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Show Page A7 5Itmeg-(3)ttgPgn- Thursday, December 2, 2004 ett Castle Valley Comments IC3& Letters from the People by Ron Drake Crime at least of intolerance or hate, at worst terrorism The Editor: The truck and trailer which is frequently parked on Moab City Streets and covered with all the painted slogans was vandalized last week. This is at least a crime of intolerance pr hate and at worst a crime of terrorism. Crimes of intolerance are based on a dislike of other peoples opinions, race, religion, or background. These crimes in a small community such as Moab can divide the community into groups that are not only intolerant of their neighbors opinions, but have a real hatred for each other. A weapon was used to shoot out the windows of the vehicle. Thankfully an innocent bystander was not killed or hurt in the incident. The difference between terrorism and vandalism is one misplaced shot. The citizens of Moab need to respond against crimes of intolerance and hate by ex- To Boarts versus Darcey To pressing their opinions and writing letters to The Times-lndependen- t. The Moab City Police Department needs to classify this incident not as simply a mindless vandalism, but as a hate crime and notify the FBI in Monticello, 435.587.2060. The FBI will not respond to calls made by citizens. A representative of VFW Post 10900 in Moab stated that he is appalled by the incident and the right to express your opinion is supported by the blood of deceased veterans. The local radio station will hold a public forum on the subject next week and your participation is encouraged. I hope to ask citizens to make contributions to replace the vehicles windows at that time. -- William E. Love, Moab ... the Editor: serve to be punished and neither does Mr. Darcey. We all have the right to speak out without being punished or frightened. The damage done to Mr. Boarts property is not right and it would seem likely that he could use some help getting his vehicle repaired. So to use yet another old American saying, lets put our money where our mouth is and send a donation to Mr. Boarts to demonstrate real American commitment to the bill of rights and the rule of law. Just for the record here is the first amendment in the Bill of Rights: Amendment 1: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. -- Eleanor Inskip, Two weeks ago Dennis Boarts wrote a letter asking for help in discovering the varmints who damaged his vehicle. Last week Frank Darcey wrote a letter saying that I certainly support free speech. However, in the case of Dennis Boarts, I must take exception. According to Mr. Darcey, Dennis Boarts has pushed some sensitive buttons and that Dennis should count his blessings that his rig wasnt torched instead. Please stop and think Mr. Darcey, if you support freedom of speech, it makes no sense to make an exception because you do not like what is said. Its easy to listen to people we agree with. Your support only counts when its hard. I grew up in a military family and what I remember hearing on military bases was I may not agree with you, but I will protect your right to say it with my life. Mr. Boarts did hot de Moab Many Iraquis do fight for democracy Dear Editor: This letter is a clarification of the statements I made to Carrie Switzer in a phone conversation about my Marine son LC PI Jon Tyler Welch. I told Carrie that the Iraqi people didnt want to fight for Democracy. That statement was not my intent. They have thousands of Iraqis fighting for their country and freedom. Many dying every day. They need to be praised and respected for it. What I meant to say is Open letter to Governor-elec- t To . . . ... that some Iraqi citizens feel that what ever should be or not be is Allahs will, and accept it as their fate. Im sorry if I led anyone to believe that son said that Iraqi people do not want to my for their freedom, and they dont care. fight Thank you all for letting me clarify my statement. -- Rob Welch, Moab John Huntsman . . . the Editor: We are daily confronted with the consequences of poor decision making. More dead and dying everyday, broken families, shattered lives, and numerous fatalities. These facts sound like problems reminiscent of the dilemma in Iraq, yes, but they are actually just a few of the terrible, effects of drinking. The statistics speak for themselves: In the United States, every 30 minutes, trafsomeone is killed in an alcohol-relate- d ed accident. Last year alone alcohol related automobile accidents claimed more than 10 times the total number of US troops killed in Iraq. Alcohol and alcohol-relate- d problems are least $100 at American the economy costing million in health care and loss of productivity every year. Four in ten criminal offenders report alcohol as a factor in violence, and among spouse violence victims, three out of four incidents reported involve alcohol use. Nearly one out of four Americans admitted to hospitals have alcohol problems or are undiagnosed alcoholics being diagnosed for alcohol fic related consequences. And on and on: http:www.usnodrugs.com s .htm Gov. Huntsman, I supported you this election. I believed in your proposals. I saw potential in your promises. When others said you didnt have the experience or track record necessary for this post, I retorted but he has the wisdom and foresight to do whats best for Utah. I encourage you to avoid loosening the alcohol laws in Utah in an effort to boost the economy. The ills far outweigh the economic benefits. The terrible consequences of more crime, discord, suffering, health drinking disintegration, and escalating healthcare costs follow the for everyone intenThe difficulties alcohol. of use prevalent alcohol. of increased with the acceptance sify To turn a blind eye to these documented facts does your constituents a disservice. The cost to Utah isnt worth it. I hope you can see that relaxing liquor laws endangers our families and community welfare; otherwise, Utahns too will have fallen victim to poor decision making. -- Mathew Stucki, Castle Valley, Utah mocracy. There was a letter to the editor last week stating it was okay to vandalize if you didnt agree with someones point of view. That same author certainly supports free speech. Huh? Theres a bit of a disconnect there. I supposed that during his time in the army he was fight most-assured- ly .. . ing for this freedom of speech he now disdains. Dennis Boarts viewpoints are not shared all. However, if we all run around vandalizby ing objects we dont agree with, every vehicle with a bumper sticker is subject to brutalization. I personally find signs that say do it in the dirt offensive. Does that give me permission to shoot out windows and sla&li tires? -- Karen Robinson, Moab Writer was ignorant of Flag Code and terrorist law . . . Dear T-Cowards come in all stripes, yet the most dangerous is he who attempts to disarm others by couching his threats with lofty flag waving and breast beating. Frank Darcey seems such a person. Darcey is all for rights until they challenge his beliefs then he flies his true colors. stint Strange, Darcey brags of his is in the Army (being drafted) yet ignorant of r enlistment in the Navy! He Boarts further expresses his ignorance in both the Flag Code (PUBLIC LAW 94 - 344) and of U.S. law by making a felonious terrorist threat: U.S. Code 76, Section5, Subsection 107, Terroristic threat Penalty, . .a person commits a terroristic threat if he threatens to commit any offense involving . . . substantial prophe acts with intent to erty damage, and I, ar four-yea- ... responsibilities, the water agent manages the permit process, gathers data for water user claim, creates community outreach and education plans and materials and coordinates with water advisory group. Under the groundwater Winter has come protection, the agent conducts of bygone times. a survey of septic tanks, works with partners to write grants, and develops a long-tergroundwater monitoring and protection plan for the town. A memo from the advisory group states that there are currently approximately 270 approved water wells and 235 septic systems. Most of these wells and septic systems are situated on the unconsolidated deposits of the valley-fil- l aquifer. All of the studies to date have stated that the single greatest potential source of contamination to the aquifer is our septic systems. Recent hydrology studies recommend a septic density of 15 acres for a large part of the town. Because e we cant change the lots, and our population is growing, we need to monitor and manage our septic systems to prevent groundwater contamination. The group also says the water rights for the town are currently described as domestic and irrigation use, and suggests changing this to municipal use which would protect our unused water and make the management of our water rights simpler. An important part of this process is the creg ation by the town council of a group as requested by the water agent. The council advertised for volunteers to be part of the water working group and selected all that applied during the last council meeting. They include two members of the town council, Jerry to Castle Valley, accentuating the lines of this relic Photo by Ron Drake m sole-sour- ce five-acr- water-workin- Bidinger and Bob Lippman, water agent Catherine Howells and road supervisor Damian Bollerman and members Bruce Aldridge, Sue Bellagamba, Jack Campbell, Alice Drogin, Dave Erley, Pam Hackley, Bill Hedden, Dan Kent, I! Joe Kingsley and Ron Mengel. council town the last During meeting, the . - council also selected members to fill the road committee to help with decisions about the maintenance and design of the towns roads. That group includes Dorr Hatch of the town council, Road Supervisor Damian Bollerman, Dave Vaughn and Ron Mengel. The hunting regulations on the upper end of Castle Valley that were instituted several years ago seemed to work well originally but this last deer hunt proved to be a dangerous situation according those who live in the area. Those residents said the early snow drove many of the deer down from the mountains and the testosterone level of the hunters was high creating a hazardous situation. The area is currently restricted to primitive weapons but there were reports of rifles, hunting from ATVs, hunting in peoples yards and other complaints. One resident said he counted 17 hunters one day and many more on the last day all hunting is the small area. There was too much cross firing going on. They said there were hunters from all over the country in a small concentrated area and it wasnt safe in their own yards. Mayor Bruce Keeler said he intends to go to the Regional Advisory Council (RAC) board meeting and ask to have the area between the River Ranchos and the upper 80s, the current primitive weapon hunting area, for high-power- bow hunters only. The council concluded that it wouldnt be too long before there would be a dead bow hunter there. The RAC board is an advisory group to the State Division of Wildlife Resources and they meet monthly at different locations around the state. alcohol-statistic- Freedom of speech still part of democracy Dear Editor: I guess the rules changed while I wasnt looking (perhaps on November 3?). Last I was aware freedom of speech was a part of our de- Several months ago the Castle Valley Town Council appointed Catherine Howells to be the towns water agent and at the same time expanded the scope of the job. The water agent job description includes the management ofwater rights issues and permits for the town and coordination of groundwater protection plans. Under those two intimidate or coerce a civilian population or to influence or affect the conduct of a government or a unit of government; or . . . (iii) place a person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury, substantial bodily injury, or death. It is not a defense' under this section that the person did not attempt to or was incapable of carrying out the threat. A threat under this section may be express or implied. Maybe the County Attorney, Chief Navarre, and the local FBI would be interested in how Darceys brand of patriotism works. In the e meantime, seems to me, Darcey has a as and hes Blazer Boarts trailer, job guarding list of of at the himself the top stupidly placed suspects! -- Ron Regehr Moab, UT full-tim- Thanks from STILA for cleanup Dear Editor: On behalf of the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone involved in the cleanup held in Spanish Valley on November 20. With the help of the community and the volunteer group The Solutions, we were able to pick up almost 18 cubic yards of waste, six tires and some recyclables in one concentrated area! Unfortunately, this constitutes only 13 of the waste at this one site. There are at least two other known sites within a mile from this one. SITLA is committed to cleaning up the land and we appreciate the help of the community. ... Thank you to The Solutions, Bobs Sanitation, Knave of the Hearts Bakery and Chips Grand Tires in this effort. It could not have been done without them. We now have a law enforcement officer who patrols SITLA land and will be prosecuting anyone involved with illegal dumping. If you have any concerns with SITLA land, please do not hesitate to contact the Moab office at Thank you for everything you have done to help maintain the spectacular land surrounding our community. -- John Knight, Resource Specialist - SE Utah 259-376- 0. Its truly a blessing to live in Moab . . . Card of Thanks I am writing this letter to thank the community of Moab and some very wonderful friends. As some of you may know, my mother Margaret R. Mody passed on November 22, 2004 at the ECF at Allen Memorial Hospital. Many of the people involved in situations such as this , never get the recognition they deserve so I want to publicly thank and bless every one of them. Dr. Steven Rouzer. Bless you for returning just when we needed you most. Your care and understanding was the raft that kept me afloat. The doctors, nurses and aides at Allen Memorial Hospital (too numerous to name individually) . . . Thank you for being there for us. Your support and caring in my mothers illness was amazing. You always took special care of mother and myself over and above your nursing duties. The nurses and aides at Rocky Mt. Home Care. Thank you for your tender care of my mother and for helping take some of the load . off me. My numerous and wonderful friends, espe cially Janie and Clyde. Thank you for your con- cern, your presence and your wonderful garden where I could revitalize my soul. Jay. Thank you for being my sounding board, sharing your experiences and very especially for your wonderful humor. Randy. Thank you for letting me rant and vent. For always offering your advice even when I didnt ask for it and most importantly your wonderful friendship. Bego. Thank you for being there in the worst of it and for being with my mother when I couldnt. A very special thank you to Brittany for taking care of EVERYTHING. Your concern, caring and time were more than I ever expected. A million thanks for the mini vacations. Youre my hero! And to Luzon, my friend, my therapist, my anchor. I couldnt have gotten through this without either of you. Finally, a thank you to the community of Moab. Its truly a blessing to live here. Thank you and bless you all. -- Marlene Mody Moab 1 " Letters to the editor policy does not necessarily endorse the opinions published in letters to the editor The and guest editorials.TheT-- 1 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 candidate. Anything unsigned, of a libelous nature, or containing defamatory statements will not be considered for publication. All letters must be typed or legibly written, and be 400 words or less. Letters are subject to editing. Mail to Letter to the Editor," P.O. Bex 129, Moab, Utah, 84532. Deadline is Monday, 5 p.m. to editor0rnoabtimes.com. The Letters may also be sent via may not four from weeks. once write than who more letters every persons Changes to frequently accept letters to the editor after submission will be accepted only in the most extreme circumstances. Times-lndepende- nt ail Times-lndepende- nt |