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)