Show armner j opinion Letters & I To our Readers MAIL 951 Ogden UT 84402-095- 1 FAX (801)625-450- business companies favored the expense of small farmers oil t SUSAN ZAKIN It’S 1999 Do you know who your Farm Bureau I understand This doesn’t seem as important as our kid’s soccer tournament or the fact that it’s Jmost tax time again But it is In fact you might ie a member of your state Farm Bureau and not en know it Because the Farm Bureau isn’t a unch of guys in overalls sitting around Mom’s ’afe talking about wheat prices The Farm Bureau today is the equivalent of a fciant multinational corporation only it doesn’t have to pay taxes Various state farm bureaus own narketing cooperatives that are raking in profits and stilling family farms Fortune magazine ecently ranked the American Farm Bureau ederation the 17th most effective lobbyist in Washington DC About 95 percent of the Farm Bureau’s 47 million members aren’t farmers They’re customers of the group’s many insurance companies 63 of which earn a total of more than $65 billion annually in net premiums Once you know this it’s less surprising that m d ru- fi- - illy ta- - rty ly' c- - 3ne )- - SS le ise o tn- - )U to Farm Bureau policies sound as if they are written of oil company CEOs and the Montana Freemen The Farm Bureau supports voluntary prayer in public schools transferring federal land except parks and wildlife refuges to the states and halting US funding to the United g Nations The group opposes the treaty signed in Kyoto If Farm Bureau policies went into effect tomorrow would be allowed to work Small farmers across the country have been seething at the group's tilt toward agribusiness and big oil But the seething was quiet until last week when the Washington DC-base- d environmental group Defenders of Wildlife went public with the charge that the farmer has no overalls Defenders has been warring with the Farm Bureau over endangered species reintroduction all over the country The Bureau is winning right now so Defenders went on the offensive showing up at the organization’s annual conference in Albuquerque with a tame gray wolf named Rami who licked people’s faces but failed to maul any small children dogs or frail elderly folks Wolves are important but I’m more concerned that the Farm Bureau doesn’t pay taxes In 1993 the Internal Revenue Service ruled that dues from members had to be taxed which global-warmin- non-farmi- generosity makes a difference Davis County residents are some of the most generous Unit- ed Way contributors in the nation However residents who work in Salt Lake or Weber counties may not realize that their money stays in the county where they work unless they find the designation portion of their pledge form and specify their contributions to go to United Way of Davis County As the volunteer fund distribution chairman I can attest to the wise use of funding in Davis County Each year a fund distribution committee consisting of 26 volunteers assesses the needs of the community and decides what services are most needed They review financial and statistical information visit each agency and then allocate the funding This citizen review process assures donors the agencies are legitimate and the contributions will be used to make the greatest impact sponsibility very seriously Last year 900 volunteer hours were spent dividing more than $1 million among 49 agencies across the Wasatch Front serving Davis County citizens It is estimated some 70000 people in our community will utilize services provided by United Way of Davis County-funde- d agencies this year It is imperative that donors who work outside the county make sure their donation is designated to help their neighbors in Davis County I would like to thank the 35 companies who have underwritten the total overhead costs for United Way of Davis County which allows every penny of other contributions to help people in need Further I would like to thank all the people who have made workplace contributions and to assure them their generosity makes a difference Vemile Hess Bountiful The committee takes this re American Red Cross gives thanks for support On behalf of the American Red Cross of Northern Utah we would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the nearly 000 generous people who have financially supported our humanitarian mission in the past two months 1 Friends neighbors and school from Kaysville to Brigham City responded to our requests with unparalleled generosity They gave donations to support the victims of Hurricane Mitch the five families that lost their homes to fire in Ogden and for the ongoing humanitarian work of the chapter To each and every one of you please know that your gift made a difference and that to someone somewhere children would have cost the Farm Bureau about $32 million a year Rep David Camp a Michigan Republican came to the rescue with the Tax Fairness for Agriculture Art of 1996 Camp and received many of the bill’s 126 $109824 from political action committees affiliated with state farm bureaus according to investigative reporter Vicki Monks in Defenders magazine The way I see it the Farm Bureau is bucking for an identity crisis similar to the one wracking the National Rifle Association Several years ago the NRA veered so sharply to the crackpot right -d calling federal agents thugs" in a g letter - that it alienated many longtime members The Farm Bureau is headed down the same road In 1995 Mark Dalpiaz a young Colorado farmer wrote a letter to his local farm bureau complaining that the group was one What does school step away from prayer have to do with farming anyway? “Are the only real farmers fundamentalist Christians?” wrote Dalpiaz More recently Missouri farmer Scott Dye blasted the Farm Bureau’s support for factory hog farms which hurt family hog farmers and are believed to contribute to outbreaks of Pfiesteria piscicida a highly toxic microbe that kills fish and can make people sick “We’ve lost 5000 “jack-boote- fund-raisin- neo-Nazis- m independent swine producers in Missouri in the last five years - family farms - and they're gone forever The Farm Bureau stood by and let that happen” Dye told a reporter “If these people lose their prestige as the spokesmen for agriculture they’re just another insurance lobby" Mike Callicrate a Kansas fccdlot operator and Leo McDonell a Montana rancher are traveling the heartland speaking out against international free trade as well as the high profits of beef middlemen Crowds cheer when McDonell asks: “Why are we worried about the predators in Yellowstone Park when the biggest predator is right here it's the packers and (lie I arm Bureau has cleared the way for them?" Reform won’t be easy The NRA relics on its members for dues and support The Farm Bureau on the other hand makes so much money from its business ventures that it will be tough for people like Mike Callicrate or Scott Dye to have an impart But they’re probably the only ones w ho can change things After all they’re farmers - so they can vote Or they can just clear a space on the carpet for Rami the wolf Susan Zakin is a regular contributor to Writers on the Range She lives in Tucson Art and is the author of "Coyotes and Town Dogs ” you brought a light in the darkness Your American Red Cross in Northern Utah has six paid and more than 700 volunteer staff We are not a governmental agency and receive no support from either the government or our national headquarters We rely on the generosity of our constituents to bring humanitarian service in an impartial and neutral way to those in greatest need Thanks for your continued support We depend on you Tom Julia M F Groom-Thompso- Davidson n American Red Cross of Northern Utah Ogden Hospital patient grateful for care I would like to thank all the employees who work with the heart patients at a local hospital During my stay Dec 28 through Jan 4 I was very ill They made me feel like I was the only patient in their care although the floor was packed I was treated so specially that at times the nurses made me forget how ill I was Even though I will not mention names for the fear of leaving someone out I believe they all know who they are because it just seemed second nature for them to make us (patients) feel at home My recovery from surgery was made very comfortable Thanks again to all who made it such a smooth transition Keep up the good work I would recommend your accommodations to anyone in need Bill Laub Willard Christmas Village made season brighter On behalf of the Ogden Christmas Village Committee I would like to thank the generous donors merchants volunteers and entertainers who contributed money services talent and countless hours toward making the 1998 Christmas Village a resounding success! Once again the twinkling village was magic and visitors were awed by its splendor Your support made the season brighter for many including 46 needy children We thank you from the bottom of our hearts Kay Ballif Christmas Village Committee Ogden After son’s accident family and community prove there is good When our son Richard G McKenzie II broke a quadriplegic a great tragedy occurred in his life and ours Pairt sorrow and heartache became a reality For us however these have been replaced by courage hope and peace How? First Rich is remarkable we hope many will have the opportunity to meet him Second our extended family and community are remarkable his neck and became Before Rich was out of surgery we were warmly and strongly embraced by the loving arms of friends and family Before the first week had passed our home was cleaned our garden weeded our lawn mowed our children cared for their needs met grief consoled hunger fed An auction and dinner were planned to help with renovations to our home and with bills Yard sales were held Our needs were met often before we knew the need was there An incredible outpouring of love concern and caring has come our way since day one The blessings of love and caring have truly Doonesbury has lost its overalls to READER READER Your WEDNESDAY: David Broder investigates Bill Clinton’s curious resilient popularity Lettersstandardnet by a combination iters on me Range Opinion pages 8 Dnce agriculture’s advocate the Farm Bureau h Big been ours to share and embrace We have enjoyed a joyous Christmas season of spe- rial gifts one after another These special gifts have come from our community families and others we don’t even know We desire to thank you all Is there good in the world today? We strongly shout yes there is! It resides in the hearts of family neighbors communities and you We thank you Plain City residents and your extended families for your daily care We thank you owners and managers of businesses who have given so much We thank you our dear family Your warmth care and sharing of so much time effort and commodities are gratefully received Rich is strong he is battling daily and he is at peace because of you Thank you all Melanie and David McKenzie Plain City by garry trudeau A web of dilemmas for libraries Should kids have open access to the Internet? Check it out By BARRY S FAGIN Special to Newsday What’s a librarian to do? Library patrons everywhere are demanding Internet access But in addition to containing useful information the Internet includes sexually explicit material glorified violence and hate sites What about parents who want their children to use the library? My wife and I have always believed it’s a parent’s responsibility to monitor the online material that comes into their homes and to assess their children’s own level of maturity to decide when they are ready to see certain items Filtering software is also available to restrict Web surfing areas and we encourage its use to by families who have concerns Public libraries are a problem though because they offer Internet access without parental supervision and they’re funded with taxpayer dollars So they present hard questions When it became clear a couple of years ago that Internet filtering in libraries was going to be a big issue both sides circled the wagons and staked out their positions On one side we had the American Civil Liberties Union declaring that filtering was censorship and therefore unconstitutional It also noted that many filtering programs block Web pages based on particular companies’ lists of objectionable sites or keywords substituting corporate judgment for that of patrons Some filtered programs are very poor choices blocking breast cancer information sites or Web pages On the other side we had groups insisting that providing unfiltered access anywhere in a public facility was the equivalent of subsidizing immorality They noted correctly that other types of filtering software permit connections only to approved sites that can be determined by librarians or parents This type of filtering is very effective at restricting the portion of the Web available to younger surfers and is no different from having a material in a separate room for library that minors cannot use Both sides are willing to sue to get their way The ACLU is preparing legal challenges to the use of any filtering software in libraries But a California parent recently sued the city of Livermore when her minor child obtained access child-friend- ly “pro-famil- adult-orient- to sexually explicit pictures at a library terminal And a lawsuit is beginning in Philadelphia between the ACLU and the Justice Department over a federal law requiring companies to keep Internet material considered “harmful to minors” away from children The problems arise from the dogmatic “one size fits all” approach that activists traditionally take The ACLU’s insistence that filtering of any sort is unacceptable is a slap in the face of taxpayers and parents who don’t share the ACLU’s sympathies If socially conservative parents support the library with their taxes why can’t the library support their efforts as parents? On the other hand the position of groups such as the Family Research Council doesn’t allow for parents who like myself want their children to have unfiltered access What room is there for parents like us in the library of the future if restrictive groups get their way? Any reasonable library filtering policy must recognize that taxpaying parents have a variety of deeply held convictions about how to raise a family It has to allow children the Internet experience and that means some form of filtering must be available to parents who request it The right filtering policy for libraries relies on technology to support a pluralistic diverse solution and it avoids the heavy-hande-d ideology pushed by the extreme left and right It provides both filtered and unfiltered access Parents determine the type of access for their children and the technology ensures minors cannot gain access to the full Internet without their parents’ situation permission It’s a win-wi- n This policy was recently adopted in a Denver suburb not too far from where I live All indications are that it will be successful Approaches like this ought to make us think more about ways to accommodate different perspectives on controversial issues The Internet for example supports millions of users every day with widely differing needs and viewpoints No one would think of allowing a majority of Internet users to dictate policy to others That’s why the issue here isn’t just library filtering It’s how technology changes politics Instead of always thinking about solutions with winners and losers we ought to see if new approaches allow multiple views to be accommodated Technology after all is supposed to improve our lives Barry Fagin is a cofounder of Families Against Internet Censorship By Bruce Tinsley Mallard Fillmore fHe Aflp ffe&peKT W4£ SCHAVGKXJ easNMtcHNS THGPR£SCm& TRIAL ZONKT yiojzgigrx I ca&peti&T W PvkrTfteltaA ''WA& lcopy w-- 1 1A Coming up in the: r POBox Please keep letters to 300 words or less and include your name address and daytime phone for verification Letters must be signed and may be edited and condensed 'Columns Standard-Examine- uesoay January zt lyyy iteO&Joo W N&er EPniofLL He'? no l&j&Jy |