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Show !liiiiiliUJ)liii : Signpost VIEWPOINT Killing of Utah trooper, anything but defense Friday, in Castle Dale, a jury convicted Jason Pearson of aggravated murder in the death of Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Dennis Lund. Lund was shot in the eye while he and other officers pursued Pearson and a companion during a 1993 car chase. Pearson maintained throughout the week-long trial that he had not intended to kill Lund. It is amazing that anyone could point a gun at another person, or the car they are driving, and pull the trigger, only to later say they never meant to kill anyone. While pro- and anti-gun control activists argue whether guns kill people or people kill people, firing a gun at another human being is an act of murder. When the victim is a police officer, the murder is even more tragic. Pearson claimed he felt his life was in danger, that he acted out of self-defense. Shooting at police officers is not self-defense. Highway Patrol officers wear uniforms. That does not make them enemy troops, to be fired upon like pop cans perched atop fence posts. Law enforcement officers approach every stopped car and every door where there is a family dispute with the knowledge their life may be on the line. They're not paid especially well and they tend to be seen as ticket writers rather than public servants, but police officers deserve our respect and protection. When cops are murdered in the line of duty, they deserve justice. The family of Trooper Lund will probably not benefit from Pearson's conviction, but another cop's family might, if Pearson's conviction stops someone from shooting at their loved one. While Pearson's sentence has yet to be handed down, the aggravated murder conviction leaves the judge with two options, life in prison either with the possibility of parole or without. Pearson's attorney told the jury, "This case is a tragedy." Aside from the fact that Dennis Lund is dead, the only tragedy in this case is that prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty. The Sig impost Recipient of the UPA General Excellence award Staff Editor in chief Managing editor News editor Asst. news ed. A&E editor Sports editor Asst. sports ed. Features editor Photo editor Copy editor Production mgr. Asst. prod. mgr. Ad designer Ad manager Asst. ad mgr. Systems analyst Secretary Adviser Publisher Gary Hinds Jared Page David Grover Alisa Rasmussen Carole Noel Chris Peterson Jaren Gibson Laurie Albrechtsen Brian Nicholson Heather Stallings E. Marie Receveur Taylor S. Fielding Kristine Burt Natalie Peay Wynne Rasmussen Bill Manning Georgia Edwards P. Larry Stahle Dr. Randy Scott Phone numbers Editor in chief 626-7121 Managing editor News desk Arts desk Sports desk Production Advertising Adviser Fax 626-7105 626-7507 626-7983 626-7983 626-6358 626-6359 626-7120 626-7401 The Signpost is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during Fall, Winter and Spring quarters and Tuesday during Summer quarter. Subscription is S9 a quarter. The Signposts a student publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University students. Opinions or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. The Signpost welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should not exceed 350 words. Letters must include name, address, telephone number, relationship to staff and the signature of the writer. The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and also reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Bring letters to the editorial office in UB 267 or mail to: The Signpost, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah 84408-2110. Attn: Gary Hinds, editor in chief. UES&ACOllS TIME WITH A 3 . m ( Wmovies " A A i : , n n M Vi S Singers, actors and athletes (oh, my!) stick to what you suck at the least You can't be the best at everything. I learned this "Rule of Life" at a young age. My childhood dream was to play in the NBA. Obviously, that was one wish that never came true. To be honest, I never came close. I figured playing col- lege basketball was out of the question when I got cut from my high school team my senior year. So I wasn't going to make the NBA. That was obvious. I realized it wasn't the end of the world. So I did the next best thing: I turned to sports writing. Sure, it's not quite the same, but the basic elements are there: I'm reasonably close to the court during the games, I have locker room access and I see my name in the paper the following day. See, a compromise was made. I saw a dead end and went for the next best thing. Some people just don't understand this. Television and movie stars are a good example.Actor-turned-musician David Hasselhoff recently released yet another album. According to comedian Dennis Miller, it should be titled "And You Thought My Acting Sucked." Then there's Michael Damian No Harm, ' j No Foul v A Jared Page from soap opera fame, movie big shots Don Johnson and Bruce Willis, and even Wings' star Crystal Bernard. All of these actors have either made or are making the jump from the big screen to the music scene. It works the other way, too. Musicians Phil Collins, Madonna and Janet Jackson have all turned to acting. Even country music stars Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire and George Strait have shown they have an acting side. (Of course, we always knew country singers could act. How else could they have convinced the world that they like that twangy stuff?) The latest trend is with professional athletes. NBA star Shaquille O'Neal has been featured in both television and movies, New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing recently made an appearance on TV's "Mad About You," and Karl Malone is set to shoot three epi- sodesof "Baywatch." (That last example isn't true, but the thought of it made me laugh, so I threw it in.) Even O.J. Simpson got into the act in the "Naked Gun" movies and look how that turned out. You can't be the best at everything. To prove that point, when have we ever seen it work the other way? When has a actor or musician ever turned to professional sports? Can you even imagine it? "It looks like the Phillies will go to the bull pen. Yep, righthander Chris Farley is already warming up." Or: "Marino dropsback to pass. He's in trouble ... and he's brought down by Lyle Lovett." It would never happen. It shouldn't happen. Actors like David Hasselhoff should work on being the best at their current profession, rather than branching out to fields already occupied by more qualified and talented people. So, to David, I say stick with "Baywatch" and Shaq, leave the set and go work on your free throw shooting or in his case, foul shooting. As for me, I'm late for my piano lesson.- o uotables We want to leave a legacy. Everything we do next year will be worth remembering. 9? Audrey Davidson ASWSU Executive Vice President |