It is time once again to explain that we are a newspaper. We print news. Unfortunately that isn’t always pleasant, but it is a responsibility.
We recently reported on a new business in Eden Valley that was no more appetizing to us than to our many readers. Our upbringing, faith, morals, and preferences all lead us and direct us to know that a “gentlemen’s club” by any name is still wrong. To answer some questions, no the owner didn’t pay us to do the article. We cannot be paid for front page inches. No, we won’t be getting advertising from him. No, we didn’t know him before. No, we didn’t decide to do our saturation paper based on that article.
We planned our guide and saturation paper for more than two months before it went to print. Three days before deadline we were told by subscribers (and read in an Eden Valley Journal Patriot editorial) that there was a rumor of a topless club in Eden Valley. We don’t give rumors ink.
We found the owner’s name in the Journal Patriot, went on the internet and looked it up, and in a phone call we were able to get information. It came from the source, and much of it was new, since he was very candid.
At this point, our editor and publisher would say, “If there is a purple elephant walking down main street are we suppose to close our eyes or turn our head?”
We can’t afford to, it is our business to give you the news and facts. Otherwise, your subscription dollars don’t buy you much.
Secondly, this column is for an opinion, mine and next to it, yours. Each week I put down a slice of my life in the form of my thoughts. Sometimes they are firm as a brick, others are in the forming stage. Aren’t we all that way? Then you can call, or write or chat with me on the street about how wrong you think I am or even better, agree. That is what an opinion is about. We all have one, I respect yours, though I have the right to disagree with it. You are not a bad person in my books because of your opinion, you’re just a different thinking one than me. That’s what makes this world so interesting.
Thirdly, many good people have called (regarding the gentlemen’s club) and said they are going to “pray that his business does badly.” I don’t know about you, but my faith tells me that is NOT a Christian response. I pray that God would touch the heart of this man, that he would have his eyes opened to the damage that this type of establishment is proven to do. He obviously does not want his daughter to work in this type of establishment, so he realizes at some level that it can be damaging. Let’s not forget to pray for those that are drawn to this type of establishment, either here or anywhere. They also need God to intervene in their lives.
A note that should be added here is that the ordinances being loose in Eden Valley made it ripe for this type of business. Did the owner lie to the city council? Yes. Is that typical for this type of business? Yes. But had the ordinances been in place, this would have turned the owner off right away. If they are not now put into place, there could certainly be some even less attractive businesses knocking on the city’s doors very soon.
And last, when life hands you lemons, find a way to make lemonade. In Eden Valley’s case, we did call a city administrator near here and found that if the Eden Valley council so chooses, it can put in its ordinances regarding “adult entertainment” a one-time fee and a yearly fee (which they can set at thousands of dollars) for this type of establishment. The one-time fee is to investigate the owner and business references. The yearly fee is only for adult entertainment types of businesses. The council can also set hours of operation per the state laws (even after the fact, our source believes) for this type of business. This serves as both a control and a deterrent to business.
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For you tidbit buffs: An albatross can fly while it sleeps. It apparently dozes while cruising at 25 m.p.h.