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Show 6A Emery County Progress Castle Dale, Utah Tuesday March 18, 2003 COMMENTARY Clooney and Hollywood Left Dishonor the Memory of Those Who Served U.S. By DOUG PATTON Hollywood is a place where people who pretend to be somebody convince themselves that they are somebody. Celebrity bestows false moral author- ity upon the socially shallow and the intellectually lazy. rebels Witness the vacuous anti-wnow populating Tinsel Town. Martin Sheen could never be president, but he thinks hes important because he plays one on TV Now George Clooney seems to be the latest mouthpiece of the special people whose lives are so far removed from America that they barely resemble us anymore. Holding forth on matters about which he knows virtually nothing, Clooney has been shooting his mouth off overseas lately. Speaking in Berlin over the weekend, Clooney said that war with Iraq seems as unavoidable as it is senseless. Referring to the United States, he added, We cant beat anyone anymore. Patriotism was not always a dirty word among those who entertained us. ar There was a time when Hollywoods rich and the famous shared the sacrifice of war with their fans. The last time America was attacked, the list of those who served in uniform read like a Whos Who of Hollywood: in the history of the United States, received every medal the nation had to offer, including the coveted Medal of Honor. Jack Palance, U.S. Army Air Corps, required facial reconstruction from injuries sustained when his d in 1943. Jason Robards, U.S. Navy, was on duty as a radioman at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. Robert Stack, U.S. Navy, was asgunnery signed to teach because of his experience as an Olympic champion skeet shooter. For those who would point out that most of these men became famous as actors after their service, consider these names: Henry Fonda, who had already received critical acclaim as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, nevertheless joined the Navy and received the Bronze Star for Valor. Clark Gable, whose star was as high as anyone in Hollywood after his portrayal of Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind, joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as a private in 1942, even though he was beyond B-- Don Adams Contracted Malaria while serving as a U.S. Marine on Guadalcanal. James Arness, U.S. Army, was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star after being wounded at Anzio. Jackie Coogan unteered for hazardous flight duty in the Army Air Corps. Charles Durning won three Purple Hearts and the Silver Star after surviving the landing on Omaha Beach, being captured by the Germans, escaping and beingwounded during the Battle of the Bulge. Glenn Ford served in the Navy during World War II and in the reserves during Korea and Vietnam. Lee Marvin, U.S. Marine Corps, was wounded fighting the Japanese during the battle of Saipan. Audie Murphy, U.S. Army, the most decorated man ever to serve in uniform vol- crash-lande- anti-aircra- ft draft age. He attended Officers Candidate School, aerial gunnery training and then flew operational missions Ronald Reagan over Europe in served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Because of a severe hearing loss, he was not allowed any flying duties. Jimmy Stewart, who had starred in several movies in the late thirties and early forties, joined the Army Air Corp where, as a bomber pilot and squadron commander, he lead a number of strikes against Germany during World War II and rose to the rank of colonel. For his service, he won both the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. And then there was good old Bo B-1- gey. Humphrey Bogart, who had been wounded while serving in the Navy during World War I, also tried to enlist in World War II, but was turned down be- -' cause of his age, Although many of these Americans had lived a pampered life of wealth and leisure while the rest of the country suffered through the Great Depression of the 1930s, when it came time to serve the nation that had given them so much, they volunteered to fight alongside the sons of coal miners and accountants and salesmen. Loony Clooney and his ilk should read the history of the honorable men who went before them. (Source for information on actors who served in World War II: www.CombatFan.coml Free Association By STEVE GELDER stepdaughter were away this weekend, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The house was guys only, just me and the cat (and lies been fixed so calling it guys anything is mostly for his ego). But, it was e a zone, so it was time for something manly. So, Saturday night I had a date... with an porterhouse steak. Now Im not saying Judy and Crystal dont like steak- - they enjoy the cut and marbling of a fine steak. A really fine steak. Theyll wait weeks between steaks, and save up to get filet mignon. Lets face it, you cant go wrong with food that has a French accent. But my girls dont enjoy the big slab o red meat experience that many guys live for. If menus were up to me, Id have steak every day. Actually Id have it twice a day, if I could. Okay, completely honest...? Id have it every meal, and Id have a guy wake me up at 1:15 AM for a sirloin. Get the picture? Im the Midwestern, kinda guy. Thats why travel can be tricky When Judy and I honeymooned down in the Bahamas, we discovered they have very few cattle. No room to raise them on the islands. So, the two main types of meat are seafood...and monkey. Its tme. You cant get a Surf & Turf My wife and girl-fre- inch-thic- k late-nig- ht es anywhere. But their Shrimp & Chimp is fabulous... I remember being 19, livingwith my best friend from high school. Tracy and I were men of limited means, which is a nice way to say we were constantly broke. Macaroni without cheese, kool-ai- d without sugar prisoners would riot if they were fed what we lived on voluntarily. One weekend, one of us had a windfall; somehow we had enough money for a couple of cheap steaks, beer and some charcoal for Traces little hiba-chi grill. were inexpensive, probably chewy cuts of meat. We were picturing Ball Park plump when we cooked Steaks-they- d them. The wind was blowing the smell of our grilling meat gently through the open window. It was intoxicating; you could close your eyes and almost taste it. It was lip smacking, it was delicious smelling, it was...makingmy eyes water. I opened them and saw smoke, thick, dark smoke, billowing in the window. We jumped up and ran outside. Our steaks were on fire. I never knew steak could do because my parents and everyone else I had been around during previous cookouts knew enough to keep and eye on the grill and to turn their steaks frequently. We managed to drag the steaks off the grill and extinguished them (a phrase rarely found in steak recipes: extinguish). They were coal black on the bottom, and well done on top without having ever been turned. The low'er half was crunchy shoe leather, and the upper half was...well, edible would be bragging. We found cutting horizontally, side to side, instead of top to bottom, was the easiest. Theres something you dont often hear while eating steak: Take a little off the top. that-probab- ly Supplies were gathered, a little housework was done, the shrank to a six or smaller, and our 12-pa- appetites grew. Finally, the decision was made to light the coals and start the steaks. I dont think either of us had done a lot of cooking on a grill; at least, thats the excuse Ill use. We were hungry and the coals were burning, so we tossed the steaks on and went inside to await our feast. We had a window open over the grill and figured we could lean our heads out to do a visual check from time to time. So, we sat in our favorite chairs (the two we owned) and started looking forward to devouring these medium-rar- e beauties. I think wre had forgotten these Adult Vaccinations Play an Important Role in Keeping Healthy and Prepared As part of Utahs bioterrorism presmallpox paredness plan, the vaccination plan was created. The plan outlines procedures to be used throughout Utah for public health teams and participating hospital smallpox medical care response teams. Terrie Wright, Emergency Preparedness PlannerCoordinator for Southeastern Utah District Health Department states the events of September 1 1, 2001, and the subsequent anthrax incidents have emphasized the need to improve public health preparedness for bioterrorism. The measures needed to improve bioterrorism preparedness should also improve public health capacity to respond to other infectious disease outbreaks or other public health emergencies. Smallpox is one of the most challenging bioterrorism agents because it is transmissible from person to person, has a 30 percent fatality rate, and since the absence of immunization, the U.S. population would be largely susceptible to it. Wright emphasizes at this time, no pre-eve- nt information indicates that there is a current risk of smallpox or that an attack using smallpox is imminent. ' " The consequences of such an attack would be serious, and the government is taking prudent steps to be prepared for that unlikely possibility. On Dec. 13, 2002, President Bush announced a smallpox vaccination plan that will proceed in stages as follows: Stage one - Vaccination of military, medical care, and public health response teams. Starting in February pre-eve- nt 2003. Stage two - Vaccination of identi- fied first responder teams (i.e., EMTs, law enforcement, firefighters and additional health care providers). Vaccination may begin in late 2003. Stage three - Vaccination for general public only in the event they are needed. The timingwould be based upon a national recommendation or a credible case of smallpox identified in the United States, said Wright, even in that case vaccination would be completely voluntary. Southeastern Utah District Health Department stresses the smallpox vaccine is just one tool in public healths arsenal of disease protection; there are a variety of other routine adult vaccinations that offer pro .... l y Ut. tection from other deadly diseases. An estimated average of 23,000 persons, primarily 65 and older, die from complications of influenza illness during epidemics. Carbon and Emery have seen increased rates of influenza this year. Our schools have been hit especially hard. More than 10,000 die from pneumococcal infections annually. Hepatitis B causes another 4,000 to 5,000 adult deaths each year. We have at our office safe, effective, but highly under utilized vaccines that can help us reduce the $10 billion a year spent in societal and medical costs due to vaccine preventable disease in adults. Wright wants to remind the citizens of vaccines available to protect adults against disease such as tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, chicken pox, pneumonia and influenza. Adult vaccination plays an important role in keeping us healthy. For more information about adult immunizations contact your health care provider or Southeastern Utah District Health Department at "V " " Letters to the editor should focus on public issues rather than private personalities or entities. All submissions must be verified prior to publication. The Emery County Progress reserves the right to edit letters not only to satisfy space constraints, but potential liability concerns. .. f S.....,....-.- A., Attorney General Says Dont Push God out of the Pledge Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says a federal appeals court is wrong for refusing to reconsider a ruling that of the declared Pledge Allegiance unconstitutional because of the words under God. He will now urge the parties to appeal the decision to the United States Supreme Court. The judges got it wTong then and they have it wrong now. The Constitution protects our right to voluntarily say the entire Pledge of Allegiance with and without any interference, says Shurtleff. Last year Shurtleff and 49 other attorneys general asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to take another look at the 1 opinion. This is a time that our country should be looking at ways to protect, not prohibit freedom of speech, adds Shurtleff.This decision is a wrongheaded attempt to stifle every American citizen from saying anything publicly about God or religion. God 2-- HARRIETS WORLD Classic Vfeduaxlt&inries By HARRIET BISHOP Saturday is coming. My favorite thing to do on Saturday is to sleep in and eat a big brunch. Now when I was growing up my favorite activity was to go the Saturday Matinee at the Reseda Showhouse. We always called it a showhouse instead of theater. Sometimes I drug my baby brother with me and his boyfriend but a lot of the time I went alone. For 35 cents you could go. It was 25 cents to get in and I had 10 cents to buy two 5 cent candy bars. A Black Cow or Abbazabba or a roll of Necco wafers or if I w as careful I could make a Big Hunk last for two movies. I saw Buck Rogers every week or some other cliff hanger, I saw Lassie and The Perils of Pauline. To this day I know that is why I love soap operas so much or anything that has to do with a cliff hanger. I grew up on them. I watched Tony Curtis, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Elizabeth Taylor, Van Johnson, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Robert Stack , Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Steve McQueen and on and on and on. They were my idols. I saw and heard Rock Around the Clock with Bill Haley. I learned how to do the twist with Chubby Checker.- I saw James Dean, - NatalieWood, Rebel without a Cause, I saw all the movies that we are now seeing on AMC T.V. channel and Turner Classic Movies. I watched the first color movie. I saw all the musicals that our children call the classics. Kiss Me Kate, Oklahoma, Sound of Music, Call Me Madam. Anything that was important I saw on the big screen at the showhouse. All those old movies are in my comfort zone. They are my Baby Blanket my thumb sucking, getting to sleep and staying there comfort zone. When ever I have a bad night or I am sick, you will find me curled up in my chair, the television turned on to TCM or AMC and I am sleeping like a log. I wake up, give the screen a check and fall back to sleep. Turn the set off and I wake up. Well, there it is people. Guess you know what I will be doing this weekend. How about you? Here is a suggestion. Try watching your favorite old movie. Pop some popcorn or eat your favorite candy bar and relax for a couple of hours. Better yet, just what is your favorite Saturday activity? Remember Only in America...can a pizza get to your house faster than an |