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Show iimg1 Iiiiiit I'm m nmmg, A2-T- h Times-lndepende- uu 111111 Bjr Sam Taylor j safe manner. A couple of points have been highlighted in my mind since the whole situation was brought to light. First, it is apparent that state and federal agencies are both dealing with a problem of turf and of budget. Only one federal safety inspector has been working at the Atlas site. By way of comparison, when the famous Vitro uranium tailings, which amounted to only a fraction of the Atlas residue, were removed to a safe repository, a minimum of seven state safety inspectors were on the job to see that nothing went awry. The same state agency that supervised that move is now saying that it's a federal problem and requires no state oversight, even though they express some concern over the issue. The federal agency involved is bemoaning budget problems. That's a typical federal answer these days to any criticism leveled at adequate operations. Secondly, though, is the main point that sticks in my mind. The Atlas mill and tailings pond issue is one that needs to be resolved both quickly and safely by BOTH state and federal people. And if it takes a special plea to Congress for some extraordinary help, then so be it. Whether the massive California and Arizona congressional delegation knows it or not, we're sitting on their drinking water. Atlas, in its present configuration (including the tailings pond), poses a serious threat to downstream water users. Dealing with this issue has been a major thrust of the new Grand County Council. That local body should be commended for their efforts to this point, and Councilmcn should be urged to pull all the stops to make Washington fully aware of our Southeastern Utah concerns. sjt Now that the election is over, we can start dealing with This year other predatory matters, down on the Taylor mini-farit's magpies and skunks. The black and while have just a little about picked the Ml year-oltree Mom's and bare, pecan s Tin' with that skunk mined our was in finally upset but he has a lot ol relatives who dispatched bv mv varmint-gitter- , have now moved in to take his places Wo received this week a long feature story from Utah State I nm rs 's Fvtensmn Service dealing with how to contend with predators and other unwelcome critters down on the farm. I'm going to uive 0 a close residing. sub-vultur- es d barn-kittie- v sjt State Kep Kellv Atkinson from Salt Lake Valley last week issued a threat to the State of Colorado. If they insist on opening a radioactive waste facility on the Dolores River near Uravan, we'll start building hazardous-wast- e incinerators in eastern Utah to blow unspeakable crud all over the Western Slope, so id the West Valiev lawmaker. Come on, Kelly. What Umctco has planned at Uravan is a whole lot safer and than anything I've seen proposed for the Atlas dump in Moab Valley. And that doesn't seem to concern our gallant legislators. Let's get real about this issue. el well-planne- The d Times-lndepende- nt (UPS 6309-200Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at Moab, Utah under the act of March 3, 1897. Second class postage paid at Moab, Utah 84532. Official City and County Newspaper Pub! od Each Thursday at 35 East Center Street, Moab, Grand County, Utah 84532. Postmaster: Send change of address to: The P.O. Box 129, Moab, Utah 84532 1 or FAX (801) (801) 0) Times-lndepende- 259-752- 5 259-774- Samuel J. and Adrien F. Taylor Publishers and Editors Cindy Winters Ron Drake Dorothy Anderson Paul Barks Assistant to Publishers Sales, Production Circulation Backshop Utah Press Association Read All About your home town in The t Times-Independe- n $16.50 Green River, Grand & San $24 per year outside area Juan for 52 news-fille- d issues to: - La Crosse Tournaments - Competition between col7 4 from the corners region - Tournaments begin at noon each day leges at the High School and Jr. High School. For more info contact Steve Zuckerman at November 6-- 265-850- 0. Opinions from our readers: money will become obsolete. For we will have learned the value of love and respect, rather than money and profit. Sincerely, Kaki Hunter Dear Fnends Sam and Adrien, I have taken the Moab paper for many years, and was practically raised there. I lived in Moab in 1926. and at the time was 14 yrs old (Im 81 yrs now). I loved Moab then, it wasn't so populated with people. The race track and rodeo grounds were across the road from the Middle School. If you want to get rid of the mosquitoes in the sloughs have the fish and game restore the Sunfish and Bass in it. My brother and I put fish in ihere after the Beavers bu:ii a dam to hold the water to get rid of the mosquitoes and the game warden would tear their dams out. We did so, so we could hunt ducks and fish Millcreek at the moudi they kept the Greeting from Tampa, Florida; Since the published a letter from a California adTimes-lndepende- mirer, enclose $16.50 or $24 for one year or $32 and $47 for two years Check JW Blotter, and I hope some day its au- thor will write a book (perhaps about a small town police officer). Certainly enough happens at the Apache and Mountain View Trailer parks to make a good novel. The busy Moab police department and the many foreign and domestic tourists plus all of their "male or I also controlled. crawfish and planted in the brought Old City Park and Nigger Bill so they would populate the river and mosquitoes Millcreek. The catfish in the river never had any food, just Cedar Berrys was what we found in their stomachs and I didnt think that was much food. Also Verl Barker and I did the plumbing on the Boy Scout building for free, and someone else got the credit for it. I have been gone from Moab many years but still keep track through the paper. My daughter still lives in Moab and I try and vivit once in a while. I have many friends there and many are gone. Your Friend. Tim Pogue female spousal equivalents" make for mighty good reading. I feel I know Sam and Adrien, know about the current the current mayoral race, and about the grazing fee controversy. If I am ever to visit, I think I shall feel right at home, thanks to your newspaper. Sincerely, Janet Tobin Tampa Florida lucky-enoug- Dear Sam, The number FOR recall were high enough in this election, it seems to me. that a potential for community separation is still high. It would be Dear Adrien, Would you be good enough to allow me to correct a typographical error in the piece on All Hallow s' Eve which I wrote, and which appeared in last week's edition? I really don't want to fuss about it. but as you honored me with a byline and I am something of a perfectionist I would like to see the corrected sentence in print! It should read: "The Feast of All Hallows. .was observed on various dates from about the 4th Century on, but in the West it did not become firmly established until, in 609 or 610, the Pantheon in Rome, a building dedicated to all the pagan gods, was consecrated by Pope Boniface IV for Christian usage." Joan E. Liebler Trails By Adrien Taylor Tuesday's election upheld County Council members in the It also handed back most of the health care confidence. public the county to the county fathers, whether or not in financing problem it. want they My major concern here is the rhetoric I've heard that if the general public votes against the hospital financing package then it's a mandate to the county council that the public isn't willing to support the hospital. I don't buy that. It seems to me that the voters here, following a huge national trend, voted against any raise in taxes. They didn't vote against good the County health care. The message is that policy makers Council and the Hospital Board and administration in this case need to prioritize needs against resources and reshape programs j accordingly. They probably also need to approach the legislature for a change which will allow collection of as miniscule a tax as is absolutely necessary if we're talking about sales tax in the future. If we're talking about general fund, then there are also major decisions to be made. In light of the vote, it also seems evident that talk about a brand new hospital should stop immediately. Public perception, justified or not, on the 1 sales tax proposal was that if you give them an inch they'll take a mile. The public information theme chosen by the hospital board in promoting the 1 tax was "Decision Time." It's still decision time. aft The congregation at St. Pius X Catholic Church is to be commended again for their Election Day Dinner. A major fundraiser for the church, it also provides the only opportunity of its type in the year for a community gathering. We see people there whom we rarely see any other time. It's really the social event of the season, in that regard, with food to match. Thanks! ! I aft d After several years of really sparce crops, our I pecan tree really had a lot and was hoping for enough for Christmas gifting. These are small pecans, as opposed to those magnificent giants which the sorority ladies sell this time of year, they they have a flavor all their own. But the birds! I'm always willing to share with them, but this year they took virtually all of the almonds a month of two ago, and now I have maybe a coffee can full of the pecans. We scattered the black walnuts on the driveway for the cars to "roll" the hulls off, but some nutshells were broken in the process and the birds took those too, of course. Black walnuts generally take a rock and a hammer to break, and tedious hours with a nut pick to realize a handful of nutmeats. And with any of the nuts, there is black thumb involved. Mine is. When you remove the hull from the nut (if you have to) the juices in the hull oxidize to a permanent black stain. I'm sure many native cultures used black walnut and other similar trees for lovely dyes. My thumb is living proof. This valley has too many magpies and blackbirds. As for pheasants, we think we'll take a shotgun and one our and give the big sloughs a go this weekend. If young mostly-lab- s nothing else, it will be an opportunity to tramp around on some beautiful land which was closed to the general population for many years. Thanks to The Nature Conservancy, it's not open again. (See story and map, elsewhere this issue.) soft-shelle- right people, at the right time. Democracy is hard work. But the system works. You job is to power i ? . it. Sam Cunningham Former County Commissioner t i the fuel of good government. Citizens always have a means of : monitoring their elected officials' actions. If you don't like something you have heard was done or said, your way to clarify the problem is clear. Go to County Council meetings. Get on the agenda. Speak up. Or if your work or your home duties . prevent that, phone your councilper-sonGet an explanation of the issue that is troubling you. And if that explanation doesn't satisfy you, tell 10 or 20 or 30 of your neighbors and friends about the problem, and tell them to call their council people. Public officials are accountable. They are accountable to you, the citizen. That is democracy. But if you don't ask for the truth to be explained to you, and you don't protest each and every time that you feel that the explanation in not correct, then you are opting out of the participation loop provided for you by our democratic form of government. Don't get me wrong. I am not advocating 50 crank phone calls to your councilpeople per day as a desirable goal. But if you have a definable problem, you have a moral obligation as a citizen to try to obtain the truth before you begin to complain about what you understand to have been done. Resist the urge to pick up the telephone and tell your friend what a terrible thing was done. Instead, go directly to the source. Pick up that phone and call the court house. Council people are busy people. It might take a day or two for you to get a reply to your phone call. Great. You have bought some time to cool down. Then think hard about the response when you get it And if it still doesnt wash with you, then discuss it with others. Maybe they will shed a different light on it for you. Or maybe, you may just be energizing a new citizen's action group to advocate or protest something. But there is always a door open for participation in democracy. It just takes lots of time and lots of hard thought. And then it takes your efforts to say what you mean, to the They built innovative structures, traveled, played sports, had social events, celebrations, married spiritual beliefs with practical common We say we live in a free country. But alas, we have to pay for our existence. When learn to give to each other as freely as nature gives to us. then I I so wrong and so painful, so costly for Grand and so to County dagger through its' next few years, torn by the futility of righting and hate. Honest disagreement, however, is Dear Sam and Adrien, When the first white settlers came to this country they found a pristine land abundant in wildlife with rich fertile soil, although already inhabited by communities of people. People who lived so harmoniously with nature they could barely see the affects of their presence. They fished, hunted, gathered, cultivated gardens, and spent lots of "quality time" with their children. i though that you should My favorite column is the Police jobs. Phone. I nt know that admiration of your newspaper reaches to the Florida area as well. Thanks to a friend from Utah who is a subscriber here in Tampa, I have become an avid reader despite never having been there. predictable events. Experienced fears, joys, gratitude compassion, anger, love and the wonder and awe of life. In essence, they prospered. They worked, yet they had no Address. 5. New hours for the Moab Information Center are form 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven (7) days a week. Remember the MIC is a great place to take friends and relatives who are visiting our area. November 4 - Creede Repertory Theatre Performance - Star Hall. They laughed, played jokes, grieved at the loss of a loved one, were subject to challenges and un- P.O. Box 129, Moab UT 84532 Name ' 259-882- rw Many nt profit-makin- methods for providing for their needs and desires without undo harm to their environment or their spiritual integrity. Subscribe Now! i it non-prof- sense, philosiphied, practiced health in your mail once a week local news TV guide special features lots of ads Cash nfif(rYii s The weekly Events Calendar is provided by The and the Grand County Travel Council as a service to the and area visitors. Events listed will be those of a civic, community g activnature, and will not include private, To add your event to an upcoming calendar, or update your listities. ing, contact the Travel County at care and birth control (successfully) produced live theater, storytelling, were educators and students of their environment, participated in free trade with other cultures, designed functional crafts of exceptional beauty and continually invented $5 discount for persons 62 and older upon request Times-lndepende- Hn(i Times-lndepende- sad-looki- The ru Events Calendar Charges and countercharges arc flying hot and heavy this week over the disposal of radioactive (or benign) materials from the Atlas uranium mill west of Moab. Despite the fact that the issue was probably blown out of proportion by the media, the fact remains that since there's a lot of smoke involved, there's probably some fire somewhere around. The matter needs to be fully investigated, and whatever stops necessary should be taken to see that the project continues in a "Mail rgpup-m- Thursday, November 4, 1 993 nt, Community Comments low-lev- ni m1 i 1 i |