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Opinion
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- Written by: Darrell Jarrett
The recent Wye Fire had no sooner broken out when Cori Darling from Foods, Etc. called the Lake County Fire Department to ask where to send sandwiches and water to the firefighters on the fire line.
After giving Cori the information, I asked, “Doesn’t the store close soon?” Her reply was “We will stay open as long as we have to.”
On behalf of the fire department, I would like to thank Foods, Etc., as well as everyone else in the community, for their generous support of our men and women on the fire lines.
Darrell Jarrett of Clearlake, Calif., is treasurer of the Lake County Volunteer Firefighters Association.
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- Written by: Nelson Strasser
The Republican Party today does not understand the idea of an opposition party.
This was not always true. Nixon for example, when he ran for president in 1968, vowed to end the war in Vietnam. Nixon did fulfill his vow, albeit seven years and a lot of needless deaths and suffering later.
However, this iteration of the Republican Party, instead of opposing these, unpopular wars (according to polls), amongst other important issues, chooses to run on tired and oversimplified clichés like “The Free Enterprise System can fix it all” and cutting taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations is the answer.
This creates a problem for them: They have to start history in 2008.
War and debt and financial debacle and employment came into office with Obama, and so it follows that he caused them. The Latin expression for this bit of illogic is “post hoc ergo propter hoc,” which means, “after this, therefore because of this,” assuming a mere chronological relationship to be a causal one.
The Republicans have modified this notion to apply it to Obama: “After him, therefore because of him.”
Now, here is the magic trick: Disappear George Bush. There is not now, nor has there ever been, a George Bush. The Republicans never, and I mean never, mention Bush. Why?
Because the Republicans had the very same message eleven years ago. And, what did they do? They started two expensive wars and cut taxes at the same time and thus built a prodigious deficit.
And, although Bush did not cause the financial debacle of 2008, his philosophy of free market capitalism fueled the fires of deregulation that culminated in that disaster. They bring out the same tired act that we gave the “hook” to last time.
One is reminded of the words of the character, Melvin Udall, played by Jack Nicholson, in the movie As Good as it gets: “Sell crazy somewhere else, we’re full up here.”
We need an opposition to failed policies, not a repetition of them. Sadly, the Republican cure would be worse than the Democratic disease.
Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Randy Ridgel
Soviet Union government control brought 70 of misery to the Russians. Conversely, our capitalist republic has been a generous miracle that for the first time in history avoided wretched poverty and oppression for its people. However, it is balanced on a cusp and can slide too far right or left.
From the Civil War to the turn of the century, rich Republicans ran the country. Their factories fouled our air and water. Since they owned the government, whatever they wanted, even if stupid, became law.
Progressive Republican Teddy Roosevelt began a reversal and by the depression Democrats took over. Rich Democrats now run the government. Whatever they want, even if stupid, becomes law.
In medieval times many believed broken glass dipped in goat’s blood became diamonds. Had he lived then, Al Gore would have become wealthy peddling goat’s blood and broken glass as settled science.
There is precisely the same amount of evidence to prove goat’s blood will convert broken glass into diamonds as there is to prove manmade global warming. However, thanks to Gore, the CO2 that we exhale is now illegal pollution.
We already enforce gun control but many liberals want gun elimination. Will dedicated killers surrender their guns?
James Holmes casually shot 70 people in Aurora, Colo. How many shootings would have been avoided if everyone in that movie house was armed to shoot back? What if all passengers on 9/11 possessed guns with airplane-safe hard rubber bullets to fire at hijackers?
To convert blacks to Democrat, Lyndon Johnson signed laws to support black families and protect blacks from law-breaking and lynching. Before that, between the years 1900 to 1950 the number lynched was 502, mostly young black men.
In 2010 over 15,000 people were murdered, largely young black men killed by young black men. Before federal help, black teenage pregnancy was a tiny 3 percent – now far greater. Is this a new slavery?
To create new Democrats, liberals work furiously to do to Hispanic families what they did to blacks. Are you Hispanics sure you want government help from Democrats?
Most super-rich government folks are now liberals. They destroy businesses and jobs with onerous environmental laws although air and water were long ago cleaned up by conservative engineers.
Liberals know nothing about cleaning up anything; they always aim for the Soviet solution – government control.
Randy Ridgel lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
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- Written by: Annelle Durham
I just picked up a new book called “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes.
After reading the forward I had to put it down and digest it for awhile. It seems that once again corporations have had a say in policies that affect our health.
If you thought that we were done with that problem when the surgeon general put that nice little message on cigarette packages, well, you and I were both wrong.
The only authority I am willing to rely on these days with regards to what foods are good for me is my body, and my body recoils at the thought of food engineered to produce a pesticide like genetically engineered corn.
I do not believe the full story is out yet on genetically engineered foods and until it is these foods need to be labeled.
We have the right to know the full story about the food we are eating and labeling engineered ingredients will be one more step in that direction; just like labeling for sodium, fat, and country of origin.
To that end, I will be voting yes on Proposition 37 in November.
Annelle Durham lives in Upper Lake, Calif.