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Show DESERET NEWS 'We Need Him To Help Fight The Communist Revolt -- As Soon As He Gets It Started ' SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH EDITORIAL PAGE FRIDAY, By NORMAN VINCENT PEALE JUNE 6, 1969 Ever had the urge to get away from it all to some peaceful place? There is so much frantic activity nowadays, such rapid change, such a lot of fastbreaking news that How Public Can Help Clean Up Death Traps the of thought from tenescape sion really appeals. But no one car. constantly go to vacation spots. As a result, nervous accumut e nsion Did you know there is a Salt Lake County law requiring subdivision developers to fence dangerous canals, ditches, or ponds? Or that the same requirement applies to cities and counties when they own the property involved? Some Salt Lake County officials werent aware of these provisions until after the drowning this week of an waters depicted boy in the foul, lates. Fortunately we have a remedy. You can learn to relax and get calm right where you are. I first realized this years ago when I was in Atlantic City to make a convention speech. It was during a hectic period in my own debri3-clogge- d below. schedule. Nor were they aware until after the drowning of the existence of this particular hazard, which was created when water pouring out of a canal backed up against a garbage dump that Sandy City had abandoned some eight years ago. But then many residents of the Sandy area didnt know about the pond. Even after the search for the drowned youth was under way, the pond could not be drained because officals were uncertain for a while about who owned the land. But did anyone in the area call to the countys attention that the abandoned dump and the polluted pond constituted Standing at the window of my hotel room I was looking at the sea. The sky was overcast with drifting clouds. Small waves moved evenly in ceaseless rhythm toward the shore, where they washed gently onto the soft sand. Sea gulls slowly climbed the air and then slid gracefully down wind. The peacefulness of the scene induced a strange quiet in me, soothing my tense mind. I closed my eyes and noticed that I could visualize the scene in detail. It was just as vivid, with my eyes closed as when acutaliy gazing at it. Then what was to stop me, I thought, from reexperiencing this peace at will even though physically removed? From then on I developed the practice of remembered peacefullness, pausing now and then during a strenuous day to contemplate memory pictures of calming Still lacking a bite to match its barks of frustration at Congress impotence in foreign affairs, the Senate has embarked " on a complex nib bling operation. The mood scribe pride? Did anyone mention to the county health department that the presence of many rats at an abandoned dump not far from private residences posed a potential health hazard? Did anyone alert law enforcement officers that youngsters had been going swimming in the pond? If we are to prevent such tragedies instead of just reactto them, Salt Lake County clearly needs to clean up not ing this ugly hazard but other danger spots. Nor can all of us only afford to let apathy set in after the memory of a particularly unhappy episode fades. Maybe it will be different this time. Not only does the county plan to drain the pond at Sandy. But even before this weeks drowning. Chairman Oscar Hanson of the Salt Lake County Commission had asked the County Attorneys Office to check on 'a number of potentially dangerous ditches and ponds so legal action can be taken if needed to correct the hazards. Citizens can help by calling potential danger spots to the attention of county officials so that none get overlooked. The public should also keep the pressure on until what can reasonably be done to prevent future drownings is actually accomplished. Air The Land Deals For nearly six months this page has been urging Salt Lake County to seriously consider calling a grand jury to investigate the controversy over county land purchases. We did so on the grounds that, partisan politics being what it is, the dispute could not possibly be swept under the rug, nor should it be. We did so on the ground that such an impartial investigation could help clear the air, help end the wrangling between elected county officials, and help restore public confidence in county government. We also did so because by Utah law a grand jury may look not only into possible violations of the law, but also make recommendations for improving governmental procedures and practices. It is gratifying, therefore, that the 10 judges of Third District Court decided this week to meet June 27 to determine if a grand jury should be called. Meanwhile, the public should suspend judgment on the land purchases until all the facts are in. Rocky, Go Home If there was any question about how Latin Americans felt toward the United States, the cool reception given Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller should have removed any doubt. Violence marred visits to seven out of nine countries, and asked that Chile, Peru and Venezuela three countries of South American team and his experts eiMr. Rockefeller their all visit. or come at not postpone ther The U.S. bears part of the blame for the icy reception being given Rockefeller, who undertook the trip at President Nixons request. As this page observed when he set out, Rockefellers itinerary of one Latin capital a day made his factfinding tour smack of the superficial. Moreover, as Drew Pearson and Jack Anderson observe In their column on the next page. President Nixon didnt help when he criticized the Latin American educational system just before the Rockefeller tour started, or when he moved slowly in filling diplomatic posts dealing with South America. Despite the problems it has encountered, the Rockefeller tour will continue with a third leg of the trip starting June 16 and including Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Meanwhile, the U.S. should learn from its past mistakes and do some fast and badly needed fence mending south of the border. power perennial to circum- until he knows exactly what he wants to do. As Harry Truman put it, There can only one voice an aniCongress is too mal to be a comfortable partner in close deliberations on a taut situation. The President knows that he will bear the responsibility for the steps that are taken and he suspects that no member of Congress is as deeply immersed in the problem, from the standpoint of having read the cables and intelligence, as he and his staff. Presidents find it expedient to consult key legislators but difficult to take their advice. fco executive is being d hydra-heade- fanned by disap-- p with o intment President Nixons stand against liberalizing East-Wetrade, by impatience with the and by the surge of popular sentiment against the military, focused for the moment on the issue of st the ABM. One imminent reaction will be the Senates consideration and probable passage of Senate Resolution 85, an assertion that a national commitment to a foreign power can only be executed through a treaty or convention that is approved by legislative action. The resolution is designed to be a turning point in the erosion of congressional power over foreign policy but it is conceded to be a small step, a splattering of balm which the State Department views with far less apprehension than it nursed toward the Bricker amendment in the CHARLES BARTLETT 1950s. The hard fact is that the disinclination to take Congress into partnership in foreign affairs is the growing legacy of a series of Presidents whose earlier service as senators taught them that it is a mistake for any President to consult with Congress in a crisis of the executive branch Congress is spurred, on the other hand, by constitutional authorities who maintain it has been cowardly in deferring to executive wisdom. The quality of that wisdom is increasingly challenged by the disillusionment in Vietnam and by apprehensions of the entanglements that may arise from other commitments. Senate Resolution 85 will not go far to balance the uneven Congress lias the constitutional power to declare war but the President holds the options in defending the national security. He is the commander-in-chie- f, empowered to meet the threats which he perceives. More to the point is the suggestion by Sen. Gale McGee that the Senate concentrate on the assumptions and commitments which guide the Presidents conduct of foreign policy. The hypotheses on which treaties were ratified and bases were established r. .) scenes. It Is a handy way to get quick relief from tension. Even just five minutes of it can be wonderfully quieting and refreshing. The peace of nature can also be used as a means of taking off into a deeper, more spiritual inner quiet, one that brings some good insights. The Japanese, for example, have gardens specially designed for this. A very famous ancient one is the Stone Garden of Kyoto, which is five centuries old and is visited each year by thousands of people from all over Japan as well as by travelers from other lands. I have been there and I found it quite an experience. The garden is small in area and .here is not a single tree or shrub. It contains nothing but sand and rock. The sand is flat and smooth, evenly raked in parallel lines. And in this sand are 15 stones of varying sizes and shapes, clustered irre- gularly in five groups. It is said that these stones represent the problems of human life. They are placed in such a way that you cannot see all of them from any one spot in the garden. The idea is that the mind is incapable of grasping all the basic human problems at one time. The Stone Garden is intended as a place for meditation. You are supposed to sit still, get yourself thoroughly relaxed and let your attention focus upon these simplicities of sand and stones. Apparently the effect on many persons is a compelling sense of peace and harmony giving rise to thoughts of things eter- nal. I know it affected me that way. We cannot esefepe the turmoil of our day and age. It is our world just as it js and we have to live in it. But we cannot keep ourselves emotionally healthy and creative without cultivating inner peace. So take time to get quiet . LETTERS in the 1950s should be restudied in the light of the new skepticism. The SEATO Treaty, ratified 16 years ago with one dissenting vote, is a case in point. Few knowledgeable officials believe the end of the war in Vietnam will mark the end of guerrilla incursions against neighboring nations like Thailand and Cambodia. The threat of Communist takeover may be strong and the commitments are firm. How will the United States, fatigued and disillusioned with Southeast Asia, react? The key argument for the SEATO Treaty was derived from the NATO exThe pact is inspired, said perience. Chairman Walter George of the Foreign Relations Committee, by the conviction that a potential aggressor may be deterred from reckless conduct by a clear-cu- t declaration of our intentions. While this premise has worked in Europe, it has proven inapplicable in Asia and the time is ripe for Senate dissent from the course of foreign policy is a valuable contribution when it bears on a situation in which options remain open. The weakness of much of the dissent on Vietnam has been its failure to provide alternatives. The senatorial pressure to reduce the troop commitment in Europe and the current scrutiny of the value of the base agreements in Spain, Greece and Turkey are far more useful. The Senate obviously has a role to play in a transitional period of American foreign policy. But it will assume that role by dealing with the crucial questions instead of with peripheral issues like Senate Resolution 85. Naders Toughest Challenge has more admiration for Ralph Nader than I do, but I believe he one bit off more than he could chew when lie urged the Senate recently to investigate the noise levels of rock n roll music. Nader said that studies had shown that young p e oples hearing had been impaired hard rock by music, and he urged Senate hear-M- r. Buchnald ings to see if some legislation could be passed to put restrictions on noise produced by rock n roll bands. I believe Nader's task is formidable. Its one thing to take on General Motors, but when you start messing with teenagers tastes in music, youre really hornets nest. in a But I'm sympathetic with the project, and Ive been doing my own studies concerning hearing and its relation to teenage! s, which Ill be very happy to let Nader have. The studies were done under laboratory conditions in my own home with the unwitting aid of my three teen-ager- These were some of the conclusions I came to: s DO NOT The first was that listenthe hear are music actually they ing to. I discovered this one night when the din of something called Plasma Plus Five was rocking the house. I went to my son's room and shouted through the locked door: teen-ager- Turn that stupid thing down. When there was no response. I started hammering on the door. A few minutes later, when lie opened it, I shouted, Good gravy, do you have to play that music so loud? ART BUCHWALD at He looked me and said, music?" doing my homework. The second conclusion I came to was that while rock n roll may play a part in the impairment of hearing, parents play a bigger part. Almost anything a r falls on parent says to a blocked ears1. teen-age- For this experiment, I said in a loud voice to my daughter, I want you to dean up your room. Huh? she said. I said I The promissory notes of government cannot be " fulfilled so long as the members of that govern- - ment from top to bottom shirk their responsibility. Leaders cannot provide any services that they cannot get the people to supply through organized means of cooperative work and effort. It does not matter how many dollars are pumped into poverty or other programs; if the peo- pie cannot be encouraged to perform some work and effort in behalf of themselves and their neighbors, the money is utterly wasted. This is because mcney has no value except, as a medium of ex- change, and if nothing is returned in effort and in- -, creased production, then the exchange process breaks down so that nothing is gained except of the monetary system itself. -- MERRILL s My research revealed that when on the are hearing improves they or other to telephone talking a favor. asking But it gets blocked up again when theyre told to brush their teeth, comb their hair, take a bath or mow the lawn. H. GLENN JR. Brigham City I would like to refer to the May 27 letter of Mr. David Laird who complained about a titled Guns and Boys Go Together pamphlet being passed out in the schools. and Mrs. W. I think it is only fair that the public should be made aware that this was not a subversive publication encouraging the use of weapons, etc. It was, rather, a very informative folder including the rules and regulations concerning young boys and their hunting guns. As a third grade teacher I welcomed the pamphlets into my classroom. They were delivered to the classroom by an official of the State Fish and Game Department. He stayed to explain the safety rules and answer the students questions. I feel the Fish and Game Department should be commended for this service. ATHI How much rock n roll music has to do with this is something Nader is going to have to find out Im only turning over the raw research and he has to take it from there. GUEST CARTOON East Guns And Idiots '' In answer to the letter of Mr. and Mrs. W. David Laird printed May 27, 1 should like to make the following comments: In 1776 America won her independence. She did it with guns. In the 1860s the Union was pre-- ' served. It was done with guns. In 1917-1- 8 we pro- tected ourselves in the only way possible; again with guns. World War II was the same. All of this use of guns was not by idiots, but by men who were preserving in the only way possible the rights of people like you. Men are fighting and dying right now, not idiots, but good men, God bless them! I wonder how long your precious freedom would fast if some idiots werent defending you. Eternal vigilance and preparedness is the price of freedom. Better war and freedom than peace and slavery. The declaration that guns and idiots go together is offensive to me. - - JOHN C. BROUGHTON 745 E. 3155 South seem to hear me. If you dont clean up your room, you will not be able to watch any television tonight. Television got through. KIMBLE 0 teen-ager- want you to dean up your didnt . Pamphlet Defended My teen-agdaughter, who was listening to a rock n roll record three bedrooms down the hail, came rushing in and said, How old is she? room." She still ' Cooperation Needed -K- teen-ager- I said going over and This music, turning it off. Are you deaf? I didn't hear it, he said. I was ' iiiiiiniiinniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuuuiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!iiti;uiiiiiii e What " TO THE EDITOR 1985-210- No ' iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiii Leverage For The Lawmakers an eyesore that should have been a blot on the communitys living Take A Quiet Moment We Stand For The Constitution Of The United States As Having Been Divinely Inspired 22 A CONFIDENT Act Of Kindness I hope that a very wonderful woman who came to my aid at the most tragic moment of my life, reads this letter and knows how grateful I am to her for answering my call for help, when my husband was dying in a Las Vegas Hotel room May 4th, and the hotel failed to heed my call. was the only word that A further experiment with another heardaughter showed how bad teen-ag- e ing is getting. I want you in at 11 oclock tonight. When she came in at midnight, I said, 1 told you I wanted you home at 11." "I thought you said 12 It is truly a wonderful feeling to know that there are people in this world who will answer the call of strangers in distress. My heart is full of gratitude for kindness shown me. In my state of shock, though she did tell me her name, I cant recall it for sure, and when my friends arrived I failed to ask them to get it for me. oclock. Another conclusion I came to was that while cannot hear things that parents tell them, they can hear things that theyre NOT supposed to hear. One night my wife barely whispered to me in our bedroom, Did you hear the Merrills high school daughter is getting married? teen-ager- s . ' . , I only know she told me she lived in Salt Lake City and was on her way home from a vacation. "We'll soon be looking into the problem of air pollution." Christian Science Monitor May God bless her for her goodness to me I will never forget it. MRS. JACK H. WIGAL Oxnard, Calif. . ! |