So many differentways of being right

Dear Editor,

To Whom itmay concern: “Chrono-synclastic Infundibula-justimagine that your daddy is the smartest man who ever lived on earth and heknows everything there is to find out and he is exactly right about everythingand he can prove he is right about everything. Now imagine another little childon some nice world a million light years away and that little child’s Daddy isthe smartest man who ever lived on that nice world so far away. And he is justas smart and just as right as your Daddy is. Both Daddies are smart, and bothDaddies are right. Only if they ever met each other they would get into aterrible argument, because they wouldn’t agree on anything. Now, you can saythat your Daddy is right and the other little child’s daddy is wrong, but theUniverse is an awfully big place. There is room enough for an awful lot ofpeople to be right about things and still not agree.

The reasonboth Daddies can be right and still get into terrible fights is because thereare so many different ways of being right. There are places in the Universe,though, where each Daddy could finally catch on to what the other Daddy wastalking about. These places are where all the different kinds of truths fittogether as nicely as the parts in your Daddy’s solar watch. We call theseplaces chrono-synclastic infundibulate.

The SolarSystem seems to be full of chrono-synclasticinfundibulate. There is one great big one we are sure of that likes to staybetween Earth and Mars. We know about that one because an Earth-man and hisEarth-dog ran into it.

You mightthink it would be nice to go to a chrono-synclastic infundibulum and see all the different ways to beabsolutely right, but it is a very dangerous thing to do. The poor man and hispoor dog are scattered far and wide, not just through space, but through timetoo.

Chrono (kroh-no) means time. Synclastic (sin-classtick) meanscurved toward the same side in all directions, like the skin of an orange. Infundibulum (in-fun-dib-u-lum)is what the ancient Romans like Julius Caesar and Nero called a funnel. If youdon’t know what a funnel is, get Mommy to show you one.” – Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., The Sirens ofTitan, 1959.

Ryan Frazier

Oroville

 

Resort ‘ca-ching may turn to sting’

Dear Editor,

In responseto Jim Bankson’s letter last week, I would like toexpress my opinion, for what its worth.

VerandaBeach was inevitable and we all know that. What ishard for the locals to swallow is a major loss and a big change in our area,simultaneously. Orovillites are good,proud people and most don’t want to see change at such a fast pace, consuming avery large local area that for many years was a playground and party beach24/7.

I’ve hadmany fun-filled days and nights at our local “trespassing” spot, Dairy Point,or as a way to hold on to a bit of the past, I now call it “Porch Point“.

My mainbeef is the lack of change for the locals in the area. For years I’ve toutedthe need for a place for diverse fun activities for all ages, for theincreasing tourists and locals of course. State of the artmini golf, go-carts, batting cage, bungee tower, large pool with wave machine,maybe even a roller coaster. Why not? Whatever floats a thrill seeker’sboat!

Thinking of which, this next point need serious thought.

UnlikeRosario Resort, which is a ways from easily going back to Canada, open yearround and not seasonally, most people by far (if not all) residents at Verandawill be Canadians and with not much to do in Oroville many will choose to headback north for a bit of entertainment. It’s a hop, skip and jump. Four to sixmonths vacationing on Lake Osoyoos could be great, but how many people will getburned out on water and regular golf? Oroville needs to capitalize somehow onthe dollars that will be draining by us. How about two percent of thedevelopment money goes to giving Oroville a boost? A theater, a bowling alley,anything! And how about a giant, visually intriguing maze?Biggest in America, advertise the fact, draw folks from all corners, give themmore to do, all are happy! Anyway, in my view if something doesn’t change, thelocals thinking ca-ching, may get the sting. If I had the ways and means I wouldstep up to the plate immediately.

And a note for Ryan Frazier. Growing more food is always agood idea, especially now with our breadbasket being pummeled and drowned withstorm after storm. This seems to be a safe place to grow. I’ve stated beforethe need to develop a small cannery, with regular and organic capacities. Itcould open up many acres of good growing land in this valley. (Or is that thechicken before the egg?) A co-op of farmers willing to diversify many crops isone of the missing links. Maybe someday all this will come together.

Ardently,

Dan Dixon

Oroville

 

VDA means loss of gunrights for some vets

Dear Editor,

There are many ironies associated with thewar in Iraq. One of the major ironies is that while many young American men andwomen were and are in Iraq in the mistaken belief they are fighting forfreedom, our own Congress has been busily infringing upon their freedom.

This major infringement is referred to bythe major media as the “NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007.” Gun Owners ofAmerica refers to it as the “Veterans Disarmament Act” (VDA). This law waspassed by voice vote in Congress, when many members were home for the holidaysand then signed into law by Bush in January 2008.

In an unusual twist, the NRA workedside-by-side with Chuck Schumer (talk about theodd-couple) to get this law passed. What does the VDA do? As used by the BATFEunder so called “pro-gun” Bush, this law has been interpreted to deny gunownership to anybody who is deemed to be in the slightest degree a danger tohimself or to others or who is simply “unable to manage financial affairs.” (I’mserious. I don’t have the imagination to mak
e up this stuff). Because ofconfidentiality, this is probably not a problem for those seeking help from aprivate mental health care provider, but those who seek help from a governmentpsychiatrist will find themselves unable to purchase a gun.

Quoting from the GOA June 20,2008 newsletter, “…almost 150,000 veterans are alreadyincluded in the NICS list, it was actually the inability to manage financialaffairs – that made them prohibited persons.” This is just a start. A recentRAND study concluded that 300,000 US military men and women suffer from PostTraumatic Stress Disorder or major depression, resulting from their service inAfghanistan or Iraq. It’s no wonder Schumer was sodelighted by the law’s passage.

Unless the VDA is amended, they will alllose their gun ownership rights, regardless of the recent favorable SupremeCourt Second Amendment ruling.

Change of subject. In order to demonstratethat war profiteering is non-partisan, Sen. Dianne Feinsteinand her husband Richard C. Blum, have been busily demonstrating that that noDemocrat need take a backseat to Cheney when it comes to pocketing huge profitsfrom the “war on terror.” For further information, go to the Internet, as theirefforts are too broad to properly discuss herein.

Second change of subject.In a recent conversation with a friend, my wife was told that at least with thedemise of Saddam, women in Iraq could now wear western dress and abandon thechador. I found this comment to be of interest because it is the exact oppositeof what has in fact actually taken place.

When Saddam was first seizing power, thingswere not so great for some women (e.g. the wives and daughters of politicalopponents were deemed to be prostitutes and executed) but after he gainedcontrol this all changed.

Note that Saddam was a secular leader ratherthan an Islamic leader. In 1981 Saddam stated: “Our society will remainbackward and in chaos unless women are liberated, enlightened and educated.”Subsequently, education was made mandatory for both girls and boys up to theage of 16. Women were strongly encouraged to wear western dress, to attenduniversities and to acquire professional skills. In 1989, 10.8% of the IraqiNational Assembly were women while only 6.8% of theBritish House of Commons were women.

Today, that has all changed. For wearingwestern dress, women are having acid thrown in their faces, being stoned todeath or otherwise murdered and their bodies left with a veil tied around thehead as a message. For further information, do an Internet search of >women”western dress” Saddam<.

Mason Hess

Tonasket

 

Each bridge andbeach, a lesson learned

Dear Editor,

Distressingnews items of the present time, begs returning at least temporarily to memoriesof the past when other times fill the deep fabric of life, woven of dreams cometo life again. Enclosed in a cocoon of a recluse, places of other times becomevivid, though experienced 60-70 years ago.

Thesweltering New York hot summers on tar beach (tar-packed roof tops), requiredmany layers of newspapers and towels to protect from unwashabletar stains. Mamma supplied the tanning lotion – a simple mix of oil andvinegar. When my body developed a fragrance of a hot-wilted salad, it was timeto flip over to the other side. It was time to retreat when the salad took on ahint of tar. Down the marble steps to our fifth floorapartment.

Jones Beachand the Rockaway beaches required a subway ride and accompaniment of an adult,usually a neighbor. The beach was my favorite place for reading or tacklingschool assignments when school was not quite over. Latin was the mandatorylanguage (two-years) and the second language was elective (three-years). EarthScience and Map Reading were also compulsory for this was the World War II erawhen we had blackouts, food rationing stamps and the “fat can” on the kitchencounter to contribute to the war effort. (I’ve digressed).

Back to thebeach…the fragrances of the beach are still alive in memory. The sand was a mixof foot tongs, droplets of sodas, hot dogs left behind, mustard and ice cream,sun lotions and body sweat, intermittently swept aside by the salty ocean wavesand breezes. At night, the light of the sky painted the ocean with glimmeringlights. The fragrance of the abandoned beach, ocean waves and breezes left salton my lips.

Reflectionsof the various phases of our lives take us to the present and remind us of thebridges burned as we keep trying to “do it better” each time around. Therecomes the time when we run out of matches. No more bridges to burn behind us tocross ‘cept the memories – very much alive; eachbridge a lesson learned.

Respectfully submitted,

Marya Silverthorn

Chesaw

 

Anger towards McCainand POW cover-up

Dear Editor,

Last week Chinafinally admitted to holding captive one POW (Prisoner of War) from the KoreanWar. It is just another reminder of why no one should vote for John McCain.

In 1990there was tremendous pressure applied to our government to end the cover-up andto make an honest accounting of POW-MIA’s from Vietnam and other wars. In 1991a Senate Committee found irrefutable evidence that our own government hadabandoned thousands of POW’s after W.W.II, Korea and Vietnam to suffer and diein captivity in the Soviet Union and China. Russian President Boris Yeltsin evenadmitted to this committee that the evidence was factual and said Americansmight still be alive in Russian and Chinese prison camps.

To protectitself from the truth, the first Bush Administration set up a show committeechaired by Sen. John Kerry and ramrodded by Sen. JohnMcCain. They proceeded to make a sham and mockery of the evidence presented byfamilies and former POWs and to “prove” the government was not covering up anyevidence.

To this day,go to any POW-MIA website and you will find nothing but anger and disdaintowards Sen. McCain.

Steve Dunham

Spokane

 

Need RepublicanCongress for change

Dear Editor,

Gas pricesare nearing or exceeding five dollars per gallon. OPEC Nations hold us in theirmercy. Oil companies could produce less expensive petroleum products.Environmentalists have conned the U.S. Congress into banning oil exploration inone of the most promising oil fields in the world.

Environmentalistsclaim ANWR (Alaska National Wildlife Refuge) would be harmed showing picturesfrom areas that would remain untouched. ANWR consists of 17.5 million acres ofAlaska in the northern arctic region. Less than 2000 acres, half of onepercent, would be explored. Oil exploration would be on the barren wasteland ofthe coastal plain. Winter lasts nine months with temperatures reaching 110below zero. Three months in mid-winter are dark 24 hours a day. The coastalarea is flat, permanently frozen land. The pristine landscapes would remain offlimits.

Oilexploration on the coastal plain is supported by 75 percent of Alaskancitizens. We already have a pipeline from Alaska to the Continental 48.Congress needs to protect our economy, by opening up the scant 2000 acres tooil exploration. Democrats have tied up our resources catering to the extremefringe of environmentalism. We need change and common sense. We need aRepublican Congress.

Roger W Hancock

Auburn, Washington