Show ?Jk Halt £akc tribune Friday Morning— January Section 30 1987 Page 10 A Sex Education In Utah Schools Needs Facts Not Indirection Lake Rep Ervin Skousen City exhibited the best intentions when he tackled the provocative subject of sex education this legislative session He acknowledged that young Utahns need factual information to avoid unwanted pregnancy and such dangerous diseases as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome But he didn’t know quite how to go about providing those facts so his colleagues properly put aside his proposal House Bill 52 at least for this year )t While somewhat disappointing that delay will give Rep Skousen and a legislative study committee a chance to return the issue to the right track And by then the matter may have been resolved by public educators include the term “sex education” in his bill but he called for such nebulous lessons as “responsible parenthood” “maturation” “wholesome personal relationships between the sexes” “an examination of man’s and woman’s and the responsiroles in society of the other towards each bility “the life” and legal and throughout medical consequences of aberrant sexual practices” Of course one person's definition of “aberrant sexual practices” isn’t going to conform with another’s Nor are school patrons apt to agree in every respect as to how “man’s and woman’s roles in society” should be assigned A pluralistic community simply will not tolerate teachers undermining family values by espousing some sort of sexual standard Therefore public schools cannot and should not attempt to teach sex education within a moral context What Utah children need is the straight story — scientifically verifiable facts — about sexual intercourse They must be told that indiscriminate sex can cause unwanted pregnancy and deadly diseases If that and their family values don't convince them that abstinence is the best policy students deserve to know that certain other precautions can be taken to reduce risks Regardless of their lifestyles that information could be helpful when they reach adulthood If sex education is ever to successfully prevent unwanted pregnancy and disease public schools must stick with the facts and leave the values side of the equation to parents and churches Because House Bill 52 strayed so far from that ideal it requires extensive revision before being revived school-sanctione- Legislation really isn't necessary to achieve the representative’s goals It’s primarily the responsibility of state and local school boards to decide what’s taught in public classrooms Although Rep Skousen's measure might have compelled those boards to get serious about sex education right away the state board already has started that process and could make enough progress over the next few months to satisfy his concerns That is as long as that board lifts its long-tim- e on ban the discussion of contraceptives Rep Skousen's plans went awry because he bent over backwards trying to satisfy that segment of the state population which insists on foisting its own brand of morality on the rest of the community By couching his proposal in all kinds' of values-ladelanguage he scared off even the supporters of sex n education He apparently didn't dare d Burr Trail Peril Considering that $1 million-a-nulnot an unusual cost for building is of the Interstate Highstretches many the $2 million Garfield way System to County plans spend for reconstruction work along 278 miles of the Burr Trail really isn't much of a road job Also e Nevertheless that nearly $72000-a-nul- c expenditure includes the potential for irreparably altering a unique and spectacular Utah travel experience dirt road winding through stunning and stark red rock country from Boulder to BullThe frog Basin in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area offers motorists a diversity of landscapes that inspire and simultaneously humble The very ruggedness of the trip lows the traveler to experience something akin to the feelings of the pioneers who first ventured into this rugged land al- It is a part of Utah where the hand man has so far only touched lightly And it is a part of Utah where that of hand should not be allowed to fall harshly or destructively That however is not what is likely to happen to the Burr Trail if the $2 million road job goes ahead Plans call for the road now often a e narrow but passable path 28 feet for to be widened to 26 or deep cuts to be constructthe for ed and placement of hundreds of cubic yards of fill material one-lan- 15-a- 20-fo- Oral s Faith-Boosti- variety of drainage struc- tures are to be installed Doubtlessly this work will make driving the Burr Trail easier more convenient and probably less stressful Yet because the plans have not included any exhaustive environmental assessment there seems to be inadequate attention paid to mitigating the negative impacts construction will have on the wildland characteristics of the Burr Trail and the adjacent land For a long time many people in Garfield County along with a number Southern Utah have sought the upgrading and paving of the Burr Trail as a way to bolster tourism in the area Increasing tourism is not an unworthy objective but care must be exercised in soliciting it of people throughout The improvements currently planned for the Burr Trail have too apmany earmarks of a back-doo- r paving effort proach to a Worse they could actually be counterproductive if instead of making the spectacularly rugged vistas along that road more accessible to the public this intended construction severely alters the landscape by accelerating erosion or otherwise disrupting the ecosystem The Burr Trail construction plans if they fail to include workable ways for preventing major environmental damage could heedlessly kill the goose of tourism in Garfield County full-scal- e golden-egg-layin- g Artful Dodger Pockets the Truth Knigbt-Ridde- r Newpapers WASHINGTON — It was a misnomer maybe even phoney advertising to bill that televised ritual on Capitol Hill as a State of the Union speech Everybody knew it was really a State of Reagan speech His loyalists were betting President Reagan who has been almost invisible to the public for two months would unload a classic clutch performances on this arctic evening They were hoping Reagan would 11) dispel rumors that he's physically slipping (2) give a dramatic new agenda for his final two years (3) wipe out the shadow of Iranscam From this seat the Gipper went Pet’s check the box score How did Reagan look and sound 9 A Terrific like the world's healthiest man Except for one moment when his voice faltered he was strong vigorous and forceful Q- Q Did he uncork any new ideas that might lift his presidency and his polls back on track? No The speech was mostly patriotic boilerplate laced with the standard Reach pitch for Star Wars school prayet and money for the Nicaragua rebels Q Did he say what tie'll do about the throe latest American hostages in Lebanon'' A What hostages9 A Q Did he apologise for secretly trading ai ms to Iran9 A No although he did use the woid "re" gret He still won't admit there was an deal He talked about the arms Iran fiasco so briefly if you left the tube to get a beer you missed it But what struck you most vividly wasn't anything that Reagan said or omitted but the fiercely partisan reaction of the people in the chamber When he first walked down the aisle Reagan drew the longest loudest warmest ovation since his appearance after the 1981 gunshot wound But after the "Hello Ron Glad to See You Back” courtesies were over the night degenerated into a brawl Republican cheerleaders led by 'he Cabinet roused their side to standing ovations after every Reagan point — while Democrats sat in frozen silence moment the Democrats cheered — was when Rea" gan said "Thi ‘cderal deficit is outrageous The open hissmp laughter and catcalls bv which obviously galled ReaDemocrats gan — gave notice that his opponents won t be timid with a president whosp approval rating nas sunk to 50 percent "Those guys showed their heels are dug said in" Rpp Mack Sweeny ‘‘They're itching for confrontations" Reagan brushed past the Iran Contra deal — the one subject that gave the speech a hook of suspense - as if it had been a two-ca- r wreck on the Beltway His speech-writinteam labored for weeks and produced only seven lines or two minutes of a 40 min ute speech on Iranscam The only - and then sarcastically Yes admitted Reagan he had a "major ” regret Yes he said he'd "taken a risk ” He didn't believe it was "wrong” to establish contacts with Iran or try to free hostages Yes "serious mistakes were made' All in all a peculiar statement with more holes Mission: ng Chicago lnhune Service Oral Roberts he TV preacher has the opportunity of his lifetime With the right move he can make as dramatic an impact on religious beliefs as anyone in modern times Through one simple gesture he could t onvert millions of atheists and other doubters to Chr istiamty All he has to do is drop dead March 31 Bv doing so Roberts would prove to skeptics that he was telling the truth when be said God reeentlv warned him that if he didn t raise a fast $8 million by the end of Mart'll he was going to be wafted to heaven Many scoffed when Roberts revealed Gods stern ultimatum Even his fellow TV t preachers said God doesn come around if thev don I their to pull plugs threatening prv enough dollars (Hit id their flo ks But Roberts insets that its true II his followers d m t gel that check or nmnev in the mail its time to toll out the hearse This creates a Iasi mating problem for I Roberts many admirers of which am one an fan Roberts been dial I have Yes since 1980 when he rcpoited that Jomis a Sandy Grady A Just consider the potential — the deadline he savs God gave him - Roberts appears on his Bible thumping network He looks into the cameras and says Some time ago I told all you faithful folk that God had revealed to me that if you didn't send $8 million by the end of March he would take me from you million "Well I have here a certified statement from my accounting firm According to their figures we have fallen short by $2 680 975 52 "I suppose some of you thought I was kidding when I told you what would happen " if I failed Well just watch this Then as we look on his eyes roll up in Ins head and he plops on the siage A doctor comes out jmts a finger m a limp wrist shakes his head and says I m afraid Oral Roberts has left us face-dow- n What a tiuly inspiring possibility Yes said inspiring That might sound cojdhearl cd but if you think about it the opposite is true 1 All world - no make that the would see Oral Roberts over Amenta people Can t say Reagan has lost his knack lor chut7pah though He made a stirring pitch for the war on drugs — not mentioning that he wants to cut $230 million from duig programs Re made a long impassioned spiel fot aid to the Contras — his private crusade that only 22 percent of Americans support He had the bogus brass in view of Irans-cato vow "We will never be blackmailed Nunn D Ga "Maybe he doesn t have to apo! ogize but he should say the policy was " wrong "He said our intentions were good but we blew it” said House Republican leader Rob Michel "That’s a plus " For the rest of the speech despite Rea gan's artful delivery — you could hear the White House speech-writincorps gnnding desperately for ideas to distract folks from Even tebellious Democrats cheered Reagan's exit Yep the Gipper had his old pep and vim But in 40 video minutes he left out one the truth item Iranscam iow " It was a strong TV performance g Anollior terrorists bv point Helmsman Reagan Still Drifting From The Los Angeles Times The nation wants and needs a strong and vigorous leader at the helm through the coming two years But 1’iesident Reagans State of the Union address Tuesday night failed to provide an adequate jilan for sailing from a murky present into an uncertain fu ture Regrettably the contents of the presi As expected the president put some em pliasis on the problem of making the Ameri can economy competitive in the world again He promised to submit legislation that would include new science and technology centers and strong new funding for basic research But in the end he said the real key to being competitive is putting just plain American grit to work But in the movies "True Gi it" worked for John Wayne only because he was a crafty old fox who got the jump on the bad guys and could shoot taster and straighten than they dent's speech consisted of little more than rejected proposals of the past and platitudes lifted from dusty old speeches Americans should be grateful that the president looks well fot a man approaching his 76th year and who recently underwent surgery Still this was not the speech that his aides had hoped for and the polished delivery failed to over come the inadequacies of his program The president talked of the future but his The president words looked backvvard puffed up the economic good news that he could find and mostly ignored the bad He talked of a rare opportunity of negotiating arms control with the Soviets but gave no inkling of how when or where He insists that he will not budge from his Strategic Defense Initiative although that stubborn position is precisely what is standing in the way of arms control To his credit the president assumed full a affair and responsibility for the called it his "one major regret " But he was not able to put the issue behind him with his meek vow to get to the bottom of it and take whatever action is called for Alas the presi dent gave the people no indication that lie yet knows just quite what went wrong with adventure or even where the the arms-sal- e bottom of it is In a hollow footnote to the Iran issue the president vowed that the nation will not yield to terrorist blackmail Imagine how that was received in the capitals of the world from Bonn to Beirut to Tripoli It cer tainly met with some incredulity in Wash If his address lacked substance and innovation on international issues it was almost totally void of such on the domestic front The White House hinted that the president would launch some major domestic initiatives in an effort to taho eyes off the Iran affair But what we got was vague promises of future legislation and recycled Reagan rhetoric that went back as far as the 1960s and 1970s - about the "welfare monster" the outrageous budget deficit and even prayer in schools In response to the national disgrace of health care costs he promised to propose legislation to protect elderly Americans against catastrophic illness lie made the very same promise in his State of the Union address one vear ago and his administration still cannot agree on what form the legisla (ion should take Iran-Contr- are grateful that the president seems We to be well if perhaps not yet back to top form But his addr ess failed in the two major goals set by the White House to defuse the Iran Contra controversy and to demonstrate that the administration is hack on top of events and moving forward into tomorrow Not ever vone agrees with the presidents policies but everyone wants the presidency to succeed Swift currents are at work both internationally and domestically A boat needs to keep moving forward in order to maintain dnection Take the hand off the tiller and it comes up directly into the wind and stalls its sails flapping withoutpurpose That is the sort of State of the Union that was presi nted to thn nation Tuesday one indicating that there is not a sue hand at the tiller or a weather fixed squarelv on the tint on mgton In sweeping quickly through a list of the world's problems the president offered no new approaches to the massive trade deficit nor the administration s wrong footed ef forts to advance Contra revolution in Nica ragua He promised more of the same poll ries that have proved inadequate to the task ee Matter of Eternal Life and Death On March 31 Christ standing 900 feet tall in his bare feet had spoken to him Having seen quarterbacks quake at the lineman I was imsight of a mere pressed by Roberts’ poise Most people if beard suddenly confronted by a 90(1 ford-tal- l ed man might swallow their tongues Roberts just shouted "Hallelujah " or words to that effect Despite my admiration for Roberts I think it would be a mistake to send him money More than a mistake it would be a disser vice to him and his religious goals Although he intends to use the $8 million for worthv causes these causes are insigmfi rant compared to th awesome good that would result from his failure to raise the $8 "I heard a lot of hypoci isy about the defa “I icit" said Rep William Gray III heard contradictions about new programs' that have no way of being funded ” than the Denver Broncos' line Reagan didn't say who made the mistakes He didn t say that swapping guns for captives was a double cross of all of his rhetoric The Republicans were on their feet whooping joyfully as though Reagan had slam the ghost of Iranscam In truth the president's quick vague statement hints that he still doesn't know what happened It was disappointing" said Sen Sam dropping dead on their TV sets Instant replays slow motion and stop action Of course it would be even more persua sive and inspiring if instead of Rnhcrts simply falling over a bolt of lightning suddenlv zapped him And when the smoke cleared all that remained would be his empty shoes But however it happens if it happens ii would lead to the greatest conversion of roll gious doubters in history "That s it the stunned agnostics would say "You'll see me in church this Sundav Hand me the good book brother the atheists would respond "and dunk me in that " pond Believe me am not wishing harm bn Oral Roberts To the eontrarv Ii would be something glor mus Fot on- - thing Roberts has said that God told him that if he had to take him his desti nation would be heaven How ruariv of von out there have had that kind of peisonalied guarantee9 What s wrong with going to heaven9 Especially with the kind of miser able weather we re having this vear Rut more important than Roberts spin tual itinerary would be the benefits his departure would have on his fellow man Besides the millions of religious conversions the potential for raising nmnev worthy causes would be enormous The cassette sales of his demise alone would raise a for lone fr So I tall upon all theOial Rubens follow ers to help him ar hieve a much greater good bv refusing to send him a plugged nickel Rt member if he raises that $8 million the doubters will never be convinced that he rcallv got the message just as thev didn t think he saw a 900 foot Jesus As one disbeliever said How come the rest ol 'he reigh Imi hood didn notice somebody th it tall9" (if out se there is alw av s the chance that I i even if Roheitx comes up shot “ I v‘ a us e h' s him some cnibar Bui Much of i t he might not which might assment suppose he i nuld siv something like I ast mghl I heard an enoi moos thunfieri a voice from on der clap high spoke hose win ds to me I Oral theiH-di- ed In give Mill l a 00 depailment has deeill (I iv extension |