“Pursuit of Happiness”: Not if some legislators have their way….

....all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Are our state legislators really interested in the values of our Founding Fathers? Or are they more interested in property rights.....including owning the "pursuit of happiness" as property? … Continue reading “Pursuit of Happiness”: Not if some legislators have their way….

ACLU of Utah on SB 277: More Violations of 4th Amendment Rights

SB 277 DNA Modifications proposes to collect DNA samples of individuals arrested for violent felonies. The key concept here that is not being considered, it appears, is the difference between being arrested and convicted. It looks like “innocent until proven guilty” has no bearing on this at all. Fox News carried a piece on the … Continue reading ACLU of Utah on SB 277: More Violations of 4th Amendment Rights

HB 150: A Violation of Privacy

The Senate Education Committee early this morning will hear testimony on HB150 Administrative Supoena, a bill which will make it o.k. to get personal information from your ISP and cell phone records without a warrant in certain instances. Misty Fowler offers a bit of history and persepctive about the bill over on her Saintless blog: … Continue reading HB 150: A Violation of Privacy

Affirmative Action: A Thing Of The Past?

Some Utah Legislators hope so. HJ24 Equal Treatment by Government is moving faster than one can say “equal rights”. The Resolution is aimed at eliminating Affirmative Action and would require an amendment to Utah’s Constitution, which would be up to the voters to ratify in the November election. Ward Connerly, a former member of the … Continue reading Affirmative Action: A Thing Of The Past?

The voting i.d. debacle

(cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch)While the U.S. Supreme Court has now made it official that corporations are persons and have the same rights as individuals, including running for elections and voting (see Murray Hill, Inc. running for Congress), it appears the voting rights of “real” individuals are at stake – especially of opponents to the … Continue reading The voting i.d. debacle

More Money for Primary Seat Belt Law? Utah Says “No”.

Utah Legislators have "missed out" on $1.2 million from the feds for not having a "Primary Seat Belt Law". In Utah one can only get cited for not using a seat belt if another infraction is the reason for being pulled over by law enforcement. The feds want Utah to change that law so that … Continue reading More Money for Primary Seat Belt Law? Utah Says “No”.

Public school teachers are “mouthpieces of the government” and have no free speech rights according

As a public school teacher, I read with interest and dismay the article below. It is a regular balancing act between being neutral and being truthful. I am not fearful of losing my job over this issue, but I am an exception in our public school system.There are many comments to the article and one … Continue reading Public school teachers are “mouthpieces of the government” and have no free speech rights according

We the People March Forth!

Today was an event that I helped organize: It was a great event. People I've never seen before came - and represented all political veiwpoints. The program consisted of speakers, interspersed with volunteers from the audience reading the 10 amendments to the constitution - The Bill of Rights. While it all was inspiring, the most … Continue reading We the People March Forth!

I’m not listening, la, la, la, la, la (fingers in ears)

That’s Bush and Cheney on the “Surge”. From today’s AP article in the Deseret News: President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney say they will not budge from sending more U.S. troops to Iraq no matter how much Congress opposes it. “I fully understand they could try to stop me,” Bush said of the Democrat-run … Continue reading I’m not listening, la, la, la, la, la (fingers in ears)

Sandra Day O’Connor in SLC

I found it surprising that the online edition of today's Salt Lake Tribune did not have on its front page the visit of Sandra Day O'Connor to Salt Lake this weekend. (However I am pleased that the top headline is students protesting immigration legislation.) The article on O'Connor appears first in the Utah section of … Continue reading Sandra Day O’Connor in SLC