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Show n't art dedicated to the public interest, to fairness and accuracy, to innovation and growth, and to the restless pursuit of excellence.'' OPINIONS Pulitzer mission statement EDITOR: DONALD W. MI VKRS THE DAILY HERALD 4 DAN RATHER REPORTING "BYU reinstate the Rule" tor women's soccer and basketball, allowing BYTJ's teams to compete for championship titles. The change means BYU and any other school that refuses to play on Sunday for religious reasons must be accommodated in tournaments. In 1998, the NCAA adopted a bylaw that would not allow such accommodation if it "would unduly disrupt the conduct of the championship." The reversal came as David Detton, a Salt Lake City attorney and father of a BYU so-call- Dan Rather Hurricanes bring out best in people, worst in politicians In terms of fears and history, hurricanes are to the East and Gulf coasts what earthquakes are to the far West, and what tornadoes are to the Midwest and Southwest. Which is to say there's an emotional undertow that people who live with them feel but have difficulty putting into words. There is a mystic something akin to a experience sense of the supernatural that comes with these dangerous happen- women's soccer player, threatened to sue the NCAA if it didn't restore the BYU Rule. We think the NCAA did the right thing by rescinding that bylaw and restoring the BYU Rule. For one thing, it was blatant religious discrimination. The ings. Science tell us they are natural. But the facts of these natural occurrences speak to our minds. And the aura of these phenomena speaks to our hearts. What speaks to both our minds and hearts is how people respond in such crises. When they occur, people generally help one another and pull together in ways that are reassuring even inspiring about both human nature and our national char- in championship tournaments because of their religious beliefs. Campbell also observes a ban on play during the Christian Sabbath. Aside from being illegal, it sends a bad message to the young men and women who play in collegiate sports, that it is OK to discriminate against people who have different beliefs than yours, and that athletics are more impordevelop- ment. If the NCAA were allowed to discriminate against the churches that support BYU and Campbell, who's to say that Catholics, Methodists, Jews and other religious groups won't be next. Religious discrimination is a step on a slippery slope none of us can afford to take. If the NCAA had not the churches that support BYU and Campbell, who's to say that Catholics, Methodists, Jews and other religious groups won't be next. Religious discrimination is a step on a slippery slope none of us can , afford to take. 'JJ restored the rule, it would have damaged BYU and Campbell's recruiting program. If you wanted to play women's soccer or basketball in college, would you go to a school that had absolutely no chance whatsoever of getting a tournament berth? With the rise of the WNBA and the U.S. Women's Soccer Team's World Cup title, the NCAA shouldn't do anything that would discourage these sports at any college. The driving force behind the 1998 decision was ESPN television rights for the championship games. It seems the NCAA could only see the television contract money and not the true benefits of college athletics. Sports teach discipline, teamwork and sportsmanship better than any classroom instructi'oi ever could. For some studentSg an athletic scholarship is a j ticket to higher education and( a better life than their parents i had. That is more important than pushing schools out of tourna ments and jeopardizing their-programs just so the NCAA can get a more lucrative televising contract. We hope the NCAA has learned that lesson. i Members of The Daily Herald edU torial board are Publisher Kirk " Parkinson, Editor Mike Patrick, Opinions Page Editor Donald W. Meyers, City Editor Sharon Gholdston and Orem resident ReNae D. Brereton. u- - Let parents IN FLORIDA, there was the grandmother trying to evacuate the coast with her ailing husband and a passel of grandchildren. When their car broke clown and they were forced from a long line of traffic to the side of the road, a dozen men, in separate, individual acts of chivalry and came to their aid. In South and North Carolina, there were so many individual acts of kindness and hospitality that hardened reporters traveling with our tenm repeatedly marveled and swore they'd never experienced anything quite like it. One of them, a lifelong New Yorker, said, "You know, I'd always thought the 'Southern hospitality' reputation was just propaganda. I was wrong. It's real, it's alive and living" True, but not just in the South. These kinds of neighborly acts happen all the time, all over the country. They are, in fact, so common among Americans that they aren't news. Except those times when a community crisis such as Hurricane Floyd forces us to stop and think about them. s, OUR EXPERIENCES with natural disasters in recent years tell us much about our national character. They also tell us that our emergency service preparedness and need work. This was very much in evidence again this week when local, state and federal officials urged massive evacuation as the hurricane threatened. The people responded, but time after time, in city after city, they were let down by those who had urged the evacuation. At least that is the view of a large number of citizens who went through the experience. One of the most commonly heard comments and criticisms was that politicians and bureaucrats hurried to the television--toin effect, brag about what a great job they were doing. As expressed to this reporter, it was the'opinion of these people that.too many of the ' governors, congressional members, local federal appointees and pplitiof all stripes were busy promoting themselves on television instead of solving the problem rf people they had urged to evacuate. It's the American way to help one another, to always believe we can do it better, while letting the people at the top know in no uncertain when they let us down. terms follow-throug- h , 1 If the NCAA were allowed to discriminate against NCAA was saying that BYU and Campbell University's women's teams could not play tant than spiritual a! , Time and again, all through Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas and beyond this past week, your reporter has experienced this while traveling in the hurricane zone. of "CBS HERALD EDITORIAL a MGfl LETTERS TO THE EDITOR acter. neigh-borlines- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19. 122 no 0 (MOD It took a lawsuit threat to move it, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association did the right thing. The NCAA, the governing body of college sports, agreed to Dan Rather is the anchorman Evening News." Alf bear burden of school cost advertisement in the Daily Herald invited residents to a public hearing. It read "Notice of Proposed A recent Tax Increase" in Alpine School District. It continued, "all concerned citizens are invited to a public hearing". If the word "proposed" had been left out, it wouldn't have wasted valuable time for the 50 or so that attended. About two people had no objection to the increase. They could afford it. What the other people said didn't mean diddly darn to the board. After the audience got their two cents in, the board made motions to accept the increase. What a shock, not to reconsider or have another meeting to work out amenable compromises. I believe the board was trying to do its best to upgrade the system, but there are other ways to get the money. The important thing is to have every parent pay their fair share of their chile dren's education. The senior citizens and young homeowners cannot afford the school taxes nor the increases. suggest a user tax which would empower the school district to add an additional flat fee per child per school year, combined with homeowners paying their cdunty and city taxes. If a family has four children in public school during a fiscal year when the district tax is $50. per hedd, then the family will find and turn (rt'Crjfin additional $200 to the district.' Is the tax increase fair?-- ' No: When do we seniors and poor families get a break? I 'r:Y ( - ' f JrisBird a, u Orem Drunk driving can hurt you Members of CoVigress occasionally have 'the 'privilege of joining efforts itelr' fhmSBJ ANDMYBACKIS 1 I 1999 THE DAILY laygrapbics with good causes. As no cause is better than the protection of our communities' kids, I'd like to make all Utahns aware of a great effort being made to teach that their decisions with our teen-ager- s regard to underage drinking have real-lif- e consequences. As part of a nationwide effort to curb teen drinking and driving through education and straight-forwar- d talk, on Monday I will introduce to two local high schools an amazing young man with a tragic story. At 17, Brandon Silveria had a future as bright as any. But when he chose to get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated, it nearly cost his life. Fortunately, Brandon lived to tell his story as part of this nationwide campaign to stop underage drinking and driving. Despite major brain damage that affects his speech, memory and other senses, Brandon has told his story to over 500,000 high school and college students. Please support this effort by taking a few minutes to talk to the teens close to children, grandchildren, nieces you and. nephews, even neighbors. Kids 1Mb UAlLY The Daily Herald welcomes your letters to the editor. Please remember to include your full name, address and phone number where you can be reached. Only your name and the city in which you live will be published. All other information will be kept confidential. AM SMARTER today understand and appreciate straight talk Help them understand that their careless actions can have dire consequences. I am grateful to Brandon Silveria and the Century Council for opening the doors of communication within our schools, and for addressing this problem head-o- n by advocating responsibility, education and awareness. Chris Cannon U.S. House of Representatives Don't dump on New Jersey To Eric Snider: Anyone who has driven a few miles out from the Camden or Newark areas, and tasted Jersey corn, tomatoes or blueberries would never question why New Jersey is the Garden State. Unfortunately, it is easy to fly into Newark airport, drive to the Meadowlands or NYC and never know there is more to the state then clover-leaf- s (first ones in the USA) turnpikes, refineries and large brick buildings. On second thought, keep thinking that. Jersey does not need more suburban sprawl. Ramona Whaley Salem ;'' HERALD ELECTION LETTER POUCY The Daily Herald welcomes letters on local candidates until 5 p.m. Sept. 29. Preference will be given to letters on a first-combasis. Letters must be no longer than 250 words, and must include the author's name, daytime and evening phone numbers and hometown. No letters from candidates will be accepted. Letters that do not contain this information will be discarded. Letters can either be sent to: ' The Daily Herald, .: ; P.O. Box 717, Provo, Utah 84603."" . Letters can be faxed to or first-serve- e, The Herald encourages community discussion of issues in a responsible manner. Please send your letters to: Editor, The Daily Herald P.O. Box 717 1555 N. Freedom Blvd. Provo. UT. 84603 d 373-548- 9; to ldeanheraldextra.com. The Herald will run as many letters as possible until Oct. 3. r rlclcALu LETTERS POLICY Anonymous letters will be discarded. Letters that are typed, double spaced and contain 250 or fewer words are more likely to be published. Your letter will be better read if it concerns one central theme or idea. All letters will be edited for length, accuracy and clarity. HERALD $ earthtink .net ' " Letters may also be faxed or The fax number is address is: ldeanher-'aldextra.co373-548- The If you have questions, call Opinions Page Editor Donald W. or Editor Mike Meyers at Patrick at 344-254- 4 344-254- |