Page 4 - Reedley Exponent 8-16-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, August 16, 2018 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
By this point, it should be abundantly clear to everyone that Mother Nature does not subscribe to the manmade rules of the gov- ernor, environmentalists or the various and omnipresent air boards operating in Califor- nia. We’re told we can’t use our fireplaces, but right now hundreds of thousands of trees are being burned and these omnipotent agencies can do nothing about the smoke and particu- late that is being created.
Jon Earnest — Editor
Chris Aguirre — Sports Editor Juanita Adame — Panorama Editor Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
With candidacies finalized, 2018 general election campaigns begin
QUOTE
“Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it’s important.”
Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005)
Although California citizens are heavily
taxed and regulated, purportedly to insure
clean air to everyone who lives in the Valley,
nature ignores the edicts from these tyrannical agencies who flit about in their environmentally friendly little state-provided cars, wreaking havoc on businesses throughout the area. A single word or unfavorable ruling by these folks can result in the shuttering of one’s business. Unelected individuals, living by their own set of self-mandated rules, create difficulties based on an implied prom- ise of clean air and clean water. We, in business, have all paid our dues as requested...now where the hell is our clean air?
It makes the point rather obvious that there is a power operat- ing in California that exceeds the reach of our army of bureaucrats whose job seems to be that of making us all miserable. There is, indeed, a power at work that exceeds the reach of Jerry Brown and his Democrat minions! However, we continue to be expected to live under a set of man-made rules that are often neither rational nor reasonable.
Where was government when the conditions which created all this dead and dying timber was being allowed to flourish, com- pletely unmitigated? Spraying pesticides would have controlled the insect doing all the damage and careful, thoughtful harvesting of any dead trees would have removed the abundance of fuel that ex- ists in our forests because of the dead trees. That’s just one more example of governmental bungling in the name of environmental- ism. Man should have been empowered to manage nature, not just stand by and sing campfire songs. It’s our belief that we were each endowed with common sense by our creator. Why so many, who always seem to wind up in government, have elected not to avail themselves of this God-given asset is an unknowable. Sad thing is they always make the rules by which we have to live our lives!
Please don’t be mistaken about our attempt her to inject com- mon sense into this argument. There probably is a time and a place for a statewide agency of sorts which is more focused on generally trying to improve our quality of life than generating revenue to support their personnel and expensive operations. Readily identi- fiable would be the 35 local air districts as well as the California Air Resources Board. Simple math with extrapolation of salary, equipment and operational costs will give one an idea of the huge amounts of money it takes to keep such a bloated bureaucracy operating.
All of these people have been endowed with great power by their own creation with basically no oversight. Perhaps the most appropriate analogy for air boards would be a comparison with our infamous Department of Motor Vehicles. Talk about the inmates being in charge of the asylum, one can’t do better than these two areas.
Before one assumes that my claims might be hyperbole about the intrusion of environmentally formulated agencies, remember they have agendas that are overly drawn. Remember these people are contributors to the reason we have overpriced gasoline that is so poorly blended as to be simply a cocktail of chemicals. It seems to be well established by automobile experts that, in the end, California formulated fuel is a poor choice, and life-shortening one, for your second largest investment. All energy consumed by Californians is extremely costly for the very same reason — bu- reaucratic oversight. There are so many mandates that have been created by unelected bodies that it has become overly expensive and problematic.
The state is attempting to force us into the use of high speed rail travel — which may never be completed — and certainly will not be employed at a high enough usage rate as to be a practical self-sustaining venture. Electric cars are being subsidized by the government and are, as with the train, being force fed to a public which has no, or very little, interest. People don’t want them; gov- ernment subsidies will never be able to prop them up.
Fact is that government has little or no impact on climate change, global warming or any of the other invented environmen- tal concerns. The fortunes and tribulations of nature are far above the pay grade of mankind. The only thing our politically appointed bureaucracies are accomplishing with their intrusion into our daily lives is to make living in California ever more difficult and ex- pensive. Will the last person leaving California please turn off the lights in case the government or Pacific Gas and Electric have not already done so?
But, as always, that’s only one man’s opinion.
Reedley voters will have at least one important city position to vote on during general election day Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Ray Soleno is officially running for another four-year term in City Council District 4. He’s being challenged by lo- cal business and service club repre- sentative Lee Ky, who is running for public office for the first time. Soleno has served on the Reedley council for 33 years, first from 1983 to 1995 and then from 1997 to the present. He said he wants to be on the council when the long-awaited Reedley Sports Park fi- nally gets completed. There’s a possi- bility some grant money could come the city’s way in the next year or so, and Soleno he wants to offer his sup- port as a council member.
It’s the only contested city race. No one filed to run against incumbent Mary Fast in District 2, meaning the city is setting into motion the steps to have Fast appointed to the position and not have to be listed on the November ballot. It’s a move that saves Reedley money, so it’s good fiscal policy.
Regardless of who is or isn’t on the ballot, the important thing is to make your voice heard at the ballot box (or by mail) on Nov. 6.
•••
The rigors of attending college
are challenging enough with the head- aches of juggling studies and work, ar- ranging class schedules and getting to those classes in a timely manner. Much of that has to do with parking.
It’s an annual battle at universi- ties, small colleges and community colleges. Reedley College is no ex-
ception, and the first day of the fall semester on Aug. 13 was as challeng- ing as ever. During the prime morn- ing class hours (9 and 10 a.m.) lines of cars snaked through the south and east parking lots in search of a pre- cious open spot. Vehicles continued to wind their way through, waiting for that rare break when a student would leave campus after an early class. Stu- dents driving to campus didn’t have an option to park in the Riverwalk Shopping Center south of the college. Security guards were monitoring the area and telling students that parking in the center wasn’t allowed.
But it isn’t all bad. This year, a ma- jority of the parking stalls on campus provide welcome shade to vehicles fol- lowing the installation of solar panel awnings last winter and spring. And the drive to the Reed Avenue parking lot — while bumpy — will be a little more convenient for the first couple of weeks of the semester. The city agreed to postpone repaving of the road for three weeks to allow students easier ac- cess to campus at the start of the semes- ter. By the end of the year, the repaving should be completed and students will enjoy a smoother ride to class.
•••
It’s probably the earliest the two
longtime eastern county rivals have met on the gridiron. The Reedley and Sanger high school football teams will kick off the season on Friday, Aug. 17, in Sanger. Immanuel High will open the season in Fresno that same night against Roosevelt in a game at Sunny- side High School. Both varsity games are scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
The Central
Section of the Cail-
fornia Interscho-
lastic Federation’s
schedule has the
prep football sea-
son beginning a
week earlier than it
ever has, meaning
the regular season
will wrap up the
first week of November. Many schools will have played three games by the time the calendar reaches September.
I snapped photos of Reedley High’s Aug. 10 scrimmage in Hanford against Hanford West. Although I only was there for the first half, the Pirates looked impressive by scoring four touchdowns and allowing three while showing some physical presence. The team appears to be on the rise under third-year head coach Brandon Na- gle, having won two of their last five games last season.
The weather still will be hot on Friday, but the air quality could be somewhat improved as the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite almost is fully con- tained. Ready or not, football is back.
•••
Anyone thinking of going to Reed-
ley Beach for swimming or sunbath- ing Thursday or Friday, Aug. 16-17, will be out of luck. The beach closed for three days starting on Aug. 15 in order for the city to remove trees that have overgrown and are pushing up against the adjoining mobile home park. Russ Robertson, public works di- rector, said Reedley Beach will reopen to the public on Saturday, Aug. 18.
Fred Hall
Jon Earnest
Regarding domestic violence, please, don’t counsel them
By Joseph Horton
Guest columnist
If you are a football fan, and perhaps even if you are not, you have read the allegation that current Ohio State head football coach, Urban Meyer, and athletic director, Gene Smith, knowingly em- ployed an assistant coach, Zach Smith, who was bat- tering his now ex-wife, Courtney Smith. The story continues to unfold as new information regarding the events from 2015 are re- leased.
(Editor’s Note: As of Aug. 14, Meyer remained on administrative leave from his coaching job as the university continued to investigate how he handled the situation.)
My goal here is not trial by journalism. My fo- cus is not even on the most recent reports. I want us to look back at the undis- puted account from 2009, when Zach Smith was on Urban Meyer’s coaching staff at the University of Florida. Meyer has said that in Gainesville in 2009, after Smith was arrested for domestic violence, he and his wife, Shelley Mey- er, “both got involved with the relationship with that family and provided coun- seling, and wanted to help them moving forward.”
This may sound like a good part of the story: Someone in a position of authority cared enough about a subordinate to try to help that person and his wife in a difficult time.
But this is not a good part of the story — in fact, it highlights something very dangerous.
Marital therapists dis- tinguish between common couple violence and bat- tering. Common couple violence, as the name sug- gests, is present in many romantic relationships. It involves such things as one person shoving the other during a moment of frus- tration. Common couple violence is not something that should be accepted. It is harmful to the relation- ship, can cause emotional harm — particularly in women — and while not intended to cause physi- cal harm, physical harm is possible. Note that because on average men are larger and stronger than women that women are more like- ly to suffer physical harm from common couple vio- lence than are men. Com- mon couple violence is en- gaged in by men and wom- en at approximately equal rates, though it is not equal in its effects. It would be appropriate for a trained therapist to address com- mon couple violence dur- ing counseling.
Anyone who has seen the photographs of the injuries that are alleged to have occurred from abuse can recognize that if Mr. Smith caused those injuries to Ms. Smith com- mon couple violence is not what occurred, but bat- tery. The vast majority of batterers are men. Most are boyfriends rather than husbands. The context of
battery is domination and control over the woman.
Battery is not some- thing that should be ad- dressed in couples or mari- tal therapy and no ethical therapist would knowingly treat a couple when bat- tery was part of the rela- tionship. This is because battery is not a problem with the couple but with one person. The sole re- sponsibility for battery lies with the person doing the battering. Furthermore, discussing relationship is- sues in therapy could an- ger the batterer, resulting in still more violence.
The essential thing to do in cases of battery is to help the woman find a place of safety where she can be protected. She also must know that nothing she did deserved battery; that she is a person wor- thy of respect. The man doing the battering should not be trusted no matter how much he pleads that he will change his ways. The priority is to protect the woman and any chil- dren from violence. Their physical safety should not be risked in some lay coun- seling experiment with the abuser.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline, www.the- hotline.org, 800-799-7233, can help women and those who care for them protect victims of battery. It is critical that we be aware of our limitations and get outside help when needed.
This story is getting a lot of press because of the high profile of Urban
Meyer and Ohio State foot- ball. As a football fan, I am saddened that this will overshadow the greater number of truly worth- while things that the ma- jority of football coaches do to help boys and young men become men of good character, men who em- brace the truly masculine traits of self-control, self- sacrifice, and respect for women.
My hope in writing this is that one impor- tant lesson will be clear: The lesson is that helping someone may not look the way we think it should — it may not feel good in the process.
In this case, the de- sire to help, and the belief that he knew what kind of help was necessary, may have led Coach Meyer in 2009 to place Ms. Smith in greater danger. Coun- seling is a discipline which requires specific, evidence-based training. There is no shame in get- ting help from experts. There is shame in placing people at risk because we fail to recognize limits to our personal expertise.
If you know of an abu- sive situation, please act to protect the person being abused. That is the best way to help.
Joseph J. Horton is professor of psychology at Grove City (Pa.) College and the Working Group Co- ordinator for Marriage and Family with The Center for Vision & Values. He is also a researcher on Positive Youth Development.
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