Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 28, 2012

11

OPINION

 Mountain Views News Saturday, January 28, 2012 

STUART Tolchin......On LIFE 

HAIL Hamilton My Turn

Mountain 
Views

News

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson

CITY EDITOR

Dean Lee 

EAST VALLEY EDITOR

Joan Schmidt

SALES

Patricia Colonello

626-355-2737 

626-818-2698

PRODUCTION 

Richard Garcia

PHOTOGRAPHY

Lina Johnson

Ivonne Durant

WEBMASTER

John Aveny 

CONTRIBUTORS

Jeff Brown

Pat Birdsall

Chris Leclerc

Bob Eklund

Howard Hays

Paul Carpenter

Stuart Tolchin

Kim Clymer-Kelley

Christopher Nyerges

Peter Dills 

Hail Hamilton 

Rich Johnson

Chris Bertrand

Ron Carter

Rev. James Snyder

Bobby Eldridge

Mary Carney

La Quetta Shamblee

Katie Hopkins

Deanne Davis

Despina Arouzman

Greg Wellborn

Dr. John Talevich

Meaghan Allen

Sean Kayden


YA NEVER KNOW 

HOW THE BALLS 

GONNA BOUNCE


REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES... GET REAL!

Having a baby needs to 
be a woman’s choice always 
and forever. My wife tells me 
being a mother has been one 
of the most wonderful gifts 
in her life. However, as she 
rightly points out, being a 
mother also requires more 
wherewithal, resources and constant thought 
and action than ever before. Becoming a mother 
in today’s world isn’t a thing to be taken lightly.

Republican presidential candidates 
nevertheless are opposed to abortion, even in 
the case of rape or incest. They say their their 
solution is adoption. This means they would 
condemn the victim to nine months of further 
trauma and degradation reliving their assault. 
How out of touch with reality are these rich white 
guys? Apparently, a whole lot.

Rapists and incestuous fathers should be 
vigilantly sought out and prosecuted to the fullest 
extent of the law, for a great many reasons, not 
least of which is their attempt to take that choice 
away from the women they abuse. It’s hard for me 
to believe that anyone on either side of the aisle 
would disagree with that.

How any of the Republican candidates 
thinks they will take the White House with 
such blanket, inhumane stance on abortion is 
laughable. Reproduction is a choice, and nobody 
has the right to determine what will and will not 
happen inside a woman’s body but that woman 
herself.

Am I in favor abortion? No... no one is. I am 
prochoice which is a whole different matter. My 
feeling is that since I will never get pregnant, it 
is none of my dam business what Jane Doe does 
w/her body because she has nothing to do with 
me and I won’t be helping her raise her children. 
Their overwhelming obsession with women’s 
reproductive functions speaks only of the 
oppression of forced birthing.

Mitt, Newt, Ron and Rick aren’t talking much, 
if at all, about daycare, balancing work and 
family needs, food, education, jobs, pay equality, 
violence against women, maternity leave, 
misrepresentation in the media and whatever else 
you can think of that impacts women’s daily lives.

These GOP candidates won’t talk about the 
other women’s issues because every one of them 
is a lackey totally beholden to their corporate 
benefactors. To these guys, you are a fungible 
cog in their benefactor’s money machine, to be 
paid as little as possible, and discarded when you 
are no longer useful. So they have no intention 
of supporting anything which might require big 
business to treat women (or men) like people, 
with families and lives outside the workplace. 
And they will tell you that if, as a woman, you are 
concerned about work-life balance, you shouldn’t 
have had children.

Not one of these candidates has talked about 
how the economy and dearth of jobs is effecting 
whether or not women should wish to carry a 
pregnancy through to birth. Not one has even 
touched on issues that are overwhelmingly 
pertinent to the majority of women, including 
how they are to adequately care for the children 
they already have; and not one has addressed the 
issue of the bulging foster care system, and what 
that can do to our country. 

I think men or most men, especially the GOP 
that are running for office, are in fact intimidated 
by women making their own choices with out 
a man to do it for them. So what better way to 
make them subservient then to strip them of 
their reproductive rights? As far as the women 
who are against women having any reproductive 
rights, they are either brainwashed or because of 
the zeal of their religious beliefs see “man” as the 
supreme being. 

It just floors me that we are still doing this. I 
was just starting college when Roe v Wade was 
decided and I thought the issue of women’s 
reproductive rights had finally been settled. Boy, 
was I mistaken. I bet if men gave birth the whole 
discussion would be mute. Abortion would be 
a rite of passage and there would be a clinic on 
every corner, and the feds would pay for three 
years of maternity leave as well.

So to Mitt, Newt, Ron and Rick I say... GET 
REAL!

 

Yesterday, about twenty eight hours ago 
I was screaming in agony. I was walking 
around my dentist’s office in Chino, 
about an hour’s ride from here, just waiting to be seen by 
the dentist. My son was with me in the office embarrassed 
by my behavior and my wife, who had driven me, wouldn’t 
get out of the car. Later she explained that she was tired of 
me being so needy and besides that she couldn’t understand 
why I insisted on going to a dentist that was so ridiculously 
far away. To make a bad situation absolutely intolerable the 
Dentist was short-staffed that day as one assistant was on 
jury duty and another was taking a class.

I am hesitant to use aspirin or pain killers as I take this 
warfarin stuff which is a blood thinner to prevent me from 
dying from a stroke and I was confused as to whether I could 
take any pain pills at all. In the house I located an old bottle 
of vicodin which after some hesitation I took but which 
provided absolutely no relief. After about an hour I was led 
into one of the dental offices by an obviously inexperienced 
assistant who was absolutely clueless (at least it seemed so to 
me) as to how to take an x-ray. I asked my son, who liked 
me is mainly worthless in these situations, to try and get my 
able wife to come in out of the car but she wouldn’t do it. I 
guess she was also mad at me for neglecting the situation.

As I was about to give up and just start breaking appliances 
the Dentist appeared and magic occurred. He injected 
something and steered it into the tooth and the pain receded 
to horrible. He made out a prescription for two anti-biotics 
and for twenty vicodin pills. We raced over to the 24 hour 
pharmacy at Kaiser Baldwin Park which rapidly filled the 
prescription and soon I wasn’t hurting. We drove home and, 
get this, the Dentist called my house at about 9:30p.m. and 
instructed me as to how to take the medication. He warned 
me that the swelling would probably get worse before it got 
better and for me not to worry about it.

I got up in the morning and looked in the mirror and 
beheld a monster with a kind of closed eye and jowels. I 
didn’t care; I was ready. I went to Court anyway looking 
like that and everybody thought I had suffered a stroke. No 
it was just a dental problem I explained, feeling all stoic and 
proud. Unfortunately while I was feeling all stoic and proud 
I realized that I had forgotten to bring the vicodin with me 
and was soon in such agony that I couldn’t drive home. I 
hesitantly called my wife, who was still angry with me, and 
explained that I needed her to drive over to Pasadena from 
Sierra Madre and bring me the medication. Suddenly, the 
dam broke and my wife started to laugh and after just a 
few yells turned into her old loving self and brought me the 
medication.

I got through the day and drove home arriving just in time 
to see the President’s State of the Union Speech. I don’t know 
about you but I have been very depressed about the state 
of American Politics lately. The Republican Presidential 
debates have displayed a level of ignorance, incompetence, 
and consistent hypocrisy that has made me ashamed of this 
country. I don’t know what I expected from the President 
but I was overwhelmed by the level of intelligence, vitality, 
breadth of concern and awareness that he displayed. Maybe 
it’s all a part of some big show but I thought he was wonderful 
and felt very privileged to have this man as our President. 
My reaction was a total surprise to me and I thrilled to his 
repeated use of his word America. It resonated with me and 
I am right now strangely optimistic about the future.

Right after the speech both my son and daughter called. My 
ex-wife is coming for a visit from New Mexico and we are 
all going to meet here on Friday night. As I have mentioned 
before in these articles my ex has written a fictional novel 
sort of describing her life. The book is dedicated to our 
son and daughter and to my present wife and me. She 
has received some awards for the book, which is entitled 
Walking Fish, and I am very proud of her and very proud 
of my whole family for holding things together. Is it okay 
for me to display this pride? Gee, I hope so. Hooray for my 
ex-wife, hooray for my family, hooray for my dentist, and 
hooray for America. Things could be worse.

OUT TO PASTOR A Weekly Religion Column


TRYING TO GO SOMEWHERE, 

I ENDED UP NOWHERE

by Rev. James L. Snyder

t was one of those weeks 
where, if I accomplished 
anything, that delicious 
slice of information has 
completely eluded the tiny 
gray cells floating in my 
cranium. It is not as if those little gray cells had 
anything else to do.

As I suffused my weary body into my La-Z-Boy 
chair, I knew I was tired but I could not figure 
out what I had done during the week to make 
me this tired. After all, it did not seem like I had 
accomplished anything of significance this week. 
I was trying to do something, of course, but I 
had absolutely nothing to show for it. What was I 
trying to do this past week? 

A verse of Scripture began haunting me as 
I thought about this. "Therefore to him that 
knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is 
sin" (James 4:17). What was I supposed to "doeth" 
that I did not get around to "doething”? 

Of course, there was that funeral I had this 
past week. Unfortunately, I opened my book to 
the wrong page and begin the funeral by saying, 
"Dearly beloved we are gathered together here to 
unite these two in holy matrimony." 

Holy macaroni! 

What a difference the wrong page makes. At 
least I was not officiating at a wedding and said, 
"Ashes to ashes, and dirt to dirt." Although, to be 
honest about it, I have had some weddings where I 
thought that phrase fit. 

I was tempted, only for a moment, to query the 
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage but I feared 
she would tell me. There is something to say about 
mystery. Nothing is more mysterious than the 
feminine side of the marriage equation. Odd, isn't 
it, that the marriage equation is not always even? 

As I reflected upon my week past, I duly noted 
the activities that occupied most of my week. 
Apart from the funeral, I had several hospital 
visits to make. As is usually the case, people 
conspire to go to the hospital at the same time but 
never at the same hospital. One even went out of 
town to go to a hospital. 

Other visits were made and other activities 
attended. Certain deadlines were staring me in 
the face and I stared right back at them defiantly. I 
am not sure who won. 

Services and Bible studies needed to be prepared 
for, which can take up a lot of time. Then, don't 
you know it; my truck is always out of gas when 
I am in a hurry. I suppose I could fill my tank 
up when it got down to a certain level, but where 
would the fun be in that? Nothing compares to 
the adrenaline of being in a hurry and late for an 
appointment and then running out of gas. 

Do not get me wrong here. It is not that I do 
not enjoy giving my wife a call on the cell phone 
when stranded along the side of the road. It is the 
highlight of the stranded experience. Usually, her 
response to my phone call is what stresses me out. 

"What," she declares in that sarcastic tone of 
hers, "have you run out of gas again?" 

It is her theatrical use of the word "again" that 
I believe could easily earn her an Oscar. I once 
presented her with an Oscar Meyer wiener, but 
she did not enjoy the joke. Personally, I thought it 
was a great joke and I really did not appreciate her 
reaction. Needless to say, I have not repeated that 
sin, although temptation is what it is. 

I suppose I did do things and accomplished 
something this past week, but it really does not 
explain why I am as tired as I am tonight. I can 
remember there was a time that I did not even 
know the meaning of tired. I got tired all right; I 
just did not know the meaning of the word tired. 

Then the whole thing dawned on me. It was 
almost like being hit on the head with an iron 
skillet by you know whom. The lights flashed. 
The lightbulb went on. I had an epiphany to end 
all epiphanies. 

At this point, I am surprised my wife did not 
get the jump on me with this one. The reason I am 
so tired is because I am old. There, I said it. I have 
come to that point in life where being young is a 
fond fading memory. 

As this bit of information began marinating in 
my cranium, it had a very comforting effect. Up 
to this point, I had been worrying about the fact 
that I was tired and I could not link that condition 
with any specific activity. As is usually the case, 
there are good sound reasons for everything. I 
began to look at my tired condition in a completely 
different light. 

I have earned my being tired. It is something I 
have worked for all my life. Now, here it is. I am 
now collecting those wonderful dividends from 
all that activity of the past. 

As I thought about this, a marvelous verse of 
Scripture came to my mind. "The glory of young 
men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is 
the gray head" (Proverbs 20:29 KJV). 

Being tired is the crown of a lifetime of activity. 

The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family 
of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 
34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver 
Springs Shores. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail 
jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.
whatafellowship.com.

Mountain Views News 
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Madre; in Court Case 
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RICH Johnson

I had the unique opportunity of spending 
quite a bit of time at my kid’s school during 
their elementary and middle school years 
(middle = junior high for us old timers). My 
interaction with all those young minds is one 
of the enduring joys of my life.

As Art Linkletter proved in the early 1960s, 
kids say the darndest things. Seizing upon the 
possibilities I presented the first part of several 
proverbs to a group of first graders and asked them to fill in the 
blanks. (I will give the actual proverb first and then follow with the 
students variations on the theme.) I hope you like the answers. 

Better to be safe than…sorry

Better to be safe than…punch a 5th grader 

Never underestimate the power…of a great idea

Never underestimate the power…of termites 

Don’t bite the hand…that feeds you

Don’t bite the hand…that looks dirty 

A miss is as good as a…mile

A miss is as good as a...Mr. 

You can’t teach and old dog…new tricks

You can’t teach and old dog…math 

A penny saved is…a penny earned

A penny saved is…not much 

Two’s company, three’s…a crowd

Two’s company, three’s…the Musketeers 

Children should be seen and not…heard

Children should be seen and not…spanked or grounded

You get out of something what you…put into it

You get out of something what you…see pictured on the box 

Strike while the…iron is hot

Strike while the…bug is close 

It’s always darkest before…the dawn

It’s always darkest before…daylight savings time

If at first you don’t succeed…try, try again

If at first you don’t succeed…get new batteries 

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. Cry and…you cry 
alone

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. Cry and…you have 
to blow your nose. 

Put Saturday night, February 4th on your calendar. My band, 
JJ Jukebox will be playing 1960’s and 1970’s rock and roll at Bella 
Italia Restaurant in San Gabriel. The time is 6:30 and the address is 
7232 Rosemead Blvd. (just south of Huntington on the east side of 
the street. The phone number is (626) 287-5674. Great Italian food, 
great nostalgia and comedy.

Fighting Anti-Piracy

CURBING BAD BEHAVIOR: 


I am an ardent movie 
fan. As a hobby, movie 
watching ranks high 
on my list of things 
to do when I am not 
working. So, I am 
paying keen attention 
to the recent Motion 
Picture Association of 
America (MPAA) Stop 
Online Piracy Act. I am not fully vetted on 
the details of the legislation, but this I know 
the optics of the MPAA’s conflict with some 
technology business interests are not good.

More than a decade ago, the Recording 
Industry Association of America (RIAA) 
was faced with a somewhat similar challenge. 
Napster, a peer-to-peer file sharing (mostly 
music) internet service, was omnipresent 
among millions of music fans who shared 
the company’s typically audio MP3 format.

The RIAA fought to shut down Napster 
because of copyright infringement. Millions 
of music fans rebelled against commercial 
music companies by finding other pirate 
file sharing internet services to obtain free 
music. Napster was eventually shuttered, 
but the collateral damage from closing this 
popular and well loved internet service was 
a Recording Industry which no longer was 
profitable. Several record companies went 
out of business. Moreover, several of the 
companies (Tower Records, Virgin

Record Store among others) that sold 
music closed. Today, the Music Industry is 
trying to find the way forward from its glory 
days.

I trust the MPAA will be strategic in 
dealing with their adversaries during the 
antic-piracy discussions they are engaged in 
at the moment. I know, “it’s Hollywood and 
Hollywood is powerful,” but I would hate to 
see the same thing which happened to the 
music industry occur in the movie business. 
That would be a sad day for me and millions 
of movie fans.

Mountain Views News

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The traditions of the 
community newspaper 
and the concerns of 
our readers are this 
newspaper’s top 
priorities. We support a 
prosperous community 
of well-informed 
citizens. We hold in 
high regard the values 
of the exceptional 
quality of life in our 
community, including 
the magnificence of 
our natural resources. 
Integrity will be our 
guide. 

Ron Carter

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com