ITEMS

Debate over justice served and youth not being held accountable

Rite of passage does not justify a local tradition where the actions of trespassing and breaking the law are justified by adults who they themselves may have participated in this activity when they were younger.

Fortunately, we have a justice system

To the editor:
Picture if you will, yourself driving down the highway. You are in a hurry. You’re late!

You glance in the rearview mirror and see a flashing red light right behind you, and an officer motioning for you to pull over. You glance at your speedometer and realize you are going 65 mph in an area clearly posted at be 55 mph. You think to yourself … oh my, I am going to get a ticket.

You pull over and wait for the officer to come to your car, making sure during that time you have your license, registration and insurance ID. Much to your astonishment, the officer opens your door with anger and forcefully yanks you out of your seat. He quickly turns you around and pushes you, face first, up against the car. Then he proceeds to angrily handcuff you making sure that the cuffs are good and tight (for they are flex cuffs). He wants to make sure you are truly subdued, so he puts a rope around your neck and attaches it to his steering wheel. He tells you that if you put any pressure on the rope that it will explode and blow your head off.

Fortunately this is a hypothetical situation.

This poor officer has really had a bad day, and his anger has reached the boiling point. He has already had to give 15 citations for speeding in areas that have been clearly marked. Tired of all he has had to put up with, he kicks you in the ribs, and slaps your face. He then proceeds to utter a stream of obscenities. And you say to yourself, is this what happens when you are only speeding.

What does this have to do with the incident at St. Anne’s retreat? Quite a bit. Trespassing and speeding are offenses that are both considered Class C misdemeanors. Neither should be punished by use of deadly force, abuse, or torture. Nor should the offenses be tried and convicted at the scene of the crime. Fortunately we have a justice system to handle that. We also have a justice system in Cache County that is perpetuated by people with a great deal of integrity and morals. We should be extremely grateful for that. Many people seem to think that these young people that trespassed at St. Anne’s should be punished for all the crimes committed at St. Anne’s over the past 40 years. That would be about the same as the judge punishing you for every speeding citation ever issued on that street. They should not be punished for vandalism. Only those guilty of such a crime should.

It may interest you to know that this particular group of 30 young people offered to do a service project for the owner on his property as their way of saying they were sincerely sorry. This offer was made after the charges were dropped. It was something the did not have to do but wanted to. The owner gratefully accepted.

Daily I see in the paper an advertisement entitled. “THERE’S NO EXCUSE FOR ABUSE.” In Cache Valley we have the “Dare” program which reinforces this to our children. We live in a society intelligent enough and well educated enough to realize that making a mistake does not give another person the right to be abusive, whether they are a parent, police officer, teacher or a citizen.

Aileen Lee
Smithfield

Righting the wrongs from a rite of passage

To the editor:
The recent furor over the trespassing at the former St. Anne’s Retreat has given all of us a chance to reflect on past behavior. I read comments from some former Cache Valley teen-agers who implied that this kind of thing was almost a local rite of passage. If this so, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for those who have participated to do some repenting. I think most of us recognize that vandalizing property, and even disturbing the rest of the good sisters, are simply wrong.

If we turn the situation around, and think of our own aunts or mothers going for a much needed vacation on our own property, and being frightened by people prowling outside, we could be quite angry. As grown-ups, I doubt that any of us would contemplate taking part in such an activity. Most of us realize that entering other people’s property without an invitation is wrong, regardless of the time of day, or season of the year. We expect to be in control of who enters our property. We keep sales people on the porch. We tell other people’s kids when it’s time to go home, and we expect them to leave (and they do leave.)

As adults, I expect that some who took part in those activities are feeling some twinges of guilt. May I suggest that those twinges can be alleviated if correct action is taken. Please consider making reparation for the wrongs.

What is a good night’s sleep worth to you? If you’re on a slim budget, you still have to pay about $50 for a motel room for a night. Consider sending a donation in the amount to the local Catholic Diocese. Remember that there were probably a few sisters whose rest was disturbed, and you may wish … more to make full reparation ….

Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, FOLK COLL 32

Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Libraries Special Collections and Archives, phone (435) 797-2663.

Utah State University Folklore in the news collection, 1973-2012, FOLK COLL 32

http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv04849

St. Anne's Retreat

http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll20/id/35

SCAFOLK032Bx003Fd07Item0029.pdf

Fortunately, we have a justice system

To the editor:
Picture if you will, yourself driving down the highway. You are in a hurry. You’re late!

You glance in the rearview mirror and see a flashing red light right behind you, and an officer motioning for you to pull over. You glance at your speedometer and realize you are going 65 mph in an area clearly posted at be 55 mph. You think to yourself … oh my, I am going to get a ticket.

You pull over and wait for the officer to come to your car, making sure during that time you have your license, registration and insurance ID. Much to your astonishment, the officer opens your door with anger and forcefully yanks you out of your seat. He quickly turns you around and pushes you, face first, up against the car. Then he proceeds to angrily handcuff you making sure that the cuffs are good and tight (for they are flex cuffs). He wants to make sure you are truly subdued, so he puts a rope around your neck and attaches it to his steering wheel. He tells you that if you put any pressure on the rope that it will explode and blow your head off.

Fortunately this is a hypothetical situation.

This poor officer has really had a bad day, and his anger has reached the boiling point. He has already had to give 15 citations for speeding in areas that have been clearly marked. Tired of all he has had to put up with, he kicks you in the ribs, and slaps your face. He then proceeds to utter a stream of obscenities. And you say to yourself, is this what happens when you are only speeding.

What does this have to do with the incident at St. Anne’s retreat? Quite a bit. Trespassing and speeding are offenses that are both considered Class C misdemeanors. Neither should be punished by use of deadly force, abuse, or torture. Nor should the offenses be tried and convicted at the scene of the crime. Fortunately we have a justice system to handle that. We also have a justice system in Cache County that is perpetuated by people with a great deal of integrity and morals. We should be extremely grateful for that. Many people seem to think that these young people that trespassed at St. Anne’s should be punished for all the crimes committed at St. Anne’s over the past 40 years. That would be about the same as the judge punishing you for every speeding citation ever issued on that street. They should not be punished for vandalism. Only those guilty of such a crime should.

It may interest you to know that this particular group of 30 young people offered to do a service project for the owner on his property as their way of saying they were sincerely sorry. This offer was made after the charges were dropped. It was something the did not have to do but wanted to. The owner gratefully accepted.

Daily I see in the paper an advertisement entitled. “THERE’S NO EXCUSE FOR ABUSE.” In Cache Valley we have the “Dare” program which reinforces this to our children. We live in a society intelligent enough and well educated enough to realize that making a mistake does not give another person the right to be abusive, whether they are a parent, police officer, teacher or a citizen.

Aileen Lee
Smithfield

Righting the wrongs from a rite of passage

To the editor:
The recent furor over the trespassing at the former St. Anne’s Retreat has given all of us a chance to reflect on past behavior. I read comments from some former Cache Valley teen-agers who implied that this kind of thing was almost a local rite of passage. If this so, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for those who have participated to do some repenting. I think most of us recognize that vandalizing property, and even disturbing the rest of the good sisters, are simply wrong.

If we turn the situation around, and think of our own aunts or mothers going for a much needed vacation on our own property, and being frightened by people prowling outside, we could be quite angry. As grown-ups, I doubt that any of us would contemplate taking part in such an activity. Most of us realize that entering other people’s property without an invitation is wrong, regardless of the time of day, or season of the year. We expect to be in control of who enters our property. We keep sales people on the porch. We tell other people’s kids when it’s time to go home, and we expect them to leave (and they do leave.)

As adults, I expect that some who took part in those activities are feeling some twinges of guilt. May I suggest that those twinges can be alleviated if correct action is taken. Please consider making reparation for the wrongs.

What is a good night’s sleep worth to you? If you’re on a slim budget, you still have to pay about $50 for a motel room for a night. Consider sending a donation in the amount to the local Catholic Diocese. Remember that there were probably a few sisters whose rest was disturbed, and you may wish … more to make full reparation ….