Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 5:21:20 E-edition

Rick Curiel — Sanger Editor Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
Since, in a time of need, the Bible
has always been an excellent source
of answers it would be a good time
for some of these little would-be
pharaohs who are governors of blue
states should allow all the churches
and businesses to open and truly free
those of us they feel are their sub-
jects. The message from God fell on
deaf ears, according to the story in
the Bible because Pharaoh felt he was all powerful. I'm just guessing but perhaps it was because Pharaoh felt like the governors of New York, California, Michi- gan and numerous other Democrat states and he was somehow, more important than God!
I would be remiss were I not to point out that some of the more egregious applications of power have fall- en to mayors and other lesser medical officials of the state. The one constant is that all of the people who have ordered us to “shelter in place” continue to draw their salaries from their municipalities and states. No big deal for them! The chief medical officer of Los An- geles County is paid a rather liberal salary of $465,000 per year. It's a pretty good bet that she has no difficulty in making mortgage payments.
I would rush to remind all of those “really small people” people making these decisions who are feeling this sudden rush of power that the remedy available to citizens is the ballot box and that is coming in a few short months.
I believe the original, temporary, shut down of the country may have been well intentioned with its intent to “flatten the curve” to manage the spread of the CO- VID-19 virus, but it has morphed into something en- tirely different.
All appearances are that this lockdown now has sup- porters for keeping it in place until the disease is eradi- cated. That's a no-brainer and a non-starter because we have no record that would indicate that we are — or ever will be — capable of developing a vaccination to control Corona or wipe it from the face of the earth. That simply isn't going to happen.
It would appear that, historically, the shuttering of the economy will remain intact since it redounds, po- litically, to the benefit of the Democratic Party. This General Election, it had become obvious that there was no logical way to impugn the president's handling of an economy he had turned robust. One
of President Trump's strong suits lies in his ability to react correctly to breathing life back into a listless economic and employment market. He's enjoyed unde- niable success since 2017 largely on his own — without the help of many Republicans and the Democrats, as well as the media. With Joe Biden as their apparent candidate it's obvious that they will need all the help they can muster, but intentionally being willing to de- stroy this country's well-deserved sense of well-being with an economic dismantling is a step too far!
When mandates, taking on the color of law, are be- ing issued by people who are overreaching their Con- stitutional authority, common sense alone tells one the time has come to remedy a political situation which is out of control!
It's our opinion that this country is rapidly approach- ing a point of no return when there is an attempt pos- sible to return to our capitalist society. Increasingly the idioms (they don't make any sense) of socialism are being injected — or at least every attempt by Con- gress is being made to so — into our economic mecha- nism. Check Nancy Pelosi's latest request which runs to well over 1,000 pages seeking assistance for illegals, marijuana growers, vote by mail and ballot harvesting. None of that drivel has anything to do with returning America to its pre-eminent position in the world. It's all about getting progressives elected and changing America!
Sadly, there will be no offi- cial Memorial Day ceremonies in Reedley and Dinuba on Mon- day, May 25, because of the COVID-19 virus. However, you still have the option to attend a nearby ceremony to pay trib- ute to all those who gave their lives in military service.
The Sanger American Le- gion Post 23 and other veteran groups will host the annual Me- morial Day Service at Sanger Cemetery — while complying with the social distancing rec- ommendations from Fresno County and the Centers for Disease Control — in an 11 a.m. start. If you're wondering how well people will obey the six-foot distancing recommen- dations, there will be a quali- fied judge and inspector pres- ent — the guest speaker, Fres- no County Sheriff Margaret Mims. The COVID-19 situation and the state's shelter in place has taken its toll and nearly all gatherings, and Memorial Day ceremonies have been no ex- ception. Even the Sanger event had to be reduced in scope, as a planned flyover was canceled.
But at least a ceremony is proceeding, which Reedley and
Dinuba were unable to manage. At the Reedley ceremony, im- portant traditional performers in the Reedley High School Na- vy Junior ROTC and the RHS jazz band have been sidelined because of schools' closures to on-campus instruction. And in both cities, the risk to elderly guest speakers and organizers also were a complication. Di- nuba veteran George Madrid said the decision to cancel the event at Smith Mountain Cem- etery was in the best interest of keeping the older veterans safe.
Still, there's an opportunity for Reedley's veterans commu- nity and supporters (which pe- rennially attend the ceremony in large numbers) to see a bit of a brief ceremony. Organiz- ers said that there will be a flag lowering ceremony at 8 a.m., followed by a performance of "Taps" at the veterans area of the cemetery. Dinuba, mean- while, while try to have some volunteers place flags in the morning.
William Conrad, manager for the Reedley Cemetery Dis- trict, said that people wishing to bring flowers for loved ones at their gravesites, can begin
placing those decorations on May 20 after 4:30 p.m. Af- ter the holiday, flowers and decorations be- fore Thursday, May 28.
Jon Earnest
Thursday, May 21, 2020 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
QUOTE
“...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever re- mains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) (Sherlock Holmes)
Serving the Readers of the Reedley Exponent, Dimuba Sentinel and Sanger Herald.
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 Some U.S. governors have
a Pharoah complex
“Pharaoh, let my people go!”
You still can honor the fallen on Memorial Day in Sanger
Fred Hall
For those who have never been to Sanger Cemetery and are coming from Reedley or Dinuba, take Annadale Av- enue west from Reed Avenue. Immediately after crossing the Kings River, take a right and head north on South Riverbend Avenue and eventually turn right at the South Rainbow Route to the cemetery.
As in April, this May has been a completely different month from what we annual- ly experience. The end of the month traditionally brings the season of graduations, both high school and at Reedley Col- lege. In this "new normal" (one we hope is merely a one-time blip) graduates and families will be preparing for virtual ceremonies.
Stay strong and stay safe.
Jon Earnest is Reedley edi- tor for The Times.
This pandemic is no joke!
A guy walks into a bar.... Hey, it could happen!
But all kidding aside, the day is soon approaching when a guy can in fact walk into a bar as shelter-in-place restric- tions are slowly being lifted just a few months into this global pandemic.
The reality of the times is not something to take lightly, regardless of how you feel the pandemic is being handled on a global, national, state or even local level. The undisputed fact remains that this is a nov- el virus, something all medical experts have had legitimate concerns about for its poten- tial to wipe out thousands, if not millions, of lives.
Also true is the notion that because this virus is novel, or new, we really don’t know what to expect – another rea- son for concern.
But concern is not the same as fear. A lack of concern can lead to grave mistakes that can affect not only ourselves but also those around us. A lack of fear, however, can be instrumental in moving for- ward in an uncertain world.
That being said, as we be- gin to venture out in the real world again, I would still urge each of you to proceed with caution. We all know that sta- tistically the odds of us dying in an auto accident when trav- eling are quite low. However, I’d be willing to bet that the majority of you buckle your seatbelts before driving off to your destination.
Now, that doesn’t mean that we buckle up out of fear. Nor does it mean that we are sur- rendering our liberties and freedom by choosing to do so. In certain cases, there is no
shame in using an abundance of caution. This is one of those cases.
One thing
this virus is not
is a joke or con-
spiracy. The virus doesn’t care about this nation’s economy, or any economy in the world. The virus doesn’t discriminate based on race, gender or politi- cal affiliation.
This virus should be seen as our common enemy – re- gardless of how you interpret the numbers. And like the ulti- mate enemy, this enemy comes to ‘kill, steal and destroy’.
So proceed with caution, not fear.
Rick Curiel is Sanger editor for The Times.
Rick Curiel
But, as usual, that's only one man's opinion.
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