Page 3 - Sanger Herald 9-13-18 E-edition

SANGER HERALD 3A THURSDAY, September 13, 2018 EDITORIAL & OPINION
Random thoughts Amen to what the former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force said ...
By Dick Sheppard
Former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Michael Montelongo was right on target with his great presentation at the 9-11 ceremony at the high school.
Later, when I looked up
his biography on the Internet, it came as no surprise that among his many accomplish- ments was a gig as a
speech writer for mili-
tary bigwigs.
Montelongo said he was concerned about what he perceived as a lack of pride and appreciation for our common American heritage.
He praised pride in
cultural heritage - but
said he was afraid it
was creating a disconnect with our national identity and leading to a tribal society.
"We need to reconnect ourselves as Americans. We need to find a common ground, working together for common goals," said Montelongo.
It almost sounds like Montelongo has been reading Mid Valley Publisher Fred Hall's weekly column in the Herald - or maybe Hall has been reading some of the material writ- tenbyMontelongo. Theydefinitelyareon the same page. Great minds ...
•••
Thank goodness the Apache football team
has a bye this Friday!
I've heard there are nine players on the
injured list, including some of the key defen- sive personnel.
Hopefully, a week off will give them enough time to heal and get back on the field before the long trip to Paso Robles on Sept. 21.
I could not have been more proud of
the way the wounded Apaches handled the Lemoore Tigers last week. With a depleted defense, the strategy was simply to out score
the Tigers ... and they did, 49-41 in a game that was not decided until the final gun.
Waytogo Apaches! •••
City manager Tim Chapa's pie throwing form
Tim Chapa, Sanger's city manager, may not have a 96 mile per hour fastball like Apache grad Luis Ortiz, now pitching for the Orioles, but he's pretty accurate with a pump- kin pie.
A Costco pumpkin pie is 12 inches in diam- eter and weighs more than three-and-a-half pounds, according to the Costco website.
Did I mention it's in a tin pie pan?
Since I get to take a shot at Tim's manage- ment and communication style each week in this column, I thought it only fair to offer him a few free shots with a pie at the Farmers' Market last Saturday. (I was thinking of the paper plate filled with whipped cream kind of pies used at PTA and PTO fund raising events.)
The pie selection committee, apparently with mayhem and maiming in mind, decided against the whipped cream variety of pie in favor of the lethal Costco pumpkin kind of pie.
I think I now owe Tim more than a few kind words because when the first pumpkin pie hit the heavy cardboard cutout I was holding in front of my body - with my head exposed - it dented the cutout and knocked me backwards.
The next two throws were intentionally wide - and I appreciated it.
Good job Tim!
Those are the first three kind words. •••
This week's Street Faire and Farmers' Market will feature a salute to first respond- ers and present and former military person- nel.
The free 5-9 p.m. event is now centered at 7th and O streets.
and entries will be accepted until Oct. 19. If you haven't received an entry form in
the mail you can pick up one at the American Legion Department of California headquar- ters office on the corner of 7th and P streets.
•••
"We cannot solve our problems with the
Dick Sheppard
same thinking we used when we created You can probably find the location by them." - Albert Einstein
the remnants and lingering aroma of three Costco pumpkin pies.
•••
Speaking of the military, the Sanger
Veterans Parade will be coming up on Nov. 3
Comments, complaints and suggestions may be emailed to sangerherald@gmail.com or may be made by calling 875-2511.
Michael Montelongo
In my OPINION
People of the press, you are doing everything
possible to prove the president correct ...
By Fred Hall
Democrat politicians, including California's very own Nancy Pelosi, and various left-wing publishers have described MS-13 as— and I paraphrase here—lit- tle children who ride their little bikes to school and hang out in the park.
Fred Hall
able on a personal basis anyone who writes or utters anything they feel of portent is to be deeply questioned—and we can't because we don't know who they are! I respectfully refuse to accept this person's opinion on any level and question whether or not it was even penned by a “high placed” aide. The New York Times previously represented the rants of a intern similarly.
I'm frankly stunned by the changes in eth- ics and approaches to reporting of the news since I first entered this business way back in the early 1960s! There was a time when any story required two or three identified sources. Neverwas“anonymous”accept- able, especially with an editorial where there could be no rebuttal or even vetting of the credentials of the writer. The once vaunted New York Times, in my opinion, has sunk to a new low with the real loser in this race to the bottom being its readers and the American people. Outside of the editorial page, the political leanings of any newspaper should not be identifiable. Even on that op-ed page certain standards must apply or your entire offering isn't worth the paper on which it is written.
We believe any news organization operat- ing in such an agenda-driven method is doing a huge disservice to their viewers and read- ers. They might be sating the appetite of a certain base constituency, but a hard wedge is being driven to divide the people of this country. Perhaps that is one of the reasons behind the escalating failure rate with tradi- tionalmediacompanies.
Meanwhile, social media has begun to “shoot themselves in the foot” with their censorship and overreaching in an attempt to control the narrative.
So called social media is actually anti- social when little trolls can rant and rave in complete anonymity. Come up out of your parents basement and let us know who you are. We're experiencing a coarsening of what wasonceatleastcivildiscourse. Itwould seemthatthe800poundgorillawouldbe those in our newly invented world of mass communications.
We believe they—the resisters who form and control public opinion--will force govern- mental intervention to control their rampant biases. These are the same people who have recently flaunted the First Amendment. When anything gets as out of control as the nerds and politically correct executives who are the product of the last four decades of liberal education in our public institutions.
Realizing that this column has taken a long, tortuous voyage from questioning inane statements of politicians to the degradation of our society currently being perpetrated by what used to be the “main stream media” to the trolls of the internet, I stand by my posi- tion. WashingtonandAmerica,wehavea problemthatdesperatelymustbefixed.
But, as always, that's only one man's opin- ion.
In addition to the Sanger Herald, Publisher Fred Hall oversees two other Mid Valley Publishing newspapers - Reedley Exponent, and Dinuba Sentinel. He can be contacted by phone at (559) 638-2244 or by email at fred@ midvalleypublishing.com.
We welcome guest columns at the Herald
Perhaps the time has come for San Francisco Nancy and her ilk to come to the realization that this is an organized group of thugs whose motto is rape, control and kill-- and their preferred method is with machetes and knives to make the process as painful as possible. “Littlekidsridingbikes?” Really? Yes, Pelosi uttered a line similarly inane to that in response to the president referring to the gang, correctly we believe, as animals.
It seems Democrats' real war is with Trump and not issues which directly impact the safety and security of the American people!
Little explanation of exactly who these “undocumented immigrants” are should be necessary after the recent arrest of an MS-13 gang member for the rape of an 11-year
old girl in New York City or the sweep of Mendotawhichnetted25arrests. Mendota is a really small town where there was an attempt by the gang to completely over-run that tiny police force.
Fresno County has been linked to a cen- tral MS-13 location emanating from the Los Angelesarea. Thatrepresentsahugeexpan- sion of a cancerous group right into the very heart of rural California. I may have missed it in the newspaper stories, but I don't recall reading that any of them were arrested on their little bicycles anywhere near a park, playground or as they were on their way to school.
The time has come for all of America to stop opposing everything this president says simplyasresistancetotheelectionofDonald Trump! Grantedtherearemanythingshe says and does which can be irritating to those with an opposing political philosophy and, yet, he has enjoyed a substantial record of accomplishments when one examines his campaign promises and the current position of this country economically. People need to learn to discern the difference between the two to regain their credibility. That includes the media as well.
Perhaps if we reported as well on his accomplishments as we attempt to tarnish the man and his presidency we could regain thetrustofmillionsofAmericans. Alittle of that approach would go a long way toward debunking the narrative that the press is the enemy of the American people.
People of the press, you are doing every- thingpossibletoprovethepresidentcorrect.
Sincewe'vecoveredthegamutofstupid statements, from Democrat political itera- tions to failure of the press to present both sides, perhaps this would be a good point to pause and make mention of the recent New YorkTimes“anonymous”op-edpiece. The veracity of anyone who is unwilling to accept responsibility for their words must always bequestioned. Iftheconvictionisnotavail-
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