Tomorrow will be the observation of Earth Day, and it seems appropriate that the Icelandic volcano is roaring out of the very Earth that Earth Day fans are trying to save. A lot of folks right now wish the Earth would just leave them alone.
If we were honest, we’d know it isn’t the Earth that needs saving. We need saving from the Earth, and that is the way it has been since we first wandered out of the Garden of Eden.
From the beginning, the Earth pounded us with its best shots — ice ages, volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, droughts and wild animals which saw us as food. And it hasn’t let up.
Yes, we need saving from the Earth. It has helped that our ancestors learned to make fire, hunt, farm, domesticate animals, make clothes, build things and defend themselves with something besides their bare hands. Earth is not a naturally friendly place.
Yes, it gives us much, especially when we’re clever enough to extract its gifts. And it is beautiful when it’s not trying to kill us. But it doesn’t need saving.
However, one thing we have learned is that our own experiences on Earth are better if our environment is clean. If our water is clean, if our air is clean, if we don’t leave a lot of garbage around, our lives become better.
And that may be what Earth Day should be all about. When it started, the nation’s air and water needed cleaning up — and for the most part that happened. But we know the things we do create new pollution, and that needs to be addressed.
For example, we will need more electricity in the future than we can even conceive of right now, and that won’t be pollution free. Generating electricity by any means creates new pollution woes.
Perhaps Earth Day, at best, is a reminder we can’t let our guard down.
Sheriff John Anderson’s “When I came here the Sheriff’s Department was mediocre at best” remark at the candidates forum in Chowchilla was a slap in the face to former and current employees of the Sheriff’s Department.
He came from a state agency with abundant resources readily available to him. A county agency has a limited budget and fewer resources to work with. Sheriffs Bates, Berkely, and Seymour, in their years, produced well-trained officers, dispatchers and clerical staff, and made much progress professionally even while dealing with those limited funds and resources.
I have no doubt that under Sheriff Anderson there have been many improvements and much more progress made. But to label the department and its dedicated employees as “mediocre” was uncalled for.
I’ve been noticing lately that my stomach is making un- usual noises — unusual for a stomach, that is. For instance, it will make little sounds that sound like “whoop!” When has your stomach sounded like that? Not often, I’ll bet.
Over the years, my stomach has gurgled and growled, just as a good stomach should do when it’s hungry or when it has indigestion. But I’m not so sure it should go whoop!
I suppose I’ll get used to it. We humans can get used to al- most anything, including a whooping stomach, I suppose. I’m not sure anybody else has heard my stomach whoop. If they have, they kindly have said nothing about it. But they later may have thought, or said to a friend, “That is the strangest sound I’ve ever heard a stomach make.”
When we’re used to things that sound one way, we take notice , and perhaps are alarmed when they begin to sound another way.
When one drives one’s car every day, and it always sounds the same, one becomes suspicious almost immediately when the car sounds differently.
When the neighbor’s dog barks, you don’t notice it much unless the sound of the bark changes. We have a dog in our neighborhood that seems to bark every day after its owners put it in the backyard and go to work. The barking always sounds the same. But the other day, it sounded different. I walked down the alley to see what was going on with the dog, and it looked the same. It’s bark, however, was deeper somehow. Not by much, but deeper. Nevertheless, it was still a bark.
If the dog had starting going “whoop” instead of “whoof,” I would not have been surprised to find a sea lion in the neigh- bor’s back yard instead of a dog.
If enough of us start having whooping stomachs, someone may start a support group, and I may attend a couple of meetings, just to see what’s happening.
Most of Madera missed a wonderful opportunity to meet artist Joanne Margosian-Morris Saturday at the opening of her show at the Circle Gallery.
The event, sponsored by the Madera County Arts Council, offered champagne, terrific hors d’oeuvres, and the chance to speak with the artist and the executive director of the Arts Council, Dr. Pamela Beecher.
The exhibit of Ms. Margosian-Morris’s work will be on display through May. Citizens of Madera should support their local art gallery, especially when the event is free and open to all. You do not have to be a member of the Arts Council, although it would benefit all citizens of Madera city and county to become a member and participate in the cultural development of our community.
I am a former Maderan, born and reared. I graduated from Madera Union High School in 1966. I lived in Madera until 1979, when my career called me to Northern California.
One of the Republican candidates for the 29th State Assembly seat is Don McKinney. I am sure that many of you know Don. He and I played Little League baseball together, as well as Babe Ruth baseball. When we got too old to play we coached youth baseball together. The late Tony Crump was one of our star players. Don and I stood and applauded together with tears in our eyes the minute man first landed on the moon while we were at Candlestick Park watching the Giants beat the Dodgers that day July 20, 1969.
Twenty two years later there is Don, waiting for me in Fresno’s Selland Arena when I returned from the Gulf War. To this day we remain very close friends.
I don’t write this just to say Don is a “good” guy. I write this because I have known Don for over 50 years, which makes me a good authority as to his ability and desire to serve the public. I know Don as a man of strong character and personal integrity. Over the years I’ve developed a deep respect for Don, mostly because he is always drawn to do what is right and is always willing to fight against those things that are not right, whether it is a bad call from the umpire or some silly legislation or decision that restricts water supplies to the Central Valley.
Don has always demonstrated himself to be a true leader. He has served as director and chairman of the board of Central California Almond Growers. He was director and chairman of the Agricultural Council of California. Don has been a member of the Madera County Farm Bureau for more than 17 years. He is also a member of Blue Diamond Growers. Additionally, Don was appointed to consecutive four-year terms to the Madera District Fair Board, as well to the chair of the Public Health and Safety Committee of the Madera County Grand Jury.
My favorite of all, he is a founding director of the Madera Youth Association and Madera Youth Baseball League.
If you reside within the 29th Assembly District — the seat presently held by Mike Villines — and you want to be represented by a politician or a lawyer in the State Assembly, and want to continue to see our state’s economy deteriorate then Don McKinney may not be your man. Don is not an attorney or politician. He is a farmer and businessman who wants to fix the problems in California, particularly those that relate to the Central Valley. Don has a very keen awareness and understanding of why we, as Californians, are losing our personal freedoms.
Don wants the return of the industries that have left the state and the jobs that left with those industries. Don will fight to reverse the downward spiral we are currently experiencing. He will fight for strengthening our economy, not by raising taxes, but voting for and writing legislation that will promote the creation of jobs in the private sector. I know all of this because as I wrote above, I know Don McKinney.
I urge you to go to the polls in June and vote for Don McKinney as your next state assemblyman. Not registered to vote? Now is a great time.
News that a poll shows that 80 percent of Americans mistrust the federal government is interesting, but sort of ho-hum. The big news would have been if 80 percent of Americans had been shown to actually trust the government.
Don’t believe me? Here are what some people who are much smarter than I am say about this:
“Our country was founded on a distrust of government. Our founding fathers gave power to the people to keep an eye on government. So when politicians say, Trust me, they’re actually being very un-American.” — David Duchovny, X-Files star
“There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against des-pots. What is it? Distrust.” — Demosthenes
“What the government is good at is collecting taxes, taking away your freedoms and killing people. It’s not good at much else.” — Tom Clancy, author
“It’s important to realize that whenever you give power to politicians or bureaucrats, it will be used for what they want, not for what you want.” — Harry Browne, Libertarian presidential nominee
“The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.” — Tacitus, Roman senator and historian
“The more prohibitions there are, the poorer the people will be. The more laws are promulgated, the more thieves and bandits there will be.” — Lao-tzu, The Tao Te Ching
“People constantly speak of ‘the government’ doing this or that, as they might speak of God doing it. But the government is really nothing but a group of men, and usually they are very inferior men.” — H.L. Mencken, author and journalist
“It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.” — Thomas Sowell, newspaper columnist
I am writing to clarify the story by Mr. Coate about the Chowchilla candidates forum last Wednesday.
First the headline that all “13 touted their conservatism” is in error, because I am certainly not a conservative. I consider myself a moderate Central Valley mom. (Editor’s note: Coate did not write the headline.)
Second, his statement that I said the U.S. Constitution was not meant for minorities when it was created leaves an air of incompleteness which I need to clarify.
Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution states the Constitution only considered free persons and those bound to service for a term of years. Indians were excluded and blacks, who were considered property, were only counted as three fifths of all other persons.
During the debate I emphasized that I know the Constitution had flaws, because blacks were not considered whole persons. At the debate, I stated we can, as Americans, change and correct those original flaws through amendments and judicial review. I said this for the education of the students present. I am also a teacher.
Considering blacks as only property was corrected by the 14th Amendment. The original error in denying women the right to vote was corrected by the 19th Amendment. Equal protection and rights under American law were not given to minorities and women until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women were not given the right to equal pay until President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
As a member of the Madera Unified School Board, I pledged my faith to the U.S. Constitution and the State of California and to abide by all laws. As an attorney and a licensed California physician, I am also strictly bound by the U.S. Constitution and the laws of California. The Constitution was and is the basic framework for our country, but it was not a perfect document, because it was created by men.
I just wanted to clear up the ambiguous statement from the Saturday paper because many fear minorities are un-American. I have many veterans in my family and my family farming traces back generations into days of slavery. I am wholly American and the U.S. is my only country. Let there be no confusion. ’Nuff said.
Dr. Loraine Goodwin, MD, JD
Candidate for Congress,
Congressional District 19,
Madera
Most of us probably share the notion that the more choices one has, the better off one is. For example, if one goes to the grocery store and is able to choose from 10 brands of canned beans, one is likely to be more satisfied than if one only has two or three brands from which to choose.
I had thought that to be true until I read about research that shows otherwise. Some of that research is described in the book, “The Art of Choosing,” by Sheena Iyengar. I haven’t read the book, but I read a review of it in The Wall Street Journal, and that review tells of an experiment in a Palo Alto grocery store by a psychologist.
She set up two sample counters, one with 24 different jars of jam and one with six jars. She had thought the 24-jar counter would attract more tasters and sell more jam than the six-jam counter. I would have agreed. In fact, I would have insisted she was right.
Well, the opposite happened. The counter with the fewest choices attracted more tasters and sold more jam.
I have not seen any such experiments with cat food, which is probably a good thing. People shouldn’t be bringing cats into grocery stores, or even pet shops, to taste food. Cats are trouble enough at home, especially at dinner time.
The cat at our house doesn’t like to be taken anyplace, because when Mrs. Doud takes her in the car, it usually is to the vet’s office. The cat prefers to stay home, and wants the food brought to her. In that respect, we’re alike.
I don’t know what would happen if I put out several bowls of food for her at once, to see which she would like the best. Knowing this cat, I predict she would eat them all as fast as possible and demand more. I might ask her which she liked the most, but I think all she would do is yowl or rub ankle. That would be no experiment at all.
All comments are edited for length and content. Because of 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 woman asked, “Did you read the scriptures printed on the Bridge Store advertisement? It is a blessing to know people do this, and the Nishimoto family is also blessed.”
A lady said, “I was instructed to call the Red Line with this information,” and began to express “thanks to the (Madera County) Food Bank. At least one person of every five in this world goes to bed hungry, as my children and I did years ago. When I receive the delicious food and commodities, I am filled with gratitude to you that donate, that serve and who pay for the food.”
A woman wanted “to thank Mr. Bradford for his excellent letter to the editor and also Bill Hoffrage. They write excellent letters.” She also remembered Gordon Skeels “and his letters and hope he starts writing letters again. They need to speak out in what’s happening in our nation.”
“For all you people who are complaining about firemen working out at the gym and staying in shape,” said a gentleman, “the next time one of them comes to your house to haul your 200-pound butt out of a burning building, carrying 75 pounds of gear on their back, maybe you won’t be complaining about them staying in shape.”
Another man called on the same subject. “For those complaining about firefighters working out at the gym I’m glad to see them go to the gym. I want firefighters to be in shape when they come to rescue my family.”
He also “talked to a firefighter about ambulance and fire responses. It is a matter of priorities. Sometime the fire engine does not go, just the ambulance. They do a hard job and we should give them an ‘atta-boy’ instead of picking on them all the time.”
A woman “disagreed with the man who said “the valley didn’t get any (federal) stimulus money. Where did the money come from to work on Lake Street?” However, she “did agree that the taxpayers of Madera County are being cheated big time. I won’t be voting for any of the supervisors because they are just taking the taxpayers money and doing what they want to do with it.”
A man “just read about Madera County’s $17 million shortfall. I think now would be a great time to reduce the cost of Madera County government by cutting the board of supervisors positions back to half-time jobs. They don’t do that much. They don’t need to be paid that much for attending social events and things like that.”
“I’m calling about the ongoing thing with the Madera Unified School District,” said a lady. “I am really dismayed on how they chose to close Dixieland school.
“At Howard School, the water has been bad there for many years and it’s costing a lot. The whole school needs a major overhaul. And Madison school seems mainly to be serving just leftover children from other schools.” Her message also supported teachers and all they do for the children before her time expired.
“They had a big article in the paper about (mixed martial arts fighter) Lavar Johnson,” said a woman. “It said he was going to be fighting at the Save Mart Center on March 26, and I never have seen anything in the sports page or the Tribune to see who won.”
An online reader commented: “So what happened to the MUSD’s zero-tolerance policy? Two girls were caught smoking marijuana at John Adams Elementary School this morning and were merely suspended for five days. They are now the talk of the school and are being idolized by other children!
“Isn’t elementary school a little young for such behavior? Where are these students’ parents, and why was the zero- tolerance policy used in this matter? Is it because the principal doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelers?”
Another visitor to the Red Line Web site commented about the new health care laws: ”I’m sorry, but if you’re not a legal citizen or here legally you should not get health care. We cannot afford to treat our own people as it is. If the government is treating illegals, they are taking money away from our own families. I don’t mean to sound cruel, but the truth is we are broke.”
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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 the Red Line online at www.maderatribuneredline.com.
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Live Music: “If No One Ever Marries Me” by Natalie Merchant
President Obama’s promise yesterday that Americans would fly safely to Mars and back in his lifetime raises one big question: Why?
We already have sent robot explorers to Mars and they have established that the Red Planet is what it looks like from big telescopes on Earth and in space — a barren clod of reddish rocks and dirt.
If the Mars mechanical explorers had found fields of grass, forests, brooks, lakes and oceans, it might be worth going up there. But nothing like that has been seen, nor is it likely. Mars has been photographed from every angle. It has been crawled across by treaded machines. The only thing we are even remotely sure about after all that is at some point Mars may have had enough water on it to create ice at its poles.
Astronauts, naturally, want to fly to Mars, because they don’t want to have to learn a new occupation, such as flying jetliners. Compared to going to Mars, flying a jetliner must be like peddling a tricycle.
Obama said we would first send people to land on an asteroid, which might make some sense. Some astronomers believe a big asteroid will head right for us one day, and we would want to know how to shove it out of the way so we could be spared extinction should the asteroid hit. You’ve all seen the movie. Astronauts fly up to the astroid, and using the rockets or nuclear bombs, they move the asteroid out of the way a bit so it goes somewhere else.
We humans think we can do anything. After all, we sent people to the moon. But we stopped going there because it wasn’t worth it. Didn’t we learn from that?
We ended the shuttle program because it became too routine. Somehow, I don’t think that makes sense. Is the space program supposed to be science — or entertainment? If entertainment is the answer, turn it over to Hollywood.
