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Show .4- The Manila 4 TlincVXVetU Valley - fHOU&Vii Wg; New, September 26, 2002 Editorial Seniors fighting the other drug war Editor, An Army or more than 600 lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry can be credited with the defeat of the latest attempts to pass a drug benefit bill for Medicare recipients. Their soldiers, armed with more than 78 million dollars, were well selected and included 23 former members of Congress ( 1 3 Republicans, 10 Democrats) and 340 (54 percent of the total) with revolving door connections or who had previously worked for Uncle Sam. Worried that if and legislation is passed to allow Medicare to buy in bulk, it would lead to discounted prices in the lucrative senior citizen market, the pharmaceutical industry had launched an unprecedented barrage of lobbying campaign contribu-- : issue ads". tion, and The drug industry spent S20. 1 Constitution endures as our dearest gift Sept 17 marked the 215th anniversary of the signing of our nation's Constitution. As the delegates gathered to sign the newborn document, Benjamin Franklin, making reference to a sun carved on the back of George Washington's chair, stated: I have often and often in the course of this session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that sun behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length 1 have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun." Indeed. Franklin's words proved to be prophetic, and the sun roso.on a new nation under a new and unique form ofgcy- emmeat. The Constitution of- the United States was framed on the premise that governments are instituted among men" to secure each individual's God-give- n rights, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." The framers of the Constitution were faced with the difficult task of creating a strong, unified nation without jeopardizing the freedoms and liberties of the individual. The incredible power that a strong central government would command was cause for great concern among the Founding Fathers. But even with their differences of opinion-an- d in spite of their own personal weaknesses and selfish interests-the- y framed the most perfect document ever established for the government of mankind. By virtue of the Constitution, they created the foundation of a strong and effective government while preserving the freedom of the governed. Many writers and commentators across the nation stand up in courageous defense of the Constitution, particularly so after the events of Sept 1 . They understand its importance 1 not changed since Jared t f L Haynie svm? and work hard to help others understand the same. Unfortunately, there are others whose aim is to belittle die Constitution. They question its significance and its relevance to issues facing 21 st century America. Sometimes this criticism is overt, but more often it is carried out subtly by avoiding making mention of the Constitution at d certainly never in defense or praise of it . Critics of the .Constitution who, believe it had it? pjop?r place in history, but is nowi a useless relic of the past, are sorely mistaken. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. The freedom, liberty, and prosperity we enjoy today are direct results of the economic and political establishment set forth in the all-an- , Constitution. Those who advocate drifting from the free economic and political principles this country was established upon lack a sound understanding of what has truly made this nation great The Constitution of the United States of America is the most precious and invaluable endowment bequeathed to us from our forefathers. Because of it (and the ensuing Bill of Rights), we live in the most free, the most prosperous and die most envied nation in the history of humanity. We worship as we please. We think as we please. We speak as we please. We work in occupations of our own choosing. Generally speaking, we live in peace from civil unrest and criminal activity. We elect our government representatives, including the president of our country, through our free and anonymous vote. The Constitution is not outdated," as argued by some, for the simple reason that human nature has . its signing. f , million in direct contributions to candidates and party committees in election cycle with the 1999-200- 0 67 percent going to the Republican candidates. The pharmaceutical industry is filling the, coffers of would-b- e Senator and Representatives right now for the November 2002 midd term election of of the Senators and all of the House of you dont want the pharmaceutical companies deciding the criteria for any kind of prescription benefits. and As Director of Meds-Assi- st author of "Free Meds: The Drug Companies Best Kept Secret", I can't stress bow important it is that our seniors be protected. When they are forced to pay as much as $1 ,200 a month cm medication it leaves very little money for necessities. I see and hear horror storied each day from our elderly citizens taking such drastic measures as eating cat food so they can afford their medications or reducing dosages or just not taking their medications, at all. We cannot let them down because we will all be there ourselves one one-thir- Representatives. Now is the time to act, don't wait until November. Unless, you, them American public checks out your congressional candidates there will be no help for our seniors. If you want Medicare Drug Benefit legislation to ever pass Congress you must check on where the candidate of your choice is getting the money to support his or her campaign. More than checking, let your congressional candidate know that j j j , life-savin- g, day. Tracey Brown PhD Executive Director Meds-Assi- st Community celebrations alive but need volunteers It was Charles Dickens who observed that the abuse of irresponsible power is of all earthly temptations the most difficult to be resisted." The craving for and abuse of power always has been, and will continue to be, the natural disposition of our race. And above all else, the Constitution protects the rights, liberties, and freedoms of the individual against (he potentially abusive and destructive power of government. How can you measure your understanding of and appreciation for the Constitution? A few questions may spark some beneficial introspection. When was the last time you read the Constitution? (Have you ever read the Constitution?) Do you V own a copy of the Constitution? Do you have a good understanding of the government's proper role as outlined by the Constitution? Could you explain why the Constitution is the basis of our freedoms to someone who is ignorant or believes the Constitution is outdated?" If ' you have children, what have you taught them about the Constitution? Do you know what (hey have learned about it in school? Our freedoms carry inherent responsibilities, 'duties of a free citizenry. Thomas Jefferson said, The price of freedom is eternal vigi- r.t lance." Vigilant citizens are alert, watchful, prudent, informed, cautious, and wide-awakAntonyms of vigilant are oblivious, careless, heedless, neglectful, thoughtless, inattentive, impulsive, foolhardy. How vigilant are you as a citizen? We need more men and women; old and young, to be vigilant, to get involved, to learn the truth and stand up for it Studying, understanding and defending the Constitution of our land is' a great place to start. e. misThe most commonly-hel- d in exists the that conception Magna Community is there are no, or very few, special events to attend. The rath is there are many events, and more coming on line all the time. If you are feeling the urge to help by volunteering, here is a small sampling of what's available that could use a hand: 1. Magnas 4th of July Celebration: The Granddaddy of special events in the Magna Community and one of the oldest 4th of July celebrations in the entire State of Utah. This event needs volunteers to assist in the scheduling, planning and fund-raisifor the parade and community activities in die Historic ng Magna-Kenneco- tt Copper 1 Community Parity those who are looking for just a that day" offering, the 4th of July Committee needs people to assist in the putting up and taking down the barricades, parade crowd control, parade entry announcers, locationinformadon specialists, and crowd control for the fireworks that night For more information about volunteering with the 4th of July, contact Ellen Aguilar at 2. Magnas Night Out Against Crime: Held on the first Monday in August Magnas Night Out Against Crime Celebration is one of die best attended "Night Out 'events in the whole State, with crowds that rival the turnout in Salt Lake City. The primary goal of Night Out" is to promote community unity and awareness as tools for fighting crime in our community. Much of the volunteer effort for this event ' revolves around g and scheduling event speakers and performers. For more information on how you can help Night Out Against Crime," contact Jared Winder at 652-648- 9. fund-raisin- 250-928-7. 3. Magna Hometown Days: Formerly known as Copper Days," die purpose of the event is to raise the awareness of the community to Magnas Historic Downtown Area by hosting a street festival in the middle of Historic Main Street (2700 South). This event is typical I ly held on the first Friday and Saturday of August Due to the failing health of Hometown Days Committee Chairman Kip Peterson, this event was almost lost this year because Kip was doing 95 percent of die work to make this event happen. Norm Fitzgerald did a great job assisting Kip, but the bottom line is they need some help. They need folks with a strong desire to promote the Historic Downtown Area and who are willing to help sell booth spaces tq vendors, schedule performers for the street festival, you name it For more information on how to volunteer with Hometown Days, contact Norm Fitzgerald at 250-047-2. un-fais- e, 4. Magna Arts Council: Yes, we have one of these. During die last year the Magna Arts Council has been working to develop an annual schedule of events for the Magna Community. Some of the things they are working on include the development of a Community Theater Program, Community Art Shows to showcase Magna Artists, the "Night Out Against Crime" Art Contest, Child Art Programs and the Magna Visual History Program. To become a part of the Magna Arts Council, contact Dawn Killpack at 637-294Again, this is just a small sampling of whats going on in Magna. For more offerings you can visit the Magna Area Council website at www.magnautah.org and get a 9. complete list of Magna Community events and volunteer groups. As Ive said before, many helping hands can make for a more enjoyable event for all. Im sure that I'll be out there helping on one or more events this year. Its my hope that I'll be making some new friends along the way when you come to volunteer, too. The good guys are on a roll but its not over yet Were winning. Oh, its not over yet, and I dont want to be foolishly optimistic. But we are winning. Over the last week weve shown that we have them on the run. The first sign was the anniversary. If there was one day when die terrorists would have wanted to strike, it was then. Any where, any way, any how. A bombing, a shooting, a disruption. But there was nothing. Not in America. Not overseas. It was a shutout. There was now here they could penetrate, no vulnerably on our part and no strength on their part The television cameras waited, the anchors were in the studios. the coverage was already set, and the evildoers best photo op of the year passed without them making an appearance. wall-to-wa- ll We won. And then the weekend came. And we snatched up a terrorist cell in Buffalo. Six of the best-plac- ed operatives you could imagine the ultimate sleepers and we got diem. Unsuspected by the larger community, and apparently covered for by their own, tiiey had quietly gone off more than a year ago to the same camp that trained John Walker Lindh and two of the September 1 1 murderers. Hiding behind Islam, their religion as preached by Osama bin Laden centered around training to kill Americans and Jews. Even after the attacks of last fall, when there could be no doubt about die intentions of the organization they had joined, they remained silent and faithful. Bom in America, benefited by its society, accustomed to its freedom, educated in its schools, they studied how to tear it down. They were part and parcel of the organization that killed some 3,000 of tfieir neighbors. And we caught them. And whatever they were trained to do, whatever they may have been planning to do, came to nothing. We stopped them. Just like the guy in Pakistan, the 20th hijacker. Linked undeniably to September 11, implicated in the attack on the USS Cole, his fist raised triumphantly as he was brought blindfolded out of his lair. He hid half a world away, and we got him. CIA agents went in and brought him out And one more rabid wolf was out of circulation. A senior leader and a sleeper cell, all taken down. Weve got them on the run. Which is important to remember as we see relatives and friends of the Buffalo Cell claiming inno- cence on one side and racism on the other. As we see alleged terrorists depicted as victims of "racial leanprofiling" and ings. As the politicians and the press spin this to their advantage. Some things are uncertain, but one thing is not: God heard ami answered our prayers of protection. We pushed the terrorists back. We took it to them, and we spanked them. And were not done yet. anti-Islam- ic - by Bob Lonsberry 2002 Bob Lonsberry is the morning talk-shohost at KNRS 570 AM 5:30 am. -- 10 am. He writes a daily internet column at www.bnsberry.com w POOF |