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Show ndas Viewpoint A CLIPPER TODAY A4 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1999 The privilege and blessing of work It has always struck me as more than just a little bit ironic that every year about this time America pays Commercial vs. farms: tribute to her working men and women by not working. both needed in county Not that The days are gone when Davis County was known as the fruit orchard of one area agricultural official Utah. That's not to say the soil still isn't good called it the best in the state in terms of its richness and the ability to grow a wide variety of crops. But instead of thousands of farms and a largely agricultural economy, the numbers are done to maybe 8(X) farms, and counting. And yet, those farms need to be allowed to remain as a viable part of the to county. That may take some careful planning by city and county officials make sure that farms and homes can But that is what planning commissions and city councils do, with staff support from those trained in that sort of thing. After all, if a city can carefully plan for a large new manufacturing plant or a large new subdivision, sometimes taking years to study how best to use a particular parcel, why can't these same groups make some adjustments for farmers and their neighbors? Yes. the farms were generally there first. But that doesn't mean new subdivisions should be given no place. However, all too often, it is the farms that seem to suffer by complaints from the newcomers. Why can't buffer zones, whether they be parks, commercial, or some other land use. be considered as zoning maps are prepared and regulations formulated into law? By the same token, commercial development has its place. Indeed, the plight of West Point brings this out: A city that was once primarily agricultural now seeks to balance that heritage and lifeblood with a need for commercial development. As its mayor told a chamber of commerce gathering recently, the city has a golf course. But unlike most businesses in Utah, sales only one business tax cannot be charged or collected except from pro shop sales. That doesn't relies almost totally on property taxes which West coffers of the Point, help fees from new construction for its survival. and building-relate- d The mayor admits his council faces some difficult choices when it makes decisions on the community's new general plan in the next few weeks. Lets a video hope some leeway is given to bringing in commercial development store, convenience store, maybe a grocery store. After all, as the city's chief executive said, there are now enough residents there to perhaps support some businesses located within the community. West Point officials have spent well over a year hashing over all of the elements of such a plan. They have done their homework, have sought public input and now need to take action. Let's hope that in their case, some services can be brought into town that will help the residents, make it so they don't have to drive so far to get a burgcharer or some milk or an oil change. But let's also hope the now semi-ruracter of that town can be retained, as well. And let's hope that farmer and businessman and homeowner can all coexist, making it work for the good of everybody. al Grieving mother makes an excellent point We were touched by a letter we received recently from the mother of Matthew John Whicker, a Woods Cross Motel 6 clerk who was killed by an assailant in 19. The text of the letter is reprinted at right. When one reads just the news accounts of the recent Utah State Supreme Court decision, the focus is only on police mishandling of the situation while the real human impact gets lost. What really is at stake is accountability for the life of a hardworking young man a neighbor, a member of the commua In the wrangling over legal technicalibeloved a father. a son. husband, nity. ties, it's easy to lose sight of the people who have been permanently hurt by this senseless tragedy. If there is truly a quest for justice in this country, then truth should be the overall goal. As it turns out all too often, justice is defined as the mechanism in place that involves an arrest, an investigation, a court trial, legal regulations and a decision. After we turn the crank on that complex system, the end product is defined as justice. We should realize that the legal system has been set up as a our best human approximation to a system that can define and mete out justice but all human institutions are fallible. Justice, however, isn't like putting ingredients into a machine, running it for a while and getting perfectly formed products out the other end. With every legal action and court decision, there are thousands of variables and myriad factors that affect the outcome. Justice isn't what automatically comes out of the court system, it occurs when truth and fairness have been achieved. And it's only when our legal system's outcome coincides with truth and fairness that real justice has been done. We do ourselves and our nation a disservice when we simply do our duties whether those be as police officers, attorneys, judges or jurors without the overriding desire that justice be our goal. Although it is extremely difficult at best, in cases such as the Whicker matter, some alternative needs to be found that safeguards all parties. The rights of a defendant not to be browbeaten into a false confession (a favorite tactic of oppressors throughout thousands of years of human history) need to be balanced against the rights of innocent people who have been hurt by the violent or thoughtless crimes. Perhaps sanctions against police officers who overreach their authority would be preferable to throwing out information that is true but has been gathered in a proscribed manner. Admittedly, implementing this is difficult. But we should not be so arrogant as to believe that any of our human institutions or systems will work correctly all the time. We should, however, be seeking after justice 100 percent of the time. What's at stake isn't a few matg ters of procedure, but the and welfare of real, live human beings. well-bein- : ClipperToday Complete North Dams coverage from Kaysville to Sunset Published by Clipper Publishing Co. 197 North Main Layton, Utah 84041 547-980- me, too. Still, it stands to reason that if we are going to celebrate Americas workers, there ought to be something laborious about Clipper Today residents of is published every Thursday and distributed to Kaysville, Fruit Heights, Layton, Clearfield, Clinton, Syracuse, Sunset, West Point and South Weber. The views expressed in the letters and columns on this page are those of their authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the ownership, management or staff of Clipper Today. Total circulation in excess The Gippers disservice to Legacy foes has several forms. First, we are not given credit for our own vision of Utahs future. We are concerned maihztalkOdippcrtxKlayxom Ruling was a blow to true justice Editor: OVERRULED! JUSTICE This was, in essence, the cry that I heard in my heart last week when the Utah State Supreme Court Justices overturned Judge Jon M. Memmotts decision, which would have allowed as evidence Todd Rettenbergers confession to the brutal beating and murder of my son, Matthew John Whicker, at Motel 6 in Woods Cross. All of us should be enraged at this kind of travesty, which occurs too often in our judicial system. Many other criminals have appealed and walked because of cumbersome, tangled webs of technicality laws that weave loopholes through which some lawyers are willing to crawl. The incriminating parts of Rettenbergers confession, which clearly demonstrated that he was at the scene when our son was killed, were ignored by the Justices who should be pillars of judicial equity and honor. Instead, they chose to concentrate on mistakes made by the police interrogators, making the questioning methods a larger crime than the murder. The media all have copies of the entire confession (a very large document). Yet most of them published and reported only small, selected phrases which would appear to support the decision of the Supreme Court. Publisher: The results are that the jury pool is hearing and reading a very lopsided summary of the confession rather than hearing none of it at all, as was supposed to be the ruling of the Supreme Court. It appears that those who steal rather than work for a living, even at the expense of another's life, are more defended by our judicial system than honest, citizens can expect to be protected. While these men do not pay taxes, they are willing to devour our tax dollars daily for their defense, their unending appeals, their food, water, recreation, shelter, and education while incarcerated We even pay the salaries and provide the offices for the Supreme Court Justices who made this shocking decision, based on a technicality rather than a quest for truth. In comparison, our son served his country, his church, his family and any stranger who needed help. He has a son who, upon request by a teacher for a picture of his Daddy on Fathers day, drew a picture of a castax-payi- crimes are simply too minimal to be a deterrent in the eyes of the perpetrators. Rea Whicker, Davis County R. Gail Stahl e Editors: RolfD. Roecher, Tom Busselberg Sales: Martin Ehman, Aaron Glauser, Judy Hammerschmidt reasearch2juno.com Appreciates editorial endorsing uniforms Display advertising deadline: Friday, 5 p.m. Camera-read- y ad deadline: Monday, 5 p.m. Classified advertising deadline: Tuesday, 10 a.m. .... 1 - Editor "" i endorsing school uniforms (School uniforms proving to be an idea whose time has come). Two years ago the Gipper came out against school uniforms generally, and the Mueller Park Junior High uniform proposal specifically (School uniforms not the savior of todays students, Feb. 18, 1997), which greatly disappointed me and others who had worked diligently to build a supportive coalition on the issue within the Mueller Park community. I commend you for reversing field and recognizing the value of this common-sens- e approach to academic achievement and student safety. David S. Doty, North Salt Lake Utah Senators lack sensitivity, caring I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my August 27. 1999 Gipper and read your excellent editorial about rapid, sprawling development that is destroying agricultural lands, wildlife habitat and areas for human recreation. Many families prefer to ride their bikes, walk and jog in the open areas instead of in the sprawl developments. Utahns are also beginning to understand that when the state builds more roads, somebody's quality of life is diminished. We dont want to intrude on each others neighborhoods. That's why there have been mixed opinions in recent polls about the proposed highway. Utahns want it all access to jobs, pleasant neighborhoods, and access to natural areas. We Legacy foes believe we if not all at least a can have better future. The route to a better future is called high quality mass transit. Nobody wants to take a bus that breaks down or gets stuck in traffic jams. But most people would love a modem commuter quiet, or at least an express bus on train high-spee- Editor: Can you believe our two Senators? What are these two lacking? I could tell you in uncertain terms, but I try not to be as ignorant as these two can be at times. Take Senator Bennetts latest comment about George W. Bush and the black lady. What kind of mentality does this man have? I believe his comment shows just who this man is and what he stands for. To me, it is very scary having him as our Senator. Senator Hatch supposedly made a statement at a presidential campaign gathering in Perry, Utah. As quoted in the Ogden Standard-ExaminI want to go from the party of the rich to the party of the people, Just what does this tell you? It appears to be an unintentional confession that he is part of a party that serves the rich. But now that he is campaigning for the presidency he would like for you to believe that all of a sudden he would represent all of the people even to include minorities, I guess. Is he only looking for campaign money and votes? I just cant believe these two. With the likes of them, God bless the minorities and less fortunate in Utah and the rest of the country. And as for Karl Malone, I believe he can easily be fooled or bought off for a few dollars. Karl says, He supported me, so Ill support him. This was said during Hatchs campaign. What about all of the people, Karl? This me thing sounds a bit greedy. Dennis McClune, Layton er sequences rendered for serious of 38,000 copies. it. And no. Im not talking about the effort it John has a little girl also, and a wife who is struggling to get through college so that she can provide for them in an honorable manner, just as John always did. So, what is our focus? Loophole leniency for the criminal or truthseeking protection for the innocent? Your children and the rest of my children are at risk because the con- 547-137- I delivered by a rabbit. OK, so the logic of Easter eludes ket. Office hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday 0 Fax: 4 Phone: ezta 3clippertoday.com Im complaining. appreciate a day off as much as the next worker bee. Its just the logic that throws me. I mean, on Thanksgiving we actually give thanks. On Arbor Day we go out and plant trees. On Christmas we celebrate a gift from God by giving gifts ourselves. On Easter we observe another divine gift by eating multicolored eggs that are supposedly Article does disservice to Rep. Hansen Editor Using the story title, Hansen frustrated by Legacy foes (Davis County Gipper, 81799, p.l) did a disservice to Mr. Hansen and to the Legacy foes. First, the interview had little information about Mr. Hansen's view on the proposed highway (my rough estimate is that less than 25 percent of the interview concerned Legacy). Second, it did not really give Mr. Hansen credit for his actions on behalf of wetlands (he played a 5 critical role about years ago in developing legislation to preserve some of the wetlands around Utah Lake). So when he says he supports proposed route C, the one most destructive to wetlands, I must conclude that he has not been getting adequate information about this particular situation. Further more, I conclude that he has been listening to too many 10-1- ideas. a bus-onl- y d, freeway lane. Id love to walk to the station, grab a train, read the Davis County Gipper and get to work without the hassle of driving. We are a grown-u- p community; we deserve grown-u- p transportation. Im not sure why the DCC is stuck in the slow lane, but its time for a change. Get on the mass transit bandwagon and speed with us! Carol M. Werner, A Legacy Foe Farmington Editor's note: A more complete view of the Clippers opinions which include considerations of mass transit and other options was published in an editorial dated Aug 20, 1999, under the headline, Legacy plus mass transit beats Legacy vs. mass transit. Legacy Highway will cause more congestion Editor: I am disgusted with Rep. James Hansen's attempts to make the Sierra Clubs position at stopping the Legacy Highway appear sinister. The Sierra Gub, among many other nonprofit groups are dedicated to preserving our environment for our families and our future. Rep. James Hansen and other ignorant highway buffs are too eager to bulldoze through our farmlands and wetlands to make way for a $350 million highway. The Sierra Gub is well aware of the congestion in Davis County. They have solutions to the problems that will alleviate congestion, control sprawl and yes protect Utah's environment. Davis County doesnt have the cornerstone on traffic congestion. All across the country cities are being faced with excessive car traffic. However, they have learned that building more roads creates more congestion. Therefore communities are becoming innovative and proactive and discovering ways to alleviate congestion without building roads. Unfortunately, Utah has too le many leaders like Rep. James Hansen who are neither innovative or proactive who support recklessly selling out our environment because of their elementary problem solving skills. Dont be fooled, more roads dont equal a quicker commute. I am a Davis County resident. I am for alleviating traffic, controlling sprawl, and protecting the environment. This is only possible if we stop the Legacy Highway. Nicole Sharp, Bountiful requires to pack a picnic lunch, or to go camping or boating or any of the pastimes we work so hard at enjoying during the long weekend. I'm talking about sweating. Toiling. laboring. Working. You know Mom and Dad understood the concept. Around our house, Labor Day was just that: a day to labor. I dont remember it as a day for picnics or parties or backyard barbecues. Wed just had a full summer for that. Labor Day meant that school was back in session and it was time to work. And so we did. We prepared the garden bed for winter. We pruned fruit trees. We bottled peaches and pears and tomatoes until the inside of our house was thick with steam and aroma. Sometimes there were special projects that we never got around to do during the summer: painting the trim around the house; taking out an old, dead stump; planting new grass in that patch of dirt in the middle of the lawn that we used as home plate during spirited games of whiffle ball. For me, however, the job was always the same: mowing, edging and raking the lawn. As the youngest of eight children, I always got the easiest and the most boring assignment. Its not fair! I protested one Labor Day. I do the lawn all summer. Why cant somebody else do it today? Because everyone else already has a job to do, Mom said. So much for labor negotiations. A late summer trip had interrupted regularly scheduled lawn care, and our yard looked it. The grass was tall and thick especially the edges. I shuddered. Dad didn't believe in power mowers or edgers, so this would require hours of back-breakin- g, wrist-snappin- g, energy-sappin- g labor. What a way to spend Labor Day, huh? Don't ask me how, but I survived the ordeal. I was tired from pushing the mower up and down the slope of our front lawn. My fingers ached from squeezing Dads rusty grass clippers. And I was itchy from the grass that seemed to cover me. But for some reason, as I sat out on the front porch that evening looking out over the aesthetic results of my labors, none of that mattered. I was weary, but content. And I wasnt sure why until mom came out with the lemonade. That's why we have you mow the lawn, she said as she handed me a tall, cool glass. You do such a good job. In retrospect. I'm sure the other lawns in our neighborhood looked every bit as good as ours. Maybe better. But that night I was King Lawnboy, and all was right in my carefully clipped kingdom. Ivq never forgotten the feeling of satisfaction that came from a job well done. Thats the feeling we ought to celebrate each Labor Day, for much of what we are as a nation we owe to the efforts of workers who are willing to work and who take pride in the results of their labors. So do something laborious, even though Labor Day has passed, and savor the privilege and blessing of work. Clipper Today welcomes letters to the editor and will do its best to include as many as possible each week. Please mail or fax your letter to the address or fax number at the far left on this page. Reach us by at eztalkclippertoday.com. We reserve the right to reject letters to edit letters for length or content. All letters must be for any reason and signed and should list the writer's name and city of residence. poor c |