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Show Y Comments Free Press - Wednesday, October 2, 1996 - Page 2 we are powerless to attend our Admitting Remember when no one talked about grader Editorial Stopping the violence is everyone's job What's America's most serious health problem? It's not smoking, it's not alcoholism, it's not even drug abuse. It's violence, and it's growing. As a society we are hurting each other, and we are doing it with growing frequency and to ever greater conse- In 1995, 54 Utah children died from gunshot wounds, including 14 homicides and 37 suicides. By age 18 the average Utah child will have viewed over 200,000 acts of violence on television alone. From in Utah, the juvenile arrest rate for violent quences. crimes increased by 120 percent. The Centers for Disease Control In 1995, 42 Utah children ages estimate that in seven years, guncommitted suicide, making it shots will overtake automobile accithe second leading cause of death for dents as the leading cause of injury this age group. Thirty seven (88 perdeath. Does anyone doubt that we cent) of these children used firearms are in a state of emergency where to kill themselves. violence is concerned. Throughout October, the various And often, it is our children who agencies of the Violence Prevention are suffering the effects of a dramatCoalition will be working to press ic increase in violence in society. home the point that violence is out of Here are some alarming statistics hand. Many activities are planned to compiled by the Violence Prevention bring attention to the devastating Coalition, a group of 60 collaboratimpact substance abuse, violence ing agencies who are banding and crime have on the health and welfare of Utah's residents. together to take a stand against violence and its devastating effect on The governor will issue a proclaour society. mation Friday declaring October Homicide deaths of Utah chilViolence Prevention Month. dren increased 255 percent between Families will be urged to avoid 1984 and 1995. graphic television and movies on Each year in the U.S., at least Oct. 10 for Turn off the Violence Day. 2,000 children die at the hands of The popular Ribbon Week activities their parents or caregivers; and an will be held Oct. estimated 1,800 children are permaIt's not enough to sit back and nently disabled by abuse or neglect. hope someone else will solve this In Utah, during 1995, there problem. It will take work and it will were 5,737 substantiated cases of take our active involvement if we are child abuse and neglect; and at least to change the image of violence in seven Utah children died from child American society from acceptable to abuse. intolerable. 1985-199- 4 10-1- 9 some of the problems of life? With the advertisers' hype about the relatively benign maladies of dishpan hands or the heartbreak of psoriasis, it is no wonder we denied that the more serious alcoholism, abuse and promisproblems cuity, just to name a few on the tip of the even existed. iceberg People went to great lengths to hide the evidence of those problems, and perhaps even more so in a small community such as ours where people are d and most have a religious background that permeates all social levels. The smoker, for example, may light up only when outside and the family of the drinker may try to use the ruse of sickness when their loved one is simply gassed. And don't believe all the statistics you read about premature babies, for many of them were healthy eight- - or despite the apparent shortening of their gestation. But living in the 90s has changed all of that. Because of our reaching out for help, and reaching out to help others, no longer do we need to personally feel the shame for those problems. On the other hand, though, we see things around us that may still seem a little out of place. For example, while motoring down the freeway, my friend and I passed the Mobile Mammography van. I'm all for maintaining one's health, but this vehicle really drives home a message of some sort. I don't know how long the technology has been around to do mammograms, but if they were available years ago, they would have been done only in the hospital, and no one would have ever admitted that they were going to have one or that it had been done. Now it seems that the doctor still inter-relate- nine-pounde- rs 12-st- ep groups see. Because of some statements he had made right before we turned it on, we decided he needed to see it all. It was a little awkward for us to be so The open about it, and a little uncomfortable feeling like we were sort of pushed into the situation, but looking back on it, we are glad that we could share it with him in such an honest manner. By RUSS DALY Kids today don't always get the information in such a factual manner, and parents don't always have the opportunity to of the the makes house calls, and provide it for them on the timetable they presence van on the road makes it seem as though would like. With the profusion of red ribbons that the service now comes directly to you, hosAIDS awareness and the pital to home Perhaps I subconsciously people wear for think it would be better if the van traveled growing cry among some activists, not to in the middle of the night so that we mention the increased exposure to alterwouldn't have to know where it was going. native lifestyles that one can view on When I was in the fourth grade, one of broadcast television at all hours of the day deal with these my classmates informed me that her or night, we are forced to mother had told her "The Facts of Life." By issues, whether we like it or not. The club issue at East High School not her using that particular phrase, with that certain little glint in her eye that showed only brought the matter out of the closet, me she knew she had a prize with her new but paraded it around in front of us. And although the organizers of the club may knowledge, I figured she had the expurhave I no had even thought their intentions were though gated, gory version, admirable, I believe even the existence of clue what "The Facts of Life" were. But the fact was that she did know, and such a group requires all students to face to her delight, she made it a point of telling issues that they might otherwise not have to face at that period of time. me so I knew that she knew, and it drove In other, less controversial issues, this me nuts. I begged and begged, but she diligently followed her mother's advice to be openness can be a boon to those who strugdiscreet. gle with problems. Support groups can provide participants with a means of expressAbout four years ago, my wife and I found ourselves in the position of needing ing themselves without fear of being critito tell our fourth grade child because of cized, and thus give the individual a chance to be heard and nurtured by others who some misinformation he had about sexualcan truly understand their situation. ity. Just at that time, the Children's Television Workshop presented a special Honesty, I suppose, is the best policy after all, even if we don't think we're ready production for sex education. for it. And for those who can't tolerate While we videotaped it for future use, we previewed it to determine which parts openness, perhaps we could start a supof it we were going to let our own fourth port group for them. Daly Planet 20-2- 6. A farewell for As I sit down to write this column today, my mind is filled with images from this past week. It was one week ago that I watched as my kindergartener Emily emerged the first one off the afternoon school bus that stops close to our house. She exuberantly ran towards me as an oncoming car came to a quick stop. I paid little attention to the other children filing off the bus after her as I brought her safely inside and discussed the need to look both ways even when getting off the bus. A few minutes later, Emily pointed out that there were people out in the street. There was a huge gravel truck with a pup trailer (the kind you hate to get stuck behind on that highway in Pleasant Grove) that had come to a halt. As I walked outside, I saw my neighbors behind the truck. Barney and Pat Henry were bent over someone. I could see his skewed legs and his little sneakered feet. My mind raced as I tried to think who those little feet belonged to. Another neighbor was on the phone talking to a paramedic who was asking questions. Was air coming out? No. Push on his chest. Was there a pulse? No. I learned it was Brennan Webster. My heart dropped. The first response truck was on the scene quickly. Soon, there were swarms of people all around. Julie, Brennan's mother, came walking up. I marveled at her composure even as the full weight of the situation sunk in. It was not long before mother and son were in the ambulance headed for the hospital. Police and neighbors tried to piece ' together what had happened. Witnesses saw Brennan dart out behind the truck not realizing there was a trailer behind it. He had been walking in the street in our subdivision which for some reason has no sidewalks, only curbing. Police put paint markings around the three huge wheels that Brennan went under. Looking at the wheels and realizing what had happened, I knew he wasn't coming back to us. Brennan had been in my daughter Christy's preschool class at The Learning Train here in Alpine a few years back. We car pooled with another little girl, Sarah. Brennan Out of Order 0 A ByKATHERINE SCHROEPPEL L The girls would gab all the way to school, but Brennan was shy and didn't join in. (In fact, last Friday, one father overheard Brennan say to his son at a sleep-ovat their house, "This year, I promise myself that I'm not going to be so shy with girls.") The days I drove the car pool, he'd often get stuck sitting up with me and I'd talk to him. I don't remember much specifics about our conversations, but I remember he was the sweetest child. I know this sounds strange, but his er funeral was joyful as family members recounted precious moments they shared with this little boy who had a very large spirit. There was a peacefulness that permeated the meeting that is hard to describe. This was not an easy good-by- e for the Webster family, but it appeared to be a peaceful one. He had lived a full life in his almost eight years. While he was careful and deliberate in the way he went about things (his kindergarten teacher Joy Alldredge had worried about what a perfectionist he was), yet he never wasted a minute. Perhaps I should explain that it is central to the LDS philosophy that a great work is going on beyond this life. For this purpose, temples are built. It was witnessed by more that one person in our neighborhood and by his family that Brennan has a work of utmost importance to do on the other side. Most people will never know ofthe greatness that graced this world for but a short time, but I know my life will forever be touched for having known this sweet, valiant servant of the Lord. Taking a vacation on the World Wide Web Getting ready for a vacation isn't what it used to be. Not that I've ever spent much time getting ready for vacations. I never spend much time getting ready for anything. But my wife does. She deserves the credit for anything that goes well in our occasional excursions. This year we are embarking on something more than an excursion, as we prepare to travel to Scotland to pickup our daughter, Kristy, who is on an LDS mission there. When we started making plans for this k trip, we were planning with the understanding that my brother, who lived in Bath, England, would put us up for a week. Kristy would take care of us for the other week. My plan was to pretty much let Jim and Kristy plan our itinerary, with some minor suggestions from us. After all, they know the respective countries. Sharon, of course, made other plans. She bought some books on Britain, got information from travel agents and took some initiative. For my part, I remained flexible. This is my greatest talent. But we found out about a month ago that my brother is no longer a resident of Bath. A recent checkup had uncovered a health problem and he was in the process of that's being discharged from the Navy what took him to England in the first place. Suddenly, we were on our own for that first week, and I was forced into taking a more active role in planning. Interestingly, Sharon and I both found that one of our greatest resources in making our preparations was the World Wide Web. Frankly, folks, you don't want to leave home until you've checked it. Sharon and I both have access to the Internet through our work computers. It's getting hard to be a journalist without two-wee- Dick C.V Boland 1996 Creators Syndicate, Inc. Column v By MARC HADDOCK access to the WWW. And the great thing about the Internet is that you can access any web site, any place in the world. Many places that rely on tourism have their own home pages these are Web site address- es that contain pictures and information about whatever the person who designed the page wants to put on it. That amounts to about everything. '' And England and its tourism industry have a lot to offer out there in cyberspace. For example, one of the things Sharon really wanted to do in England was spend a night in a castle. England has a lot of castles, and many have been transformed into Bed and Breakfasts. Rather than looking at outdated books and magazines, she simply went out on the Web, used one of the common search utilities to look up English Castles, and came up with a list of websites that looked promising. As she browsed through the home pages for the various castles, she was able to get an idea about availability, prices and services. Most had pictures of the castle and a map to show you how to get there. She looked at the options, selected a castle that looked promising and called the travel agent to book a room for a night. It was that simple. I've made some excursions into English Micron lawsuit was Editor: I feel it necessary to respond to the let- ter by Claire Geddes in last week's paper. Mrs. Geddes remarks did not tell the real story. I still stand by my statement that Mr. Smith's lawsuit was frivolous. already. I applaud whenever I read man or woman about an marrying someone in his or her 20s. Of course, everyone says it's for the money, knows better. but the As medical science extends our life span, society doesn't seem to know what to do with us. We are treated as brain dead and accused of driving up health care costs and depleting our children's Social Security fund. These are same wonderful young people who ate up most of our assets on their way to becoming d about whether or not there would be any money left for their own retirement. Even a man who has planned well for his retirement has to say what rotten luck when he reaches super-concerne- have seen some seniors spend 10 minutes getting out of the car. Should they be driving at all? In some states, simply being able to find the Motor Vehicle Bureau qualifies you to renew your license. How about the supermarket where shopping cart gridlock is commonplace? I want to yell, "Move along there isn't much time." I refuse to settle in a community where there are only geezers and crones. It can't be healthy to confine yourself to Wrinkle City no matter what kind of climate it has. Excluding the young from your life will only speed up the aging process, which I feel is going fast enough Editors step-by-ste- good information. Actually, once I found this page, my Internet adventure took more than half an hour. But I'd done all that other stuff first. We've browsed through the current London theater offerings, so we know what's playing now. If we'd been; inclined, we could have order tickets over the WWW as well. The great part about all this is that the information is fresh and current. All the books we read listed prices that may or may not be accurate now. But home pages are and the prices and times kept reflect what is happening now. What the experience has done is reinforce how powerful this information superhighway can be. This thing is going to change all our lives. As more people use it, the greater impact it will have and not just for vacation planning. Getting ready for a vacation isn't what it used to be. It's easier, it's simpler. Information that was once hard to come by is literally at our fingertips. I hope to be walking through the Tower of London in a few days. But you can be there in about five minutes. That's what the World Wide Web can do for us. -. Letters to the editor How do we stop the aging process? It appears that we are becoming a nation of geezers. The aging of America is taking place slowly but surely. Some states, such as Florida, know only too well that the life span of our citizens is stretching out. One county's largest employer is a hospital. I imagine that the funeral business in Florida is booming also. While senior citizens create some problems for the community, it is the super seniors, 80 years and up, that are a faster growing segment of our society and will be a bigger problem. I can remember the first time I was asked if I wanted the senior citizen discount by some silly little clerk who should have known better. I told her I wasn't there yet but had simply had a hard life that gave a false impression of my age. Now that I am legally a senior citizen, I hate to think of myself as an old codger, though I will take the discount with a minimum of resistance. Even so, I refuse to give in to what I see happening to my peers and vow never to succumb to the Early Bird Dining specials offered by restaurants looking for my Social Security money. Let's face it, when you get old, you don't have much time left. Why, then, do old people move and drive so slowly? I The cyberspace myself. In about half an hour I was able to find out about the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 22 IB Baker Street, got the prices and times for tours of Stonehenge and take an virtual reality tour of the Tower of London. The Sherlock Holmes page including prices of admission, a handy map to show us how to get there and some information about the restaurant in the building's first floor. (The meals are expensive.) I printed it all out and took it home. The Tower of London page was the best, p tour of the tower, including a complete with lots of pictures and lots of 90. How many fish can you catch, or how many rounds of golf can you play before you start to think, "Is this it for the rest of my life?" Surely, there is a need for the minds of those who built a nation where a long life span has become a problem. Getting old wouldn't be so bad if there weren't so many old people around. As we were growing up, our parents would often tell us to "act your age." However, once you hit 65, the advice should no longer apply. and ill-advi- frivolous sed, I was not on the council when the Micron issues were being discussed, but I am sure the citizens of our community recognize that there have been significant advantages to having Micron in our valley, whether or not they are at full capacity. There have been extensive infrastructure improvements, i.e., sewer, roads, etc., that Lehi would not otherwise have been able to afford. We are receiving tax monies from the property that would have netted us very little had it remained as agricultural. Mrs. Geddes makes a great deal of how she and her group, United We Stand, tried to tell Lehi how cyclical the industry was, and that we probably would rue the day they came to Lehi. Well, Mrs. Geddes, as usual, you are wrong! I was in attendance at several meetings where Mrs. Geddes and her group had the audacity to tell Lehi how we should be running our city. This is especially irritating, since Mrs. Geddes is not a resident of Lehi, does not pay property taxes in Lehi, no right to tell the citizens of this community how to run and therefore really has their town. Mr. Smith, Mrs. Geddes, et al, if they do not believe that RDAs are legal, should take their case to the state legislature. Their fight was never with Lehi; they just chose to make the people of Lehi pay with their taxes to fight a lawsuit that Lehi should not have been involved with. For Mrs. Geddes to say that the suit was never heard on the merits is ridiculous. Who did she think the man in the black robe in Fourth District Court that heard the case was? She is correct the lawsuit had no merit! Until Mrs. Geddes is an elected official of this community and has to make the hard decisions that your city council makes every day, I have but two words to say to her: Butt Out! Frances M. Comer Thanks for making Vet's Park nice Editor: Park has always been a busy place during the summers and early Vets fall. Little League baseball, flag football, Lehi softball leagues, tournaments, etc. This year I have assisted the Lehi Softball League in keeping score for league play and their tournaments. My first time this year at Vets, I was amazed how and cared for the park was. The lawns were evenly mowed and the grounds evenly smooth. The ball diamonds were professionally manicured, which gave the ball players an appreciation to be playing here. well-groom- I want to thank Carl Buhler and Dewayne Sorenson (and others, I am not aware of) for their efforts and hard work in maintaining Vets Park, and giving it that professional look. I have talked with Carl many times during league play, and a lot of excitement is displayed as he talks about this assignment he has. Carl wants so much to have something nice for those who use Vets. Thanks again, Carl and Dewayne and others involved, for a job well done. You make it nice for us. Lee Lucero |