Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 2-11-21 E-edition

Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
If one will remember, it was becom-
ing abundantly clear by the North Car-
olina primaries that Bernie Sanders, an avowed social- ist, was going to be nominated to oppose Donald Trump. Obviously that could not be allowed to stand because America would never elect a socialist even though it aligned more closely with power brokers in the Demo- crat party. That's when the DNC moved into place their heavy thumb on the selection process.
This race would require that the party be fronted by someone who could be sold — with a compliant media — as a moderate. Biden's indication of the early stages of dementia gave them the perfect foil. Here is someone who could be easily controlled. Kamala is at the ready!
The president's selection of cabinet members and ambassadors is more reflective of the far left of his par- ty. These are not choices we would have expected from Joe Biden who was just an average senator. Granted, he always was known for plagiarizing other people's intel- lectual property, stretching the truth, being self-serving and graft, yet he won. Even knowing all of that we are still surprised at the job-killing measures and threats to national security represented by his executive orders.
Democrats have lapsed into a McCarthy era type approach after the Jan. 6 riot by a bunch of mentally- challenged individuals. Their destructive raid on the House has been painted as an insurrection and attempt to overthrow the United States government. Everyone who ever worked with Donald Trump or voted for him is being painted as a subversive and being investigated by the compromised FBI. Even Biden's new defense sec- retary, Lloyd Austen, has ordered the military to stand down in order that he might investigate our own military for subversive thought. OMG!
This administration, mainstream media, big tech and our academic institutions are working hard — intended or otherwise — every day in their efforts to suppress freedom of speech. Say or think anything that is not po- litically acceptable by the establishment and you face reprimand, investigated, castigated or banned from so- cial media. Yet, it's viewed as being entirely different when these people totally ignore the rantings of a Max- ine Waters or Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez alleges that Ted Cruz tried to have her murdered. Truth is, she was a couple a blocks away from the Jan. 6 riot. Maxine Waters tells anyone who will listen; that Donald Trump should be tried for first degree murder. How ra- tional is that?
Guess what? If there is a 'D' next to the name, they are never censured or reprimanded. When Republicans do something stupid, Democrats want to circumvent the voters and totally eject that “sinner” from their ranks.
Considering all these idiocies — including a ridicu- lous, unconstitutional impeachment — they collectively seem to indicate a political party drunk on power. More often than not, their actions are aimed at undoing every- thing good accomplished by Donald Trump.
Our Founding Fathers fought for and worked long hours to establish a Constitution and Bill of Rights to insure that America would survive in perpetuity as the freest nation in the world. When one includes the cancel culture, Antifa, Black Lives Matter and the Washington swamp, it appears that our nation's capitol is packed with people who would do away with all that in one elec- tion. The 2022 and 2024 elections are going to be really important.
Thursday, February 11, 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 Biden administration working
hard to suppress free speech
We've asserted previously that it was our sincere belief that Joe Biden was selected as the presidential can- didate by the Democratic National Committee for his past performance as a reasonably moderate politician as well as his shortcomings associated with age.
Tom Flores' football career finally gets Hall of Fame recognition
Fred Hall
"It's about time."
That was the common theme — with colorful adjec- tives added by some support- ers — when it finally was an- nounced that Tom Flores had been voted into the Pro Foot- ball Hall of Fame. More than 33 years after his last game on the sidelines with the Los Angeles Raiders, and 26-plus years af- ter his final game as a coach, the proud native son of Sanger had punched his ticket to the professional football shrine in Canton, Ohio. HIs milestone as the first Latino quarterback of a professional team (1960 Oakland Raiders) and the first Latino coach to win the Super Bowl (championship teams in 1980 and 1983) was finally rec- ognized at the highest level.
Flores was one of only two men (Mike Ditka was the oth- er) to have won a Super Bowl ring as a player (backup with the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs), assistant coach (receivers coach for the 1976 Oakland Raiders) and head coach. He also had one of the most suc- cessful postseason records as a head coach (8-3). His 83-53
record with the Raiders was surpassed in wins only by Hall of Famer John Madden, and he managed to double Madden's Super Bowl championship to- tal.
His run of 43-14 from 1982 to '85, including the second Su- per Bowl, was one of the more impressive coaching runs. But his Hall credentials took a hit with a rough three-year stretch as president and head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. That made his final head coaching record 97-87, which seemed get him lost in the shuffle among later successful coaches (most recently 2020 inductees Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson).
But 2021 finally was Tom's time, buoyed by support from the California Latino Legisla- ture and a high-profile adver- tising and petition campaign by Coors Light beer. And although most of us didn't find out un- til the late afternoon of Feb. 6, the coach himself was notified a week earlier and had to keep the induction news a secret for one long week.
Nonetheless, it was a thrill for many to finally hear the
announcement that Flores was a Hall of Famer.
In the end, it
couldn't happen
to a finer man,
one who's be-
loved in Sanger.
He's never forgotten his roots, and has always kept close ties with his alma mater, Sanger High School, and the com- munity. As everyone around here knows, Flores' name is on the Apaches' football stadium (and will soon include the Hall of Fame title). His foundation provided great opportunities for students for many years through his annual golf tourna- ment, and he remains bonded to so many in Sanger and the Fresno area.
Congratulations, Coach! You've always been a Hall of Famer to us, and we can't wait until your next visit to the area and a chance to celebrate to- gether!
Jon Earnest is editor for The Times.
Jon Earnest
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
Yeager legacy: ‘strength, adventure, and patriotism’
By John Grimaldi
Guest columnist
Before there was a U.S. Space Force, there was a U.S. Air Force and before that there was the Army Air Corps and a genuine American hero by the name of Chuck Yeager. He passed away on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day, with not enough fanfare. Oh, there were news reports about his death at the age of 97, but not enough of a sendoff for someone who did what he did with his life. Per- haps it was because the COVID crisis was taking up so much of the media’s time; or maybe it was because it’s not in fash- ion these days to celebrate the accomplishments of daring, gallant, stout-hearted men like Brigadier General Yeager.
Charles Elwood Yeager had what author Tom Wolfe called “The Right Stuff.” He enlisted in the U.S. Army in September of 1941 and distinguished him- self right from the get-go.
Private Yeager was as- signed to what was then called
the Army Air Corps. In 1943 he received his commission as a reserve flight officer and was assigned as a fighter pilot in the Eighth Air Force stationed in England. It was the height of World War II and in the ensu- ing years he flew 64 missions over Europe, shooting down no less than 13 enemy aircraft. It was reported that five of those dog fights took place in one day and, in the end, he even downed a Nazi jet fighter, one of the first of its kind on either side of the hostilities
Yeager was, himself, shot down over enemy territory and with the help of partisans along the way made a perilous four- month trek to neutral Spain.
After the war he became a test pilot at what is now Ed- wards Air Force Base in Cali- fornia in the newly formed U.S. Air Force and performed what was arguably the single most important feat of the space age. He became the first pilot to break the sound barrier in an experimental rocket plane des- ignated as the X-1 but which he
renamed Glamorous Glennis, for his wife who passed away in 1990.
His rocket plane was at- tached to the bomb bay of a B-29 and lifted to an altitude of 25,000 feet and released. Yea- ger took the X-1 up to an alti- tude of 40,000 feet and accel- erated to a speed of 662 miles per hour, well past the sound barrier at that height.
Jim Bridenstine, NASA Ad- ministrator, called Yeager’s death “a tremendous loss to our nation.” He remarked that “Yeager’s pioneering and inno- vative spirit advanced Ameri- ca’s abilities in the sky and set our nation’s dreams soaring into the jet age and the space age.”
Victoria Yeager, his sec- ond wife whom he married in 2003, described her husband as “America’s greatest Pilot” who left “a legacy of strength, ad- venture, and patriotism.”
John Grimaldi is an edito- rial contributor at the Associa- tion of Mature American Citi- zens [AMAC].
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QUOTE
“It has always been the prerogative of children and half- wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half- wit, and the emperor remains an emperor.”
— Neil Gaiman (1960- ) Sandman
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