OCR Text |
Show r Page 4A South tdition Lakeside Review Wednesday, July 4, 1984 v Column ,.f Whats Big Deal z About July 4th? 3b II- - - gent made the difference in how the vote for that state went. ROBERT REGAN ' Review Staff July the 4th. So whats the big deal about the fourth day of Ju- - ; , ly? Z2'", I. " What really happened on July 4, 1776, has little to do with why we celebrate it every year. The document was signed by most of the men two days earlier and by many of them months af-ter ; 4th. I the publication date of July And what really was that doc ument? That declaration of independence was just that. It was a letter to King George saying the colonists didnt want to be part of the empire any more. It was a letter to the leader of the most powerful country on earth inviting him to wage war upon his . subjects. And who really were the men who signed? In modem parlance most were YUPPIES. Those young urban professionals were lawyers, businessmen and farmers who wanted the benefits from the mother country without paying for them. They wanted, for example, military protection but did not want to be taxed to pay for it. ' Yes, they had a legitimate interest in having a say in how they were taxed, but the key issue boiled down to the essence of money. I And who did these men repre- sent? Not the majority. It has been said that of the populace one third were loyal to England, one third didnt care either way, and only the last third wanted independence. What about the men them- selves? They were bitterly divid- over the issue of ed independence. In fact, there was such division in the Continental Congress that the one vote of the one man in the Deleware contin- - S. I-i m - , Z I '.'X The vote of the congress was for independence and they signed the document that sealed their fate. They had declared war at the same time they declared independence. There was a war - a long, affair the British dragged-ou- t should have easily won. It wasnt until there were more French troops than colonials fighting that the armies, totaling 7,000 men under Lord Cornwallis, were surrendered to Gen. George Washington near York-towVa., on October 19, 1781. Now it would make sense for us to celebrate that date. The day fighting stopped between the major armies. Or even when peace was declared at the Treaty of Paris on n, Sept. 3, 1783. Maybe at the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, Sept. 7, 787? Or when it was finally ratified by nine states on the 21st of June, 1788. It doesnt matter what date we choose. The Fourth of July does have a good ring to it and its nice to have a day off in the middle of summer. 1 1 the besi smile at Sunset Fun Days, Brittany Swenson, son of Ty and Michelle Swenson of Layton, (upper, left) offers a good example of a smile befitting all children in summer. Weddings are always part of early summerj and Kristy Weir, sister of bride Kathee Wiberg, does h$r part (above) to Brent. let everyone know she now has brother-in-laThe passing of the Olympic Torch through the lakeside area last Thursday was a special event to Hazel Warden, 84, who was handed the specia( torch by runner Larry Shultz of Alamosa, Colo. Independence Day today and Utahs pioneer holiday on July 24 will round out a month of more special events. BABY CONTEST winner with What does matter is that we do celebrate these United States. It is the country that had the great luck, maybe even providence, to be conceived and bom in 1776, or anywhere up to 12 years later. It is the country that has paid all too frequently in its w, sons blood to stay alive and grow into the fine strapping lad of a country it now is. It has grown into the best of all places, of all times, for us to live. It is The United States of America. It is home. Viewpoint: Never Okay to Stop Fighting Dragons i,1? changes that would right the SYDNEY GOFF Review Quest Columnist I have a friend who is a fiesty woman. Her husband calls her a dragon slayer and she does indeed slay dragons--nthe big green fire breathing, scaley type but she fights against the slitherinjustices in our ing reptile-lik- e ot society. . tu- -- V 4 t She has the courage to stand up for what she believes to be right. She goes on crusades against wrongs and has even been known to fight against the bureaucracy. It must be exhausting work slaying dragons, knowing that there will always be a new cause, a new stress, a new monster to face with his feet dug in for battle. She faces them all, virtually unprepared, with only her sense beof fair play as her guide-a- nd lieve it or not, there have been times when her tenacity has made a difference and, she has made our world a little nicer. Some people laugh at her and find her actions humorous. Others are annoyed by what she . does and may be heard to ask, Why not leave things alone? Many feel that problems will right themselves in time. Her husband, who is a total n. conformist, merely smiles patiently and says, Do what you have to do, dear. Ill just wear a rf sack on my head. He is sometimes embarrassed by her behavior and does not feel her exhaustive efforts can make a r- , difference. ftr V Ive often wondered how she perseveres or why she has the courage or desire to do what she does, when so many others choose to look the other way and barely notice the problems at hand. There are problems in our communities, many things that are not quite right. We see these things, we feel them touch our lives, we suffer, grumble to our neighbors, but do we ever reach for a sword and combat the dragon? Better yet, a pen has been known to be a great weapon against injustices and adversities. It has been said that one letter to a man in a position of authority could make a big differnce in persuading him towards ones way of thinking. letters could Several to make him convince perhaps well-writt- en well-writt- en I wrong. All of us have suffered the effects of high utility bills. Ive wondered if the utility companies were to receive hundreds or thousands of letters from unhappy customers, if we might see a change. Several years ago, our school and our children were without a classroom while a new school was being built. We were offered two solutions to the problem, 1) Bus our children to a school in a neighboring community for a full day session or 2) Put the children on a split session in our own was overcrowded school. Most of the people in our area felt that the children should be transported to a school where they could attend a full day session. There was, however, a small group of people who strongly opposed busing the students. A public meeting was held. This small group of people organized themselves, attended that meeting, voiced their concerns and desires and the school board voted in favor of their re- How do you expect them to learn if you never give them a chance. These arent professionals, they are only little boys. I was fighting mad, slept little that night and spent much of the next day on the telephone. I helped to form a committee of concerned parents and we met with the city council and the sports leaders in our town. The next year the rules for Little League were changed so that each boy would be able to play part of each game regardless of Enioy ill the coaches desires to win. Per- haps it was a small victory for justice but it felt good to be a part of it. This year as we celebrate Independence Day, I .would like to suggest that each of us think for a few moments about our right to free speech. We may all have different causes or grievances or different dragons to slay, but each one of us does have the privilege of being heard. Our voices can make a difference. We can help to improve our H miicmi of past mars, i IhallliDg paoBont.nen lasts Iraatsl A FASCINATING FAMILY EXPERIENCE towns, cities and even our coun- - try. Dont assume that someone else, like my fiesty friend, will always be doing battle for you. Have the courage to refuse to be a victim. Have the courage to become involved. Have the courage to speak out and be heard. ef in th Summer Spirit & Wm a Sunkist Mini ervGiuQ quest. I, like most of the majority did not attend the meeting. We all felt sure that our feelings would be well represented without us. I cant express how sorry I was the next winter, when after being up most of the night with a new baby, I had to get my second grader off for school at 6:30 each morning. I could only blame myself because I had had a chance to speak against the split session and I neglected to exercise my right. It was a lesson to many of us not to be complacent about things which mattered to us. A few years later, my husband and I did exercise our right to try to make a change in something we felt to be wrong. We noticed each week, as we attended our sons Little League games that there were always several sorry looking boys sitting on the bench. Why dont you let them play? I asked a middle-age- d overweight coach who looked a little silly in his uniform. They arent very good players! he replied without feeling. It is important to the team that we win every game, he said. For heavens sake, I replied, Register to win a Mini Corvette at Sears, Mervyn's or Newgate Food Court July 5 & 6. Spend a funfilled day with B101 Radio Sunkist. The Shrine Band, Clowns and Klunker Cars at Newgate Mall. Drawing times and winners will be announced by B101. Sunkist novelties & 6 packs n hundred colorful, fascinating experiences fill every day of this great summer festival. Watch more than 60 traditional crafts produced by hand Visit an Indian adage, a d frontier street and an exhibit of rare photographs, quilts and art Enjoy delightful taste treats while you match mountain men, races, log sawing contests. Tour heritage houses and a historic farm. Then finish with a lavish, pageant of dance and song and exciting giant-scree- n projections. July 2T, 28, 30, 31 and August 1-- 4, will be given away throughout the day. Activities begin Saturday at NOON July 7th On the campus of Utah State University. For more InfornwHon, write or call: , Utah State University, 20 TSC, UMC 01, Logan, Utah 84322Tekphone (801)750-11- 43 or 750-16- 57 For Best Results Read The Classified u The practical choice Stars, Mervyns and many fine Specially Shops |