One Utah

I’ve been trying to write an appropriately sarcastic and ironic response to our state legislators opposition to the IB program. It’s almost impossible to satire someone who does not know the difference between “socialization” and “socialism.” It’s equally difficult deploying sarcasm in response to someone who thinks the any positive mention of the [...]

What had been going along as a relatively boring, technocratic session has become the traditional legislative freak show thanks to Chris Buttars and the homophobes of the Republican majority. Frankly, the majority of Utah legislators are just plain old fashioned anti-gay bigots. They can dress it up in all the pretty language they [...]

It’s been a fun week already at the Trib’s discussion boards thanks to Zach Maxfield of Logan who wrote that Mormons aren’t homophobes, they just love gay people so much they want them to become straight people. Okay, I’m paraphrasing. Zach’s exact words were:
[God] counsels us to never condone or accept evil behavior. Homosexual acts [...]

Of late, it seems you can’t turn on the TV without hearing some conservative yammering on about “rule of law” - especially when the topic is immigration. State Rep Glen Donnelson last night on Utah Now used the phrase repeatedly while discussing immigration.
This talk is just a new variation on the conservative fondness for [...]

Rebecca Walsh is rapidly becoming my favorite local newsperson.  Her article in today’s Trib is yet another perfect example of her ability to accurately record the seriously messed up politics of Utah.
Walsh writes:
As is so often the case, Salt Lake City is acting out, testing the bounds of this big conservative family we like to [...]

Someone in the State Senate should make sure he’s on his medication. I mean seriously, he’s an embarrassment - that someone this monumentally stupid keeps getting elected should give pause to the voters in his district.
From today’s Trib:
“I’m for the concept of the bill, but we don’t want outside organizations coming into schools [...]

I haven’t really commented much on this year’s legislative session for one reason - the news I’ve seen hasn’t really painted a picture of the session. Aside from anything having to do with immigration (i.e. brown people) the session seems to have been actually kind of boring. Yesterday, I got to spend some [...]

Last night, I watched The Long Walk: Tears of the Navajo on KUED - a history of the forced relocation of thousands of Navajo from their homeland to Bosque Redondo.  If I’m reading correctly, the show is a production of KUED which is great - it’s time we uncover these parts of our history, that we refuse [...]

It seems oddly appropriate that 2008 Blog for Choice day is the day that the Rep. Stephen Sandstrom’s slut shaming, forced pregnancy hot potato bill was handed off to the Office of Legislative Research & General Counsel - which has already rendered a negative opinion on the bill.
Sandstrom’s bill would prohibit abortion except to save [...]

It’s impossible to attend the Utah State Legislature year after year as I have without developing a sense of cynicism. The majority of Utah’s legislators strike me as well meaning but useless when it comes to actually effecting changing. The few commonsense proposals that actually make it to the floor are usually killed [...]

I see that Joe Lieberman has at long last completed his transformation into a Republican in everything but name.  Lieberman, only 7 years ago the Democratic nominee for Vice President is apparently coming out in support of John McCain for president.
Within the context of his career and his past behavior, this makes perfect sense.  Lieberman [...]

Over the weekend while I was at the gym, there was a show on TV about hazing. It was so absorbing I did over an hour of cardio so I could see the whole thing.
As part of the show, they discussed recent incidents of hazing in American high schools and colleges. In one incident, a [...]