1. family and parenting
2. children

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmm
HOME NEWS
^MikaO'CalUghan
Publisher
LETTERS
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letters receive preference and the News reserves
the right to edit for grammar, spelling or length.
Rease mail to:
Editor, Home News, 2 Commerce Center Drive,
Henderson, NV 89014
^ Carolyn O'Callaghan
Co-Publisher
* Paul Szydalko
Managing Editor
nEws
cr
Thursday, May 8,1997
f*«9«7
Henderson Home News
VIEW
—.;,•, r.
RICHARD COHEN
Alarming turn-out
WASHINGTON — Dwight
Eisenhower's biographer, Stephen E.
Ambrose, insists Ike did not have,a^
affair while commander of Allied V
forces in Europe. Others, including
Harry 8. Truman, thought
otherwise. A court-martial would
have settled the matter. Under
military rules, Eisenhower—all five
stars of him—<;ould have been
accused of adultery and, if found
guilty, drummed out of the Army.
Instead of becoming president, he
might have ended his days a lobbyist
for some defense contractor.
How absurd, I hear you say. I
agree. But Eisenhower's alleged
affair with his British driver, Kay
Summersby, would have been far
more serious than what Lt. Kelly
Flinn has done.
This rare female pilot, this first
woman to fly a B-52, had what the
Air Force preposterously calls an
adulterqus affair. In the first place,
she is not married. In the second
place, her lover—a married man who
lied about being legally separated—
is a civilian, not to mention a cad.
Her career is probably ruined
anjrway,
*
The 26-year-old pilot told my
colleague, Tamara Jones, that she is
definitely guilty of "mistakes in
judgment" but that,.to say the least,
is not the way the Air Force sees it.
It has instead accused her of having
had "sexual intercourse with a
married man, not her husband, to
the disgrace of the armed forces." If
convicted, she could be jailed,
dismissed from the Air Force or
grounded. The last is no mere slap
on the wrist to a pilot.
It sfeertis to me that that "disgrace
of the armed forces" cited by the
service is something it has brought
upon itself Instead of hmiting its
concern to areas where sex can
really be a problem—a
threat to morale, an
abuse of authority—it
has gone after officers
such as Fliim whose
mistake is the stuff of
country music songs.
She chose neither an
officer not a
gentleman—but a mere
civilian. Why is that
any business of the Air
Force's?
Last year, the Air
Force alone conducted 67 courtmartials for adultery—up from 16 just
nine years before. No doubt, the
military has its own, peculiar, needs.
When, for instance, men and women
not only work in the same place but
sleep in the same place—an isolated
post,' for instance—then normal
civilian rules will not suffice.
Biit what are the rules governing
Flinn's case? I can think of two.
Either her commanding officer was
afraid not to punctiliously follow
regulations or, more likely, he had it
in for her. She was, it seems,
something of a celebrity on her base
and, moreover, a sexually active
woman. (She admits to another
infraction—a one-night stand with an
enlisted man not in her chain of
command.) I don't know what to
suspect here: sexism or Puritanism.
Neither one, though, is commendable.
Whatever the answer, the
regulations concerning adultery and
fraternization Have allowed military
investigators to snoop into the sex
lives of officers and noncoms alike,
asking all sorts of personal questions
that should elicit nothing more than a
slap in the face. I myself, having
perused the relevant documents, now
know things about Flinn that, really, I
should not.
And Flinn is not alone. In March,
S*e Editorial
Page?
Cohen is a columnist for the Washington
Post Writers Group.
How to help
As a child, I remembered the
arrangements. So after
words of president John F. Kennedy: they selected their
"Ask not what your country can do
project, I had them call
to make their own
for you, but rather, what you can do
for your country." I grew up
arrangements.
"/ am the poet of the woman the same as the man;
Watching their
believing that individual effort is
And I say it is as great to be a woman as to be a man;
what has made the U.S. President
nervousness, you'd
And I say there is nothing greater than the mother of men.'
George Bush began his 1,000 Points think they were
Walt Whitman
of Light campaign to recognize
making their first
Each Mother's Day, the National Child Support Enforcement Association,
airplane jump.
efforts of individuals. Last week,
would like to acknowledge mothers across the country. We honor your life's
The thought through
President Clinton, with the help of
work in choosing to raise your children—whether single or with a committed
Gen. Colin Powell, former First Lady their minds was who
partner. Through love, guidance and education, parents shape the future of
were they to determine
Nancy Reagan, and former
tour country. Every value that you, as a parent, instill in your children today,
if someone needed
presidents Carter, Ford and Bush
every lesson you teach, will establish the framework for the society of
exhorted the nation to service.
assistance or help. And that's my
tomorrow. There is no greater job in the workforce and no worthier role in life
Bringing service to the forefi"ont
point
than to shoulder the responsibility for our future—our children.
Let me first say that chanty begins
will help restore this country. As a
To assume the enormous responsibility of raising children requires financial classroom teacher, I served as
at home. With that being said and
and emotional resources. Sadly, many parents—mostly women—have found
taken care of, look around your
advisor to the student council. Key
themselves in the position of being the sole support for their children. And, too
Club, and National Honor Society.
neighborhood. Do you have neighbors
often, overburdened child support programs and limited legal tools have failed
All three had a service component.
who might have difficulty keeping up
to alleviate this burden. Our hope is that newly implemented collection tools
The biggest kick I got every year
their yard, need a house pmnted?
provided by welfare reform will begin to change the face of child support in
was helping students select the most Would it help if you took out their
this country. Our goal is to continually strive to broaden the scope of remedies
beneficial projects. We typically had
trash each week? Are there people
to roadblocks in the current collection process and to raise public consciousness
living alone, who can't get around,
annual or semi-annual events
on the critical need for non-custodial parents to be responsible and actively
including drives for clothes,
whom you could visit for small talk
engaged in the support of their children. All children need and deserve the
blankets, blood; tutoring projects,
once or twice a week? How about
support of both parents.
collecting toys at Christmas, and
picking up their groceries? If they are
The recent passage of welfare reform legislation has infused our program
on a fixed ijicome, could you take the
food for Thanksgiving. The projects
with new measures for dealing with delinquent parents. The Employer New
were somewhat safe and easy for the newspaper you just read over to
High Reporting program, coupled with the requirement for each state to adopt
them? Maybe bring them a treat like
kids organize.
uniform child support laws (UIFSA) will help in the location and enforcement
ice cream?
But the jitters came when they
of thos« non-custodial parents who move from state to stat»-avoid paying—.—_
"had to choose a personal service ""'
-• Are there neighborhood kids whose
support. The expanding world of technology will also usher in dramatic
project. That might include taking
parents work at night whom you could
changes as our state programs soon will be able to connect via computer, thus
care of an elderly neighbor's yard,
help with homework? Can you take a
cutting the time it takes to work interstate cases.
visiting a hospice patient, becoming
few cans of food to the local soup
Let Your Voices Ring Out
a
big
brother
or
sister,
or
a
host
of
kitchen on a regular basis—not just
Collectively, mothers would prove a formidable force in structuring more
other
options.
The
problem
was
—
during the holidays?
workable child support programs. Let your voices be heard. Your legislators
and
is
for
those
who
want
to
help
These are all nice gestures you can
depend on your input to formulate new legislation and cannot properly
today
—
who
do
you
see
to
make
without anyone's direction. If
represent your needs until they are made aware of them. Because you work as
volunteer?
I'd
tell
you
to
go
look
in
you
wait
to have someone assign you
a parent affects not only your own children, but our country as a whole, we
the
mirror.
an
activity,
youll never get to
encourage each of you to join in the fight to improve our child support
The
kids
thought
they
would
have
volunteer.
Assign
yourself.
programs. Each and every tool available to us was provided through our
to
be
from
a
formal
group
or
My
guess
is
you
might feel as
legislators in response to public demand. All future tools will come through the
someone
would
have
to
make
formal
uncomfortable as the students when
same process. Without your voices, the wheels of this great machine will turn
Put children first
yet another female
officer, Lt. Col. Karen
Tew, was dismissed from
the Air Force for having
an affair with an
enlisted man. Five days
later she killed herself,
although no one can say
for what reason. Anyone
can say, though, that
when a 41-year-old
mother of two has her
sex life aired in public,
the experience must be
mortifying—worse for a woman
probably than for a man.
Given that an admiral was
convicted of adultery in 1995, it's
hard to argue that only lowerranking officers are targeted. Given
that more men than women have
been brought up on such charges, it's
hard to argue that sexism is the
culprit. But it is nonetheless clear
that commanders can decide when to
bring charges, when to order
counseling and when—as has often
been the case—to slap the fellow on
the back and look the other way. If
the rule against adultery was strictly
applied, the Pentagon would be a
ghost town.
, *
.v.;
The U.S. military apparently is,
like some adolescents, having a hard
time with sex. But it is acting out its
confusion in ways that are truly
disastrous—destro)ang careers and,
in case you don't give a hoot about
people, wasting tax money. (It cost a
bundle to train Flinn). The
prosecution of Lt. Kelly Flinn for
adultery really amounts to the
persecution of Lt. Kelly Flinn for
being sexually active. Maybe Flinn
needs some counseling, but the Air
Force sure needs to grow up.
BILL HANLON
»K
iling a proper memorial
LETTERS
Air Force sliould grow up
Meager. Pathetic. Disheartening.
'^*srJust some of the words that can be used to describe
the primary election turnout on Tuesday.
Just 19.68% of total registered voters bothered to
cast ballots in the city of Henderson.
We know we're likely preaching among the
converted here — if you're taking the time it takes to
read this space each week, well then, you most likely
took the time to vote.
We know the sound of our lament is muffled by all
the other priorities and responsibilities our residents
1, have every day.
The talent pool of applicants for city committee
' assignments is short, the number of candidates who ran
for several available offices was relatively low, and now,
after a campaign that admittedly did not have a single
defining issue or personality, not even one in five voters
decided the city's next mayor
Henderson's turn-out is actually not as
embarrassing in light of Las Vegas — 12.6%, but lagged
behind North Las Vegas, 23.85%, and well behindBoulder City, 44.95%.
Hearty congratulations are in order to Jim Gibson,
the city's next mayor, and John Provost, the Municipal.
Judge for Department 2 for the next two years.
Incumbent Councilman Jack Clark will have to hold off
, a challenge from David Kallas in June's general
election.
.
And once again, in the most positive aspect of the
results, voters showed they support parks and
recreation needs for our growing city. Indeed, consistent
voter approval to support more facilities in one of the
many reasons Henderson is such a terrific place to raise
famiUes...S.;:v,',••••"-:••••••-•:•••^.•.^.
[••'-••••• 'r-\:~'-':-^ ••• • •-••:''''. .:-s--:,
•^ Among Gibson's first order of business is to address
the in-fighting that has been so prevalent among the
, City Council members the past year or so.
., Disagreements can be expected among five strongwilled public servants, but they should not lead to
distraction, bitterness or even paralysis. A close second
priority must be to promote a sense of activism and
excitement that reaches down into the community from
- Council Chambers. ~-:--T^^-r-ri^vr-^ -^^
Both are difficult tasks, but those who voted
- ;Tuesday deserve no less. C^^
o -r^^^v
>•
-1
Thursday, May 8,1997
Henderson Home News
«^P«««»
they introduced
themselves for the first
time to a hospice patient
or to an older neighbor
living alone, explaining
they were just there to
say hello, talk, and keep
them company.
The kids would ask
me what they should
talk about, how they feel
. stupid, etc. I told them
p they would have to use
their Own judgement,
talk about the weather, their own
family, school, work and don't forget
to let them talk.
I said it was okay to sit quietly
and watch TV, play cards, dominoes,
whatever. But just be there and
consistently so they can depend on
you, and to bring books, magazines
and newspapers.
Yes, there are groups to join to
volunteer. Remember there are
people who may be as timid in
asking for help as you feel awkward
in giving it.
I don't believe government can do
as much to improve society as we
can individually, family by family, or
neighbor by neighbor, all pulling
their own weight, helping others.. —^^
It's the little things that make the
world brighter.
The next time you cut someone off
accidently, wave poUtely and mouth
Hanlon. a Las Vegas resident who writes a
column about education, sits on the State
Board of Education, is the administrator for
the Clark Gjunty School District's Math/
Science Institute and is a part-time
instructor at UNLV
t-4.
Recently, Bill Clinton cut a
troubling deal with disability-rights
activists. They were threatening to
Editor
disrupt
the opening of a new
Our siricere thanks to Captain Richard Walker and his crew of the Henderson
memorial
to Franklin Delano
Fire Department (Station 95) and the candidates in the upcoming mimicipal
Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., unless
elections.
a statue portraying FDR in a
Their presence at our Spring Block Party surely made our day. The firemen
wheelchair is added to the memorial.
contributed to and shared in our potluck dinner and socialized for a few hours:
After
the meeting, Clinton announced
They are as fine a group of gentlemen as you could ever meet. The children loved
that he would back legislation to do
the fire engine and the attention they received.
just that. His decision was as
Seven of the nine candidates, listed in the order they accepted our invitation,
unexpected as it was appalling. It
were with us most of the afternoon. They are Ron Frame, David Wood, Kenny
shows that Clinton, despite his own
Rogers, Jim Gibson, Ann Small, John Provost and Dennis Augspurger. Ron
temporary
confinement to a
Frame's daughter, Allison; Ann Small's husband, Ed.; and Jim Gibson's
wheelchair after his knee injury, has
daughter-in-law, Mellisa, also shared our afternoon.
.
failed to grasp that Roosevelt's life is
Regardless of the outcome in the municipal elections, these people are all
a testament to a different way of
winners to us.
thinking about disability.
CHARLES CAPLINGER
Everything we know about FDR
. Green Valley Ranch Neighborhood Watch/Honzon Homeowners
suggests that he didn't want his
disability displayed publicly: He went
to great lengths to hide it. Of the tens
of thousands of photographs of FDR,
only two showed him seated in his
wheelchair. Roosevelt would be
Editor:
•.••.••....••_:....;•..;.• :•.,•.'••-•...;:;,•••mortified to see the statue that the
The "Meet the Candidates Night" at the Henderson Convention Center of April
activists are demanding. That fact
alone should have been enough to
28 was a well-planned and well-attended affair. Those who arranged it and
give Clinton pause.
worked to make it a success deserve commendation, but the format used during
Instead, the president allowed
the meeting was insulting and annoying.
A local TV personality emceed and the questions came alternately from two
himself to be swayed by an argument
journalists. The audience was essentially prevented from directly questioning any
that displaying FDR without his
wheelchair merely perpetuates a
candidate.
.:-',•'!'::-:^"'':.\-y-::•'•.
.-V ••-'•••'.
•;,•:.; ':•'•''':^ ""'[
historical inaccuracy. Yet it's one
This is Henderson, Nevada, not New York City or Los Angeles. This was not a
presidential debate. We do not need a phalanx of "professional" journalists to
thing to be incomplete, another to be
serve as a buffer between the candidates and interested voters.
false. The current statue depicts FDR
We are perfectly capable of asking our own questions, especially so since many
sitting in a chair, discreetly cloaked in
of the journalists' questions were little more than time wasters.
a cape, as he was often seen in the
And, sadly, the format employed served to restrict questioning and eliminated
last 12 years of his life. It does not
entirely the possibility of any sensible follow-up.
l,^m reasonably certain that I was not the only attendee who left the meeting
feeling frustrated and short-changed. If the idea for the format originated with
the sponsors of the meeting, they should be encouraged to never use it again. If
the idea was that of the candidates, shame on them.
Firemen and candidates appreciated
Candidates Night format insulting
show him in a toga, standing
heroically in a chariot, as might have
been done in the 19th century. Yet if
it did, that might be in keeping with
the character of a memorial. As
journalist Ian Burumk argues, a
museum is bovmd to present all
aspects of a reality (as is done at the
FDR library), but there are all
manner of truths and weaknesses
that we know about our leaders and
do not need to see in their memorials.
No one is clamoring for a marble JFK
stripped to the waist and wearing a
back brace, his arm around Marilyn
Monroe. As it happens, the FDR
memorial was consciously designed to
portray FDR and his four terms in
office as they were viewed by the
American people. In that sense,
adding a wheelchair would be .;'..'•
historically inaccurate.
The argument that seems to have
most persuaded President Clinton
(and much of the press) is that FDR's
reticence about his affliction reflected
a kind of false consciousness. FDR hid
his disability because the public
would have regarded it as a
weakness. He was, by this logic,
knuckling under to pre^lidice, perhaps
even internationalizing it. Portraying
the wheelchair is justified as a blow
against that prejudice. And perhaps it
would be. It's hard to think of a better
advertisement for public acceptance
of disability than a bronze statue of
the greatest president of the 20th
century sitting in a wheelchair.
On the other hand, there's
considerable evidence that Roosevelt
derived psychological strength from
not identifying with his disability—in
fact, by denying it. This is a man who
for seven years after being stricken
with polio insisted on "walking" down
his Hyde Park driveway to pick up
the mail, falling often, never once
reaching the mailbox. Perhaps FDR
needed to avoid thinking about his
affliction in order to imagine himself
as governor, president, or leader of
the free world.
You can argue that a healthier
form of strength comes from
embracing and celebrating one's
disability. But FDR's strategy worked
for him, and it works for others today,
including me. Since an accident when
I was 14, I've lived with a physical
impairment that I cope with by
ignoring. The idea that one cem live
truthfully only by identifying with ;
one's physical self is a very
unappealing part of the current drift
toward group-rights thinking. Our
identities, formed by any number of
factors—race, gender, class, family—
are subject to our will. Not everyone
who is of Asian, African, or Southern
European descent chooses to make
that element of background central to
his identity. This freedom of choice is
one of the things that most define
America. It's a freedom worth
preserving in bronze.
U.S. News & World Report
Reno still stalls on water meter^
ALLAN KERSENBROCK
Quality childcare
iLditor:
.-.'••
' Despite the enormous amounts
currently flowing down the Truckee
River, water remains a precious
commodity in the Truckee Meadows,
and it's about time we started
treating it as one.
Sierra Pacific Power Co. is seeking
permission to speed up the
"^
installation of water meters in homes
built before 1988 in the Reno-Sparks
area. (Newer homes already have the
meters.) It has the support of Reno,
Sparks and Washoe County, and
should receive the support of the
Legislature when a bill giving it that
permission\is introduced soon.
The meteriiig program is crucial to
the future of wa^er-resource planning
in the area because meters save
water. That's important to ensure
there is sufficient water when the
next drought hits? But it's also
important because we all save money
when new water and sewage
,_
As children across the country honor their mother Sunday, millions of children
will honor no one.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports 15.4 million famihes are headed up by single
parents, with 12.2 million single mothers and 3.2 single fathers. According the
"State of America's Children Yearbook 1997," one in two children in America
today will live with a single parent at some point intheir childhood, one in three
will be bom to unmarried parents, and one in 25 will live with neither parent.
Furthermore, the Administration for Children and Families reports children of
single parents have an 87% g^reater risk of being harmed by physical neglect and
an 80% greater risk of suffering serious injury or harm from abuse and neglect.
Children in single-parent homes are also much more likely to be poor than
children growing up with married parents.
While it is important to take the time to honor mothers today, it is equally
important to acknowledge the children without such a person in their lives—
children who should be guaranteed quality child care so their siqgle parent can
work; children who should be guaranteed the same health care benefits a 66year-old is guaranteed.
Take the time this Mother's Day to think about programs and legislation that
will guarantee these children their rights. Family Service America advocates both
federal and state child care policies ensuring adequate funds for child care—with
regulations that provide not only for quantity, but also for quality.
Take the time today to honor parents, by taking the time to honor their most
precious gift to society—their children.
From Page 6
treatment plants don't have to be
built.
Sierra Pacific has installed nearly
3,000 meters in older homes since the
program, funded by developers, began
two years ago. But there are more
than 40,000 to go. Meanwhile, the
utility is allowed to install the meters
only when requested by a homeowner,
which has crews bouncing around all
over the valley. That makes it a slow
and expensive process that would be
made much more efficient if the crews
could work whole blocks of homes at a
time. Sierra Pacific officials estimate
that would save one-third the cost of
installing meters. " ;, ;;
The new plan makes a lot of sense,
though it is guaranteed to generate
considerable opposition among the
homeowners whose homes will get the
water meters. They are suspicious of
Sierra Pacific, which also is the
monopoly supplier of electricity and
EDITORIAL
JACKR.CHILDS
Board Member
Family Service America Board
Mothers
Today in the society in which we live
People's roles just don't mirror the past.
We have single moms and single dads
Trying to raise families with ties that last.
A woman is oot just a mother,
Sometimes she must also be dad.
That doesn't describe the whole picture
, For at times a man is both mother and dad.
There are also times when choice or economics
Change the parts that people take.
The woman may be the bread-winner
And the man—Mr. Mom takes her place.
This doesn't make the family bad
It's just our changing times;
For we are a people who are free to choose
Where our talents are used—and that's fine.
But whether the mother is a husband or wife.
They still must contend with the problems and strife
Of raising children and to nurture them well
For a loving family the story will tell.
The child is a gift to be taught, don't you see;
To be the best person if can possibly be.
So they use all their talents for the good of humankind
And honor God with their heart, soul and mind.
DOROTHY A. VONDENBRINK
fftUtHma
slower. However, harnessing the power of responsible mothers and fathers all
over the country could provide our national program with an enormous nevv
surge of energy.
Parents are not only customers in child support programs—you are our
partners. Reeducation at all levels is critical in changing the way our society
views children and families. Our organization is committed to working through
the media, through national and regional training conferences and through
partnerships with the public sector and with advocacy groups, to send a strong
message that we must "Put Children First." We need your help in doing this. ,
Stop the Cycle of Neglect
Perhaps beneath all of the problems resulting from absent parents, we can
find reason to celebrate an opportunity to teach our children one of life's most
important lessons: children are a lifetime responsibility and turning away
from them is wrong—morally and legally. The message you impart to yoUr
children will be of critical importance when they reach the age that they face
choices in life regarding sex, pregnancy and responsibility. Because children
learn from example, where the future of child support will be depends greatly
on what our country's children are learning today. Throughout their lives, even
as adults, children will turn again and again to the lessons they learned in
childhood—whether they were positive or negative. Hopefully, children will
adopt the example of parents who are there every day; Let's all join forces to
stop the cycle of neglect that is growing rampant in our society and work
together to ensure that history does not repeat itself
On this occasion, we want to recognize each of you mother, married arid
single, who actively demonstrate your love for your children by making sure
they are cared for, and by laying a secure foundation of moral responsibility
that will serve as a model for your children's future role as parents.
Remember on this Mother's Day that you have not gone unnoticed—you are
the caretakers of tomorrow and we join the nation in celebrating your life's
work.
__^
This infornnation is provided by The National Child Support Enforcement Association, 400 N.
Capitol St.. Suite 370. Hall of the States. Washington. DC. 20001-1512. (2021 624-8180
NCSEA does not handle mdivdual child support cases. If you need help with your child
support case, contact the child support agency m your state.
natural gas to most area homes. And
they are suspicious of the developers
who are supporting the meter
program. Many homeowners believe
that the only justification
for the meters is profit... at th^ip
expense. They see meters as a way to
force them to save water so that it can
be sold to developers. Despite
safeguards in state law that require
any water saved through the
installation of meters to go into
storage for future droughts. And, at
least for now, they won't even J>ave to
pay the metered rate. The law allows
them to continue paying a flat rate for
their water, though officials expect
most will chose the metered rate once
they learn what they can save.
But the bottom line is a simple one;
Water is a commodity. It costs money
to purify water, and it costs money to
distribute it. And the more water that
a homeowner or business uses, the
more it costs. Therefore, the more
water that a homeowner or business
uses, the more it should pay.
Businesses already pay that way, and
so do many homeowners in the area.
The rest of the community should get
with the program ... as quickly as
possible.
Reno Gazette-Journal
ABOUT THESE
PAGES
These pages are
the opinion pages
of the newspaper.
f\lews*View is whtten by the editorial
staff to bnng attention to an issue of
concern in the connmunity. Our readers
are encouraged to
write about local
issues and subnnit
thenn to the News.
SEND US YOUR SIGNED LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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