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Show I I Pace 2 -- July 28. 1998 ; Uintah Basin Standard ! r Editorial i Will they still sing God bless America... by Daniels. Wheeler Often I am asked by reporters, What harm does it do to bum a flag? This question usually comes from young men and women, mostofwhomarentveterans,andI frequently sense that they really don't understand why this issue is important. Recently, I was asked this question: Tommy Lasorda told the story of a flag burning during a Dodger game in 1 976 Vdiere Rick Monday ran out on die field and tore the flag away from a protestor. When they became aware of what had happened, the crowd stood and sang 'God Bless America. Doesnt that prove that we dont need the amendment? When I heard the question, I was reminded of what Gen. Patrick H. Brady, Medal of Honor recipient, said. He pointed out that nobody can change your mind or my mind about protecting our flag. It s the children of America that we have to think about. What happens when they lose, or are no longer taught, respect for our flag? What will happen when an enemy threatens our nation, or even attacks our country, and our moral fiber has become so desensitized - our patriotism has been so eroded-thordinary citizens arent willing to stand and fight for the Unites States? Brady reflects on those who have died in battle, and those who risked their lives for this great country. He says thatthe men who wear the Medal of Honor risked their lives for their country - many ofthem died - but he wonders ifthey would be willing to risk their lives forthe country we are becoming. Then I think about those thousands of men and women singing God Bless America in Dodger Stadium. Why were they doing it? Well, obviously they did itbecause they loved their flag. But why do they love their flag, and why do they love their country? Its not something you are bom with, this patriotism and love ofour flag. It s something you learn from your parents, your teachers, your Sunday School teachflag-protecti- on at ers, your drill instructors, your life experiences. Throughout the lives of those who rose to their feet, we had laws protecting Old Glory. Throughout their lives, theyd been taught that America was a good nation, in fact, the greatest nation on earth. Many probably risked their lives in her defense. They understood that the tree of liberty is watered with the blood of patriots. That s why they stood and sang. But whatofthis generation, andofthe next? What are they being taught about love ofcountry? What are they being taught about the greatness of America? Howmany ofthem will" start each school daypledging their allegiance to our flag, as most of us did? How many ofthem will learn the proper way to respect her, and what she means and why patriotism is important? And what of those who grow up learning thatthe flag isjust one symbol among many, just one point of view, not deserving ofany special recognition, dignity or respect? How will they reconcile the ideathat we prove our love for our nationsflag by allowing those who hale America to desecrate it without penalty? Twenty years fromnow, when another Rick Monday snatches a flag from someone who is trying to bum it, will the crowd still sing God Bless America, or will it rise in anger because the game has been delayed? It s certainly true - as weve heard people say one person burning a flag, or urinating on it, or defecating on it, or trampling it under foot, will not harm OldGlory.Butitsnot true that no harm is done. The harm is done ifthe American people fail to respond to suchvile and hurtful conduct The harm is done only if, by our apathy, we condone the defiling of the banner that has draped the casketsofourAmericanheroes.EdmundBurke once said: The only thing necessary for the triumph ofevil is for good men to do nothing. Failure to protect our flag by law is not a celebration ofliberty; itisthecelebrationofevil. A great nation cannot preserve its greatness by turning a blind eye and adeaf ear to that which is wrong, to that which is destructive, to that which is immoral and evil. What harm does it do to bum a flag? Over time it destroys the very fabric of our nation. It undermines the goodness that makes us great; and it ensures that future generations will not stand and spontaneously sing God Bless America because they will notknowthat - once - God did. Daniel S. Wheeler is executive director American of Legion National Headquarter and president of the Citizens Flag Alliance www . cfa-incoalition org, a broad-base- d of 127 civic and fraternal groups representing 25 million Americans. c. by Cheryl Mecham Just a few days ago I was stopped at the end of my driveway, ready to pull out on the road when a truck came flying by, I mean I swear that I saw the early light of dawn between his tires and the road. For some reason between the hours of 1 and 6 a.m. a lot of people think that every law enforcement officer in Utah is in bed and sound asleep. Boy, do I know different. It was our annual Lagoon day, and it had been hot - really hot, the kind of temperature that melts the soles of your Keds. We had whirled, twirled and hung upside down and and lost all of our spare change. The kids had begged us to stay past supper time, and then, foolishly we decided we were having so much fun theyd just have to side-way- s, KICK US OUT of Lagoon. About 12:30 s.m. we began the journey home. Our tongues were stained the same color as the top of our right hand (it was some blue berry slushy thing.) I think we drank 39 of them. We were sticky, redeyed and hoarse when we finally climbed into our car, which was the only one in the parking lot Our kids were asleep before we For the hit the freeway first 100 miles we tried to be alert and keep awake, but finally we gave it up, and silently rebuked ourselves for being so far away from our bed at that time of night, well ... almost, p. day. Thats when II" Uintah Basin Standard Inc. Periodical portxge paid at Roosevelt and Ducheme, Utah (USPS 646-90Published weekly a 268 S. 200 E., Roosevek, Uuh 84066-310- 9 POSTMASTER: Send iddresschuifes to the Uintah Basin Standard 268 S.200E., Roosevelt, Utah 84066-310- 9 OFFICE HOURS: 8:00 a.m. to 1 :00 p.m. Monday, 9tf0a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Tuesday thin Friday. Phone Fax: 722-41DEADLINES: For all News. Legal Nooces. 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I cried. suss sun onus a: me uuilah at Standard welcome and encoura opinion from readers ini he form letters to the editor. Letters may utilised to express opinions to highlight outstand comments, service of an individual or organizati or any other worthwhile purpe Letters may not be used to replace Ca of Thanks, or to list sponso participants or contributors to particular event or purpose. LETTE MUST CONTAIN 400 WORDS LESS. BE TYPED OR WR1TT LEGIBLY, SIGNED, AND INCLU, NAME, ADDRESS AND PHO, NUMBER OF THE AUTHOR. Lett will be published unless they cent libelous or defamatory statements, reserve the right to withould a name request if the nature of the letter positive, and to edit letters. Letters n be submitted to the Standard office 268 S 200 , Roosevelt, Utah, 841 by the published deadline (norma Thursdays at 5:00 p.m.) All lett, become property of the Uintah Ba Standard. Restrictions taking the fun out d travel of jet skiing, off-roa- There is definitely (a trend), The Associated Press Hie West was once their playground, but the tide of public opinion and government policy is turning against users of vehicles and personal watercraft. Environmentalists, safety advocates and federal land managers have won a number of recent fights to keep the machines out of traditional recreation areas and established wilderness alike. and watercraft riders are furious at the latest limitations on their freedom to roam. It seems like every week there's another closure, Utah Trail Machine Association executive director Brian Louw said. The government doesn't care (that) the outdoors are for everyone." activists say the recent spate of closures may signal a change in a traditional Western outlook that honors individualism over the herd. They plan to continue challenging the machines throughout Utah and the West. Its going to be a fight to the death, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance attorney Heidi Macintosh said. In the last eight months, three Utah recreation areas have been partially or completely closed to traffic. Depending on the outcome of negotiations over new wilderness designations in Utah, many "more trails could be dosed. Macintosh said. OHVs are becoming so prevalent now that you really cant go anywhere without seeing the scars. Hieres a backlash against that. Youre talking about damaging the environment for the sake ofa thrill. I think some people are starting to wake up. Dustin Sweetin is an vehicle and Jet Ski dealer in Lindon who also sits on the states nine-memb- er OHV Advisory Council. He said apathy and a lack of understanding ofthe issues on the part of riders are the primary reasons for the recent closures. I think youve got an environmen- rs tal community thats fewer in number but larger in support, Sweetin said. "The (OHV and personal watercraft) users are out being active ... but they're hot organized to protect their interests. While supporters tout OHVs as vehicles for exploration and fun, many others describe them as Anti-machi- high-profi- smoke-belchin- terrain-mulchin- g g, . by Lezlee E. Whiting le off-ro- WRONG. After traveling a mile or so we recognized those lights as coming from a Duchesne County Sheriff's car. Whoops! I think thats when my husband uttered his favorite expletive, which he saves for moments of extreme duress. I was shuffling around in the glove compartment, searching for the vehicle registration, when the beam of a flashlight flooded the car. May I see your license and registration, the officer asked, adding, Ive been following you for the last few miles and youve been all over the road. Relief washed over me. Oh good, at least the car had stayed on the road. It would have been much worse had the officer pointed out that he had been following us through the sage brush, and into the local grocery store. What have you folks been drinking tonight? Pepsi, we both chimed in unison. I thought it sounded pretty suspicious. But the flashlight beam had already confirmed the two big swig mugs in their handy holders, and the candy wrappers all over the front seat Right then that officer must have realized he had a couple of sugar junkies in custody. My husband explained the Lagoon day that turned into a Lagoon night and he really thought he had been on his side of the road the whole time. The officer knew we were fools, just not drunken fools ... so he followed us the two miles, to our driveway, then cruised into the black monsters that leave a trail of de-struction. Similar complaints are targeted at snowmobiles in the winter. In November 1997, the Bureau of Land Management proposed dosing 212 miles of vehicle routes in the scenic San Rafael Swell ofsouthern Utah. And on July 22, the US.' House Resources Committee approved a plan to designate 630,000 acres of the swell as a National Conservation Area, limiting OHV access to many areas. On July 8, the National Park Service rattled personal watercraft enthusiasts when it announced plans to ban the machines from most of the waterways it manages. The bans have also taken hold in local communities. On July 19, the Washington state Supreme Court affirmed the right ofSanJuan County to bar watercraft from the countys vast, pristine waterways north of Seattle. Sweetin said his Jet Ski sales have been cut in half over the last two years by the negative publicity surrounding the vehicles. Well, someone in my immediate fomilyjust got a speeding ticket and it was not me. We have just two drivers in our family, so I wont release anymore information at this time to point the finger of blame in a certain direction. But, when I happened to mention the in front of the children they couldnt have been more shocked than if I had told them their father had decided to have a sex change. Wow! How fast was dad going when he got caught?1 one inquiring mind wanted to know. Well, he was going the speed limit, BUT HE WAS IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE where the ' speed limits have been changed, I explained trying to soothe their psyches stung from the trauma of realizing they were being raised by someone who had BROKEN THE Speeding-Ticket-Incide- nt LAW. I expounded, You see around Salt Lake City they have these CONSTRUCTION ZONES, you remember seeing them on the news, dont you? And in CONSTRUCTION ZONES if you go too fast you get a ticket that will cost you more than 274 percent the normal fine. (I decided I did not want to do a disservice to my Future Drivers of America by minimizing the consequences of speeding in a CONSTRUCTION ZONE even ifit was a construction zone that did not look like it was under construction. Go figure.) We explained that the trooper was very nice, and dad would forever remember to slow down in construction zones, or else would remember not to slam on his brakes and be the only one in the car pack left behind as though to say, I am guilty! Please pull me over now. And so that brings us to parallel parking. Let me tell you right now I would rather walk 5 miles through Kool-Ai- d granules spilled on a linoleum floor on a sickeningly humid day than to have to parallel park. Im thinking a lot about this lately because I witnessed a Drivers Education teacher having one of his students practice the inhumane act of parallel parking on State Street between a parked car and a big black plastic garbage can (which I may add was actually a pretty safe idea). I personally never had to do that in Drivers Ed, probably because my teacher knew the damage to the Drivers Eld car would not be worth it, and because if he ever did I would blab to the cops that he had me drive the Drivers Ed car on one of Denvers busiest freeways-ALO- after I dropped him off at the car repair shop so he could pick up his car. Speeding in construction zones and parallel parking -t- hose are two things I, as editor of the Standard, wish to use this space to warn readers about this week. With all ofthe awful things in the world I could be raising red flags about, take comfort in the fact that this week, these are the only real biggies on your list But be prepared, there may come a time when I have to tell you about the cake donut monster covered with powdered sugar throwing miniature donuts at passing cars. But, as they say in the business, thats another NE column. night I learned two thingi that night: first if you're going to Lagoon and than 30 minutes away, rent a motel room, and secondly, my live more husband will defend his driving skills to anyone at anytime, under any circumstances. As for me, if I had been driving, I would have burst into tears the moment the officer had come up, confessed to a crime I didnt commit and thanked him repeatedly as he took me away in cuffs. Couldnt ask for a better son For the past two years my husband and myself have had the pleasure of having a young man living in our home. This young man has a full time job but he always finds the time to help us or anyone else. My husband was iqjured on the job and POOR after seven back surgeries he is unable to do the things he wants to do, so this young man has been doing those things for us. If we men- tion something needing to be done he does it, nothin&is.to big or too smalL He may not be our birth son but he is our heart son. This young man is Robert Evans. Thanks Rob. Love Mom and Dad Thacker copy! , |