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Show Page A7 Thursday, September 16, 2004 Letters from the People S Write to Senator Hatch regarding tobacco bill . . . Dear Editor: As a citizen volunteering in my community to suppress the use of tobacco products and assist programs, I am concerned about a proposal to require the FDA to regulate tobacco products. Now included as part of the FSCETI bill set to be considered by a Senate-Hous- e conference committee in September, the DeWine Kennedy amendment would provide the Food and Drug Admin (FDA) with certain authority to regulate tobacco products. If this bill were enacted, the current public discussion regarding the possible benefits of tobacco harm reduction could be seriously curtailed. This bill essentially makes FDA the gatekeeper for what information the media, and the consumer, may have access to. The passage of this FDA regulation would suppress important health information about the relative risk . of tobacco products. This bill would change the core mission of a federal agency without having the issue ever studied by Congress. The 600 page bill never had a committee hearing, markup or floor debate. It has not been discussed with FDA officials to determine if they would even be able to quit-smoki- non-smoki- Saturday's protest went really well . . . Letter, Saturday Sept, llths protest went really well in my opinion. In a time where all news seems to be theater I thought that we paused at the right moments to consider the right movement. To me like in music these pauses are key. They allow one to go within to check what is the next best statement of movement. Being patient and waiting for the next move to appear is key in so many aspects of sports, music, reserve just a few miles of a narrow strip of land permanently and without exception for uses? Mill Creek Parkway is where children learn to ride their bikes. It is a place where toddlers practice their walking skills or big sister pushes the new baby in a stroller. It is a place where our elders walk slowly and safely as they listen to the trickling of the creek. The precedent that this permit sets is alarming. The very fact that people will see motorcycles in this previously sacrosanct riparian zone - even for a few hours - could mean the end of it. If you let one group in, why not the next? Sure, there are signs that say no motorized vehicles but clearly the city doesnt really mean it if they let motorcycles ride on the parkway and through the creek, right? I urge everyone who uses Mill Creek Parkway for its intended purpose to contact the city and protest this violation of not only the parkways original intent, but its beauty and peacefulness. There must be some things sacred in our community, but the only way we can keep them that way is if we speak-- ' up and tell our governing bodies that we dont like what they are doing. Unless we have some very courageous and thoughtful council members, it is probably too late to reverse the decision for this year, but let them know that you want Mill Creek Parkway to remain faithful to its intended use of the grant money. Please tell them to keep motorized vehicles off of Mill Creek Parkway and out of Mill Creek without exception ! Letter, Mill Creek Parkway is one of our communitys greatest assets. It is a place where elderly people, children, locals and tourists intersect. It has been lovingly and carefully developed by the City of Moab thanks to the tireless efforts of David Olsen. Ive long thought David should be voted Citizen of the Year for his work in beautifying Moab. That is why I was horribly disappointed last week when our City Council voted to approve a permit for Rumble in the Rocks, a Chamber of Commerce sponsored motorcycle event, which will take place on Mill Creek Parkway and will actually allow motorcycles tfl drive through the waters of Mill Creek as part of their trials. The council, save Kyle Bailey who voted against the permit, must have received a bonk on the head prior to their meeting to approve such a blatantly inappropriate use of this community asset. Mill Creek Parkway was built as a result of grant money that specifically stipulated that the parkway be reserved for pedestrians and activities. The argument other for this event was that it is just for a few hours and, sifter all, they are vintage motorcycles, so it is more like a moving museum than a motorized vehicle event. Truthfully, it sounds like a wonderful new event for Moab, but wholly wrongheaded for Mill Creek Parkway. We have an abundance of places where motorized vehicles can play, perform tricks and trials and show off their chrome and rev their engines but very, very few places dedicated to traffic. Why cant we foot and non-motoriz- ed non-motoriz- ed - Janet Lowe Moab non-motoriz- Norton's visit missed opportunity for town meeting . . . Letter: This weekend we had a quick visit from the Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton. Secretary Norton intended to meet with a few select, individuals at Big Bend campground. Invited guests included Utahs Lt. Governor, Gayle Juan rivers. Secretary Norton signed the official document and then gave the pen to Mary von Koch of the Moab BLM office, as pictures and videos recorded the event. Secretary Norton talked to a dozen or so people afterwards and I was one of those people. Many other people (about 30) were told to stay on the sidewalk, as the reserved campsite was now private, and they politely observed this restriction. The protestors were there to protest the largest oil and gas lease sale in recent Utah BLM history. They were not there to protest the hard rock mining withdrawal. They were there to share their ideas and concerns with the Secretary of the Interior. It occurred to me that Secretary Norton is a very powerful person for much of the land around us, both the National Parks and the Bureau of Land Management, and it seemed out-of-to- v obvious that many other people wanted to speak with her and they were not given the opportunity. So when I spoke with her, I asked that a town hall meeting be held as part of such visits so that we might properly invite the community to meet with her and express our needs, concerns, and solutions. That there not be this situation of people being treated like uninvited guests. It takes time and money to travel to DC to speak with Congress or the Secretary of the Interior. But since she was already here, at taxpayer expense, it would have taken very little extra time to gather comment from the community at a town meeting. This golden opportunity for community building was missed this time. But we in Moab are great organizers and with a bit more notice, we could have set up a town meeting to better discuss with her our ideas as they relate to the management of public lands. Secretary Norton seemed to respond favorably, to this idea and suggested that federal managers in southeast Utah encourage such a process for the future. This multiple use approach to dignitary visits would make better use of both the time and the money we taxpayers spend flying important folks about. -- Eleanor Inskip Moab 4 over my grandfather. On the other hand, he lived healthily into his ninetieth year. Of course, the doctor had to mention my weight. How could he not? It is a glaring problem. It is something Ive battled all of my adult life, sometimes successfully, more often not. Let me take a little detour here. We fatties arent properly appreciated for our role in the very survival of the of the human race. Think about it. The only people to survive those monstrous prehistoric famines were the fat people and those who ate them. Youd think wed get a little more respect. Instead, we practically worship the thin people. I dont get it. OK, back to going to the doctor. Several years ago, comedian Bill Cosby performed a hilarious monologue about going to the doctor. He pointed out that one of the reasons for not going to the doctor is that you might have it. As long as you dont go to the doctor, you dont have it. Said another way, ignorance is bliss. Unless it leads to dying stupid. Then there is the whole thing of insurance. Sure, insurance pays the bulk of the bill. But, The amount there is always a significant of the depends on the mineral of your insurance policy. If you have diamond or platinum or titanium (unobtanium), you dont have to pay much. If you are stuck with silver, brass, copper, tin, iron, lead, or like me, mud, you have to pay a lot. This simple little exercise in not wanting to die stupid has cost me enough to pay for a really nice new bicycle which would surely have done wonders for my health. One of my insurance sellingfinancial planning friends advised me of the surest way to curb costs of health care. We were the around after sitting hiking out in Fry Canyon. He said, Dont go to the doctor and dont take the medicine. Simple enough, and I might be tempted to adopt that philosophy except for the nagging notion that I dont want to die stupid. co-pa- y. co-p- ay ever-increasi- On Two Wheels news and views A pedaling periodical of bicycle-relate- d by Ron Georg Moab Please don't allow motorcycles On Mill Creek Parkway . . . McKeachnie. The event was intended to be a photo opportunity while signing into action the withdrawal of future hard rock mining along the corridors of the Dolores, Colorado, and San ' I dont want to die stupid. It isnt the dying part so much as dying while doing something stupid. I dont want people to say, upon hearing the circumstances of my death, Well, that was stupid. I may be way off in left field here. It may be that once I am dead I wont much care what people think. Still, I dont want to die stupid. Examples of dying stupid include dying from a car crash while sitting on my seatbelt, succumbing to a disease that could easily have been diagnosed and cured by a simple visit to the doctor, or leaving my water in the truck while I go hiking off into a desert canyon. Any of those could elicit, Well, that was stupid. I was sharing my thoughts on this with a friend recently. She said that she didnt want to die fat because she didnt want to need extra pall bearers. We agreed that dying fat might also be a form of dying stupid. That may be so. If it is, then I am in danger of dying stupid in spite of everything. 4 So it is that I went to the doctor for a thorough physical exam a few weeks ago. I didnt want to die stupid. I found out, though, that it isnt as simple as going to the doctor. He can only do so much. After he checked me as thoroughly as he could, he recommended a few more diagnostic tests. I didnt like the sound of that but, not wanting to die stupid, I agreed. There were a CAT scan, that probing intrusion that you sleep through, wearing some sort of heart monitor even while I was out in Dry Valley photographing a really cool old corral, and more. We still are not finished. I have another consultation next week. Mind you, I felt fine when I went to the doctor in the first place. I just didnt want to die stupid. It would be stupid not to go to the doctor. There are so many new and more scientifically sound processes available to me that my grandfather, or even my dad, never had. It seems to me that if I dont go to the doctor I have no advantage s, showed him our nonviolent intent and then explained our proposed plan to him with the feeling that we had this American Right to protest and walk on a public sidewalk. Then we remained with our plan and stayed on the sidewalk. For me it was one of the mopt positive effective methods I have ever seen. Again we chanted for them to hear us and then we let up a bit (Paused). They heard us and the media responded and came to us. This was theater equal to Gale Nortons greenwash theater. -- Bruce Harrison life...! I want to commend Franklin (Seal) for showing us what might be our best moves. We did not give up any ground... but we paused and talked to the Park Official," felt him out, by Ollie Harris . DYIN STUPID handle it. This legislation needs to be thoroughly reviewed by Congress so that its impact is understood, and not attached to a different bill without any study. The FDA bill will allow monopolies of big tobacco companies by suppressing any new or smaller companies, and curtailing the necessity of big tobacco to continue public dialogue regarding tobacco harm reduction. The millions, perhaps billions, of tax dollars it will take to set up a new' Bureau" could be much better spent on existing programs for ad campaigns, and to educate chiland for grass-root- s programs, dren on the harmful effects of tobacco products, to encourage them to never start, and help them, and their adult parents, manage the problems inherent with quitting. If you would like to stop this bill from happening, you need to contact Senator Hatch immediately with a written letter or email at Senator Orrin Hatch, 104 Hart Senate Office D.C. 20510, Bldg., Washington, hatch.senate.gov. -- Connie Copenhaver, Editor Green River Currents quit-smoki- Idle Thoughts from Mt. Waas Like Riding a Bike You took the training wheels off, gave junior a little shove, and by some magic too complex to calculate without a supercomputer, he was rolling. What more does a kid need to know? Well, plenty. Thats why two different groups have marked the beginning of October to encourage adults to help kids get off their butts and on their feet or wheels. The International Mountain Bicycle Association has declared Oct. 2 Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, and the Partnership for a Walkable America has deemed Oct. 4 to 8 as International Walk and Bike to School Week. To celebrate Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day, a number of local organizations have joined to support IMBAs initiative. They will be holding a group ride that day, meeting at the Swanney City Park gazebo at 10 a.m. There will be two ride options, either Klondike Bluffs or the Bar-Loop, depending on ability. Parents are also welcome, and can register at Poison Spider bicycles before Oct. 2 (parental signatures are required). Riders will need to bring a mountain bike, a helmet, snacks and water. Transportation will be available, but if parents who plan to ride could also plan to drive to the trails, that would be help-fil- l. Adult volunteers, especially those with extensive riding experience, are also encouraged to attend. The goal is simple and grand at the same time: to teach kids how far a bicycle can take them, that few objectives are beyond their reach. When you can stand in the Klondike parking area, and look toward the ridge high above, and know that you can reach that point under your own power, many of lifes other obstacles become diminished. So far there are no such plans for Walk and Bike to School Week, but this is an excellent opportunity for schools to build alternative transportation into their curricula. Public schools consider drivers education appropriate, but theres a dearth of information regarding how to get around safely without an automobile which is how most kids travel for about 95 percent oftheir public school tenure. In fact, drivers education ought to be pretty much redundant, as kids should know how to use the roads long before they get behind the wheel. A bicycle is a vehicle, and the safest way to ride is to follow the same rules as any other vehicle. Training kids early would make them safer drivers when the time comes making the roads safer for future generations of young cyclists. Teachers and parents who are interested in steering kids toward healthy, independent lifestyles should look into Safe Routes to Schools programs, which could be introduced to kids during Walk and Bike to School Week. School districts that have instituted successful Safe Routes to Schools programs have seen dramatic increases in walking and biking to school, with corresponding decreases in traffic congestion around schools. Teaching kids to get around safely also helps them to understand they are citizens with rights; we all recognize the right to travel freely as one of our most basic freedoms. This could even provide a valuable civics lesson as kids realize theyre subject to the tyranny of the automobile. They could learn that while they cant vote, they can 4 stand up at a City Council meeting and demand that this most basic need be addressed for them. Meeting the Need While it doesnt introc duce any facilities into the downtown area, the citys new plan for West Center Street will be a boon to users. medians for Unlike the on Main plan some this design incorporates Street, truly progressive thinking into the planning for our congested shopping district. The .most positive feature of the plan is the which will decrease the pedestrian bulb-out- s length of crosswalks and narrow the roadway at intersections. This will make driving less convenient, encouraging drivers to park their cars in the spacious new parking area and walk. While these structures would be more useful if they intruded into Main Street as well, its a start. One change planners should consider in the plan is to make the diagonal parking face away from traffic, creating back-i- n spaces. Anyone whos used conventional diagonal parking with a reasonable-sizevehicle knows that all those SUVs and camper-shelle- d pickups make it impossible to back out of a space safely you cant see a thing until your car is out in traffic. Back-i- n spaces are slightly more difficult to pull into, but theyre certainly easier than parallel parking, which most people can manage. Their advantage is that you exit them with full visibility. Any cyclist will tell you that would be a welcome change from having cars backing blindly into traffic. We should add to that a ban on right turns, especially on the newly pedestrian-friendl- y West Center. That would eliminate the problem of uncivil drivers using their bumpers to express their impatience with pedestrian Adding these small details to the plan would go a long way toward taming the current aggressive mood on downtown streets. You can contact Ron Georg with questions or comments regarding this column at or send email to ontwowheelslearthlink.net. bicycle-specifi- non-motoriz- ill-fat- d tinted-windo- w red-fig- ht rights-of-wa- 259-305- y. 2; Letters to the editor policy The does not necessarily endorse the opinions published in letters to the editor and guest editorials. The T--l welcomes opinions from ' its readers concerning any subject pertinent to Southeastern Utah. Letters should be to the point and must include the writers name, address and telephone number. Letters may not be used to replace advertisements, or to list and thank sponsors or participants to a particular event. Letters to the editor will be not be accepted from any candidate who has filed for political office or from anyone writing in support of a filed candidata Anything unsigned, of a libelous nature, or containing defamatory statements will not be considered for publication. 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