By Casi Herbst
While the United States continues to defy the United Nations in Iraq, Al Snow is opposing the United Nations here at home with his own war of words.
Snow, a City Council member for the town of LaVerkin, Utah and head proponent of the cities former U.N.-free zone ordinance, lectured at BYU last week on the reasons why his city of LaVerkin should continue as a U.N. free zone.
Snow wants to protect his town of from any injury that could come to the town through the U.N. He said he was particularly concerned with preventing LaVerkin from being included in a biosphere created around Zion”s National Park.
The biosphere would make the land protected from further human interference. Snow said if Zion”s National Park becomes a biosphere, the buffer zone surrounding the park would include LaVerkin. The buffer zone would allow the U.N. to control the sources that flow to their town.
According to Snow, the buffer zone could cut the town”s water supply. He said two years ago, 1,400 farmers in Oregon lost their water rights to a plan passed to save the fish. Snow said with good planning both the fish and man could be saved.
“Man destroys the planet, so man has to go,” Snow said, referring to the opinion of those who cut off water to the local farmers.
Snow attributes his inspiration for the U.N.-free zone to Michael Nu, whose son was denounced from the military after refusing to wear a U.N. uniform. Nu was campaigning around the country to encourage cities to oppose the U.N.
The U.N. free ordinance was first voted upon by the city council on July 4, 2001. It passed with a 3-2 vote. It has since been repealed. The ordinance, now a resolution, is being revisited in November. Snow”s position is also on the ballot.
Mat Thorne, 24, a senior from Salt Lake City, majoring in Political Science, did not agree with Al Snow”s ideas. Thorne has studied the U.N. for many years. He has participated in U.N. mock government for eight years, and has participated in BYU”s program for two.
“I think he (Snow) is biased against groups of people he doesn”t fully understand,” Thorne said.
