Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 4-29-21 E-edition

Thursday, April 29, 2021 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
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 Rule by the mob is
becoming all too common
Perhaps the most succinct defini- tion of anarchy would be; a situation of confusion and wild behavior in which the people of a country, group, or orga- nization do not feel compelled by rules or by the law. Anarchy is, in short, rule by the mob. Common sense be damned!
If you'd like to see a classic exam-
ple, you need only to turn to the me-
dia. Print and electronic media are rife
with graphic reports and pictures of young thugs who loot, burn and vandalize while the bureaucrats who run our cities and states turn a blind eye. It's as if our elected officials are frightened of doing anything.
To the average person, the solution is simple: one needs to send in an overwhelming law enforcement presence and take control of the situation. Retribution against the wrongdoers should be swift and harsh. The perpetrators have no fear because, in many cases, dis- trict attorneys who were elected to office with support of George Soros refuse to prosecute.
Wing nuts from the liberal left, in the meantime, are advocating for defunding, or in some cases the complete elimination of entire police departments. Officers would be replaced by social workers. For a view of how that is being received one has only to look at the violent crime rate in the larger, Democrat-controlled cities. Those sta- tistics are spiraling upward.
The Biden Administration, being one that never miss- es an opportunity to pile on. Is pushing a form of police reformation that would literally disable law enforcement but place them in great legal jeopardy. If their hideous mess passes, no longer will anyone accept the legal risk to one's family of being a policeman.
Some saw this coming, some did not, but the ground- work for changing America has been in the process of being laid for quite some time. Our educational system — led by teacher's unions — has long been in the fore- front in the endeavors to create a cultural change.
The average citizen must have a feeling of exaspera- tion as we watch these Antifa and Black Lives Matter hooligans continue to burn and riot with no repercus- sions night after night. They are afraid of none because there is no deterrent. Administrative law has been tougher on merchants and citizens who, for one reason or another, violated COVID-19 rules.
This current upheaval on the theory that minorities are unable to compete on an equal footing and it will require this “woke” generation to lower expectations of the majority to make sure that no one is competitive on the world stage. China, Russia and Iran must be abso- lutely delighted with our “dumbing down” and lowering standards and expectations of everyone in America, in- cluding students and members of our elite military while they ramp up standards for their countries.
A strong military presence is the only thing that most of the modern world respects. A genteel, milquetoast force might make the left happy but it leaves all of us less safe in a world rife with conflict.
Our children are no longer being educated in those skills which will help them survive and thrive in the real world. Instead they are being taught critical race theory and other forms of garbage which tells them they are inferior to black children because of something that happened two centuries ago. Outside of Washington and Hollywood, there remain some of us who truly believe all men are equal!
If you enjoy mob rule and voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, you have to be delighted with the cur- rent direction of the country. We're in the process of being driven right over the edge. On the other hand, if you prefer civil discourse and common sense in policy determinations, then the time has come to speak up. Be- gin to plan for a change at the mid-terms.
Reedley, Sanger football teams show championship form in crunch time
Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.”
— Chinese proverb
Fred Hall
•••
In this week's article on the
passing of Reedley College Hall of Fame volleyball coach Shirley Gustafson, I omitted one big piece of information. Donations can be made in Shir- ley’s memory to the Reedley College Foundation scholarship program to benefit her existing scholarship of many years.
Fund-raising always was part of Shirley's emphasis with her perenially powerful volleyball program. You can make your checks payable to the Reedley College Founda- tion, and mail them to PO Box 227, Reedley, CA 93654. Write in the memo line “Shirley Gus- tafson” to prioritize your re- membrance.
Jon Earnest is news-sports editor for The Times.
It almost was worth the ex- tra long wait for players and coaches – and fans — of the Reedley High and Sanger High varsity football teams.
Last week, the Pirates and Apaches made the most of their early spring football sea- sons; campaigns that should have been played last August through November (and may- be December) had COVID-19 not flipped life in general for all of us. Both teams captured their respective league cham- pionships — Reedley's first outright title in 47-plus years — with thrilling come-from- behind victories on April 23.
Reedley's seemed incred- ibly unlikely halfway through the game at Sal Gonzalez Field. They trailed defending cham- pion Sunnyside High, 15-0, and had been plagued by four first- half turnovers that threatened to turn the game into a rout. But a group of determined Pi- rates continued to claw and scratch, and finally got some turnovers and breaks go their way. A quarterback keeper for a touchdown, an 82-yard scor- ing dash for another score and
finally a TD pass in the final three minutes, enabled RHS to pull out a stunning 22-15 victory and thrill the Reedley fans (and masked-up Big Green March- ing Machine) in attendance.
About 30 miles north, Sanger High was in a see-saw battle with two-time defending CMAC champion San Joaquin Memorial. Trailing 21-14 in the final quarter, the Apaches scored on a long pass play and then followed a timely inter- ception with the winning TD in the final minute. The 28-21 triumph gave coach George Pena his first CMAC title. Somewhere, the late Apache superfan Dick Sheppard was watching and smiling.
Thanks to television, I was able to watch and enjoy both thrilling games. I was in person shooting and covering Reedley- Sunnyside, and must admit it was one of the more crazy and excit- ing contests I've had the privi- lege of covering. I then watched the Sanger-Memorial game, and will enjoy catching the recording again on future airings.
There are a number of great back stories involving both
teams; the most important being all senior play- ers who were able to salvage the "Friday Night Lights" experience in their final year before graduation.
Jon Earnest
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
Remember victims of domestic violence during Mental Health Awareness Month
By Chinayera Hardman Black
Guest Columnist
Victims of domestic vio- lence are often at greatest risk when trying to discontinue an abusive relationship. When attempting to flee an abusive partner, victims often face fear, physical and emotional trauma, financial instability, and homelessness. Nestled in downtown Reedley, the Marja- ree Mason Center offers 24/7 crisis response, emergency shelter, case management, le- gal advocacy, and counseling to these victims of domestic violence.
“The trauma of domestic violence impacts the overall mental health and wellness of both adults and children. We help survivors at all stages in their journey.” said Nicole Linder, executive director of Marjaree Mason Center.
The incidence of domes- tic violence is said to occur
every nine seconds in the US. As a result, the Marjaree Ma- son Center offers domestic violence supports to more than 8,500 adults and children across Fresno County. These numbers represent a 13 per- cent increase from prior years.
During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the Sierra Kings Health Care Dis- trict encourages the community to recognize both physical and mental health impacts on vic- tims of domestic violence. Since survivors of abuse are often are left with trauma, it can have lasting impacts on their mental health by causing depression, anxiety disorders, etc.
The COVID-19 pandemic posed unique challenges to the Marjaree Mason Center since their services are most often offered in person. The need for crisis responses, safety planning, legal advocacy, etc. remained important for sur- vivors. As such, the Marjaree
Mason Center successfully pivoted client services to tele- health and oth- er virtual for- mats to avoid a break in ser- vice delivery.
“I don’t know
what I would
have done without their [Mar- jaree Mason Center] support. I wouldn’t even know where to start.” said an anonymous client of the center.
If you, or someone you know, is a victim or survivor of do- mestic violence call the 24/7 ho- tline at (559) 233-4357 for help. If you are interested in learn- ing more about mental health awareness, you may reach out to the Sierra Kings Health Care District at www.skhcd.org.
Chinayera Hardman Black is Chief Executive Officer for the Sierra Kings Health Care District.
Chinayera Black Hardaman
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