Guest Opinion
is offered in order to provide balance.  It does not necessarily represent the opinion of the Sierra County Prospect, it's staff or supporters or advertisers.

This is a reply from local resident and journalist Scott Schlefstein to an editorial found HERE.


In response to the editor’s five point opinion on Congressman Tom McClintock’s recent visit to Loyalton:

I have to be honest, I did not like the article written in the Prospect about Congressman McClintock. McClintock works hard and puts in a lot of hours to come to little towns like Loyalton. He believes in us and gives us considerable time to voice our concerns and have discussions about the issues. I have had at least ten phone calls from Congressman McClintock. His conference calls (that he does in the evenings) to take questions and discuss pertinent topics with his constituents are unheard of in politics. This particular congressman is a dedicated public servant.

Back in college, I wrote a paper about the media and false light appropriation. In my paper, I examined ambush type media interviews and the case, Time Inc. v. Hill. While the material was born out of legal considerations, components of false light and malice for a Supreme Court case, I had to think back on it when I read the Prospect’s article on McClintock. Of course, here we are only talking about an editorial opinion on a public figure, but none the less, I thought about anti-Republican bias in the media in general and the possibility of a little false light, flying just under the radar. Accusatory inquisitions aimed with precision aforethought make for a framework of slanted depiction. In the case of the Prospect’s editor, I don’t think this is the case, however. I think he truly believes what he says and states his opinion on the matter, unlike some in the mainstream media who have developed a skill with "propaganda" which may be the better than any other example in history.

However, the editor painted McClintock’s discussion with Loyalton residents as "propaganda" so he is now fair game, in my mind, for a strong rebuttal.

When we think about the word "propaganda" to describe someone’s views, it marginalizes, belittles and appropriates that person. We think about Hitler’s leaflets in the streets of Germany or Hugo Chavez’s take over of Venezuela’s public radio stations to promote socialism and the dictator himself. Maybe real propaganda is closer to home than we think though. Maybe that word can be associated with the false light on the left (or in this case: the extreme right) being flung at the Republicans.

Or, maybe that word can be used when Al Gore flies around the world in a Lear Jet spewing hot air about global warming while scientists find that the Earth actually cooled this year. Once in a while I scream "propaganda" at the news anchor as she bounces her bubble blonde head and tells me how innate it is to believe in the second amendment. But, to make the weak and unjustified attempt to paint that word on Tom McClintock for speaking up about the issues he and his constituents feel strongly about, is lame. Let’s take a look at each one:

1. Out of control illegal immigration problem. Let me first say that my great uncle, Patrol Inspector Augustin De La Pena of the U.S. Border Patrol was killed in the line of duty by an illegal alien from Mexico. The anniversary of his death is coming up in August. Please visit the Officer Down Memorial Page and see for yourself. Both my great uncle and his partner were shot and so was the illegal alien. They all died on August 2^nd 1925. This has been going on for a long, long time. There’s more history between America and Mexico than most people could ever learn in one lifetime. But that’s not the point, is it? The Prospect points out that illegal aliens don’t only come from Mexico and they "contribute to our economy". Is it intellectually honest to say this? I’d say the majority of illegal aliens are from Mexico. Sorry that makes you uncomfortable, but it’s true. After that, we have illegal Chinese, Koreans, South Americans, Indians, Muslims and others crossing our border from where? Mexico. Do they contribute to our economy? How? I’d say they’re sucking the life out of our country. Here’s an example of one thing: I know someone who had a automotive detailing business. This person had an account at Lexus and made $50k a year from that client. With one change of management, they switched to illegal aliens for car washing and paid them .99 cents per car. The mobile detail business was fired and they went out of business. The myth that illegal aliens only take the jobs Americans don’t want is false. Billions of U.S. dollars have been flowing into Mexico for decades. Go to Tacos Jalisco in Truckee and check out the direct-to-Mexico pay phones. Check out the money wire businesses and ask them what country the most money is wired to. A deputy friend told me that most of the cocaine coming into Kings Beach is mailed in regular envelopes from Mexico to family here. It’s not all a bowl of cherries. Our prisons are filled with illegals. Our emergency rooms are filled with illegals. Our welfare rolls are filled with illegals. Real "propaganda" is when someone blissfully tells us how great it is to have 10 million illegal aliens running loose in our country and spins it with something about our economy. Give me a break. What the democrats won’t tell you is that the real reason they want amnesty and more "immigration", is to change the voting demographic in this country forever. That’s the REAL reason. Let me first say that my great uncle, Patrol Inspector Augustin De La Pena of the U.S. Border Patrol was killed in the line of duty by an illegal alien from Mexico. The anniversary of his death is coming up in August. Please visit the Officer Down Memorial Page and see for yourself. Both my great uncle and his partner were shot and so was the illegal alien. They all died on August 2 1925. This has been going on for a long, long time. There’s more history between America and Mexico than most people could ever learn in one lifetime. But that’s not the point, is it? The Prospect points out that illegal aliens don’t only come from Mexico and they "contribute to our economy". Is it intellectually honest to say this? I’d say the of illegal aliens from Mexico. Sorry that makes you uncomfortable, but it’s true. After that, we have illegal Chinese, Koreans, South Americans, Indians, Muslims and others crossing our border from where? Mexico. Do they contribute to our economy? How? I’d say they’re sucking the life out of our country. Here’s an example of one thing: I know someone who had a automotive detailing business. This person had an account at Lexus and made $50k a year from that client. With one change of management, they switched to illegal aliens for car washing and paid them .99 cents per car. The mobile detail business was fired and they went out of business. The myth that illegal aliens only take the jobs Americans don’t want is false. Billions of U.S. dollars have been flowing into Mexico for decades. Go to Tacos Jalisco in Truckee and check out the direct-to-Mexico pay phones. Check out the money wire businesses and ask them what country the most money is wired to. A deputy friend told me that most of the cocaine coming into Kings Beach is mailed in regular envelopes from Mexico to family here. It’s not all a bowl of cherries. Our prisons are filled with illegals. Our emergency rooms are filled with illegals. Our welfare rolls are filled with illegals. Real "propaganda" is when someone blissfully tells us how great it is to have 10 million illegal aliens running loose in our country and spins it with something about our economy. Give me a break. What the democrats won’t tell you is that the real reason they want amnesty and more "immigration", is to change the voting demographic in this country forever. That’s the REAL reason.
2. The global warming hoax of the 21^st century. There is enough science contradicting the theory of human-caused global warming to fill a library. Global warming is propaganda for the left, more regulation, less drilling, more taxation, liberal guilt and Cap & Trade. Al Gore has made 100 million dollars promoting this scheme. He was worth 2 million when he left office. He is doing quite well with his new "propaganda". Global warming is just another way for liberals to guilt you into more expenses, taxes and to force you into a little electric car so they can feel good about themselves. The idea that we are "running out of oil" is another fear tactic. We have plenty of oil, now let us drill for it so we can get off foreign oil and become financially wealthy like Saudi Arabia or Dubai. It’s liberalism which keeps us from success. The editor claims he bases his thoughts on Global Warming on "research". He says, "overwhelming majority of climatologists strongly believe that CO2 and the other consequences of human activity definitely are increasing the energy in the climate system, bringing unpredictable changes to the system, not just warming" . There is enough science contradicting the of human-caused global warming to fill a library. Global warming is propaganda for the left, more regulation, less drilling, more taxation, liberal guilt and Cap & Trade. Al Gore has made 100 million dollars promoting this scheme. He was worth 2 million when he left office. He is doing quite well with his new "propaganda". Global warming is just another way for liberals to guilt you into more expenses, taxes and to force you into a little electric car so they can feel good about themselves. The idea that we are "running out of oil" is another fear tactic. We have plenty of oil, now let us drill for it so we can get off foreign oil and become financially wealthy like Saudi Arabia or Dubai. It’s liberalism which keeps us from success. The editor claims he bases his thoughts on Global Warming on "research". He says, "overwhelming majority of climatologists strongly believe that CO2 and the other consequences of human activity definitely are increasing the energy in the climate system, bringing unpredictable changes to the system, not just warming"

   --Even if it was, how many of those scientists have ideological reasons to throw in with that theory?  How many have employers who expect them to "agree"?  What about the FACT that the Earth has been cooling since 1998 due to a lack of solar activity?  UK scientists think global warming will come back, but isn't that convenient, since so many new liberal regulations and taxes are based on global warming -- especially in the UK.  What about the Global Cooling craze in the 1970's?  Do you remember that?  They were wrong then and they are wrong now.  The Earth's temps have remained steady for 10,000 years.  Before that they were bouncing all over the place.  We had ice ages and tropical heat for millions of years.  If the Earth warms up or cools off, it's probably not human caused.  Even if it was, (and I don't believe it is), so what?  Humans are part of the earth and any activity we bring to the atmosphere, the planet can handle. 
   
   I suggest you check out George Carlin's take on the environment on You Tube.  My favorite part of his diatribe is God answering the bigger question about plastic bags in landfills.

   When Al Gore is gone, maybe I can make a 100 million dollars if I come up with some kind of global scare about oceans flooding and ice caps melting? I’ll call it Global Glowing. All those Lava Lamp owners will love it. We can have a Earth Glow Day, have parades and pickup juice-box straw wrappers on the highway with Tim Beal’s $10,000 dollar "Commercial-Grade Plastic Bags" which he pays for out of the "Household Fund" in the Solid Waste budget. Those bags would be great for all the horse manure we have here in Sierra County, too. Who knows, maybe in a million years the horse manure and Tim Beals’ bags will merge into some kind of climate-efficient power carbon for flying saucers.

3. Obama’s approval ratings dropping like a stone. Please don’t tell Obama what number comes after a Trillion. He might just spend it. Gallup says Obama’s approval ratings are falling. It’s a fact. I say it’s about time people wake up and see what this man is doing to our economy with his expansion of Washington and spending spree. And I for one, would like to see his original birth certificate but that’s another discussion. The "Slobbering Love Affair" as Bernie Goldberg so eloquently puts it, is over. Even the media has started to ask questions like, "What took you so long?" because Obama was absent during the Iran revolution turned massacre. Perhaps Obama is our new Jimmy Carter. A one term’er who messes up the country for the next 3 decades before being kicked out of office by the same giddy voters who put him there because as BB King says it, "The Thrill is Gone." . Please don’t tell Obama what number comes after a Trillion. He might just spend it. Gallup says Obama’s approval ratings are falling. It’s a fact. I say it’s about time people wake up and see what this man is doing to our economy with his expansion of Washington and spending spree. And I for one, would like to see his original birth certificate but that’s another discussion. The "Slobbering Love Affair" as Bernie Goldberg so eloquently puts it, is over. Even the media has started to ask questions like, "What took you so long?" because Obama was absent during the Iran revolution turned massacre. Perhaps Obama is our new Jimmy Carter. A one term’er who messes up the country for the next 3 decades before being kicked out of office by the same giddy voters who put him there because as BB King says it, "The Thrill is Gone."
4. Giving us some tax relief. The biggest piece of propaganda is the myth of the Republican’s stance on taxes and that cuts are only for the wealthy. Sorry, but I am not rich. I just paid $700 dollars to the DMV to register my two year old pickup truck for the year. I’m not rich enough or poor enough to live in California. Who runs California? The democrats with a democrat "republican" (yeah right), governor. Even if the Republicans only wanted tax breaks for the wealthy (they don’t), who do you think provides all the jobs in this country? Hello? The mantra on the left about Republicans giving tax breaks to the rich is a tired, old and worn out piece of "propaganda". Those poor people the editor talks about don’t pay federal or state taxes! I pay taxes and I’m NOT RICH. In fact, I only know one rich guy. He pays more taxes than anyone I know. I think he gives the government like 60% of his income. That’s fair? No, that’s socialism. Why would I work hard to become rich if Obama is going to take all my money and give it to some jerk who doesn’t want to work? Socialism deters production, motivation and prosperity. . The biggest piece of propaganda is the myth of the Republican’s stance on taxes and that cuts are only for the wealthy. Sorry, but I am not rich. I just paid $700 dollars to the DMV to register my two year old pickup truck for the year. I’m not rich enough or poor enough to live in California. Who runs California? The democrats with a democrat "republican" (yeah right), governor. the Republicans only wanted tax breaks for the wealthy (they don’t), who do you think provides all the jobs in this country? Hello? The mantra on the left about Republicans giving tax breaks to the rich is a tired, old and worn out piece of "propaganda". Those poor people the editor talks about don’t pay federal or state taxes! I pay taxes and I’m NOT RICH. In fact, I only know one rich guy. He pays more taxes than anyone I know. I think he gives the government like 60% of his income. That’s fair? No, that’s socialism. Why would I work hard to rich if Obama is going to take all my money and give it to some jerk who doesn’t want to work? Socialism deters production, motivation and prosperity.

    

5. Obama’s socialized medicine doesn’t work in France, Canada or England, contrary to what the editor thinks. Canadians come to America for surgery because they have to get on a waiting list for medical care. Example: One woman came to Arizona with a brain tumor. Canada told her she’d have to wait six months. She said, forget that and came here. The doctors had her on the operating table within 24 hours because they said if they didn’t go in now, she’d die. Good thing she came to the United States. Google it. Canadians come to America for surgery because they have to get on a waiting list for medical care. Example: One woman came to Arizona with a brain tumor. Canada told her she’d have to wait six months. She said, forget that and came here. The doctors had her on the operating table within 24 hours because they said if they didn’t go in now, she’d die. Good thing she came to the United States. Google it.