Gay Marriage: Mark Shurtleff Said This Would Happen

Last week, my dad reminded me of something that I had forgotten about Amendment 3: Mark Shurtleff, who was the Attorney General in 2004 when the Amendment passed, was against the amendment.

 I looked it up, and dad was right.

 Deseret News, August 7, 2004:

All three candidates for Utah attorney general oppose a state constitutional amendment to prohibit gay marriage because of its potential negative effects on heterosexual marriage.
In a joint statement released Friday by the Don't Amend Alliance, Republican Mark Shurtleff, Democrat Greg Skordas and Libertarian Andrew McCullough announced their opposition to Amendment 3, on which residents will vote Nov. 2.

All of the candidates agreed that the second part of the proposed amendment, which forbids granting "the same or substantially equivalent legal effect" as marriage to other relationships, could also prevent heterosexual common law couples from having basic rights, such as inheritance, hospital visits or powers of attorney.

"This amendment goes too far," Shurtleff said in a statement. "It could forever deny to a group of citizens the right to approach its legislature to seek benefits and protections. This is a bad law and should be rejected."

Shurtleff did make clear that he opposes gay marriages, and supports the current state law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. His concerns center primarily around the second part of the amendment, and he urged voters to oppose the amendment so that he can work with legislators to draft a better one.

"Amend, yes; but not this amendment," he said.

 And this, from Deseret News, September 17, 2004:

Shurtleff said the arguments over the amendment ultimately won't matter.

"It will end up in the U.S. Supreme Court," he said. "The only amendment that's going to matter is the U.S. Constitution."

So, there you have it -- Mark Shurtleff knew that the amendment was a bad idea that would go all the way to the Supreme Court, and he was right.

Headline of the Week: "Shurtleff: Beer group drafted my testimony"

From the Trib:

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday in support of a measure that would cede control of liquor sales to states, a move that comes as some groups are using federal courts to strike down state laws regulating alcohol.

After the hearing, Shurtleff acknowledged that the general counsel for the National Beer Wholesalers Association, Paul Pisano, drafted his testimony — with Shurtleff’s input.

“He gave me some information,” Shurtleff said in a telephone interview as he was boarding a plane Wednesday evening. “I was communicating with him, and he drafted it for me because I was coming straight here [to Washington, D.C.]”

Shurtleff later explained that Pisano arranged for his trip to the nation’s capital and he knew Pisano could print it out for him. An electronic copy of Shurtleff’s testimony submitted to the Judiciary Committee indicates that the author of the Word document was “ppisano.”

Pisano didn’t return a late call seeking comment.

Why write your own speech when a lobbyist can do it for you?

Brad Daw Facing Pressure on HB150

Tribune:

Rep. Brad Daw is defending his sponsorship of a new law that expands the Attorney General's office ability to demand information on internet and cell phone customers without getting a warrant.
Daw's Republican opponent, Calvin Harper, says delegates in Orem House District 60 need to know about Daw's support of the bill, which Harper says is unconstitutional and ripe for abuse.
"This is America, still," he said. "Do we really want people, no matter who they are, going and checking up on us, getting information from our cell phone providers, our internet providers? ... I'm all about letting the police do their job, but let's play fair. Let's not spy on people, because this is so subject to abuse down the road."
Pete Ashdown, president of the internet service provider XMission and a vocal critic of Daw's HB150, sent a letter to delegates in Daw's district blasting the legislation as an invasion of privacy that violates the Fourth Amendment protection against illegal searches.
"I wanted the delegates who were planning to re-elect this person fully aware of my point of view on HB150 and why I thought it was unconstitutional," said Ashdown, a Democrat.
On Monday, Daw responded in a letter to delegates that included the endorsement from two top officials with the Attorney General's Internet Crimes Against Children task force and explained why Daw sponsored the legislation.
Daw said his bill balanced the need to enforce the law with an individual's right to privacy.
The new law allows the attorney general's investigators to obtain an administrative subpoena demanding internet providers and cell phone companies turn over customers' addresses, phone numbers, usage information and bank account numbers if law enforcement suspects an individual is using the service in a stalking or child kidnapping case.
Last year, the Legislature gave the attorney general the authority to demand that information in child sexual exploitation cases. Investigators issued about one subpoena a day since gaining the authority.
Daw said without the authority, investigators have to go to a judge or to the U.S. Attorney's office to get a subpoena for the information that "often put abducted children at grave risk," although he did not know of a specific example where that has occurred. He said he was relying on information provided by the attorney general's office.
Daw said he asked Jessica Farnsworth, the section chief for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, for an endorsement and said her colleague, ICAC chief Ken Wallentine offered his, as well. The ICAC is also planning to give Daw an award for his work on the legislation.
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said in an e-mail he supports his employees being involved in political campaigns and they can use their official titles, provided it is clear they do not speak for the attorney general or the office.
"My opponent is making it a major issue," Daw said. "As I talk to most people, there's some who have concerns about privacy, but it's a small handful. But that's OK. I'm happy to explain it to whoever and tell them what I did and why I did it."
Delegates in the Orem district could decide the race at the Utah County convention on Saturday or send both to a primary run-off.

Originally, Daw's bill sought to allow law enforcement to issue the warrant-free subpoenas to investigate any "criminal activity," but it was watered down after lawmakers objected to the breadth of the proposal.
The legislation was opposed by groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union on the left to the Utah Eagle Forum and The Sutherland Institute on the right.

Of Popularity and Polls

From Utah Policy:

Atty. Gen. Mark Shurtleff has an approval rating of 63%, the second highest rating among Utah's top politicians, only behind Congressman Jim Matheson at 71%....

After Shurtleff comes Sen. Orrin Hatch, 62%; Sen. Bob Bennett, 58%; Gov. Gary Herbert, 57%; SL County Mayor Peter Corroon, 45%; Congressman Jason Chaffetz, 41%; and Congressman Rob Bishop, 39%. Those statewide numbers are the results of a survey conducted by Dan Jones & Associates Jan. 8-11, with a 600 sample and a possible 4% error margin, plus or minus.

Ah! Panic! Corroon only has 45% approval Numbers, right?

Well, these are statewide numbers. Corroon's numbers actually look pretty good:

Corroon, who is running for governor, has a relatively low favorability rating at 45% statewide, but he also has the lowest unfavorable rating of all politicians, at only 12%, and a whopping 40% have no opinion or haven't heard of him. So those who have a locked-in opinion about him are overwhelmingly positive. In his home stomping grounds of Salt Lake County he has a very healthy 67% favorability rating.

LaVarr Webb, who wrote the piece, doesn't say what Governor Herbert's disapproval numbers are. I'd be interested to see that.

-Bob

AG, BCS, and Budget Cuts

So, this year's legislative session is starting to gear up, and it's going to be ugly. Most departments are looking to cut budgets, and a tax increase is looming. I have several friends employed by the state that are nervous that they may be drawing unemployment come Summertime.

So, you'd think that leaders of some departments would be showing how fiscally sound they've been.

Which is why it flabbergasts me as to why Mark Shurtleff would think this would be a good time to prove his limited-government street cred by getting the government involved in college sports:

Antitrust laws require free and fare competition and that applies to businesses. Shurtleff said,” The Supreme Court of the United States has already ruled that those laws apply to NCAA College sports. Isn't that what college sports is supposed to be about, fairness.”

But, some say college football is about money and power. Shurtleff knows he'll face a strong opponent in court. The BCS recently added a former White House Press Secretary to their team. Shurtleff said,” I mean they just hired Ari Fleischer for crying out loud. I'm sure they paid him a ton of money. The lobbying money to congress is huge.”

BCS Administrator Bill Hancock is ready for the fight he says. " The real fact is that those conferences who complain are receiving more money from postseason football than ever before, far more than they've received before , because of the BCS."

Nevertheless, Shurtleff says no matter how tough the competition is there will be a lawsuit. How confident is he that he’ll come out a winner? Shurtleff said,” Very Confident.”

Shurtleff says if Utah has to go it alone, they will. However, he says he's trying to get help from the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice. No word on when the lawsuit will actually be filed.

What's next? Getting the Government involved in religious rites such as marriage? Oh, wait, I forgot. Crap.....

Anyway, looks like I know one department that could use some budget trimming, if the AG's office has this kind of money to kick around.....

Shurtleff Out --What does it mean for the other competitors?

With Attorney General Mark Shurleff suspending his campaign for US Senate to deal with family matters surrounding his daughter's depression, what does it mean for the other people in the race?

Sen Bob Bennett (R)

In the eyes of many, this boiled down to a two-person race -- Shurtleff vs Bennett. With the AG out of the picture, Bennett's run get much easier. There's still a chance, but his road to reelection definitely got easier today.

Sam Granato (D)

Easily the person most hurt by this is Sam. Let's face it, the best-case scenario for Dems was a Shurtleff-Granato race to November. The worst-case scenario is Bennett-Granato.

Cherilyn Eagar (R)

This is definitely a win-lose for the Eagar camp. On one hand, it opens the door for more media coverage. On the other hand, she loses much of the "anything you can do I can do better" competition she was playing with Shurtleff. She'll gain some of the delegates that were looking to Shurtleff for change, but not enough to make a difference.

Tim Bridgewater (R)

The second-worst-kept secret in the 2010 cycle has been that Tim Bridgewater was running for Senate. And, because of that, the announcement of his campaign came with little fanfare. However, with Shurtleff gone, it allows him to step up to the plate. His experience in the Republican Convention/Primary system from his two runs for the US House gives him the leg up in recruiting delegates. He is the new favorite to force a primary with Bennett. his ability to win a primary is another question.

-Bob

BREAKING: Shurtleff Suspends Campaign

Triibune:

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on Wednesday dropped out of his campaign for U.S. Senate, saying he needed to focus on looking after his daughter's health concerns.

"This announcement comes with sorrow because I want to serve my country and I do believe both political parties have put this nation in grave danger by spending so foolishly," he said in a statement. "I have chosen to take pause because my daughter's health is very fragile. She is struggling with emotional issues and has recently been placed in a treatment center.

Although technically Shurtleff said he was "suspending" his campaign -- meaning he could resume it later -- he made it clear during an interview on KSL's Doug Wright show that he had no plans to return to the race.

Shurtleff said her recovery depends on support from the family over the next several months. He said that since he entered the race in May, her mental health had deteriorated and doctors have told her that it her recovery will require numerous counseling sessions.

"I am not willing to lose my daughter, so I am suspending my campaign to take care of her and my family," he said.

The attorney general had been the leading challenger to Sen. Bob Bennett, assailing the three-term incumbent from the right for his vote for the first round of bank bailouts and his sponsorship of a health reform bill that Shurtleff assailed as a big government solution.

I'll write more on what this means for the Senate campaign a little later today.

-Bob

Bob Bennett: Club For Growth Grossly Misleads Americans

From a Bob Bennett for Senate press release (emphasis mine):

Salt Lake City – Senator Bob Bennett’s campaign today responded to the inaccurate campaign ad released by Club for Growth regarding Bennett’s bipartisan and revenue-neutral health care reform plan.

“It looks like the negative campaign season has started early with this grossly inaccurate Club for Growth ad on Bennett’s bipartisan, self-financing Healthy Americans Act (HAA) to reform our broken health care system,” said Jim Bennett, spokesman for the campaign. “Senator Bennett is absolutely opposed to a government run health care system and saying otherwise is 100 percent false. Bennett’s bill is the only health care plan that would put Americans in charge of their own health care dollars, create competition in the private markets, and drive down the escalating costs of care that Americans can no longer afford.”

“Liberal groups are strongly opposed to Bennett’s plan because it doesn’t include a government-run option, so the Club for Growth must be reading a different bill,” Jim Bennett said. “It is unfortunate that the Club for Growth does not appear to embrace the principles of the Bennett bill such as choice, portability, tax reform, incentives for healthy behavior and would throw money on a campaign ad that hinders solving the health care crisis with a free market, patient-driven plan.”

“This attack is consistent with the inaccuracies about Senator Bennett’s plan that have been perpetuated by his political opponents,” jim Bennett added. “Coinciding with the Club for Growth’s politically-motivated attack, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has decided to run a negative campaign that deliberately misrepresents the Senator’s position. And while Shurtleff offers no solutions, other than a suggestion that health care reform can be accomplished through $49 grocery store clinics, Senator Bennett is on the front lines proposing real reform consistent with conservative principles.”

To see a point-by point rebuttal to the ad, read the press release here.

Watch the ad here:

Hey, Mr Shurtleff, What Day is it Today?

Last Time I checked, July 4th is known as Independence Day here in the United States.

There is a Patriot Day. That day is September 11. There is also a Patriots' Day, Commemorating the start of the American Revolution. That is in April.

So, I was a little confused when Mark Shurtleff sent me an invite to a Patriot Day Tea Party for July 4th:

UT-Sen: And then there were six

DesNews:

Vowing to wage a low-cost grass-roots campaign aiming to return the country to constitutional principles, Republican James Russell Williams III formally announced his candidacy Wednesday for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Bob Bennett, R-Utah.

"We have to change the way our politicians are running the government. The best hope for our country, and for our families, is to return to our core conservative principles of fiscal discipline, accountability, strong national security, limited government and immigration reform," he said.

He enters a crowded race. Already in it are Republicans Bennett, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, and former congressional candidate Tim Bridgewater, and conservative Cherilyn Eagar is expected to formally announce her candidacy on Thursday. Also in the race is Democratic food business owner Sam Granato.

Williams, 36, of South Jordan, owns a small business called Creative Customs, which provides electronics work for car dealerships. He said he has never run for political office.

From The SideTrack

Annother Member of the Loony Wing Joins the Senate Race

Ethan Millard writes on KSL.com that Cherilyn Bacon Eagar "is forming an exploratory committee in preparation to join the race to replace Senator Bennett."

She Joins Mark Shurtleff and Tim Bridgewater on the Republican Side. Joe Granato is the only Democrat to have announced at this point.

Who is Cherilyn Bacon Eagar?

Cherilyn Bacon Eagar is an owner of and marketing director for WebsTarget® by Computer Camp, an Internet marketing company that services the real estate industry nationally. She is President and Policy Analyst for World Class Education Research, founded to publish and advocate for ideals that strengthen the traditional family. She was co-author of the first state Family and Educational Rights to Privacy Act, to protect students from invasive psychological and non-academic testing. She is also author of an education policy manual entitled Edugate America: The Deconstruction of a Culture and is completing a book on pornography to help the family members of sexual addicts.

She has presented nationally on education reforms and related topics for over 20 years, has been a media spokesperson for many causes from Stop ERA of the late 70’s to hosting an opinion/comment talk radio show. She is featured in Sean Hannity’s book Let Freedom Ring in recognition of her successful post-9/11 national campaign against the Red Cross’ “neutrality” policy which prohibited the singing of traditional American patriotic songs such as “God Bless the USA” and “America the Beautiful” and “Declaration” (with text from the Declaration of Independence), and songs which mention the words “God” and “prayer.”

She developed a summer program in New York City for aspiring performing artists working with Broadway directors and instructors and rated among the top 2 programs along with NYU’s “Cap 21” program. She received highest ratings while on the faculty at the Orange County School of the Arts (a charter school) and at Brigham Young University. She has been accepted into the Masters Degree program in Education and in Marriage and Family Therapy from Liberty University in Virginia.

Cherilyn has had a wealth of experience in the private, non-profit charitable sector, having raised approximately $1 million for various causes from the Boy Scouts to the Special Olympics, as well as fighting pornography over the past decade. She has also had a lifetime of experience in the political arena in several regions of the U.S., multiple times as Republican county and state delegate, a candidate for the school board in Texas, as campaign manager for the 1994 Congressional race in Utah’s 3rd District, and in supporting conservative candidates and causes that strengthen families.

A lifelong, dedicated Republican, she has also had brief, but vast, top-level, “third party” experience when she helped Patrick Buchanan in his bid for the presidency. During that time, she became the National Press Secretary for the Reform Party. As a result, she is a strong advocate for working within the existing two party-system to affect change. She believes the Republican Party, though its platform reflects correct principles of government and the free market, has drifted too far toward Statism/Big Government in practice.

She is now dedicated to restoring the Republican Party to the principles of its platform, to fiscal responsibility, and to the principles of the free market and states’ sovereignty for which President Ronald Reagan stood, especially in the area of education. She opposes the recent national take-over of America’s economy and recognizes that Congress has adopted a mixed economy of predominantly socialist/fascist principles. This must change if America is to survive and remain that “Shining City on a Hill” that Reagan envisioned as the bastion of freedom for the rest of the world.

She is married to Randy Eagar, and together they have seven children and 9.5 grandchildren.

I'm wondering if the Loony wing of the party are diluting their voting bloc too much with too many candidates.

-Bob

From The SideTrack

Tea Baggers' irony

As I'm sure you've heard, the GOP is going to do what they do best today: solve the mote in Democrats' eye by complaining about it (but not actually DOING something), all the while ignoring the beam in their own eye. They have called today TEA BAG day to protest how much taxes have gone up (really? really. Someone forgot to tell them who's been running the show the past 8 years...), and are having tea bag parties all over the country, including here in Utah.

Nobody informed Jason Chaffetz, Rob Bishop, or Mark Shurtleff (all of whom are attending the SLC tea bagging at the Federal Building) how gay a term that is. Chris Buttars knows it's a form of sexual activity practiced by gay people, and is getting a good laugh at it.

I might add that my Utah tax liability is 462.5% that of my federal tax liability. That's because of a huge tax increase at the hands of the GOP legislature, but that's for another post.

There is some irony about today's events (aside from all the gay talk), from Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog:

I wonder how many tea baggers will be protesting against "socialism" while gathering at publicly financed parks and outside publicly financed buildings -- you know, socialist facilities that wouldn't exist without taxes and wealth redistribution. In Georgia, for example, almost every single tea bag event is taking place at a county courthouse, at a park, at a town square, at a city hall and so forth.

Socialism huzzah!

-Bob

P.S. I wonder if, in Utah, they are going to be tea bagging herbally. I don't even want to know what that means.....

Utah AG Shurtleff on Obama

Utah's Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is in Washington to witness the Inauguration of our 44th President.

And he wrote his feelings on the new President:

In a few days, the former junior Senator from Illinois, following a meteoric rise based on a declaration of hope and optimism and change, will stand beneath that same Lady Liberty and swear an oath on Lincoln’s Bible to become the first African American President of the United States of America. President Obama goes to Washington at a time when the graft and greed of Wall Street have plunged our nation into a downward economic spiral that threatens our very future.

I did not vote for Senator Barack Obama. I supported the man, Senator John McCain, who I believed had, by a lifetime of public service, and tested in the fires of war, isolation and torture, proven himself best suited to lead us through the tough times ahead. But I will support President Barack Obama. I support him with my prayers and my own public service. My Pollyanna optimism and my ideas .While I disagree with many of his social and economic policies and worry about the lasting impact of his judicial appointments, I will give him the chance that so many refused his predecessor.

I am going to the inauguration based on my own audacious hope that Barack Obama truly believes what he wrote a few years ago as he prepared to run for the presidency, and that he will govern this blessed nation accordingly. In writing of the “fundamental decency of the American people,” he sounded very Jefferson Smith-like in declaring:

“[A]t the core of the American experience are a set of ideals that continue to stir our collective conscience; a common set of values that bind us together despite our differences; a running thread of hope that makes our improbable experiment in democracy work. These values and ideals find expression not just in the marble slabs of monuments or in the recitation of history books. They remain alive in the hearts and minds of most Americans – and can inspire us to pride, duty and sacrifice.” - Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on reclaiming the American Dream.

Pessimists and pundits will claim that his is a lost cause, but juar as Jimmy/Jefferson taught his seniors that lost causes were “the only causes worth fighting for,” as long as they were based on “just one plain simple rule: 'Love thy neighbor…'” Mr. Obama taught in The Audacity of Hope, that what we are facing is a “breakdown in culture that will not be cured by money alone, and that our values and spiritual life matter at least as much as our GDP.”

Good Luck and God Speed Mr. President!

Senator Reid's Anti-polygamy hearing more biased than Utah Legislature

So, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is set to hold a hearing conducted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid about polygamy.

The thing is, this hearing is going to be decidedly one-sided. The guest list, according to the Deseret News:

• U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman.

• U.S. Attorney for Nevada Gregory Brower.

• Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.

• Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

• Stephen Singular, author of the book "When Men Become Gods."

• Dr. Dan Fischer, an ex-FLDS member.

• Carolyn Jessop, an ex-wife of YFZ Ranch leader Merril Jessop and the author of the book "Escape."

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff was among those invited to testify, but he was unable to do so because of his medical condition after injuring a leg in a motorcycle crash. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will lead the panel.

A Rundown of Mark Shurtleff's Conflicts of Interest

Democratic AG Candidate Jean Welch Hill gives us a rundown of various conflicts of interest Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has suffered.

Read it here on her campaign blog, On the Campaign Trail.

Daggett County Voter Fraud update

(Hat Tip: JM Bell)

As I reported back in March, 5.4% of registered voters in Daggett County were charged with voter fraud.

This was after AG Mark Shurtleff drug his feet in the investigation.

Well, now the Daggett County Attorney has been fired, apparently for no reason, other than the fact that he was going to file more charges in the voter fraud case, including the county clerk and sheriff. (The Sheriff's race was the one where the fraud took place).

KSL has the story:

The vote was two to one. As for why Floyd Briggs and Henry Gutz voted to terminate Sidwell's contract, Briggs said, "More or less for a change in direction. Just try something different."

It's an answer county residents couldn't understand. Lisa Bennington said, "I find it very hard to believe there aren't personal feelings in these decisions."

Those personal feelings could involve the county's 2006 election fraud case. Many say Sidwell was looking into charging county clerk Vicky McKee and sheriff Rick Ellsworth with malfeasance of office, claiming they were in on the fix.

Because those two are close friends of Briggs, those same residents feel Briggs wanted to get Sidwell out of office before any charges could be filed. Gretchen Northcott said, "It really looks suspicious to me. I think as Bryan Sidwell digs deeper, he's finding new things, is what I'm supposing, and people are getting uncomfortable with that."

We asked commissioners Briggs and Gutz that very question. Briggs said, "No, that wasn't the reason. Like I commented today in the meeting, this wasn't a representation of the county as a whole."

Gutz said, "I'm not trying to cover anything. If there's additional investigating that goes on, it will happen."

Sidwell says he was just enforcing the laws, and if some in the county don't want the laws enforced, then he's not the right attorney for the job. "I believe that when people violate the laws, no matter who you are, the law needs to be enforced," he said.

Lt Gov Gary Herbert Derelict in His Duties

The Lt Governor in Utah has three jobs. One is to be ready to take over for the Governor should the Governor die or resign to take another job, say a Cabinet position.

The other two duties are to be in charge of the Notary Publics and elections.

However, this seems to be too tough a job for Gary Herbert.

He has postponed a decision on whether to have the Attorney General's office investigate possible law breaking in the State Treasurer's race until after Tuesday's election.

And who knows when he'll pick it up after the election?

He says he doesn't want to influence the primary. However, by waiting until after the election, he is still influencing the primary AND possibly the general election. How?

Well, let's just say that Mark Walker wins, and Herbert does his job and sends the case to the Attorney General. And, let's just say that Mark Shurtleff decides that there was wrongdoing and files charges (miracles can happen), and we are left with a Republican nominee running against the Democrat in the race.

However, Gary Herbert could do his job. Sure, it would be unfair to people who voted absentee and/or early. However, that is a risk we take by voting early.

And remember, Gary Herbert could end up being Governor should McCain win the presidency.

-Bob

P.S. Anyone else think it fishy that the press release announcing Herbert's inaction was embargoed to come out at 4:00 PM on a Friday?

Mark Shurtleff must be shaking in his boots

Utah's own Denny Crane, Mark "Payday Loan" Shurtleff, is in for a fight this year. His election-year vow to *NOT* prosecute polygamy, not to mention his being wrong multiple times on vouchers, isn't helping him any.

Not to mention that he has a worthy opponent, Jean Welch Hill.



(Video Hat Tip: Utah Amicus)

Jean has already gone toe-to-toe with Shurtleff, and has beat him so often he fired her.

Go figure.

-Bob

Hey, Mark Shurtleff, *THIS* is what helping children looks like

Dear Mr Attorney General:

I just wanted to share with you a news story I have been following this week:

SAN ANGELO, Texas - Authorities say more than 400 children have been taken from a polygamist compound and placed in state custody as they continue to investigate whether one of them had been an underage bride.

Authorities have uncovered the equivalent of a small town on the 1,700-acre property in rural West Texas they raided last week. They say 133 women left the compound voluntarily and that an unknown number of men remained there and are not free to leave.

Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner says she believes the operation is the biggest of its kind in Texas. She was also involved in the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco.

A girl's report to authorities last week that she was abused led to last week's raid.

In fact, many of these same people have been living here in Utah for a long time, having only recently relocated to Texas.

This is the same group that Warren Jeffs has led here in our fine state.

Child Polygamy is the elephant in the room. Everyone knows it goes on here, but it seems like you aren't willing to help those kids.

I attended a meeting a few months ago at the Capitol where a couple of members of your staff were willing to allow me to put myself and thousands of others at risk of being a victim of identity theft in exchange for possibly helping slow the rate of child pornography in a way that they were unable to show existed to begin with.

All I heard from their corner of the room was how mch they wanted to "help the children."

However, I haven't seen your office do too much to help the children of these polygamous families. Instead, you look the other way, until a high-profile case comes up. Then you stand in front of the cameras and proclaim how great you are.

Meanwhile, even with Warren Jeffs sitting in the Purgatory Correctional Facility, children are still being forced into marriages. You can stand there and look proud all you want, but you still haven't done anything on the subject.

In Texas, they seem to know how to get things done. They've removed the children from the problem while they investigate, not leave them there after they've found a problem.

-Bob

P.S. -- That's a very craptastic reelection web site you have there.

Lawbreaker Lohra is the one who's "Ridiculous"

Today's Salt Lake Tribune confirms that Lawbreaker Lohra Miller did not have a business license for her law firm she ran from her home.

An emotional Miller, in acknowledging her license-related legal misstep, said she didn't realize her home offices needed permits.
"We felt our work was done in the courtroom," she said.
While Miller acknowledges that she did work out of her home, she said all interviews were conducted in offices in cities that contracted with her for prosecutorial services. Only paperwork and case research were done at home, she said.
"I never had clients, witnesses, victims or others associated with our practice come to our home," she said.

But she did have employees working in the home office, which would be someone associated with the practice.

However, it doesn't matter where the work is done, it matters where the office is located.

And, did Lawbreaker Lohra really think that she could run a business without a license?

After all, her practice was the contract agency to do prosecutions for several cities. She even prosecuted several businesses for operating without a license while she didn't have a license herself. You would think that an attorney prosecuting a law would understand said law.

And the question comes down to why Attorney General Mark Shurtleff didn't find this in his investigation. It was right there, in plain view, for all to see. The claim coming from the AG's office is that he was only looking into violations of state law. However, when Lawbreaker Lohra asked his office to investigate all of the accusations against her, including the charge of operating a business without a license.

The reason he didn't do anything is that, like in the Daggett County voter fraud case, he chose to see nothing wrong because a friend was involved.

And, other friends of Lawbreaker Lohra include Michael Renckert, who has filed to run against Peter Corroon. My sources at Salt Lake County GOP HQ tell me that Renckert got in at the urging of Lohra Miller.

-Bob