By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

I am happy for Sarah Shourd, the 32-year-old American hiker and resident of Damascus, Syria, who was freed last week from Iran, where she had been held for more than 13 months. She and two other hikers, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 28, were arrested by Iranians for entering Iran illegally. They were charged with spying and thrown in prison to await trial.

Naturally, they became pawns in the publicity shell game between Iran and the United States. Shourd wasn’t released until somebody — we’re not sure who, yet — paid $500,000 bail.

While it is a good thing Shourd was released, I am wondering if she realizes how stupid she and her two fellow hikers must appear. Let’s see how dumb they really appear to be.

You decide to go on a hike in Afghanistan, a war zone, right on the Iranian border, where people shoot at each other with the same regularity that they have lunch. Unless you have an IQ of about 30, and don’t know how to read a map, you should realize you are in dangerous territory. You could be shot at, either by Afghani forces, by al-Qaida followers, by Taliban fighters or by Iranian troops guarding their borders. You could be killed, rocks could be rolled over your corpses, and it’s unlikely anyone would find you.

Sure in the knowledge that providence looks out for idiots, however, you set out on your trek. But providence happens to be looking the other way that day, and you wind up being arrested. You are charged with spying. Your presence in Iran wastes a lot of U.S. government time and money, and presents Iran with a good excuse to tweak Uncle Sam’s nose.

Your idiocy also has cost somebody $500,000 — which you, apparently, have no way or intention of paying back unless you return to Iran for trial.

Next time, stay home.

Jim Glynn’s article on poverty needs some clearing up. He referred to the current poverty level as the Second Great Depression. Hold on, wait a minute. Evidently Mr. Glynn wasn’t there, and never listened to his grandparents.

People in the 1930s had nothing. Clothes on their back, working 10-12 hours for a dollar. Soup kitchens, where you had to walk there and stand in line for a slice of bread and a bowl of soup. Nothing!

Today, in this “Great Depression,” welfare gives you a food allowance (EBT debit card), housing, medical and baby allowance. Those receiving these entitlements also have a car, cell phones, television, play stations and cable service. Low- and assisted-rental units have pools, weight (exercise) rooms and some even have solar to help reduce their power bills, Lifeline telephone service and now they are entitled to (drum roll) FREE Internet access. Which means they have a computer.

If you went to the fair on Sunday, judging from the crowd, there is no recession. People have money. They are just not reporting it. Many work for cash or have an “under the radar” Internet business. Obesity was not a problem in the ’30s.

My dad made $22 a week when he and my mom married. He got a $2 raise after their Labor Day weekend honeymoon. He got a day off. If you want to hear some real stories, talk to those that came from West Virginia coal country. In the ’50s and ’60s there was still a company store. “Saint Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go, I owe my soul to the company store.” Country music was good then because it told the true story.

Now, a family of five is allowed to make $25,790 a year. So what do they do? They become a family of eight, and can receive $37,010. Hey, Jim, that $37,000 was ours. Go figure.

Bill Hoffrage,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

This week, I had the time to drive around on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley a little, and as usual I felt invigorated by the trip. Motoring along Madera and Fresno counties’ beautiful fields and orchards is always a reminder of the genius of American agriculture, especially the agriculture of Central California.

But one thing punctuated this trip — the clear presence of frustration and anger at Congress and three politicians and their votes on water policy. Signs are everywhere.

Farmers and field workers on the West Side have been profoundly affected by the federal court’s decision to limit supplies of irrigation water from the Delta.

“Stop the Congress-caused drought,” the signs say. Other signs blame the lack of water on Sen. Barbara Boxer, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jim Costa. All are Democrats.

This year, because of more rain and snow in the Sierras, more water was released to farms on the West Side, so the effects of the drought are less evident right now. But that may not be the case next year. It already looks like water will be withheld once again.

The decision to withhold is based on the court’s interpretation of environmental protection laws. In essence, those laws have been interpreted and amended to give so-called endangered species co-equal rights with humans.

These laws have Democrat fingerprints all over them, and it is the supporters of Democrats who want those laws strengthened, as if they weren’t strong enough already.

The anger over this, reflected in these hundreds of signs along the roads, is palpable. Boxer, Pelosi and Costa couldn’t be elected garbage collectors if the farmers and farmworkers had enough votes or influence.

The new environmental laws of the past 20 years have been policy-wonk legislation. Government by detail. Government by rolling over those least likely to be able to do anything about it. Government by demonizing one’s opponents. Sound familiar?

You want to know why there is a Tea Party? Drive through the West Side and count the signs.

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.

+ + +

A man said, “You advertise you open at 6 a.m. and I waited a half-hour to pay my bill and nobody answered the phone.”

A hard-to-understand woman said, “We don’t need another casino. You have two casinos miles away. That’s enough.”

A man responded to “the lady all upset in the Red Line about the casino. For all those people upset about the casino, think for a minute. The casino is not going to be a problem for the people that live here. They are going to gamble anyway at the two casinos in the hills. It’s going to bring out-of-town people, especially being located on Highway 99, and those people are going to spend money here.

“Those people opposed should check with the county supervisors on how much revenue the Chukchansi casino has brought into the county. They should also understand, the Madera people that gamble at Table Mountain … only benefits Fresno County. They might as well build a casino here and keep the money in Madera County.”

Three calls were received on the condition of the county roads. “They’re the same as they were 20 years ago,” said one caller. “Have you ever driven through Fresno County? They are smooth, wide and in good condition. What happened to our tax money to fix these miserable roads in Madera County?” Another said, “The county roads are so bad, if you drive at night and hit a hole you could swerve into oncoming traffic and get killed.”

A man called “to thank the two ladies who have been running copies for the staff at James Monroe School. They did a great job of helping out. Especially at this time, with budget crunch. A special thank you from James Monroe.”

A “disappointed parent,” wanted to call “concerning the hiring of African Americans here in the city of Madera. My children put in applications with the same qualifications as their Hispanic friends. However, their friends get a call back for interviews and my children don’t. This has been happening for years. Most of them even get the jobs.”

A woman said, “This is concerning a rival volleyball game across town. There should have been a dress code. Sports bras, shorts up to the cheek of your butt is not appropriate. The varsity coach should check out her attire before bending over. We’re not there for a free show. It would be nice to enjoy the game.”

A woman called while driving, about something that happened “on Road 27,” but there was too much wind noise to discern the rest of the message.

A lady said, “Have you gone out Avenue 12? The county is not working on that. It is a regular contractor. The job has been punctually done, quickly repaired, faster than you can blink an eye. Conversely, they have been digging holes over here on Avenue 17. I drove by and there were seven men from the county holding shovels. The joke is right. This is our tax money. It looks stupid. Out on Avenue 12 they’re not city or county workers. They’re independent and do a great job.”

A woman thanked “graffiti abatement for doing such a speedy job on my fence. I called it in, in the morning, and by noon they had taken care of it.”

A man and a woman from North Fork wondered “why the Madera Fair starts at 3 p.m. They are missing a lot of customers, both seniors and people from the hills who would appreciate if they would open earlier so they could enjoy the fair.”

A “saddened” woman said, “buyer beware. I just bought a new product (name not understood or spelled) that is supposed to contain an active live (something) that is supposed to be good for you. Guess what? It is made in Mexico. You know what their laws are. Buyers beware.”

Another man had a similar comment. “I wouldn’t go to or buy anything from Mexico. The drug cartels down there rule the country. Pretty soon we’ll all be getting drug-laced products that will make us all drug addicts so they can sell more drugs to us.”

An online contributor said, “In regards to the publishing of public employee salaries that is making the news up and down the state of California: All city, county and state employees should not think it is embarrassing that this information is public knowledge. As a public servant, it is everyone’s business. They should be able to satisfactorily answer any neighbor, friend, or guy on street the who asks about what they do for a wage.”

+ + +

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

The Madera Tribune and the Madera community are blessed to have Tami Jo Nix as a goodwill ambassador for our wonderful town.

Labor Day weekend, Tami Jo personally went to correct an error in the obituary column. It was very important to the grieving family to have this problem rectified. We will forever be thankful to her. She is a “Maderan.”

We appreciate her very much for her kindness.

Carles Beckett family,
Henry Howell family,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

A public briefing will be held in Madera Sept. 28 to catch us up on what is happening in the planning phase of the High-Speed Rail system, and it will be interesting to see whether anything new has been decided.

Will a decision have been made on which route the rail system will pursue through the county? Will we learn where the heavy-maintenance facility will be located? Will we learn anything new about the financial projections that seem to get worse all the time?

The routes suggested so far would either tear up farmland or tear up the county’s two cities, with no long- or even short-term benefit. No stop is planned in Madera, nor would you expect one, because our population is so small. In fact, one wonders why they’re bringing the train up the Valley at all. True, stops are planned for Bakersfield, Fresno and Merced, but one questions whether enough people would take advantage of those stops to make the billions the Valley route will cost worthwhile.

The least problematic and most profitable route would be along the I-5 corridor, from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

Madera County (along with Kern, Fresno and Merced counties), is hoping to be chosen as the site for the heavy-maintenance facility, where the high-speed trains would be assembled and repaired. The facility is seen as a source of some 1,500 jobs, which is supposed to make us all drool, but the fact is that those jobs — at least the ones that pay well — will be highly technical, and likely filled by out-of-towners, or even people from outside the country. Even the recently named chief executive officer of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, Roelof van Ark, came from a French-owned company.

In fact, a lot of money the system spends will go to foreigners because that’s where the technology for high-speed rail equipment and maintenance resides. Think China. Think France. Think Japan. Those countries have had high-speed rail systems for more than a generation.

The Sept. 28 meeting should be enlightening.

America was founded to provide a safe haven where anyone could come and practice the religion of their choice. Americans instituted and established such matters unless, of course, something violated our civil laws.

So, the point is, anyone can live here as long as they accept the contract between the people and the government that says, “Do what you want, just don’t break the law or bother anyone else as you carry out your business, whether it be religious, commercial, or otherwise.”

America is a land of freedom and peace. America is a land of tolerance and diversity. It is, strangely enough, a land that is so powerful and believes in individual freedom of expression, thought, speech, print, etc., that those citizens who choose not to, do not even have to pledge allegiance to the flag, which is the symbol of the Constitution that guarantees them these freedoms.

Citizens whose consciences dictate that they must not serve in the armed forces of this great country are exempt from military services.

Individuals who want to burn the symbol of our freedom and liberty, “Old Glory,” may do so without fear of punishment from the government, although such an act may very well earn the disapproval and condemnation of those around the who do not think “Old Glory” should be mistreated or disrespected. I personally disapprove of the act of burning our flag as a means of protest. I believe there are other ways to get a point across. Nevertheless, the law is the law until it is abrogated or otherwise repealed or nullified.

We are a country that believes in freedom. But common sense dictates that freedom should go hand-in-hand with responsibility. I do not believe the pastor of the church in Gainesville, Fla., acted with common sense or with love in his heart when he announced he would burn a copy(ies) of The Holy Quran. That book is considered by millions to represent the word of God. The public burning of that book is certainly not outlawed. However, I would think that the pastor of a Christian church would not even consider committing such a provocative act. Jesus Christ came into this world and died on the cross to show us how, by his example, that the only way to treat our enemies is to love them.

Burning a copy of the Holy Quran is not an act of love. I am truly disappointed that the face of America many Muslims around the world will have is that of that pastor in Gainesville. America is a better country than that.

And remember, folks, in this country, when someone wants to disrespect another’s religion, we had all better condemn that act right away, because disrespecting someone’s religion is contagious. Tomorrow it might be our religion someone is condemning.

I am from New York and I want to tell you that I believe that individuals who committed that atrocity on Sept. 11, 2001, were misguided individuals who were filled with hate that led them in an act of revenge to their own self- destruction. But I refuse to let my Sept. 11 every year be colored or defined by that heinous act. As a Christian — and as a Catholic — I pray for those who died so horribly that day and I ask God to forgive those who carried out that terrible deed. In The Lord’s Prayer it says, “… Forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us…”

Jesus Christ commands us always to forgive. I believe, more than anything else, that is what Christ’s message was to the world then, now, and always. Didn’t Jesus say that the two greatest commandments were: “Love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself?”

I believe Pastor Terry Jones’ congregation should look for another pastor. Christ’s gospel is s gospel of love — not hate. And on behalf of all Americans who feel that same way I do. I apologize to Muslim bothers and sisters for the un-Christian-like actions of that man in Gainesville.

Brian Donald O’Donovan,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Christine O’Donnell of Delaware has scared the pants off the Republican Party. The Republicans in Delaware and elsewhere, as well as Democrats, went out of their way to trumpet why O’Donnell couldn’t be elected as a dog-catcher. But she managed to pound her GOP Senate primary opponent, nine-term Rep. Mike Castle, into the dirt.

The day after O’Donnell’s victory, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which initially had reservations about O’Donnell, stepped up like a good soldier to offer its support, along with a $42,000 campaign contribution.

O’Donnell’s victory, as well as showing her own effectiveness as a darling of the Delaware Tea Party, which supported her, also showed the power of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a Republican king- and queen-maker. Palin had endorsed O’Donnell, much to the hoots and catcalls of fellow Republicans, not to mention Democrats.

As late as noon on Tuesday, GOP biggies were saying Palin had shot herself in the foot by endorsing O’Donnell, who didn’t have a chance of winning. But now the GOP might have red faces. They were, of course, concerned about the baggage O’Donnell will bring with her into the final campaign.

That baggage, as Republican strategist Karl Rove reminded us, includes financial problems. She almost lost her house to foreclosure. The IRS has issued liens against her. She has been accused of misappropriating campaign contributions. But none of that seemed to phase the GOP voters who picked her. They apparently were looking for someone more visceral than the moderate Castle, who the polls said was most likely to beat Democrat challenger and New Castle County Executive Chris Coons. They were looking for someone like Palin, or who Palin would anoint.

The Alaska hockey mom and the Delaware unelectable have kicked sand in the faces of the GOP know-it-alls, who will either fight back or give in. That will make it a more interesting campaign from here on.

New immigrants
Crossing the border
Like a bug, climbing up the wall
Trying to reach the view of above.
Our people in here
Waiting for a reform
As the sun burning
Like a volcano erupting in Hawaii.
While our people working,
Picking up grapes, the sweat of their face is like rain
that God sends.
Vineyards are full of pesticides that makes your head hurt.
They see us as criminals.
All we want is to work.
Afraid of police, acting as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE)
Deporting people
As how animals are returned to their nature.
Raids are separating families,
Kids are crying.
Reform is opportunity for all.

Jose E. Chavez,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Criminologists are still scratching their heads over why crime rates have gone down nationwide. In general, they had thought the recession would result in more people committing crimes because they couldn’t get jobs in other fields.

But that didn’t happen. Fewer people have been committing crimes, even though the economy has remained flat.

One thing the criminologists, such as members of the American Society of Criminologists, don’t seem to consider is the most obvious: Police are working harder and more crooks are locked up.

Back in 1990, when determinant sentencing laws began to take hold, California had a total population of 29.8 million, and a prison population of 94,122. In 2009, the total population of California was estimated to be 37 million, an increase of 24 percent over 1990. However, the prison population was 166,569 — an increase of 76 percent. More crooks are in jail. Therefore, they are not committing crimes — at least not against the civilian population.

Those numbers don’t count those on probation and parole.

Police are working harder, and smarter, too. Investigative techniques have improved with the proliferation of such things as video surveillance cameras and improved forensic techniques, such as DNA analysis. Law enforcement agencies also over the years have done a better job of sharing criminal information among jurisdictions.

And, one result of the 9/11 attacks, the ninth anniversary of which we just observed, has been better policing at every level.

Locally, the California Highway Patrol, the Madera Police Department and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office are working to keep petty crime at bay. That’s because petty crime makes the public furious, and because petty criminals often are felons in training, more likely to reoffend.

Speeders, DUI offenders, graffiti taggers, car prowlers, agricultural criminals and drug offenders are being rounded up and punished.

There may be sociological reasons, as well, why the crime rate dropped 5.6 percent last year, according to the Associated Press. But the law enforcement community doing its job better probably is the biggest reason.