America's Freedom Festival at Provo has risen in national prominence as a celebration for the entire community, without regard to personal politics. It serves as an annual reminder of the principles all Americans hold dear. It has been a place where people set aside differences and focus on our similarities.

The grand culmination of the party comes at the Stadium of Fire show in LaVell Edwards stadium.

We hope the feeling of unity will be reinforced at Stadium of Fire by this year's master of ceremonies -- conservative radio talk show host Glenn Beck. But we're worried. The last time a conservative radio talk show host served as emcee, things got really partisan.

In 2004, as the war in Iraq was becoming increasingly controversial, the man at the microphone was Sean Hannity, whose antics included a big dose of political posturing and one-sided rhetoric more reflective of a Republican Party rally than a celebration of universal American themes.

A lot of people complained about it, even Republicans.

We think there is some risk of the same thing happening with Glenn Beck. The tone of his programs is sometimes not far away from Hannity. The temptation to slide political knives is going to be hard to resist.

At the 2004 Stadium of Fire, for example, Hannity introduced a military unit returning from Iraq as having "looked for, and found, weapons of mass destruction." Never mind that weapons of mass destruction were a disputed point with nowhere near the finality Hannity suggested.

It was political spin that had no place in a community-wide Fourth of July celebration.

Festival trustee David MacDougal announced that "we" in Utah would celebrate freedom "our own way" and not listen to judges in San Francisco. It was a swipe at a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision on the Pledge of Allegiance. We agree that people can say "under God" in the pledge if they want to -- but that wasn't the point. The problem was the unfortunate stereotyping of Utah County, the suggestion that this is what "we" all believe, and that if you're not one of "us," you don't belong here.

Other views do exist in Utah.

Stadium of Fire is not the appropriate forum for hammering a political agenda. It is an opportunity for people of all persuasions -- right wing, left wing or no wing -- to celebrate America's birth in a universally patriotic way.

We recognize that Utah County votes predominantly Republican, but not all conservatives think exactly alike. There are as many nuances in political outlook as there are human beings with opinions. Political sentiment in Utah is not as monolithic as some may think.

Glenn Beck makes a great deal of sense in his analysis of radical Islam and the long-term threat it poses to our nation. He is generally a supporter of conservative causes and a sharp critic of the liberal left.

We hope he brings none of this to Stadium of Fire. This is a moment for everyone to join in gratitude for the great blessings of liberty we enjoy, to appreciate those who created it and to align our hopes for freedom in the world.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.

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