SoCo with Lime, day 1 

Nice try Bishop

Rep. Bishop is trying to score a fast one on Rep. Matheson for those in the press that don't pay attention. Bishop and his CoS claim that Jim "may oppose a bill that would give the state a fourth congressional district." Bishop "senses Matheson may be against redistricting" because it could allow a GOPer to win his cong. seat. Bishop's CoS Scott Parker: "I don't think anyone should base their support or nonsupport of this bill on the potential makeup" of one Congressional District.

Gee, when has Jim ever said he opposed it? More generallym, how is one Rep. from one party "sensing" a vibe from another Rep. from another reliable news?

Matheson Press Sec. Alyson Heyrend says Matheson "has always favored" UT having a fourth seat in DC.

The new district lines would be determined by the UT Legislature, of course, something I am personally against. (All quotes thanks to Schwebke, Ogden Standard-Examiner, 6/3).

Bachelor Party

photos to come but in the meanwhile, let me just say that I need to detox for a long time before I go and do something again. Everyday in Boston was filled with action: pitch'n'putt golf, BBQ, Red Sox, bowling, bar hopping, and a U2 concert.

All of my friends who made it were terrific, especially my friend from high school who flew on the way out there on a terrible schedule to be with me and 3 guys he didn't know. I know the other two groomsmen who couldn't make it out there wanted to be there and had serious comitments.

So big hearty thank you goes out to everyone and I will just need to sleep it off somemore.

Scenes from bumblepalooza

The President Tuesday "Participated" in a "Social Security Conversation" in New York saying, "As you -- as I mentioned to you earlier, we're going to redesign the current system. If you've retired, you don't have anything to worry about -- third time I've said that. (Laughter.) I'll probably say it three more times. See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda. (Applause.)" (emphasis mine)

Boy, I couldn't come up with it better myself. Great Fruedian slip there Mr. President.

real reason for judicial "compromise"

All the puindits thought the senate was headded towards armagedon, so of course a compromise was reached minutes before Frist was about to begin the show.

The activists on both sides think this was a terrible cave in by their party's senators, but I really think that document isn't worth the paper on which it is written. It is filled with self-defined phrases and hollow promises on both sides. I would like nothing better than to have the whole Senate vote down Owens and Brown.

So why did this "compromise" happen? Was it James Dobson's pressure, the strong arm of George W. Bush/Dick Cheney, People for the American Way? In my view, it was none of the above. It was big business.

With religious conservatives pet peeve consuming weeks of the Senate calendar and Democrtats threatening to shut down/slow down everything but appropreations, the business community was worried about bills important to them dying a slow death. CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement), Asbestos tort reform, Immigration reform, Social Security "reform," health care reform for small businesses, pension "reform," and a whole host of other bills are primed to be passed in the senate under the normal rules and procedures. But if a lone Democrat objected to a uninamimous consent rule, the whole place grinds to a halt.

One look at the US Chamber of Commerce site shows that judicial appointments are no where to be seen. They already have plenty of pro-business GOP-appointed judges on the bench. In fact, about 80% of the current federal bench was appointed by a Republican president.

To me, this whole incident just shows who is really in charge of the GOP. They may do big show events for social conservatives, denying Plan B for over the counter use, talking about a "culture of life," gay marriage constitutional amendment, Terri Schavio, Stem Cells, and Judical Nominees, etc. but given their complete control of the government and large majority of the judiciary, why haven't they overturned Roe, passed the constitutional amdendment, banned all stem cell research, etc? It is because business pays the bills. Social conservatives may provide the votes, but the real money is in being a business lackey.

All those Senators in the "mushy middle" who signed on to that judicial "compromise" I bet also voted for cloture on the bankrupcy bill. I bet many of them are also signed on to many of business' legislative priorities, like free trade, asbestos reform, immigration reform, health care reform, and pension reform. I haven't done the research, but I would love someone to prove my thesis wrong; but I bet they can't.

Bulworth=McCain 2000

Was it just me, or did that movie really seem like the blueprint for the senior senator from Arizona? I mean, other than the whole rapping/black thing, I think it is basically what Weaver advocated.

The whole "I'm a reformed corrupt politican who is going to tell it like it is" really works well. I am not saying that McCain took out an insurance policy on his life or said things nearly as inflamatory as fictious Sen. Bulworth (R-CA) but the whole similarity thing was striking.

I am thinking of this because Warren Betty seems to think that if Arnold can do it, why can't he? After all he played a politican in a movie. "I'm an opponent of (Schwarzenegger's) muscle-bound conservatism with longer experience in politics than he has" Betty told Reuters.


As an aside, I love that song "Ghetto Superstar" from the soundtrack.

T-minus 28 days

Soon, I will no longer check that "single" box on my W-2s. For guys, things don't change that much, especially for those who are used to wearing rings on their fingers. I don't have to go down to the Social Security Administration to change my name, along with a dozen other places. I don't have to buy a dress or anything either.

While the bridal-industrial complex is engulfing my soon-to-be-wife this afternoon, I am off to see Episode III with a friend I have had since 4th grade (and I've known him since kindergarten, when he and another kid named JC Foster destroyed my He-Man thermos, which meant war of course) who is going to be a groomsmen and join me in Boston for the revelry next weekend with the other members of Team Groom.

The weather of late has been like Boston last year: erratic. We have had rain, snow, rain, and then 70+ degrees days in a row with sunshine nonstop. Not that I am complaining. This state still has the best weather for seasons of anywhere in the world.

The winters are pretty mild, the average temp is around 30-40 degrees with lots of snow to make it worth your while. The falls are great and last from September to October/November. Spring is not as muddy and overcast as others I have experienced and towards the end (April/May) it can be quite lovely. Summer is hot but doesn't get to the hundreds until late July and August usually. And remember, it's a DRY HEAT.

I am wondering if 2005 will be like 1983 in Salt Lake, when I remember sandbags and bridges over State Street because of all the excess run off. I haven't seen this much precipitation in Utah since then, and my memory is pretty hazy because that was back in the He-Man days.

Work is going well. Everyday I get a new motion or memo to write, and I get to learn what a motion in lemine is or whatever. Doing research now has a point, instead of make believe people we worked for in our Methods class. Now I work for the taxpayers of Salt Lake County and the victims in that case. My senior law clerk who is showing me the ropes has to go in for another Elizabeth Smart hearing soon. I wish I could go and hear that nutbar sing. Even though she tried to explain it to me, I still don't get why they have to let him sing every time and not just have him be present via closed-circuit TV. That way he can sing all he wants and not disrupt the proceedings, which is what he really wants to do.

Only in New York

Some Hillary can lose to the same state (NY) as a presidential candidate (albiet narrowly, within the margin of error) that she trouces in her Senate reelection bid. There's even a Giuliani cross over where he wins NY electoral votes but she gets the senate seat. Somehow, I doubt that will happen. Then again, it is a Fox News poll.

A Fox News/Mason-Dixon poll shows Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) trailing both GOPers ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani (46%-44%) and Sen. John McCain (42%-41%) in WH '08 matchups among NY regis. voters.

The Fox News/Mason-Dixon poll shows Clinton defeating 4 possible GOP '06 SEN opponents: Giuliani (53-43%), NY Gov. George Pataki (59%-36%), Westchester Co. DA Jeanine Pirro (60%-24%) and Nixon son-in-law/atty. Ed Cox (58%-25%) among regis. NY voters

And you call yourself a conservative?

Our quote of the day"I've never read the Bible cover to cover; maybe I should have."-Sen. Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum, New York Times Magazine, 5/22 issue.

The next most endangered GOP Senator this cycle is Conrad Burns of Montana, who "led all 535 members" in donations from Jack Abramoff and the tribes, "netting at least" $136K from '01-'04. As Bureau of Indian Affairs budget panel head, Burns "had a say" in the funding to tribal casinos. Yet he screwed over tribes in his home state over those represented by Abramoff.

The second highest recipient was Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) with $115K and then Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), with $56K. So that's why I hate P. Kennedy dumb AND corrupt. I already knew Ney had no shame (the "only lawmaker to receive donations from both Abramoff and Scanlon"), but Patty K.?

Just because he is a Kennedy, it doesn't mean we give him a free pass.

Nevada governor signs 'anti-pimp' bill

"AB470, dubbed the "anti-pimp bill,"removes a requirement that an act of prostitution or pimping be corroborated by a third party to prove guilt. With the new law, a pimp can be prosecuted based solely on the word of the prostitute."

It's all the name of economic efficency. See, without the middleman sucking up all of the Whores' money, there is more money for Hookers to live off of and thus less need to sell their body to the night, to paraphrase Sting. Less sex means less chance of contracting diseases and less pimps means less abuse of the prostitute as well.

Now the only people she has to fear is pycho Johns, serial killers, and the police. Nevada is such an enlightened state.

SL Co. Tuition Reimbursement policy change

In keeping with my new standards of ethics, I am just going to copy and paste an email notice in it entireity that has been public knowledge for months and which I have previously discussed on this site:

The County Council has approved an amended "Tuition Reimbursement Program" effective May 23, 2005.
All applications for the program, as of that date, will be on a reimbursement basis as opposed to the current front end tuition assistance payment.

You still must submit your application for tuition reimbursement no sooner than 30 days prior or 30 days after beginning classes.

Applications currently submitted pending required documentation will be processed under the new reimbursement policy.

Bugman covers his bases

Maybe the Majority Leader knows the jig is up and it prepping to return to his old career. Or maybe it is just our quote of the day

"It's always good to know a trade" -- Pest Control Board's Murray Walton, on Tom DeLay completing 8 hours in training each year to maintain status as a "pest control technician" Thanks Austin American Statesman (reg. req.)!

first day on the job

So I don't know how it happened, but somehow I managed to get an awesome summer job that pays: a Law Clerk for SL County. So now I think cannot write about Yocum or Carroon or anything covered by county government because I am part of their legal team.

Also, I cannot talk about all the interesting stuff I see as far as cases and victims etc. But, I can say that the people are very nice, interesting and friendly. I am sure I will work hard but at least right now, I am so pumped and happy. I usually get too excited about a new job, only to get quickly cynical, so I will have to watch out for that. But right now, I am just so greatful to have such a great job.

Plus, I got lots of free stuff (mug, folder, pins) with my this logo on it:

And if that weren't enough, you have to see office supply closet. It is like Noah's Arc. I have great pens and wonderful choices of everything. My female collegues get pink notepads and purple post-its. And one of the out-of-state clerks (from U. of Tulane) is hooked on those rubber covers for your thumb to turn pages: "These things are like GOLD!" I am just happy to have a computer and cublicle near by senior law clerk. Lord knows I will need the help. "Have you taken Crim Pro?" ME: Nope "Evidence?" She asks hopefully. ME: all next year, sorry. I guess I will just learn it on the job.

being a mercenary ain't easy

So says the Salt Lake Tribune. The Pentagon's hired guns "don't often have the kind of protection afforded their uniformed counterparts."

The cash is good. Really good. One-hundred-thousand-for-six-months-work good. Sometimes, it's even better than that. And that's nothing to scoff at for soldiers who don't make a quarter as much for a full year's work.
But worth it for the job they're contracted to do?
Standing in the dining room of her Murray home, Carol Thomas Young gazes downward at a framed photograph of her son.
"No way," she says, staring into the glass with tears in her eyes. "It's not worth it at all."

These folks put their lives on their line for Bush and his cronies, while the 101st flying keyboards cheer from the sidelines but would never dream of enlisting. Why? Because they don't have to: they make enough money that they are desperate enough risk being the next hostage executed on Al Jezzera.

27 year old Brandon Thomas signed up for mercenary duty when he learned that his National Guard unit wasn't going to be called up any time soon. He died in one of those massive car bombings in Bagdad that tend to blur together these days. The company he worked for got $20 million in contracts, some even from Fox News.

These companies save money by giving them no meaningful armor and not paying them until they are over in Iraq or Afghanistan, where they can't go into Wall-Mart and buy a vest. Remember all those stories of the US military spending hundreds of billions on missile defense (Star Wars) while failing to protect their own soliders in combat zones? Now imagine a greedy, corning cutting defense contractor being in charge. And they get you by flashing cash in your face:

The e-mails started popping into Rodney Allen's inbox three months before he left the U.S. Marine Corps. The messages came from a recruiter working for Dyncorp, one of the largest private security providers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"They were offering a one-year contract with the company, providing security for various officials in Iraq," Allen says. "It was starting at $160,000 a year."
As a noncommissioned officer in the Marines, the Utah native had been making about $27,000 annually.

"Well-qualified contractors - particularly those with special forces experience - can fetch that much [$130,000] in six months. And some have reported contracts exceeding $1,500 a day, the equivalent of about $550,000 a year. "

Meanwhile, the National Guard is staying officially neutral on joining up as a mercenary, while basically giving it their blessing. "I've never heard of an instance where the Guard says 'No, you shouldn't work there,' " said one soldier.

Why I won't move to L.A.

As much as I love my family that live out there, and as nice as the weather is, I just can't get over what a messed up little place it is. Where they revel in celebraties in all their phoniness, regularly watch Police Chase on TV (even if someone gets shot in the head on the live feed), enjoy hours stuck in traffic on their massive freeway system and utter lack of public transit (thanks GM), and are more concerned about appearances than reality.

Every time I go there I am astonished people can actually enjoy living in such an artifical world. I am sure people say the same sorts of things about Utah-- that it is singular and strange because of dominance of the LDS faith in state government. But at least mormons don't all get nose jobs and boob jobs and botox with fad diets and pretend to like you when they hate you. And anyway, I like the strict smoking laws and the difficulty to get alchohol and drink and drive. Utah has been way ahead of the rest of the country that way, and it has been a safer place to live to boot. We have about the lowest health care costs of any state because of the lack of smoking related illnesses.

OK off the soap box. It seems that Hill Air Force Base was saved from the ax (mostly) this morning, which to me was no surprise. We had a former congressman whose career was built on saving that base on BRAC and a united delegation working to save the biggest employeer in the state. Poor Jim got squeezed out of the frame, but then again it is not in his district. At least he got on local TV to explain what it was like during the plane scare, that was a smart move.

searching for nonpartisanship

and I think I found a moment of humanity: Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) walked into House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)'s weekly press conference to return her shoe she lost during the plane scare the other day.
Note: these aren't the actual shoes.

Reichert even knelt down to give the lady her pink leather sling-back pumps "I'm proud to be here, and proud to present you with your shoe," he said. From what I know, this freshman congressman seems like a good guy: he caught the Green River killer as the sheriff of King County, the county which includes Seattle. I wish I had the picture.

"A moment of community," Pelosi said to laughter from assembled reporters, one of whom remarked, "There's a fairy tale about this."

Pelosi lost her shoes when Capitol police officers literally lifted her out of them to hustle her to safety during the evacuation, which was caused by a small plane that mistakenly strayed off course.

"I said I'm losing my shoe and they said that's too bad, just keep going," Pelosi said.

The shoe found its way to Reichert when it flipped up in front of him as he ran down a crowded stairway on his way out of the Capitol.

"It had bounced. I just grabbed it," Reichert said.

The congressman then tried to find its owner in the crowd that had evacuated the Capitol, looking for women clad in pink.

"I searched diligently ... there were several women I came up to," he said.

What a gentleman; his wife noticed the wire stories about Pelosi and pointed him to the Minority Leader.

"It certainly points out the fact that in times of urgency and emergency, we do come together," Reichert said. Thank goodness there are still some level of decencey in the capital and Members can see each other as human beings and collegues still, and not just the charactures they draw of the other side.

Going over the Ridge

The most quotable guy today is ex-PA Gov./DHS Sec. Tom Ridge.

"People focus too much on colors. It could be numbers, it could be animals," Ridge told New York Newsday. "The American public wants us to focus more on the information. We understood the impact of an alert."

Animals? This isn't some indicator to help you remember where you parked your car at teh airport, this is national security. "We are at rabid dog and could go to Ebola-infected monkey"

The next money quote reveals that our periodical marches from Yellow to Orange were based on politics, not actual threats.

"More often than not we were the least inclined to raise it," Ridge told reporters. "Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don't necessarily put the country on (alert). ... There were times when some people [at the White House] were really aggressive about raising it, and we said, 'For that?' "

Reid cowboys up

The little guy from Searchlight, Nevada is turning heads in Washington D.C. by saying the unspeakable and throwing CW to the wind. And he's winning.
The Washington Post is astonished at the Minority Leader's "Sharp Tongue": calling Bush a "loser" and Greenspan "the biggest political hack this town's ever seen" was just the beginning.

Now he has told Frist to stop with the Kabuki Theater and vote already on the Nuclear Option. Reid knows Frist doesn't have the votes, and he knows Frist is running for president from the camber (and doing a piss poor job at it, just ask Rev. Pat Robertson). Reid knows that these 7 nominees are just sideshows in the real battle over Rehnquist's replacement, due out this summer. "They want a Clarence Thomas, not a Sandra Day O'Connor or Anthony Kennedy or David Souter. George Bush wants to turn the Senate into a second House of Representatives, a rubberstamp for his right wing agenda and radical judges. That's not how America works."

Harry is my hero. He knows his place and his role, and he is making Frist and Bush look like bumbling losers they really are.

While I was sleeping in

The Utah Democrats elected a new party leader, Wayne Holland Jr. Wayne and his father were extremely in the local steelworkers union. Isn't it befitting that the GOP have as their chairman the family owner of Geneva Steel, and the Democrats have the union leader at Geneva Steel?

"The optimistic winds of change are blowing throughout the West," Holland said, noting several Democratic victories in the Rocky Mountain states. "It's time to bring those victories home to Utah.

It was much closer than I thought it was going to be. "The final race was decided by just 25 votes of 729 cast." Jim seems to have been enough, but just barely. Instead of last year's boos over Jim's support of the Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage, this year was nothing but cheers and applause. We Utah Democrats are a practical bunch, but we still fight and have principle.

"We have refused to let our opponents unfairly label us and lie about us," said Matheson, who has often voted with Republicans on key issues.
"We've shown that our diversity is our strength, that we can come together and not let our opponents use wedge politics to divide us. . . . Utah Democrats have wandered in the political wilderness long enough."

Let Wayne be our shephard.

"Dirty" Harry Reid

For all those who have said that Democrats don't have spines, Minority Leader Senator Harry Reid has them in spades. Maybe it is because he is from the West and the outlaw culture of Nevada, or maybe he just has the temerity to tell it like it is.

At last night's sold out J-J dinner for Utah Democratic Party, Reid was the guest of honor, and his job was to rally the troops into actualizing a believe that the West can be won. While he did that from what I am told, he also took the opportunity to note Senator Hatch's hypocrisy (but not in so many words). The Senatorial comment was "He's been a terribly big disappointment to me."

When he sat down with the Tribune Editorial board, Reid remarked "I can't imagine how Orrin Hatch can keep a straight face." He added, "I don't know how, within the framework of intellectual honesty, he can say the things he does." He can't Harry. This is the same guy who is whining about 10 stalled Bush appointees (out of 207 confirmed) when he blocked 69 of Clinton's (no Clinton sex jokes please).

Moreover, Hatch is the ultimate in cronyism. Take a look at the bench around this great state-- most are personally connected to Senator Hatch (who was at the time Judiciary Chairman): LDS Mission Companions, etc. In fact, the Tribune pointed out that "Hatch refused to sign off on any nominees until Clinton nominated Republican Ted Stewart, former Gov. Mike Leavitt's chief of staff." I don't recall Pat Lahey doing that to Bush do you? I am sure we would have heard about it if he insisted that Howard Dean's chief of staff be appointed to something for which he was utterly unqualified.

In response to Reid pointing out Hatch's obstructionist role Orrin told the paper that "I'm disappointed that he would allow the far left to influence him to distort the actual facts this way," Hatch said. "What is wrong with giving circuit court nominees a vote up and down? Instead the Democrats, led by Senator Reid, have said they will blow up the Senate and cause nuclear warfare. Those are the facts and no amount of Democratic rationalization or nasty comments can overcome them."

Yes, what is wrong with getting 69 nominees an up or down vote Senator Hatch? Personally, I am ever so gratified that Harry Reid is ratcheting up the rhetoric and playing the game so well. He makes Democrats look like gunslingers in the old westerns, or like Clint Eastwood's quasi-vigilante cop character in the 1970s.