OCR Text |
Show tlhe Page A5 iTtmrs-JIniirpnti'Hn- Thursday, July 5, 2001 ii Letters to the Editor Times-Independe- La Sal gets ready for an old-fashion- Fourth of July ed redneck games, like nothing you hae e er seen before. I m telling you, folks look forw ard to this z unmess more than anything else. And, the games are new and different every year. Once folks have finally exhausted themselves and w hile they rest so their sides will quit aching, it is time for the firew orks. Yes, La Sal even has firew orks for the 4th of J uly. The display is put on by our local fire department. They may not be as large and spectacular as those in town," but there is never a lack of oohs and aahs. You can read all about the happenings in La Sal from week to week in the Northern New" column in the San Juan Record. And a happy 4th of July from the folks of La Sal. You all come out and see us now. Sincerely, Maxine Deeter La Sal Dear Sam, I enjoy reading your column each week, your opinions and outlook on things and issues. In answer to a question in last week's column, yes, we do still have a celebration for the 4th of July in La Sal. Its an Old Fashioned 4th of July celebration La Sal style. It all starts at 4 p m. with a parade from Charles Redd's shop to the Community Center. What we lack in length and quantity, we make up for. if not in quality, at least in enthusiasm. Some pretty creative entries show up every year. Supper time brings the folks together at the Community Center for a good old country pot luck dinner. Nothing better than country cooking. This is followed by a patriotic program with speeches and music. It reminds folks of the reason behind the Independence Day celebration. And then, the games begin. These are purely Chamber responds to allegations, blow by blow I went on vacation, and when I got back, I was locked out of my office, with no reason w hatsoever." Ms. Mueller is mistaken. Monday, May 7 Ms. Mueller left Moab for vacation. Ms. Mueller called the Chamber to inform Dear Editor: After careful consideration of this matter, the Chamber of Commerce Board decided it was in the best interest of the Chamber and its members to terminate Ms. Muellers position. It is the policy of the Chamber of Commerce not to comment on particulars of an employee's job performance outside the review process, which is a private matter between the Chamber and the employee. With that aside, the Chamber will address these few points. Ms. Mueller said in her interview to Channel 6 News: fl J them that she was extending her vacation and would return on May 22. Tuesday, May 22 Ms. Mueller attended the monthly board meeting. Two questions were put before Ms. Mueller. Continued on Page Af Two Wheels On A Because there is a limited amount of space in the van (12 riders total; five are signed up already), advance registration is required for this ride. There is a sign-usheet at Poison Spider Bicycles There are also releases at the shop; every rider will need to have a release signed by a parent or guardian. You can bring the signed releases to the ride. Riders must have a mountain bike with no badly worn parts, a helmet, proper attire, and the ability to carry at least 100 ounces of water, preferably in a hydration pack such as a Camelbak. Riders with smaller packs, such as 50- - or 70- - ounce models, should supplement with water bottles. A snack is also highly recommended preferably something that will hold up well to heat. Please also note that this is an advanced ride, and there is no motorized support. Every rider will need to be capable of completing the ride from the traiihead on Sandflats Road to the River Road, which is about 14 difficult miles. Talk to the folks at Poison Spider about the ride if you are unsure one of the reasons for the registration sheet is to take advantage of that resource. As always, parents are welcome on the ride. However, because of the limited space in the shuttle, parents will need to find their own transportation to the traiihead. Ill be out of town until July 1 0, but you can contact me with questions about the ride after that at or me at ontwowheelslasal.net. pedaling periodical of bicycle-relate- d news and views p by Ron Georg Note: I'm wilting in the hot sun, waiting to be revived by the monsoon. I dont have the energy to complain about car culture, etc., and you probably don't have the energy to care. In the meantime, heres a short notice about an upcoming mountain bike event for kids. Rite of passage Into the second summer of the Moab City Rec Departments group rides for kids (open to all kids, ages 10 to 14). the strongest are surviving. The kids showing the most interest have been the most advanced riders, so the rides have been selected to match their abilities. While there will be a break in the ride series July 5 (I need to go breathe cool ocean air), well resume July 12 with the big one, Porcupine Rim. The first time on Porcupine is a big event for anyone, but especially for the riders on this trip. That is, for those who havent already done it Moab has a hearty crop of young riders. As usual, the ride will start from City Park, on 100 West near the skate park, at 7 a m. From there well shuttle to the traiihead in style, with August Brooks piloting a Road Runner shuttle van, generously donated by Jim Ryan. Well also have a vehicle on the River Road to shuttle riders back to town without facing the dangerand Moab. ous traffic situation between the trail-ta- (259-7882- ). well-tune- news in The Times-& Outdoors Section, Bl-3- . Sports il d 2, 1 Castle Valley Comments by Ron Drake Our local branch of Utah Open Lands, the Castle Rock Collaboration CRC, is moving closer in their negotiation to purchase 210 acres of Utah Trust Lands (SITLA)-owne- d land at the base of Castleton Tower, it was announced last week at a public CRC meeting. Were looking forward to this opportunity of doing business with SITLA in Castle Valley." says CRC Director Laura Kamala, as we provide conservation dollars to the beneficiaries of the School Trust. At the same time, we will preserve valued wild land resources that can be enjoyed by SITLA beneficiaries and others tor generations to come. We believe this is a great deal all around. Were fortunate that the State Trust Lands Administration is willing to work with communities like ours, who want to De about issues like watershed protec- tion, critical wildlife habitat and open space preservation. The consensus among most residents and the State Division of Wildlife Resources as managers with the Management is to maintain open space on the entire block of SITLA wild lands in Castle well as Bureau wildlife of Land Valley. The community continues to work through its planning process with SITLA and the next meeting is scheduled for the latter part of September. Stay tuned for dates and times. For anyone in the community who has not been able to attend planning meetings and would like an update or to voice 259-870your concerns, call Lajra at an with We want everyone know to interest in Castle Valley they are invited to sit at the table in this planning process. Each individuals ideas and unique perspective are wanted and needed," Kamala said. r The Castle Valley exercise group continues to meet Monday through Friday at the LDS Church, a tradition that has been going on for many years in one form or another. Recently the group changed the time to 6 a.m. to accommodate the Moab commuters who can work out for an hour and still have time to get ready for work at 8 a.m. Come join the fun, they say and NIA and get moving with Tae-BAfrican dance videos." Every second Tuesday, another tradition continues at the Latter-Da- y Saint Church for those who like to eat and who should probably exercise more. The monthly potluck dinner has been going on for several years now and is a good opportunity to enjoy good food and get to know your neighbors a little better. The next potluck dinner will be Tuesday, July 1 0 beginning at 6:30 p.m. and usually last about an hour with plenty of time left to pull a few weeds in the garden. The dinner in August will not be held but will continue monthly in September. o, long-standi- After his mail run last Saturday, Loris was on his way to Arizona where it really gets hot to visit family members and will continue on to Wyoming for more visiting, taking about two weeks altogether. A lot of disparaging remarks are made about the U S Postal Service in general these days but Im continually amazed at how some mail makes it here at all with some of the weird and incomplete addresses. Im sure Loris had a lot to do with the successful arrival of some of that mail. That large 1 0 by culvert that allows water of Castle Creek to pass under Castle Valley Drive was installed 22 years ago this week. Castle Valley residents assembled it and the county road crew lowered it into place and covered it with gravel to form a new road over the creek. 65-fo- ot Previously, the road went down through the current property of Merrill Brady and crossed a small culvert that frequently washed out and sometimes became so slick or muddy in the winter that it caused the traffic to get bogged in the mire, blocking the access to the valley. 4-- H Also that year, the Castle Valley sponsored a car wash to help send We have come to appreciate the loyal, dedicated and professional service of Loris Williams as our mailman for the past several years. His contract to bring the mail to the valley expired as of June 30 and his contract bid for another four years was not successful. members to summer camp, and the LDS Church presented a Disney movie, Follow Me Boys"The church rented a film every month during the summer before the days of videos and they were usjaliy viewed outside since the local congregation didnt 4-- Winning by losing by Brent Overson Greg Hankins is a man of contradictions He is a lawyer who prefers the classroom to the courtroom He is an entrepreneur who prefers people over making money Most remarkably he has become the frontrunner for the State Republican Party's top leadership position by losing an election rather than by winning one The political fortunes of Greg seemed less than promishe announced in June of when ing 999 that he was seeking the Republican Nomination for the U S Senate seat occupied by HawKins 1 Last year, Hawkins published a guest ed. tonal in many of Utah's papeis explaining why he is a Re- publican and commenting on the apparent divisions in the party He wrote 'The Republican Party believes government belongs to the people and therefore invites public debate, disagreement, even dissent ..There is a difference between debate within a party and the division of the party .. applaud those who invite "moderates" and "conservatives" alike to engage in the debate and who are not afraid of inde" pendent thinking I Another Hawkins contradiction is four-ter- incumbent Ornn Hatch Political pundits mistakenly dismissed Hawkins as a protest candidate who would lose and quickly fade from the scene At the May 2000 Republican Con- vention, Hawkins did lose the chance tor a primary - but only by 54 votes, a mere 5o of the vote This surprise showing shocked party leaders Suddenly this onetime, little- known Riverton attorney had become a player in a Republican Party that dominates the state but often appears to be divided within. Once largely ignored, Hawkins has become a regular guest on radio talk shows and is in demand as a speaker throughout the state Far from fading away politit loss has cally, Hawkins' him in the race for favorite the made the State Republican Party 1 - hard-fough- that although he believes strongly in the virtue of public debate, he never treats his opponents as enemies. Laura Anthony, who headed the Hawkins advance team during the senate race says, "Greg's confidence, ability and sense of humor coupled with his high regard for others opinion make him unflappable in the heat of debate " Greg Burton in a Salt Lake Tribune article titled Candidates for GOP Chair Square Off, quotes both the leading candidates Of Joe Cannon he wrote, Cannon emphasized his managerial grit and political savvy 'You have to be able to stand up against the Democrats and articulale our views,' Cannon said" All those who have heard Hawkins speak, friends and foes alike, know that he has no difficulty in taxing a stand and speaxmg powerfully about what he terms. "Republic principles and philosophy which are worthy of our advocacy And yet, he does not view himself as "against" anyone As Burton also wrote, "Hawkins tone was vastly different from the partisan rhetoric on display during last month's Salt Lake County GOP convention..." Earlier in the same article, Hawkins promised inclusion and fairness 'It s time we raise the banner in a way that is not annoying, that is not offensive, he said 'The people on the other side of the aisle Democrats are not our enemy, they are our friends and our family Rather than view any person as an enemy, Greg simply values other people," says Michael Chabries a friend and colleague of Hawkins Greg never forgets that those we sometimes label in one context are literally our neighbors or even family members in another context " A man of contradictions, Hawkins has fearlessly challenged the powerful of his party and yet remains unequivocally a mainstream Republican who supports the party He seems to believe that the principles and philosophy of the Republican Party, if articulated often and well, will persuade many to believe again in what Hawkins says, Is the greatest system of government ever devised by man " Brent Overson is a former Salt Lake County Commissioner d 259-305- Read more sports-relate- guest editorial nt H full-leng- th have their own building yet. Times-Independe- Children dying ? by William P. Sharp a recent conversation had with Bruce Ardam (a member of Senator Orrin Hatchs staff) I was informed that Senator Hatch does not believe In I that human life begins when the sperm penetrates the egg (conversation on June 28, 2001) This is Orrin Hatchs justification for his latest urging of President Bush to authorize the use of federal money for medical research that involves harvesting cells derived by destroying human embryos a process bethat many scientists and lieve kills unborn children Sens Orrin G. Hatch of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, said such experiments could be conducted safely and ethically under guidelines adopted by the National Institutes of Health. Senator Collins, who is said, Stem cell research holds tremendous potential to treat and even cure a vast array of diseases and conditions." Hatch, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Collins expressed their views last week in separate letters to President Bush, (see article, Salt Lake Tribune, Jun. 25). However, The Bush administration is deeply divided over whether to prohibit federal support for research using embryonic stem cells. The president's advisers on science and health policy, including Tommy G Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, see immense potential value in research with embryonic stem cells. But Karl Rove and other political advisers worry that support for such research would alienate pro-lif- e advocates. organizations and pro-lif- e Pro-lif- e Sen. Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, is leading pro-life- guest editorial nt opposition to embryonic stem cell research. He said the research was deeply immoral" because scientists destroyed human life in the process of isolating stem cells from embryos. In February 2000, 1 8 current Republican senators signed a letter opposing destructive embryo research." But Hatch told the president that research with embryonic stem cells was legal, scientifically compelling and ethically sound." Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont, who quit the Republican Party and became an independent last month, is also urging the administration to allow federal aid for research with embryonic stem cells. (Pro-lifinfonet: June 25,01) It was recently pointed out that some who are now supporting stem cell research, are doing so in complete contradiction of their past opposition. The following are comments of Sen. John McCain on embryonic stem cell research, e (R-A- from CNN Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer," aired June 24, 2001. Com- pare these remarks with a February 4, 2000 letter to the National Institutes of Health that Sen. McCain signed with 1 9 other senators, OPPOSING draft guidelines by the Clinton administration to fund embryo- stem cell research. That letter said that the Clinton administration plan to fund such ree law search is contrary to a -destructive pro-lif- (the Dickey Amendment) which we support and which remains in effect The Clinton guidelines, the letter said, regulate the means by researchers may obtain and destroy live human embryos in orin der to receive federal funds. violation of the law."The letter concluded, Because Congress never intended for the executive branch which County OK's senior citizen project Continued from Page A2 . . to facilitate destructive embryo research, we urge the National Institutes of Health to withdraw these guidelines as contrary to the law and Congressional intent." WOLF BLITZER. Theres another issue that the White House has to deal with in the next few weeks. The president is. obviously, torn on this issue of stem cell research, research that would, many medical experts say, help in dealing with such diseases as Parkinson's and diabetes. The presidents torn by those who say that using these stem cells from fetuses could undermine his entire policy. On the other hand, he wants to see if he can deal with some of these new medical advances. Where do you stand on the whole issue of stem cell research? MCCAIN: I'm leaning towards supporting it very strongly because of the information that I have received. There is one individual that a lot of us respect, Orrin Hatch, who anti-aborti- has been one of the leaders 7 6-- the e area south of Moab. The final recommendations were the culmination of a senes of public meetings and written comments submitted by area residents. On Monday night, the council voted to adopt a proposed change to the county's land use code that increases the allowable size of accessory buildings m residential areas throughout the county. Existing regulations restrict the size of accessory buildings to 4G percent of the primary structure. Now, property owners may construct buildings ranging in size from 1,000 square feet to 2,000 square feet, depending on the zone in which the structure will be located. The amendment also increases the allowable height of buildings to 24 feet, from the height allowed under current regulations. County building inspector Jeff Whitney had told the Grand County Planning and Zoning Commission and the County Council that the 40 percent size limit resulted in some home-ownerespecially those with mobile homes, being unable to build garages large enough to house a vehicle. But adopting the resolution did not come easily. The council voted four times, on four different combinations of regulations before hitting upon an amalgamation of building size, height and setback limitations that could garner the four votes required for approval. 4-- 1 p.m. on July 9 at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center to take public comments on the project. The two government entities plan to apply for a matching grant from the Utah Permanent Community-Impac- t Fund Board (CIBi, a state agency that uses federal mineral lease money paid to Utah to make loans and grants for community improvement projects. The public hearing is required as part of the application process, which requires that public input must lie received prior to submitting the application to CIB in August. In other business on Monday afternoon. Council Chair Kimberly Schapfiert said the council has been asked bv Utah Congressional representatives to recommend one Wilderness Study Area iWSAi in the county for inclusion in legislation being drafted by Rep James 1 lansen and Rep Chns Cannon. The council voted 0 to recommend the entire wilderness plan, adopted in 1999 by the council as an amendment to the countys general plan. The wilderness plan identifies 251,641 acres of Grand County lands that should be set aside as WSAs m a variety of sensitive areas including Mill Creek Canyon. Negro Bill Canvon. Beaver Creek, Fisher Towers, and the Behind the Rocks public hearing at in effort, and he has come out in favor of stem cell research, as many others have. Obviously our senator, Orrin Hatch has gained a lot of influence through his many years representing Utah. Sadly he is now using that influence to destroy embryos so he can harvest their cells for use in other humans. Its kind of like taking parts out of a new car (rendering it dead and useless) so you can use those parts to potentially fix an old car. The very prospect of such Hitlerlike experimentation is shocking and the way the people of Utah react to Senator Hatch's pursuit of these experiments, will have a lot to say about Utah. William P. Sharp is a resident of Castle Dale, Utah pro-lif- 20-fo- ot s, |