Letter From The Editor

Jul 2006 Issue

by Danielle Ellis

I had an unexpected lesson in citizenship recently at my nephew Chris’ high school graduation. Several thousand people packed into the Thomas & Mack center for their kids’ big day. The crowd was well-behaved.

When the time came for the individual graduates to walk across the stage, two different people asked the audience to keep the air horns quiet, since the names would be read so quickly that an air horn after one person’s name would bleep out the next person’s name.

However, that didn’t stop the friends of many graduates from blowing their air horns when their student’s name was read. Sure enough, the unfortunate kids who came next had their names bleeped out. It was the moment they had anticipated for four long years, and it was stolen by some inconsiderate person with an air horn.

Back in my ninth-grade history class, my teacher Allen Stühl taught us about freedom and responsibility in America. “I have a right to swing my fist,” he said, “but that right ends when my fist connects with your nose.” Leave it to a wrestling coach to explain civic responsibility.

Most people don’t mind an air horn at such an event, but used at the wrong time it can be incredibly rude. So it is with citizenship. We may live in the land of the free, but without responsibilities to keep society’s behavior in check, things go downhill quickly.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Desert Saints Magazine, focusing on citizenship. We are all members of many groups, and we can make every one of them better with our thoughtfulness and responsible behavior.

All the best,