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Show 4A Emery County Progress Castle Dale, Utah Tuesday May 8, 2001 C OMMENTARY CONFUSED Thanks Mom JAMES L. DAVIS By Thanks Mom. Doesn't seem like enough, does it? I mean this woman, who didn't even know me at the time, carried me in her womb for nine months. Then, after causing her so much discomfort and pain, she gave birth to me, fed me, bathed me and raised me. Then, after growing up and moving away, she was still there, only a phone call away to dispense advice, to listen, to threaten me with bodily harm should start to feel sorry for 1 myself. It was only after I became a father that I realized how great of a mother I had. Because it was then that I remembered the crazy things she said I was younger. Only now they're not so crazy. Like dont put anything in your ear that's smaller than all your elbow, or you don't get anywhere in life thinking about it, or you better just eat all those beets mister, there are children starving in Africa." OK, so the last one I still dont get. How do you ever match a gift like that? How do you say thank you? Most of the time we children repay it by driving our mothers insane. Because most of the time when a mother gets through raising her children she is bound to have one or two mental quirks. It's a natural of having children I think. Take my own mom for instance. Raising seven children cant possibly be good for your nerves, especially when all seven of us found different ways in which to dance on them. Add to that the fact that my mother and father decided that all four of us boys would have names that begin with J. Two of my sisters have names that begin with C and the third has one that begins with K, wiiich is a little different but not so much so that when your nerves have been stretched to the point where they are about to snap that you can easily discern who exactly it is that you want to stop doing whatever it is that they are doing. I can recall on many occasions my mother looking at one of us boys who was in the middle of driving her insane and trying to find the name that went along with the face. She would say something along the lines of JackJamesJonJosh! and then something inside would snap and she would scream It was YipYipYeecYeceYeee! at that point, when my moms war cry began, that we knew one of us was in big trouble. Which is another debt I figure I owe to my mother. Somehow I need to find a way to repay her for all the headaches I know must have cause. Headaches that she somehow not only endured, but did so with a smile if it meant her kids wrere OK. Although I dont think you can ever find a way to truly repay your mother for all that they have given you. For the advice, for the love, for the support and the understanding. For the words of encouragement when you really deserved some criticism, for the pat on the back when you really needed a kick in the butt. But Ill keep trying to find a 1 ers ya Mom. Happy Day. And thanks. Moth- stoirmra off protest!: By DOUG PATTON lec cafuti or so, Over the last liberals have perfected the art of using court challenges to circumvent our elected representatives. In fact, in many cases the courts have become the legislatures of the left, disregarding the will of the people and decreeing new law from the bench. So sacrosanct have the courts become that today a Supreme Court ruling is considered to lx the final word in establishing the law of the half-centu- ry land. This has never been truer than when liberals are espousing their gospel of alxrtion rights. Roe vs. Wade, we are told, is as solid as if it had been written into the Constitution by James Madison. However, when the high court rules in favor of a traditional, conservative point of view, it seems that nothing is settled. A perfect example is the reaction to the ruling that the Boy Scouts of America have the right to free association and therefore can exclude homosexuals from positions of leadership. As usual, Hollywood has led the charge in taking the protest into the public square, with Steven Spielberg the latest to weigh in on the issue. Arguably the richest and most influa ential mogul in Land, Spielberg has announced his resignation from the national advisory board of the Boy Scouts. He accuses the Scouts of discrimination and says he wont come back until they admit homosexual leaders into their ranks. It would appear that Spielberg has embraced the politically correct notion that to be discriminating is no longer positive and character building. In his world, any group, idea or lifestyle, no matter how illogical, impractical or bizarre, is now considered worthy of protection and inclusion. Apparently, this inclusion would extend to any homosexual male who, as a Scout leader, would be sent off into the woods to sleep under the stars with Americas young boys. One wonders if Spielberg would put his daughter in the same position with a promiscuous heterosexual male leader. I still remember the Boy Scout pledge from my days in that little uniform: a Scout is to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Nothing was said about being tolerant, especially for behavior that violated our moral values. Over the years, the courts have bowed to the will of the Left by putting a hedge of protection around the absolute right of a w oman to La-L- when way. Love Scooate weatilhieir obtain an abortion, for any reason, at any time, right up to and during the moment of birth. These protections have included upholding such draconian measures as the Freedom of Access to Clinics Entrances Act (FACE); the use of racketeering laws to punish pro-lif- e demonstrators; a limit on bankruptcy filings that eliminates the ability to discharge punitive financial judgments imposed on clinic protesters; and. of course, last years Supreme Court ruling in Carhart vs. Stenberg, which established the right to a partial birth abortion. Well, whats good for the left should be good for the right, so here is my proposal: enact similar protections for the rights of an American institution - the Boy Scouts of America. After all, the United States Supreme Court has spoken. The right of free association has been established, enshrined next to Roe vs. Wade in the case law of this august body. Let Congress follow up with a statute that forbids the harassment of the Boy Scouts for honoring their moral code. How would such a law read? Would it state that Steven Spielberg should not be free to express his personal opinions and to resign from any board with which he disagrees? Of course not, just as no statute should ever exist that would prohibit a pro-liffrom freely expressing his or her opinion on the subject of abortion. But the harassment of the Bov Keep You Inner Child Alive What about that item number three mentioned last week as one of the ten things to do before you die? The one that says to Keep your inner child alive. What does it mean? Arent we supposed to grow up and become mature adults? The answer to the last question obviously is yes. Hopefully, we do become mature adults. The relationship between that and the first question is that a healthy, wrhole adult also has a healthy whole childlike source within. What about how parents may tell a young person, When are you going to grow up? or Its time you grew up. In each case, it is when the child of a certain age docs something or doesnt do something their parent expects them to know enough to do. This can sound as though continuing in any way to be a child is bad; that she should leave all ways of being a child behind at some point. The preservation of the inner child is much different from this. Several years ago someone put together the idea that each human being acts in one of three w ays at different times, no matter what their age. One person might use one or twro of the ways more than another. These three w'uys are as parent, adult or child. A brief description would be as follows. One may look after oneself or i the land. No more withholding public funds from this respected organization of Americans whose only desire is to instill character in the young men who will be tomorrows leaders. If Planned Parenthood can receive our tax dollars, then so should the , Boy Scouts. the Boy Scout motto is be pre-- , j pared. Judging from the courageous manner in which the Scouting leader- ship is weathering the storm of protest against their principled stand; for free association, Id say they are. (Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a speech writer and policy advisor to federal, state and local candidates.) er HOME MADE By PAULA WELLNITZ Scouts by school boards, PTA groups, the radical National Education Association and others should be prohibited by law. No more barring the Scouts and their leaders from meeting in our public schools. Their right to free association has been established by the highest court in another as a parent does, as much as the individual knows how to, at whatever age that person is at the time. At another moment, at the same chronological age, that person might act as an adult. That is, the person would think something through; make some type of reasoned decision to act or not to act, or w'ould find a w'ay to learn about something. Again, exactly what or how this is carried out would be in accord with the experience and capability of the person at the time. Both of the above have more than one approach, but I only give one side Letters to the editor should focus on public issues rather than private All personalities or entities. submissions must be verified prior to publication. The Emeiy County Progress reserves the right to edit letters not only to satisfy space constraints, but potential liability concerns. it t here. Emery County We come to the third way of acting, the child. This, as the other two, can go more than one way. It can be a rebellious, obnoxious child. Or it can be a joyful, curious, trustful child. Or it could be the child that was so impressed that she should do as told that the person never thinks for him or herself. When Guntzelman urges us to keep our inner child alive he means that joyful trusting one. This one is tempered by the adult and parent within, but in such a way, that the person is free to let the inner child appear as suits the situation, sometimes even in rather solemn ones. The person does not take themselves or life totally seriously. This inner child needs to appear in parents so young people learn w'hat is real fun and not seek it in hurtful, destructive ways to self or others or towards other creatures. They will still often have a hard time sorting it out from other examples in society, among peers and in media, but home experience carries the most weight. iProgress VOICE OF EMERY COUNTY SINCE 1900 fun-lovin- g, fun-lovin- g, Administration Sylvia Nelson ClassifiedLegal Publisher Linda Thayn . Office Manager Darla Lee Circulation James Kevin Ashby EDITORIAL L. Davis Editor Patsy Stoddard Staff reporter Ryan Peacock... Sports writer Advertising Sue Mosher. Jenni Fasselin Patsy Stoddard Director OFFICE Display Classified Sylvia Nelson Subscription Rates: 50 cents per Receptionist copy; $22 per year delivered by carrier in Carbon and Emery counties; $27 in Utah; $30 out of Utah per year by mail. Office Hours: Monday 8:00 to noon.; Tuesday Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 190 East Main, Castle Dale, Utah. Classifieds Deadline: Monday at 10:00 a.m. for Tuesday's publication. Fax (435) Telephone: (435) progressetv.net. Publication No: (USPS issued once a week at Castle Dale, Utah. Periodical ) postage paid at Castle Dule, Utah. Postmaster: Send change of address to PO. Box 689, Castle Dale, UT 84513. All right reserved by the Emery County Progress. All is property of Emery County Progress. No part herein may be reproduced without prior written consent. 381-243- 381-543- 0747-2129- |