Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 10-1-20 E-edition

Rick Curiel — Sanger Editor Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
It's beginning to look like there's the glimmer of light starting to glow when it comes to the Central Valley, in particular Fresno and Tulare counties, and the ongo- ing fight to control the coronavirus.
Hopefully, it's not an oncoming train; even if it's going the speed of those on the San Joaquin Valley railroad lines through Dinuba, Reedley and Sanger.
search for that right balance — even in our diets. If only for avoiding the physical ailments that come along with an unbal- anced diet — many of us will make the attempt to stay bal- anced.
But balance plays a role in our spiritual and psychological wellbeing as well. It helps keep us grounded and able to see things from a proper perspec- tive. It helps us put our own personal interests aside for the sake of others and it helps us to take a step back when things get too stressful.
Balance plays a key role in so many things that govern our lives that I get the impression we could all benefit from the use of a balance beam.
Even in today’s crazy uncer- tain world, amidst an ongoing pandemic and civil unrest, bal- ance, it seems, is what we need.
We can’t have order without civility. We can’t stability with- out unity. And we can’t have peace without love. Discord, di- vision and hatred have thrown this nation off balance — to the point that we are seeing the ef- fects play out on the streets of America.
a delicate bal-
ance of space,
matter and
time and all the
elements that
make up life as
we know it. The
earth, a garden
upon which we have been left the stewards of, requires that we persevere the balance of the very nature that sustains us.
Sometimes, however, we want to have our cake and eat it too. But, if we are in fact the microcosms of a greater mac- rocosm, we should already know the effects that would have on our self and the world around us.
Balance is the key to rees- tablishing order in our times. If left to those in power, we put ourselves at the mercy of those who may seek to tip the scales their way. Strong leadership cannot come at the cost of poor character.
Which is why I hope this country can self-correct. The scales are tipping and the fu- ture of this nation’s civility is — dare I say — in the balance.
the issue of Russian interfer- ence with our elections. He also failed to address the issue about bounties put on our ser- vice members in the region by Russian authorities.
These things show how weak Trump is on foreign pol- icy and why he isn't good for America. He has damaged the integrity of the office of the presidency, and made a mockery of the oval office on a global scale. Imagine Reagan and his reaction to these same foreign policy issues, how dif- ferently he would have been.
America first? Trump sup- porters like him for what he says. Like when he called many of them "very fine people." But talk is cheap, and he can't even do that without lying through his teeth.
Ray Mendoza Dinuba
There's plenty to be optimistic about. Despite the oc- casional hiccup in numbers, active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to steadily decline in both coun- ties. In the most recent count, Fresno's active cases were down by 273, and the recovery rate has climbed to 65.5 percent. Tulare County's recovery rate remains excep- tionally high at around 95 percent, and hospitalizations are down to 33 as of Sept. 29.
But the picture's not all rosy. In the past week, ac- tive "under investigation" COVID-19 cases in Mid Valley Times cities increased slightly in the weeklong period from Sept. 22 through Sept. 29; by as many as 11 in Reed- ley and five in Sanger. And in Tulare County, active cases had dwindled as low as 444 on Sept. 23 but have increased by more than a hundred, to 549, by Sept. 29. The death toll also climbed last weeks by 28 in Fresno County (to 390) and six in Tulare County (to 263).
But if an action is ever to bring a little optimism, it's the graduation of Fresno County from "widespread" (that's purple in California's color-coded documentation) to "sub- stantial" (red). Even more promising, the county's posi- tivity rate – that's where a positive test percentage must drop under 8 percent — actually has dipped just below 5 percent to move the area to "moderate" orange level. It's right on the high mark, so any mini-spike would put Fresno back into that red level.
The best part of the improved colors is that a sense of normalcy is returning. Restaurants can return to limited indoor dining featuring reduced seating capacity — a bit ironic since the cooler weather now is an enticement to dine outside. In Reedley, a number of eateries continue to set up those options, and the community continues to show its support.
As frustrating as it's been trying to follow all the guidelines and precautions, it's important to keep up the effort to prevent any of those outbreaks and spikes. The next test will be when fall blends into winter, schools re- turn to on-campus attendance and instruction, and the potential risks of flu season. The coming weeks will be a good indicator of whether we're really turning the corner.
•••
Any Reedley resident, group or club still interested
in participating in the unique drive-thru Fiesta Parade on Saturday, Oct. 10, still has the opportunity to sign up. Just give the Greater Reedley Chamber of Commerce a call at (559) 638-3548, or go online. You have through Friday, Oct. 2 to enter a display, which will be stationed along the parade route on G Street to be enjoyed by pass- ing motorists.
Any Reedley resident, group or club still interested in participating in the unique drive-thru Fiesta Parade on Saturday, Oct. 10, still has the opportunity to sign up. Just give the Greater Reedley Chamber of Commerce a call at (559) 638-3548, or go online. You have through Friday, Oct. 2 to enter a display, which will be stationed along the parade route on G Street to be enjoyed by pass- ing motorists.
Credit goes out to Erik Valencia and the chamber for the unique method of continuing in 2020 a Reedley au- tumn tradition that's well into its sixth decade. Sure, it'll be a different experience this year, but one we can enjoy in this historically chaotic year.
Even the universe itself is
Rick Curiel is Sanger editor for The Times.
Jon Earnest is Reedley editor for The Times.
Thursday, October 1, 2020 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
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Fred Hall — Publisher
There's still a cause for caution when it comes to reopening
We all could use a balance beam in conducting our everyday lives
Jon Earnest
Balance. It is often taken for granted.
I couldn’t help but real- ize the importance of balance while recently observing my five-year-old daughter practice her newfound love of gymnas- tics on a balance beam.
Funny, balance is perhaps our greatest achievement when we first enter this world. How many of us marvel upon seeing our children’s first steps? We may first sit up and then crawl from here to there, but those first steps are still our great- est breakthrough as toddlers. Along with courage, those first steps require a great deal of balance.
Balance is key to our physi- cal wellbeing. It allows us to keep our body in motion, there- by allowing our muscles and joints to be exercised as they were intended to be.
Balance also helps us by means of nutrition as well. Though we would like to think that we could consume any- thing and everything without repercussion, the reality is we know our bodies don’t allow us to follow that path – at least not without consequence.
And so, we constantly
Letters from readers
Office of the presidency has weakened under Trump
Foreign policy under the Trump administration has failed to make America great again. The United States influ- ence in international affairs has diminished, and the office of the presidency weakened. they thought of him when they laughed at him during a UN speech. I recall another repub- lican president, Ronald Reagan, who raised the bar of prestige in the office of the presidency. Trump has done the opposite.
Trump invited the Taliban to Camp David for peace talks, reversing policy of never nego- tiating with a terrorist organi- zation. Trump literally invited terrorists into our country.
Trump engaged in a trade war with China, disrupting the economy, creating headlines and building tensions for what
ultimately wouldn't produce any results.
Trump pulled out of the Iran-nuclear deal that limited Iran's nuclear program. Iran remained compliant with the agreement after Trump with- drew. When Trump imposed sanctions on Iran, it withdrew from the agreement altogether, and has returned to enriching uranium again.
In North Korea Trump broke from traditional policy by making direct negotiations with Kim Jong Un, effectively legitimizing the brutal regime's control over North Korea. Trump came away from those talks agreeing to cease military exercises with South Korea in the region, and without any agreement on North Korea to cease its nuclear weapons pro- gram.
Trump played into Putin's hands and failed to address
QUOTE
“The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.”
— James Baldwin (1924-1987)
Rick Curiel
Letters Policy
MID VALLEY TIMES invites letters from the public on any topic of local relevance. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or brevity, and we reserve the right to NOT publish them if they could be deemed libelous or profane. Letters should be 350 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed, submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
Have an opinion? Want to share it?
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