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Show 4 A6 DAILY Wednesday, November 28, 2007 HERALD EDITOEIAL BOARD EDITORIAL Craig Dennis, President & Publisher 2mtyiHcmlft Randy Wright, Executive Editor Jim Tynen, Editorial Page Editor JIMTYNEN Battleground lor ideas In the rest of the newspaper, give you the news. But this page, we present sometimes in verbal battles over issues. Since becoming editorial page editor in late September, I've learned to my dismay that some of our readers take umbrage at this clash of ideas. With a presidential election year looming, it is a good time to look more closely at what happens on this page, and why. The side of the page usually presents the Daily Herald's view, though we sometimes present the views of others as guest opinions. The rest of the page is devoted to letters and other credible voices from around the country. We are privileged to have a front row seat to much of what happens in Utah Valley and around the state. What we do on this page is sift the issues and offer our insights and conclusions. Sadly, some readers lose sight of this. They complain that newspapers should "let the facts speak for themselves." But, in our age of media spin, the facts often left-han- d We don't claim to be perfect, or to be endowed with special insights unavailable to others; we simply make our case with whatever light we have. And so we are delighted when a reader is prompted to take an opposing stand. We much prefer disagreement to apathy. It is in the collision of ideas that we come to a livelier vision of the world around us. Finally, some critics say we should let our readers make up their own minds. We agree 100 percent. In fact, we think there's nothing on Earth that can prevent readers from reaching their own conclusions. We merely hope that this page will clarify issues, recharge debate and provide a forum in which many voices can be heard. We seek out a wide mix of opinions, even those that differ from our own. Cartoonists lampoon newsmakers. Columnists give us their personal takes. Readers pitch in with letters. In short, we try to present an array of ideas. We seek out opinions that differ from ours. We occasionally float opinions on controversial issues mumble. to expose them to the public view in effect, tossing the target up Take the recent debate over school vouchers, for example. The in the air so our readers can get a two sides argued for months over clean shot at it. We are not afraid to be in the very different interpretations of the most basic Statistics, and it minority, as we sometimes are. was easy to muddy the water. It's not about winning and losing; In this and many other cases, it's about fostering a marketplace of diverse ideas. the facts don't always speak for One great thing about the editothemselves. Editorials, which have greater latitude than news rial page is that it is not required articles, attempt to get at underly- reading. A newspaper is a remarkable thing with much to offer on ing truths. Our civic duty calls for us to many topics. If you don't like our opinions, there's plenty of other attempt to do so clearly, and that sometimes means strongly. A material that can help you stay mushy, timid editorial doesn't con- connected to your community . But we hope you'll keep readvey anything; indeed, it may make things hazier. A strong editorial ing this page, if only for its enthat takes a clear stand is often the tertainment value. You may find best way to cut through the clutter that this intellectual donnybrook of claims and counterclaims. clarifies and energizes your own views, and, maybe, once in Clarity also requires consisawhile, alters your perspective in tency. Some readers say they don't want just one view from a positive way. Feel free to call me at 80 our editorials. But an honest view It or shouldn't change willy-nilljtynenheraldex-tra.com- . You can also register would be odd if one day we argued for school vouchers and on your views in the opinions segthe next opposed them. You can't ment of www.heraldextra.com, where some of our most vigorous credibly argue for socialism one debates appear. day, anarchism the next and vegI hope to hear from you. etarianism the next. n. . . To ZTON THESE TWO IN Hay TRirAOKtV, , 1126 LETTERS .. 'Reality Town' called a success The eighth-grad- e students recently participated in the Reality Town program at Dixon and Centennial middle schools in the Provo School District. Reality Town is a fun and innovative activity that is designed to teach students the financial realities of life as an adult. We would sincerely like to thank the business, community and parent volunteers who helped us this year. Sterling Capital, Questar Gas, Utah County Assessor's Office, From Scripps Howard News ;.. Service, Nov. 27, 2007 How 60-pl- I thai nsommece? I up romp comJxn! AFTER v. (PI) WHENHECAMtlNOf? M ANDPKXKPTHI9 Praying for water used by Ute fans toward BYU fans. Their overall assault was relentless and never once did the BYU fan say anything inappropriate to them. Utah needs water and lots of it! Conservation has been working a little bit, I Darren Hartvigsen, but as we continue to grow as a state Alpine in population, and since we believe that lawns are a necessity, we need the water. Water is the necessity of A bigger threat life for hydration, cooking, and everyOver the years, many of our law thing else. Since this is a state of mostly Chrisenforcement officials have been warning us that the greatest threat we face tians and we believe that there is a is terrorists obtaining a nuclear device God who we pray to and we receive and detonating it in a major U.S. city. answers from our prayers, may I sugEmotional assault However, there's an even greater gest that we unite as a state and pray I am a BYU fanlhat had the unforfor water. Praying for water every threat unbeknownst to most people, tunate opportunity to take my three which is an EMP (electromagnetic time we say our prayers and fasting young boys to the BYU vs. Utah game pulse) attack. Basically, this is a shock for water is powerful and God will and sit just a few rows below the larg- wave consisting of hear and answer our prayers. gamest section of Utah fans. ma rays and photons that are emitI Linda Morison, I'm not naive enough to think that ted after the detonation of a nuclear v .. Provo all Ute fans are as awful as the ones weapon and exploded at a high altitude that I was near but the loud ones sure over a natioa Its purpose would be to Free market vs. subsidies represent the group - like it or not. destroy electronic infrastructure. A And I never saw signs that anyone of cheap missile could be mounted with Are we helping our economy when d their comrades seemed a small nuclear weapon and launched our federal government continually to mind their behavior. from a ship in the Atlantic or Pacific supports successful agricultural comMost of the first quarter our entire modities? The Chicago Tribune (Oct. Ocean for an attack on the U.S.row was asked to stand up in the aisle A nuke does not have to be smug25) and the Scripps Howard News on the steps (in the middle of the Ute Service (Nov. 16) editorials you printed gled into the country for this'and EMP use has already been proven both castigated Congress for another section) while the police and stadium five-yeeffective when the U.S. conducted a employees restored order after a subsidy for just a few crops drunken Ute fan passed out. test over Johnston Island back in 1962 corn, cotton, rice, wheat, soybeans For the remainder of the game I wit- at an altitude of 250 miles. The blast (and I thought, sugar). Why do they alnessed an ongoing verbal assault by a knocked out street lights, fuses, circuit ways need subsidies? Where is the free market? These editorials pointed out couple of cowardly Ute fans to a BYU breakers, telephone communications s fan sitting about 10 rows below themand many other forms of electronics of the federal largess that 800 miles away in Hawaii. An EMP selves. I watched the whole thing ungoes to support the richest 10 percent fold as the BYU fan turned around and detonated at 300 miles above the U.S. of the farmers, including 50 billioncheered toward the Ute section above would affect the entire nation. Sadly, aires. When are our representatives him when BYU did something he liked. the destructive potential of an EMP going to stand up to lobbyists with that That was his mistake - he should have attack increases every day because of American commodity, common sense? C an The polling place seems to be the only kept his cheering toward the field. escalating dependence on electron- but that was all he did wrong. ics, and any nation with 1940s techplace where I can influence my repreThe Ute fans verbally assaulted sentative. nology can build one, which is truly him very specifically for the remaint Norman Smith, sobering. Aaron Armstrong, ing three quarters of the game. There Spanish Fork were religious slams of course since Lehi that is the unoriginal default that gets better-behave- ar t two-third- ;. i Garry Trudeau TDttfcOFW 'mm,fiil liUITHUSINGWNCCMTD COLLAR high-intensi- 50-pl- D00NESBURY I have been and so supportive in sending volunteers to help us for the last five years and we are so appreciative. Thank you to Utah Community Credit Union and the Utah County Association Realtors for encouraging their members to par-- , ticipate with us. Thank you to Ernest Nunez and Scott Murray for volunteering in the housing business. Paul Mitchell's School of Beauty brought a whole team of volunteers to help us at the Personal Care business as well as at various other businesses. Thanks also to Zions Bank and Key Bank for providing the students with checkbooks to be used for this simulation. Many thanks also to the many parents that volunteered their time and energy to make this happen for the students. We appreciate aU of our volunteers for helping make this a great learning experience for our students. A special thanks to Charles Wardle, Wayne AUred and Joann Vogtman, the teachers that' organize this event for our students. I Jane Parker, Provo ; Iraq commitment may be long one land-base- d CHANGE. 100-pl- MEDIA VOICES largest and most heavily fortified U.S. embassy. The declaration pledges both sides to a broad array of economic, long will the U.S. be in A very long time, political and military cooperation. to Bush administraTwo of the principles deserve special notice. tion plans, on the order of the The U.S. would be committed years we've been in Germany and Japan and the years in to defend Iraq against "foreign South Korea. In other words, more aggression" that violates Iraqi or less permanently. sovereignty, meaning principally President Bush and Iraqi Prime Iran, but it could put the U.S. in an Minister Nouri awkward spot if American ally have signed a "Declaration of PrinTurkey conducts cross-bordrelationraids against Kurdish separatists. ciples" for a long-tership. Although it is nonbinding, it Given the volatility of the region, defense pact is hardly lays the groundwork for a formal, a long-teran idle commitment. binding treaty to be signed next summer that would include a Secondly, one of the provisions status of forces agreement laying could be read as requiring Iraq out the conditions under which, to give preferential treatment to American firms investing in Iraq. American troops would remain in Iraq. Considering what we've spent The incentive for the Iraqis to there; the Bush administration conclude that agreement is that the undoubtedly thinks that's only fair, but it's hardly likely to endear us U.S. will support extension of the U.N. mandate for foreign forces in to our allies. With the treaty in place, the Iraq one "final time," meaning that Iraq would get back full sovereign- violence continuing to diminish and a functional central govern- ty and its legal and international ment in place, it would become stantjing,at the end of 2008. Defense Secretary Robert Gates", very fiard for the next president to has mentioned a permanent U.S f'j undo ihe singular initiative of the military presence of 40,000 and the Bush aJministratioa A permanent, military presence in the Pentagon is seeking $1 billion for peritjanent improvements to bases Mideast could be a positive contriand airfields for their use. Already bution to regional stability. Or we could just be stuck. Baghdad is home to the world's POLLAR BEFORE BUSH l Owe VOU MALLARD FILLMORE l(l)ir.isnouuA n Y77 My Bruce Tinsley 7 fctfpe GiNozMouscAmsn- KP.Q0UJNkVSmi MZpOAZr- - W9T(M, it MP V vt |