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Show DAVIS COUNTY CLIPPER Tuesday, October 12, 1993 A5 Opinion 2SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSMHBiiBHHBHHHHBIHHHBBBSBSSSSSB9BSBIBBSHBSSBS9HHHBB!!SX8E39ii In Our Opinion Women can be Elks, but do they really want to? The furor over allowing women in the Elks leaves a lot of unanswered questions, especially the question why? Why would the decision have to go to the Supreme Court? Why do men care if women are members? Why do women want to be members? It seems the controversy could have been remedied without going to court. The St. George woman who challenged the local Elks and asked for membership, could probably have had her request granted without damaging the integrity of the organization. She most likely would have attended, found the meetings boring and decided she wasn't interested. Everything would have been back to "normal." Is it normal for men to have clubs which bar women? A quick search of American history shows that it is normal in this country. The Elks have been a national, charitable fraternity for more than 125 years. In those years there has never been a woman member. Is that a problem? Where are we going with this fight for equality? Do women really want all of the rights they are fighting for? Do women really want to be Elks? Most would answer a resounding "No." Do they want to have the right to become Elks? There's the problem. Which rights should be denied based solely on gender? Many women believe if they are not invited they are not considered equal. Many men believe if women are allowed they are treading on their hallowed ground. Both opinions are wrong. There is a difference between being invited and being allowed. Women should be allowed anywhere men are allowed. Women may chose not to attend, but they should certainly be allowed. Women don't have to be diminished because there are men's organizations. Do we really want to share everything? There are happily still separate restrooms for men and women. Let's not erase every line of differentiation. The Elks club is a charitable organization. The Bountiful Elks received a charter in 1972 and has 400 members today. It very likely has continued to exist because the wives of the Elks members have reminded them of the meetings, or baked the cookies for their charitable sales, or gathered the items for the garage sales used to raise money for charitable donations. Like it or not, women are members of the club, the only difference is in the past they have been working behind the scenes. Women have been spared the duty of attending Elks meetings. Most women are not searching for another meeting to attend. And the Elks would not deny women the opportunity to assist with their charitable endeavors. Many of the charitable donations given by the Bountiful Elks in the past 20 years have been given to assist women. It's working, but the Supreme Court says it must be fixed. And it should be fixed if women are being denied civil rights. Women should be able to attend if they chose to attend. But don't look to the Supreme Court decision to swell the numbers of women joining the ranks of Elks. As long as the definition of what women want is so obscured by petty battles, neither women or men will make any progress toward the goal of civil equality. Members of each gender are asking "Who am I? Who am I supposed to be?" And most women are asking themselves, "What did I win here? Do I really want to be an Elk?" Being an Elk is not the prize, being equal is. It's sad that it took the Civil Rights Act to give minorities civil rights. It's even sadder that decades later women are still fighting for equality in America. clear-thinki- Published semi-week- ly John Stable, Sr. publisher 1892-195- 4 1954-198- 1990-prese- nt Judy Jensen managing editor 1370 South 500 West, Bountiful, Utah B4010 ISSN: 1061-122- 3 y on No. Publication (USPS 149-18published Tuesday and Friday except the week of Christmas and New Years at Bountiful, Utah. Second class postage paid at Bountiful, Utah. Address all correspondence to P.O. Box 267, Bountiful, Utah 84011-026Subscription rate: 50c per copy. $20.00 per year, Mailed: $30.00 per year. semi-weekl- Hand-delivere- d: News Advertising Circulation Classified 295-225- FAX 2 295-304- 4 Office Hours: f 1 292-205- 8 292-202- DEADLINES 8:30-5:3- 0 Mon. thru Fri. If Proof Required and Color News Articles & Photos Obituaries Public Notices 24 Hours ..Monday Noon Thurs. 5pm In Advance ....Wed. 5pm Accepted Until 1 1am Mon. Friday 5pm DEADUNES FRIDAY PAPER Display Advertising Classified Ads POSTMASTER: Snd change other. Tuesday 5pm Wednesday Noon of addrau to Davto County Clipper, P.O. Box 267. Bountiful. Utah S401 deteriorating eyesight. But the second case of confusion can't be blamed on poor eyesight. Rather, it's a depressing example of poor judgment. In the case of CONFUSION NO. 2, the members of the North Salt Lake City Council upheld their decision to fire the city treasurer, a woman who racked up job ratings during 14 years of dutiful service. top-not- The treasurer, Debra Jensen, understood the city's fiscal codes. NO. 1, an elderly Springville woman became concerned that her car tires were rolling over pieces of wood. Stopping her car to investigate, she indeed found the wood. But the wooden strips were not errant pieces strewn over roadway. The wood had been there for a good reason--an- d seconds, 'a freight train barreling across the wooden a What she didn't understand was the Old Testament mentality of the City Council. Yes, Debra's crime was simple: cohabiting with a gentleman without benefit of license. Presumably! council a marriage some of the city members would have placed within preferred that Debra be stoned in the came should not go unpunished in North Salt Lake City. But since a public stoning might attract the glare of TV cameras, the city council took the more enlightened approach of telling the treasurer to clean out her tracks, nearly knocking her automobile into an adjacent county. Thankfully, the woman escaped injury, and her family blamed the confusion on her advanced age and public square. Moral depravity desk. treasurer flawed Debra said she was stunned--bshe shouldn't have been. After all, the North Salt Lake City Council has a recent history of blundering on the taxpayer's money. This is the same august body that spent public funds on a morale-boostin- g seminar to help its members and key staff members "get along better". ..This is the ut same bunch of notables who slapped a gag order on all city employees to stop the heathens from speaking to media reporters. Of course, raising issues in the media can be bad for a city's image. And Debra wasn't one of those who talked to the media. She wasn't one of those who noted that the city muzzle was unconstitutional. Rather than involve herself in petty controversy, Debra Jensen just did her job-a- nd from every written assessment, she did it competently. But apparently, competence is not Job One in North Salt Lake...not, at least, when it comes to the treasurer's slot. When a female employee complained that Debra was involved in an untraditional marriage, the city council voted 4-- 1 to put the brakes on moral turpitude. Debra was dismissed "without cause," an action which will soon enter a federal district courtroom. The taxpayers of North Salt Lake will now spoon over money to a select group of attorneys, a wonderful example of fiscal responsibility. Legally, the city council may have the upper hand. That's for a judge to decide, not a weekly newspaper gadfly. In fact, legally the North Salt Lake City Council may have the right to fire any employee who has green eyes or consumes Sanka. But in the real world, the city council is a perfect example of confusion. AS public servants, they have confused their Sunday sensibilities with their civic responsibilities. In the last election, I found no evidence that the voters of North Salt Lake desired to cleanse the city. The candidates vowed to increase the city's tax base, not impose the Book of Isiaih. Then again, maybe Im confused. But I hope the federal judge isn't when Debra takes her case to court. Are there any real men left out there? Are there any real men left out there? In society's attempt to make the male population of our species more kind, sensitive, and gentle, the male has lost also As his I See It by Doug Bagley manliness. We have become mush spines, afraid to show any sign of machismo for fear of being made fun of as a Neanderthal. We're afraid to speak our minds for we may be found to be politically incorrect, or worse, a male chauvinist. As for me, I'm a member of a drying breed; a breed on the verge of extinction. I like football, not ballet. I want to see a rodeo, not an opera. HI take boxing over golf any day. When it comes to my music, I want to hear country music. I don't want to hear a symphony (I can experience all the movements that I care to with a bottle of prune juice). Now I'm not speaking of the "new country" that's being played today. I like my country music raw like it used to be. I want to hear songs about manly troubles: broken marriages, getting on the whiskey, fighting, rodeos, pickups, trains, prison, and Mama. I want to eat man food. I like big ol' steaks, not sushi. And concerning that steak, leave the fat around the edges and then cook it well done. I want the fat (oh, oh, there's the 'F word again) around the edges to crunch when I eat it. Sure, this will plug my heart with cholesterol, but hey, cholesterol is a man's disease; that's how I want to die, like a man. Feed me barbecued chicken with In Ydur Opinion City right on sidewalk plan Editor, As a resident of the Maple Hills Condominiums, I want to commend the city for their insight and efforts in regards to the sidewalk TUESDAY PAPER Classified Ads Display Advertising Last week brought us two terrific examples of mixed-u- p confusion. But one of the two cases is more easily explained than the ng by Clipper Publishing Co., Inc. 9 John Stable, Jr. publisher R. Gall Stable publisher NSL Council decision on along Bountiful Boulevard. There are several of us who live here in the condominiums that support the city's efforts. We respect the fact that some of our neighbors feel differently. Our condominium overlooks the boulevard and sidewalk. Weve seen many of the residents of Bountiful using the sidewalk both day and night. This area has become a favorite place for many who enjoy the mountain scenery and the beautiful sunsets. We understand that street lights will be installed in the next few weeks which will enhance the project further. We appreciate the efforts of our elected officials in making this a great city in which to live and raise our families. We also noticed the city received an award for the responsible way they handle the finances of the city. We are grateful to live here in Bountiful and appreciate the foresight of our elected officials for their efforts in behalf of all of us. We commend the mayor and council for their good work. Joseph Fcatherstone mashed potatoes and gravy, none of that stir fry thank you. Give me grits, hotcakes with syrup on them, fried eggs with runny yokes to dip my buttered toast in, and a pile of hash browns fried in butter like Grandma used to make. Don't give me that bran stuff with skim milk on it along with a piece of whole wheat bread lightly touched with margarine. No sir, I want a man's meal! I'm tired of movies where the male lead is a thin, little wisp of a guy who spends too much time pondering the meaning of life; who grows grey hairs worrying about whether or not he is sensitive enough to the needs of others and spends his quiet moment trying to get in touch with himself. Give me those good old John Wayne movies. Now there was a man's man. Whether it was a cowboy picture, a detective picture, or a war picture, the characters he played Cyclop's vision clouded on censorship issue Editor, This letter is in response to Mr. Bryan Gray's "Cyclops editorial "TV Censors' Vision Clouded by Tears," (Kaysville Today, Sept. 29, 93). I thought the editorial was excellent.. .all that is, except for Mr. Grays comments. Whoever that New York Times television critic was, his comments were right on target then and even more so today. I totally agree with him that television broadcasters "...can be expected to display adult leadership and responsibility in areas where they do have some significant responsibility." In a day and age where "everything goes" you would think that it would have been adults protesting out in front of KTVX's studios. Instead it was the youth themselves protesting the irresponsibility of that station in airing NYPD. That editor was right when he said: "To resort to the were as gruff and manly as they come. Nope, there aren't too many men like him around anymore. When I was a kid I had real men for my heroes. They were cowboys, mountain men, policemen, army men, football players, etc. They were tough, brave, strong and fearless. The youngsters have guys like Pee Wee Herman, Bart Simpson, Balki (from the show "Perfect Strangers"), and Steve Erkal ("Family Matters") to look upon as heroes. Call me a dinosaur, insensitive, to an earlier time, or a throw-bac- k whatever you'd like, but I feel the word "Macho" should be the rallying cry for the few of us real men left in the world to unite in an effort to bring our breed back from the edge of extinction. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to hurry and get the house clean and dinner cooked before my wife gets home from work. now-a-da- world's oldest theatrical come-o- n just to make a fast buck is cheap and tawdry..." And that: "The issue is not one of censorship; it is one of common sense. It is no impingement on the medium's artistic freedom to ask the broadcaster merely to exercise good sense and display responsibility..." If crying "fire in a crowded theater is wrong and should be censored, why should anyone object to "censoring" filth from the homes where television has "direct access" and where broadcasters "...(address) themselves to the teenagers (and) also to the lower age groups?" The damage done there has far greater consequences. It is time adults took responsibility and stop using the worn out phrase "censorship doesn't work." And finally Mr. Gray, these were not d kiddies" but "mom-taughyoung adults who acted in a much more responsible manner than certain adults who should know better. God bless them for their courage to speak out. "mom-prompte- t" H. Lynn Galbraith |