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Show Volume XVIII Issue VII The Ogden Valley news Page September 15, 2010 Guest Commentary Republics and Constitutions There are in the world today literally dozens of Republics. Going down the list, there are countries you may be surprised to see there, such as Venezuela, Bulgaria, Cuba, Belarus, and Viet Nam; also Cote–d-Ivore, Croatia, Columbia, Cameroon, and Syria—to name just a few. Strictly speaking, a Republic is a form of government in which representatives of the people do the business of the people. In the USA, the people elect their representatives through a democratic process. Some countries use a similar process; so what is the difference? Simply put, it’s the details, which lends validity to the adage that “the devil is in the details.” In our case the “details” are in the Constitution and that makes a world of difference. Our U.S. Constitution was written by people who not only believed in God but were inspired by God to institute a form of government that would honor and preserve the spirit of mankind. It would elevate God-given rights to a level not seen in nations before. The architects of the Constitution were learned people who had studied history and had first-hand experience with the imperfections of a monarchy. The task of preparing the document that would guide a new country was not an easy one. The best minds in the country were assembled and they worried and stressed over the content of the Constitution for months at a time. There were debates, heated arguments, and compromises. There were revisions, deletions, and additions—all scribed by hand. The end product was one of the finest documents ever produced by man. Drafting the Constitution was done by men, but it wasn’t all “man’s work”; the women of the Colonies were just as involved and suffered as much or more as a result of Britain’s Imperialistic acts. Abigail Adams wanted her husband John to be where he was doing the utmost for the country. His trips to the Continental Convention and the Constitutional Convention lasted for months; in winter time it took weeks just to travel by horse from Boston to Philadelphia. His absences resulted in her taking sole responsibility for the children, the household, and managing the farm as well. His travels were a detriment to his law practice and income. Her support of her husband was crucial to the success of those conventions. That the work of producing a Constitution was divinely inspired is reflected in George Washington’s words on February 7, 1788 when he said, “It appears to me, then, that little short of a miracle, that the delegates from many different states—should unite in forming a system of national government.” James Madison had made a similar statement months earlier, he said “. . . it was impossible to consider the degree of concord which ultimately prevailed as less than a miracle.” It’s clear that the framers of the Constitution, as well as the Declaration of Independence, relied on guidance from Providence to help them achieve their goal. Their work was in harmony with 14th century philosopher Thomas Aquinas who advised, “We cannot retain our freedom if we cut ourselves off from God.” To ensure the rights of the people, our founders described in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights just how the people would be protected from an overreaching government. A balance of powers was provided for; Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches were each given unique powers to balance each other. As Clinton Rossiter wrote, “there is not happiness without liberty, no liberty without self-government, no self government without constitutionalism, no constitutionalism without morality—and none of these great goods without stability and order.” Our system of government has worked for over two hundred years because there have been more people of goodwill than those of devious character, and because of the safeguards enumerated in the Constitution. We may not be able to prevent all people with bad intentions from gaining political power but we must ensure that the citizenry of this country learn how to correct mistakes. Education about our form of government and being an active participant in the political process are crucial to making our government continue to work. It is what separates our Republic from the dozens that don’t work. Fredric Bastiat, nineteenth century French statesman, legislator, and author was an admirer of America’s Constitution and of the signers’ vision of the proper role of government. He was especially taken with the words in the Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, etc.” He expressed “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as “individuality, liberty, and property.” He further believed that in spite the cunning of artful political leaders these three gifts from God precede all human legislation and are superior to it. There is a strong case for the Constitution being divinely inspired contained in a book by Jerome Horowitz titled “The Elders of Israel and The Constitution.” Whether you believe that our founding fathers (and mothers) were divinely inspired or not is a personal decision. Also a personal decision is whether or not you believe that the Constitution is outdated and useless. Whatever your perspective, it deserves your very best thought and contemplation, your future and that of future generations’ depends on it. Constitution Day, September 17, would be an appropriate time to consider what you believe about the Constitution. John W. Reynolds, Pleasant View Inspirational Thought Individuality is founded in feeling; and the recesses of feeling, the darker, blinder strata of character, are the only places in the world in which we catch real fact in the making, and directly perceive how events happen, and how work is actually done. -- William James Come Join Us for Sunday Brunch Thirty-two Years Later, Most Beautiful Garden Contest is Revived In 1978 Ogden Valley celebrated the har- used and several gardeners harvest their own vest by having an annual “Most Beautiful Garden” contest. This contest started as part of the “Stake Fair” that was associated with raising funds for the Eden LDS Stake Center built in 1979. The winners represented each LDS Ward and one garden was chosen as grand The Blake and Nancy Halliday Garden in Liberty. Pictured: Abigail (8), James (4) Brenen (12). champion. The 2010 Most Beautiful Gardens have been chosen from the 13 gardens entered in the contest. The winners are the Blake and Nancy Halliday family, Liberty; The Brent and Linda Laws family, Huntsville; and the Cord and Lisa Pack family, Eden. The Ogden Valley Grand Champion is the John and Tiffany Bowen family in Huntsville. The gardens were graded seeds to be used the following year. Ogden Valley is considered a Zone 4 climate when it comes to growing plants. There are 11 planting zones, or “USDA Plant Hardiness Zones,” in the United States and southern Canada. The USDA planting zones are regions defined by a 10 degree Fahrenheit difference in the average annual minimum temperature. To put the definition in layman’s terms—the higher the numbers the warmer the temperatures for gardening in those planting zones. (Note: A version of this article will also be published in Zone 4 Magazine, a quarterly magazine devoted to gardening, landscaping, local foods, and outdoor living in the Rocky Mountain States of Montana, C o l o r a d o , Wyoming, northern Idaho, and northeastern Utah.) The judges were very impressed with the gardens and are excited to see next year’s gardens. The contest will be continued in 2011 and the judging will be moved earlier in August to capture more of the harvest. S p e c i a l Cord and Marn’e Pack, thanks to Dottie (father/daughter) Eden Satterthwaite (for- winners. mer winner in the original contests) for judging the gardens and Dottie Becks, Spencer Carver of Republic Mortgage, and Jeff Good for the prizes. This garden contest is sponsored by Jeff Good of Prudential Real Estate. For information regarding next year’s contest, contact Jeff at (801) 710-3932 or <jeffgood@pureutah.com.> John and Tiffany Bowen of Huntsville, Ogden Valley Grand Champion gardeners. in four categories: (1) vigor; (2) variety; (3) weed free; and (4) overall beauty and appeal. Each winner received a “trophy shovel” and the Grand Champion received a $25 gift certificate to Dottie Becks in Eden. In addition to the traditional fruits and vegetables found in a typical garden like corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, and potatoes, the judges also found eggplant, blueberries, garlic, cantaloupe, Brussels sprouts, dill, and many Huntsville Garden Contest Winners: Carly varieties of peppers. Most of the gardens were Laws; Jason Barwikowski; Brent and Linda strictly organic, with no herbicides or pesticides Laws, and Bridger, Alicia, and Cody Laws. Valley Storage ExpandEd OutdOOr StOragE! AiR TighT OuTside COnTAineRs ~ $65 per month SpaCiOUS enOUgh tO StOre a Car We serve an All You Can Eat Sunday Brunch from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. • • • • • • • 508 Ogden Canyon, Ogden Fresh Fruit (selection is seasonal) Freshly Baked Pastries, Cakes Homemade Muffins and Cookies Ham, Sausage, and Chicken Scrambled Eggs Biscuits and Gravy or French Toast Hashbrowns (801) 92-6775 Two Convenient Locations Fall SpEcial - $39 per month DO YOU HAVE A SHALLOW WELL OuTside sTORAge 12’ x 30’ near Pineview Reservoir? Store Your: recreational equipment The Utah Water Research Laboratory at Utah State University is conducting research on the quality of Pineview Reservoir water and the water that enters the reservoir through streams and ground water. If you have a well that is less than 31 ft. deep and within two miles of Pineview Reservoir, we would like to sample the well and analyze it for phosphate, nitrate, ammonia and other compounds commonly found in water. We will share the results of our analyses with you. The data will be used in reports and publications in aggregate with other similar data and without identification of well owners. Please contact Darwin Sorensen at (435) 797-3207 or by email at darwin.sorensen@usu.edu if you are willing to participate in this study. trailers trucks ~ Construction equipment 24-Hour 7-Day Access 801-745-6234 Located at 4780 East 2600 North in Eden. |