You may or may not be following the debate currently taking place in our own back yard. Arizona just passed sweeping immigration legislation that has ruffled a few feathers (to put it mildly). The most controversial provision allows law enforcement to question any individual about their immigration status, regardless of why the officer initially wished [...]
Archive for the ‘Civil Rights and Liberties’ Category
Proof SB 275 can and will be abused
You may recall me writing about SB 275 a month ago. In summary, the bill allows petition signers to remove their name from a petition up to one month after it has been submitted. At the time I pointed out this law could easily be used by opponents of any particular petition to put pressure [...]
The Coming Storm – The LDS Church must Fully Discuss Gay Rights
During the past week, we have seen yet another example of the ever present “great divide” between the LDS Church and those who are not part of the dominant culture of this state. Many things have been said by both sides, but what the majority of those backing the LDS church fail to realize is [...]
Basic Civil Rights V. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – Part 2
Here is an account of what took place in my previous post from one of the individuals that was at the receiving end of the arrest. Written by Derek Jones: My boyfriend and I were walking home from the Gallivan Center concert series and naturally had to walk down the pedestrian mall (it was a [...]
Basic Civil Rights V. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Breaking: So a friend of mine informed me, by way of Facebook status updates, that he was, he claims, illegally detained and charged with a Class C Misdemeanor for trespassing on the Main Street pedestrian mall in Downtown Salt Lake. The reason, he claims, is that he was holding the hand of his gay partner. [...]
Jason Chaffetz is Apparently Unaware of the Constitution
Representative Chaffetz, I really don’t want to keep picking on you, but sometimes you deserve to be called on things. You see, Representative Chaffetz is co-sponsoring a bill that would restrict birthright citizenship to the children where at least one parent is already a citizen. In other words the children of illegal immigrants would not [...]
How YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook will Change the World
Iranian College Student’s computer, destroyed by militia forces The tumultuous times in Iran are of major importance to our world, and these events do deserve their own recognition. But once the dust settles, for better or for worse, one thing will become clear: this was the internets first example of its true potential. Over the [...]
Racism – Alive and Well
Waiting to hear from a friend after getting off work, I decided to stop into one of my favorite local coffee shops, Mestizo, to pick up a cup of joe. After putting in my customary two cream and two sugar, a woman in her mid-forties asked me if I knew of any place close by [...]
Full body scans and Civil Liberties
Never let it be said that I don’t give credit where credit is due. I applaud Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz for his bill banning full body scans as a primary means of airport security. The bill passed the House yesterday but faces tough opposition from his own party members in the Senate. For those of [...]
