Page 4 - Dinuba Sentinel 1-11-18 E-edition

Opinion
A4 | Thursday, January 11, 2018
Fred Hall
Fred Hall - Publisher Keven J. Geaney - Editor
In My Opinion
Soon you'll have to be wealthy Por on welfare to live here
erhaps you’re as confused as bet that, even if
I am about all the measures he is deported, he flowing from California will soon be back
government officials which appear to be completely counterintuitive. If not, it would be deeply appreciated if, after reading this, you would take moment, put pen to paper, and explain some
of the seemingly inane actions of our Governor, Senate and Assembly.
Marijuana is now legal in California which has an overwhelming number of citizens who appear already stoned all the time. The government was so anxious to get this one on the books that they moved on legalization with none of the supporting mechanism for administering or monitoring its implementation. It appears the only thing which we know for sure that
is up and running is another huge bureaucracy that hereinafter will be called The Bureau of Cannabis Control. We think it would be interesting to read their job description although we doubt there is one. The charge of most state agencies is in itself a joke.
This seems to be just one more item over which the California Attorney Journal will be suing The United States because no thought was given to making sure our standards matched those of the Federal government.
Light up another one California and spend taxpayer money going after your Uncle Sam! After all, what do we have to lose? Between the actions of Jerry Brown and Xavier Becerra, California is rapidly becoming a national joke.
California continues to decriminalize felonious actions in a seeming effort
to empty our prisons, while showing more interest in protecting the rights of law-breakers over law abiding citizens. Our streets are becoming
less safe but the miscreants walking around free as birds help free up tax payer money for what strikes liberals as more pressing social programs. After all, our lay-abouts must be made comfortable in their life mission!
This political posturing requires an absolute disconnect with the cost of the mayhem created by that element. Democrats don't seem real picky about voter blocs.
We are still in search of any rational explanation of how a criminal illegal alien in the San Francisco area could shoot a young woman dead and yet be held blameless under our state laws. There is still a chance this miscreant may face no punitive action of any kind. How wrong is that? It's a safe
The Truth Hurts
Don't forget the past A and learn from it
in California for a seventh time—thanks to our open arms sanctuary state policy.
Hand in glove with this movement one will find some really peculiar people
who would blame the police first for everything. A friend recently shared his solution for police units who are called out to intercede with black- clad mobs from ANTIFA and any of the other similarly over brainwashed and undereducated groups. His solution, which I thought was spot on, would be for the police to hand out job applications to this hygienically challenged bunch. That should clear the campus quads and city streets or wherever they are plying their trade.
Consider for a moment some of the real issues which are facing California and the inability of our current government to address or deal with any of those. Affordable housing has become a tremendous burden to a state with the infrastructure for about 20 million people which has grown to roughly 40 million.
A large portion of that can be directly attributed to fuzzy or even uncontrolled immigration policies.
Our Governor recently invited everyone to move to California. Perhaps they can be put in the vacated housing made available by a working class flight from our state because of the ever-increasing cost of living due to taxation, and regulation.
Very soon one will either have to
be wealthy or on welfare to afford to live in this beautiful climate. We're so far ahead of things that the Governor is helping address the climate on a worldwide basis. Maybe while he's
at it he can join with all of his air agencies and boards and arrange for some rain.
Perhaps I've saved the dumbest
for last. These same deep thinkers are working on taxpayer sponsored, state administered and controlled FREE healthcare for everyone. Please explain to this country boy where the funding from that one will be derived.
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
Fred Hall is publisher of the Sentinel
Letters to the editor
Hopeful for the return of kindness
Jan. 3 I witnessed something that makes me hopeful for 2018.
As I was driving south on Alta and nearing North Way, I saw the lights in the crosswalk flashing and I slowed as did other cars around me. As I reached the intersection, there were cars stopped in every direction and I saw a shoe in the far right lane and then I saw an older man crawling toward the curb. I also noticed a three-wheeled tricycle leaning against the curb. I realized, as did several others, that the man must have fallen off his tricycle.
A man got out of the car, stopped in front of me and ran over to the man as did the driver of a Tri-County Medical Transport, who was coming east on North Way. I also saw
Guest Column
ANew Year's resolution: time to speak up
a woman getting out of a car that was in the northbound turn lane. They all ran over to the man and helped him get up, retrieved his shoe and helped put it on him. He motioned he wanted to get back on his tricycle; but they all waited until they were sure he was all right.
As soon as he was on his tricycle and going on his way, they returned to their vehicles and we all went on our way. As I continued on my way, I realized that all of the other vehicles that were in that area didn’t get impatient and start honking their horns—we all just waited until we were sure that the man was okay. I am hopeful that this was a sign that compassion, caring and kindness are going to return in 2018. Thank you to all who attended to the man and to all the others who were patient.
Nancy McKittrick Dinuba
story I was working on last take a few photos week made me think about of her working. As what a woman told me about we talked I found
Take the other day, for example.
I really like my neighbor. I also have no interest in dating him. It’s nothing against him, really. But I don’t know him well, and I’m not interested in dating anyone at the moment. (Men don’t believe that when I say it, but it’s true. And that isn’t some female code for “try harder.”)
I ran into my neighbor while coming home, and we stopped to chat. Before we parted, he touched the back of my neck and kind of massaged it for a second.
Not knowing what that meant, or what to do about it, I did nothing. I pretended it didn’t happen. Denial works, right?
A few days later I ran into him again. Again we chatted, and he massaged my neck for a second or two again. What?
Seriously, I would never, ever do that to someone I wasn’t dating. Why is he doing that?
He isn’t being aggressive, exactly. My neck isn’t an erogenous zone. He isn’t doing anything else. And I want to be friends with this guy. He’s a nice guy.
I don’t look forward to the awkward conversation when I tell him to knock it off. I don’t want to harm our friendship. That’s why I’ve said nothing.
But the truth is, this was how it started with the first man who sexually assaulted me back in college. It started out with just some unwanted touching. In that case, he held my hand.
There were more red flags with the guy in college. I’d yank my hand away, he’d take it again. Rinse, repeat.
Ultimately that escalated to an actual assault.
The perpetrator is now a pediatric neurologist. With the #MeToo movement, I’ve considered telling his employer. But is it worth ruining someone’s career
Jill Richardson
speak up to my neck-rubbing neighbor. Most men aren’t rapists. But when
women don’t tell men that their behavior makes women uncomfortable, the sad truth is that men may think what they’ve done is okay — even though it’s positive consent they should
not wanting to dwell or relive the
past when it came to her brother not receiving his diploma in 1945, due to the fact that he was of Japanese decent.
But I believe in the saying by writer and philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
We should remember not only the good things in history, but also the bad, so we don't repeat it. I was happy to see the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District fixing an injustice
that happened over 70 years ago. I especially want to applaud Micaela Macareno, superintendent Yolanda Valdez's secretary, for taking the
time to hunt down the names of past administrators to create a diploma for a former Orosi High School student. She even personally delivered the diploma. The family told me how appreciative they were of what you did. Kudos to you Micaela.
At first I wasn't going to mention anything about the students from 1945, after I promised not to mention any names. But then something, or I should say someone, happened that made me realize it was something I needed to talk about. That someone was Aiko Takeda. My feature story
on two Japanese-Americans finally receiving their high school diplomas was shot down, so I decided to do a story on a Open Gate fundraiser. While talking on the phone to the organizer
I heard that an 89-year-old woman volunteered her time at Open Gate's Thrift Store making centerpieces and boutique items. The Sentinel is only a couple of doors down from Open Gate so I decided to talk to the woman and
Keven J. Geaney
out that her parents came from Japan and she also missed a graduation, her eighth grade year, and was sent to a internment camp for Japanese-Americans.
be looking for.
Why don’t we speak up? Often men become defensive.
Some think that they’re the arbiters of whether they’ve made us feel uncomfortable or unsafe. That’s ridiculous. If a woman says she feels uncomfortable, then that’s how she feels.
I know I’m not the only woman who will start speaking out more, but men need to listen when we do.
And please, guys, be more conscious of your actions. Don’t call a woman you aren’t dating names like “sweetie.” And don’t assume we want any touch other than a handshake — even when we’re too uncomfortable to say otherwise.
And when we do tell you what we don’t like, listen. If you feel yourself getting defensive, work through your feelings, and then listen. Don’t verbally attack someone for having the courage to tell you the truth.
Stop using your sexual conquest of women as a measure of your manhood. Women are people, not objects. The only “game” you need is to act like a human being and treat us like humans too.
OtherWords columnist Jill Richardson is the author of Recipe for America: Why Our Food System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It. Distributed by OtherWords.org.
s we go into a new year, I have a resolution. I’m because he assaulted me nearly two going to speak up more when men do things decades ago? I don’t know.
that make me uneasy. But I do know I’m going to have to
I was astonished. All of a sudden
I was thrown back into the life of a Japanese-American during World War II.Iknewitwasmydutytotryand
tell Aiko's story. Hers was a story with some sorrow, but not from life in the camp. She only remembered the good parts of being in the camp. Most of the sorrow came from tuberculosis and the hatred of some people just because of one's heritage.
I have German in me because my mom came from Germany, but that does not make me a Nazi. It was unfortunate what some Americans were doing to their fellow man.
It reminded me how the African- Americans were treated by some. Aiko didn't show any anger. In
fact, she made sure to mention that the hatred was displayed by some merchants, not all. She also mentioned that a family in Illinois treated her as a family member.
I especially liked how Aiko stated that you just have to make the best out of your situation. Sometimes we don't have the power to change something, but we do have the power to be positive as we deal with it.
Keven J. Geaney is the editor of the Sentinel. He can be reached at editor@ thedinubasentinel.com.
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