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Show "A lodesty is the conscience o of the txxlv. " Honore de Balzac, French author and dramatist (J 799-IS5- o (l 0) Tuesday, February 2, 1993 The Daily Herald Keep your shirt on Each day on the upper left corner of this page we publish a thought for the day. As is the case with the opinion columns and letters to the editor, we don't always agree with the sentiments expressed but we do feel varying opinions deserve to be heard. Today's thought is particularly-wortnoting in light of the legislation proposed by Rep. Ronald Greensides, Lake, in the Utah Legislature. In an effort to curtail nude striptease dancers in South Salt Lake, his law would also outlaw nudity in university art classes, plays and modern dance revues. The proposed bill would classify all displays of nudity in public places as lewd, a Class B misdemean- IIciaM Comment HE QD PROMISE CHANGE gitimate" (strip joints?) expressions of nudity. What we do wish to make clear is ouf opinion that legislating morality is rarely if ever successful. People who want to ogle nude women or men will find a way. And if the demand is high enough and the money "good enough" the ogling will be done illegally if it becomes illegal. The way to rid Utah and America of morally offensive behavior is through education, strong families, alternative last but not least activities, and or. making it unprofitable rather than illeDoesn't Mr. Greensides have any- gal. The way to make striptease dancthing better to do? ing unprofitable is for people to stop Don't get us wrong. We are not paying money to watch. proponents of striptease dancers, porThe minute citizens stop going to nography, or any of the crude and strip clubs, buying pornography, rentmindless junk that passes for entertain- ing dirty movies, and so on, we will be ment in many movies and television very close to the when such rot will day shows. But there are more important die a quick death. Then things for the Legislature to do than get lawmakers like Mr. Greensides can D-S- alt ' j7 gf well-meani- involved in issues of questionable constitutionality. Neither do we wish to get into the argument over the differences between "legitimate" (art classes?) and "ille- - concentrate on schools, highways, health care and other such areas where d legislation has the potential to solve problems rather than well-crafte- adding to them. em It's a blast Editor: If you are hearing "sonic booms" which shake and rattle your windows many times a day, you are probably experiencing the effects of IRECO's open air blasting. Less than nine miles directly to the west of Utah Valley Community College the IRECO Exposive Manufacturing Plant is detonating up to 985 "shots" per month into the atmosphere. The effects of these shots comes bouncing across Utah Lake like a ball on a ping pong table. Their size ranges from pounds. In addition the company stores approximately 150,000 pounds of explosives in various bunkers. Last September, a second accidental explosion of 2000 pounds destroyed several buildings and nearly killed several more people at IRECO's plant. What made it worse was that IRECO did not have an active operating permit at the site. The Utah County Planning Commission decided that the matter of explosives and blasting on the west side of Utah Lake needed to be looked into. They proposed that the county commission eliminate future growth of explosives plants in the Mining and Grazing Zones. As a property owner on the west side of Utah Lake, I helped gather signatures from owners of approximately 90 percent of all private land located between Saratoga on the north to several miles south of Ircco's plant. A total acreage of 6230 acres was represented. We presented this petition to the commissioners with the request that IRECO's open air blasting and the proliferation of explosives in the area be stopped. (Over the last 1 0 years the number of explosives plants have increased from two to seven and three of these plants own no land at all but are leasing from the State of Utah.) IRECO invited the commissioners and committee to members of a county-forme- d visit their plant and witness the detonation of several shots. I requested that IRECO set off one of their 35-5- 0 pounders (as they do 10 to 50 times a month) so that the commissioners could feel the effects of a big one. IRECO refused, stating that the "atmospheric conditions were not right." They in turn set off several 3'2 pounders as a representation to the commissioners of w hat w as taking place at IRECO. I have asked the county commission to at least require IRECO to set off their larger shots at IRECO's remote site near the Tooele Army Depot. (So far no requirements at all have been placed on the company's blasting.) If you are one who is opposed to IRECO's open air blasting, give Commissioner Gary Herbert a call and express your feelings. The Utah County Commission is going to hold a meeting for public comment on Feb. 3 at 10a.m. at the County Building. Mark Jacob Orem Rights from God equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It states in the Declaration of Independence that governments are institutes among men to guarantee these rights. However, RIGHTS come from God and if a thing is not right with God, he can't grant it as a right unto men. He gives men and women their freedom to choose, but he cannot grant as a right that which He, God, deems to be wrong. The Founding Fathers knew if rights came from government, the government could one day take them away. Therefore, it is written in the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution makes provisions, that the rights that come from God and are granted by God, will be guaranteed, not granted, by the government. Government cannot guarantee a right if it is wrong. Government can make something legal. Now, 25.000,000 abortions later, Congress and the administration want to write a law they think will grant abortion rights. Courts may interpret, Congress may pass laws, presidents may sign, but they will never grant a right. That is something by Almighty God. David Lee 01sen Orem Letters policy The Daily Herald welcomes letters to the editor. Address letters to Letters to the Editor, POBox 717, Provo, UT 84603. Letters must be signed and include the writer's full name, address and a daytime phone number for verification. Letters should be typed, double spaced, and less than 400 words in length. The most common reasons for not publishing letters are: too long, unsigned, illegible, obscene or libelous. There can be moments of stress in my line of work. Over the years, I've had slashed tires, bricks through my living room window and the computer has eaten some of my columns. But the single worst thing that can happen is to be yelled at over the telephone by an angry woman. Especially by an angry woman who really knows how to yell. and a Because I am gent, I can't yell back. So when an angry female yells, I am struck almost dumb and can do little more than mumble a few "now, now, there, missoothing words "I don't need to steal. mild-manner- sy," or "darlin', you're just tired" which seldom helps. This just happened. I'm so shaken that I can barely type these words. But despite my trembling fingers, I'll try. To make the experience even worse, the angry female is quickly becoming one of the best known and most influential women in America. If you pick up a copy of the special presidential issue of Newsweek, you'll see her picture and biography among those the of the magazine says are the true Clinton adminstration. Her headline says: "Linda Bloodworth-Thomaso- n Image Czar." (Actually, they should have said "Image Czarina," but we all have sexist lapses. ) As the profile points out, she and her e husband, Harry Thomason, wealthy TV producers, are old friends of the Clintons. They ran the inauguration festivities and slept in the White House. big-tim- And Newsweek says: "She'll be there to remind the Clintons that news and entertainment are the same business. She'll also monitor the Clintons' physical appearance, provide a link to other celebrities and offer advice on what will sell with the middle class." So why is someone who is such big heat show-bi- z and the White House interrupting her busy schedule to yell at a in mild-manner- ed Chicago reporter? It appears I offended her with something I recently wrote about one of her hit TV shows, "Hearts Afire:" As some of you might recall, I noted a remarkable similarity between the main Marshall McLuhan used to ask: "If the temperature of the bath water rises one degree every 10 minutes, how will the bather know w hen to scream?' ' that The point of this people have a tendency to adjust to a gathering disaster instead of confronting or escaping it is also the point of a brilliant bit of social criticism in the current w inter issue of The American Scholar. The article, by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York, has a jawbreak-in- g academic title, "Defining Deviancy Down," but its point is very simple: America is undergoing a profound social crisis, and the nation has more or less decided to pretend that it isn't happening. Moynihan doesn't use the word "pretend." He uses the psychological word "denial," and the sociological word "normalizing," but it amounts to the same thing. By "normalizing," he means that some excruciatingly hot bath water is now accepted as a normal, everyday feature of American life. Once defined as normal, it needn't be confronted, or even much comquasi-aphoris- m Syndicated Columnist character in the show and an old friend of mine. The main character in the show is named Georgie Anne Lahti, a blond woman with bangs, who began her newspaper career in Chicago, moved to Washington journalism, became a famous foreign correspondent, interviewed many world leaders, and wrote an important book about Fidel Castro. My old friend is named Georgie Anne Geyer, a blond woman who used to wear bangs, began her newspaper career in Chi- cago, moved to Washington journalism, became a famous foreign correspondent and columnist, interviewed many world leaders, and wrote an important book about Fidel Castro. And I said that it looked to me like Linda Bloodworth-Thomasowriter of the scripts, pilfered Ms. Geyer's persona for her TV character, who, incidentally, is something of a bimbo. This led to the phone call that made my eardrums quiver. She talked so loud and fast I can't reconstruct the entire thing, but here are some of the highlights: "I am absolutely shocked," Linda Bloodworth-Thomaso- n said. "I don't even know who Georgie Anne Geyer is. " I mumbled that she recently said on TV that she admired Georgie Anne Geyer as a journalist. "I said it now because people have told me. ... I have never in my life read a book by this woman. I think I saw her on television once. ... I would not know her if I saw her on the street. I don't know Georgie Anne Geyer from George Washington." (A hint: George Washington is the one who wore the wood false teeth.) n, J' I mumbled that some Hollywood people have been known to steal identities in creating characters. "I'm not from Hollywood," she shouted. (That is true. She and her husband own a huge estate on the ocean near Santa Barbara, Calif.) "I don't know Hollywood. My husband and I have not been to one Hollywood party. I don't know any movie stars. I know one movie star. Burt Reynolds, who stars on my show 'Evening Shade.' I wouldn't know a movie star if they laid down under my car. " "It was a flagrant misuse of your power as a journalist. Because I used a name, Georgie Anne, you're assuming Georgie Anne Geyer is the character on whom I - ' based the entire series. "The similarities, they're coincidences. I'm amazed at you, impugning my husband's character and my character. I have never been accused of this. I didn't know Ms. Geyer had a patent on the name Geor' gie Anne. "You know her, she is your friend, but from what I'm told, she is not an interest. ; ing enough person to base it on.. "You're calling us liars all over America, and that's a slanderous thing. We have a professional reputation. We've won every award in the book. ... I'm not accustomed to people treating me like this. Im not greedy. I give my whole salary from 'Designing Women' to women are now in charity. Fifty-si- x school on scholarships. "I did not consider this a big deal until today" (which is when the Washington Post also did a story) "but if she (Geyer) wants to go to the mat on this, we will fight. I'm going to have to be aggressive now; I'm not going to have my reputation impugned. I swear to you that I have never read her book. We're going to fight you all the way about our reputation ... " If Linda Bloodworth-Thomaso- n says it was a coincidence, I suppose I'll have to take her word on it. But I don't think the real Georgie Anne will. Now I'm going home to have dinner with my wife. I hope she's in a good mood. as we look the other way Like crime and welfare, the broader social crisis has been normalized as well. The crisis can be easily sketched in by the astonishing statistics on teen pregnancy, family breakup, teen suicide, street violence, murders by children, the burgeoning jail population, sexual disease, child sex abuse, drug use, gun incidents in schools and so forth. Taken together, these statistics show a vast social disaster unfolding. How has the nation come to accept all Syndicated Columnist this so stoically? Moynihan argues that society can handle only so much deviant in laundromats, at cash machines, on elebehavior before it overloads and begins to vators, in hallways." In a letter to Moyniaccept the behavior as normal. An examhan he talked of "the numbness, this near ple would be the current attempt to legalize narcoleptic state" of the public that no drugs because drug abuse is so widespread longer expects anything better. People and jails are full. This is roughly what have simply adjusted to it as a new reality. happened under deinstitutionalization, As Moynihan says, "The crime level has when mental patients were dumped on city been normalized." as functional or "homeredefined streets, Moynihan talks about welfare, a probbecame and part of the normal landless," lem he has studied for almost 30 years. scape. According to a projection for children But there are other redefinitions that do in the year 1980, he says, 22.2 perborn not follow overload, but often precede and cent of white children and 82.9 percent of help produce it. Observe the redefining black children will be dependent on welthat occurs when "illegitimate birth" befare before reaching age 18. These are comes birth" and then stunning numbers. In a nation that cared "single parenting." Or when f mily about its future, a real marshaling of re- breakdown is verbally refurbished and sources would be under way. But as Moy' emerges as alternative family siiu. nihan says', "There is little evidence that hire." these facts are regarded as a calamity in The redefinition of the fatherless or bromunicipal government." Or in state or ken family as an optional, worthy family federal government either. form has been a fateful step in allowing the Q I would hope that I'm as prolific as you are. " U.S. stumbles toward disaster Editor: Much has been said in the news lately about abortion rights. It has been said that we have a House of Representatives that supports abortion rights and that we have a Senate that supports aboriton rights. Now, mented on. apparently, we have a president that has Crime is the most obvious example. advocte of aboriton an been rights. long Inner-cit- y kids arc routinely gunned down However you may feel about abortion w hile walking to school or bullets I would like to address by stray either pro or con in their in apartments. Sounds of gunterms. The sitting what I feel to be an error in schools and upscale fire unusual arc not is As a misnomer. phrase "abortion rights" A New York judge, Ed1 understand neighborhoods. human emanate rights rights, win Torres, says that "the slaughter of the from our Creator. I quote from the Declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths innocent marches unabated: subw;to be self evident that all men are created dcrs, bodega owners, cab drivers, babies; : Image Czarina' pulls no punches John Leo "out-of-wedlo- ck social crisis to loom as large as it is. A casual attitude toward family breakup and single parenting is an important article of faith among the intelligentsia, "the chattering classes" in the press and academe. This is a rather important dereliction on the part of the intellectual class. So far no d evidence has shaken amount of this faith that family structure doesn't matter, and that single parenting is somehow just as good as The evidence is in, and it is incontrovertible: Children raised in single-parehomes, as a group, r a devastating price real-worl- two-pare- nt child-rearin- g. nt economically, psychologically and emotionally for the absence of he missing parent, typically the father. Fatherlessncss and family breakup st? id out in research as key variables in most statistics measuring the social crisis. One family expert, David Blankenhorn of the Institute for American Values, says that the social science data on the impact of single parenting are so clear, but so unacceptable to the intelligentsia, "that it's the equivalent of having to argue over and over that the world is round. If it were just a matter of evidence, we wouldn't be having this debate. It would be over." When the evidence is clear, and bright people won't accept it, we are in the presence of psychological denial. The sad truth is that America's social crisis won't be solved, or even addressed, until there's enough outrage to cut through the denial and pretense that keep it going. |
