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Show "There are two kinds cfpeople in one 's life: people whom one keeps waiting, and the people for whom one waits. ' ' Samuel Nathaniel Behrman, author (1893-197- 6 3) Sunday, Jury 5, 1992 Th Daily Herald fools for watchdog A free press is playing its most important role when it serves as a watchdog for the public. The media rightly assumes the chore of keeping tabs on governmental entities from Congress right on down to the town boards in the smallest communities. Utah lawmakers wisely passed a statute this year which provides a needled new tool to assist the public watchdog in "watching" government. The ;Government Records and Management Act lovingly referred to as became effective July j' 'GRAM A" -- :Prior to passage of GRAMA, there Iwere no legal teeth to require Utah n governmental agencies to release information, even when it was clearly in the public interest and morally correct to do so. In other words, ;there were ample opportunities for ;public servants to withhold or hide information for whatever reasons they deemed valid. To their credit, most Utah officials ; have been forthright and cooperative ; ; but not all. Now, refusing to release information which GRAMA says should be accessible to the public will ;be" breaking the law. No longer will ;employees of governmental agencies b6 able to deny access to public record ', cer-tai- Elofald information with impunity. GRAMA was hammered out over several years in numerous sessions attended by legislators, public officials, media representatives and other citizens. It appears to do a good job of protecting citizens from damaging intrusions into information that rightfully should remain private. At the same time, it gives citizens and the media legal recourse when officials refuse to release information that rightfully should be public. GRAMA will not automatically end all problems with unwarranted secrecy by public servants, but it will be a big help. From now on, when a city clerk, or school board employee, or police spokesperson, tells a reporter or private citizen, "No, I won't release that information," it would be well if they could cite the provision in GRAMA which gives them that right. GRAMA says that sometimes officials can say no and many times they can't. Officials need to read and understand the new law. give-and-ta- ru wncv ,r jv 1 'HOLD ITI. . . YOU WITH THAT DANGEROUS BIBLE!. .. GET TO THE PRINCIPAL'S In his famous work of fiction, Mark Twain has Tom Sawyer and his buddies Huckleberry Finn and Joe Harper secretly dictatorial ficed for a government listen as Aunt Polly and others say nice where freedom will be lost as the United things about them, supposing the boys have drowned in the Mississippi. Nations army enforces "peace." I can't imagine us doing that for kicks Our constitutional rights are also in danI can imagine us asking to view our but the ger as the U.S. Senate recently ratified funeral from some heavenly, spiritual own on International Nations Covenant United Civil and Political Rights. The United Navantage point. When and if we get to do tions refuses to acknowledge God's existthis, I wonder what we will hear the speakence and individual rights: whereas, the ers say about us? And whether we will U.S. Constitution is based on the really merit all the good things they say? ' truth that all men ' 'are endowed by And whether our lives will be shown as their Creator with certain unalienable important to others as well as to ourselves. These thoughts ran through my mind as rights." I learned of the recent passing of Dr. national us Constitution a The govgave ernment with limited powers and holds that Harold I. Hansen, the man who directed n rights of individuals transcend the Hill Cumorah Pageant in New York for 40 years, who legitimized drama in the any federal power. In the Bill of Rights LDS Church and who pushed the BYU take shall make no law" to away "Congress our rights, but the United Nations Covenant Drama Department forward during his 14 lists a right only to take it away "in accordyears as its head. doctoral dissertation by As a 500-paance with procedures as are established by E. Walter covenants are U.N. The law." Boyden Jr. impressively docupatterned from the former Soviet Union constitution ments, Harold I. Hansen was an amazing, talented dramatist who cared about and which resulted in tyranny. We must stop the drive towards the New greatly touched the lives of his students World Order by stopping all foreign aid, and others. For example, during his 14 years as credits and technology transfers and upholdhead of the BYU Drama Department, he ing the U.S. Constitution. We must expose and stop the Council on urged his faculty members to be "kindly" Foreign Relations' plans to destroy U.S. towards students on academic probation, urged patience and discouraged independence and place us under a United ld God-give- Big sponder Heinous crime Utah-styl- call No longer exists OfflCEV Hansen made people feel important 1 Ed J Herald Columnist "self-evide- self-imag- es craasL ke Editor: I was disturbed to read that some feel Joe Cannon's interest in Geneva Elementary School has been a purely political one. As a parent volunteer in the computer lab there since- the partnership began, I nave been a witness as to how help has been given and the changes that have taken place. First of all, Joe Cannon has always been the first to point out that Geneva Steel is not himself, but a combination of many caring peole who hope to make a difference in education. They center their attention on one school, hoping that others will see that they can help and follow their example. Most of the things Geneva Steel does at the school are never publicized. For instance, my daughters were thrilled to receive a letter from the Partnership Committee telling them that they watched them in the school talent show and thought they imwere terrific. I have seen frebecome less problems prove, discipline quent, test scores rise, and enthusiasm abound since Geneva Steel, the administration,: the faculty and parents have been working together. If this has been a political move, I hope more politicians can make moves as constructive as this one has been, Nations tyrannical dictatorship. i Jeannine Thomas The Secret Combinations are alive and ' Orem well. They must be exposed if we are to preserve our freedom! Adrian L.Arp Twin Falls, Idaho Editor: The Herald ran "Cannon far outspends GOP Senate hopefuls" on June 18, and I was appalled to find that Cannon has spent Editor: A crime more heinous than anything witthree times the amount spent by all three candidates running against him. I've heard nessed in the L. A. rioting was perpetrated in here and there that he says he'U do whatever Provo. A young father, with sole custody of two Utile boys was murdered in the act of he has to win, but this is ridiculous. Does he think that Utahns can be bought? protecting a mother and four small children. in since 1991 million Provo, the heart of a state that stands first $3 July spent Oyer Cannon's campaign. How can someone for family unity has been defiled. Utah is on who spends $3 million in less than one year the witness stand to see how far it supports really know what it's like to be an average its values. Is it an omen that this crime Utahh? How can he truly represent what we happened in the same location as the murder think and want in Congress? He spends of another innocent? Gary Gilmore was exemoney like it's going out of style. One of the cuted for that crime. Can Utah demand reasons Utah hasn't been hit as hard by the anything less for the premeditated murder of recession is because of our conservative a father in the act of protecting a family? Steve Brown financial practices. Cannon's conspicuous St. George consumption is anything but representative maintained economic Utah's has of what safety. e A far better example of sound, money management is Bob Bennett. He is Editor: The democracy as it is on paper and as our worth a lot more than Cannon with his stock exists. in Franklin, but he's only spent $726,957. If founding fathers knew it no longer when conclusion this admit as much Bertnett's stock is worm the reported $27 We so and all odds will Perot Ross we defy hope million, then that means he's spent 2.69 States. We United the of become president has percent. Cannon, worth $8 million, do not want our government to serve spent 38.2 percent. Which is the better man simply has done. Without saying it, we seem it to represent Utah, when these numbers are us as to prefer an unknown man with enough looked at? into takes this power to become a beneficent dictator, defyI; hope the rest of Utah it. He ing the system as we have known come consideration September. he that us reassure to have even T. Jason Dorny doesn't baseball. We are desperate and babies loves Springville and prefer almost anything to what we've had. After all, the taxpayer in our country Wcko-u- p has been bandied from scam to scam and . Editor: from plunder to pillage by politicians who Wake up Americans! President Bush and make deregulation and privatization accessi--. his socialist friends of the Council on Forble to wheelerdealers. How dumb are we? control State our There is also a hope that this "dictator" eign Relations (CFR) who World Order New the are can find a way to abandon our welfare forcing Dept. need Nations' United under (world government system as it is known today. People discipwith but security goes along authority) down our throats by using billions security, of our tax dollars to finance the United line and expectation. This is true of all of our Nations and foreign governments. lives. Mr. Perot seems to understand this The term New World Order literally aspect of leadership and government. means a world that has replaced God (the It's about time for a folk hero to come old order) with Satan's plan to force people along. Good luck to you and us. to live "correctly." EugenelFauxM.D. Provo United States independence is being sacri - btt CONDOMS one-wor- Mora than politics amcms performer, even if you are not aware as to your own abilities, and he will not push an actor further than he can go. " In 1965, a play about Galileo, "Lamp at Midnight," was selected for the opening of the Pardoe Theater and the playwright Barrie Stavis, was invited to the production. Afterwards he commented that he had seen the play produced in many places including a performance by a famous company in England, but "was astonished to see interpretations and evaluations which I had not until then realized existed in the play. His (Hansen's) insight gave me, the author, new insights into my own material. It was a brilliant and bold interpretation matched only by its brilliant and bold stage design. And, also, what impressed me enormously was the great love, even veneration, the members of the department and the acting company had for him. ' ' Harold I. Hansen accepted Brigham But in directing plays he asked for. exYoung's philosophy: "I want such plays cellence. Commented Boyden in his dis- performed as will make the spectators feel sertation: "He (Hansen) is very demandwell, and I wish those who perform to ing, and he tells you what he wants. select a class of plays that will improve the Sometimes, he is frustrating. He seems to public mind and exalt the literary tastes of have an insight in to what you can do as a the community." ge busy-wor- k. Hansen said on one occasion, "We assert that the world is full of decent people and that in the normalcy of these decent people there are found strength and tragedy, triumph and suspense. We believe that if a man has done his job well and with faith, his work lives on in the lives of others. We are deeply indebted to those few playwrights who recogize the divine in man and the dignity in human beings. ' ' I think it is unfortunate there are not more producers in New York and Hollywood with similar wholesome views of the human race and the potential of the theater! For all of his professional accomplishments and they were many Harold I. Hansen obviously had not lost the common touch. Harold R. Oaks, present chair of the BYU Department of Theater and Cinematic Arts, knew Hansen both as a student and later, for 10 years, as a fellow faculty member. He comments: "He really cared more about what was done and getting the job done than he did about who got the credit." BYU's Charles Metten recalls playing the part of Shylock for Hansen in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice." Hansen, returning from London, brought Metten a painting of one of the historical actors who had played Shylock back at the turn of the century. "It was a very quiet, subtle giving of gifts like that I remember of him. It made me feel, 'My, this man really cares. He really must have liked working with me.' He made me feel important. " How would you like to be remembered that way? Perot says he was an 'accidental investigator' - WASHINGTON "Hi, I'm Ross Perot from Dallas, Texas. Come on in." It was late summer 1986, and the Texas billionaire had invited us and a local detective to his Washington hotel room to discuss columns we had published on then Assistant Defense Secretary Richard who was then in charge of POW-MIaffairs. "I'm looking at this POW issue and Armitage is in the way. He's evil," said Perot. Ar-mita- OIccli ot showed us pictures of Armitage and a Vietnamese woman at a club in the D.C. area of the Vietnamese community. Perot states in 1986 an Arlington police officer gave him the file. In the materials are pictures of the famed Vietnamese woman standing naked next to a picture of Armitage and her. There are also other pictures of her naked. Additionally there is a letter from Armitage on DOD stationery asking her parole officer to go easy on her sentence, or something to that effect. " con A In 1986, we reported on Armitage's alleged relationship Syndicated Columnist with Nguyet O'Rourke, a Vietnamese refugee who was had previously taken the informaidentified in court records by police as Badey tion to federal agencies in charge of securibeing linked to the underworld. We rety clearances. ported that Armitage wrote a letter on Defense Department stationery urging a Perot spent nearly five hours that eveVirginia court to "show mercy" after ning debriefing Badey in his Madison HoO'Rourke had been arrested for running a tel room where a mountain of clothes sat gambling 'operation in the Washington on one bed and piles of papers on another. suburbs. Perot showed a voracious appetite for details during dinner, at which he took coHe believed Perot's interest was piqued. that Armitage's friendship with the woman pious notes in his own hand. No secrehad compromised efforts to find Americ?n taries or other aides were present. At one servicemen still missing in Asia. Perot point, Badey presented Perot with some believed there was "overwhelming evi- photographs of the Vietnamese woman dence that POWs were still alive." As a and a man believed to be Armitage. In hard-cor- e conspiratorialist, Perot, over recent weeks the Armitage allegations the years has bought into a plot in which have come back to haunt the accuser more the CIA and POWs than the accused, because of the drugs, manner with and were all somehow interconnected. which they were pursued. Perot reached out for access to our files and sources. James L. Badey, a Virginia When the Senate Select Committee on Affairs investigators interdetective, agreed to meet Perot. The meet- POW-MIing was Perot's brainchild, not Badey's, as viewed Perot last March 17, Perot was Perot has suggested. The information was long on conspiracies and short on concrete aggressively solicited, not unsolicited, as evidence. We obtained unreleased notes of Perot now recalls. Badey told one friend the interview, which describe Perot this j that Perot offered him security if his coop- way: : ''v., eration resulted in any threats against him "Perot speculates that Armitage has or his family. Badey says he agreed to take involved with, some pretty shady acbeen because he feared the information to Perot tivities on information "could that the during his tenure with the DepartArmitage be compromising" to national security. ment of Defense. During the meeting Per Iran-contr- vindic-tivene- a, half-cock- ed A ' "' ' ss Last Wednesday, the Select Committee interviewed Perot again, but he stipulated in advance his refusal to answer any questions regarding Armitage. As recently as June 24 in an interview on NBC's "Today Show," Perot peddled the line that he was an accidental investiga- tor: "An undercover police officer brought me a complete file. People said he wanted to talk to me, asked me to call him, set up a meeting. I asked him if he wanted to see me. He came to my hotel room. He presented this information. And here is what I did with it: I gave it to the appropriate authorities, walked away from it, and that's it. Now, mat is not chasing down information on someone. That's having someone bring it to you. " Perot's handlers have been trying to put some discreet daylight between Perot and his earlier versions of his meeting with Badey. Perot, in fact, has been fixated on Armitage, smearing him with the flimsiest ' evidence. , President Bush nominated Armitage to be Secretary of the Army in 1989. Although Armitage withdrew his name from consideration after recycled charges surfaced, a standard FBI check showed absolutely no basis for accusing Armitage of involvement in drug smuggling or a covers up of the existence of MIAs. Today Armi-- ; tage serves as a special State Department ambassador. . |