OCR Text |
Show v Won Page 4A &'on Review lakeside T Wednesday, July 4, 1984 "'4 7" A 1 Column : Whats Big Deal About July 4th? . ..ROBERT .Review gent made the difference in how the vote for that state went. REGAN Staff July the 4th. So whats the big the- fourth day of Ju- - 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. ' a long, There was a war 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 "fleal about ; iy? tX -- -- What really happened on July 1776, has little to do with why celebrate it every year. ; The document was signed by '''most of the men two days earlier gnd by many of them months the publication date of July af-"t-er -- 4th. . And what really was that document? That declaration of was just that. It was a letter to King George saying the colonists didn't 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 inde-"penden- ce n, subjects. And who really were the men who signed? In modern parlance most were YUPPIES. Those Sept. 3, 1783. 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. And who did these men represent? Not the majority. It has been said that of the populace One third were loyal to England, pne third didnt care either way, and only the last third wanted independence. ; What about the men them- Maybe at the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, Sept. 17, 1787? 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. 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 born in 1776, or anywhere up to 12 years later. It is the country that has paid all too frequently in its sons blood to stay alive and grow into the fine strapping lad of a country it now is. selves? They were bitterly divid- issue of ed over the independence. In fact, there was Such division in the Continental Congress that the one vote of the one man in the Deleware contin- - 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 changes that would right the SYDNEY GOFF Review Guest Columnist wrong. All of us have suffered I have a friend who is a fiesty woman. Her husband calls her a dragon slayer and she does indeed slay dragons-n- ot the big. green fire breathing, scaley type but she fights against the slithering reptile-lik- e injustices in our I! !! She has the courage to stand for what she believes to be up j; She goes on crusades right. i against wrongs and has even been known to fight against the i! bureaucracy. It must be exhaust11 ing 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--an- d lieve it or not, there have been times when her tenacity has made a difference and she has j, made our world a little nicer. S Some people laugh at her and find her actions humorous. Oth-er- s are annoyed by what she does and may be heard to ask, U'.Why not leave things alone? Many feel that problems will right themselves in time. Her husband, who is a total merely smiles pa-- y Vtiently and says, Do what you 'have to do, dear. Ill just wear a sack on my head. He is some-- times embarrassed by her behavior and does not feel her exhaustive efforts can make a difference. , 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 I land barely notice the problems at hand. There are problems in our "communities, many things that .4.are not quite right. We see these we feel them touch our lives, we suffer, grumble to our tJjieighbors, 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 difTernce in persuading him towards ones way of thinking. Several letters could , perhaps convince him to make , I ;;hings, I well-writt- en well-writt- ef- change. society. t$ the fects 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 Several years ago, our school was overcrowded 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 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 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 the coaches desires to win. Perhaps 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 towns, cities and even our coun- try. Dont assume that someone else, like my fiesty friend, will always be doing battle for you. ef in fhe Summer Spirii , Eniog oil Uie exdlGGidiit ol past yaara. o terming pageant, A FASCINATING im tame Ms! FAMILY EXPERIENCE- - Have the courage to refuse to be a victim. Have the courage to become involved. Have the courage to speak out and be heard. & Win a SunEdsf Mini onefte organized themselves, attended that meeting, voiced their concerns and desires and the school board voted in favor of their request. 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 can't 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 grad- er off for school at 6:30 each morning. I could only blame myself because I had had a chance to speak ag&inst 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 son's Little League games that there were always several sorry looking boys sitting on the bench. Why don't you let them play? I asked a middle-age- d overweight coach who looked a little silly in his uniform. They aren't 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, A hundred than cdlorfid, fascinating experiences fill every day of this great summer festival. Watch more 60 traditional crafts produced by hand. Visit an Indian vdiage, a frontier street and an exhibit of rare photographs, quiltsandart. Enjoy delightful taste treats while you watch mountain men, races, log sawing contests. Tour heritage houses and a historic farm. Then finish with a lavish, g pageant of dance and song and exciting projections. July 27, 28, 30, 31 and August For moit Information, write or call: Utah State University, TSC. UMC 1- -4. On the campus Activities begin at NOON Saturday July 7th of Utah State University. , ' 01, Logan, Utah 84322Tetephone (801) 7 MM 143 or 750-16- For Best Results Read The Classified The practical choice Sri, Mersyns and man) fine Specialty Shops 51 |