Live Performance: “The General” by Dispatch

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Perhaps President Obama will learn something from his visit early Thursday to Dover Air Force Base to see what the Associated Press described as “the flag-draped caskets of 18 Americans killed in action this week.” The question is, what lesson will he take away from seeing the effects of war up close, including meetings with the families of the dead?

Right now, in Afghanistan, population 33 million, we have about 68,000 troops. You could fit them into a pro football stadium. With only that many people, it will be impossible to prevent new casualties. Maintaining the status quo will be a death sentence for many young Americans.

Even doubling the number probably wouldn’t be enough.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the Afghan theater commander, says he wants at least 40,000 more pairs of boots on the ground. Perhaps that is because he wants to accomplish the mission there, which is to round up and kill al Qaeda fighters, including Osama bin Laden. And let’s not forget their pals, the Taliban.

By the way, all these terrorists get the vast majority of their money from the sale of opium grown in Afghanistan and donations from the oil-rich Muslim states.

We are not there to build a nation.

Both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden seem disinclined to grant McChrystal’s request. If they maintain their stance, then they should pull the troops out instead of asking the men to die for a mission the Obama administration is not willing to fund or otherwise commit itself to winning. The war should have some goal other than getting Americans killed.

During the campaign, Obama pledged to win the Afghan war and bring bin Laden back to the U.S. in chains. Was he just hoping he could do that? Didn’t anybody tell him what an effort like that would require?

Music Video: “Not Going Anywhere” by Keren Ann

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

The other day I heard a friend talking about something her neighbors did, something which made her uncomfortable.

“They sit out in their garage and drink beer, with the garage door open,” she said. “And they laugh. You can hear them laugh.”

I knew right away she wasn’t talking about me. First, I am not her neighbor, and second, my mom would never have let me do that.

In mom’s view, garages were for putting cars into. Of course, you could store things in your garage, but only if the stuff would fit along the walls. The car still had to fit in the garage. Also, she would have fainted, and we would have had to call 911, if I had told her I was going to open the garage door and sit there drinking beer.

She was not against beer over all, but she did not want it to pass through her son’s lips. He was to remain pure until he was 40. (That didn’t happen, but it’s another story.)

We have people in our neighborhood — not on our block, but nearby — who sit in their garages, drink beer, or Coke, or something, and talk and laugh, sometimes into the night. Some of them smoke.

This friend I mentioned thinks that sort of activity is sinister, but I don’t. It’s probably fun having all those people around, if they are your friends. And it might be a little cramped to have them all in the house, especially if the Mrs. is telling them to get their feet off the furniture.

On occasion, I’ll drive by one of these open garages, and I will think it might be fun to phone some of my friends and invite them over to sit in my garage on folding chairs.

But then, I think mother would come down from Heaven and slap me around if I did that. Mrs. Doud might take a swing, too. Perhaps my friends’ mothers would slap them around, as well. It’s probably best not to risk it.

My life has a purpose. I was created to do something special. I believe this with my whole being. I believe this because the person I love the most in this world, my mother, told me. I know my mother would never lie to me. How did this happen?

My parents — John and Mary O’Donovan — were both born in New York state. After World War II, they married on June 14, 1947. June 14 is Flag Day. In 1948, my oldest brother, Kevin, was born on April 23. A year later, my brother Dennis Joseph was born on Mother’s Day — May 10, 1949. I was born the following year on June 25, 1950.

The story goes … we lived in a tenement building in Manhattan, on the first floor. When my mother found out she was pregnant for the third time in three consecutive years, my parents were filled with joy. Now, perhaps, they would have that baby girl my mother so badly wanted to have. She spoke with the family that lived in the apartment next to theirs. It turned out that she had also gotten pregnant at the same time. Both of their babies were due to be born on the same day — June 25, 1950.

Months passed and finally, the blessed day came. I was born on a Wednesday morning. I weighed 8 pounds. When my mother and father arrived home with me, they spread the good news to the neighbors.

“What did you name your girl?” they asked.

My mother told them, “Oh! It wasn’t a girl after all. We had a son. His name is Brian.” The neighbors were so surprised to hear this. My mother and father looked at them and asked them, “And what did you have?”

They replied, “We also had a boy on the same day you did at the same hospital, at the same hour. We named him Brian, too.”

Years, passed and I grew to be a 4-year-old. Brian was my neighbor, but I confess I don’t remember playing with him much because we were so young. I played with my brothers: Kevin, Dennis, and Michael, who was born after I was — before Mary and Rory were born in ’53 and ’54.

Well, my father died just before my fifth birthday on June 3, 1955. My mother was devastated. They had no insurance. My mother was left a widow with six children. My youngest brother had been born on Oct. 17, 1954, and dad died before Rory reached his first birthday. My mother received a gift of money from my aunt and uncle. They had been saving for five or 10 years to take a fabulous trip to Europe and see where my uncle had fought in WWII. However, they knew my mother’s situation was horrible and desperate.

She had to get a job to support us. She had been a stay-at-home mom until my father died because he had a good job with a petroleum company. His job was to go around and find places to open gas stations. Well, everything changed for us when my father died, but I was too young to understand any of it. So, my childhood continued unchanged as I play with my toy men every day in my own little fantasy land.

My mother moved us to Miami, Fla., on the 12th of December 1955. I carried all of my toys in a U.S. Army duffle bag on the plane. I had cowboys and Indians; knights (49 of them); some spacemen, soldiers and horses and some Civil War soldiers blue and gray. I was as happy as could be with or without my dad as long as I had my toy men.

A couple of years passed and I was playing in the backyard in a sand pile my mother had made for us by having a truck haul it in and dump it. She called me to the kitchen. I remember she began, “Brian, do you remember that other Brian that was our neighbor and was born the same day you were in New York?”

I replied, “Yes, mother.”

My mother continued, “Well, you know he was run over by a car in the street in front of the tenement we used to live in. Always remember that God took him and spared you because he has a plan for you. God wants you to do something special in this world. That other Brian’s life is over. Will you remember that God spared you and that he wants you to do something special with your life?”

I told my mother, “Yes, mother. I’ll remember.” And boys and girls, to this day I have always remembered what my mother told me that day.

Brian Donald O’Donovan,
teacher at Mountain Vista Continuation High School,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

We’re hearing from the federal government that the recession is over and happy days are here again. But that may not be true. Unemployment remains high, likely to hit 10 percent soon. It likely will remain at that level for awhile, say experts.

You may wonder how unemployment can still be high if the recession is over. Nobody knows for sure, but I think part of the answer is that we have exported a lot of our jobs. This started back in the last century.

The people who used to make clothes for Americans worked in the Northeast, across the South and even here on the West Coast. Now, most of the people who make clothes for Americans work in China, India, Mexico and other places.

The people who used to make cars for Americans were mostly employed in Detroit and other Great Lakes cities, or in satellite plants in other states, such as California. Now, no cars are made in California, the nation’s largest auto market.

People still make cars in Detroit, but not nearly as many as before. Now, people who make cars for Americans work in Korea, Japan, Mexico, Canada.

Even the geniuses who brought about the high-tech revolution in such places as Silicon Valley are looking for jobs. The work they once did is now being done by geniuses in China, India, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Even a lot of the people who once answered telephones for Americans don’t work here any more. Now, the makers and answerers of business telephone calls for Americans are working in offices in Asian countries.

If we want hotel beds made and rooms cleaned, restaurant dishes washed, lawns mowed, crops picked — you name it — we import people from other countries; then they, too, eventually become jobless.

In short, a lot of us simply don’t work anymore, either by choice or not. We’ve come a long way, baby.

Thank you for the articles and pictures that you published for our recent event, Heritage Day in the Park. The event was a huge success and everyone who came to watch enjoyed the action and exhibits.

We offer a special thank you to Leon Emo for his articles and photos.
The kids’ events and prizes were a great attraction. A special thanks to (the) Fresno Christian School sophomore class for coordinating the kids’ events. And the class even participated in target ball.

The Gold-rush Gunslingers were popular with their shows. The Madera Method Wagon Train kept everyone fed and watered. The car, fire engines, and one-cylinder engine displays were great.

A special thank you to all of our many sponsors who helped finance this project.

The weather cooperated with all the water events. All in all it was a spectacular day for participants and their audience.

Thank you, again, to The Madera Tribune for all your help with publicity for the event.

Jack Ogletree, president, and Pat Sunia, secretary

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

One of the things that amuses me is to try out new brands of pet food on the cat. She is a finicky eater. She will sometimes turn and walk away if I put something in her dish she doesn’t like.

A friend of mine had a cat even more finicky than the one who presently lets me live in her house. He used to rinse off his cat’s dish and put it in the dishwasher after she was through with it.The dish, when he had put food in it, was always put on a fresh paper towell on the floor.

I’m not quite that fussy, but I do treat this particular cat with a certain deference. I buy those little stacked paper bowls, the ones with cartoon characters on them, to put the cat’s food in. I think she enjoys looking at the cartoons. They show the Muppets. I haven’t seen bowls with cats and mice printed on them, or I would buy those.

I digress. I was in the pet shop the other day, loading up on their most exotic-sounding cat victuals. When I brought my armful to the counter, the customer in front of me asked an intriguing question: “Did you get my crickets for me?”

“Sure,” said the pet store man.

“I want the big ones,” the customer said.

“I got ’em,” said the clerk.

The two of them went around to another shelf, and I could hear them ooh-ing and ah-ing.
Another clerk waited on me, and I was out of the store. I had missed my chance to ask the customer what kind of pet he had that ate crickets.

I did a little research, and discovered it most likely was a lizard, or a frog; but I also learned that, in some cultures, people by the millions eat crickets, usually fried.

Was this customer frying crickets for himself? If so, he’s a better man than I am.

I hope the cat doesn’t get a taste for crickets. I can be pushed only so far.

Music Video: “Broken Promises” by Dillon Lane

When the Madera Unified Teachers’ Association (MUTA) went into negotiations last year, it was our intent to save the class-size reduction to 24.5 students to 1 teacher. The teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses took two unpaid days (about a 2 percent pay cut) to keep classes small. Those two days were also preparation days, days where we would not impact the students’ school year. Over 45 teachers were not rehired this past year due to increasing the class sizes to 24.5 to 1.

Now, the Madera Unified School District has informed us that they are raising the class sizes of kindergarten to 33 and first through third to 32. Fourth grade to 12 are already at 38 students to 1 teacher.

Last year the California School Employees’ Association (CSEA) gave 10 days (five of which the School District gave back) to Madera Unified School District in order to save jobs. This year the School District cut over 60 CSEA jobs.

The Madera Unified School District promised the community that the cuts they made would “stay away from the classrooms.” With class sizes increasing, fewer teachers teaching, and less support staff to provide for the schools, I would say that promise is broken too.

Last year only one administrative position was cut in all the cuts made last year.

Promises were made to teachers, school support staff, nurses, counselors, bus drivers, librarians and to you, the voting public, and all those promises have been broken.

By raising the class sizes to 33 and 32 students to 1 in the primary grades, the school district will lose 30 percent of the money it receives for each child. That is a 10 percent unexpected cut that the board did not anticipate in its budget. Where will the board find that extra 10 percent? I won’t say, but I am willing to bet another promise will be broken.

John F. Seybold,
1st vice president, Madera Unified Teachers’ Association

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

It’s beginning to look as though construction work actually may start in our lifetime on the California High Speed Rail System, and those of us who live in Madera will know when it’s done by that roaring sound we’ll hear each time one of the trains passes near or through our town.

We already hear a roaring sound 20 to 30 times a day as north-south Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains pass through. The UP track goes right through the center of town; the BNSF track runs east of the city.

At this point, it is hard to know how many high-speed trains will pass through or near our town, or on which route, but it is likely to be plenty. In order to pay its way, the high-speed system will have to run a lot of trains.

Transit systems that succeed do so because they offer quick and frequent service at competitive prices.

So we can expect a lot more train traffic when the high-speed rail starts running.

The cost on total build-out is being estimated at something like $45 billion for 800 miles of track and associated infrastructure. That’s about $56 million a mile. Compare that to the cost of the first transcontinental railroad, built between 1863 and 1869. That line ran from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Sacramento. Its cost averaged $28,173 per mile.

The federal government lent the railroads $50 million to build the first transcontinental railroad. On top of that, the feds made huge land grants adjacent to the railroad rights of way, complete with mineral and timber rights.

California already has approved $10 billion in bonds to get the project started, and the state has applied for the Lion’s share — more than $4 billion — of the $8 billion the federal government plans to sink into high-speed rail throughout the country.

Hang onto your hats and plug your ears.

I’m reading the Tribune of Oct. 8 (front page) and it’s the same two subjects.

First one is on how the push for legal pot goes on. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Legalize pot and tax it and at least this way the state can get money from it, and also it leaves out the drug lords and begins to put them out of the equation.

The other is the graffiti situation; don’t play dumb you who are responsible at the top. Put up a few of those walls fit for graffiti throughout the town and let them go at it.

Also, in new construction, build more wrought-iron fences, also more wire fences, and on existing fences of wood or block, plant bushes and shrubs and other greenery and that will not allow graffiti, as no one wants to do it behind the bushes.

Joe L. Urena,
Madera

Live Concert: “The Rainbow Connection” by Jason Mraz

All comments are edited for length and content. Due to content or space limitations some comments may not be published. More than one comment from the same person during the same week will normally not be published. Please limit calls to two minutes or less.

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A man, self-identified as “a Vietnam veteran, under fire in Vietnam,” said, “I love America,” and wanted “to comment on the two ladies that were complaining they should be allowed to put billboards up in Spanish. America was founded on English. It (English) always has been and always will be (used here), and if people who want to come to this country — and there’s a lot of opportunities here, and we welcome all — (they) should learn English. Let’s join America and use English.”

“Billboards in Spanish only are offensive,” said a lady. “The official language of America is English. My descendants had to learn English. I, as an English-only-speaking American, take offense at billboards printed in Spanish only.”

A woman asked, “What happened to the plans for the big shopping center north of town? I’ve been told to shop Madera, but where? Come on, city hall. New stores would mean more jobs and more money for the city of Madera. I hate having to drive to Fresno to go shopping.” (Editor’s note: Work on the Madera Town Center was delayed because part of the site was declared a wetland by the federal government, and the center had to be redesigned. The developer hopes to begin construction within the next few months.)

“The Red Line works,” said a gentleman who “went to Walmart recently. Shockingly, it’s the first time I’ve been there for months because I refused to go there because it was such a filthy mess. But the place was perfectly spotless, even the toy section. They’ve opened up some of the aisles and made them wider. I actually had a pleasant experience at the Madera Walmart, believe it or not. Apparently, all the complaints through the Red Line have done some good. Again, appreciate the Red Line.”

Many more calls were received about last week’s comment on the county laying off more than 100 workers than rehiring recent retirees as consultants. “That is really sound reasoning,” said one caller. “It is simply the good old boys protecting themselves.”

Another called “about the county laying off all kinds of workers and bringing back administrators that have already retired or resigned. What about the (Madera Unified) School District? They’re doing the same thing. They are bringing in consultants to train new hires. They should bring in people that are qualified and don’t have to be trained.”

A man wanted “to praise the animal control and graffiti control people for an outstanding job. But the flags (banners) that are hanging on the telephone poles at Cleveland and Toronado that they have banging in the wind for days. My wife and I are both disabled and we can’t sleep at night. We’ve made calls to the city and nobody wants to do anything about it. I don’t know what to do. Please tell someone to fix it or take it down.”

A man said, “On behalf of the local gangs and their drug suppliers, I would like to thank the county board of supervisors, the sheriff, the reverend … for doing something we couldn’t do. You eliminated our competition (medical marijuana outlets) and probably gave us some new customers too. We (the gangs and drug dealers) appreciate it and will be forever grateful.”

A “gravely ill, elderly woman” voiced a similar opinion. “For quite some time now I have had a medical marijuana prescription for excruciating and disabling pain. Thanks to the ruling by the uncaring supervisors, I will now have to buy my medical marijuana off some drug dealer on the street not knowing the quality or strength of what I get. Because of my pain I do not have the capability to travel out of county to fill my prescription. Thanks for all the pain and suffering, board of supervisors. With every excruciating spasm I will be thinking of you.”

An online reader, “Rick Farinelli,” writes, “How do you market Madera County? With a dedicated group like the Yosemite Sierra Visitor Bureau. This group has done more for Madera County tourism in one year than we have had for over 20 years. Thank you, (county supervisors) Tom Wheeler and Max Rodriguez, for having the vision for marketing Madera County through the Visitor Bureau.”

Another Internet visitor, “Concerned,” writes, “Howard Elementary/Middle School has had dirty water for over a year now. People were told the water contains DPCB and it may harm the reproductive system … So around September 2009 they put some water coolers outside. There seems to be a very unhealthy situation over there that the school and school district have been overlooking.”

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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 maderatribuneredline.com.

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Music Video: “Give it Time” by Molly Jensen