Page 5 The Sundance Times
Thursday, April 16,201.
Cell: 307-680-5555
Email:
ogden.driskill@vvyoleg.gov
Home: 307-283-I 891
Cell: 307-282-0968
Email:
~er, lindholm@wyoleg.gov,
Undholm.com
Governor Matt Mead
State Capitol,
200 W 24th St,
nne WY 82002-0010
Phone: 307-777-7434.
Fax: 307-632-3909
Website: govemor.wy.gov
US Senator John Barrasso
Washington, DC Office:307
Dirksen Senate Office Building,
Washington DC 20510
Main: 202-224-6441,
Fax: 202-224-I 724
Toll Free: 866-235-9553
Sheridan Office:
2 N Main StSte206,
Sheridan WY 82801
Main: 307-672-6456
Website: barrasso.senate.gov
US Senator Mike Enzi
Washington DC Office: 379A
Senate Russell OfficeBuUding,
+ Washington DC 20510
Main: 202-224-3424,
Fax: 202-228-0359
Toll Free: 8
Gillette Office:
400 S Kendrick Ave Ste 303,
Gillette WY 82716
Main: 307-682-6268,
Fax: 307-682-6501
Website: enzi.senate.gov
Washington ~ Office:
113 Cannon House Office Build-
ing, Washington DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-231 I,
Toll Free: 888-879-3599
Fax: 202-225-3057
Sheridan Office:
45 E Loucks Ste 300F,
Sheridan WY 82801 -
Phone: 307-673-4608,
Fax: 307-673-4982
Webslte: lummis.house.gov
I have had numerous oppor-
tunities to think about com-
munity spirit recently, par-
ticularly in terms of how that
relates to our local emergency
services. Volunteerism to the
extent that we rely on
it in rural America is
unlike anything I was
previously familiar with
- and that's a wonder-
ful thing.
None of these oppor-
tunities, I hasten to
point out, involved an
actual emergency. I
was neither on fire nor
in the grip of a medi-
cal trauma, simply conversing
at leisure with the brave and
noble souls who make up our
volunteer crews or watching
as they performed yet another
near-miracle for the benefit of
the community.
I have never questioned that
small-town Americans are
among the most generous and
community spirited people in
the world. I have seen their
kindness in everything from
the warm welcome I received
myself to the sheer number of
hours people pour into mak-
ing things comfortable for one
another.
Whether helping a fam-
ily member at the weekend or
serving on a board of trustees,
the residents of this county are
there for one another before
the hat has chance to drop.
That, I think, is what prompts
our volunteer crews to donate
thousands of their own hours
to battle fires or rescue neigh-
bors in medical predicaments.
In Britain, on the other hand,
most of these roles are full-time
professions. Our ambulance
service is run by the NHS and
our fire service is also an em-
ployment opportunity. Even
our councilmen and women
tend to choose public service
as a career - rather than on
top of pursuing a career.
That's not to say that their~ heavy protective suits while
service is unappreciated, of warming their cockles fur-
course. Those who decide ther on the flames and smoke
that their lives should center ahead of them. To be honest, I
around helping people in need
are the heroes of any cam-
This Side of
the Pond
Notes from an Uprooted
Englishwoman
BY SARAH PRIDGEON
munity, big or small, and the
NHS ambulance staff and our
firefighters are woefully un-
derpaid and overworked. But
doing so on a volunteer basis
is another step beyond the
duties of the common man.
And that's not even to men-
tion the challenges faced by
our emergency responders
that are seldom encountered
back home. Rural hospitals
are far flung compared to
those in Britain simply be-
cause everything is packed so
much closer together, so get-
ting someone to a doctor is ar-
guably less of a trial.
Over here, the vast amounts
of knowledge and expertise
that the UK's paramedics are
trained to possess must be
reaped using one's own free
time and energy.
Then there are the fires.
Consider, for example, the
first large fire in this county
that I had chance to learn
about, over at Oil Creek. That
blaze eventually consumed
somewhere in the region of
62,000 acres and, to put that
in the context of my own back-
ground, covered a swathe of
land only slightly smaller than
the whole of inner London.
Our firefighters must there-
fore perform heavy lifting in
100-degree weather, wearing
probably couldn't do that even
were I standing in an ice bath
holding my own air
conditioning unit.
Without the volun-
teers who give their
time, wisdom and
energy to serve us,
this county would
be a very different
place. I've known
this almost since I
first landed but, as
time goes by, the
point is driven home ever
more strongly.
Community spirit might well
be alive and well in the smaller
villages and towns of Britain,
where everyone knows each
other's pertinent details. But I
did not live in a small village: I
lived in the sprawling metrop-
olis of London, where the only
person who remembered my
name was the guy who owned
the corner store and recog-
nized me when I stopped in to
buy milk.
I jumped to Crook County
from a situation where you
hear very little about your
neighbors and even less about
the kind acts they perform for
one another. Faceless and
hidden, each of us goes about
our daily business expecting
that the minutiae of civiliza-
tion will be handled on our
behalf.
I landed in a place where no-
body expects this to happen
and each of us has a role to
play within our community,
whether that means stopping
in to visit a sick neighbor;
contributing to fundraisers
and charity events; work-
ing to make life better for the
kids; becoming a police offi-
cer, deputy or dispatcher; or
joining the volunteer emer-
gency services.
My Wyoming
Wyoming's universal truths and fundamental values
BY BILL SNIFFIN Wyoming's people have always lived off its
land -- its wild animals, forests, agriculture,
We eJco.me The wind is our neighbor. Wind was here minerals and scenery. Since Territorial days
~ ~pJnion firSt.of fundamentalWe deal withvalues.it.- Number 14 on the list touristsWe have toeXp rtedenjoy our UruniquePr duCtsblessings.and invited
Th~ O~i~i~ns! Section'-- of out When you talk about Wyoming people or Despite being town dwellers or Califor-
news~ap~ belongs to you think about our wonderful state, are there spe- nia imports, we will always be the Cowboy
fhereade~ We encourage cific universal truths and fundamental values State. You can even see it on our license
you to ~se it to express your that come to mind? plates.
opinions The Sundance li~sAre they unique to our state and to our pea-
does not Solicit any particular pie here? Wyoming Fundamental Values
The firefighters of New York
City received international
attention after the events of
9/11. They were hailed as he-
roes all across the world, and
rightly so.
What I hadn't considered
before I arrived here was that
the same brand of heroism is
witnessed on a daily basis,
all across America. Everyone
here, in their own way, is will-
ing to stand firm between a
neighbor in need and poten-
tial disaster.
If there's nothing else to be
taken away from this knowl-
edge, it's that the Crook Coun-
ty way of life makes us a com-
munity of people rather than
a bustle of human beings who
happen to occupy the same
space. Much as London can
be an exciting and rewarding
place to live, it's sorely lack-
ing in inclusiveness.
While the same emergency
responses, community build-
ing and charity work still
takes place in London town,
it's done without quite the
same attachment to the peo-
ple whose lives it is touching.
This, in turn, makes it dif-
ficult to feel the same sense
of profound gratitude as I do
to the volunteers in our com-
munity. Each of you makes it
your business to keep me and
my own as safe, protected and
healthy as you can, and there
can surely be no more appro-
priate use for the word "hero"
than that.
NORTHEAST BASIN
ADVISORY GROUP
PUBLIC MEETING
April 20 @ 6 p.m.
Campbell County Rec Center
Rapids Room
250 West Shoshone
Gillette, WY
Topics to be discussed:
Gillette Madison Pipeline
Update - Levi Jensen
Pine Haven Well & Tank -
Baker & Assoc.
Powder/Tongue & NE River
Basins - Plan Updates,
Jodee Pring, WWDO
Probable Maximum Precip
Study - Dave Myer, WWDO
Governor's Water Strategy
& Weather Modification -
Harry LaBonde, WWDO
For more information, contact:
Wyoming Water
Development Office:
(307) 777-7626 or
http://waterplan.state.wy.us/
Turn the page
for the solution!
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viewpoi0~and publishes most I always thought so.
~ll{~tters we receive. My quest to identify them started when I ran The concept that small is good means more
are ~ ~biished when they
for state office back in 2002. It seemed like a here.
i be vedfied, when
~ ~ ~nsigned, whe~ good idea then if I could identify them but this We celebrate our clean air, clean water and
~hey~reiibelous, whenthey effort became a bigger task than I thought it a clean environment.
in go0d would be. As an entrepreneurial people, we believe in
ta~ ~hen they are m~6i For example, it can be argued that the people being persistent. We believe that anything
reader, of our state really live within spheres of influ- worth doing is worth doing over and over
whenthey ence of neighboring metro areas such as Den- with the goal that if we keep on trying, we
~tain potentially libelous ver, Salt Lake City, Billings, Idaho Falls and will get it right.
language is
i{i il All letters must Rapid City. Our government is among the most open in
physi~a! With all that distraction, what is it that ties the United States. Our elected officials are ~
us all together besides rooting for our football very accessible, x.
team? Equality in opportunity and the power of ~ .--~-~-- ~
Folks living on our state's borders who find the individual are celebrated.
L~ers that do not themselves traveling to Denver or Billings for Wyoming people are polite. We help out the
will beved- just about everything, well, do they feel the needy. We wave at people we don t know.
telephone
~author, Letterstothe~ : same kinship with someone from Casper or Wyoming people appreciate good health.
Lander or Buffalo or Douglas? Water is perhaps our most valuable re-
In recent years some visionary Wyoming folks source. Its value is never over-rated.
are writ- developed the Code of the West, which is much In a place often described as a small city "-
with extremely long streets - we11, we appre-
ciate our good roads.
We cherish our pioneers and our veterans.
We thank them for what they have done for
our state.
Hope for the future is alive in Wyoming. We
call it a child.
No place in the lower 48 states has the
wildlife that Wyoming has - we celebrate the
diversity of our animals and plants.
Wyoming people appreciate seasons, dawns
and sunsets plus big storms and lightning-
quick changes in the weather.
The wind is our neighbor. Wind was here
first. We deal with it.
We don't like taxes, especially the concept
of a state personal income tax.
We have learned that the way to deal with
power is to share it, not hoard it.
We do not drive by a stranded traveler on
our back roads.
Truth and trust are fundamental in our so-
ciety. My word is my bond. You can trust my
handshake.
All else being equal, we must be fair.
We are a God-fearing people. We celebrate
our religious beliefs.
.~~ ~) b~.$
"1 ain't got any use fer mandatory animal ID,
'cause with cows like mine, it'd be downright
" emberrasein'!"
If your old truck is an embarrassment, get
your new AUTO LOAN here. With PRE-
ARRANGED financing, you ll make a better
CASH deal on the vehicle of your choice.
Member FDIC' ' Equal Housing Lender
Phone 283-1074
simpler and was even adopted by the Legisla-
ture. I love the Code of the West. Let's compare
it with what I came up with 13 years ago:
~e and does not; in p~ ; Wyoming Universal truths
fishing them,
~orseany particul~ opinion Wyoming's economy will be based on com-
modity values of minerals for decades to come
and thus will be vulnerable to the ups and
I downs of worldwide prices for energy.
Wyoming's future is intertwined with the
:e~blication in this hew~per desires of the people running the federal gov-
d6~s not guarantee ~i~i~emment since the people of the United States
macy of any offer or ~olicBa- through federal agencies administer about half
Take reasonable ~teps of the state's land mass.
to evaluate an offetbefore A better educated population means better
opportunities for all.
Because of low population, long distance and
isolation, Wyoming's people have unique char-
acter traits. We celebrate our individuality.
Wyoming people celebrate truth.
In Wyoming, people dream. They dream big.
Consumer Hope and entrepreneurship is alive. The power
Ga tol Bui ng Cheyen ; of an idea is important.
WY 82002 (8~} ~5799 i Often we are alone, but we are not lonely.
(307) 777-7874i The idea of equality is celebrated in Wyo-
ming.
