Upcomming Events in May and June

- May 7: Lt. Governor Herbert will offer opening remarks at the Voting Technology Practices, 9 a.m., University of Utah, Salt Lake City.- May 7: Midday Metro at 10 a.m. on NPR Utah, KCPW 88.3 FM, features the science of integrative health with Dr. Hugo Rodier, selling Utah to tourists with Tracie Cayford of the Utah Office of Tourism, and Utah’s growing Hispanic business community with Lorena Riffo-Jensen of DPR Communications, banker Joe Reyna, and Elly Madrigal of Rancho Markets. Call 801-355-TALK or email midday@kcpw.org during the show.- May 7: Lt. Governor Herbert to offer remarks at the May Utah County Republican Women Meeting, 12 p.m., Academy Square, 550 North University Avenue, RM 201, Provo.
- May 8: The Lighted Candle Society Fifth Annual Guardian of the Light Awards Dinner, 6:00 p.m., The Little America Hotel. Featuring special guests the Most Reverend George H. Niederauer, Archbishop of San Francisco, and 2007 Guardian of the Light Award Recipients Michael Reagan and Pamela J. Atkinson. For more information visit www.LightedCandleSociety.org or call 801-296-2224.- May 8: Utah for Richardson Meeting, 7 p.m., Conference Room 1, Salt Lake City Library, 210 East 400 South. Utah for Richardson is an organization of Utahns who support the candidacy of Governor Bill Richardson for President of the United States. The meeting is open to all interested community members. RSVP to Aaron Thompson at dipl0mac03@yahoo.com.- May 9: Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Committee, 9 a.m., L.H. Miller Training Center.- May 9: Governor Huntsman to attend the Utah State Parks 50th Anniversary, 10 a.m., Great Salt Lake State Marina.- May 9: Lt. Governor Herbert to keynote the UDOT Maintenance Conference, 1 p.m., Three Seasons Ballroom, Sheraton City Centre Hotel, 150 West 500 South, Salt Lake City. - May 10: 2007 Sutherland Transcend Series, Session Two: “Ethics and Integrity: Timely and Timeless.” Half-day seminar, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., includes breakfast and lunch. Facilitator is Dr. Quinn McKay, professor, consultant and author of three books on the topic. All registrants receive a copy of Dr. McKay’s most recent book, The Bottom Line on Integrity, prior to the session. To register, call 801-355-1272, or email si@sutherlandinstitute.org.- May 10: Governor Huntsman to attend the Stoel Rives Innovation Awards, 12 p.m., Marriot City Centre, 220 S. State Street, Salt Lake City.- May 10: Governor Huntsman to attend the Rededication Ceremony at This is the Place State Park, 1:30 p.m., Historic Social Hall at This is the Place State Park.- May 11: Governor Huntsman to give brief remarks at 50th Annual National Federation of the Blind of Utah Convention, 10:30 a.m.- May 11: Governor Huntsman to attend the Region VIII Health IT Roundtable, 12:30 p.m., The Radisson Hotel, Salt Lake City.- May 12: Davis County Democrats monthly breakfas, 8:30 a.m., Granny Annie's Restaurant, 286 North 400 West, Kaysville. All Democrats and the general public are invited.- May 12: Utah for Obama Organizing Meeting and Public Forum on Healthcare, 2 p.m., Conference Room C, Level -1, Salt Lake City Library, 210 East 400 South. Utah for Obama is a grassroots group of supporters of Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign. The discussion on Healthcare begins at 3 p.m. Biweekly meeting and monthly forum are open to the public. To RSVP, or for more info, contact Misty Fowler at admin@UtahForObama.org.- May 16: Legislative meetings scheduled throughout day. See Legislative calendar for details. - May 17: Higher Education Task Force, 10 a.m., room W125. - May 18: Fourth Annual Veterans Memorial Golf Tournament, 7 a.m., Hill Air Force Base Hubbard Golf Course. Luncheon and prizes at the completion of the tournament. Registration fee is $100/person and will go towards veterans programs. Deadline is May 15. To enroll or for more info call 801-326-2372 or email tschow@utah.gov.- May 19: Valentines Day in May annual fundraiser for the Senate President at the McCune Mansion. To all those who lost Valentines Day in the turmoil of the legislative session, here's your second chance. Black tie optional. Call John Valentine, Ric Cantrell 801-673-1603, or click here for more information.- May 22: Lt. Governor Herbert to speak at the 2007 Utah Conference on Service, 8:30 a.m., Marriott Hotel, 100 South 100 West, Salt Lake City.
- May 24: ACLU of Utah Annual Bill of Rights Celebration, Salt Lake City. Special guests include Chris Finan, President of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and The Salt Lake Tribune editorial cartoonist Pat Bagley. For more info about the Bill of Rights Celebration or to order your tickets, please visit www.acluutah.org or call 801-521-9862 ext 101. - May 25-27: Democratic National Committee Western Caucus - May 26: Utah for Obama Organizing Meeting, 2 p.m., Conference Room C, Level -1, Salt Lake City Library, 210 East 400 South. Utah for Obama is a grassroots group of supporters of Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign. The biweekly meeting is open to the public. To RSVP, or for more info, contact Misty Fowler at admin@UtahForObama .org.- June 9: Utah Republican Party Organizing Convention, South Towne Exposition Center, Sandy.- June 16: Judgesrun 5K fun run/walk 8 a.m., Highland High School. 100% of the proceeds from this race go to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research. Awards given for male and female winners up to 3rd place in 18 age categories. Pancake breakfast at the finish line. Register for the race or volunteer to help with the event here.- June 16: Democracy for Utah two day training, 9 a.m., AFL-CIO Utah Headquarters. Cost is $60 in advance, $70 the day of the training, or $30 for low income participants. For additional information, email Carrie Ulrich at carrie@democracyforutah.com or click here.- June 19: Utah House Republican Caucus annual Bowlers Ball, 6:30 p.m.
- July 13: Jefferson-Jackson "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!" Fundraising celebration, This is the Place Heritage Park.- July 14: Utah Democratic Party State Convention

Giuliani Leads GOP Field

Click on this comprehensive look at the 2008 GOP Campaign

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/republican_presidential_nomination-192.html


Captain Mark

UPD Blogwatch

Blog Watch-- The Washington Post’s On Faith blog posts essays about Mormonism from 16 prominent religion writers.
-- RealClearPolitics blog says: “Surely Bob Novak would claim he's just reporting the facts, but it's hard to see his column today as anything other than a slam on Mitt Romney and his religion. Perhaps there are ways of talking about the Sept. 11, 1857, Mountain Meadows Massacre (which, for those without a calculator, happened 150 years ago -- before the Civil War even) and the upcoming movie documenting its events without tying it so closely to Romney, but Novak eschews such pretenses.”
-- Robert Bluey says Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett “sell out” conservatives by supporting the D.C. Voting Rights Act, which would give Utah a 4th congressional seat. Similar criticism comes from National Review Online’s The Corner, while FreeRide is more even-handed.
-- Fred Gedicks at Balkanization says: “The theological bed rocks of conservative Christianity–-the Trinity, resurrection, real presence, virgin birth, atonement for sins and salvation by grace–-are all as bizarre as the strangest Mormon doctrines, but seem "reasonable" because they’ve been around for centuries and are shared by large American majorities. Thus James Dobson argues--without any sense of irony--that the U.S. should be governed by (his version of) the teachings of a God who was born to a virgin, allowed himself to be crucified, and then brought himself back from the dead to an eternal life, at the same time that he suggests that Mormons or Muslims are simply too weird to be trusted with political power or office.” See also Ken Jennings and Article VI blog.

I predicted this would happen

Months ago I predicted that states would break away from party regulations and hold Presidential Primaries right after Jan 1, 2008.

It will be interesting how the National Parties deal with this.

Florida Cuts Ahead of Primary Line, Despite Parties’ Threat to Push Back
By Rachel Kapochunas 4:45 PM; May. 04, 2007 Email This Article
Florida officials are going ahead with their plans to jump the line in the already front-loaded presidential nominating process, moving legislation that will set Jan. 29 as its 2008 primary date — and daring penalties threatened by national Democratic and Republican party officials who are trying to restrain all but a small handful of states from holding their events before Feb. 5.
The bill rescheduling the Florida primary from its original date in March, cleared by the state legislature Thursday, now awaits a promised signature from Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.
“With an earlier presidential primary, Florida will now take its rightful place near the front of the line in determining the next leader of the free world,” Crist said in a statement Thursday.
The rush of states to the front of the primary and caucus calendar has been occurring in stages over a couple of decades, but has accelerated as the nation approaches a rare presidential election in 2008 that is void of an heir apparent for either party’s nomination.
California, New Jersey, and New York are among a growing list of states that have officially moved their primaries to Feb. 5, creating the latest rendition of a presidential “Super Tuesday.” They were joined most recently on April 30 by Tennessee, where Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen signed a bill shifting the state's primary date to Feb. 5.
But Florida is pushing the envelope further by picking Jan. 29, muscling into the territory occupied thus far by the traditional first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses (currently penciled in for Jan. 14) and the New Hampshire primary (expected to be held Jan. 22); two new early events handpicked by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Jan. 19 caucuses in Nevada and a Jan. 29 primary in South Carolina; and a South Carolina Republican primary scheduled for Feb. 2.
The national parties warned Florida that any state slating its contest earlier than Feb. 5 without express permission will lose half its delegates to the party’s national conventions in the late summer of 2008. In addition, Democratic Party rules stipulate that any candidate who campaigns in a state that has violated Democratic scheduling rules will forfeit delegates the state retains — in effect, shutting out the state altogether.


The entire story....

http://www.cqpolitics.com/2007/05/florida_cuts_ahead_of_primary.html

Captain Mark