Page 4 - Reedley Exponent 7-12-18

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, July 12, 2018 Editorial & Opinions
Serving “The World’s Fruit Basket” since 1891
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
Fred Hall — Publisher
In my OPINION The recent Fourth of July celebrations
A sombering two weeks for Reedley
Jon Earnest — Editor Chris Aguirre — Sports Editor Jodie Reyna — Panorama Editor Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
throughout the nation were in remembrance of the publication of this country’s Declara- tion of Independence from England on July 4, 1776. That began a great deal of “heavy lift- ing” by our forefathers which resulted in the ratification of our Constitution which created our current form of republican government on June 1, 1789. That historic signing began 229 years of freedom in the most solid form of governance on earth!
In the past two weeks, the commu- nity has discovered how fleeting our time on this planet can be.
On July 1, a couple from Reed- ley lost their lives in a rural crash between Reedley and Selma. The accident that killed 65-year-old Jose Vasquez Becerra and his wife, 63-year- old Leticia Vasquez, exhibited the dan- gers or rural Central Valley roads, particularly those without traffic sig- nals or limited stop signs.
Three days later, tragedy struck on the Fourth of July when 18-year-old Israel Cruz was out watching evening fireworks on the street and had just finished talking to an acquaintance in a car when he was shot three times while crossing Parlier Avenue north of T.L. Reed K-8 School. He died from his wounds two days later.
The evening of July 9, police re- sponded to a central Reedley apart- ment and found the bodies of a mother
and her two preschool age children. The case is under investigation, and autopsies were scheduled for July 11 to determine how 32-year-old Vera Lucia Diaz Nunez, 4-year-old Octavio Farfan Diaz and 21-month-old Miran- da Farfan Diaz died.
Three distinctly different inci- dents that all had a common thread — Reedley residents who all leave family, friends and acquaintances mourning their passing. All of them coming far too soon, especially when it comes to children and young adults.
•••
Many residents may not be aware
of the problem Reedley — like most Central Valley and California cities — faces when it comes to homeless people. An estimated 15 to 20 people, the majority men ages 19 to 50, had been living in an encampment in an orchard east of Buttonwillow Avenue before the landowner cleared those or-
chards. Once the or- chard was cleared, the homeless men traveled west to set up an encampment along the east bank of the Kings River between the River Bottom subdivision of homes and the Manning Avenue bridge.
Jon Earnest
QUOTE
“If nobody spoke unless he had something to say, the human race would very soon lose the use of speech.”
W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965),
The Painted Veil, 1925
Fred Hall
Concerned residents met with police and city officials on July 3 and shared their concerns (See Jodie Rey- na’s article on the issue on Page A1). Credit goes to the city for attempting to face the problem head on, all the while mindful of regulations to meet and the legal rights of the homeless. The police department is crafting a plan to clean the area around the Kings River from trash while not dis- turbing the river’s natural habitat.
“We, the people of the United States, in
order to create a more perfect union, establish justice, insure do- mestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessing of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for The United States of America.”
This preceding concisely penned paragraph, in all its simplic- ity, is the preamble for that which is the basis of the supreme law of the land — the United States Constitution. It never was intended, as is the contention of many liberals and left-wing politicians, to be a malleable or fluid document. It is the very basis for the interpre- tation of every law in this land. There are hard and fast methods of altering this document and they do not include a handful of judges on the Supreme Court!
It was the vision of those forefathers that there be a House of Representatives and Senate to make the laws; an administrative branch to enforce those laws; and a judicial branch to interpret those laws as to whether they pass constitutional muster. This ju- dicial branch was supposed to be completely apolitical. Decisions they made in interpreting the law were to be solely based upon the facts of the case and an unbiased interpretation of the intent of the original law makers.
It’s really just that simple and yet in recent years, we find that there are many bureaucrats and government officials who seem confused by the entire process. Even to the most casual observer it has become obvious that appointments to the Supreme Court have become a political football. There are all sorts of “litmus tests” and virtual enemas of anyone appointed as a potential candidate seeking approval of the Congress.
These issues have all become pertinent because of the re- cent retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy and the President’s imminent appointment of a new Justice to the Supreme Court. Before even knowing who the candidate might be, we are be- ing inundated with leftists crying of “returning to the middle ages” because of their concerns over abortion rights. Frankly, I don’t understand the fact that this has become the “holy grail” of women’s civil rights but I’m pretty sure that the discovery of a “privacy” right in the Constitution was a political invention to satisfy a political whim.
It’s way above my pay grade to determine the validity of Roe v. Wade but in view of the outpouring of love and support for babies, it’s difficult to believe that the “law of the land” would sanction ending the viability or even the life of a child. This entire industry has grown to the point where there now exists a giant nationwide operation, Planned Parenthood, receiving taxpayer funding, to ter- minate pregnancies.
Again, that just seems wrong when that is one of the preemi- nent criteria used by the left in the staffing of our court system.
Strict adherence to constitutional law, the intellectual strength to correctly interpret the law and a strong trail of legal writing should be the basis for any such selection — be it Republican, Democrat, liberal or conservative. Socialist leanings and politi- cal agendas must be absolute non-starters. I feel comfortable in saying that I’m sure that would be the wishes of our Founding Fathers.
There are no reserved seats for either men or women. For once, let’s just select the most qualified individual to occupy that seat! Why don’t we return to the concept of picking the best per- son for every job that impacts our daily lives and the greatness of America? That’s surely not where we’ve been headed politically for quite some time but it would go a long way toward insuring the future of this great country.
But, as always, that’s only one man’s opinion.
A mother’s voice against arming teachers at schools
By Basma Ismail
Guest columnist
On May 22 2014, Donald Trump announced to the world via his Twitter ac- count that Hillary Clinton accused him of wanting to bring guns into classrooms. Almost four years later, Trump tried to convince us that arming teachers while on school grounds is the answer to school shootings and massacres.
With the lack of laws and training regarding carrying and purchasing guns, more students are likely to die in schools if Trump’s ideas are applied. He argues that it will allow teachers to re- spond quickly to possible shootings and be better equipped to protect their students. Studies show that aggression among students is more likely to increase while in the presence of a weapon which increases the
chance of casualties. It per- ceives educators as killers as they are ready to shoot and kill at any given moment. It also leads to the increase of behavioral issues as students are aware of its presence, which might lead to feelings of fear instead of feeling safe or a student trying to steal the gun and use it. An- other potential consequence is the killing of teachers since the police are more likely to shoot whoever is in the possession of a gun upon being called to the scene
Whoever said that being in a classroom with armed teachers would make stu- dents feel safe? As a woman of color, I would not step foot in such a place nor would I want my daughters there. If mass shooters can buy guns and go on a shooting spree, what makes the teachers any different? They are humans as well, not angels with all the right answers
to chemical equations and calculus problems. People get angry, have psychologi- cal problems and deal with struggles and pressure in different ways. And some go on shooting sprees.
Millions watched Senior Deputy Ben Fields grab a 15-year-old African-Amer- ican student from her seat by the neck, throw her to the ground, then drag her out of the classroom. You might have wondered if the girl had done something such as threatening the teacher or her classmates to warrant the police being called on her while still seated in her class. But nope, she did not. She had her cell phone out which was against the rules. She refused to hand it over which resulted in her being manhandled and humiliated at this rebellious tender age. Maybe we should care more about educating our teach- ers on adolescent’s mental
health and how to mentor them instead of scarring them for life. Perhaps we should be certain our teach- ers and school officers are emotionally mature enough to work with children.
School is a place where children not only study sci- ence and history but also learn life skills, lessons, and values. What we should be doing is teaching conflict resolution in schools rather than punishment. Incorpo- rating its practices among teachers, administrators, students and parents has been proven to result in higher grades, ability to solve problems, and higher self-esteem.
Help us bring conflict resolution education to our classrooms, not guns!
Basma Ismail, mother of two, writes for Peace- Voiceandstudies Conflict Resolution at Portland State University.
Takes issue with
caged children claim
Stephanie Calvillo gave her opin-
ion in a June 28 letter condemning President Trump on the separation of immigrant children from their moth- ers. I concur with Ms. Calvillo, that children should not be separated from their parents. She writes about “chil- dren caged like dogs.”
Where does Ms. Calvillo get her news? It was discovered, and made public by Fox news media, to be old disturbing film footage taken in 2014, by news media, of immigrant children held behind bars, separated from their mothers during the Obama’s admin- istration years. This film footage was used by the liberal news media pretend- ing it was taken in 2018 to incriminate President Trump. A terrible shameful act from the liberal left. They will try anything to destroy President Trump.
During my research, I did not find any place where immigrant children, were maltreated like dogs. Yes, they
were separated from their parents, treated well and fed properly. Our pres- ident has just signed a proclamation to keep the children with their parents.
This brings me to another delicate situation that the opposition turns a deaf ear. Why hasn’t the left con- demned the separation of the unborn from the mother’s womb, by the act of abortion? The unborn babies, have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Callous we are, because the law says it’s legal. Is it legal in the eyes of the Almighty?
There’s an exodus of people leav- ing California. This state has fallen into oblivion, slowly decimating...like Rome did.
Manuel Madrid Reedley
Unhappy with
cemetery upkeep
I was born and raised in Reedley
and I always have been proud of our town and the family values it upholds.
It is a custom for my family and I to go to the cemetery from time to time and every year for Memorial Day and remember our family members, and servicemen who have left us, by plac- ing flowers on the headstones.
This year, it saddened me to see the poor condition of the whole graveyard. Some of the headstones were covered with dirt so much that the name could not be read. It was hurtful to see a ser- viceman’s headstone with a flag and no name to be seen. The entire yard was dry and poorly maintained, and disheartening for families who want to pay their respect to their loved ones.
As citizens of Reedley, we don’t want to see this happen to our beloved town and the memory of loved ones. I am inquiring to know how this can be improved so as not to be an embar- rassment to anyone who visits their loved ones.
From a concerned citizen.
Debbie Olson Reedley
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