Congressman Joe Cannon?

Lisa, I think you made a little mistake here?

Poll shows challengers are significantly behind
Copyright 2006 Deseret Morning News
By Lisa Riley RocheDeseret Morning News
So far, voters are only moderately interested in the upcoming general election, according to a new poll — not surprising, since the incumbents at the top of the ticket all hold strong leads. Four of the five members of Utah's congressional delegation are up for re-election in November — Sen. Orrin Hatch, Rep. Rob Bishop and Rep. Joe Cannon, all Republicans, and Rep. Jim Matheson, the lone Democrat. A new Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll found that all but Cannon have the support of at least 60 percent of the Utahns surveyed. Cannon, the only incumbent who faced a primary election, had 53 percent. None of the opponents were favored by more than about one-fourth of the Utahns surveyed — a total sample of 922 registered voters statewide for the Senate race and 300 in each congressional district. Even in the most contested race, in the 2nd District, Matheson holds a 36 percent lead over his GOP opponent, state Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Sandy. Sixty percent of the voters said they would pick Matheson if the election were held today and 24 percent would cast a ballot for Christensen. The poll was taken Sept. 25-28 by Dan Jones & Associates and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent for the statewide race and approximately plus or minus 5.5 percent in each congressional district. Voters were also asked about their level of interest in the Nov. 7 general election. Most, 59 percent, expressed moderate interest. Those numbers did not vary much by congressional district. State Republican and Democratic party officials said the results are to be expected in what so far seems to be a pretty low-key election. "It is not an exciting political year," said Jeff Hartley, executive director of the Utah Republican Party. And unless the sales tax increase for transportation projects that's on the ballot in Salt Lake County generates a lot of interest, Hartley predicted a low voter turnout, something that typically favors sitting officeholders. "That's good news for incumbents," Hartley said. But not for Republicans who are trying to unseat Matheson in a largely GOP district. "To close the gap with Matheson, who is a strong incumbent, Christensen needs to remind people why they're Republican," Hartley said. And, he said, the GOP could lose its majority in Congress this election. "The House of Representatives literally hangs in the balance this time," Hartley said. "Although Matheson may be a likeable guy here in Utah, giving control of the House to Washington Democrats is not something Utah voters want to see." Todd Taylor, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, said that could sway some GOP voters who back Matheson, but not enough to cost him the election. "It is probably their most effective argument for calling people home," Taylor said. Jones said Matheson needs 20 percent of the Republi- cans to vote for him in order to retain his seat. According to the poll, 35 percent of those surveyed who said they were Republicans backed Matheson. Just over half — 53 percent — of the GOP members polled said they would vote for Christensen, while 9 percent said they didn't know who they'd support. None of the respondents who identified themselves as Democrats said they support Christensen. Both Taylor and Hartley said they expect all the races to get closer as the election nears and voters start paying more attention. "I definitely expect things to tighten up a little bit," Taylor said. "People want to do their civic duty."

Western primary takes off - kind of

By Lisa Riley RocheDeseret Morning News
Not everyone is excited about the prospect of the Western states primary promoted by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. Feb. 5 is the date set for what backers hope will be a Western version of "Super Tuesday" during the 2008 presidential race. So far, only three states have committed to participate — Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Nevada was selected this summer by the Democratic National Committee to hold a caucus in January 2008, the same month that voters will gather in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to register their presidential preferences at the polls or in party meetings. Huntsman told participants at the Western Presidential Primary Symposium sponsored by the University of Utah's Center for Public Policy and Administration that even with just four of eight states in the region participating in the process early, Utah will benefit. "We've never before forced the body politic, at least at a presidential level, to get smart about our issues," Huntsman said. For too long, he said, Utah and much of the rest of the West have been a fly-over zone for candidates seeking the nation's highest office. The regional primary will attract candidates and their campaign spending to the state, the Republican governor said, as well as focus attention on regional issues such as water development, public land use and immigration. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson also spoke at the symposium in favor of the primary. "The West has a new voice and a real choice in the selection of the next American president," Richardson, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, said. But several panelists at the symposium said that's not going to happen. "This is a pretty small part of the country," said Lance Tarrance, a senior strategist for Straight Talk America, the political action committee organized on behalf of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a likely GOP presidential candidate in 2008. The way to bring attention to the region, Tarrance said, is to focus on a Western state better-known to the Eastern media and political establishment. "I think there's some star appeal to Colorado," he said, suggesting it could "symbolize a lot of the new West." Plus, the region tends to favor Republicans in presidential races, with a few exceptions. If the region isn't seen as competitive, candidates and media outlets trying to control costs aren't going to pay much attention, Tarrance said. Eddie Mahe, a Washington, D.C.-based political strategist whose clients have included former Rep. Enid Greene, also suggested there would be little interest generated by a regional primary in the West. "The more states you put in it, the less you're going to see of any of these candidates," he said, citing the great distances between population centers in the West. "They'll pick a state or maybe two states, and they'll invest all of their resources there." The price tag for the Utah primary is about $2.5 million, according to Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, whose office oversees elections in the state. The 2006 Legislature came up with about a third of that amount. Daniel Kemmis, a senior fellow at the Center for the Rocky Mountain West and a former Montana lawmaker, said more states should participate. Montana's legislature has rejected funding for a presidential primary in 2008 but is expected to consider the issue again. The primary will help the region work more closely together, Kemmis said. He was a participant on the same symposium panel as the critics of the Western states primary, one intended to answer the question of whether the West had been overlooked by candidates. "I don't think the Rockies can expect either presidential candidates or the rest of the country to take us seriously until we take ourselves seriously as a region," Kemmis said. The primary "should only be viewed as one element of a broader Western strategy." Huntsman later dismissed the criticisms of the Western states primary, which has also been supported in the past with only limited success by former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt and former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer. "It's just getting off the ground and to see the level of activity we've already seen — let the numbers speak for themselves," Huntsman said, citing visits already made to the state by Richardson, McCain and other hopefuls. "We're on the political map."
E-mail: lisa@desnews.com

4 Internet firms issued spam citations

E-mails violate new 'do-not-call' Child Protection Registry

By Geoffrey FattahDeseret Morning News
Four Internet companies have been cited by the state of Utah for sending spam e-mail to several Utah children, soliciting for gambling, alcohol and pornography. The Utah Department of Commerce said Thursday that it has issued citations against two U.S. companies, one company in the United Kingdom and one company in Singapore for sending adult-oriented solicitations to minors in Davis and Salt Lake Counties and Salt Lake City. The actions came in response to a relatively new law that went into effect last year and created the Utah Child Protection Registry. Seen as a "do-not-call" list to protect Utah residents and their children from Internet spammers, people can register their e-mail addresses with the state, which will require businesses to remove those addresses from their mailing lists. The state funds the program, which went into effect in July, 2005, by charging companies 1 cent per e-mail address to scrub their lists of registered Utah e-mail addresses.

The four companies are some of the first to be cited under the Utah Child Protection Registry. DOS Media Now LLC of Encinitas, Calif., has been fined $5,000 for e-mailing online gambling offers. Golden Arches Casinos of Overland Park, Kan., faces a $2,500 fine for also sending online gambling solicitations. A United Kingdom beer company faces a $2,500 fine for sending alcohol advertising, and a Singapore company faces a $20,000 fine for sending pornographic e-mails. All were sent to minors. "These companies ignored the law and sent illegal offers into the homes of Utah children," said Francine Giani, executive director for the Utah Department of Commerce. However, Utah hasn't seen a dime from any company. When asked what the chances were of getting any money out of foreign companies Giani said, "Zero to nil. We've been tasked by the Legislature to investigate. If they snub us, then we send the information to the AG's office, and they take the ball from here." To date, the department of commerce has cited one other company, an Internet porn vendor, in addition to the four announced Thursday. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said the five companies have been cited since the program started. "We'd like to give them time to comply," he said, before taking legal action. Shurtleff said he fully intends to seek judgments against those companies, including those overseas, even though odds of getting them to pay up are narrow. "It's slim, there's no doubt about that, but I think we have to try," Shurtleff said. "We'll push it as far as we can." Giani said the registry does bring awareness to parents. "It brings to light a critical issue that parents will hopefully see, and that is ultimately, they should be the number-one line of defense for their children." Giani said parents need to supervise what their children see and do over the Internet. Families interested in registering their e-mail addresses can go to http://www.dcp.utah.gov/ or http://www.kidsregistry.utah.gov/.
E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com

Good to see Tiani back in the game

Border Security Forum
The National Immigration Advisory Committee will hold a live forum on its website today from 11 a.m. to 12 noon on the topic of border security. NIAC Co-chairs Matt Throckmorton and Tiani Coleman will moderate. The NIAC encourages people interested in immigration policy from around the nation to join the discussion. Go here, create an account for active participation, click on "Border Security," then click on "Border Security before the 2006 Midterms?"

UPD Blog Warch by Golden Webb

Blog Watch
The House Democratic Caucus blog asks: "Governor Huntsman is considering calling a Special Session to have the legislature deal with the boundaries for a 4th Congressional District. What are your thoughts on this?" (see also here, here, here, and here)... In response to this Utah Politics post on the power and effectiveness of blogs, Part of the Plan says: "I am sick and tired of candidates ringing my doorbell and calling me in the middle of a meal or good football game or movie on TV. I am a visual person, anyway, so if you want to educate me, give it to me in writing. A mail flyer is fine, but I am an internet person. I get my news online, and I read blogs. ... [M]aybe that's just me. But I think it is inevitable that electronic media, of which the internet is just a part, will eventually replace the old traditional methods, as more and more people mature and become more comfortable with emerging communications systems. The biggest impediment in the United States right now is the limited availability of broadband. People with dialup and lower-speed DSL just don’t read that many blogs. That’s changing slowly, of course, and for the better"... On the same subject, Rep. Craig Frank says: "Discounting the notion that newspapers are the source of all truth ... I am convinced inexpensive, readily available personal media resources are the next big advancement in setting the record straight. In less than a blink of an eye an individual can advance his/her message to the masses without being misquoted, partially quoted, or taken out of context. And all this is available to the common, ordinary man relatively quick and inexpensive through the wonderful world of electronic, personalized communication -- the Internet. Do you really believe the old-fashioned media doesn’t feel threatened by this? (They’re still using offset printing.)"... Capital Carnage says: "Rumor has it that former State Democratic party leader Meghan Holbrook is gearing up for a run for the mayor of Salt Lake City. I had the privilege of working with Mrs. Holbrook during the last Session, and I [can't] stress enough how impressed I was with her. I admit I don’t know much about her politically, but in all my interactions with her she was a class act"... At Out of Context, Thomas Burr notes: "Human Events, a conservative newspaper in Washington, profiled 26 of the top Senate races in the country in its current edition. There are actually 33 Senate races this cycle, but some of them were not profiled, the magazine says, because 'the incumbents do not face strong challengers and recent polls have not been conducted' in battles for 'Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Kent Conrad (D.-N.D), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.).' By my math, that leaves one senator missing: Utah's Orrin Hatch. Maybe the newspaper decided that one wasn't even interesting enough to officially declare its intention not to cover"... At Evangelicals for Mitt, Charles Mitchell says: "If Gov. [Mitt] Romney wins [the '08 presidential race] (or even comes close), Mormonism will come under more scrutiny than ever before. ... We get e-mails all the time from Mormons who claim their faith is misunderstood -- in fact, I think one is even putting together a documentary meant to clear things up for us. Such things will probably escalate -- as will efforts by others to get at what Mormonism really is. And you know what? If that does happen, I am supremely confident that the truth will come out. And the truth is that, well, the Gospel is the Gospel. The Book of Mormon is not. Why would we not think that if the two are contrasted, the truth will be seen as the truth? If it is really the truth (which it is) and if it is really better (which it is), why should we not believe that it will stand on its own and trump all comers?" (see also here, here, here, here, and here).

Matheson rejects GOP district map

Huntsman promises a post-election special session on redistricting
By Thomas Burr and Glen Warchol The Salt Lake Tribune
Despite a proposal to give him a safe Democratic seat, Utah Rep. Jim Matheson refused on Thursday to endorse a map proposed by the governor and legislative leaders for a fourth U.S. House seat for Utah. Matheson, a Democrat in a Republican-leaning district, says elected leaders shouldn't be dividing up districts to favor one party or the other, and that "no one should have a safe seat." "There's not enough competition for seats as it is," he said. "Congressmen shouldn't be picking their" own districts. Matheson favors a plan, already cleared in committee, which would create a statewide, at-large district to gain a fourth seat. However, Matheson says in the end he would vote for alternative legislation if that's what it took to get the extra seat. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who last week drew what he calls a "rough draft map," said Thursday he likely will call the state Legislature into a special session after the Nov. 7 election to approve a redistricting map. "This should not happen in a political environment," Huntsman said, referring to the election. He said he would like to look into creating a bipartisan commission to draw voting maps, but that would take too long to meet the deadlines for a fourth seat now. "I got what I thought to be a very fair map. When you have both ends of the political spectrum that are complaining, and pointing fingers at you, I guess you have to conclude you've done it about right," Huntsman, a Republican, said at his monthly news conference on KUED-TV. When Congress returns in a lame-duck session in mid-November is the best opportunity to get a map finalized, Huntsman said. "It's during that time that I would be willing to call a special session and to look at whether or not we can come to grips with a fourth district. It seems that the political will is there with respect to the Judiciary Committee, which is driving this whole process in Washington." Huntsman remained optimistic Utah will finally get its fourth House member. "I think that there's a better than 50-50 likelihood that after the election in November, during the lame duck session, we're likely to figure out a way to get a fourth seat." The new map was drawn at the behest of Congress, which is considering legislation that would grant Utah a fourth congressional seat and the District of Columbia its first full-voting House member. The legislation was originally written to grant Utah a seat temporarily elected at-large as a way to calm Democratic fears that the state would gerrymander Matheson into a more Republican district than he currently represents. But Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner wants to strike that provision and have the new seat represent a regular-sized district. "Sensenbrenner has single-handedly derailed that option," Matheson says. But "I don't think we should be giving up on that option. We need to keep all of the options on the table." Utah Republican Party Executive Director Jeff Hartley said it was strange that Matheson wouldn't want a Democratic seat, and that Matheson needs to get on board to move the bill forward. "Jim Matheson may cost Utah the fourth seat by refusing to endorse the plan presented which guarantees him re-election," Hartley said. "The Democrats in Congress have made it clear they will not support this plan without Matheson on board. He holds the cards and is putting the fourth seat for Utah in jeopardy." Matheson counters that GOP members are holding up the bill, not Democrats. "Last I heard the House of Representatives is in the Republican Party's hands," Matheson said, noting Republicans could pass the bill if they wanted. The bill to grant Republican-heavy Utah a fourth seat and the Democratic-dominated District of Columbia its first was planned as bipartisan legislation to add two members with no advantage to either party. Utah barely lost out on getting a fourth seat in Congress after the 2000 census. tburr@sltrib.com

4 House races in 2007

Special election needed if Utah gets a 4th seat
By Lisa Riley Roche and Suzanne StruglinskiDeseret Morning News
If Utah succeeds in getting approval for a fourth seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, a special election would need to be held next year for all of the state's U.S. House seats, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said Thursday. "It would mean all sitting members would have to run again, just to reaffirm their status in a newly carved district," Huntsman said during the taping of his monthly KUED news conference. Utah's three U.S. House seats are already on the November ballot. Squeezing an election some six months into the two-year term would require more campaigning and more money for both incumbents and challengers. "It's a headache but worth it to get a fourth seat," said Charles Isom, a spokesman for Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah. Cannon, Isom said, would have no problem running again in a few months. Scott Parker, chief of staff for Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said Bishop isn't thinking yet about the possibility of another race next year. "I'm not sure anyone would be too excited but would go through the process because of the fourth seat," Parker said.

The Republican Party, which holds two of the state's three U.S. House seats and would have a majority of voters in the new district, would limit intra-party challenges in a special election, according to Jeff Hartley, executive director of the Utah Republican Party. He said potential candidates for a fourth-district seat are already surfacing, including several members of the Legislature. One is Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Sandy, who is running against U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, in this election. But Todd Taylor, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, said he wasn't sure there would be a special election to worry about. Still, he said, although incumbents would have the advantage in such a race, "anytime you roll the dice, they can pop up in a different way." Nothing can happen, of course, until Congress approves the new seat. That could occur when Congress returns after the November elections, but only if the Utah Legislature is ready with a final map of the new districts. The new Utah seat is part of a political compromise that would give the largely Democratic District of Columbia a vote in the House. But House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., has made it clear he wants Utah lawmakers to establish four distinct geographical U.S. House districts before he'll support the bill. Huntsman said Thursday that he's willing to call lawmakers into special session to consider a map, but not until after Election Day. "This should not happen in a political environment," the governor said. He said there's "a better than 50-50 likelihood" that Utah will get the new seat. If Congress doesn't agree that the state deserves a fourth seat now, Huntsman said, it could take another seven years, "a heck of a long time to be waiting." A map unveiled by the governor last week showed the new fourth district would include the southern portion of Salt Lake County as well as six of the seven counties along the state's western border. "Mine was only a rough-draft attempt," Huntsman said, describing it as "a very fair map." It's not clear yet what Matheson, the lone Democrat in Utah's congressional delegation, thinks of the proposed new boundaries. Matheson's spokeswoman, Alyson Heyrend, said his opinion on the map is irrelevant. Heyrend said Matheson would prefer to see the new districts set up and approved by an independent commission rather than by the Legislature. But Huntsman said that would take too long. "We don't have time to re-create the process, sadly," he said. The governor, a Republican, said he wasn't trying to play politics with the redistricting. "All I'm doing is trying to argue in favor of doing what I think is in the best interests of the states," he said. "No politics; we just need a fourth district."
E-mail: lisa@desnews.com; suzanne@desnews.com

DO THE BRITISH WAND OUT OF IRAQ?

September 29, 2006
DO THE BRITISH WANT OUT OF IRAQ?....The Guardian reports today that a pitched battle is being waged by British forces against a dogged band of insurgents. These particular insurgents, though, reside not in Basra but in northwest London, and they argue that British troops could be better used in Afghanistan than in an increasingly hopeless holding action in Iraq:
They believe there is a limit to what British soldiers can achieve in southern Iraq and that it is time the Iraqis took responsibility for their own security, defence sources say...."What is more important, Afghanistan or Iraq?" a senior defence source asked yesterday. "There is a group within the Ministry of Defence pushing hard to get troops out of Iraq to get more into Afghanistan."
....The fierce debate at the highest military and political levels in the MoD is reflected in a passage of a leaked memo written by a staff officer at the Defence Academy, an MoD thinktank. It reads: "British armed forces are effectively held hostage in Iraq — following the failure of the deal being attempted by COS [chief of staff] to extricate UK armed forces from Iraq on the basis of 'doing Afghanistan' — and we are now fighting (and arguably losing or potentially losing) on two fronts."
The reference to the "failure of the deal" suggests that this was a pretty serious effort, and one that was not appreciated by U.S. commanders, who were said to be "deeply unhappy about British talk of troop reductions and complained that the British seemed interested only in the south of the country."
The fact that basic strategy is being debated at high levels isn't unusual. What is unusual is that this particular debate suggests that the highest ranking officer in the British Army believes three things: (1) Afghanistan is in serious trouble and needs more troops ASAP, (2) there's very little more that can be accomplished by the military in Iraq, and (3) British troop deployments are essentially being dictated by political considerations in the United States.
There's not much more to say about this except for one thing: the British Army got a new chief about four weeks ago, General Richard Dannatt. Was the attempted "deal" to transfer troops from Iraq to Afghanistan something that his predecessor initiated or something that he initiated? Is the British Army going to be commanded for the next three years by someone who apparently thinks the cause in Iraq is lost?—Kevin Drum 1:17 AM Permalink Trackbacks Comments (10)

Huntsman to call special session on 4th House seat

The Salt Lake Tribune

Posted: 12:45 PM- Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said Thursday he will call a special session of the state Legislature after the November elections to approve a new congressional map to add a fourth House seat for Utah. A key U.S. House Republican leader has said he won't allow a vote on a bill to give Utah a fourth seat and the District of Columbia its first full member in Congress until Utah has a final redistricting plan.

Political Calendar

Please submit calendar items to Daily@UtahPolicy.com
- Sept 27: Downtown Rising Visioning Workshop for the business community, 8 a.m., City Library Main Branch, 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City. Review what has developed from the Downtown Rising collaboration so far, explore ideas and give us input for the future of Downtown. RSVP to Camille Winnie at Camille@downtownslc.org or 801-333-1106. - Sept 27: Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum: U.S. - Iran Relations, 8:35 a.m., University of Utah, Orson Spencer Hall, Room 255. Guest is Roxane Farmanfarmaian, Donner Scholar of Transatlantic Relations at the Centre of International Studies at Cambridge University; author, Blood and Oil: A Prince’s Memoir of Iran, From the Shah to the Ayatollah Cosponsor-Middle East Center.- Sept 27: Midday Metro at 10 a.m. on KCPW 88.3 FM features Douglas Brinkley, author of Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Coast. It’s a special rebroadcast of his visit to Utah earlier this year. Brinkley talks about the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and describes the inability of local, state and federal agencies to help victims who were, by and large, poor or African-American.- Sept 27: Women’s State Legislative Council Meeting, 11:45 a.m., State Office Building Auditorium. Meet and hear the state candidates running for the Utah State Senate representing both Republican and Democratic Parties. Delegate members and visitors are welcome to attend. Question/Answer period. Visitors call for a Guess Pass to Kitty Kaplan, 801-942-5133 or Suzanne Merrill, 801-796-0831 or suzannemerrill@comcast.net. - Sept 27: Gov. Huntsman to attend Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Annual Luncheon, 12:30 p.m., Columbus Center, 2531 South 400 East, Salt Lake City.- Sept 27: Gov. Huntsman and Speaker Curtis event, 6 p.m., Willow Creek Park, 8400 South Highland Drive, Sandy.- Sept 27: Davis County Democratic Party hosted Beans and Bread Banquet with Pete Ashdown, 6 p.m., 50 West Gentile, Layton. The banquet will include a seminar for those with incomes of $50,000 and below on how to spend your $50.00 tax cut the Utah legislature recently passed. For more info email dccwc@aol.com, or call 801-776-0668.- Sept 28: Annual Golf Tournament hosted by the Senate Majority, sign-in at 6:30 a.m., shotgun start at 7:30 a.m., Thanksgiving Point. For reservations call Ric Cantrell at 801-673-1603 or Kaci Ogier at 801-268-4747.- Sept 28: Utah Valley Executive Summit at Sundance, 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Sundance Rehearsal Hall. This is a one-day rapid-fire seminar for Utah Valley’s business & civicleaders and will address Utah Valley’s most important issues. The general public is welcome.Cost is $100 for members, $130 for non-Chamber members. For more information or to RSVP, email info@thechamber.org.- Sept 28: Lt. Gov. Herbert to welcome attendees of the Be Ready Utah Preparedness Symposium, 9:45 a.m., Rose Wagner Theater, Salt Lake City.- Sept 28: Governor's Monthly News Conference, 10 a.m., KUED Studios. - Sept 28: Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum: Soldier Slaves: Abandoned by the White House, Courts and Congress, 10:45 a.m., University of Utah, Orson Spencer Hall, Room 255. A discussion with the authors James W. Parkinson and Lee Benson.
- See the entire calendar

UPD Blog Warch by Golden Webb

Blog Watch by Golden Webb
Rep. John Dougall says: "Utahns love Jon Huntsman Jr. ... But as of a few months ago he still hadn't acquired that gubernatorial swagger. He served as a respected ambassador for Utah. He was an effective cheerleader for the State. He just hadn't quite mastered the up close and personal, hand-to-hand legislative process. At times he relied too heavily on legislative leadership to promote his agenda, as if the legislature were a top-down corporation, rather than a very dynamic, bottom-up affiliation ... At other times he relied on his loyal staff to convey a message that only he could communicate to the legislature. Well all that has changed! And it's a great improvement for Utah (and for the legislature). Probably the most important result of the process leading up to, and including, the special session is that Gov. Huntsman really experienced the success of effectively conveying his message for change to the rank and file members of the legislature. Being willing to meet with each legislator, taking the time to travel the state, and look each legislator in the eye and ask for his or her support, showed the Gov's passion and sincerity, both for tax reform and, more significantly, for the legislative process. I know that he has gain significant respect with the members of the House. Respect that will serve our State well for years to come"... Rep. Craig Frank posts a podcast interview he conducted with Rep. Steve Urquhart about last week's special session... The UAC Blog posts a September legislative update... The Zion Mojave Wilderness Blog says: "Proponents of the [Washington Co. growth bill] have been ringing alarm bells about an impending shortage of private land in Washington County. But it turns out this 'shortage' is pure propaganda ... It turns out that, even with explosive growth over the past decade (the county is one of the fastest growing in the nation), a mere 9% of the private land in the county has been developed. Intriguingly, the source that exposed this lie is no less than the St. George Chamber of Commerce. After several letters-to-the-editor and blog posts pointed out the truth by citing the Chamber's own facts, the offending page seemed to mysteriously 'disappear.' Can't have inconvenient facts clouding up the picture, can we?"... Jen's Green Journal posts a link to Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! interview with SLC Mayor Rocky Anderson... RedState Radio interviews Mass. Gov. and likely '08 presidential candidate Mitt Romney (see also here, here, here, and here)... CoolestFamilyEver says of the controversy surrounding a plan to pump water from remote valleys on the Utah/Nevada border to Las Vegas: "This problem wouldn't exist had Californians been willing to take their lumps and develop their own water resources instead of using the power of superior numbers to legislate it away from their neighbors. By not spending the money to invest in desalinazation plants and resevoirs to trap their share of the Sierra Nevada's melting snow, they've trapped themselves in a dependency on water from the Colorado River and Lake Tahoe. Their bad example of using population to bully what they want out of others is the same model used by Las Vegas against the rural ranchers. Let's hope our bad neighbors to the west (both of them) get a grip on reality and start playing nice."

The NIE has Been Declassified

September 27, 2006
THE NIE HAS BEEN DECLASSIFIED: Go here for the "Key Judgments."
Bill Frist comments here. And John Podhoretz has a question for the NYT editors now that we know what the NIE actually says.
It's late but I'll add one more thought: While we should fire the leakers on general principles, we should probably also fire whoever wrote this -- for producing a meaningless document full of empty bureaucratic twaddle. If the jihadists win, they'll have more prestige! And they will probably use the internets! Do tell. Jesus Christ, if this is the quality of intelligence we're getting, no wonder we haven't won yet.
posted at 12:07 AM by Glenn Reynolds

4the seat in House? Clock is ticking

Final Utah districting plan is needed first
By Suzanne Struglinski and Bob Bernick Jr.Deseret Morning News

WASHINGTON — Congress won't act on Utah's proposed fourth seat in the U.S. House of Representatives until after the November election — and after a special session of the Utah Legislature to approve the new fourth district. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. released maps earlier this month of what a four-district Utah might look like, but U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc., wants more than that before voting on the bill. "Chairman Sensenbrenner is waiting for a final Utah redistricting plan before he intends to have the committee mark up this legislation," said the chairman's spokesman, Jeff Lungren.

"He has conveyed this position to Utah members of Congress and Governor Huntsman." The committee needs to vote on the bill before it would go to the full House for a vote. The bill could have been taken up at the committee's markups, usually held on Wednesdays, but today's schedule, finalized on Tuesday, did not include the bill, according to the committee press office.

Congress is set to adjourn by the end of the week so members can go home before the November election. The bill could be taken up when they return for the "lame-duck" session and quickly be approved by the House and Senate for it to become law. If not, the bill, like all legislation, would need to be reintroduced at the start of the next Congress. Huntsman's spokesman, Mike Mower, said the bill is "still very much alive" and that the governor is open to calling a special session to act on the fourth district map when appropriate. But neither Utah Senate President John Valentine nor House Speaker Greg Curtis see an immediate special session to deal with a possible four-seat congressional plan. "We can't have a special session in the next two days, before Congress adjourns" for the elections, said Curtis, R-Sandy. He believes no new four-seat plan can be adopted "without going through a public hearing process." And it is unclear if even that can be done in November, after the congressional and legislative elections, but while Congress comes back for the anticipated lame-duck session. Valentine, R-Orem, points out that in 2001 the Utah Legislature did adopt a fourth-seat plan. But since Utah lost its U.S. Supreme Court appeal on getting a fourth seat, that plan never took effect. "That is the official four-seat plan," noted Valentine. However, that was based on 2000 Census numbers. And after five years of population growth, "We know those numbers are now not accurate," he said. The four-seat plan put forward last week by the governor, Valentine and Curtis is based on updated population growth throughout Utah. And so, said Valentine, it is a more accurate and more appropriate plan. The 2001 four-seat plan basically created a new seat, all contained in southern Salt Lake County. However, Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson does not live in that part of the valley. His house, near Hogle Zoo, would place him in a district containing little of Salt Lake County and a vast area outside of the county — which has historically been the home to at least one U.S. House seat. The four-seat plan put together by Huntsman, Valentine and Curtis at the request of congressional GOP leaders puts Matheson in a district containing northern Salt Lake County, Summit and Morgan counties. By Curtis' own admission, that map was drawn to get "as many Democrats as possible" into Matheson's seat. "I would support a special legislative session," Valentine said. "But only at the right time. And that time is not now. We know the 2000 Census numbers are now wrong. And I don't know if I would want to go forward" with a special session "without the assurance that Congress would indeed give Utah another seat."
E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com; bbjr@desnews.com

UPD Blog Warch by Golden Webb

Blog Watch
At the Senate Site blog, Sen. Lyle Hillyard says: "I attended the Governor's Education Summit and then the joint meeting of the Public and Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittees during the last two weeks. I am excited about helping the Governor accomplish some pretty lofty goals for education in the next session. Our current surplus is mainly in income tax (a.k.a. education money). Given this year's tax cut, and all the talk about future tax cuts, there seems to be a great deal of apprehension in the education community. I do not sense a great deal of interest in just adding more money to public education without some clearly agreed upon goals or accountability. ... I hope people will rivet attention on the Governor, his staff, legislators and educational leaders as we try to make a meaningful impact in public education while also addressing the desire to cut taxes and reduce government. This work will be challenging; hopefully we can reach an agreeable compromise" (see also here, here, here, and here)... Phil Windley says: "If I do a quick look at the postings that show up on the UtahPolitics.org homepage, my gut tells me that liberals are winning the blog wars. There are more liberal postings at any given time than conservative ones. I'm not sure we can read much into this at this point, but I am sure that liberal blogs are making their case better -- even here in Utah"... At Out of Context, Thomas Burr reports: "Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may need to spend some more time pressing the flesh in Iowa, but, hey, at least he's doing better than Hillary Clinton. Romney beat the New York senator and former First Lady by 4 points in a hypothetical matchup, but he lost to three other Democrats, former senator John Edwards, Gov. Tom Vilsack and Sen. John Kerry, according to a poll by the Des Moines Register published over the weekend. The GOP's man on top: Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who bested Edwards, Kerry, Vilsack and Clinton. Iowa is the place to be liked when running for president; the state hosts the first caucus in the nation and winning -- or at least doing well -- is a must to get any traction in the 2008 contest. The poll shows that Romney needs to buck up his credentials in Iowa, since some 69 percent of those polled were unsure whether they liked him or not. Of those who knew, Romney had more people who had an unfavorable opinion of him (16 percent) than a favorable one (15 percent). Here's to a few more trips to Iowa" (see also here and here).

The End of the Dream?

September 25, 2006

THE END OF THE DREAM?....Karl Rove has long boasted about constructing an electoral strategy that doesn't just win elections for Republicans but instead puts them in a permanent majority. A big part of that strategy has been his effort to woo Hispanics — who tend to be culturally conservative and not as historically bound to the Democratic Party as blacks — into the GOP fold. George Bush won a sizeable chunk of the Hispanic vote when he ran for governor in Texas, and if the Republican Party could do the same thing nationwide it might well convert America from a 50-50 nation to something more like a 55-45 nation — with Republicans getting the double-nickel.
Today that dream is in shambles, and in the current issue of the Monthly Rachel Morris reports that talk radio shoulders a big part of the blame:
Until [mid-2005], Rove’s strategy of wooing Latinos without actually doing anything that might offend the conservative base had worked remarkably well—perhaps because his outreach to the base and to Hispanics had advanced along separate tracks. So far, he hadn’t been confronted with anything that might cause these tracks to converge, forcing the disparate elements of the Republican voting coalition towards collision.
The convergence began on right-wing talk radio....Casting around for something to talk about, hosts discovered the Minutemen. Illegal immigration has always been a perennial source of talk-radio outrage, but the Minutemen, with their warnings that terrorists could enter the country via Mexico, set off a veritable storm. Suddenly, the self-styled border patrols, along with their champion in the House, Rep. Tom Tancredo, became fixtures on radio shows and cable TV.
According to a former senior White House official, the administration became concerned by this phenomenon and conducted some research. Staffers listened to hours of talk radio and found that the obsession with illegal immigration on talk radio had appeared virtually from nowhere. “Two years ago, this wasn’t on the radar screen,” he said. House Republicans, already eyeing the midterm elections, also took note. By then, Tancredo’s immigration-reform caucus had grown to more than 80 members (in 2001, it only had 15).
Live by the sword, die by the sword. But hey — at least they've still got the Voter Vault!

Something tells me that's a pretty short-term advantage, though.—Kevin Drum 3:44 PM Permalink Trackbacks Comments (48)

Political Calendar

Political Calendar

Please submit calendar items to http://beta.blogger.com/
- Sept 25: Gov. Huntsman to give welcoming remarks to Polyurethanes Industry, 10 a.m., Grand America Hotel.- Sept 25: RadioWest on KUER FM 90: "Uncivilized Beasts and Shameless Hellions," 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. John Burnett has spent more than 20 years reporting for NPR. Monday on RadioWest, he'll talk to Doug about his new book, Uncivilized Beasts and Shameless Hellions. In it, he takes his audience even deeper into the stories - first hand experiences from the events that have shaped our world.- Sept 26: Whistle Stop Tour with LaVar Christensen around Iron and Washington Counties. The theme is Vote Red Vote Republican, America Needs Utah. The bus will be traveling with every Southern Utah Legislator, the Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General and other Republican elected officials.- Sept 26: Administrative Rules Review Committee, 9 a.m., room W135.- Sept 26: Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum: Campaign 2006 The Race for Salt Lake District Attorney Debate, 10:45 a.m., University of Utah, Orson Spencer Hall, Room 255. Debate includes Simarjit Gill, Rob Latham, and Lohra Miller. Kirk L. Jowers (moderator) Director, Hinckley Institute of Politics. Co-sponsor – Utah Criminal Justice Center.- Sept 26: The Great Immigration Debate: Both Sides Speak Out, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Salt Lake Community College, Student Events Center in the Student Center Building, 4600 So. Redwood Road, Taylorsville. Hosted by the Freedom Society and the Hispanic/Latino Student Club.- Sept 26: Gov. Huntsman to attend Rural Utah Legislative Rally in Cedar City at 12 p.m. at the Southern Utah University Rotunda, and St. George at 3 p.m. at Dixie State College. - Sept 27: Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum: U.S. - Iran Relations, 8:35 a.m., University of Utah, Orson Spencer Hall, Room 255. Guest is Roxane Farmanfarmaian, Donner Scholar of Transatlantic Relations at the Centre of International Studies at Cambridge University; author, Blood and Oil: A Prince’s Memoir of Iran, From the Shah to the Ayatollah Cosponsor-Middle East Center.
- See the entire calendar

UPD Washington Watch

U.S. Chamber Money for Matheson
Rep. Jim Matheson made the front page of the Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required) on Friday. A chart accompanying the article notes that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending $344,000 on TV ads supporting the congressman, the third highest amount in the country. For the first time, the Chamber is spending money on Democrats it wants to see re-elected.
Bennett to Greens: Take the Deal
Article: "[Environmentalists are balking] at a bill being pushed by Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R) and Rep. Jim Matheson (D), both of Utah, that would sell as much as 40 square miles of federal land -- nearly twice the size of Manhattan -- and use the profits to pay for a water pipeline and other area projects. Bennett, whose proposal would sell off as much as 25,000 acres of federal land in Utah's fast-growing Washington County while protecting other red-rock areas, said environmentalists would be wise to take the deal he is offering. His advice to them, he said in an interview, is: 'Take it and then keep arguing for more, that's your job. I don't object to you earning a salary for a hopeless cause'" (Washington Post).
Matheson: $$ for Airport
Rep. Matheson says "the federal Department of Transportation has announced a grant of $17 million towards acquiring land for the proposed St. George Airport" (see press release).
Cannon Endorses Border Bills
Rep. Chris Cannon votes "for three major pieces of legislation that will help increase border security and crack down on illegal immigration" (see press release).

Utah Policy Blog Watch by Golden Webb

UPD Blog Watch

At the House Democratic Caucus blog, Rep. Rosalind McGee says: "I suppose one of the luxuries of being a Democrat in Utah is you don't have to apologize for voting against your conscience, because you don't HAVE to vote against your conscience. Regardless of your party however, it is always difficult to listen to good people apologize for bad decisions. Rep. Scott Wyatt's ... speech on the House floor during the recent special session ... was once such event. Such speeches are generally predictable, but jaws dropped when Scott said, 'I submit that the best thing we can do for the children of Utah is to invest in their future by stimulating the economy.' Had I really heard that? I conferred with some of my colleagues, and sure enough my hearing is just as good as Ralph Becker's. ... It was the first time in my life I've heard someone attempt to explain how a tax cut for the wealthy is in the 'best interest of our children' and that economic stimulus is a long-term benefit whereas 'investing in education is a short term benefit'" (see also here, here, and here)... Rep. Craig Frank relates: "[An acquaintance said] someday he'd like to get involved in the legislature and inquired as to the salary of a Representative. That's always a loaded question ... (the implication, often, is legislators are a bunch of 'fat cats' making exorbitant amounts of cash on the backs of the citizenry). $120 a day, was my answer. $120 a day?! Gulp! And then the next, almost predictable, obligatory, sympathetic question: How do you live on that? Well, the fact is, I don't live on that. And if it weren't for my 'real' job in the structural steel industry, I could never afford to serve in the state legislature"... CoolestFamilyEver explains why "blogging is politics for the lazy"... At Out of Context, George Pyle says: "The 2nd District congressman from Utah, Jim Matheson, has often been attacked for being a DINO -- Democrat in Name Only ... The Realpolitik excuse offered by observers ... is that ever since his Salt Lake County-only congressional district was shamelessly gerrymandered by the Republican Legislature to include scads of red-state voters in red-rock country, Matheson has had to scamper to his right to keep his job. Now, as part of a political deal to gain Utah the fourth seat in the House that it was rooked out of after the 2000 Census, the state's Republican leaders are basically promising to gerrymander Matheson into a safe seat. They've come up with a tentative map that gives Matheson all of Salt Lake City and its nearest suburbs, plus Robert Redford country up in Park City. ... [But as] solidly liberal as the new district stands to be ... it would be entirely possible that he'd be vulnerable to a challenger from the left, making Congress a little bit more liberal, if not officially more Democratic. The Republicans may have outsmarted themselves on this deal. They say Rocky Anderson's looking for a job" (see also here and here)... Hotline On Call notes: "We can't find the link for this, but it appears as if those Fox News appearances are paying off for Mitt Romney. From the MIRS Capitol Capsule: 'Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly told a gathering here today that Massachusetts Gov. and former Michigander Mitt Romney is his early favorite to win the 2008 presidential election over U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in what he sees now as the likely head-to-head race. Speaking at the Michigan Future Forum, sponsored by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, O'Reilly said former frontrunner U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will be hurt for his "soft" positions on the terrorist interrogation and border security issues'" (see also here and here).

Campaign sign thefts spur arrest

By Doug SmeathDeseret Morning News
A Riverton man was cited Thursday after he was accused of stealing the campaign signs of a Republican candidate for Salt Lake County district attorney. Police say the man, accused of class B misdemeanor theft, took down signs for Republican district attorney candidate Lohra Miller throughout Riverton and South Jordan. The police report says the man was pulled over by officers after a caller reported seeing him take the signs and gave his license plate number to South Jordan police. A police report says the man told police he took the signs because he believed posting them was illegal in Riverton and South Jordan. According to the report, police asked him why he didn't report the signs rather than taking them down himself. He is quoted in the report as saying, "I really don't have a good reason for stealing the signs. The only way I can explain it is I am a sign Nazi."

The man's name is the same as a former Riverton City Council member who has contributed $250 to the campaign of Miller's opponent, Democrat Sim Gill, a Salt Lake City prosecutor. But the former councilman, Tim Heaton, when contacted by the Deseret Morning News on Saturday evening, said he had not been given a citation, had not been stealing signs and was completely unfamiliar with the incident. He also denied having posted a comment on the OneUtah.org political blog endorsing Gill as "a fantastic attorney and a top legal mind." The blog comment was posted under the the name "Tim Heaton" and ended with the words, "Signed a former politician in Riverton." Blog comments can typically be posted under any identification the poster chooses, and names and identities are rarely verified by blog owners. The police report obtained by the Deseret Morning News had all of the man's identifying information, including birth date and address, blacked out with a marker. Only his name was shown. Gill said he had not heard of the citation but said he "would be really shocked" if the former councilman was to blame. He said Miller had called him earlier and reported that a number of her signs had gone missing but that "I have no idea who it is." Gill said many of his signs have been stolen as well. "Whoever does it, they ought to be punished. It's not fair to anyone," Gill said. "If someone's vandalizing somebody's property, wrong is wrong. ... It's happened to me, and I didn't appreciate it. I wouldn't wish it on anyone." Miller, an attorney with a private firm, agreed that having signs stolen is frustrating. She told the Deseret Morning News she had no comment on whether she suspected the signs were being stolen by a Gill supporter or whether she believed the Gill campaign was involved. The winner in the November election will replace David Yocom, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election.
E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com

Waking up to this after an all night bender

Simply Incredible!!!

Law hampers notifying Utahns of ID theft

Groups are working with legislators to repeal state and federal privacy legislation that makes it difficult to inform others
Lisa Rosetta By Lisa Rosetta The Salt Lake Tribune By Lisa Rosetta The Salt Lake Tribune
Your child may be earning a wage - at least on paper. The Social Security numbers of more than 600 Utah children under the age of 12 are being used by people other than the children to whom they were assigned, the Utah Department of Workforce Services has found. Now the agency, along with the Utah Attorney General's Office, is working with state legislators to draft a law that would help tackle the problem. At issue are state and federal privacy laws that make it difficult for Workforce Services to notify individuals their Social Security numbers are being used by another person. "We think it's incumbent upon us to at least inform the citizens they are being victimized," said Utah Assistant Attorney General Rich Hamp. "We were surprised to find there were statutes in the way of doing that." While Workforce Services is not prohibited from contacting a person to inform them their Social Security number is in use, little else can be legally divulged. Employees who reveal too much information could face a Class A misdemeanor, preventing some of them from making contact with the victims at all. "I think the ultimate goal is to partner with Workforce Services and Sen. [Carlene] Walker so we can at least get the law repealed and more favorable laws passed," Hamp said. The misuse of children's Social Security numbers was first identified two years ago, when Workforce Services looked at wage data in order to find out if some public assistance customers were not reporting income, said spokesman Curt Stewart. The agency discovered hundreds of suspicious cases. While some of the children's Social Security numbers were simply reported incorrectly by employers, Stewart said, many more were being deliberately misused. Hamp said undocumented workers are buying the Social Security numbers on the street for as little as $20 so they can get jobs. For $45 more, they can also get fake Social Security and resident cards.

lrosetta@sltrib.com

Clinton faults Bush for inaction on bin Laden

By Joanne Morrison Fri Sep 22, 11:42 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former President
Bill Clinton' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Bill Clinton, angrily defending his efforts to capture
Osama bin Laden' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Osama bin Laden, accused the Bush administration of doing far less to stop the al Qaeda leader before the September 11 attacks.

In a heated interview to be aired on Sunday on "Fox News Sunday," the former Democratic president defended the steps he took after al Qaeda's attack on the
USS Cole' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> USS Cole in 2000 and faulted "right-wingers" for their criticism of his efforts to capture Osama bin Laden.
"But at least I tried. That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," Clinton said when asked whether he had failed to fully anticipate bin Laden's danger. "They had eight months to try, they did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed."
The September 11 attacks occurred almost eight months after
President George W. Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President George W. Bush succeeded Clinton in January 2001.

"I authorized the CIA' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> CIA to get groups together to try to kill him," Clinton said. He added he had drawn up plans to go into
Afghanistan' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban and launch an attack against bin Laden after the attack on the Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden.

"Now if you want to criticize me for one thing, you can criticize me for this: after the Cole, I had battle plans drawn to go into Afghanistan, overthrow the Taliban and launch a full-scale attack search for bin Laden. But we needed basing rights in Uzbekistan -- which we got after 9/11," Clinton said.

The former president complained at the time the CIA and FBI' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> FBI refused to certify bin Laden was responsible for the USS Cole attack.

"While I was there, they refused to certify. So that meant I would have had to send a few hundred special forces in helicopters, refuel at night," he said.

Earlier this month, Clinton dismissed as "indisputably wrong" a U.S. television show that suggested her was too distracted by the Monica Lewinsky scandal to confront the Islamic militant threat that culminated in the September 11 attacks.

Some candidates file error-filled disclosures

By Leigh DethmanDeseret Morning News
Several candidates for Salt Lake County elections — including both Republicans and Democrats — filed financial disclosure reports riddled with errors. Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen sent out 10 letters to candidates for county elections asking them to fix the problems. The issue first came to light after county GOP leader James Evans complained about the financial disclosure report for the Democratic candidate for district attorney. Evans said Democratic County Clerk Sherrie Swensen had been quick to send back reports for Republicans to correct, yet has ignored similar problems in reports filed by Sim Gill, a Democrat running for district attorney. Swensen said she did nothing wrong. After reviewing Gill's financial disclosure report, the clerk's office scoured all other financial disclosures to find similar problems. If a donor contributes $200 or more to a campaign, candidates must disclose the donor's occupation and employer. Gill had multiple donors over the $200 mark, yet only listed their occupation and omitted where they worked. Reports filed in April, June and September were all filed with the errors, yet the clerk's office never notified Gill of the problem.

Now, as a result of Evans' complaint, the clerk's office sent letters to Gill and nine additional candidates who did not list both occupation and employer of donors who contributed more than $200. Five Republicans and five Democrats must now amend their financial disclosure reports.
E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com

Try These Out

TRY THESE OUT:

Try driving around as a Gringo in Mexico with no liability insurance…..and have an accident…..

Enter Mexico illegally. Never mind immigration quotas, visas, international law, borders or any of that nonsense. Once you have arrived demand that the local government provide free medical care for you and your entire family. (especially if your wife is PREGNANT)

Demand bilingual nurses and doctors…or at least an interpreter.

Demand free bilingual local government forms, bulletins, etc

Procreate abundantly

Deflect any criticism of this irresponsible reproductive behavior with “It is a cultural United States thing. You would not understand, pal”

Keep your American identity strong. Fly OLD Glory from your rooftop, or proudly display it in your front window or on your car bumper.

Celebrate the Fourth of July… loudly proclaiming U.S. Independence and demand the Mexican News carry pictures and articles about YOUR country.

Speak only English at home and in public and insist that your children do likewise

Demand classes on American culture in the Mexican school system along with bilingual teachers and testing for your children

Demand a local Mexican driver license. This will afford you other legal rights and will go far to legitimize your unauthorized, illegal presence in Mexico.

Insist that local Mexican law enforcement teach English to all it’s officers and any time you are questioned concerning the law, who you are or what you are doing in Spanish just say, “No Habla Espanole”

See is anyone down there gets upset if you urge the government of the U.S. to print a booklet, in comic book form, on How to sneak into Mexico illegally, where the best border crossings are, and what to do to avoid detection when you get there… as did the Mexican Government recently

GOOD LUCK!

Demand any or all of these above and I’m pretty sure you’ll soon be imprisoned or dead. AND NONE of the above will ever happen. It will not happen in Mexico or any other country in the world… EXCEPT right here… in the Land of the naïve

A Picture says a thousand words

Pictures say a lot about people. The pictures on the left were posted by the Utah Democratic Party Vice-Chair, who also happens to be running for County Commissioner in Davis County.

The pictures on the right were the actual photo’s that were in the Deseret News article today.

This was the tagline posted by the Utah Democratic Party Vice-Chair for the same article. Can we say double standard Rob? I'll save you brother! (but will you forgive my debt?)

Failure to Launch Ethan Millard's slcspin blogsite, nothing but dirty laundry

Ethan make's his living off the evening news
Just give him something-something he can use
Bloggers love it when you lose,They love dirty laundry
Well, he coulda been an writer, but he wound up here
He just has to sound good, with a glass of beer
Bloggers come and whisper in his ear
Give him dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em all around

We got the bubble-headed Braithwaite who comes on at seven
She can tell you bout the plane crash and how they all went to heaven
Its interesting when people die-Give us dirty laundry
Can we film the operation? Is the little kid dead?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got aRunning bet
Get the mother on the set! We need dirty laundry
You dont really need to find out whats going on
You dont really want to know just how far its gone
Just leave well enough alone Eat your dirty laundry

Dirty little secrets Dirty little lies
He's got his dirty little fingers in everybodys pie
He love's to cut you down to size
He love's dirty laundry
He can do the innuendo
He can dance and sing
When its said and done he hasn't told you a thing
We all know political crap is king
Give us dirty laundry!

Bush, GOP rebels agree on detainee bill

By ANNE PLUMMER FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The White House and rebellious Senate Republicans announced agreement Thursday on rules for the interrogation and trial of suspects in the war on terror.
President Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President Bush urged Congress to put it into law before adjourning for the midterm elections.

The agreement contains concessions by both sides, though the White House yielded ground on two of the most contentious issues. The Bush administration agreed to drop one provision narrowly interpreting international standards of prisoner treatment and another allowing defendants to be convicted on evidence they never see.
The accord, however, explicitly states the president has the authority to enforce Geneva Convention standards and enumerates acts that constitute a war crime, including torture, rape, biological experiments and cruel and inhuman treatment. White House officials said these provisions would provide the
CIA' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> CIA the clarity it needs to continue with the interrogation of its most valued suspects.
The pact follows more than a week of squabbling among Republicans that had threatened to derail an anti-terrorism agenda put together by the White House and GOP leaders going into the Nov. 7 elections. It was announced at a time when support for Bush's proposal in the GOP-run Congress had been crumbling, but the agreement could lead to enactment of one of Bush's top remaining priorities of the year.
The House and Senate are expected to vote next week on the legislation.
"I'm pleased to say that this agreement preserves the single most potent tool we have in protecting America and foiling terrorist attacks," the president said after the agreement was announced.
Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona, one of three GOP lawmakers who told Bush he couldn't have the legislation the way he initially asked for it, said the deal "gives the president the tools he needs to continue to fight the war on terror and bring these evil people to justice."
The agreement would grant Congress' permission for Bush to convene military tribunals to prosecute terrorism suspects, a process the Supreme Court had blocked in June because it had not been authorized by lawmakers.
During those trials, coerced testimony would be admissible if a judge allows and if it was obtained before cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment was forbidden by a 2005 law. Bush wanted to allow all such testimony while the maverick senators — McCain, John Warner of Virginia and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — had wanted to exclude it.
The central sticking point had been a demand by the three senators that there be no attempt to redefine U.S. obligations under the Geneva Conventions.
CIA Director Michael Hayden praised the deal a week after saying his agency needed to be confident that its interrogation program for high-value terror suspects is legal.
"If this language becomes law, the Congress will have given us the clarity and the support that we need to move forward with a detention and interrogation program that allows us to continue to defend the homeland, attack al-Qaida and protect American and allied lives," he wrote to CIA personnel.
Added
Stephen Hadley' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Stephen Hadley, the president's national security adviser, on CIA interrogations: "The good news is the program will go forward."
Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif., indicated he was not satisfied with the piece on classified information: "We're going to look at it closely. And we have some recommendations with respect to classified information."
Hadley said the bar would be "very high" and that classified information would not be automatically shared with terrorists.
"Our view is we think it's a good approach because the likelihood of that occurring would be very remote," Hadley said.
Bush expressed support for the deal before microphones in Orlando, Fla., where he was campaigning for Republican candidates.
The agreement "clears the way to do what the American people expect us to do — to capture terrorists, to detain terrorists, to question terrorists and then to try them," he said.
The accord was sealed in a 90-minute session in the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who had earlier in the day told Warner, McCain and Graham it was time to close the deal. The four lawmakers were joined by Hadley, as well as other administration officials, for the final session.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Democrats backed the GOP's efforts to bring terrorists to justice. "Five years after 9/11, it is time to make the tough and smart decisions to give the American people the real security they deserve," Reid said.
The agreement was hailed by human rights groups.
"Today's agreement makes clear that the president cannot unilaterally downgrade the humane treatment standards of the Geneva Conventions," said Elisa Massimino, Washington director of Human Rights First.
Whatever the outcome, the controversy has handed critics of the president's conduct of the war on terror election-year ammunition.
Bush's former secretary of state,
Colin Powell' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Colin Powell, dismayed the administration when he sided with Warner, McCain and Graham. He said Bush's plan, which would have formally changed the U.S. view of the Geneva Conventions on rules of warfare, would cause the world "to doubt the moral basis" of the fight against terror and "put our own troops at risk."
The handling of suspects is one of two administration priorities relating to the war on terror.
The other involves the president's request for legislation to explicitly allow wiretapping without a court warrant on international calls and e-mails between suspected terrorists in the United States and abroad. One official said Republicans had narrowed their differences with the White House over that issue, as well, and hoped for an agreement soon.
Republican leaders have said they intend to adjourn Congress by the end of the month to give lawmakers time to campaign for re-election.
The Supreme Court ruled in June that Bush's plan for trying terrorism suspects before military tribunals violated the Geneva Conventions and U.S. law.
The court, in a 5-3 ruling, found that Congress had not given Bush the authority to create the special type of military trial and that the president did not provide a valid reason for the new system. The justices also said the proposed trials did not provide for minimum legal protections under international law.
About 450 terrorism suspects, most of them captured in
Afghanistan' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Afghanistan and none of them in the U.S., are being held by military authorities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Ten have been charged with crimes.

Space shuttle glides to a safe landing

By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 1 minute ago
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis and its six astronauts glided to a safe landing in darkness early Thursday, ending a 12-day mission whose smooth success was briefly upstaged by the high drama caused by mysterious floating debris.

"Nice to be back. It was a great team effort," said commander Brent Jett immediately after touchdown at
Kennedy Space Center' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Kennedy Space Center at 6:21 a.m. EDT.
More than 1 1/2 hours after landing, the astronauts, all wearing broad grins, left the shuttle to greet
NASA' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> NASA administrator Michael Griffin and other agency officials. Then they walked under Atlantis to inspect the shuttle's heat shield.
"It's really a beautiful day in Florida, a great way to end a mission," said Jett. "It was a pretty tough few days for us, a lot of hard work, a great team effort to get the station assembly restarted on a good note."
Jett and his crew did the first construction work on the international space station since the Columbia disaster 3 1/2 years ago. The astronauts performed three grueling spacewalks and took on other heavy-lifting tasks in one of the most challenging missions ever, adding a 17 1/2-ton truss addition with giant solar wings that will help power the orbiting lab.
The landing 48 minutes before sunrise was a day later than planned because NASA ordered up extra inspections of the spacecraft's delicate skin to make sure it was safe to come home. The fear was that a mysterious piece of debris spotted floating nearby on Tuesday might have hit the spacecraft. Astronauts later saw other debris.
It was a flying piece of foam insulation that knocked a hole in Columbia causing its demise in 2003, killing seven astronauts. Since then, NASA has developed new equipment and practices to guard against and watch out for similar damage to the sensitive space shuttle.
Those new techniques were used to make sure Atlantis was safe to return. After numerous cameras took pictures above and below Atlantis, some of them maneuvered robotically by the shuttle astronauts, NASA proclaimed the spacecraft damage-free.
"We've seen a new standard in NASA vigilance," said shuttle program manager Wayne Hale.
NASA officials said their best guess was that the most worrisome debris was a plastic filler from the thermal tiles which protect the shuttle from blasting heat. Four other unidentified objects, including a possible garbage bag, floated near the shuttle over the next day.
In a news conference, Griffin downplayed the litter in space, saying debris can slip out of the shuttle cargo bay because people are not perfect. He and launch director Mike Leinbach said Atlantis came back as clean, if not cleaner, than Discovery in its two previous landings.
The unplanned drama threatened to overshadow what had been a nearly flawless mission filled with strenuous spacewalks and rigorous robotics work that placed the space station back on a path to completion after its long hiatus. The crew of five men and one woman were the longest-trained in NASA history, because they were originally supposed to fly to the space station in 2003. But the Columbia accident kept them grounded.
The mission was the first of 15 tightly scheduled flights needed to finish constructing the half-built space lab by 2010.
"We are rebuilding the kind of momentum that we have had in the past and that we need if we're going to finish the space station," said Griffin.
NASA and its international partners of Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan must finish building the space station before the U.S. space agency ends the shuttle program in 2010 with plans to return to the moon in a new vehicle. The massive, 25-year-old shuttles are the only spaceships large enough to haul construction parts to the space lab.
The next flight in the construction sequence is set for December.
The mission was bookended by delays. The launch was scrubbed four times in two weeks because of a launch pad lightning bolt, Tropical Storm Ernesto and problems with the electrical system and a fuel gauge. Griffin called those snags "just routine life in the space business."
With all the postponements, NASA negotiated with the Russians to squeeze out one last chance in its launch window. The Russians were worried the trip would interfere with their Soyuz trip to the space station with a paying customer, Iranian-born space tourist Anousheh Ansari, a Dallas businesswoman. The Soyuz lifted off Monday, just hours after Atlantis had undocked from the space station.
Less than 24 hours after Atlantis undocked, an oxygen generator on the space station overheated and spilled a toxic irritant, forcing the three-man crew to don masks and gloves in the first emergency ever declared aboard the 8-year-old orbiting outpost.
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On the Net:
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