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Show Volume XVI Issue VI The Ogden Valley news Page March 15, 2009 Guest Commentary The Age of Unbelief and Fraud By Lonnie D. Crockett, Ph.D. After all the hype and news reports being flashed before our eyes on an almost daily basis about Bernie Madoff and Marc Dreier and Gov. Blagojevich, I began to correlate something. Somewhere along the line, many prominent and prominent Americans have forgotten something they were taught (or should have been taught) by their mothers i.e., “Do Unto Others As You Would Be Done By.” It seems that when some people’s entire focus is on money and power, it no longer matters how they come by it. The correlation I find is that there has been an ever-increasing rise in dishonesty and fraud, especially among prominent and powerful people, that directly relates to the decrease in the presence of God in government, schools, and public places. Once God has been shut out, humanism replaces it as a natural result. The liberals wanted this, so now we have it and are suffering the consequences. Not only do we have the massive nationwide fraud of sub-prime mortgages, but little by little we see that those miraculous moneymakers called hedge funds were often frauds that took investors’ money to keep the money managers living like an Arab Sheik. Should we be surprised? What, with this day and age that has energetically suppressed religious belief? You will get laughed out of court if you try to put up an image of the Ten Commandments—the origin of most of our laws—in or around the courthouse. If you even ask—just ask—how Darwinism and random chance could have produced gravity or thermodynamics, you are a scourge and an imbecile fascist at best. Could there be a God/Creator who made these laws? Don’t even dare to ask this question or have your children ask it in school. In an age that explicitly mocks faith in a higher power, people still have to believe in something and that belief naturally gravitates to humanism—the belief that humans are the highest power—and money, power, luxurious living, and opulent display of lifestyle that stupefies one’s cognizance. If there is no God, then man sometimes thinks he is god, and sometimes tries to live like a god. Actually, in this age of unbelief, it is amazing that we don’t have more fraud. After all, with no God or moral values as our guide, there is no one to ever call you to account, and no accountability if you can get away with it. If we don’t have God to set our moral boundaries, who does? We do, and that’s pure humanism. Think about it. If there is no God, why bother to tell the truth? Why not steal? If we are just specks of random dust, hit by lightning and emerged out of the primordial soup; if we have no spark of God (called a conscience) in us, why not just take whatever we can and the devil himself take the hindmost? I mean, we are fools not to do so if there is no right or wrong and no accountability for our choices. So, with this, it is easy to see where Madoff, Dreier and Blagojevich and many others, are coming from. By this same evil standard (lack of moral guidance/belief) I can also see where Hitler, Stalin and Mao Tse-tung, and Castro got their ideas. Some have said Madoff was a religious man. Well, that’s a stretch. He may be observant to some religious beliefs, but he certainly isn’t religious. After all, he looted charities and stole from friends. It has been said that Michael Milken replied, when someone told him he couldn’t overcharge a friend, “If we can’t steal from our friends, who can we steal from?” There is a great deal of difference between observant and religion. No one ever needs to go to a church to be religious, and no amount of Bible memorization or prayers will make someone religious or Godly if a person’s life is basically about larceny. I think atheists are more honest than many so called religious persons. At least atheists believe that no one, times nothing, equals everything; and since they believe there is no God, they are beholden to no one but themselves and they don’t deny it. Personally, I can’t trust someone who doesn’t believe in God. Why? Because unbelievers aren’t beholden to any higher power. Yes, we’ve thrown God out of our schools, our courts, our public places and when we, as a nation, find that we need God, He’ll be slow to answer us because we have replaced Him with ourselves, present company excepted. Inspirational Thought “You can transcend all negativity when you realize that the only power it has over you is your belief in it. As you experience this truth about yourself, you are set free.” --Eileen Caddy UDOT Region One Road Report The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) advises motorists of the following road construction and maintenance activities in the state’s Northern Region: Davis County - North Salt Lake Starting March 13, northbound U.S. 89 will be restricted to three through lanes beginning just after the Beck St on-ramp. One northbound lane will be closed through November to allow for construction on U.S. 89. The speed limit has been reduced to 55 mph throughout the I-15 EXPRESSLinks corridor from the I-215 interchange to 500 North, and speeding fines are doubled in this zone. People and vehicles will be working on or near the road, so allow plenty of time to arrive at your destination, be alert to your surroundings, and watch out for workers and their equipment. For more information about the ExpressLinks Project, visit <http://www. udot.utah.gov/expresslink/construction.html> Weber County - Ogden Canal work begins Monday, March 16 at the 1200 West intersection. This work will restrict all eastbound traffic on 12th Street from making a left-hand turn to northbound 1200 West; however, westbound traffic will be allowed to make right-hand turns to northbound 1200 West. Single lane restrictions in each direction on 12th Street (S.R. 39) will be in place Monday through Friday, March 16 through March 20, along the entire construction corridor (I-15 east to Washington Boulevard) while construction crews conduct utility work. Crews also continue work to replace traffic signal posts and other traffic control devices along with storm/sewer line and water line replacement. Traffic on 12th Street and Wall Avenue will be restricted to one lane in each direction. Expect delays in this area. Congestion is likely, so please consider alternate routes. Business access will be limited to one entrance and exit where businesses have more than one driveway. Alternate routes around construction on 12th Street include 21st (SR-104) or 24th Streets (SR-53), 400 North via 2nd Street, West Harrisville Road to 800 North (does not connect to I-15), and 2700 North (SR134). For more information about the 12th Street Reconstruction Project, call the project hotline at 800-676-1284 (800-676-12TH), or go to <http:// udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0:::1:T,V:1859> Work is resuming on the Washington Boulevard concrete repair project between 22nd Street and 400 North in Harrisville between March 12 and March 19. Lanes will UDOT cont. on page 1 ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS HUNTSVILLE TOWN CORPORATION 7309 East 200 South Huntsville, Utah 84317 Separate sealed BIDS for the construction of the 2009 CDBG Waterline Project, will be received by HUNTSVILLE TOWN CORPORATION, at the Huntsville Town Hall, 7309 East 200 South, (P.O. Box 267) Huntsville, Utah 84317 until 11:00 a.m. (local time), March 24, 2009, and then at said office publicly opened and read aloud. Huntsville Town has the right to reject any and all bids. The Project will include the installation of approximately 1,700 feet of 8” C900 PVC and other related appurtenances. The project is being funded in part by a grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The contractor will be required to comply with all federal labor standards and attendant laws, including the payment of the most current Davis Bacon wages and compliance with Section 3 to provide employment opportunities for lower income persons and small businesses. Local-, minority-, and woman-owned business owners are encouraged to bid. The lowest responsible bidder will be selected. Construction for this project will be substantially completed within 45 days and ready for final payment within 60 days after the date of Notice to Proceed. The CONTRACT DOCUMENTS will be available March 9, 2009 and may be examined at the following location after that date: J-U-B Engineers, Inc., 466 North 900 West, Kaysville, Utah 84037 (801) 547-0393 Copies of the Contract Documents may be obtained at the office of the Engineer upon a non-refundable payment of $50.00 for each set payable to J-U-B Engineers. A five percent (5%) bid bond will be required. A pre-bid conference will be held March 16, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the Huntsville Town Offices, 7309 East 200 South, Huntsville, Utah 84317. All interested parties are encouraged to attend. i NO A V o B N d l r n lk rt K2 kl No on IC o Montessori Supporters: om Vo Bu er ol n alom RD In the March 1, 2009 issue of The O V n the author of an article on the Maria o S NO ol Montessori Academy charter school that was recently approved by the State Board of Education, V h l m c incorrectly stated that the following individuals had all attended Montessori schools. The article 2 k is K2 lo ICA n l K should have read that the following had gone to Montessori schools, sent their children to V a o F o Montessori schools, or had supported this method of education in one way or another. The list 2 r D included Alice Waters, Friedrich Hundertwasser, Julia Child, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Helen V A he olkl S OR alom K l B Keller, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Mahatma Gandhi, Sigmund2 C S I sc n lk V Freud, Buckminster Fuller, Leo Tolstoy, Bertrand Russell, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, John N D o l i Holt, Ann Frank, the Dalai Lama, Jacqueline Kennedy, Prince William and Prince Harry of the S n R t F o 2 k o English royal family, Cher Bono, Yul Brynner, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Yo Yo Ma. r l NO ICA l K Salom Vol u 2 V lk B K o kl D k l l l r 2 V R Join Us for Easter Day Vo olk r K olk che 2 ol K 2V IC e s V V 2 i r h Easter Brunch K K2 sc K2 A F he K RD 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. n n Fi n DIC isc ton n NO Salo F r mo o ICA to R l Easter Dinner k o r A o u O l l 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. a D m C u N I o S B o l R All n Winter Demos On VSale! a D B l o 2 S Reservations required. l alom OR K lk 2 D A k R l K l C Hurry in for the best selection of N lk Vo r I NO D 801- 92-6775 508 Ogden Canyon, Ogden o lkl S monthis e gear. season’s hottest R on 2 o 2 h o O K l V c Vo Sa K2 on Fis on N Salom n K CLEARANCE m V 2 WINTER l r t A e r K ch u DIC Salo lk rto K2 u r l Vo BoFF s 30 to 60% u B R i k e F kl NO ol 2 B l ch l A l K k Eat’s March Madness is Back!!! n V er ol Fis lk he o o m 2 1/2 Price Pizzas 2 V Salo n K isch 2 V ICA 2 Vo Fisc N K RD K A to F A mon C C A n n DI alo r O 801-745-8618 C o I o N u B ORD urt mon urt NOR kl S n K2 A N o B on ol mo l o B a S m o n l l m l o o lk l lk alo 2 V Sa Sal k S K kl l o a to o l c o r l V edenV i V k he o hWolf r n l Mountain 2 2Mon - Sat, 8:00 2 u oPM sc VMon - Thurs, c9:30 AM B K AM - 8:00 - 9:00 PM V e K r i 2 T Sunday, 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Fri, Sat & Sun, 8:30 AM PM l r he K2 a F CA K nge lk 9:00 I D he c located r just South n a ic of Maverik s o R L and the Valley Market, in eden e i n V NO isc F ch2429 N.cHwy h 158,reden to 801-745-0101 r diamondpeak.biz Serving the Valley good food for 17 years F is is Te u ta K2 on Correction gden alley ews HUNTSVILLE TOWN CORPORATION TRY& BUY Demo Sale IN STOC RIDING That's right! 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