I don’t want you all to think that I am biased towards Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D – Salt Lake, District 24) simply because she happens to have ranked number 1 last year for best representing my interests…or because she just so happens to be my actual representative on the hill; but the honest truth is, I am [...]
Archive for the ‘Civil Rights and Liberties’ Category
Bills to Watch: HB 298, Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Amendments, Rep. John Dougall
I have come to a conclusion: Representative John Dougall (R-American Fork, District 27) has no idea how cause and effect, prevention, or general common sense, works. Why else would he be proposing HB 298, Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Amendments? A bill that, based on his own arguments in the media, is a bad decision. HB 298 would eliminate the [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 253, Voter Registration Amendments, Rep. Kraig Powell
I am getting sick of the annual attacks Republicans in the legislature lob towards a citizens right to vote. Every year they try (often successfully) to make it just a little bit harder for you to exercise your right to participate in your government. If they are not trying to put the administration of elections [...]
Making friends Left and Right – An open letter to Peaceful Uprising and DeChristopher Supporters
I wanted to take a break from my media decisions series for a brief interlude to the events surrounding the Tim DeChristopher sentencing on Tuesday as I have now had an opportunity to gather my thoughts. I suspect that there will be a higher than average amount of discussion in the comments section – so [...]
Despite What you may think, the Justice System Works
The verdict of the Casey Anthony trial took many by surprise. I, for one, even began to follow the events more closely as a verdict drew near (I squarely blame MRW for that one), and honestly felt Anthony was guilty as sin. Though the anger many are expressing is understandable, we must stop for a [...]
When it comes to Public Health, Parental Rights Must Lose
With the recent outbreak of measles across the Salt Lake Valley, the debate has began to once again heat up over the rights of parents immunize their children. Those touting parental rights point to flawed science that finds tenuous connections between immunization and various developmental disorders. They also point to cases where individuals, having been exposed to a very [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 109 – Religious Liberty Recognition, L. Christensen
I must take my hat off to Representative LaVar Christensen (R-Draper, District 48) for crafting a bill that looks like another stupid pro-religion bill, but is actually concealing something much more dangerous when proposing HB 109 – Religious Liberty Recognition. The bill itself states that “the state or political subdivision may not infringe or substantially [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 59 – Arrest and Requirements – With or Without Warrants, S. Handy
One of the issues I am continually worried about is the usage of undue police force. Although many cops are fine and upstanding, only having the best interest of the public in mind, the thought of giving them too much power is a very concerning one, if only because of the position of power they [...]
What’s in a Number? Quite a bit, actually
So, rather than talk about the protest that took place and if was effective way to improve relations or awareness, I would like to draw your attention to an interesting little tidbit. Last night I noticed that Channel 2,4, and 13 stated that there were upwards of 4,500 protesters who “circled Temple Square” and [...]
Rep. Sandstrom gleefully wants to make Utah look even more backward
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 [...]