribune reported the results of a grant study to find out how birds return to straight and level flight after being in a turn.

Gee manee Christmas!

If they wanted to give a useful grant on the flight of birds, how about how do they fly into a tree at 40 mph without hitting something? Or, how do orioles build a hanging nest without Super Glue?

I just read in one of my farm magazines about a study “in progress” with the University of California to train sheep — again, train sheep — not to eat grapes so they can be used for eating weeds without damaging the crop. What the heck? Why not just use people on welfare and unemployment? Or are they saying its easier to train sheep than to get people into the fields.

Let’s discontinue all grants and get to work.

Bill Hoffrage,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

One of the things I noticed about North Korea, other than the fact that they’ve set off another nuclear bomb under ground, is that the soldiers have been specially trained in a new way of marching. In the old North Korean method of marching, the soldiers would kick their legs high, sort of like can-can girls, in a goose step. Now, however, they are no longer doing that. They have developed a routine which is a little like you see on “Dancing With the Stars” when they do the quick step, only they don’t hold on to one another while they do it.

The North Koreans have about 1.2 million people under arms, and it must take a lot of officers and noncoms a lot of time to teach that march routine to the soldiers.

I’m not so sure I could learn it. I know I couldn’t have learned the over-the-head goose step because it involves getting your leg a lot higher than mine will go. They still use the over-the-head goose step in North Korea, but they seem to reserve it for female soldiers with nice legs dressed in short skirts — sort of like armed Rockettes.

Kim Jong-il, the North Korean dictator, probably has private audiences with a few of his friends to watch demonstrations by these lady soldiers.

I would think if a soldier couldn’t master the new march step he might find himself in front of a firing squad. Capital punishment runs rampant in North Korea. You can get the death penalty for listening to the wrong radio station. Imagine what they’d do to you if you weren’t good marching material.

You can always tell a tyrant is in charge when they make their soldiers learn funny ways of marching, which must keep the soldiers’ minds off turning their guns on their glorious leader. Kim is no different.

Lord knows what he’ll do with a nuclear bomb, now that he has one.

I am writing this letter after reading the article in The Madera Tribune dated May 6, “Excess water amid drought.”

I am a small almond farmer that relies solely on water from Madera Irrigation District, and this year we received water in May, not like previous years when it started in April.
I was amazed to read that the lakes were filling up so fast, and they might have to start letting it flow over the spillway. I do not understand why we could not have been given an earlier water start date and why the price of water has increased by $20 an acre foot when they may have to let the water be wasted.

The people in charge of water need to take a hard look at our water situation. With all the publicity in the news about our water shortage (water walk, etc.) there is absolutely no excuse for any of this water to be wasted and the farmers to be struggling to water their crops.

Don’t people get that without farmers and their crops we are in a world of hurt?

Edmond Gunter,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

The upholding of Prop. 8 by the California Supreme Court did not in any way change the rights same-sex couples have under California’s domestic partnership statutes.

Under Family Code Section 297-297.5, same-sex couples may establish domestic partnerships by filing a Declaration of Domestic Partnership with the Secretary of State’s Office.

The eligibility for such a partnership is that both the partners must be 18, must be of the same sex, must not be legally married to anybody else, must live together and must not be related by blood.

Opposite-sex couples aren’t eligible unless both parties are 62 or older.

The code grants domestic partners “the same rights, protections, and benefits, and shall be subject to the same responsibilities, obligations, and duties under law … as are granted to and imposed upon spouses.”

The same is true if the parties to a domestic partnership decide to dissolve it.

If one of the domestic partners dies, survivors have the same rights and responsibilities as those of a widow or widower.

It is important to realize all this because those who are upset over the court’s decision are saying their rights have been taken away, but those rights remain clearly encoded.

Prop. 8 defines marriage as being between a man and a woman — the traditional definition — and makes it part of the state Constitution. Its proponents said the proposition would defend marriage, the institution, from being devalued. But the institution was in no more danger than it ever is. What was in danger in the minds of many was an idea — their idea of marriage. It was an idea that did not make room for same-sex participation, whatever the basis. Not enough are willing to change that idea, it seems.

Fortunately, the law preserves the rights of same-sex couples to form and enjoy the benefits of domestic relationships.

Almost immediately after Korea detonated its Hiroshima-class test bomb, President Obama called a press conference and said that this was a bad thing to do.

Then, the United Nations assembled and, in 14 or so languages, its speakers stood up to the podium and said, “Shame, shame” and “Neener, neener, neener” to the madman who runs Korea and his bloodthirsty allies.

Way to go, Prez and U.N. — that’s tellin’ them. I bet they are quaking in their boots, will recant their sins, and will immediately dismantle their WMDs and make nice to the world. That’s the “Change” and “Hope” we needed in this troubled world. Yes, we can.

It’s sure a good thing that we didn’t have a troublesome president — JFK, Reagan, or either Bush — as our commander-in-chief during this time.

John C. Clark,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Frank Bigelow, who is county supervisor for District 1 (all of the area south of Avenue 12, as well as large stretches east of Road 28 1/2), and who is a rancher, businessman, transportation expert and grassroots political phil-osopher, said something at the May 12 supervisors meeting that has stuck with me:

“We need to be the strength of the state on the local level.”

He is right. As the state sinks into red ink, and threatens to pull local governments down with it by borrowing money due local jurisdictions, it seems to be up to counties and cities to dig in and keep the state together. The situation is a bit like a profligate father hitting up its frugal children to get him out of trouble.

The state collects practically all taxes, then returns them to the counties and cities according to predetermined formulas. It had made a habit in the past of grabbing this pass-along money for itself when it needed it.

Not happy with this arrangement, the voters a few years ago passed a law which prohibited the state from grabbing money due the cities and counties.

Like most such propositions, though, there was a loophole, which allows the state to borrow according to a formula in an emergency.

Well, guess what. We’re probably going to be told this is an emergency. Madera County and the cities of Madera and Chowchilla have budgeted carefully. The state, however, has not budget carefully. That is the emergency.

So, local services may have to pay the price — to be the strength of the state, as Bigelow said, on the local level — by cutting services. Local schools also may have to pay the price, as if they haven’t already been hit enough. It doesn’t seem right.

Let’s hope the Legislature can find both short-term and long-term answers.

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

In his speech Friday before the graduating class of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, President Obama reminded the new officers that it was his policy to never send American forces into battle without good reason.

If that sounds vaguely familiar to you, here’s why: What president do you know who has said otherwise? Certainly since Franklin Roosevelt, every president has said, in one way or another that he would not risk the lives of American soldiers without reason.

The problem is, reasons pop up, and when they do, troops are sent into harm’s way.

When that happens, the best outcome is that they are able to do their jobs and return home safely.

For that to be possible, the United States has an unremitting obligation to maintain the best trained and best equipped military force in the world.

As we observe Memorial Day this weekend, we should keep in mind that the best homage we can pay to military men and women who have died is to make sure that those who go next into battle will have proper training, will be commanded by well-educated and competent officers and will be under the oversight of political leaders who provide clear objectives and the wherewithal to achieve them.

An overwhelmingly powerful defense establishment is the best insurance against ever having to use it. When the decision to use it is made, though, the goal should never be short of victory.

The United States is often referred to as the world’s policeman, but that is a mandate akin to trying to herd cats. We should forget it.

The men and women we honor this weekend paid for our freedom with their lives. Let us not treat that sacrifice as anything but sacred. Let the president provide for the military as though he were the one going into battle.