The Union Editorial Page is a true American example of freedom for all of us numbskulls

Liberals

There are few places on the planet where people have the choices we have right here in "River City".  Meaning of course the freedom of our First Amendment.  In many countries if someone wrote anything like we see in columns and letter in our local paper, that person or person's life would be at risk.  Try it in North Korea or Iran!  But this small little local newspaper's   opinion pages,  is what makes America standout in the nations of the earth.

There was a well written article on why Muslims need to denounce jihadists.  In Saudi Arabia this writer would probably be beheaded after a fair trial.  But he is absolutely correct when he says there needs to be a re-education (reformation maybe) of the meanings of those violent provisions of the religious book.  There will not be enough virgins in the Islamic heaven if they carry out their violence.  And what about the gals?  Do they get 72 fellas?  No one has informed me or the world yet about that.

Then we read the "Keep it California" column where those folks don't want to split the state into two.  I guess we would elect two Republican Senators and that is just not their cup of tea.  If I was a rabid left wing democrat with a complete hold on all the elected state offices I suppose the status quo is to be protected at all costs.  Forget representation of a whole mass of people who make the state actually work and who pay taxes.  Isn't that why we fought a war in 1776?  Taxation without representation.  Never again will we see a Republican or a conservative in state office in California unless the Supreme Court  tosses Reynolds V Sims or the state is split.  However, I have maintained for many years that if all the lazy ass Republicans would get out and vote we could actually take our state back from the barbarians.

Further on the Saturday February 6, 2016 pages we see a article from a Jeff Vogel.  He says that Altria, the new name for Phillip Morris, and their Tobacco products are worse than Al Queda.   Of course he rants and raves about all the :big" corporate terrorists and leaves ISIL pretty much a also ran.  You can't make this stuff up.  A company that sells a legal product versus a Islamic terrorist outfit that cuts heads off just for the fun of it.  And the tobacco product is a choice people make.  I am sure Mr. Vogel is fine with heroin and cocaine and all their derivatives.  Big Oil?  Not so much.

We also have a so-called "rebuttal" to Norm Sauer's excellent article debunking "global warming".  The Janis McGregor letter does not supply any facts to debunk Mr. Sauer's facts but she does want everyone to feel terrible about breathing out CO2 I guess.  You see, the EPA and the idiots on the Supreme Court have decided that what we humans and every other living creature exhales is a pollutant.  And we must regulate that "pollutant".  So we get taxed and told what we must do with all aspects of "carbon" that makes life possible.  Of course green plants need the CO2 to live and make the planet hospitable to life but McGregor must have forgot that.  Honestly, you people that believe that hoax scare me a lot.  You need to exit the planet and leave it too the rational people.

These are some of the ways we learn and a newspaper is important for that.  Our local paper, unlike the big papers in the population centers, allows varying types of letters discussing most anything.  My fear though is the people of America are getting substandard educations and that leaves them to be influenced by the loudest mouths from the left.  But if all newspapers would print as many points of view as our little paper here, then my confidence might be restored.  What is the old saying?  Never believe anything you hear, only half of what you read?  And maybe more of what you see? Something like that.