EDITORIAL

At the Daily Pilot, we have the whole gambit of cell phone users.

There’s the one who drives while talking on the phone, one hand clutching

the steering wheel precariously while also grasping a cup of coffee.

There are those who use those annoying headsets. Others won’t talk and

drive at the same time. We even have a few who still don’t have one of

these telecommunication wonders.

And, like many people in Newport-Mesa, we’ve watched as New York State

restricts cell phone use while driving, and we’ve debated the dangers of

driving and chatting.

But before all cell phones are labeled as inherently evil, it’s worth

checking out the Aug. 24 Daily Pilot.

There we learn the tale of three Orange County men who, after their

boat sank off the Newport Harbor, used a cell phone to call for help.

That call saved their lives, though it came too late to keep their

boat from a watery grave. Now, we’re just waiting to see the inevitable:

how their tale becomes a part of the running debate.