From Deseret News archives:

The winners and the losers

Published: Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004 12:00 a.m. MST
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Winner: Utahns should be proud of Chief Warrant Officer Paul Holton, otherwise known as "Chief Wiggles." As the Deseret Morning News has reported several times in recent months, Chief Wiggles, who is stationed in Iraq, has been using a Web site, Operationgive.org, to organize aid for the children he encounters.

So far he has managed to obtain more than 1,600 aid packages. But this week his efforts got an extreme boost when President Bush not only mentioned him but quoted extensively from his Web site at the annual national prayer breakfast.

Bush said Holton understands the high calling of the American military. Amen to that.

Loser: The man who pretended to be a police officer this week just so he could attack a woman in Sandy did more than injure and traumatize one person. He put a giant dent into the trust people feel for the men and women who really are out there to protect them.

According to reports, the man flashed identification and asked to come in her home, claiming he was a detective. Apparently, it's important to demand more than that, especially if you are a woman alone in the house.

Winner: After all the complaining Utah did following the 2000 Census, it's nice to hear that the Census Bureau this week launched a test to see if it is feasible to begin keeping track of how many American missionaries are serving abroad.

You remember the controversy. Utah missed out on a 4th congressional seat by 857 residents, and the state complained that at least that many of its people were serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The government may find it impossible to accurately account for everyone, but at least this test proves officials back there are listening.

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