Page 4 - Dinuba Sentinel 7-5-18 E-edition

Opinion
A4 | Thursday, July 5, 2018
In My Opinion
Get over the election, T return to civility
his country has seemingly set about fulfilling entered a real danger zone promises to the where at least a part of our forgotten American
Fred Hall - Publisher Rick Curiel - Editor
population is approaching a nervous breakdown! CNN, MSNBC, NBC,
CBS, ABC, The Washington Post and The New York Times and several media outlets nationwide have, for some reason, abandoned any real
news reporting and have gone “anti- Trump, all the time.” We’ve lost track of the number of lawsuits that the Attorney General of California has filed to avoid the enforcement of Federal law, especially dealing with illegal immigration!
It appears that the “resistance to Trump” group has completely lost touch with reality when they appear willing to encroach upon the civil rights of those who realize that the President has been making huge strides in “making America great again.”
There has always been a great unwritten rule that the children of politicians are held blameless and should be left alone by political opponents of their parent(s). Demonstrably, that has not been the case when it comes to Donald Trump, where his children are concerned. Trump’s wife, children and even grandchildren have been openly attacked by both Hollywood and their acolytes in mainstream press.
Let’s face it, the Democrats were talking about impeachment before the President was even sworn into office. That’s almost as illogical as Barack Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize from that reknown leftist group before he had done anything that even hinted at being qualified for such an honor.
We’ve grown accustomed to the drone of America’s left wing press carrying on about the great “blue wave” which the talking heads tell us is coming for the mid-term elections without any empirical proof that it is even remotely feasible. It just makes a great talking point! This far-left wing of the Democrat party and their rabble-rousers display every symptom of blowing up whatever natural, historical edge they may have had. The American people do not tolerate hateful rhetoric or hateful deeds when it comes to our civility.
Talk about representing the canary in the mine. We always thought Democrats were smarter—well, at least some of them—than piling on a man and his family in such a devious and spiteful manner. It seems that all he did was win an election and
e World Cup, it's F kind of a big thing
Fred Hall
who Washington had ignored for so long. This is the sort of infantile behavior that does nothing more than virtually guarantee a second term of the Trump
administration.
Remembering the Steve Scalese
shooting about one year ago, one can’t help being concerned for the safety
of the targeted government officials
as their antagonists become more personal and physical. It appears –at least to me—that it’s just a matter
of time before the promoters of this craziness—like Maxine Waters and Hollywood wind up with blood on their hands because of some nut they inspire.
Realizing that it will probably serve no useful purpose for this small town newspaper to offer a suggestion, I will offer one anyway.
Perhaps the time has come for this group of people who have taken such umbrage at the election of a President they feel should have never been able to defeat a member of the Democrat royal family, the Clintons! Our advice to them is to begin to develop a platform based on discussions with and truly listening to the wants and needs of the American people. Realize that the government has indeed become
the “deep state” and is driven by a need for enrichment and preservation of the ruling class. Trump saw the damage being inflicted on the Average American and reached out to them, offering to assist in the alleviation of their suffering and neglect.
Rash decisions and rash behavior
is always the result of decisions made and action taken in anger. Get over the election, return to civility with the citizens of this country and formulate some kind of real plan to win back the electorate. Continue on this current stupid course and risk doing real harm to American while becoming irrelevant and undesirable source of leadership. This group of naysayers has already done great damage to our society
but, at this point, we’re not sure it is irreparable.
But, as always, that’s only one man’s opinion.
Fred Hall is publisher of the Sentinel.
Guest Column
Dinuba PD, brave enough to have our back
Imagine having to prepare yourself mentally every day to face the most difficult, risky scenarios imaginable. In the case of a police officer, this means preparing for situations such as securing the home in which an armed burglary suspect might be hiding. It could also mean being ready to investigate a suspicious death or even to perform life-saving measures when first on scene at a traumatic incident.
The only certainty in the professional life of a Dinuba police officer is that each day will be different. One day could include starting the shift off by patrolling the town, then being flagged to assist the Sheriff’s Department with the search for an absconding parolee, later arresting one or more perpetrators in a domestic violence incident, or pursuing fleeing suspects without knowing whether they will attack.
There are especially difficult cases where the situation gets to them, yet at all situations officers are supposed to remain outwardly professional. Their focus is expected to be on catching the bad guys and helping the victims.
One officer said there are difficult cases, such as in incidences of abuse, where the situation “tugs at you!” But they still must stay professional. They are not supposed to express their emotions, regardless of whether they are feeling it inside.
This is what a Dinuba police officer must do every day of their professional lives – prepare for the worst, so they can have the focus and muscle memory to respond appropriately, yet hope for the best. What the officers prefer is when it is quiet. As one officer said, a quiet day makes them feel like they are an effective deterrent. It makes them feel like they are accomplishing something and keeping the public safe.
While undergoing their initial training at a police academy, an officer learns about laws, firearms, and a host of other necessary skills. Every two years after they graduate, officers must also go through perishable skills training – weaponless defense, pursuit driving, etc.
As a member our local police department, Dinuba officers also undergo monthly training on a variety
of topics, including: firearms refreshers, safety, and legal updates. Twice per year, they also undergo active shooter training in which they learn how to react in situations where every second, every decision, every heartbeat plays into achieving a positive outcome for
Maria McElroy
themselves and for the public. Every two years, the Dinuba
Police Department undergoes an external audit, in which an auditor from the state reviews practices
and procedures. Dinubans should feel proud that our local police department gets complimented on the thoroughness of its training regimen. Did you know that the dispatchers get
ootball, American Football that Portugal (Germany is, could be argued as perhaps as well) are now out the biggest sport in the land. of the tournament
regular tactical communication skills training to be able to successfully handle callers before handing off cases to an officer in the field?
Some residents might see a member of law enforcement as the bad guy out to get them. Sometimes, a resident might only see the aftermath of a traffic stop, when an officer has pulled over a drunk driver and is putting the handcuffed individual into the patrol vehicle. They might not see that the driver was swerving all over the road, or that the individual attempted to resist arrest.
One officer said that sometimes when they approach people on an individual basis, sometimes the person thinks they are in trouble – that is often not the case. What the officer might have wanted was just to get to say hello, to stay in touch with the community.
Ideally, no one would ever commit a crime
and parents would teach their kids to respect law enforcement. But it is not a perfect world, so that is why we need police officers.
A lot of times officers do not see that they have had a positive impact on the public, yet they do what they do every day because they care about keeping us safe. While the compliments for a job well done might be few and far between, sometimes they do hear “we appreciate you” and it makes them feel good about the difficult, often stressful calling they have chosen.
Regardless of whether or not the public says anything, every day of their professional lives, an officer will suit up, mentally prepare for the worst and hope
for the best. They will pray that by being a strong, well- prepared professional they can help make our lives just a little bit better.
Maria McElroy is a Corporate Trainer in Dinuba, who recently went on a ride-along with a member of the Dinuba Police Department.
The game is embedded in our culture. There is youth football, Friday night lights, Saturday night tailgates and Super Bowl Sunday.
But every four years an event comes along that captures your attention with a passion of its own. It is known simply as the World Cup, or officially the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup. No other sport can truly lay claim to that title. Not golf, not baseball, not even football is considered worthy of having a true world title.
Well, at least not American Football. Only the original “football” has built such a global participation. The game we know here in the states as “soccer” is said to have first originated in England in the mid-19th century, although
other civilizations have played similar versions of the game.
It was originally called “football,” not because it was played with your feet, but because it was played on foot as opposed to horseback- sort of a poor man’s polo.
The word “soccer” actually comes from an old English slang word that was used to shorten the word “Association,” as in Association Football, distinguishing it from Rugby Football.
But whatever you call it, soccer, football or futbol, the game is big. How big?
Two of the top-three highest paid athletes in the world are professional soccer players. Both were in this year’s World Cup tournament, Argentina’s Leonel Messi ($110 million per year) and Portugal’s Cristiano Renaldo ($108 million per year). That’s roughly twice as much as the highest paid athlete in the National Football League.
The fact that both Argentina and
Rick Curiel
is a testament to the rising level of play throughout the rest of the world.
This is the World Cup. Only the best
of the best play in this
tournament. Like the Olympics, this event comes along every
four years. And like the Olympics, the whole world is watching.
In case you were wondering why the United States’ team was not part of the starting 32 teams, they failed to qualify. The US team lost their final qualifying round match to Trinidad and Tobago in a stunning 2-1 defeat. The loss led to the USA team’s first absence in the World Cup in over 30 years.
That’s part of the reason you’ve been seeing a whole lot of green and red soccer jerseys around town. With USA out, many, including myself, have jumped on the Mexico bandwagon.
But, unfortunately, that wagon came to a stop on Monday when Mexico lost 2-0 to perhaps the biggest juggernaut of them all, Brazil.
However, even with Mexico now out of the tournament, plenty of fans will surely keep watching the World Cup, sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the magic of a well orchestrated goal to happen. Though, it often happens just as you walk away from the TV screen.
Nevertheless, soccer as it pertains to the world and the FIFA World Cup is kind of a big thing. And when it comes to the world of international sports, there may not be a bigger sport.
Rick Curiel is editor of the Dinuba Sentinel. He can be contacted at editor@thedinubasentinel.com
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