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Show (inrQ DUD ODDS Free Press - Wednesday, November Editorial History Turn off violence to tune up families Utahns are being asked to "turn off the violence next week as part of Utah The week has Family Week, Nov. 2 been so designated by Gov. Michael Leavitt. Actually, it is an indication that as a society we are in trouble when we have to be told we should avoid watching gratuitous violence. Another indication is the fact that people have to be asked to be responsible in their television and movie viewing which is the theme of this year's Utah Family Week. All of this should be selfevident - but obviously it is not. What is obvious is that we live in d violent times. Look at the recent violence and deaths in Salt Lake City and in other parts of Utah. In our own communities, residents are resorting to threats of physical violence to intimidate local government of7. - gang-relate- ficials. Such intimidation was witnessed in a recent Highland City Council meeting when one individual who was unhappy with a proposed ordinance approached the mayor in a threatening fashion with the cheers and encouragement of some people in the audience - as if this were perfectly acceptable behavior at a city council meeting. -- According to Tibby Milne, executive director of the Utah Council for Crime Prevention, many people today view violence as a way to deal with strong emotions, resolve conflicts and gain power. And there is no doubt that the entertainment industry plays a role in how we look at violence capitalizing on the public's desire to watch violence and, at - the same time, increasing the 50 people. I remember well the day my father and some of his relatives went through the church. One of the men had a strong voice that seemed to echo through that ancient building. The old minister came up to him and in a quiet voice said. "My son, even if you whisper God can hear you." I thought of the poem by Thomas Gray, "Elegy to a Country Minister," where it said "he who came to mock remained to pray." Even though I was just a boy I felt a feeling of holiness in that old church. Out in the church yard there were a couple of dozen graves. My father's brother was one of them. While workingon his farm he was pierced by a black thorn. It was neglected and blood poison set in. It cost him his life. The locale of the church was a place of beauty. It was relaxing to the soul. There were no cars or trucks racing by, just a moo from a cow or a bark of a dog. Not far away the River Severn flows. The river flows through the beautiful Severn Valley. Salmon come up the river from the ocean.Because of this, a keeper (what we - Page 2 -- - The commemoration accep- tance ofviolence as an acceptable method of dealing with life. Next week is achance to make a move against that trend. As part of the Utah Family Week push, the Utah Council for Crime Prevention and the Utah PTA are urging Utahns to "turn off the violence." Governor Leavitt is expounding the same message, encouraging fam il ies to be more responsible about exposing their children to excessive violence and asking people to reduce the amount of graphic, violent entertainment coming into their home. The problem, of course, is that violence sells. Once it stops selling, the entertainment industry will be forced to rely on something other than violence to make money - something like enter-- tainment. The one thing people can do to reduce violence on television and in the movies is to stop watching television shows and movies, or playing video games, that portray excessive, graphic violence. In other words, turn it off. The channel changer is the most effective controller of television content. Ticket sales are the largest determining factors in the kinds of movies that will be made in the future. If we start turning off the violence in our homes, reduction of the violence in our communities will follow. But each of us, as consumers, must make the decision to no longer consume the kinds of violence we are being exposed to and we can start by turning off the violence during Utah Family Week, Nov. - 21-2- 7. Memories of a church in the Welch countryside Recently I read a most interesting article in a Salt Lake newspaper. It was by a columnist who did a beautiful job in describing Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy in a Country Churchyard." It stirred my memory to a time when as a boy I went to a church with my father. It was out in the Welsh countryside. It was where my father was christened. It was in the village of Llanviange Gobi an. Why it was built there I never could guess because it was surrounded by pastures and hedges. There was no electricity. It was illuminated by oil lamps. Someone must have felt a need for it because it was well built and had stained glass windows. The chapel could seat about 17, 1993 the telling of our own story of President assassination Kennedy's brings a melancholy to me, not like the sadness most people seem to feel about the event, but because I was not an active participant. Two days short of turning four years old, I was blissfully unaware of the world around me: I could not experience the shock of the news as it was told to the world, nor can I recall today what I was doing when it happened. My wife told me she knew about the assassination because she was home with the measles. A friend showed me her high school yearbook, which had two pages devoted to a visual record of the students' response to the news. Unfortunately for me, JFK's assassination wasn't the only event history-makin- g that I missed. I also missed the tragic first footage of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger because I was at work. When my sister came to pick me up, she told me about the news. I thought she was kidding since her tale seemed so bizarre. The gruesome story was replayed many times in the next few days, but I still felt somewhat out of touch. My two years in Japan also prevented me from really knowing about events in the United States and the internationally important news that might have reached me was cut off through the language barrier. Although I wouldn't trade my Japan experience for anything, I did exchange the opportunity to hear about the Three Mile Island disaster, the Iranian seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Teheran, the grain embargo on Russia, Walter Cronkite's retirement, Mae West's death, the unsuccessful few thoughts on the recently-complete- d election: It was most gratifying to see the excitement generated in American Fork and in Lindon with the change from the party nomination system to the primary system. This allowed anyone interested in running to put his or her name into the primary election, and then allowed voters to choose between the two top for each position in the final elec- tion. The newspaper has worked for this fundamental change in the election method for years recognizing that the party nomination system had some inherent problems that put the voters out of the election process. In American Fork, specifically, the parties had retainecfthe traditional Democrat and Republican labels - leaving the poor local Democratic candidates running under a banner that won few votes in the most Republican county in the United States. As a result, four years ago there was only one mayoral candidate running - the main opposition being eliminated at a party convention dominated by special interest groups. This year, the primary system generated tremendous interest. The primary gave everyone a chance to run - four mayor candidates and 11 city council candidates in both Lindon and American Fork. And the resulting general election was most satisfying. After the primary, I felt good about all of the American Fork candidates - the community would have been in good shape no matter who won. I'm not as familiar with Lindon politics, but I suspect it would have been the same. Lehi, Pleasant Grove and Highland have stayed with the party system, with varying degrees of success. ing and received a dinner plate with the painting of a keeper's cottage. I asked the old keeper what he would do if he caught someone fishing for salmon. "I would send him scooting with a warning," he said. "And what if he had a salmon?" I asked. "Now laddie," he said, "that's a bit different. I would turn him over to the constable with instructions to take him to the magistrate. Once in a while," he said, "a legitimate license holder comes along and I get a bit of salmon for my supper." Oh that was so long ago, I wonder if the little church is there. the un traveled. You thinking about Naples, Italy? Think again. The Naples, Italy of right now is garbage piled in alleys, street robberies anywhere and all the time, tap water coming out brown and most traffic lights out of order for months. 1993 Paul Harvey Naples, once memorable for its vistas Product Inc. of hills and seas, is now chaos, with chronic shortages of everything except crime. The Naples City Council has been And don't move there without recognizdissolved by public disorder. Unemploying that corruption is a way of life in ment is 27 percent. politics, in law enforcement and in busiHow about Paris? The songwriter made ness. Or in getting a telephone installed or Paris in springtime sound irresistible. Generations of romantics visualized in paying a traffic fine. At a Chamber of Commerce meeting in themselves strolling the banks of the River Seine with a loaf of fragrant bread Monterrey, a naive American speaker in one hand and a bottle of wine in the asked the 400 businessmen present, "Have other and an ultras weet mademoiselle you ever paid a bribe?" The response was laughter, uproarialongside. The Paris of today is dirt, disease, rude ous and unanimous. There is one oasis on planet Earth of manners and high prices. Is there no place to run to? How about relative stability and freedom and where most natives are friendly and you can Mexico? There are tourist havens in Mexico, if drink the water. You are there. you have the price, but don't drink the We Americans are more likely to pre water. And don't eat leafy vegetables. - rescue attempt in Iran, the boycott of the USSR Olympic Games, Ronald Reagan's landslide victory and thefateful shooting of J.R. Missing an event isn't limited to not hearing the news. In the days that followed my return home, I felt some confusion, a fog which affected my contact with the world. Even though I was home, I missed the impact of the assassination of John Lennon. And since I had not heard about the hostages, I could not comprehend the joy of the news of their release on Reagan's inauguration day. Now I not only want to know what's going on day by day, but I also want to come to a better understanding of the events that have shaped our world of today. For example, I would like to read more about the Vietnam war. My only experience was watching the draft proceedings on television. I remember seeing the date September 15 selected, and feeling gratitude that my sister wasn't a boy. who was But I now have a brother-in-lain Vietnam, and knowledge of the war might help me to have a greater compassion for him, strengthening the bonds between us. I need to have a better understanding of the depression, because my parents experienced it firsthand; they, in turn, have helped shape my views of the world and my plans w of the larger communities - Provo, Orem, Ogden and Salt Lake City all follow the format. It puts aside party politics and forces voters to evaluate each candidate as a person rather than as a partisan. And frankly in municipal elections like this one, partisan leanings have very little to do with actual operation of the government, since mayors don't deal with the issues that occupy our national legislators, where party affiliation has meaning. In all ofour communities, interest in city politics has been high mainly because all of the cities are in a period of dynamic growth prompted by the success of er-related industries in Provo and Orem. With Novell and WordPerfect, among others, bringing more and more people to our valley, our towns are struggling to accommodate more people. And any time you have that kind of growth, you get people interested in city politics. Where will the roads be7 How will we fund new parks? Why do the old residents have to pay for the new residents? Why do the new residents have to pay for things for the old residents? And there are more issues water, sewer, building permits and subdivision approvals. The list goes on and on. Add the anticipated growtn expected irom tne Duiia-in- g of the Mt. Timpanogos IDS Temple, and people get interested! Expect continued intense interest in local politics as our city officials grapple with the tough issues that accompany growth for the next several years. We will need our very best candidates to deal with these issues and I think this past election shows how effectively the nonpartisan, primary election format lets the voters, rather than party movers and shakers, decide who those candidates are. For the cities that took the lenn. it wna a . .. . r' " guoa move into tne iuture. i -- Column By MARC HADDOCK candiPleasant Grove had a third-part- y date running who, while he did not win, made a major impact on the race. As a result, the new mayor received less than a majority of the votes, kind of like Pres. Clinton. Lehi had a tremendous backlash vote against the incumbents and elected by a large majority a group 6f candidates who promised change. Here was one example of the party system working well since these candidates were able to get unified behind a powerful platform. Highland has seen a complete turnover in two elections as the new, upstart People's Party has taken over the city council completely. Up until that time, the Highlanders for Country Living party dominated town politics for more than a decade since the city was incorporated pushing an agenda of low density ( 1 acre per lot) and very limited commercial development, mainly home businesses. But the last two elections have marked a complete turn around, and I think the party approach here has been very effective. However, for the most part, I think our larger towns are better served by the nonas were the partisan, primary format voters in American Fork and Lindon. Actually, this format is favored by most - - comput- . Letters So the ggUdEoe? Thanks for support during election Editor: With the culmination of my bid for local elected office ending in defeat at the polls, I am compelled to write a general letter of thanks and appreciation to all those who did vote for me on this past Nov. 2. There was a brief moment at the meeting when the votes were tallied that I thought America is still 'The Promised Land" World travel is alluring only to rs non-partis- call a game warden) patrols a section of the river. The keeper was a relative of my father and was in his eighties. He and his wife live in a cottage just off the river. I described this cottage to my wife with its thatched roof and profusion of flowers. She was so entranced with this description that she sent away to a company called the Hamilton Collection who specialize in paint- By RUSS DALY non-partisa- n, - jf Daly Planet: Just a -- By TOM GRIFFITHS he Election change proved to be good one The Editor's vote-gette- Browsing "IT to cope with life. Understandinghistorydoesn'tmeanjust learning about the world or the United States. I believe we must study the history of our community and our founding ancestors who molded Lehi for the future. The past may not always be pleasant, and those who came before might not have done things the way we would, but we must know what they did in order to emulate them or avoid the same mistakes. What a great opportunity we have to study the history of Lehi through the efforts of people like Richard Van Wagoner, who literally lays the information at our doorstep with his articles in the paper. Or Carl Mellor, who literally takes us by the hand, sits us down, and shows us the history of Lehi on any of his fascinating tours of the area. The Lehi Public Library is a great source for finding out about the heritage of the area. I found a history of Cedar Fort on the shelves, and was fascinated to read of their colorful past. A study of one's ancestors might provide a good starting place. The resources are available at the Family History Center right here in town, convenient for anyone looking for answers. Our sources of history must also include the people who lived it. Ask your parents or your neighbors to share their lives. Write their stories or record them, and pass your own experiences on to your children. The editors of a history reference book I have said they hoped the book would "enrich the lives of all who read it." But their most compelling reason for compiling the books is that it is the story of America. "It is a great story. It is our story." occupy ourselves with imperfections than to count our blessings, yet Americans spend $2.5 million a day just getting our cars washed? In the United States, people eat on time and take their dogs to the barber. No other people on earth could even begin to comprehend that. Much of what recommends the United States is the fact that in all major developing and Third World countries, civilization has gone into reverse; there is chronic socioeconomic and political decline. Civil wars in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union will spread. Sectarian violence will continue to ravage India. Japan has been destabilized by corruption. The politically stable United States is unique in the world. With our wide open spaces and lower concentrations of population and a less codified way of life, the United States to therestof the tormented world looks like "The Promised Land." That makes us vulnerable to invasion and to corruption by invaders. We are a hospitable people but let none come here who does not leave his old world ways behind. to myself the dream might come to fruition. council position The race for the was the closest, separated by only 54 votes. I would like to thank all of those courageous Lehi citizens who believed enough in me to give their precious vote in my behalf. A 54 vote difference between someone who has all the name recognition and prominence in the community and someone who "newcomer is in itself a is a ensure the fulfillment of campaign prom ises and platforms. I applaud and support the newly elected " city officials and wish them well in their : endeavors. They must remember, however, we are watching, and we will remind them ' just who pays the bills in this City should ; things not happen as expected or promised. -G. McBride ' victory. Editors note: The preceding letter was received prior to last week's edition of the Lehi Free Press but was not published be- cause of space considerations. two-ye- ar The responsibility rests now upon each of us to be involved and aware of things in the community as much as time allows to In Terry defense of Sego Editor: After reading an editorial letter in the Nov. 3 issue of the "Lehi Free Press," I felt that I must rise in defense of a policy of the Sego Lily School. Dr. Linda Perkins has served as the principal of the Sego Lily School for several years now. She and many concerned par- ents have watched anxiously as hundreds of children enter the school each morning. Those front doors are broad and beckoning; however, even they cannot accommodate so many hundreds of little bodies trying to squeeze through to hurry to class within a short amount of time. If so much as one child tripped and fell, the human stampede would be devastating. Fire drills are implemented so as to have the children exit via the doors most convenient to their classrooms. It is a logical, orderly manner in which to safely move people in and out of such a sprawling building. Having the children enter through doors near their classes is not being unreasonable, even on the coldest mornings. I suggest that any other method better suited to Lily ; '. policies the agenda of some parents would further ' compromise the safety of all the children. I applaud Dr. Perkins for dealing thus with the problem of crowding. Her foresight i has averted a tragedy. The loss or injury of even one child is excessive and unneces- sary. As a mother of four children attending the Sego Lily School, I am grateful that Dr. Perkins has the welfare of the students as a top priority. She is also working to have the front drive area tofacilitate the many vehicles and to improve safety. It is obvious that the Sego Lily School ' was not built with the anticipation of the quantity of students it now capacitates. But until another building is available, we I must take a common-sens- e approach in I dealing with the growing number of stu- dents. Any parent who thinks he or she can do ': a better job of shepherding students into. school should stand at its front door five or ten minutes before the bell and face the entire, eager, noisy studentbody as they, attempt to enter. It would be an excellent lesson in "crowd control." Janna S. Rogers ; ; I ed ; '.; ; : '. ; -- |