Page 4 - Reedley Exponent 6-13-19 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, June 13, 2019 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
If you’ve already read the commentary piece on the front page of last week’s newspa- per, you already know that this weekly publica- tion is about to get bigger and more interesting to fulfill your need for knowledge of what is happening right here in the Valley. On July 4, Independence Day, we will be combining The Reedley Exponent, The Sanger Herald and The Dinuba Sentinel into one regional package to cover this portion of the Central Valley.
Jon Earnest — Editor / Sports Juanita Adame — Panorama Editor Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
Not only will you be kept up to date on
what’s happening in your hometown, but you’ll
be kept abreast of every event and news story
involving your neighbors in nearby towns. Over time, people have become less provincial and more interested in those surrounding them. Commute time has been so dramatically reduced that people often work or shop in one of those neighboring towns. We believe that a single issue, covering all of those towns and cities, will bring the communities even closer.
The opinion pages with our familiar traditional columns and opin- ions — love them or hate them — will continue in combination. We hope they will spur discussion and feed back. Nothing serves small newspapers such as ours quite as well as public journalism. Your input and letters to the editor are welcomed and encouraged. All opin- ions and positions are welcomed, guided only by the standards of the libel laws. Unlike the internet, there are still standards of decency and honesty which govern that which we are allowed to put in print.
Moving along to what is the general thrust of these missives each week, we need to return to the life altering episodes which are occurring in our national politics. The 2020 election is still far away, but is stirring up a lot of controversy with seemingly du jour topic of socialism and how the Democratic candidates and their young minions feel it would be so great for America. An other item for discussion is the damage being inflicted on this country on a daily basis by the Democrat party who have chosen to ignore the harm being wrought by out-of-control illegal immigration. For some unknown reason Democrat politicians feel that the entire mess will redound to their benefit. That simple act places political party above the general good.
Border Patrol and other immigration officials are being pulled off their positions of safeguarding the security of this country and are being literally forced to provide child care and other ancillary services because of the overwhelming crush of immigrants. Not only are huge holes in the border left for the benefit of illegals but the drug cartels as well.
Many worry about those who are allowed to pass through who are criminals in their home country and the chaos they bring to America, but one of the biggest concerns is the sudden outbreak of exotic diseases which have become virtually non-existent here. Routine medical care and vaccinations have eliminated diseases from which many of these migrants suffer. Add to that there is the increased chances of the ebola virus because of reports that many of these people are not only from Mexico and Central America but from African nations as well.
I would ask the Democrats in Congress, the ever-expanding cast of Democratic candidates for President in 2020 as well as California state politicians, exactly what is wrong with slowing down this mass at our border so that we might be able to do a more effective job of screening them?
An answer which is composed of common sense would be welcome. We’re not talking about a picture of children in “cages” which appeared on CNN and provably goes back to 2014 when it was originally taken. To my best recollection, Barback Obama was president then. Perhaps that is sthe reason it was never shown during his administration. That very sort of “fake news” is what helped get us where we are!
All any American could ask is the application of common sense immigration laws which require that people be self-responsible, learn the native language, obey all laws of this country and assimi- late. When we see that the state of California continues to ignore federal law and provide a lengthy list of official free handouts to those who are newly arrived, perhaps there is a perverted sense of logic after all. Where can a sign up for free health care as well as all of the other “entitlements” and go back to speaking my native language, which is Okie! It doesn’t seem too much to ask the use of common sense for our government officials.
That word entitlement always bothered me. What the hell did these people ever do to be entitled to the fruits of the labor of hard-working taxpayers?
Seems like welfare any say you parse it. But, as always, that’s only one man’s opinion.
The calendar may not quite say it, but summer finally is here. Reed- ley and much of the Central Valley are starting to deal with muggy, op- pressive heat, after a spring that’s been comfortably pleasant for the general public (but not so for man stone fruit growers). The triple dig- it days are coming en masse, and combined with poor air quality can create health risks for people with respiratory problems.
The most direct solution is to stay indoors and cool off – easier said than done for many working and mobile people. If you must be outside for more than a few minutes, keep water close by to stay hydrated and avoid caffeine and carbonated drinks.
There are many who would beat the heat by taking a cool wade or even a swim in the Kings River. Of course, that’s out for at least the early portion of this summer. Un- til the swift current from rapidly melting Sierra snowpack subsides, don’t count on any water activities for much of this month. For children (and probably an increasing number
of adults), there’s the new Trimble Splash Park facility at 8th and J streets. The new feature temporarily malfunctioned earlier this week, but swift and thorough work by the city’s public works department helped get it back up and operational.
Having the splash park and aquatics complex available for swimming and cooling off will be valuable options to get through the typical Central Valley summer.
•••
This week’s drive-by shooting
near downtown Reedley was dis- turbing for many reasons, not the least of which was the late-morning hour it occurred in an alley near E Street between 12th and 13th streets. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and Reedley police were quick to arrive and investigate. At the time of our publication deadline, no arrests have been made.
While police are doing all they can to quell the situation, some strong adult influence would go a long way to help. Last weekend’s stabbing incident at Avocado Lake Park is a startling revelation that
too many young people in the area (and Valley, for that matter) are flirting with gang life.
It appears that people breaking a code of silence and speaking up is the only way to make real progress.
Fred Hall
Remember those cooling places close by to dodge triple digit temperatures
QUOTE
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944)
Jon Earnest
•••
There is good news. More than
170 students graduated from Kings Canyon Unified School District’s education options — Kings Canyon High School. Kings Canyon Adult School and Mountain View School. There were many proud graduates and family members at the June 4 ceremony inside Reedley High’ School stadium.
Space restrictions prevented us from publishing a recap and pho- tos from the graduation. We’ll run those next week. In the meantime, congratulations to the graduates for reaching your goal!
Remember the proper
protocol for Flag Day
By Anthony Jewell
Guest columnist
It is flag season. Once again we celebrate Me- morial Day, Flag Day and Fourth of July; and those who care about the symbol of our republic, our flag, raise questions about prop- er respect and protocols.
One of the most fre- quently-asked questions is about the meaning of “half mast” and the location of the flag on the mast or “pole” (Army) and why the term mast rather than pole.
Some terms: Staff is usually a term for a short pole and is used indoors, pole (Army) is less reflec- tive of the source of flag rules which are derived from naval wind-powered sailing ships. The security and safety of naval vessels was, and still is, dependent on the ability to quick- ly make evasive course changes. In the days of the tall ships, and a calm wind, where could the most wind be found? At the top of the tallest mast. But that val- ued location also carried
the national ensign or flag. Every square inch of sail was vital for speed. Some- times, another choice was made to carry the flag in a slackened or less than full mast manner. This was to communicate to other ships that a condition of mourn- ing existed on board. This brief time of mourning is reflected in our contempo- rary tradition of raising our flag to full mast by noon on Memorial Day. Most U.S. flag rules and laws are are consistent with three terms: Respect, Dignity, Tradition.
For longer than our first century, our flag var- ied in shape and composi- tion. Thirteen stripes, 15 stripes, more red stripes than white, more white stripes than red, four, six, or seven points to a star, a blue field that was one half or more than the stripes, circles of stars, crosses of stars, and circles of gold colored stars, and other variations until congress finally decided on a stan- dard and an anniversary date for rule changes: June
14, Flag Day.
The 50 stars on the blue
field of our flag not only represent the 50 states, but also represent the embodi- ment of the people of each state and our nation. When the flag is displayed at half mast the blue field of stars should never fall below the midpoint location of the mast. To do so would be a sign of disrespect. Recall, if you will, that the point of this is a symbol of mourn- ing, and is derived from the tall ships, any slack po- sition of less than full mast is essentially half mast. For appearance, the safest loca- tion for a half mast national flag is so that the drape or tail of the flag just touches the midpoint of the mast. This location places the blue field of a properly sized flag into the upper third of the mast. Who should know this informa- tion? Your state and fed- eral agencies that are re- quired to post the U.S. flag at their front door. Which agency does it correctly? The National Cemeteries and the National Park Ser-
vice, which is responsible for all of the federal flags in Washington D.C..
Those who care for the flag often ask if it is permissible to fly the flag during inclement weather? Yes, except during an ap- proaching hurricane that might damage the flag. Ny- lon or polyester are perfect weather-resistant fabrics. That cannot be said for government issue veterans casket flags. Those flags are of cotton muslin and cannot withstand their wet weight without tearing or mildew. All flags displayed during darkness must be il- luminated.
The backbone of our republic is our Constitu- tion, wherein there is no mention of a flag. Sym- bolically, we the people are represented by one flag and we loan that symbol to our government. We pledge allegiance to each other and salute those who no longer can physically stand for our national anthem.
Reedley resident Antho- ny Jewell represents Ameri- can Legion Post 35.
Don’t lose the local touch
Hopefully, the combination of the three newspapers is not a mis- take.
I have subscribed to my local pa- per since I was in the USAF stationed throughout the world, beginning with the Blade-Tribune in Oceanside. Upon
moving here in 1995, I have always subscribed to the Reedley Exponent. I want a “rag” that gives me only the local info. I purposefully don’t sub- scribe to the Fresno Bee.
So now, if the coverage, ads and such remain the same, I will now have to comb through 48 pages, just to see my 16 pages I currently get
most weeks. I love the electronic version and the size, making it quick to stay abreast of Reedley’s news.
Again, hopefully, it is not a mis- take and readers don’t cancel be- cause you lost the local touch.
Dale Kennedy Reedley
Letters from readers
Letters Policy
THE REEDLEY EXPONENT 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 300 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed (jon@midvalleypublishing.com), submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
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jon@midvalleypublishing.com