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Show w r i Thursday. September 23, 2004 A5. EDITORIAL EMMIALS Albert. 2a ilttUcmlfi BOARD President & Publisher Randy Wright, Executive Editor Donald W. Meyers, Editorial page editor John CasteDi, Public adviser Christian Harrison, Public adviser ' Sam Rushforth, Public adviser Manzi, IN OUR VIEW Develop alternative energy sources in Colorado have to lead the Voters will vote in on whether to the state's utiU- ty companies to get' more energy from renewable alternative sources, such as hydroelectric, solar or wind. The referendum, if approved, would require 10 percent of Colorado's energy to come from such sources, by 2014. The question was put on the state ballot after lawmakers failed to pass similar legislation in previous years. It's an idea Congress should pursue as well Coal, natural gas and nuclear power present their own unique problems. Coal plants spew pollutants through smoke stacks, and older plants contribute to acid rain in the eastern United States. Coal prices turn on finding suitable veins of the mineral, and mining itself creates environmental problems, such as tailings. Natural gas burns cleaner than coal, but the gas market is almost as volatile as the gas itself .Relying solely on gas can be costly for consumers and increases the country's dependence on petroleum products. Nuclear reactors create dangerous waste products as fuel rods are exhausted. There is a national debate on the best way to clean up this mess. The accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl remind us that this is not a perfectly safe energy source. But alternative sources, especially renewable ones, bring vital diversity to America's energy picture, with few negative effects. And they reduce the nation's dependence on fossil fuel. Although the United States has the 11th largest oil reserve in the world, the U.S. Department of Energy reports that the country imports 62 percent of the oil it uses, with 40 percent of the imports coming from OPEC countries. You only need to look at gas prices to see how dangerous it is for America to be over the oil barrel With much of our oil imports coming from the Middle East, the United States is in a strategic bind if that oil lifeline is cut, either by Islamic revolutions or political Congress should move aggresto wean the country from its addiction to oil. A deadline similar to the one proposed in Colorado would be a tremendous first step. Free market forces are simply not sufficient to safeguard our energy future. When the oil spigot runs dry, you can't suddenly turn to alternatives that have not matured. Only the government has the means to stimulate the required research and development. Along with solar, wind and water power alternatives you'll find fuels derived from plants. Ethanol is one such fuel, made from grain it is alcohol Since it's plant-basenot only renewable but it's a resource America would not have to import. Oil produced from the hemp plant also has been used in modified diesel engines. Bringing industrial hemp into the marketplace would not only give us a new source of fuel but would give farmers a profitable cash crop. Moving away from oil would reduce the power that Middle Eastern countries hold over world affairs, and that can only be a good thing. Let's hope Colorado's initiative passes, and the rest of the nation follows suit. . sively MEDIA VOICES America is a mosaic of world influences From the Los Angeles Times, Sept. 21, 2004 the poll a few years Remember found more name the Three Stooges than the three branches of government? Or the survey, also conducted by the Philadelphia-base-d National Constitution Center, in which one in four adults couldn't name a single right guaranteed by the 1st Amendment? OK, it's easy to snicker about the dismal state of history and civics knowledge among ordinary Americans. But let's put a question to some of our elected representalike Rep. Tom Feeney .) tives and his 59 colleagues who the Reaffirming American Independence Resolution: What is the foundation for United States law? Feeney, the resolution's chief sponsor, would probably snap, "The Constitution, of course." But he'd get only partial credit. We'll explain in a minute. Feeney's HR 568 would direct federal judges not to cite or rely on "judgments, laws or pronouncements" of any other nation their decisions. This silly declaration, now before the House Judiciary Committee, would have no force of law even if it passed, and it surely would violate the Constitution's separation of powers. Federal judges will dismiss the measure for what it is: more ' sputtering from the right wing over Supreme Court decisions supporting gay rights and affirmative action that note the legal tolerance other nations display on (R-Fla- . these issues. Mostly what HR 568 does is unmask Feeney as a bonehead when it comes to history. "Americans should not have to look for guidance on how to live their lives from foreign organizations," his overblown resolution thunders. Well then, we'd best forget about the fundamental rights of man. That linchpin of our democracy is a Swiss import from Enlightenment-era philosopher Rousseau, whose writings influenced the Constitution's framers. Out goes the idea of balancing power among different branches of government. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and the other drafters may have caught wind of that clever idea from the writings of 18th century Baron de Montesquieu mon Dieu, a Frenchman. A government with a healthy respect for private property? Trace that one back to the 17th century English philosopher John Locke, whose treatises were on colonists' bookshelves. Trial by a jury of peers? Another dangerous British import, from the Middle Ages. Just as Americans are a mix of every ethnicity and race, so too are our state and federal laws. America's early leaders stitched together these patchworks by borrowing from French, English and Spanish precedents, some that go all the way back to the ancient Athenian where citizens had the right to vote. Rep. Feeney, that's Athens as in Greece, not Georgia. Jean-Jacqu- es city-stat- D00NESBURY TsoHouLvmLW MAfiASK-- . J YAmLHetmaimturn his - mm sold&soum&cf I Aancmwmum TtfE DEBATE TtenmeetmAHRpQ! H&esm&PiosioN SEE Moore, hot liberals, the problem in UVSC flap think you deride the people of Utah in your editorial, "Michael Moore and liberal education," by suggesting that we don't want dissenting points of view. Of the many people I've spoken with about the decision to pay Michael Moore $40,000 to speak at UVSC, the overwhelming sentiment is that no one wants to give him a public forum to freely display his dishonest, self aggrandizing hate speech. of his books or movies Research and the evidtiu.e is overwhelming that Moore blatantly misleads his readers and viewers for his own purposes. I enjoyed his "satire" until I started doing the research and discovered the real truth about Moore. Having opposing views and ideas is essential to public discourse. However, Moore adds nothing to the debate, and turns public discussion into an attack on anyone who doesn't agree with him. Sean Hannity has offered to debate Moore at UVSC, but this will never happen because Moore knows he cannot defend his own positions. If UVSC wants to bring in a liberal viewpoint, they should select someone who can defend their own statements and opinions. Even Maureen Dowd, Molly Ivins or James Carville would be better than Moore. I Steven Jackson Pleasant Grove I -- UVSC student leaders wasted money on Moore Due to recent events, many are ex- tremely upset about the improper use of UVSC student funds. These are mandatory funds paid for d dollars by the students. is a lot of money to pay for one speaker, especially one who is merely an entertainer and will bring no educational value to UVSC students. The speaker is not a good representation of most students at UVSC or Utah Valley. No matter how great they might think they are, if someone asks for that much money to make it worth their time to speak to the future of America, it becomes obvious what the speaker is really interested in and it definitely is not for the benefit of education. I am extremely disappointed with how the UVSC government has represented its students. I Kendal Blunck Orem Forty-thousan- Bush, Kerry not voters' only choices for president All we hear is Bush vs. Kerry, and people telling you you're throwing your vote away if you vote for anyone else. Personally I've always been a conservative Republican, but the more I learn about Bush and Kerry, the more I start to fear that they are both about the same, other than a few minor differences. Neither one of them will help us take back our government; neither one will fight for what's best for this country, putting their personal interests aside. The more I listen to both of them, the more I fear that I cannot trust either and vote for the Constitutional Party and Mike Peroutka for president. You say I'm throwing my vote away? I say I am not throwing my vote away, but voting for the one candidate who best represents my beliefs, values and passions, rather than throwing my vote away on a compromise for the lesser of two evils, as most Americans will do this coming Nov. 2. I Seth Hollist West Jordan Democrats need legislation to level playing field OKAY, THIS ISNT 1 actually it isorK this off Tie wed. ) Y y ax N&rGofsr v er nt How to comment letters to dhlettersheraldextra.com Fax to Mail to P.O. Box 717, 344-298- 5 Provo.UT 84603. If Utah County Democrats want a "lesystem" that disadgitimate two-partvantages other political parties ("Utah's small Democratic party is a "well-oile-d machine,' " Aug. 31), such as the Libertarians and the Greens, they aren't offering much of an alternative to their election-rigging Republican counterparts. As the Center for Voting and Democracy has noted, Utah Democrats cannot avoid Republican gerrymandering and other monopolistic behavior without implementing some version of the proportional representation electoral systems used in an increasing number of U.S. MALLARD FILLMORE 1 cities and universities. Democrats can show that they genuinely want to return Utah politics "to balance" by introducing legislation to level the electoral landscape for everyone else. Such legislation would include elements like districts and ranked-choic- e voting. But until Democrats take such steps, instead of working to increase their stranglehold on second fiddle, I can't take seriously their efforts to reach out to Utah voters who can no longer support the Republicans and their big -agenda. I Rob Latham Draper multi-memb- one. So will I throw my vote away? No. Instead I will let my true feelings be heard I Letters must include the author's full name, address and daytime phone number. I We prefer shorter letters, 100 and 200 words. Letters may be edited for length. I Writers are encouraged to include their occupation and other personal information. I Because of the volume of letters, we cannot acknowledge unpublished letters. I Letters become the property of the Daily Herald. Bruce Tinsley Relate IN INTO a LIKE To LETTERS 'Garry Trudeau stmrey.ABWwm RWWr WE'D . THAT, HOW. 4 |