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Show DheSaltLakeTribune PUBLIC FORUM, AA-2 Mi READER ADVOCATE. AA-2 MEROLLY REPORT, AA-3 MARCH 12, 2000 OUR VIEW The Salt Lake Tribune’s Editorial Position True Patriotism During fit of patriotic fervor at the one bad idea seemed to lead to another. First, Sen. Leonard Blackham, RMoroni, introduced a bill that ordered public schools to teach children the history and etiquette of the U.S.flag. The helmingly. bill in the House to add thatpublic school students should be compelled to say the Pledge of Allegiance every day. The House passed it overwhelmingly. At first the Senate resisted the House ittee negotiat chambers agreed that elementary ‘school students should say the pledge every day and school boards should encourage secondary school students to say it once aweek. Unfortunately,all ofthis election-year flag-waving ignores a few basicrealities. One is this: Forcing kids to observe pa- triotic rituals is sort of like trying to compel religious faith. It doesn’t work. Young children don’t understand the meaning of the words they are reciting, and older ones see through the emptiness of the exercise. Or worse, they resentit. Besides, the whole business elevates symbols over substance. Genuine patriotism is fostered by an understanding of how rare democracy has been in the history of the world, and how unusual is the American system of government. The schools must teach children about the roots of the U.S. government in the democracy of Athens and the republic of Rome, in the English common law and parliament, and the synthesis of this tradition by the nation’s founders in 1776 and 1787. They should understand the protections of individual rights and freedom of conscience in the Bill of Rights, and how the Constitution is a living document today. They should learn of the sacrifices of previous and present generations to protect those freedoms. Knowledge like this is the foundation of patriotism, not a pledge to the flag or the rules offlag-handling. Besides, compelling children to ledge allegiance to the flag can run counter to the freedoms of conscience embodied in the First Amendment for whichtheflag is but a symbol. While the Legislature’sbill on Patriotic Education allows a student to be excused from reciting the pledge upon written request from a parent, it is repugnantthat students and parents should be required to jumpthrough such hoops. It would take political courage for Gov. Mike Leavitt to veto thisbill in an election year, but that’s exactly what he should do. That wouldbe thereal stuffof patriotism. Missed Opportunity Foryears, members of minority races and ethnic groups in Utah have complained that they are unfairly targeted by police for traffic stops. The Legislature had a chance to face this issue squarely last session, but the Senate fumbled the hand-offfrom the House. Rep. Duane Bourdeaux’s House Bill 106 would have created a database to objectively evaluate the controversy. In the session concluded last week, the Housé rewrote Bourdeaux’s original bill, and finally passed the substitute version overwhelmingly 66-6. The state's police chiefs, who had opposed agg versions ofthe bill, supported this ons But it went to the Senate with only three working days left in the session, and there ‘it disappeared.into the black hole ofthe Senate Rules Committee. The bill never made it to the floor. So,any statewide effort to get a handle onthis issue will have to be renewed in a ree ture legislative session. That’s the bad The good newsis that Mayor Rocky Anderson and the Salt Lake City police department have begun to collect race data during traffic stops. That’s a promising start, but it has no effect on other acommunities and the Highway Of course, other police agencies can and should follow Salt Lake City’s lead and begin to collect information voluntarily. Thefailure of H.B. 106 is doubly frustrating because legislators in the House worked hard to develop a good bill. It would have required thestate Driver License Division to keep a record whenever a law enforcementofficer made a driver-license inquiry about a person, as officers routinely do whenever theypull someone over. Underthebill, the Driver License Division would have asked each license holder to designate his or her race on the license application. Whenever traffic stop occurred, and an officer sought to verify a license, the division would record information including the race of the person.stopped,the name of the officer and the reasonfor the stop. The information in this database then would havebeen available to the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice for study. One advantage of this version of the bill is that it would have relieved local police departments ofthe record-keeping burden. The only obvious disadvantage is that it would have taken about five years to get the race ofall drivers on the state database as their licenses came up for renewal. Still, it was a promising plan.It’s a shame that the Senate killed it. KeepReligious Neutrality The principle that government should not do or promote anything that props up a specific faith or religious belief is accepted by mostpeople.In thespiritofthis principle, a lawsuit claiming that the National mutService is promoting American Indian religion at the Rainbow Bridge National Monument deserves judicial review. ane Mountain States Legal Foundation broughtthe suit on behalf of memfers of te Natural Asch end Bridge Society, who claim that Park Service employees threaten citations to anyone with the temerity to walk under or even aethe natural wonder. special 3 American nitiesor any other ete faith tradition. There have been a plenitudeof cases in which thejudiciary has tightly construed the idea that religion and governmentdo not mix, and therefore prohibited even indirect manifestations of any government-linked preference for a specific faith, ranging from posting the Ten Commandments on public grounds to including prayers in formal public school functions. If plaintiffs indeed have been threatened with legal action for looking more closely at a monument which,as wilderness proponents say about all federal lands, belongs to them as well as everyone else, then the courts have to enjoin the Park Service from anyrule thatallows one group a more access to the monumentbased on a religious affiljation than it does others. The wall of separation principle is important enough that consistent support is necessary.If not, the wall should be breached so all — can enjoy similar relationships with government. After all, are not all faiths, like individuals, equal under the law? TheSalt LakeTribune UTAH’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1871 PAST PUBLISHERS John P, Pitzpatrick (1924-1960) John W. Gallivan (1960-1983) Jerry O'Brien (1983-1994) PUBLISHER Dominic Welch EDITOR, James B. Shelledy Gore, Bush Know Takedown Moves WASHINGTON — Al Gore and George Bushproved atleast onething in winning DAVID BRODER their parties’ nominations: They know howto take an opponent down. Both of them began the race with the enormous advantage of solid support from elected officials and leaders of key constituency groups. But both saw insurgent challerigers with strong appeal to political independents threaten to upset them.Bill Bradley surged ahead of Gore in New Hampshire polls last autumn and John McCain actually defeated Bush in thatstate on Feb,1. But when the threat appeared, Gore and Bush had the weapons to chokeitoff. Both demonstrated with tough speeches and toughertelevision adsthat they were ready to dismembertheir rivals when the times demanded it. Looking ahead to the fall, the question is not whetherthey will use these tools — but how. contributors from the vice president's White House office, the criminal conviction of one of Gore’s top fund-raisers,,the Chinese connection, the swap of funds with the Teamsters — all these and more will be resurrected. McCain was absolutely right in saying that the scale of Bush’s own fund-raising — though un- « ‘THE WASHINGTON POST WRITERS GROUP shore up Social Security and Medicare, and risk a return to the bumpy economic cycles and chronic deficits ofthe 1980s. Republicans may object to Gore's characterization of Bush's record and po- tainted by illegality, as far as is known — and Bush’s stubborn defense of unlimited “soft money”contributions from millionaires cloud Bush's credentials to indict Gore. But hehas to try. Finally, and most important, Bush will try to link Gore to the other thing Americans dislike most about Washington — its partisanship. Nothing — noteven financial scandals and the stench of specialinterest influence — dismayspeople more of attack was previewed in the final days of his primary campaigning in California and New York. On three issues — guns, abortion and the environment — Gore is arguing that Bushis outof step with majority opinion in the country, Bush has opposed strongnew controls on handguns and, in Texas, supported a law to shield gun manufacturers from liability suits. sitions, but as long as the debate remains on these grounds, the Democratic candidate has the upper hand and Bush must fight uphill. ~The governoris prepared for thatfight: He argues that his record on school reform in Texas is strong and that Gore’s ties to the teachers’ unionswill hobble his ability to deliver the “revolutionary change” the vice president has promised in the schools. Butto offset the Gore advantage on domestic issues, Bush has to try to movethe debate to a different and ture. To be sure, Texas Democrats are far more conservative than most Democrats on Capitol Hill. But Bush’s personality — his natural friendliness,his lack of ego — and his modest agenda invite legislators from both parties.to cooperate on his goals, while leaving thém room to seek their own objectives. Gore,on the other hand, has been part He opposes abortion except in cases in- more personal dimension. of the Washington battleground for the Hewill have to link Gore to the scandals that have scarred the Clinton years. Gore’s personal morals appear immune to criticism, but the Bush campaign has the tape of that brazen rally on the White House lawn, onthe day that Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives, when the vice president, in cheerleader mode,called Clinton “one of our greatest presidents.” Bush will try to makeGoreeat those words. ‘The campaign-finance scandals of 1996 past seven years, and, before that, was of- Wedonothaveto guess. The Gore line volving rape, incest or the life of the mother and supports unchanged the Republican platform plank calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Several Texas cities have severe air pollution problemsand Bush as governor allowed some ofthe polluting industries to continue their practices. On thevital issue ofthe economy, Gore claims that Bush’s proposed large, the-board tax cut —“that risky tax scheme” — would squander the budget surplus, take away funds needed for new education and health programs and to offer Bush more targets. The shakedown at the Buddhist temple, the phonecalls to than the spectacle of constant warfare between Republicans and Democrats. Bushhas a record of working successfully with the Democratic Texas Legisla- ten a lone-wolf legislator in his years on Capitol Hill. As the point man in the Clinton administration’s conflicts with Congress,heis disliked and distrusted by Republicans, whoare likely to continue to controlat least one house of Congress. ‘The more partisan Gore becomes in the coming campaign,as is his tendency, the more Bush can portray his election as dooming the nation to four more years of gridlock. Fasten yourseatbelts. There’s stormy weather ahead. Pill Pointers Misconstrued by Some Readers T've called in the bomb squad to handle mysnail mail and am hiring acyberguard to protect my e-mail box from further as- KATHLEEN PARKER havesex sometime along that road, most likely with a female, andI'd really like for that femaleto be takingthepill. In fact, I insistonit. I've also told my boys never to rely wholly on their partner to prevent sault. Judging from the response to a re- cent column praising the virtues of birth controlpills, you'd think I'd beenloitering around playgrounds slipping heroin Chiclets to children. Hold on to your bonnets, oh faithful ones, I’m notselling sex to kids. 1 am not recommending promiscuity or condomless sex. I am not turning my back on abstinence as the best and surest way to avoid , Sexually transmitted ce hea and emotional Bisicaisyeers's ofcolumn-writing, I've urged and now reiterate the importance of postponing sex until adulthood. The havoc that sex wreaks on young lives cannot be exaggerated, not because sex is bad or ugly, but because like all things s ‘TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES whatI said or meant, but I'll get to that in a moment.First, a short lesson in journalism. Reporters and columnists write; editors edit and write headlines, My column runs in 300 newspapers nationwide, and editors at each paper have their way with my column. Ihave no control over how muchthey cut or what headline they paste on top,It's an imperfect, sometimes maddening system, but quences, both physical and spiritual. I could preach until my last breath with unwavering conviction on this point, but I would fail to convince the many who, through weakness, hubris or stupidity, iro going fo ave oes ant ot pregnantan’ or them,Iw I oa the pill. Perhaps some readers were confused by at least one unfortunate headline that ied my earlier column; “Put iter on the pill.” That's not your } men in myfamily to consider marriage before age 30. My guessis they're going to there it is. Rather than complain on the rare occasions when I don't like a head: line, I kiss the feet of the editors who kindly run my column, Despite the confusing headline, I don't see how anyone reading the earlier column could have confused my recommending the pill for those who are sexually active with endorsement of sex for kids, Evenso, it is naive to believe thatall young people, given the right lecture, are going to practice abstinence until marriage, Personally, I don't want the young two-way street, and those pre. cious babies are forever, even if “love” isn't. Some STDs are forever, too. Myfinal word: Takethepill and use a condom, but wait until you're grownup. If you're ateen and think you're grown up, write mealet ter and we'll disabuse youofthatfrail notion immediately. Mymain purpose in writing about the pill wasto spread the good news about this 99 percent-sure contraceptive method, Do the research, as I did. You will findthat, unless you're a smoker, have certain can cers or a tendency toward blood-clotting, the new, improved pill can havehealthful benefits, controlling menopausal symptoms, reducing risks for cancer and im proving skin. None of which is to say anyone should take the pill without first consulting a doctor and your priest, minister or rabbi, if religious considerations are an issue. Butifyou're sexually active ora mature woman with what we used tocall “female problems,”find out aboutthe pill. And, as I said the first time, fed your daughters, nieces and neighbors aboutit. |
