OCR Text |
Show Lehi Free Press New Utah! - Wednesday, November 1 1, 1998 - Page 2 Opinion the rides of Celebrating There are ways for all to serve Scon Fugal I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today 'cause there ain't no doubt I lore this land. God By bless the USA. 'Tis the star spangled banner, oh long may it wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, The Unknown Soldier. What has caused so many poets to write so many lyrics about so many men that were ready and willing to die for that same reason? Not too long ago at a Boy Scout Court of Honor we stood and repeated the Pledge of Allegiance. I noticed that an elderly gentleman had tears rolling down his cheeks as he recited the words ... "with liberty and justice for all." Later that evening I asked him why he had begun to cry. He told me of a war fought in a far off land from which many of his friends never came home. They paid the ultimate price for our freedom, liberty and justice. Each year many young men go off to military school and train to fight for our country. They serve our country in the most difficult way possible and should be held in our highest regard. I'm reminded of the young brave soldier who was hurt badly in a terrorist bombing and taken to a military hospital. A few weeks later, the soldier, still in serious condition, was told that the president was to speak at a conference the next day. He requested permission to go see and hear the president. His commanding officer told him he could but he was to remain on his bed at all times. This young man said, "I mean no disrespect, but when the colors of my country are presented, I stand." Another young officer, wounded critically in the same violent act, was visited by a senior commanding officer. He was bandaged around his head so only his mouth could be seen. He had most of his limbs in casts and could only move one arm. As the general identified himself, the brave young soldier asked him to bend over. He felt the stars on theeneral's lapel and then instead ofJeJ.tinggc; . he pulled the general closer and with as much strength as he had left, said the Marine slogan. "Semper Fidelis" "' or ''Always Faithful." It is people that serve like this unselfishly, bravely and faithfully that make America so great. Our country is founded on this idea of service and sacrifice. For eight years a general fought with a small group of then colonial farmers that demanded respect and freedom. On Oct. 17, 1777, the now Americans tasted victory. General George Washington and his small band of Americans had won our freedom. To this day, people fight to keep our freedom and respect. One way to serve here at home, that is both a right and a responsibility, is voting. Every American citizen can and should vote. Too often I hear the excuse, "I am only one person. It doesn't matter if I don't vote." This is alie. Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has." Martin Luther King had a dream and shared it with others. Today one man's dream has become a reality that has benefitted our entire nation. Hitler has also proven this point. I have been to concentration camps and seen the unhuman torture that these people were put through. I saw as some prisoners, still grasping on to life, were burned or buried. I saw where people had been stripped of their dignity. By forfeiting their right to vote. Americans are asking for another holocaust. It is not enough for people to talk and complain about things. They must be willing to go out and serve, to do something about it. We cannot afford to be idle with an attitude of "I don't care." As a teenager, not able to vote or run for office, there are still many ways for me to serve my country. I can start in my own community by being a good citizen, by sustaining and upholding the laws of our country. I can volunteer in community service projects, shelters and even my own home. I can build and strengthen my family. This builds and strengthens my community, then my state and my country. I can be;the good neighbor who lends a helping hand. Whatever I do, I cannot and will not sit back and watch as everyone else does their part. There is a way for all of us to serve. We must find our way to serve our country. If we fail to do this we are failing to remember the sacrifice that so many Americans made to ensure us our freedom. We must each become,,ap Vhat Wsmredthese poets, and .these,, uifii lu igui..' neii seivice lu uui ''country? "Oh 'say does that star spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" Through my service and your service we can keep the banner waving o'er this land of the free and this home of the brave. Scott Fugal is Youth Mayor of Pleasant Grove City. He prepared these remarks for a special memorial service to be held today at the Pleasant Grove Senior Citizens Center. Paying tribute to veterans Since the Gulf war, it seems to have become fashionable once again to pay tribute to our veterans. That's a good thing, but as far as I'm concerned, the requirement to do so never changed. Vietnam was the war of my generation, and it was the most politically divisive conflict in our nation's history, except for the Civil War. Ordinary soldiers, who had no voice in making policy or military decisions of any kind, were routinely harassed and sometimes even assaulted by those opposed to the war for a wide, range of reasons. No matter what the reasons were, they had no business taking out their vitriolic feelings on fellow citizens who had nothing to do with what they were upset about. It equally does not matter what the motives for military service were or are. When young men or women answer the call of their country, no matter how reluctantly or selfishly, they still deserve to be recognized and that goes for those who fought for our enemies, too. It isn't that entering the military ennobles all, nor does serving make up for whatever shortcomings of character or judgement an individual may have. What those who serve honorably do, though, is to protect the rest of us and ensure our continued freedom, and for that they deserve our gratitude, all politics aside. The one thing that we can say for certain is that having a strong military throughout our nation's history or, at the very least, one that would cli Wxu Press NewUtah! (ISSN No. (U.S.P.S. No. 1521-685- A 309-500- ) member of have to be reckoned with has allowed our citizens to pursue their own interests with a minimum of outside interference. For the most part, our military forces have truly been drawn from a broad range of citizens, more so than in many other countries. They have also been a force for necessary social change, and provided opportunities for growth and education to many of those who might otherwise have few chances for either. A veteran myself, I don't glamorize war and I'm acutely aware of some of the tragic, permanent consequences, not only of war but also of simply being in uniform. Even at best, military life is hard, and exacts a toll from every individual. As with any job, there can be a sense of satisfaction with a task well performed, but somehow that never quite balances out the scales. What could and should is the thanks of their fellow citizens just for being willing to step forward and, for a time, shoulder the burden of protecting the rest of us. In that spirit, I want to express my personal gratitude to the veterans in our communities, regardless of where, when, or why they served. I salute you all. Published weekly by Tie NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION The day - 59 West Main American Fork, Utah 84003 Managing Editor City Editor Subscription remained the same, namely, that he'had to wait a little bit past his birthday to obtain the license. But, having gone through that rite of passage myself, some of the same feelings surfaced inside me when he reached over the counter and held his new license for the first time. Knowing the incredible sense of freedom having a license gave me at age 16, I could understand what he must have felt inside. And yet, being the parent of a 16 year old, I could also understand the feelings of concern that my father must have had for my safety as I made my way out onto the road. I'm excited, well, excited and scared, for him as the rites of passage will continue to propel him toward adulthood. He has his first date this weekend, which brings up the feelings of both angst and excitement, elation and worry as I recall my own dating experiences while contemplating how he will fare in his first official formal excursion. My children have developed a unique birthday tradition which serves as a good reminder of that rite of passage for both them and their parents. All four of them like to hear the story of their birth; in fact, they don't really celebrate their birthdays until the exact hour that they were born. As we share with them the days and hours leading up to their births, it helps us remember the feelings of joy and awe we felt on those auspicious occasions. While expecting our second son, for example, we kept assuring our first son that it would not be an unbearably long wait to get a new baby brother. "When it snows, he will be here," we promised, thinking that we would be fairly close to the mark. received my completion slip, my dad was there to check me out of school to go down and get my learn- er's permit. Two weeks later, to the day, we again drove to Provo (with me in the driver's seat, practicing one last time for my road test) so that I could obtain the coveted piece of plastic that would allow me to drive a vehicle without a parent in the car. What a joyous celebration it was to have that permit in my hand, an experience I wanted to share with my own son. A few details have changed, such as the learner's permit protocol he has already been practicing with us as the but some things back seat drivers ' A response to that nameless guy on the phone Here is a transcript of a voice mail message I received last week. I can't get the inflection, but the speaker made his point in unmistakable terms. This what the man said: I iiiel, ttrt i tufi. .Vm titll itnii iitti st v full sf ,Mr artidc here andjoitikn$koyti a note in tne too bad there's people ground. mouthing off like you. I'd like to drag you out in the street and shake you around a little bit, shake some sense into your stupid head. Next time when you write, know what in the world you are writing about, if that's possible with people like you. As you can see, it wasn't a long message. And since I can't respond to the gentleman in person, as he did not leave a name or number, I'm prompted to make a It's response here. First, I want to say something about that name thing. I don't normally respond to anonymous remarks, no matter how much they irk me. People who don't attach their name to a message like this do so because they don't want to deal with any responses. If you don't take responsibility for your comments, you never have to own up to sounding like a On the other hand, I put my name on each and every column I write. Heck, I even put my picture on the thing. Therefore, I end up sounding like a on a regular basis. Normally my approach is if I'm going to put my reputation at risk, so should the people who are taking pot shots at me. Second, the column in question was printed the day after the election. The guy was phoning to complain about a col- - ' umn after hisiside had won a rousing victory at the polls. Talk about a poor winner. If you are a "good" winner, you call up and gloat about winning." I know, because I live in a house filled with "good" winners especially Dana and Jeffrey, who really know how to rub in a sound trouncing. Third, it doesn't do any good to take me out in the street and shake me around a little bit. It's been tried about a year ago in response to another opinion piece I had written. My wife can certify that I have no more sense now than I did then maybe less. I probably lost some brain cells because of all that shaking. Fourth, why is it that some people are simply unable to deal with other people having opinions different from theirs? Don't they understand that there is a diversity of opinions out there, and that each of us is entitled to our own ideas, without threats of physical violence because we don't happen to be You see, this wasn't the only call I received on this issue. Another man called the week before, when we ran an editorial about Proposition 5 urging people to vote against it. He couldn't understand why I was unwilling to vote to protect Utah's wildlife. I couldn't understand why he right-thinkin- was willing to give up his rights as a voter to enact laws by petition. The first time he called, he asked us to cancel his subscription. The second time, we talked. That helped a lot. In the end he was willing to see that I am just as 'interested in protecting Utah's wildlife as he was, I just didn't agree with his method of doing so. He didn't agree with me, and I didn't agree with him. But we ended the discussion on friendly terms, agreeing to disagree. I'm not sure if Mr. and I could have reached that level of acceptance, since I have little patience with But I would have been willing to try. Finally, it was interesting to note a few things about Proposition 5 in the wake of the election. The first is a story in Sunday's Salt Lake Tribune where the architects of the media campaign to pass the proposition gloat about how they fooled the public by appealing to voter's emotions, rather than resorting to actual fact. In addition an exit poll by BYU shows that many Utah voters didn't understand Proposition 5 and that 19 percent of those who voted for it actually didn't support the change. On the other hand, 14 percent of those who voted against it actually would have supported the change. So, what we needed was more people expressing their opinions and writing about it before the election, not fewer, as suggested by Mr. poor-winner- I don't write these things to make people mad, I write to encourage them think. Apparently, however, there are some people out there for whom that's just too much to ask. Reader's Forum Who is the loser? Editor: Shortly after I moved back to Provo over a year ago I was weighing the possibility of running for Sheriff. I was told that Utah County was one of, if not the most, conservative county in the country. Indeed, county Republican chairman Rod Fudge proudly announced that Utah County is the most Republican county in the entire US of A. I learned very quickly that there is a gigantic difference between a conservative and a Republican. Certainly some Republicans are conservative, but many Republicans are not. Some Republicans are extremely liberal and joined the party for ulterior motives, yet party lead Deadlines Classified Circulation Publisher I'll I and not finding what we wanted at store in the Salt Lake Valley, decided to pass by Lehi and head toward Orem to try to find the object of our desire. As I remember, we walked around the store several times, searching in vain for the item we wanted. We didn't realize that it had started to snow outside during our futile search. The walking took its toll on my wife, and during the slow, snowy ride home, she felt that it would be appropriate to go to the hospital. On our way through American Fork, we passed the hospital, still debating whether it really was time. By the time we got home, we decided our new son's birth was fairly imminent, and we returned to the hospital, dropping off our other son with his grandmother, with the reminder that we had said his brother would arrive with the snow. About four hours later, the new bundle arrived, and about three hours after that, I went out to the car, and finding it " nearly buried in snow, I remembered what we had promised. The joy of the new birth was heralded with the changing of the season, and my heart was indeed full as I rejoiced in the birth not just of a second son, but of the first one as well. The experience was repeated two more times, and now all four enjoy hearing not only their own stories, but the experiences of their brothers and sister. In three years, I expect to experience the rites of passage again, as the first son becomes of age to serve as a missionary, and the second obtains his driver's license. I suppose I'll not only relive my own mission days again, but once again, I will feel the thrill of sharing the experience of getting that first liberating piece of plastic called a driver's license. some age. News jewtaliiews (Jroup UH & Next week will mark 13 years since we went shopping one cold fall night, Feeling years older at the same time the other day, I came to the realization this week that we recognize and experience the rites of passage in two ways. Naturally, we have some sort of profound sense of change when we go to school for the first time, when we participate in religious ceremonies, when we graduate from school and when we fall in love with Mr. or Ms. Right. But we also experience them vicariously, reviving old feelings that we felt previously, when those we love have their time in the spotlight. The occasion was the procuring of a driver's license with my son, and although the event made me acutely aware of my age, the experience jolted the memory of getting my own license when I was his age. Because my birthday fell late in the school year, I had to wait until I was a junior in high school to take driver's education class. And because the class lasted for a whole semester, I wasn't allowed to get my license on my birthday, but had to wait until the semester ended in January, nearly two months after I became of Telephone Numbers Advertising passage 25 years younger and 25 Brett Marc Bezzant Haddock : .Russ Daly price S24:' per year Periodicals Postage Paid at American Fork, Utah POSTMASTER: send address change to 59 West Main. American Fork. Utah 84003 Advertising . . .Tuesday, noon Display Advertising News Monday. 5 pm. Monday. 2 pm Missionaries Monday. 2 p.m Letters to Obituaries Calendar thef ditor . .Monday. 10 am Monday. 10 am Tuesday. 1 1 am Rod Fudge may attempt to take credfor Republican victories, but his leadership was a real loser. He scarcely sup- it ported his own party's platform, violated his own rules routinely in attacking certain Republican candidates, erroneously reported convention results to the media and led the party closer to the middle. However, to his everlasting credit, Mr. Fudge taught us some valuable lessons. He taught us that there is a distinct difference between being a conservative and being a Republican. And perhaps, most importantly, Chairman Fudge taught us that there is a definite difference between losing an election and being a loser. Richard I. Mack Provo We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must include the author's name (printed AND signed) and a telephone number. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, punctuation, taste and length. Letters are welcome on any topic. HOW TO REACH .US Monday. 2 p.m. Weddings Community ers embraced them while true conservatives were ostracized. Tuesday's elections in Utah County were victories for Republicans, but pickings for conservatives were very slim. The Republican party "leadership" made it very clear that only moderate or liberal Republicans were welcome to run for county offices. In fact, besides attacking and alienating constitutionally conservative candidates and getting into a hissing match with the Democratic chairman over which party is more moderate, just what did Rod Fudge do for us? After the primary did he attempt to unify the party? Not at all. In fact he did just the opposite. Did Fudge address the voter apathy problem? Did he reach out to high school seniors, college students or new residents? By Mail P.O. Box 7, American Fork, UT 84003 In Person 59 W. Main, American Fork By Fax 756-527- 4 By editornewutah.com POOF |