Sometime in January, I talked with Reed Cowan for over an hour. I felt it was a friendly interview and we covered a lot of ground.Reed assured me that he would treat both sides of the issue fairly and that I would be treated fairly. He told me the interview would be public in about a year and I would be allowed to see his work and approve my part before he released it.
I took Reed at his word and am disappointed.
I believe traditional marriage is the foundation of our civilization and I’ll continue to support public policy that strengthens traditional marriage. I will also continue to oppose policy that undermines that foundation.
Now I don’t know if Reed Cowan did, in fact go back on his word to Senator Buttars, hell, I don’t even know if he violated a contract when he did it. What I do know is that Senator Buttars is trying to divert controversy away from himself by playing the victim card.
“I took him at his word,” “I felt it was friendly,” “I would be allowed to see his work.” All of these point to a person who does not so much want to talk about what he said, just how it was presented. I can’t fault him, he is doing the only politically viable thing he can do, and pretend to be a meek little thing who has been abused by the mean media.
Say what you want about Senator Buttars, he is very smart politically. He knows he can’t win head-to-head on his ideas, so he has to divert attention away.
Senator Buttars must be held accountable for his actions – he may have said those things in private, but he can not deny he said them (knowing full well that he was being recorded, mind you). It is, after all, very difficult to take 16 minutes of conversation out of context.
Buttars was lying.
Now everyone is going to know Buttars is a liar, but nothing is going to happen, because apparently one of the few things that you are allowed to flaunt in Utah is the law:
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11724914
Quote:
“When State Commerce Department Director Francine Giani was asked by The Salt Lake Tribune this week if she would do anything about the anti-gay group America Forever for spending and soliciting money even though its registration as a nonprofit had lapsed, she said she didn’t want to ding the group, but would send it a ‘cordial’ letter.”
Good grief. You break the law in Utah, and the only consequence is a friendly note from the folks who are paid to enforce the rules?
How many people have to notice before Dept. of Commerce Dir. Francine Giani decides to do her job? Does she even know what her job is?
Complaints: fgiani@utah.gov