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Show "Wtare dedicated to the public interest, to fairness and accuracy, to innovation mnd growth, and to On restless pursuit of excellence." Pulitzer mtaioa i EDITOR: MARK. EDDINGTON OPINIONS THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1W THE DAILY HERALD 344-25- HnffsiinAlcldo It was Brian Peterson DC shorn who placed his newborn son in a plastic bag and then heaved him into a dumpster 12 feet away. There was an audible crack as the body, perhaps the baby's head, hit the gaetal trash bin. Peterson then turned 3n his heel on that freezing "November morning in 1996 and returned to the hotel room where Amy Grossberg was waiting. It was she who had ordered Peterson to "get d rid of it after giving birth to a baby boy. It might have worked, this first foray into infanticide for the doting couple, had it not been for their ignorance of the basics of childbirth. Neither of them knew enough to deliver the afterbirth the part you to rid of" are "get supposed really and so when Amy went back to college, she began to hemorrhage and was rushed to a hospital. That's when the question was asked: "Where's the baby?" Last week, as Grossberg and Peterson were sentenced, we delved deeper into the moral junkyard that characterized these two products of an affluent New Jersey suburb. Grossberg had written to her boyfriend of her regret that the pregnancy had interfered with their sex life. "I wish I could have my nice body back," she whined. "As soon as everything gets better, IH be my sweet, normal self. We'll be able to h lots. I really miss it." About the pregnancy, she wrote, "All I want is for it to go away." (She declined an abortion for fear that her mother would discover it.) These youngsters are not monsters. They are quite normal. Grossberg was probably trained at school to have She was also lots of instructed not just at school but by the Supreme Court, a president and most of elite opinion that abortion is a morally acceptable solution to an unwanted pregnancy. In Delaware, she could have reported for abortion at almost any a partial-birt- h time up until the birth. In fact, just days before Peterson and Grossberg were sentenced, an Arizona abortionist started to perform that procedure on a fetus he had been told was 23 or 24 weeks old. Only after the procedure began did he realize that the baby was actually a 6 pound, 2 ounce baby girl at full term. He delivered the child alive but with a fractured skull and two large lacerations on her the results of the aborted face abortion. So there is really no surprise that her "sweet, normal Amy Grossberg -- curly-haire- . uh-uu- self-estee- pro-choi- , Mona Charen self" can have believed that an unwanted baby just seconds after birth is just as disposable as an unwanted fetus at midterm. Melissa Drexler, who gave birth in a toilet at her prom, the mother who left her newborn in a bathroom at Disneyworld, and the others who have left babies to die in the cold or drown in toilets in cities around the nation are acting on the same insight there is no intrinsic value or sacredness to life. What gives life value is the desire of the mother. What else are these young women to conclude? We permit a pregnant woman to sue if her fetus is harmed by environmental or other hazards because she wants the baby. If not, she can kill it. The judge revealed his own peculiar moral standards by ruling that 24 months for Peterson and 30 months for Grossberg was sufficient punishment for treating a newborn infant like an empty shoe box. He also sentenced the couple to perform 300 hours of community service including working in clinics for pregnant teenagers and "counseling teenagers on parenthood." child That's what we need what on it means to killers lecturing be a parent! Even the prosecutors seem to have been confused about the gravity of the case. Praising Peterson for his cooperation with authorities, one prosecutor said, "He was chivalrous, but stupid." So the code of chivalry now includes killing the defenseless even one's own baby? Yes, feelings seem to have trumped absolute values quite thoroughly. The feelings of the mother, not the child made in the image and likeness of God, determine the baby's value. In man Janesville, Wis., a was sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing cats. They were wanted cats. Mona Charen is a columnist for Creators Syndicate Inc. tj:i DAILY TlMLDLETTEnS POUCY The Daily Herald welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and include the author's name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. The writer's name and city of residence will be published, but the writer's address and phone number will not. Whenever possible, letters should be typed and double spaced. To allow the expression of as many viewpoints as possible, letters must be no longer than 400 words; 250 words or less is encouraged. The Herald reserves the right to edit letters for length and content. The Herald encourages community Doonesbury discussion of issues. However, we will not publish letters that are libelous or in bad taste. Letters written anonymously will be discarded. Please send your letters to: Editor The Daily Herald P.O. Box 717 1555 N. Freedom Blvd. Provo, UT. 84603 Letters may also be faxed or The fax number is address is: ldeanher-aldextra.coThe 373-548- 9. If you have questions, call Opinions 4 Page Editor Mark Eddington at Mike Editor or Managing Patrick at 344-254- 344-254- 1. Council decision lauded I would like to compliment the Springville City Council for their logic and good judgment in leaving the nude model classes just as they are. As a professional artist, I have been in those classes and I have nothing but praise and admiration for the classes. They were conducted very discreetly and were very educational. In no way were they sexually oriented businesses. I would like to comment on some of the statements made by the concerned citizens who are complaining about the models. The people who made them are acting out of ignorance and a lack of education. May I suggest that before they criticize artists or the art world that they become better informed on what they are talking about. What about all the nudes painted by the great masters during the Renaissance. Are they smut? What about the nudes in Springville's art collection? Are they smut? One of the nude paintings they own has been painted by Harwood, the famous Lehi artist who was sent to Europe by Brigham Young to study art. What about the nude figures on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the nude statue of David, all done by the world's greatest artist, Michelangelo? Do the people who are complaining classify these as smut? When an artist is painting or drawing a nude model they are concentrating and working so hard on the design, line, proportion, value and all the elements of art, that they never have time to think of anything else but what they are doing. Betty Liston Pleasant Grove Open decision needed There is a great deal behind the scenes of public education that educators would rather the public did not know. The Nebo School Board adamantly refuses to meet for open public discussion. Citizens have not only a right but a duty to know what children are taught. The Nebo Board ruled that citizens who are critical of the system could not observe in a classrooms. Under pressure, they agreed citizens could observe for 30 minutes if prior permission was obtained (giving teachers time to prepare). Utah schools have experimental, programs that are The public children. our brainwashing should have open and truthful informahumanist-develope- d tion, but that is often difficult to get. A mother brought the following assignment to my attention just as the 1997-9- 8 school year ended. Students in a Spanish Fork Jr. High English Class were asked to form an opinion on the following statements: 1. Cultural or Religious leaders usu- ally act in the best interest of their community, sect or group. 2. If a religious leader has done By Garry Trudeau LETTERS TO TIE EDITOR some things wrong, it is all right to get rid of them by whatever means necessary. 3. Silence is a good way to work out problems. 4. Having strict religious beliefs is unhealthy. 5. In certain situations, it may be justified for a religious or cultural leader to bend or break strong tradition. 6. People should never compromise their ideals or beliefs. 7. No cause, religious or otherwise, is worth dying for. What right do teachers have to ask students to evaluate their religious leaders or their own religious beliefs? This is just one of many brainwashing assignments found in Nebo classrooms. "Higher Thinking Skills" is a term used to describe teaching methods today. Teachers introduce a subject that is often political and immoral. Students debate the issue and are then told to form their own conclusion. It is a way to plant ideas into children's minds and make them think their opinion is better than that of parents. Our children are being brainwashed. Traditional family values and Christian beliefs are being attacked. This is happening across the nation. Of course the Nebo Board would rather not open themselves up to public discussion. The public may not like what they would hear. The public needs to wake up and demand to know what is taught and how taxpayer money is being spent. Dorothy Bryson Payson Vets for vd3e amendment Opponents of the wildlife amendment are clearly trying to misrepresent the issue. The amendment does not take away the ability of citizens to access government. A vote for the amendment simply tells animal rights activists based in Washington, D.C., that Utahns don't want to waste millions of dollars on initiatives as has been done in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and California. Our family will be voting for the amendment because Utah has a very good wildlife management system that is based on the best available science and an exhaustive process for local citizen input. Wildlife conservation organizations are supporting the amendment because we want to focus our money and efforts on preserving wildlife habitat and open space, not repeatedly countering misrepresentations and false propaganda by animal rights campaigns. Soccer a great sport I really enjoyed the recent article on soccer and the World Cup. I agree that the reason Americans haven't embraced it is because we don't dominate it we don't understand the game. Soccer played at the highest level is very addicting to watch, and I believe a fan base is starting to grow in this country. Compared to 10 years ago, soccer is more visible now (MLS and Team USA) and sponsors have noticed. Also, the fact that the World Cup is every four years, most soccer nuts lose sleep (I know I did) anticipating the next event. The fact that I love soccer has nothing to do with anything I have written. I spent two years in South America, and it's the one thing they bash us with the most. Patriotism inspired me to follow soccer, and the improvements we have made as Americans and are going to continue to make are keeping me as a soccer fan. Clinton Martinez Provo Definition of happiness Happiness is being able to drive with all three lanes of the freeway open by Lindon. Christine Carling American Fork Litterbugs trashed park This is an open letter to those who . spent the Fourth of July in Rock Canyon Park. On July 4, most of us spent the day celebrating our country's birthday, saluting our freedom, pledging allegiance to the flag, and in gratitude for the rights we have as citizens of America the Beautiful. On July 5, 1 took my customary walk through Rock Canyon Park and I was appalled. It looked like the city garbage dump. Did the rest of Provo's parks look the same? Items Uttering the ground included hundreds of cans, pieces of cardboard, pizza containers, sections of vinyl flooring, children's clothing, towels, bottles, spent firecrackers, paper plates and napkins, discarded food and other flotsam and jetsam. I thought the garbage containers must be full, so I checked. Nope! Half ' empty. I was taught that citizenship infers not only rights, but also responsibilities. citizens My question for the who left Rock Canyon Park looking like a junk heap: Did you plan to send your mother to clean up after you? Exactly who do you think is responsible to clean up your leavings? Just wondering. Deanne Francis Diane Hatfield Mapleton Provo Mallard Fillmore By Ak0PUCK j Bruce Tinsley |