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Opinion
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- Written by: Nelson Strasser
A few of the Lake County Supervisors have launched an attack on marijuana. Yet, there is a drug that is used by all of us, kills more people than cancer, and yet is never referred to as a drug: food.
Foods are chemicals which may soothe the soul, dull sharp feelings, and change consciousness. Foods can be lethal: suicide by fork. Hyperbole?
In the Korean War, and again in the Vietnam War, American dead, ages 18-21, were autopsied, and a large percentage of them had advanced arterial blockage, or atherosclerosis.
In 1993, another study was done of deceased men around 26 years of age, and almost 80 percent had coronary disease, of that group, 20 percent had 50 percent occlusion (blockage) in their main arteries to the heart, and 9 percent had more than 70 percent occlusion.
This is a major health disaster and no miracle cure is needed; simply a low fat diet will do the trick. And that would mean less than 25 percent of food calories in fat (the percentage is derived by dividing the number of calories in fat by the total calories). Few labels return such a measure. (The A.M.A. says one third, but does not support that percentage with evidence).
I used to argue with my father about diet. He would quote Socrates, “All things in moderation.” I would respond that this was an issue about threshold, and that over a certain amount of fat consumed can cause people begin to have arterial blockage.
So, I would answer, “All things in moderation” including “all things in moderation.” His death turned out to be my own most eloquent argument.
An organization I belong to had a potluck recently and there was ice cream, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, and other high fat snacks of various kinds. This is not sane behavior. We see fat people everywhere and start to think that fat is normal. No, fat is not normal, it is average, and those two notions are not the same.
High fat foods stare at us from the shelves at the strangest places, even the hardware store. That stressful trip to buy a hammer evidently needs to be soothed by a chocolate bar before emotional equilibrium can return.
So, here is a bit of absolute insanity: one needs a medical card to obtain marijuana, which by all accounts is an effective pain reliever, but not for a candy bar or cheeseburger, which will kill you at worst (over time), and necessitate a roto-rooter of the major arteries at best.
So, in a blatant example of “you spot it, you got it” we have a lot of “foodies” waddling around condemning marijuana users for trying to alleviate pain while they are on the very same mission.
“Ah,” you say, “but that’s different.” How so?
Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
I’m writing to express my appreciation to the residents of District 1 for the opportunity to get to know you throughout the recently concluded supervisorial campaign, and for the kindness and good wishes you extended to me during the past five months.
I’m especially grateful to the campaign committee and the dedicated volunteers and other supporters who helped us create such an exemplary, issue-oriented campaign. Your hard work and enthusiasm were a model for what local politics can and should be, and it has been a joy collaborating with you.
I’m now looking forward to your continuing friendship and partnership as we move forward together to build the bright future our children and grandchildren deserve.
I also want to extend my congratulations to Supervisor Jim Comstock on his victory, and my best wishes for his continuing service to the community. I look forward to working with him on projects that benefit District 1 and all of Lake County.
Victoria Brandon lives in Lower Lake, Calif.
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- Written by: Randy Ridgel
I frequently read or hear down in the Bay Area that Lake County is a third rate, sloppy place. They are fools.
An old friend who admires the beauty up here would like to move up, but based on what she has read, fears losing effective health care if she comes here. She has been misled.
Last week we went down to the San Jose for a few days where I caught a bug in my lungs that was so awful that I thought I was going to stop breathing before I got home.
My doctor, Dr. Parsons, who runs a great office In Kelseyville, gave my chest one touch with his stethoscope and shagged me off to emergency at Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport.
At the emergency window, I was given only time to state my name and problem, and was immediately going through some triage process.
Within minutes I was trussed up in bed in the Intensive Care Unit somewhat like in a scene from the movie, “Warhorse” with lights flashing and bells bonging.
I was there for three days. Obviously I survived; in fact I now feel great.
At first, I was somewhat unnerved by donning a backwards gown which doesn’t always hide all your parts. Later I realized that those professional nurses view the private parts of an old man like me with about the same excitement that a mechanic views an engine block.
I was thoroughly impressed by the excellent treatment I received. Doctors, like those who treated me, Dr. Petrorius and Dr. Oliver, come there from all over the state.
But I was especially impressed by the nurses, Cheryl Shaffer, Tami Renfro-Meyers and Carol Bise who run the ICU. My room was straight across from the nurses’ station and I was able to observe their performance continually.
They work very long hours in stressful conditions but respond to sudden needs with alertness, kindness and professionalism. I left there feeling they were hard-working, kindly angels.
As for the opinion of those fool writers in the Bay Area, I’m happy with our medical care in Lake County – especially if they’ll keep their horrible bugs home with them.
Randy Ridgel lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
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- Written by: W. Dwight Armstrong
The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 540,379 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,489 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
This summer, for seven weeks, more than 2,200 students will attend our Washington Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.
This seven-week event helps students develop leadership skills, identify personal strengths, develop awareness of societal differences and human needs and strategize how they can help others through community service.
Each student develops a community-service initiative for their local community, with the intention of students returning home and implementing their plans.
Students come to the conference wanting to learn how to make a difference in the world. They leave knowing they can – and will. That’s exactly what Sierra Coulthard did last year.
After last year’s event, the Wisconsin high school FFA member returned home and immediately connected with Nashville-based Soles4Souls, which since 2005 has secured more than 17 million new and gently used shoes for people throughout the world.
The charity shipped her a supply of shoe boxes that she placed throughout her home town of Neillsville for donations. Nearly 1,000 pairs of shoes were given to the “Sierra’s Shoes” drive.
And last month, Coulthard had the opportunity to personally deliver shoes to deserving children in Haiti.
I believe students are generally aware of global problems like hunger and poverty but many are sheltered and disconnected from what’s happening in the world.
During their time at our conference., FFA members experience real-world problems and take critical steps toward personal growth and developing leadership skills they’ll need to make a difference in people’s lives, starting in their own communities.
The conclusion of each weekly session of the Washington Leadership Conference is a Day of Service, where students work together on a real, hands-on community-service project.
Last year, through each week’s Day of Service, students contributed a total of $85,283 worth of volunteer labor. Students packed, sorted and distributed more than 29.5 tons of produce and shipped more than 100,000 meals overseas.
This year, FFA members will volunteer more than 9,500 hours to pack and ship thousands of meals to Nicaragua to help the third-world country battle hunger.
Today’s FFA is thriving and deeply committed, through opportunities like the Washington Leadership Conference, to developing students’ potential and become leaders in our country’s No. 1 industry – agriculture.
W. Dwight Armstrong, Ph.D., is chief executive officer of the National FFA Organization, based in Indianapolis, Ind. For more about the National FFA Organization's Washington Leadership Conference, please visit http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56306-2012-national-ffa-organization-washington-student-leadership-conference .