IT'S AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD: JUST WHO DO YOU BELIEVE IN?

Laurie, I am in need of your guidance again. Things just seem to get
more complicated every time I turn around.

Utahns constantly are admonished on what is good and proper and what
is improper and evil on a daily basis from our ecclesiastical and
political leaders. In most cases, they are one in the same.

We are told to avoid alcohol. The battles that take place in every
Utah city over the subject of selling, advertising and consuming such
products clogs a good amount of press. From brew pubs being denied
licenses to existing laws in various places like Sandy, Draper and
various golf courses in the state, debate has raged ever since Salt
Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson dared to say our liquor laws don't make
much sense.

In this very paper, Columnists Rolly and Wells describe 1876 news
reports about a similar conflict involving liquor between the mayor
and Brigham Young after a grand jury investigation and audit revealed
some improprieties. Young, according to the Deseret News, owned a
distillery and sold booze to the city at a nice profit.

This revelation makes me wonder if we are living in a parallel
universe where things today are just the opposite. It makes you wonder
how this Olympic situation would be handled if Brigham Young were
around today.

Then we have Utah Senator-for-Life Orrin Hatch, who has spent a
quarter-century in office decrying the negative and destructive
influence Hollywood has rendered with its R-rated movies. Now he is
appearing in and touting the virtues of an R movie.

The movie, "Traffic," about the ravaging effects drugs have on
society, is receiving rave reviews and is in the running for an Oscar.
In the film about the new drug czar, portrayed by Michael Douglas,
Sen. Hatch in is a scene with other Washington, D.C., power brokers
telling Douglas how he should do his job.

The movie could almost be classified as a docudrama about the problem
of drugs in our country. It shows how the war on drugs has been pretty
much a failure. I find it disturbing that Hatch says that he agrees
with the current drug czar, Barry McCaffrey, that we are winning the
war on drugs when all evidence is to the contrary.

My question to you, Laurie, is should we have Orrin screen all R-rated
movies for a thumbs up or down? And would it be OK to have some
cocktails available at the medals plaza if they were from Brigham
Young's distillery? Ciao!

Tom Barberi is a talk show host on KALL-AM.

Tom, let me try to simplify your life. Your problem, like that of many
other people (sometimes me included), is you are expecting others to
do your thinking for you.

We somehow get the notion that when someone is in a position of power
or authority, whether elected or appointed by the people or by God,
that they suddenly become the epitome of knowledge, wisdom and perfect
behavior. Suddenly, we should behave as they do, or as they tell us.
That never works. At least, not for long.

Humans are rational beings. At least, we are supposed to be. By
nature, we need to see some reason or logic in our behavior and
choices. It ultimately requires a justification that comes from some
internal rationale, rather than just because someone told us we should
do something.

Witness the growing child. Mom tells him/her to do something. There is
not immediate compliance. He/she asks "why?" The response, "Because
I'm your mother and I told you to," is a grossly insufficient reason
and eventually fails completely as the child grows.

Part of the parenting responsibility is to teach and help children to
develop a system of values or life guides that help them make
decisions and choices. Educators are supposed to supplement the
parental teachings by helping kids learn how to think. Thinking is the
process of organizing and synthesizing information through the filter
of one's values to determine appropriate behavior.

Make no mistake, I believe elected and appointed officials deserve our
respect. And I believe we should hold them to higher standards of
behavior because they are in positions to be examples to people,
especially young people, who need more guidance in their decision making.

Nevertheless, I make my decisions about what I eat, drink and see, and
I am accountable for those decisions. I don't need Senator Hatch or
Mayor Anderson to make them for me.

When the LDS Church was growing incredibly fast early on, Joseph Smith
is reported to have been asked how he could possibly direct the
behavior of so many thousands of people. He responded that the leaders
of the church taught them correct principles, and the members governed
themselves.

We have plenty of examples of people of all faiths who don't seem to
be able to govern themselves well. And some of those individuals are
elected or appointed officials throughout the state, nation and world.
Nevertheless, that doesn't make their behavior and choices
appropriate. Nor should it dictate my behavior and choices.

So my advice to you, Tom, is to search your own value system to make
decisions about your life. I am certain you were taught the same basic
principles of honesty, equity and respect that the rest of us were.
Maybe someday, upstanding community citizens that we are, we will be
in the position to be examples to those needing guidance in their
decision making.

Boy, then we will have the world by the tail, won't
we?

Laurie J. Wilson is the Department of Communications Chair at BYU.