The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 8

Editorial Board members Thomas A. Bookstaver President and Publisher News-Leader Wednesday February 12, 2003 David F. Ledford Executive Editor Cheryl Whitsitt Managing Editor Robert Leger Editorial Page Editor Sarah Overstreet Columnist Jennifer Portman Associate Editorial Page Editor Jean Warren Employee Representative Tis a privilege to live in the Ozarks Our View ReligionEthics JL Find way to revive teen dance idea Those aligned to God know peace 0 According to the news media and personal observation, it would seem a safe assumption that there is a shortage of peace in our world. Some might say that peace would be the absence of war or problems. As a believer in Christ, it is my conviction that peace is not determined by our circumstances in life, rather peace is a person.

Jesus is our peace. Christ told his disciples before going to the cross, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." He was explaining to them that he was going to make a dwelling place for them in his Father's heart where he f- I concerns were. And if there was that much demand, the answer isn't to simply find a bigger place or to share the burden by moving the dances from town to town. The answer is to host similar events in Ozark and Springfield and Harrison, and Joplin and as many other places as it makes sense.

When those events are set up, Haddow cautions that adults shouldn't expect them to be trouble-free. Check the parking lot outside any high school basketball game or prom, she says, and you'll find a few intoxicated kids. The goal should be to look beyond that and give hundreds more kids a place to avoid such temptations. That was the goal of the Hurricane. Hundreds of kids were taking advantage of it, enjoying themselves in a way most parents were comfortable with.

It needed to be given more of a chance than Ozark was willing to do. But it doesn't need to die. Haddow's suggestions are on target, and we hope the Community Partnership will bring together a focus group. Once teens describe what they liked, there will need to be new collaborations to get the Hurricane spinning again. We hope Ozark and Springfield and a lot more cities are part of it.

Large numbers show need for similar events. The very real needs of kids in southwest Missouri took a hit last weekend, when city officials in Ozark pressured the organizer of alcohol-free dances for 14- to 19-year-olds to shut down two weeks earlier than scheduled. City officials said they had received too many complaints related to the dances, which operated under the name of the Hurricane. Even if only a small number of people were creating problems, City Administrator Collin Quigley says, police were having to give it too much attention. "Over time, we have to look at whether that's the wisest use of our tax dollars," he says.

The event was giving hundreds of teens a nonalcoholic alternative to trying to sneak into nightclubs or hanging out in places where liquor or drugs are plentiful what many people would consider an excellent use of tax dollars. When any city squelches something so popular for kids, teens can read between the lines. They see where they really rate. Sadly, adults are less quick to understand what it means when so many kids came from so many places to attend the dwelled, and he would come tor mem when that place was made ready. He fulfilled his promise, came for his people, judged the unfaithful, and launched the eternal New Covenant by 70 A.D.

Today, as we reside in the Father's heart through Christ, we know "true peace," for Scrip- jH ture refers to him as the "God of peace." fjiy-y' The question arises then, "would the NEWS-LEADER FILE PHOTO Teens dance inside the Ozark Community Center at the final Hurricane dance. Hurricane dances. These teens knew they could be searched, that they would be scanned with metal detectors and they'd couldn't leave until the building closed at midnight, yet they came in droves. Can there be a louder message? "We have to learn from this and use this knowledge and not give up on this idea," says Melissa Haddow, executive director of Community Partnership of the Ozarks. Her daughter, a high school senior, had attended a couple of the dances.

"What made kids want to go?" Haddow asks. "We need to get a focus group of kids and ask them what attracted them, and then try to replicate it. We need to talk to the Ozark police and find out what their Richard K. CLARK uoa oi peace sena a nation io wair w-viously in the Old Covenant he did, but what about the New Covenant and Jesus? County welcome as a new economic development partner The Greene County Commission's belated entry as a partner in the Partnership Industrial Center West project is more than welcome. It shows the commission really is interested in backing up with cash its recent interest in economic development.

The industrial park is the second project of a partnership that until now included the city of Springfield, City Utilities and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. The county, once it is approved as a new partner, will pick up 40 percent of the costs of streets, sidewalks and stormwater improvements. The city, which had paid 100 percent, will now carry 60 percent of the load. "We have a genuine desire to be a player in economic development," says Presiding County Commissioner David Coonrod. "If we're helping pay the way, it just adds to the quality of life." And the county, he says, can contribute its considerable expertise in stormwater management.

It's not often you have anyone, public or private, step in and offer to start picking up a tab someone else has been paying. The commission may be criticized for doing so. But we applaud it for deciding to join in a partnership that is vital to preserving and attracting better-paying industrial jobs to Springfield. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt 10: 34-39). The Lord made it plain that those not submitting to his full authority (his definition of love) were not worthy of him and would experience a personal war of their own.

He said, "whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you." Not everyone in the world today fits the scriptural definition of a "son of peace." But to those who align to God's heart, he promises a peace that surpasses our understanding, guarding the heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I don't want our nation to go to war any more than the staunchest peace activist, yet I know that just as our local police and city authorities make enforcement decisions for the good of the whole, so it is necessary globally for a nation (or nations) to do the same. I pray in faith for our president and those responsible for such weighty decisions that God will give them his spirit of wisdom. Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; he turns it wherever he wishes." True peace will change this world from the inside out terrorism, war, crime, strife, multitudes of physical illnesses, poverty, greed, fears, insecurities, etc. can all be resolved because "of the increase of his (Christ's) government and peace there will be no end" (Isaiah Richard K.

Clark is associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church in Springfield. Only on Wednesday Depression-era child writes of family biking Biking was an adventure even in the 1930s, when Springfield had street cars and fewer automobiles. That's evident from an article sent by Katie Starkey, Pleasant Hope. She was responding to a Jan. 18 column, "Biking Young Voices lie ftcav urn Jet I Congratulations, JT wj Help a child fall in love with books CffL for a $1.1 trillion February is the month of love and the perfect time to instill in your child the love of reading.

Research shows children who are read to grow up to be readers, and since reading is one of life's essential skills, why not help your child pave his or her path to a successful future. Not only is reading fun, but it also stimulates your child's brain and helps him or her develop a vivid imagination. Literacy ex perts suggest a minimum of 20 minutes of reading per day. Since early childhood reading books are usually short, try reading a few in the morning, a few at nap-time and a few before bed. Soon you will find that your child looks forward to your reading times and spending quality Officials can't buy away First Amendment Jennifer R.

WHEELER memories supply one heck ol a ride. The article she sent was written by her late father, Barney Schibler, for his family's enjoyment. Here are excerpts: "The first bicycle that I became acquainted with was my Dad's old green bike with double bars at the top and sporting a battered wire basket on the handlebars. "It was Dad's only personal wheeled transportation as he never owned a car. While early in my life I was being toted to St.

Joseph's Church by my dad. On the way It was the kind of day newspaper dream of, with buyers all over town snapping up copies. The downside for St. Mary's Today: Sheriff's deputies were doing all the buying. At the heart of a fascinating Maryland case Hank BILLINGS making its way through federal courts is the question of whether public officials can limit critical press coverage by buying every copy.

The case began on Election Day, 1998. Anticipating that the newspaper would criticize the sheriff's department and a state's attorney candidate friendly to the de Ken PAULSON chases by videotaping themselves. St. Mary's Today sued the deputies, charging that they had violated federal civil rights laws by encroaching on First, Fourth and 14th Amendment rights while acting in the capacity of government officials. One federal court dismissed the case, concluding that the deputies were acting as private citizens and not as government employees.

Three weeks ago, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reached a different conclusion, finding that the deputies acted under the "color of law" and that the case could proceed in federal court. The sheriff and his deputies must have believed that they could stay out of trouble by paying for the newspapers, but the appellate court said the real issue was whether public officials were preventing residents from obtaining constitutionally protected news and information. "In suppressing criticism of their official conduct and fitness for office on the very day that voters were heading to the polls, (the deputies) did more than compromise some attenuated or penumbral First Amendment right; they struck at its heart," wrote Chief Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson.

From the beginning, the First Amendment has served as a check on government. Freedom of speech and press remain our best guarantees against the abuse of power. As this decision makes clear, government officials are free to disagree with or debate the merits of local news coverage, but they can't limit the distribution of ideas even if they're willing to pay 75 cents a copy. Contact Ken Paulson, executive director of the First Amendment Center, at 1207 18th Ave. Nashville, TN 37212.

time with you. It is never too early to start reading to your child. Even though an infant usually doesn't show interest in books until about 6 months of age, your words reach him or her. Educate your toddler about how to treat books and keep them at a child-friendly level so he or she can get to them at any time. When reading to your youngster, run your finger underneath each word.

This allows him or her to relate the words on the page to the spoken word and soon he or she will begin to connect that you make the same sounds every time you repeat the same words or letters. Once your child learns to read, spend time listening to him or her. The following are some tips for reading time: Choose a quiet time, make reading enjoyable by sitting with your child, be positive and offer encouragement, visit the library with your child to find books that are on his or her reading level, practice regularly, communicate with your child's teacher and school, talk with your child about the books you read together and read from a variety of sources, such as picture books, hardback books, poems, comics, newspapers and magazines. Remember, reading to your child can be beneficial in many ways. Perhaps the most important benefit is the time you spend together.

So, while love is in the air, make a promise to yourself and your child to fall in love with a good book. Jennifer R. Wheeler is a graduate student in educational administration at Southwest Baptist University. nome i apparently tired and stuck my feet in the spokes. I remember being carried into a nearby house.

"Brother John reported (an) experience with his bike while working for Postal Telegraph. He was heading north on Boonville and had grabbed the window bars of a big trolley for a lift. Suddenly the bike slid out from under him toward the curb with the left handlebar being clipped off by the trolley wheels. He managed to pull the bike up under him and to ride off no worse for wear, except possibly to his nerves." i Out of the mouths of youngsters can come tact, as this story from Branson reader Tom Baker shows: "My great-granddaughter, Kaitlynn, is 7 years old. Her little sister, Kyla, is 4.

Their other great-grandmother had died and the family was getting ready for the trip to another town for the funeral. "The mother was explaining that there would be 'sitters' for them and their cousins if they preferred not to attend the funeral (to be held in church). "Kaitlynn said, 'I'd rather not go, Mom it makes me sad when they mention the (meaning God) Then she looked at me and said, 'I don't mean you, VALENTINE WISH Noses are red, Fingers are blue. I'll be so glad When winter is through. Contact Hank Billings at 836-1119 or at hbiiMngsspringfi.gannett.com.

partment, a group of deputies hatched a plan to purchase all available copies before people could see them. Their hunch about negative coverage was right. The feisty newspaper, which had long been critical of the department, carried a bold headline and a story accurately reporting that, as a young man in 1965, the candidate had been convicted along with three other men of carnal knowledge of a 15-year-old girl. Another article focused on an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint filed against the sheriff's department. On the night before the election, six deputies traveled throughout the county, buying newspapers in large quantities.

Newspaper publisher Kenneth Rossignol's efforts to restock stores were to no avail. The deputies did not steal the newspapers. They carefully documented their bulk pur How to get your letter published What was said: Read the past seven days' editorials, columns and Readers' Letters at OzarksNow.com. Online Mail First Amendment to the Constitution "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people pcaceubly to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Your letters are an important part of the daily debate on this page. Preference is given to letters that are brief and direct, 200 words or less.

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