Beehive to Brigham Young University for its low-key response to Soulforce Equality Ride's visit this past week. In 2006, campus police arrested two dozen Soulforce members on trespassing charges for falling down on BYU's grass, which was exactly the reaction Soulforce sought. This year, two Soulforce members attempted to enter the campus to present a list of grievances and were given tickets for trespassing and driven to their hotel. A soft answer not only turns away wrath, it annoys those with chips on their shoulders.

Buffalo Chip to Tim Lawson for trying to derail Utah's efforts to fight a Japanese beetle infestation in Orem. Lawson claims that he suffers from celiac sprue, a genetic autoimmune disorder that makes him sensitive to wheat gluten. But nobody says the bugs are made of wheat, and certainly nobody is suggesting he eat them even if they were. Lawson claims he must use oxygen because of his disorder, that spraying for the bugs would constitute a threat to his life since he is sensitive to chemicals, and that it would be an act of religious discrimination because he wouldn't be able to grow a garden as instructed by leaders of his church (not that he actually would grow one or had ever made the attempt in the past). Anyway, we're quite certain that he could get a special exception from God on this issue. If he had to buy his zucchini for a season or two, we think God would understand. Perhaps his ecclesiastical leaders could take up a collection to buy Lawson a hotel room during the spraying.

Beehive to Jillian Messenger's health class for teaching younger kids to avoid tobacco. Seventy-five of Messenger's students from Provo High School are visiting elementary schools teaching students about the dangers of cigarette smoking. Messenger's students are participating in the Real Noise contest sponsored by Tobacco Free Utah and the Warriors Against Tobacco. The school with the best program wins $1,000 and a free concert. With students like Emily Johnson dressing up as cigarette butts to make the point with little kids, Messenger's crew should win something more than our Beehive.

Buffalo Chip to Mapleton for taking away a permit for a dairy farm. The city granted Paul Opfar a conditional-use permit to operate a 60-cow dairy farm in the city. This week, after Opfar spent $300,000 building the dairy, the board of adjustment voted to yank the permit after residents complained about odors. It would not accept Opfar's offers to take steps to control the smell, such as storing manure in a concrete bunker and installing monitoring devices. Chairman Boyd Adams said the board believed it was a mistake to allow the dairy farm in the first place. Oh, sure, they just didn't understand what happens when you put a bunch of cows in a small place. What really stinks is letting Opfar spend $300,000 before suddenly realizing the "mistake."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.

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