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Show Page Two - The Pyramid - February 7, 1996 lEHWHuiinuniiri; CO MM ENT AIRY A. rifinill'injfiriDu Jt PEWN'Yg AW WOMTM K,.. Merrill Ogden & Calvin Hobbes Warning! MHS Counselors What were talking about here is really Knights Templar, a medieval religiousmilitary order. It was started in 1119 by a couple of French knights The issue of school mascots who figured pilgrims needed has been the news again lately. protection when they visited There has been some discusPalestine after the first crusion at the University of Utah sade. I gather now that Knights relative to a desire by some to Templar are members of the drop the nickname, "Utes". Of York Rite of the Masonic course, many of us remember system. Perhaps its just a when it was the "running matter of time before someone redskins." gets offended over this obscure The university was apnickname. proached by tribal representaAnd finally, Snow College tives. They essentially says BADGERS. That sounds good, that if the school would grant and makes good sense because "x" number of scholarships to the feisty critters live around tribe members, they wouldnt here. (Unlike UVSC"s "Wolcomplain about the continued verine" mascot. When did use of the nickname. wolverines ever call Utah I believe President Smith home? And unless you live in correctly responded by saying Michigan, who wants to yell, that if the moniker was offen"We love our Wolverines!?") sive, it would still be offensive Oh well, like Shakespeare despite scholarships. Smith is said, "Whats in a name?" The willing to take the heat from answer, I guess, is "nothing"; sports fans, students and alumunless youre an American ni by abandoning the name if Fork Caveman or a Jordan thats the decision that needs to Beetdigger. . .Merrill be made. School mascots All of this made me think of Sanpete school nicknames. North HAWKS. Sanpete Thats a good logical nickname. There are hawks m our' area. They are swift, sleek and worthy of admiration. They eat carrion, mice and other pesky rodents, but we wont emphasize that. Screaming, "Go Hawks" at a game sounds good and rolls off the tongue well. Wasatch Academy TIGERS. It works, even though Id prefer Mountain Lions. Gunnison BULLDOGS. Theres a real mascot; tough, tenacious and also worthy of admiration. It doesnt concern me that a bulldog is ugly as a mud fence and slobbers at the mouth. This mascot is shared by Provo High and University of Georgia; both fine institutions. Manti TEMPLARS. Heres the one thats not easy to explain. Manti High needs to it teach a class to each incoming first year student to educate them as to what the heck the school nickname means. The uneducated, like I used to be, believe the nickname "Templars" has direct reference to the LDS Temple in Manti. No, No, No; I have learned. one-cred- Sanpate' Leading Newspaper THE PyRHIHID (USPS 365-58- 0) Published Weekly at Mt. Pleasant Utah, 84647 49 West Main Street Telephone: FAX: 462-213- 4 462-245- 9 Publisher Craig Conover Penny Hamilton Managing Editor Shirley Christensen Associate Editor Cheryl Brewer Staff Writer Deanna Pate Staff Writer SUBSCRIPTION Theyre back! No theyve always been here. Im talking about the gremlins or poltergeists that wait for the majority of us in Manti to reprogram all the electronic devices that have memories each time the power goes out. For some of us that can be a daunting project, considering all the clocks we have in our homes and businesses. Then, of course, there are those of us that are OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). We must immediately and with great accuracy make all the correct time settings even to the extent of consulting with Greenwich for the Mean Time. (Do you suppose there is Kind time?) I never can remember how to reset the VCR. Or which remote control has the capability to do the job. But. I assure you that when we have reached a majority, the power will again fail. Just another example of the quality of life in Sanpete. And still people in the big cities ask me "...what is there to do in a small town...? Little do they know. NBA fans, you can look forward to the championship playoffs to be between the Orlando Magic and the Jazz. You heard it here first! It was good, for me, perhaps you too, to see Magic Johnson back on the Lakers squad. Didnt take him long to adjust to the game after five years absence. Part of the quarter? No First possession! World Class athlete! At the Credence Clearwater concert, hordes of youngsters! What a surprise to this "viejo (old guy). It is good, though to see kids interested in that which my generation considered to be "great" music. Last week in Calvins column he left out John Albert Taylors name in his remarks about this being the "wild west" as seen by die rest of the world. I may be the only one who missed it, though. ...Calvin RATES (In Advance) $20 per year-50- C per copy $23 per year outside Sanpete County correspondents .ntiE,jemng Mantitphraim Angela Rasmusson 835-51- Manti High SchoolEphraim Jill Cragun 283-474- 7 436-857- 0 Wales, Chester Mathel Anderson Moroni, Barbara Gordon .436-876- Fairview, Deanna Pate 427-37- Ftn. Green, Jessie Oldroyd 445-342- 2 Dean 0 Driscoll Snow College Reporter, Roy Truitt Photogropher, 0 Hollee Anderson 445-332- 6 462-31- POSTMASTER: Send change of address to The Pyramid, 49 West Main Street, Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647. Second doss postage paid at Mt. Pleas-ant, UT and additional mailing offices. by Natasha Madsen MANT- I- Sophomore students completed the computer career exploration program "Choices" at the end of last semester. Counselors are meeting with these students in small groups to clarify career goals and review transcripts. We will meet with the rest of the after they have explored the "Choices" program. Next week, we will start SEOP meetings with ninth grade students and their parents, to cover CPP test scores, career paths, and graduation requirements. Office personnel will be calling parents to schedule appointment times. Individual conferences will take approximately 30 minutes. Parents are encouraged to attend. time for several Its pay-ostudents including Juliann Win-tcwho received the Good Citizen Award from the DAR Good Citizen Program. Nate Johnson, Amy Hintz and Paul Scholes received invitations to the Freedom Foundation Valley Forge meet in March. Their scholarships will cover all but about $230. Congratulations to these students for time and effort spent. Scholarship review includes: The Don Corbett engineering award for women with a March 10 deadline; the annual Susan W. Coda Memorial Scholarship for women universities attending outside the state of Utah (requires a 3.8 or higher GPA and has a May 31 deadline); Summer Games scholarship; USU business scholarships (deadline March 1); and Utah State Office of Education teaching scholarships (deadline March 29). Senior students need to be mailing scholarships and admission applications. tenth-grade- rs ff h, al Warning: I can go from zero to bitch in five seconds. That disclaimer was recently posted in the office of a friend of mine. I had to chuckle; the message was bittersweet. It reminded me of a who used to "threaten" me with tantrums if I didnt let him have his way. My friend had nothing on this precocious child. Five seconds would have allowed me time to prepare for super sonic soundwaves or ground tremors which were probably recorded on nearby Richter scales. In five seconds I could have removed closed windows, sharp objects, and donned protective clothing. No, these outbursts were spontaneous, and anything at "ground zero" was fair game. Until I got smart. I quit "rewarding" the pint-size- d dynamo for his inappropriate behavior. Instead of being ashamed that I had such an uncontrollable child; instead of offering him candy, a toy, or whatever else he wanted; instead of shielding my distress from the neighbors; I tried a new approach. I opened the windows-al- l the windows. I cheered each two-year-o- ld in response to Bob Clarks letter to the editor published in the Jan. 24 edition of The Pyramid entitled, "Too many regulations". received Dear Editor: You are so typical of the lazy American Citizen who sits back and waits until something happens that affects you personally in what you think violates your personal rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Then you rant and rave that you have Constitutional rights, but I would be willing to wager that you or 95 percent of the populations of the U.S. havent even read the U.S. Constitution, let alone the Constitution of Utah, where you have guaranteed rights. You cry foul play by those who hold public office, but do you do anything about it? Of course not. Youre too busy complaining to get involved in the simple act of voting, or reading what rights you really have, let alone to find out how to eliminate those officials who have instituted bad laws, ordinances, infringing on those rights. Would it shock you to know that there are laws written to let and economic bases. The project is governed by a council consisting of two representatives from each of the four communities. Crib corner Jack Biddle, Fair-vieand Sabrina OHearon, Salina, announce the birth of their daughter, TaSheena Louise Biddle, Jan. 11, 1996, in Nephi, at Central Valley Medical Center. Grandparents are Gary and Iris Baker, Fairview; Vance and Priscilla Spencer, Salina. are Herman and Louise Nielsen, Fairview and Maiy Padilla, Idaho, (paid SALINA-- - w treatment your kid is getting in school, pay a visit to die teacher or administrator. Remember the louder you yell, the faster youll get action, because your hosts goal will be to end the confrontation as soon as possible and "give them what they want." If youre a "disadvantaged" (female, minority, person handicapped, gay, etc.), the "advantage" is definitely in your corner. Stage a demonstration; organize a political action committee; scream, kick, and throw a few threats e bitch about. Make a scene, and Society will "give them what they want. " There was a time when I wouldnt even think about using the word "bitch" let alone wonder how it would feel to become one (just for a little while). I really think it would take me longer than five seconds, though. Id want time to shut the windows and remove sharp objects. And Id make sure no one was around to see me Do nice guys finish last? Are there any nice guys left? Whatever happened to "the meek shall inherit the earth?" big-tim- Democrats see some things differently Dear Editor: Its comical when Republican luminaries write impassioned In a letters to The Pyramid. county where you can go for weeks without sighting a Democrat, its sort of like the head turkeys hopping onto the turkey shed to urge their peers to yet more glorious turkeyhood. Since theyre throwing stones. Too many regulations Sanpete Heritage Tourism group elects chairperson Mae EpHRAIM Mt. Pleasant, was recently elect- ed interim chairperson at die Feb. 1, meeting of the Sanpete Heri- Tourism Project. Colleen elected vice H,ess Manti was chair The project is the result of an inter-locagreement which involves Manti, Spring City, EPhraim and Mt- - Pleasant' Sa? pete County, various departments 0f state government. Snow Col- lege and other entities are con- nected with the organization. The project has been organized on the premise that the cities involved have a common desire to preserve and promote the areas natural and cultural re- sources, tourism opportunities g. t Editors note: This letter was violent kick and urged him on to even greater feats of tantru-minI invited his grandparents, the neighbors, anyone I could to come see this Olympic champion fit thrower. When he realized that he couldnt push my buttons any more, the tantrums stopped, and life got a little easier at our home. A disclaimer like the one in my friends office reminded me not only of that episode but of a trend that seems to be Societys accepted norm. If you dont get your way, become a bitch. Or in other words, throw a tantrum. Because people who are loud or threatening, get what they want. And if youre confronted, the best defense is a good offense. Or in other words, the biggest, loudest bitch wins. Sad, huh. Our Society is in the habit of rewarding negative behavior. Lock em up; put bars on the windows; but feed, clothe and educate them in the process. By any means, whatever action is taken, reinforce the lesson that negative behavior gets attention. kids get If fourteen-year-ol- d too disruptive in school, lower the age limit for voluntary withdrawal. Give them what they want. And the message for parents is, if you dont like the citizen, you, as a bring those bad laws, ordinances, and the politicians who made them, to stand accountable for the violation of those rights you speak of, in a court of law, even to the attention of Federal Courts? You, sir, have this power, as a citizen, but not so long as you think that this newspaper, or any other, can try the complaint you have. Wake up, get up and out of your doldrums of ignorance, complacent attitude, read and study the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Utah Constitution, even the Utah Code Books. If you are serious about changing your plight, and taking advantage of your rights, I will enlighten you, and give you this invitation to participate in our law study group where we study the Constitution, and statutes of Utah. We learn how to apply those laws against those who would violate the rights of the people, dont forget we are the bosses, those politicians you spoke of in your article. They are our servants, but if you fail to control a servant, then that servant will soon take control and you will become the servant. I say to you now, wake up. Take back control of those servants, get your neighbors to wake up. Stop fearing your servants and set them back in their position of servitude to you, the people, the bosses, and do this with knowledge, not complaints to those that can do nothing but listen. tax-payi- I freely give my address and phone number to be printed in this article, so any person caring to attend my law study group may do so. It is free and I am more than willing to volunteer my time to help those wanting their rights back when they are taken by illegal ordinances and laws. Now is your time and opportunity to either put up or shut up, be a freeman or a slave. The choice is yours. Contact me at 40 West 100 South, Fairview, or phone 427-354- 6. John Burke Fairview may I point out a few of the blunders their party has inflicted on voters in recent years. 1. Republicans were largely responsible for the savings and loan debacle, with individual Republicans getting most of the spoils. At least when Democrats run up the national debt, they spend the money on social programs. 2. Reagans administration, in pushing too fast on reversal of farm supports, finished off Americas small-farsystem. Like the other shoe waiting to fall, the consequences havent yet hit the general populace... another GOP gift to our children. 3. If it had been up to Republicans. civil rights legislation would still be in committee. Southern children of particular skin color would continue to be s, treated as their intimidated from voting. parents 4. Republicans gave us the Waldholtz campaign. Her term will have expired by the time state officials (most of them Republican) get around to righting a stolen election. 5. A GOP administration gave us Syncrete-withoexplanation or apology. 6. Utah conservatives, while condemning social subsides, dish out massive subsides to out-om semi-human- ut f- state corporations while Utahs businesses struggle. Micron is the latest welfare recipient. The return on state "investment" often because doesnt materialize Utahs wage scale does not offset infrastructure costs or a company later cuts back its Utah payroll. 7. Republicanism remains the party of choice of a class of business and professional people who do of the nations work while taking of the pay, promotions, pensions and perks. s, Not satisfied with they are now blackmailing President Clinton and us by attaching to routine budget legislation a rider that would sweepingly alter government priorities for the next several decades. . .one priority being to give themselves a tax cut. In the process, they shut down the government for a month. Their attitude to closing clinics, passport offices, national parks, and human services? "Let them eat cake." Usually Im an independent. But recent events suggest the party of Newt Gingrich has the current edge on humbuggery and fanaticism. Im going to vote a straight Democratic ticket for a while to help restore balance. Becky Bartholomew one-quart- er two-thir- two-third- Fountain Green Manti High students feel money needed right now Dear Editor: Voters in the South Sanpete School District will be able to vote on a $10 million bond issue Tuesday, Feb. 13. A bond is public permission for a school district to borrow money for necessary additions and renovations. South Sanpete, one of the poorest districts in' the state, definitely needs the money right now. Ephraim Elementary was constructed 35 years ago and desperately needs more classroom space. Both Ephraim and Gunnison elementaries are in dire need of systems. Enrollment in Manti High School is 134 students over the maximum capacity and Gunnison Valley has approximately 285 middle school aged students and no middle school. Both Manti and Gunnison Valley High schools need new gyms and trackfootballfields. Since 1990, 16 portable classrooms have been constructed within the district. If the bond passes, the district will obtain bids and hopefully begin refurbishing the elementary schools and other construction within the year. If, however, the bond fails, the district will be forced to make additions as the needs mount. This method, will in die end, cost more money than if everything is taken care ol at one time. As is always the case in a situation like this, home owners an worried about their property taxes rising, but the school district maintains that there wont b( a tax increase. The new homes ii the area and wealthier schoo districts, will help pay off th bond. A pamphlet put out by thi school district states, "Currently the district is paying $400,001 each year in debt service pay ments. The board plans to com bine tax rates and restructure thi districts revenue sources tha will keep the tax rate constant fo the life of the bond." Because the bond is such ai important issue, many Manl High students are becomin; involved in securing the bond Students are discussing the issu in class, talking to friends an deliverin family members, pamphlets and urging citizens t vote. "We realize that we probabl wont reap the rewards," said on student. "But right now it is s crowded and its only going t " get worse. o" Jill Cragun Ephraim |