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Show Volume XVII Issue XIII The Ogden Valley news Page December 15, 2009 Letters to the Editor Our Constitution and What it Means to Us All - Part II Organizers of Thanksgiving Run Thank Supporters By Lonnie D. Crockett, Ph.D. A huge, heartfelt thank you to all the runners who came out this past Thanksgiving morning for the 2nd Annual “Give Thanks With Every Step” 5K and 1.5 Mile Run. Participants were extremely generous to those in need of food and monetary support during this holiday season. They donated enough canned and boxed food to completely fill a pick-up truck, and provided over $100 dollars in cash; an amazing contribution of good will and love, which was Friends, like Janet very much appreciSouthwick and Corrina ated by representaHuddle, had a great tives of the Ogden time and contributed to Salvation Army and those less fortunate. Catholic Community Services. The majority of racers came from the Valley, but residents of other Utah locations, and even from out-of-state, were represented. The common thread for all was a desire to help others in need and to have a fun, exciting way to “Give Thanks” for the abundance we all have in our own lives. The course traveled through a quiet neighborhood on Staples, Clarke, and Jones Streets in Eden. This was a very “family friendly” event with no major roads to cross and literally no vehicle traffic. Participants were safe and had a relaxed, enjoyable morning with a great physical workout while visiting with old and new friends along the way. Our Founding Fathers were a resolute generation of Americans. They created the first free people to survive as a nation in modern times. They wrote a new kind of Constitution, which is now the oldest in existence. They built a new kind of commonwealth designed as a model for the whole human race. They believed it was thoroughly possible to create a new kind of civilization, providing freedom, equality, and justice for all. They envisioned a vast commonwealth of freedom that would encompass all of North America, and accommodate, as John Adams said, “two to three hundred million freemen.” They created an expansive new cultural climate that gave eagles wings to the human spirit. They encouraged exploration and technology to reveal the secrets of the universe. They built a free-enterprise culture to promote millions of jobs and unprecedented prosperity. They invented, for the world as well as themselves, a whole new formula for happiness and success. They offered the human race a potential future filled with the ultimate hope of the human heart—a world of universal freedom, universal prosperity, and universal peace. As Clinton Rossiter would say, “No happiness without liberty, no liberty without self-government, no self-government without constitutionalism, no constitutionalism without morality—and none of these great goods without stability and order.” William E. Gladstone, Prime Minister of England in 1881 said, “It is the greatest piece of work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purposes of man.” The first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald, also stated: “I think and believe that [the United States Constitution] is one of the most perfect organizations that ever governed a free people.” Why? Because God is its author, not man. Our system of government, a Constitutional Republic, would not function efficiently, and perhaps might not even survive, if the people do not maintain a constant vigilance and thereby develop what Jefferson called an intelligent and informed electorate. One of the most amazing aspects of the American story is that, while the Founding Fathers came from very different and divergent backgrounds, their fundamental beliefs were identical. During the Constitutional Convention, they argued bitterly over the best way to implement those plans, but they rarely argued over what the final objective was Even though many came from different churches and had doctrinal differences, they were careful students of the Bible, especially the Old Testament. Even though some did not belong to any Christian denomination, the teachings of Jesus Christ were held in universal respect and admiration. They were also students of Greek, Roman, Anglo Saxon, European, and English history. Remarkably, they were well Thanks to Tom and Terry at Valley Market for donating water for the racers at the finish line. Race organizers report this is now a definite tradition and invite everyone to plan for the Third “Give Thanks With Every Step” race on Thanksgiving 2010 at 8:30 a.m. The race will, again, begin at the Eden L.D.S. Church on Highway 162 across from Snowcrest Jr. High. We’d also like to thank runners’ families Kyle, Ethan, Sage, and Gabe Fuller volunteered to load donated food and cheer on the Thanksgiving Day runners. who volunteered to handle the start/finish line, provide timing, load food, and cheer on participants. And of course, the biggest thank you goes to those who came to race, donate, and lend their support. See you on Thanksgiving 2010! Sue Fuller Lisa McCleary Terri Radmall, Eden Thank You for Making the Eighth Annual Snowdance a Success! On behalf of The Ogden Valley Business Association and The Ogden Valley Winter Sports Foundation, we want to thank the following businesses and individuals for their generous donations of merchandise, services, or time to make the Eighth Annual Snowdance and Auction a success! Over $15,000 was raised for The Ogden Valley Winter Sports Academy and the Ogden Valley Business Association! We would not have had this success without the following: Wolf Creek Utah Foundation, Craig Bonham and the Team at Harley and Buck’s Grill, Construction, Karlie Rairigh, Rossignol-Jeff & Bonnie Hyde, Salomon, Sassy Chic, Jay & Laura Sawyer, Ski Utah, SkyDive Ogden, Smith Optics-Cody Brice, Smitty’s Tires & Service, Snowbasin Resort, Speed Streets, Stella & Dot, Dean Bannon- Studio Oo-La-La, Rich & Gina Thomason, Trifecta Personal TrainingAlexandra Rocco, The Totman Family, Trifecta Personal Training-Alexandra Rocco, Bob & Karen Ullman, The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, Cassey Duke-Valley Hair, Jenny Duke–Valley Hair, Brian & Suzanne Wallace, Warren Miller Entertainment, Michael & Jennifer Webb, Wilkerson Fine Art & Design, Wolf Creek Utah, and Zucca Trattoria. A special thank you to: OVWSF Board and families, The Ogden Valley news, Mary Almony, Jennifer & Michael Belmont, Krysti Branz, Celeste Canning, Joy Clem, DDS, Wendy Crook, Melanie Eyres, Ruthann Halay, Cheryl Mills, Sheila Musante, Dave & Valerie Bierer, Laurie & Frank Brown, and Chris & Laurie Morgan. Thank You! Lisa Karam Fuller, Executive Director The Ogden Valley Business Association Nicholas and Company, Roosters, Diamond Angelina Yubero, Fundraising Director Rental, 745 Group, The Callantine Family, Jeff The Ogden Valley Winter Sports Foundation & Melisa Harrison, Merchants of Old Town Eden, R&O Construction, Team Utah, Angie & Francis Yubero, 25th Street Boutique, Almony Family, Alpine Sports, Amer Sports Winter & Outdoor, Brown Family, Basics Sports Medicine, Beehive Cheese, Best Kiteboarding, Michael & Jennifer Belmont, Bonnie & Hyde Inc., Dann & Deanna Byck, Tyler Callantine, Chic Style, Coca Cola, Color Me Mine, Descente, Detail Guy, Diamond Peak Mountain Sports, Diamond Peaks Heli Ski Adventures, Didja Make It- Linda Knudson, Dottie Beck’s, Eden Design, Flowrider, Free Spirit Holistic Mountain Spa, Gary Nate/Warren Miller, Goode Ski Technologies, Grass Plus, Gray Cliff Lodge, Alison & Paul Guimond, Harley & Bucks Grill, Jeff & Melisa Harrison, Tim & Sue Houden, I Rock, Cathy James & Chris Anderson, Michael & Teresa Kenny, Lakeside Resort Properties, Janifer Larson, Massage Envy, Brady Miller, Ray Miller, Mindful Women Day Spa, Carl & Sheila Musante, Naylor Orthodontics, Nicholas and Company, OVWSF Families, Ogden Athletic Club, Ogden Nature Center, Ogden Orthopedic Specialists-Jeffrey Rocco, M.D., Ogden Valley Interior Design, Optimal Health Dynamics – Dr. Corey Sondrup, Petzl America, Inc., Powder Mountain Resort, Premier Designs Jewelry–Donna Lawton, Troy Price, R & O read and were very knowledgeable about the necessary and essential elements of sound government and of building a free nation. We are now over two centuries away from the original launching of the Ship of State, the United States of America. Our ship is way out to sea and it is being tossed to and fro by the winds of doctrine of those bent on its sinking. We are definitely treading in stormy seas. This could all have been avoided had our leaders and WE THE PEOPLE stayed within the moorings of safety of the Constitutional Principals we were given. Sadly, we have strayed because those founding principals have been ignored and even disregarded as a necessary element of our education in the pubic schools since about the mid-60’s. Very little is taught about the founding principals of our nation and the elements set forth in the Constitution to guard against encroachment of our liberties, expansion of government and denial to the states of their rights. My consistent disappointment is the fact that fewer and fewer people even care enough to learn what the Constitution means and what powers the government is authorized by it. Our immediate task, of course, is to learn about the Constitution ourselves, or seek out good books or classes that teach Constitutional principals, which are ancient and time proven. If we know what powers the federal government is granted by the Constitution, we’ll know when our representatives are overstepping their bounds and can hold their feet to the fire. Perhaps the tendency is to take what we have for granted. However, the Founding Fathers warned us that their formula for liberty could be lost in a single generation. Let’s not let our generation be that generation where it is lost. I hope that this series of lectures will stimulate you, the reader, to seek out and study the glorious standard our Founders left us. I will begin with Article I of the Constitution, and in simple terms, explain what it means to us, WE THE PEOPLE. Article I, Section 1: It begins simply by saying that all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress and that the Congress shall be made up of a Senate and House of Representatives. Congress is made up of our Senators and Representatives—an upper and lower house. Congressmen/women are not only our district representatives, but also our Senators. Our Congress is patterned somewhat after England’s Parliament, also consisting of an upper and lower house. The upper house is called the House of Lords, compared to our Senate; and the lower, the House of Commons, compared to our House of Representatives. I emphasized “herein granted” because I wish to point out that those powers granted to the Congress are restricted to those enumerated powers granted in Section 8 of this same CONSTITUTION cont. on page 8 Holiday Open House at the Weber County Library located at 2464 Jefferson Avenue in Ogden. Thursday, december 24, 2009 ~ nOOn TO 4:00 p.m. Call Jason at 801-337-2660 for more info. |