Honor, don't abandon, traditions

North County Times/The Californian ^ | Tuesday, August 2, 2005 | Rick Reiss

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Honor, don't abandon, traditions

By: RICK REISS - For The Californian

Recently, my wife and I took the opportunity to preview some entries for this year's Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival. The early screenings were put on by the film festival's creator and director, Jo Moulton, at a local winery.

We previewed films that ranged from garbage to pure excellence. One entry was especially riveting; the documentary "Clear Cut: The Story of the Clemens Foundation."

"Clear Cut" is essentially a man bites dog story. The film details the Oregon community of Philomath and the its struggle with politically correct new-age indoctrination.

Philomath was built on the lumber industry. Rex Clemens, a titan of timber, formed a philanthropic organization guaranteeing college scholarships to all graduates of Philomath High School.

The late Clemens foresaw the sunset of the local timber industry, so he instituted a means for Philomath residents to pursue professional careers through guaranteed college scholarships.

Controversy ensued when a big city superintendent was hired to run the school district. Traditional school customs and curriculum were jettisoned, and students were indoctrinated in leftist ideology. American values and Western civilization were attacked in the new curriculum.

The timber industry was particularly attacked through the new science curriculum. Quite ironic, because timber is the mother's milk of Philomath and the Clemens Foundation. A school district benefiting directly from the generosity of big timber was biting the hand that fed them.

In response, the Clemens Foundation terminated the scholarship program for Philomath High School graduates. Atlas shrugged.

In a scene reminiscent from an Ayn Rand novel, an ungrateful school district bemoaned the loss of the Clemens Foundation scholarships. The scholarships were eventually reinstituted, but with strings.

Clemens scholarships are now only awarded to those with a demonstrated interest in Americanism, such as the Boy Scouts or the 4H Club. Socialist tree huggers need not apply.

There are many other outrageous examples in which society's producers and prime movers are attacked by nonproductive agitators. Ayn Rand, a 20th century philosopher, described these nonproducers as looters.

Looters produce nothing of value in society. They merely leech off the hard work and creativity of producers to enrich themselves with power or money. A good illustration is the draconian regulations imposed on businesses by the looters in the California Legislature.

Another illustration ---- the leftist peaceniks who protest military recruiting offices and discourage young men and women from enlisting. What if nobody enlisted? Who would be left to protest peacenik looters from beheadings by bloodthirsty Islamic terrorists?

As in Philomath, some Temecula traditions are slipping away, too. For the past few years, the long-running Great Temecula Tractor Race has been treated like a red-headed stepchild. The producers of these tractor races donate the proceeds to a group home for abused children.

Earth-moving tractors develop agriculture, infrastructure and our own neighborhoods. Tractors should be celebrated.

It would be a travesty for the tractor races to wither away due to lack of interest or because the races do not fit some activist's politically correct vision.

Traditions must be honored, not abandoned.

Rick Reiss of Temecula is a regular columnist for The Californian. E-mail: RickReiss6@netscape.net.

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