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Show 6 Thursday, August 28,2008 OPINION www.dailyutahchronicle.com TRAX bike options need improvement T he high cost of fuel and the ever-increasing awareness of environmental stewardship has caused many U students and professionals in the downtown area to decide to commute to work and school by cycling and utilizing the TRAX system. Justin Grisham, a manager at Cyclesmith, a bike shop near campus, said, "Not only students, but professionals and professors are beginning to commute by bike, some to the extent of selling their cars and relying solely on their bikes for transportation." Other individuals are utilizing TRAX. Alma Allred, director of commuter services at the U, stated in an e-mail to all U students Aug. 21, "With the start of the fall semester, we anticipate there may be more transit commuters than normal." This semester there will be more JEFFREY students commuting by bike and TRAX. However, there will be those JENKINS students who utilize both, raising the issue of how TRAX will cater to both normal passengers and cyclists. annual fee of $10. These lockers are limited and offer little appeal to Only two bikes are allowed on students, given that most live on an either end of a TRAX car at a time. income of subsistence. If the train is too full for a cyclist to board, the cyclist is bumped and reTRAX recently released its plan quired to wait for the next available to remove one side of seating in train. To appease the cyclists who both the front and back of a car so get bumped, TRAX has constructed cyclists will not block the doorway bike lockers at various points along directly. This will not increase the the TRAX line. The lockers can be number of bikes that are allowed rented with a $65 deposit and an on TRAX because the two bike policy will still remain. TRAX has a responsibility to ensure that every passenger, both cyclist and non-cy.clist, has the opportunity to utilize the train. UTA spokesperson Carrie Bohnsack-Ware stated in an e-mail, "We are aware of the large number of bikes on TRAX. Unfortunately we have no real way of fixing the problem." There are several solutions that have been overlooked that would allow a TRAX car to look like a transit train when the doors open rather than the peloton of the Tour de France. The Bay Area transit Caltrain has added cars that are specifically for bike storage. Depending on the size of the car, between 16 and 32 bikes can be stored in a single car. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority removed a side of seating and installed vertical bike racks that minimize the amount of space a bike occupies and increases the number of bikes allowed on a train. TRAX needs to provide either a designated bike car in areas that are concentrated with cyclists or vertical bike racks in the new- space created by the removal of some seats. Instituting any of these options will allow a more efficient entry and exit of non-bike passengers and will further accommodate the increasing demand for more bike room on TRAX. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Pledge deserves respect from U E very day at ro a.m. and 2 p.m. a simple ceremony is held in Mount Vernon, Va., at George Washington's tomb. The service includes placement of a boxwood wreath alongside his sarcophagus and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to honor America's first president. Written in 1892, well after Washington's death in 1799, the pledge was officially recognized by Congress as America's national motto in 1942. The Pledge of Allegiance has repeatedly come under fire in public schools across the country because it contains the controversial words, "under God." According to the General Counsel at the U, the university holds no official position as to whether the pledge can or should be recited in classrooms. The Utah State Board of Education requires that the pledge is recited each morning in public elementary schools. To remind students of our freedoms, the U should allow for the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance at university forums and official student gatherings. The Pledge of Allegiance has been recited by generations of Americans, but why isn't it good enough for us today? Beyond the political issues and controversy, the pledge represents patriotism and embodies the fabric of our society: justice, equality, courage, honor—the tools of a free society. It reminds and inspires us to defend the freedoms we enjoy every day. A San Francisco lawsuit from Michael Newdow attempted to ban the Pledge of Allegiance from being recited in public schools, claiming in a federal lawsuit that it is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment. Ultimately, the suit was overruled by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluding that the pledge is constitutional. In a similar controversy earlier this month, more than 6 million Liz CARLSTON people voted in an NBC online poll seeking to determine whether or not we should take the phrase "In God We Trust" off American money. Nearly y$ percent of respondents felt the motto has historical and patriotic significance and does nothing to establish a state religion. The remaining 25 percent said the words "In God We Trust" violate the principle of separation of church and state. In June, researchers at the Pew Forum analyzed the religious practices of more than 35,000 U.S. adults and found that belief in God is something espoused by 92 percent of Americans. If all references of God were taken out of government today, it would still be in the hearts of the majority of U.S. citizens, no matter what religion they belong to. And for that reason, the references should remain, because they reflect a belief in a trustworthy God, which is held by the majority of those who live in this country. It's something you aren't allowed to believe in some other countries, at least not legally. More than 225 years have passed since soldiers in Washington's army gave their lives in the Revolutionary War. Was the battle for American independence and freedom fought in vain? It was if we neglect to defend the liberties they died for. Those early American heroes certainly didn't give their lives so stray individual opinions could dictate the laws. The U should honor them by including the pledge more often in official forums and other gatherings. letters@chTonicle.utah.edu Court should declare protesters guilty A new Salt Lake County ordinance banning demonstrations within 100 feet of a residence is experiencing its first major challenge. The law was enacted to protect citizens from protests being staged at their homes and neighborhoods. It stems from past home-targeted harassment of U faculty who use animals for medical research. As an act of protest, several animal rights activists challenged the new ordinance on April 20 by demonstrating at the home of a U researcher. Authorities arrested three protesters and cited 16 other with a Class B misdemeanor, which can bring a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in jail. . None of the defendants have accepted a lower punishment in exchange for a guilty plea. Without discussing the specifics of this case, prosecuting attorney Sim Gill said, "It is within the range of discretion of the prosecution to try and adjudicate matters. Plea negotiations are one part of the discretionary function of the prosecution, and a majority of cases do get settled out." But so far the defendants are continuing the fight, unwilling to concede their guilt. Their next ALICIA WILLIAMS court date, a motion hearing, is Oct. 17. Because this is a new ordinance that could potentially impact freedom of speech, it is likely that the defense plans to challenge its constitutionality. "With this particular statute we wouldn't have pursued it if we did not think, at least on legislation, that it was a constitutional statute," Gill said. These activists don't seem to understand that targeted bullying and psychological harassment of individuals at their homes completely demeans the purpose of their demonstration. They are ruining the legitimate efforts of activists who battle respectfully against animal cruelty. Home demonstrations detract from the issue and stifle productive communication, limiting solutions to animal protection problems. No rewards exist for perpetuating hate. One less researcher harassed into quitting his or her job does nothing to change the laws governing animal testing. It does not provide another way of accomplishing testing results without having to use animals. It does not expose or demand reform from corrupt institutions. And it does not stop animal research. If these protesters continue to deny responsibility for their actions, Salt Lake City should hit them where it hurts—their pocketbooks. A $1,000 fine will teach protestors that intimidation is not an acceptable method of protesting. Freedom of speech offers everyone ' the opportunity to voice their opinion, but it's much more likely to be heard if offered without aggression, or based on threats and immature behavior. Hopefully, the ordinance will continue to act as a reminder to those who are blinded by thoughts of injustice. No one has the right to use violence, fear or embarrassment as means of accomplishing change. The law must be obeyed and if not, violators must be penalized and face the consequences so further violence is avoided. The protesters should be found guilty of violating the ordinance. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Guest Column 'Morale' leave might make things harder for soldiers C AMP LIBERTY, Iraq—Few things are tougher than having to say goodbye, tearfully staring into a loved one's eyes and knowing you will not see them for a while, if ever again. Reliving that same agonizing experience twice in one year while traveling half a world away is one of the biggest conundrums facing our nation's service members. "It's always a good day when you go on leave, but it's always tinged with a bit of knowing that soon you're going to have to come back," said Staff Sgt. Brock Jones, a native of Lehi, currently serving at Camp Liberty in Baghdad with the 128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment out of Draper. Like all soldiers, Jones faces the gut-wrenching prospect of saying goodbye to his family members twice during his deployment. I am also a soldier and can attest that as my current Environmental and Morale Leave approaches, that thought weighs heavily on my mind. I too face the prospect of having to leave my family again, seeing them for the first time in several months for a mere two weeks. Staff Sgt. Kelly Collett, a native of Vernal, also serving with the 128th MPAD, agrees. "That's the hard part of it. You get home, you get back into the groove DOUGLAS or the swing of things, start to feel like a family again, and then you get YORK jerked back away," he said. Having been previously deployed, Collett, Jones and I can draw on our experiences and take solace in the ply to my entire life," he added. fact that eventually you overcome We never take for granted the the shock of leaving again and you fleeting moments that we have with drive on with the mission. our loved ones, as they could be "You have to get right back into our last. Nevertheless, the plane the swing of things as people (in ride back home is usually a somber charge) expect you to do your job," affair. Collett said. "It's a hollow-sick feeling when Along with the anxiety of having you have to leave your loved ones," to leave again and getting back into Jones said. "When you first leave the "swing of things," the thoughts for a deployment, there's almost an of "things" we in the military do excitement because you don't know not speak or try not to think of, are what's going to happen, but when always in the back of our minds. you leave to come back from EML, you already know what you're going "(I know) I've got to leave again back into and so the excitement's soon, and I use that as impetus to ensure that we take advantage of ev- gone." eryday that we have while we're toThe struggles and anxiety in gether again," Jones said. "Whether dealing with EML are not isolated I'm here (in Iraq) or whether I'm at to the return trip. Collett shared a home, no day is guaranteed to me so story from his first deployment that that's something that I want to apreflects how leaving-here-for-Ieave is also difficult. "I was heading home right when a helicopter with other soldiers that were going on leave was shot down. They were supposed to go home with me," Collett said, with his demeanor visibly changing. "I wasn't able to get ahpld of my wife or family the whole time I was traveling home and they didn't know if I was safe or not. They had no idea what had happened until I actually stepped off of the plane." Therein lies the conundrum, for as hard as it is to return and part from our families twice, most of us Would never consider not going home on leave. "I go home because I have a wife and a daughter," Jones said. "I guess we're gluttons for punishment, because I would probably go on leave no matter what and deal with the second goodbye anyway." All troops know that all we can do is make the best of the time we get with our families on EML, while never forgetting our fellow soldiers left behind when we do go home. "I was almost torn. You want to spend tune with your family, but then you have your unit back in the Middle East that you kind of feel a responsibility to," Collett said. The Kesult is that most of us cannot tell you in a single answer why we serve and continue to place ourselves in these situations. Maybe it is like Jones said and "we're gluttons for punishment." This much however is certain: While we are glad to serve, honored to do our duties and humbled by the gratitude of our countrymen, we are most happy to just come home, even if it means we have to leave again all too soon. For feedback on this column or its contents please feel free to write me at douglas.lloyd.york@us.army.mil or via the USPS at: Spc. Douglas L. York DSTB, 4th ID (PAO) Unit #43119 APO, AE 09344 ' • ; • • ! - .' letters@chronicle.utah.edu '• Editor's note—Douglas York isaU studentserving with the Utah Army Air National Guard's 128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment in BagJydaa\ Iraq. , ',: '. \ :• .* r |