"Maybe just to get a reaction out of them.."

Don't trample on copyright
Sometimes I wonder whether people think through their arguments. W.L. Haynes of West Valley City (Readers' Forum, March 25) suggests that movies with questionable content can be made (so that voyeurs can fulfill their sexual fantasies) but that the copyright protection should be removed so that companies like CleanFlicks can alter them, in accord with the delicate sensibilities of the rest of us. Have we gone down the rabbit hole?
You have the right to speak as you will. You have the right to turn off or walk away from material that you find offensive. You do not have the right to alter someone's intellectual or artistic property simply because you disagree with its message.
That's why the Book of Mormon is protected by copyright.

Christopher Thornblad
Farmington

* Audiovisual works included in the educational library of a college or university’s film or media studies department, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of making compilations of portions of those works for educational use in the classroom by media studies or film professors. (A new exemption in 2006.)
* Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and that require the original media or hardware as a condition of access, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive. A format shall be considered obsolete if the machine or system necessary to render perceptible a work stored in that format is no longer manufactured or is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace. (A renewed exemption, first approved in 2003.)
* Computer programs protected by dongles that prevent access due to malfunction or damage and which are obsolete. A dongle shall be considered obsolete if it is no longer manufactured or if a replacement or repair is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace. (Revised from a similar exemption approved in 2003.)
* Literary works distributed in ebook format when all existing ebook editions of the work (including digital text editions made available by authorized entities) contain access controls that prevent the enabling either of the book’s read-aloud function or of screen readers that render the text into a specialized format. (Revised from a similar exemption approved in 2003.)
* Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network. (A new exemption in 2006.)
* Sound recordings, and audiovisual works associated with those sound recordings, distributed in compact disc format and protected by technological protection measures that control access to lawfully purchased works and create or exploit security flaws or vulnerabilities that compromise the security of personal computers, when circumvention is accomplished solely for the purpose of good faith testing, investigating, or correcting such security flaws or vulnerabilities. (A new exemption in 2006.)

If I were mayor ...
If I were mayor, I would look upon that as a job and not a religious calling. I would try not to forget my true priorities, which are:
1. I am a child of God.
2. I am a man, husband to my wife and father to my children.
3. I am an American. I love this country and the good life that I have.
4. I am a Utahn, simply because I live here.
5. From here I am many other things, but if I were mayor, this is where that job would reside.

Bob Neale
Salt Lake City

Cheney at Y.? Bad decision
I have one thing to say about the invitation of Dick Cheney to speak at my alma mater's commencement. "You have to be kidding me!" How can we support such an obviously harebrained decision?

Bart Mortensen
Aurora, Colo.

Not all at Y. back Cheney
I want to voice my opinion over the recent announcement that Vice President Dick Cheney will speak at my university's commencement. Please let the public know that not all students at BYU support this idea. I personally find Dick Cheney to be a morally reprehensible man. He has lied to the American public a number of times, including the Iran-Contra affair and this unfortunate war in Iraq. I do not think Mr. Cheney should be a representative of our school.
The LDS Church and Brigham Young University claim to be politically neutral; however, when we invite such a polemic figure to speak at our university we cannot hold that position. We ought to have invited someone who can offer moral and spiritual advice to the graduating class, not a man who is a combative politician.

Casey DuBose
Provo

Proud of Y. for Cheney invite
I am struck by a number of statements made in the article, "A Cheney Protest at Y?" I hope that the comment by Darren Hawkins that Dick Cheney "may be the most unpopular vice president in history" is a misquote — otherwise it demonstrates astounding historical myopia.
Does the name Spiro Agnew ring a bell? Andrew Johnson? Aaron Burr? Further, the notion that "he may be the most unpopular person in America right now, so, yes, where else could he go?" is troubling.
First, in its hyperbole (Barry Bonds and Simon Cowell likely carry more far-reaching negative name recognition) and, worse, those who oversee American higher education nationally are so close-minded and have drifted so far to the left that they would reject hearing an address by the man who is a heartbeat from being the most powerful person in the world.
I, for one, am gratified to be associated with a university that welcomes the vice president of the United States of America to its campus.

Andrew H. Dabczynski
professor of music education
Brigham Young University

"Does the name Spiro Agnew (DS: Quit after being indicted for Tax Evasion - (wiki)) ring a bell? Andrew Johnson? (DS: Succeeded to the Presidency after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated - first President to be impeached (and acquitted by a single vote) during the "reconstruction" period following the Civil War (wiki)) Aaron Burr? (DS: Mortally Wounded political rival Alexander Hamilton after challenging him to a duel - was indicted on murder charges. Interesting also in as much as he was that last Vice President to shoot someone (in 1804) before Vice President Cheney did (in 2006) (wiki)"

"Further, the notion that "he may be the most unpopular person in America right now, so, yes, where else could he go?" is troubling."

First, in its hyperbole (Barry Bonds and Simon Cowell likely carry more far-reaching negative name recognition)

"...those who oversee American higher education nationally are so close-minded and have drifted so far to the left that they would reject hearing an address by the man who is a heartbeat from being the most powerful person in the world."

I, for one, am gratified to be associated with a university that welcomes the vice president of the United States of America to its campus.

Monica Goodling, who was involved in the firings, said: "I have decided to follow my lawyer's advice and respectfully invoke my constitutional right because the ... circumstances present a perilous environment in which to testify."

" Brett Tolman, now the U.S. attorney for Utah, put the provision in the Patriot Act reauthorization passed in early 2006 while he was working for the Senate Judiciary Committee, based on e-mails released by the Justice Department and statements made by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who was the chairman of the committee at the time.
E-mails from November 2005 show Moschella explaining different options to Tolman including a "more comprehensive fix" that would allow an interim U.S. attorney to serve until the president nominated a new person. Moschella explained that "judges should not be appointing USA's period for separation of powers issue."
Tolman tells Moschella, "I will get the comprehensive fix done." The bill became law a few months later but the bill passed Monday would revert to the court appointing an attorney until a new one is confirmed."

Daniel P. Collins
Los Angeles Office
Email Daniel.Collins@mto.com
Phone (213) 683-9125
Fax (213) 683-5125
V-Card:

Practice - Litigation

Education - Harvard University (A.B., summa cum laude, 1985)

Stanford Law School (J.D., with Distinction, 1988) - Order of the Coif

Clerkship
Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1988-1989
Justice Antonin Scalia, U.S. Supreme Court, 1991-1992


DANIEL COLLINS is a Partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. Mr. Collins’ practice focuses on appellate litigation and complex civil litigation. He has represented a wide variety of clients in numerous appellate matters in the Ninth Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the California appellate courts. These appellate matters have included cases involving securities law, federal preemption, the First Amendment, civil RICO (DS: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (wiki)), and qui tam litigation (DS: (wiki) - Qui tam is a legal provision in the United States under the False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq.), which allows for a private individual, or whistleblower with knowledge of past or present fraud committed against the U.S. federal government to bring suit on its behalf. Its name is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase “qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hoc parte sequitur,” meaning “he who [sues] for the king as well as for himself.")). Mr. Collins’ civil litigation practice has included the defense of significant cases under the Alien Tort Statute (DS: (wiki) - The Alien Tort Statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1350, (ATS) is a federal law that states, in relevant part: "The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action by an alien for a tort only, committed in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States." Recently, this statute has become significant as a means of allowing American government, military, and corporate leaders to be held responsible in a court of law for the human rights abuses committed as a result of their presence in a foreign country. This is regardless of whether the abuses were committed by someone within an American organization, or whether the abuses were committed by a local group empowered by the presence of the American organization.")), including winning summary judgment in one of the first such cases filed against a corporation (DS: (wiki) - Found this reference "For UNOCAL CORP, a Calif corp, defendant: Edwin V Woodsome, Jr, Kristin A Linsley, Daniel P Collins, Munger Tolles & Olson, Los Angeles, CA." - apparently this concerned a company called Unocal, a - surprise, surprise - oil & gas company. From wiki - "Myanmar - Unocal, along with Total S.A., was charged with numerous human rights violations in the construction of the Yadana Pipeline in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Since 1988, Myanmar has been governed by a military junta. The pipeline consortium (which included Unocal) employed the Burmese military, according to the company, to protect the pipeline from insurgents and terrorists. The Burmese soldiers have been accused by villagers in the vicinity of the pipeline of torture, rape and forced labor. Unocal has condemned these actions and points out that the company does not control the Burmese military and did not hire them to police residents.
Unocal is the defendant in legal action brought in the United States under the Alien Tort Claims Act of 1789, a law originally designed to aid victims of pirates. The United States Department of Justice has taken measures to oppose use of the law in human rights cases, and business groups have lobbied the U.S. Congress to repeal the law. It is said to interfere with U.S. foreign relations. This would nullify all pending lawsuits filed under the act. Plaintiffs and Unocal settled the lawsuits against Unocal for an unspecified amount in April, 2005." (a ruling now under review in the Ninth Circuit). He has also represented a major tobacco company in numerous federal and state cases filed by union trust funds seeking recovery of healthcare expenses, ultimately obtaining dismissals with prejudice in all cases. (DS: Sounds like a super evi-.. er.. nice guy)

Over the course of his career, Mr. Collins has argued in numerous federal and state appellate and trial courts. In particular, he has argued 23 cases in the Ninth Circuit, including one case before the en banc court. Mr. Collins has also argued before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Mr. Collins is a member of the California Bar and the District of Columbia Bar, and is admitted to practice before the Sixth, Ninth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits.

Between June 2001 and September 2003, Mr. Collins served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, and during the same period he also served as the Department’s Chief Privacy Officer. (DS: Chief Privacy Officer??) While serving in the Deputy Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Collins coordinated the Department’s efforts on several major legislative and policy initiatives, and testified multiple times before the Judiciary Committees of both the House and the Senate. In particular, Mr. Collins worked extensively on the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today (“PROTECT”) Act of 2003, which included provisions to combat child pornography and child abuse and to reform federal sentencing laws, as well as on the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act. (DS: These two acts are also viewed in connection with the Bush administration's efforts to force ISP's (internet service providers) to retain data on your every action on the internet for up to two years) Mr. Collins also coordinated the Department’s 2003 review and revision of its policies on charging of criminal offenses, plea bargaining, sentencing recommendations, and sentencing appeals. He also played a key role in the formulation of the Civil Rights’ Division’s guidelines on prohibiting the use of racial profiling in federal law enforcement. (DS: Bang up job, Mr. Collins) Mr. Collins also worked on a number of matters relating to the war on terror, including the establishment of a Terrorist Screening Center.

Prior to joining Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in 1996, Mr. Collins served three and one-half years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Office of the United States Attorney in Los Angeles, prosecuting more than 60 criminal cases, including eight jury trials. For more than half his tenure in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Collins was a member of the Criminal Appeals Section, where he supervised the preparation of more than 100 appellate briefs and argued numerous cases in the Ninth Circuit.

Mr. Collins received his A.B. summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1985. While at Harvard, he was elected First Marshal of Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his J.D., with distinction, from Stanford University in 1988, and was a member of the Order of the Coif. He served as a note editor for the Stanford Law Review, and was awarded the Stanford Law Review Board of Editors’ Award for outstanding editorial contributions to the Review.

After graduating law school, Mr. Collins was a law clerk for the Honorable Dorothy W. Nelson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1988-1989). From 1989 until 1991, he served as an Attorney Adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. He clerked for the Honorable Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court during the October 1991 Term (1991-1992).

From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Collins was an adjunct professor, teaching appellate advocacy at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

The President and the Press:
Address before the American Newspaper Publishers Association

President John F. Kennedy
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
New York City, April 27, 1961

Non-Salt Lakers' views valid
To think opinions about Rocky Anderson from people outside of Salt Lake are worthless is folly. What a mayor does in the capital city of a state can affect the entire state. Did New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's action — or inaction — during Hurricane Katrina not have a bearing on Louisiana and surrounding environs? If the Readers' Forum featured letters from only Salt Lake City readers, what a dull place it would be.

David M. Candland
Taylorsville

Global warming not political
Why is there any need to make global warming a political issue? Global warming is caused by dirty air. Every Utah resident surely appreciates clean air, regardless of political opinion. Who cares if Al Gore or Newt Gingrich is urging action to reverse global warming? It is a critical issue, no matter who the messenger is.

James Miller
Park City

"Then Cain and Abel he begat - and they begat all of the rest to us
Which means they must have been incestuous - I'm gonna have to pray about that.."

....

"God made the world just like it is - He made the fossils just to tease us..
Old bones to test our faith in Jesus - Yeah this will all be on the quiz."

Cheney invite inappropriate
I am not an alumnus or graduate of BYU, but I am a tithe payer and a concerned member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Why invite the current vice president to speak at BYU? Ponder the 13th Article of Faith and the ways Vice President Dick Cheney fails in this tenet — particularly the part about believing in being honest, true, benevolent and in doing good to all men.
Why invite a man who endorses "waterboarding" and shrugs it off as a "no-brainer"?
How does the invitation of this man and what he stands for serve the LDS Church and the graduates of its flagship institution?
I am deeply disturbed and saddened by the news of even considering him as appropriate to speak at BYU.

Mark S. Tiller
Salt Lake City

I would like to see the actual trademark. I ran a PTO search and found various Church-registered trademarks, but didn't see one involving the angel Moroni. I'm far from an expert in patient/trademark, but I don't want to assume it's true without seeing the proof.

Posted by Voice of Utah (blog) | March 25, 2007 8:31 AM

Word Mark MORONI BITTER M CASA FONDATA NEL 1843
Goods and Services (CANCELLED) IC 033. US 049. G & S: Alcoholic Bitters
Mark Drawing Code (3) DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS
Design Search Code 03.01.02 - Lions (heraldic)
20.03.10 - Alcohol bottle labels; Bottles, labels for alcohol bottles; Labels, alcohol bottles
24.07.04 - Medals
24.09.07 - Advertising, banners; Banners
24.11.01 - Crowns closed at the top
Serial Number 73384892
Filing Date September 13, 1982
Current Filing Basis 44E
Original Filing Basis 44E
Published for Opposition February 21, 1984
Registration Number 1278242
Registration Date May 15, 1984
Owner (REGISTRANT) Zucca Rabarzucca S.p.A. CORPORATION ITALY 47 Via Vincenzo da Seregno Milan ITALY
Attorney of Record Marvin R. Stern
Disclaimer No claim is made to the exclusive right to use the words "Bitter" and "Casa Fondata Nel 1843", apart from the mark as shown.
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Cancellation Date October 24, 1990

It also doesn't officially say anywhere in the scriptures or what have you that coffee is expressly forbidden. Just says hot beverages. So bye-bye hot chocolate, soup, etc. Silly what get's everybody's panties in a twist, innit?

Posted by Alicia (blog) | March 26, 2007 4:40 PM

7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
8 And again, tobacco is not for the abody, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.

"Showing the Angel Moroni with his trumpet bent upward so a disembodied hand can pour coffee from a drip pot into his mouth is offensive. The statue on the top of the Temple is meaningful for Mormons. To show this statue drinking coffee is not playful or cute. It is hurtful. Why would you accept such an ad?"

In an area with such a large proportion of LDS members, it is an offensive ad, since many Mormons follow the Word of Wisdom's call for total abstinence from coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco. To portray the Angel Moroni breaking this word is not funny; it is offensive. A bar ad in Boston showing Jesus doing shots with scantily clad college coeds would offend the many Catholics in that area.

Cheney's message wrong
I strongly object to BYU's invitation to Vice President Dick Cheney to speak at the April 2007 commencement exercises. His presence will cause many people — perhaps even the majority of Utahns — to believe and occasionally to state that BYU and the LDS Church prefer Republicans over Democrats. Furthermore, this invitation is a tacit acceptance of the misbegotten war in Iraq that Vice President Cheney promoted and has defended.

Bruce Van Orden
Springville

Rocky hatred pointless
I have a fantastic idea for the loyal "Bushies" living in Bountiful, South Jordan, Sandy — and other places — who have such deep hatred for Mayor Rocky Anderson: Move to Salt Lake City and actually vote for Salt Lake City's mayor. That way your endless flow of letters to the editor won't be so utterly worthless.

Daniel Camp
Murray

What's going on in Minnesota? It seems to be on its way to be America's first Somali-Muslim state.

Then we have the situation with Target where Muslim cashiers refused to handle a package of bacon at the checkout stand. Target has now reassigned those people so they don't have to handle pork, which means that Target has agreed to go along with Sharia law.

Then news today that in a suburb of Woodbury a man and a woman were found with a thousand pounds of khat.

What is khat you might ask? It is a mildly hallucinogenic drug which is a favorite of Somalis. When I was in Somali the biggest crowds at the outdoor markets were always around the khat stall, where a new load of the leafy drug had arrived from the bush country or from neighboring Kenya.

All these indicators say one thing very dramatically: Somalis coming to Minnesota are not assimilating. They are bringing the Muslim culture of that desert country to Minnesota's snowy woods. They may have to wear warmer clothing, but the Somalis want Islamic law just like back home. And they want the same illegal drug they had back home, too.

Minnesota is famously liberal and now all eyes are on the state to see how voters there react to this onslaught against their culture and law. Are Minnesotans going to be so open-minded they say, sure you can have a different kind of law here, just for you and your people. We don't mind. We'll pretend we don't notice.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has cooled his friendship with Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson now that the liberal Democrat has called for President Bush's impeachment. Anderson's views about Bush have created a rift

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson was manhandled on national television by Bill O'Reilly. There was a lesson to be learned for the citizens of this city. Let's learn from our mistakes and make a vow to elect an official next time who really wants the job of mayor rather than someone who uses it as a catalyst to push his or her personal agenda.
Let's bring a sense of honor back to the office and vote for the candidate who truly reflects our sense of community.

After watching Bill O' Reilly interview Mayor Rocky Anderson, it was apparent that Bill could barely suffer him. The main subject of the interview was the mayor's insistence that President Bush should be impeached and that there was a constitutional basis upon which this could be done.
The wisdom of how the war has been waged can be debated by people of good will who have differing opinions. But by his obvious and baseless prejudice, the mayor of Salt Lake City has brought shame upon his constituents.
Any city or state is capable of producing people who are dishonorable or even crazed. It is only a negative reflection and embarrassment for a community when those people are elected officials.

Double standard at work - 03.16.2007
I'm intrigued and surprised by the use of the word "scandal" in the front page headline describing the firing of eight U.S. attorneys (March 14). Did the headline writer borrow the phrase from the DNC press release? I don't recall the Deseret Morning News using the pejorative term "scandal" to describe the firing of 93 U.S. attorneys by Janet Reno under the Clinton administration. Is there a double standard at work?

John B. Stohlton
Provo

Why are firings a scandal? - 03.17.2007
Scandal? What scandal? What makes the firing of a person serving at the pleasure of the president a scandal? The press makes it that — simply because it says so.
I, for one am happy about the U.S. attorney in Arizona being sacked. He perpetuated a policy that the U.S. government would not prosecute smugglers for any drug offenses unless a threshold amount was found.
The practice, not founded in law, rankled the ranks of the local law enforcement officers and county attorneys all along the border.

Gerald A. Eberwein
Naco, Ariz.

"The vast majority of U.S. Attorneys, 80-85 percent, I would guess, are doing a great job, are loyal Bushies, etc., etc."

93 attorneys don't count? - 03.18.2007
Gee, while we are investigating this scandal over the eight U.S. attorneys who were fired, we should also give a look at the Travel Office.
Oh. That wasn't Bush. It was Hillary. And they weren't even attorneys. I guess the 93 attorneys her husband fired don't count either.

Cheryl T. Barney
Salt Lake City

Firings are not a scandal - Monday, March 19, 2007
Twice you have had front page headlines referring to the firing of eight U.S. attorneys as a "scandal." Just what is it that the Deseret Morning News doesn't understand about Government 101? U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president. He doesn't need a reason to fire them.
And what makes you think a group of congressmen, most of whom I wouldn't trust to change a toilet paper roll, are suited to micro-manage the operation of the executive branch?
The scandal is your coverage of this nonissue.

Lee Allen
Provo

And what makes you think a group of congressmen, most of whom I wouldn't trust to change a toilet paper roll, are suited to micro-manage the operation of the executive branch?

Start monitoring Congress?
I was pleased to read that Homeland Security is convinced it has the monitoring of foreign terrorists under control and that the department is going to start watching domestic terrorist cells more closely.
Does that mean they're going to start monitoring Congress?

Frank C. Overfelt
Cottonwood Heights

Labels: abortion, Bill O'Reilly, Keith Olbermann, Michele Bachmann, video, worst person in the world

Posted by The Deseret Spectacle at Saturday, March 17, 2007 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Specter explained that the request for the language's insertion came from a Justice Department representative, and was handled by Brett Tolman*, who is now the United States Attorney for Utah, and that the principal reason for the change was to resolve "separation of power issues."

Prior to the PATRIOT Act, U.S. attorneys were replaced by the Attorney General for 120 days and then appointments by the Court or the First Assistant succeeded to the position of U.S. Attorney. The PATRIOT Act gave broader powers to the Attorney General to appoint replacement U.S. Attorneys. I then contacted my very-able Chief Council Michael O’Neill to find out exactly what had happened. Mr. O’Neill advised me that the requested change had come from the Department of Justice, that it had been handled by Brett Tolman, who is now the US Attorney for Utah.

Associate Deputy Attorney General William Moschella discussed the Patriot Act provision with Brett Tolman, then a Republican staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Tolman, with the support of Hatch, won the job over Sampson for U.S. attorney in Utah.

This change, paired with the fact the White House thought about getting rid of all 93 U.S. Attorneys, have led some lawmakers to draw the conclusion that the administration want to fill in the slots with own people without going through regular Senate confirmation.

In 2006, Sampson was in the middle of a debate as who would replace Paul Warner, U.S. attorney for Utah. The White House and Justice Department pushed for Sampson, while Hatch and other senators wanted Brett Tolman. Tolman eventually won the formal nomination .

The provision was added to the Patriot Act at the Justice Department's request by Brett Tolman, who worked for Specter, the senator said last month. Tolman, now the U.S. Attorney for Utah, has declined to comment. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she wants to explore the issue further, after William Moschella, a senior Justice Department official, told McClatchy Newspapers that he requested the change on his own.

In a Nov. 9, 2005, e-mail, Moschella discussed the possible changes with Brett Tolman, then a Republican staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Tolman is now U.S. attorney in Utah.

"The vast majority of U.S. Attorneys, 80-85 percent, I would guess, are doing a great job, are loyal Bushies, etc., etc."

"4. As a political matter, each of our U.S. Attorneys has been recommended by one or more political leaders in their home State. I suspect that when push comes to shove, home-State Senators likely would resist wholesale (or even piecemeal) replacement of U.S. Attorneys they recommended (see Senator Hatch and the Utah U.S. Attorney). That said, if Karl thinks there would be political will to do it, then so do I."

"I'm so fired up about Mitt Romney for President I can hardly sleep at night."

"There are not enough good words in the English Language to describe Mitt Romney and the job he's doing."

"Mitt Romney would bring freshness into the Washington situation."

"He would come with a new outlook, a fresh face, new understanding combined with a deep, deep capacity for leadership and new thinking."

"Look at the same problems with a new look and say 'let's do it a little differently' and most importantly 'Let's get it done.'"

"We spend far too much time talking and saying 'ohhhh yes, that's the problem, oohhh yes no maybe we could consider this' and not nearly enough time working on it and solving it."

Cafferty: And it's not enough that the Attorney General of the United States is a glorified water boy for the White House. The Bush administration also is admitting now that its #1 political HACK, Karl Rove passed along complaints from Republican lawmakers about US attorney's to the Justice Department and the WH counsel's office. A political advisor—playing a role in the hiring and firing of US attorney's. It's disgraceful. —-

Cafferty: If you look up the word weasel in the dictionary Wolf, you'll see Alberto Gonzales's picture there.

Wolf: You don't like him?

Cafferty: That is correct, I don't.

Hillary not fit to run U.S.
If you put your political finger in the air to see which way the polls are blowing, you are not a leader. You are a follower. I am sick of "Mrs. Bill Clinton" flip-flopping and flip-flopping — depending on which group she is addressing. The woman is not fit to run the country at this perilous time in history.

Kyle Williams
Salt Lake City

Legislators also chose war
I've never understood the mantra "President Bush misled us into war." Last I checked, we still have three branches of government, designed to balance power, to think and act independently of each branch. It's shameful and embarrassing that our elected legislators act like helpless bystanders to their own decisions.
Leaders don't apologize for decisions. They stand by them, given the wisdom and information they had at the time. Leaders, however, can and should change decisions when their previous opinions are held under truth's scrutiny. Leaders follow truth, not popular dogma, and never blame others for their decisions.

Randy Blosil
Orem

"They didn't support the war! Excuse me, they supported a resolution that said as a last resort, we're going to give you, Sheriff George Bush, a badge and a gun, that's not saying we want you to go in their blasting at the first sign of trouble."

"It's unfortunate that these cities and townships are misreading the Patriot Act," said Mark Corallo, a Justice Department spokesman.

He said that people who criticize the bill "have missed the fact that the protections that reside in our Constitution reside in the Patriot Act," and that "not a single federal court or Congress, have cited a single instance of abuse of civil liberties."

Keith Olbermann on the Patriot Act Abuses. (VIDEO)

CNN Reports on the admited FBI abuses. (VIDEO)

Jack Cafferty, as usual, says it like it is. (VIDEO)

And Fox News? Well, they're white-washing the hell out of it, as expected. (VIDEO)

"Is Anna Nichole Smith still dead, Wolf?"

"Yes, we're going to be updating our viewers on...."

"Great, can't wait for more of that."

Leave 'news analyses' off A1
Please just report the news on the front page and save your "News Analysis" for the opinion page.
I will read your news reports and make my own "analysis," thank you.

Eve Drown
Riverton

5 out 5 Stars - Need sleep!, August 22nd 2002
Reviewer: Eve Drown from Riverton, Utah, United States
"I stayed up almost all night reading this book. It was riveting and a real page-turner. It tells us things the liberal media would never, ever admit about themselves but we have known all along. Thanks, Ann for giving conservatives a voice. If you liked Bias you'll love this."

Hate speech isn't funny
Dennis Kostecki (Readers' Forum, March 7) states, "For some odd reason, types like (Ann) Coulter believe they have a birthright to characterize other people in the most vicious manner possible."
Yes, it makes you wonder why Bill Maher or Whoopee Goldberg are not forced into rehab for their hate speech humor which gets "laughs and guffaws" from their "lowest common denominator audience."

Doug Dansie
Salt Lake City

On Islamic extremists: "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."
-- Ann Coulter, National Review Online, September 2001

"The presumption of innocence only means you don't go right to jail."
-- Ann Coulter, Hannity & Colmes,August 24, 2001

"God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it! It's yours.'"
-- Ann Coulter, Hannity & Colmes,June 20, 2001

"The thing I like about Bush is I think he hates liberals."
-- Ann Coulter, Washington Post, August 1, 2000

"[Clinton] masturbates in the sinks."
-- Ann Coulter, Rivera Live, August 2, 1999

"If you don't hate Clinton and the people who labored to keep him in office, you don't love your country."
-- Ann Coulter, George, July 1999

On Rep. Christopher Shays (D-CT) in deciding whether to run against him as a Libertarian candidate: "I really want to hurt him. I want him to feel pain."
-- Ann Coulter, Hartford Courant, June 25, 1999

To a disabled Vietnam vet: "People like you caused us to lose that war."
-- Ann Coulter, MSNBC

"I am emboldened by my looks to say things Republican men wouldn't."
-- Ann Coulter, TV Guide, August 1997

"I think there should be a literacy test and a poll tax for people to vote."
-- Ann Coulter, Hannity & Colmes, August 17, 1997

GOP no better than Demos
Utah has long been accused of being a one-party state. Consider this. We have the Democrats, then we have the current governor, his predecessor and most of the Republican dominated Legislature, who tax, spend, waste, control, regulate and abandon traditional conservative values just as though they were Democrats.
As it turns out, the accusers are probably correct.
We truly are a one-party state!

Steve Barnes
Sandy

We truly are a one-party state!?

"-- Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the militant group "

Save kids from pornography
The time has come for law-enforcement agencies to find a solution to the ever-expanding number of sex offenders. Obviously, arresting the guilty is a must, but we need to find the root of these evils. My proposal would be to make pornography illegal. It's addictive and is easily accessed. It's time for lawmakers to recognize this and put a stop to it. Save our children from a fate worse than death.

David Morris
Midvale

Illegals are the 'bad guys'
According to a recent Deseret Morning News editorial (March 5), "Solid souls (illegal immigrants) should be given temporary legal status. ... And the practical way to do this is to allow law-enforcement officers to target and pursue the bad guys."
I assume, therefore, that the Deseret Morning News supports arresting, convicting and then deporting the millions of illegal immigrant "bad guys" who are using the stolen Social Security numbers and other identity documents of millions of American citizens, including tens of thousands of Utah children.
To paraphrase the editorial writer, giving temporary legal status (amnesty) to illegal aliens who are using the stolen identities of millions of innocent Americans is not only lazy thinking, it is immoral.

Ronald W. Mortensen
Bountiful

Coulter tirade hurts Romney
I was disappointed to see former Massachusettes Gov. Mitt Romney introduce Ann Coulter at a recent gathering of conservatives. Shortly after Romney gave her a warm introduction, Ann Coulter proceeded to go on her famous tirade. While Romney didn't make the remark, he surely knew what he was getting into by agreeing to speak with and introduce Coulter. If you can tell a lot about people by the company they keep, what does Romney's choice tell us about him?

Ryan Parker
Salt Lake City

"...what if mary had taken birth control after the Lord filled her with His hot, white, sticky holy spirit..."

Frequent reader passes on - Sunday, March 4, 2007
It is with great sadness we write to you today. On behalf of the Norval Turner family, we wish to say thank you for publishing his letters in your column. Although he has passed on, we hope that the public will continue to support his efforts in keeping good moral standards and ethics in our country and homes.

Maybe someone else will take up the fight
In trying to teach what's respectfully right.
Yes, Norval Turner gave it his best.
Now he has laid his pen to rest.

He will be missed as he rests in peace.

The Turner family
Murray

Turner's voice will be missed
I noted with sadness the passing of Norval George Turner. Norval wrote to the Deseret News and later the Deseret Morning News about public policy, politics and many other subjects. I will miss his "voice." I am grateful for his insight and for his having taken the time to express his views. Thank you, Cork!

Philip DeLaMare
Salt Lake City

Slayings not the only news - Sunday, February 18, 2007
My complaint is not with the Deseret Morning News, but with the television coverage of the Trolley Square massacre. It was as if nothing else were happening. For an hour and a half I watched two different stations and heard nothing except the "big story." What little they knew about it was repeated over and over. The world stopped turning for a few unfortunate families, but life goes on for the rest of us.

Norval Turner
Murray

All-or-nothing not best way - Friday, January 19, 2007
"Getting gramps off the road" (Jan. 17) may cause a lot of hardships. Many of us have "restricted to corrective lenses" on our licenses. Why couldn't some of us have "restricted to daylight hours" or something similar? I know a man who is restricted to a radius of 10 miles from his home and to daylight hours.
Old people do tend to drive carefully and need to get to the grocery store, hair dresser, etc. It may be necessary to restrict their driving, but let's not chop them off too suddenly nor too completely.

Norval Turner
Murray

Do we want Americans tortured? - Dec 13, 2005

Reasons for not torturing prisoners far outweigh any for doing so. One that stands out in my mind is retaliation. Tit for tat or revenge has always been prevalent in the minds of many, including world leaders. We can expect our own people to be tortured whenever any of ours torture others. Is that what we want?

Norval Turner
Murray

Extracting information critical - Dec 21, 2005
Norval Turner in his letter "Do we want Americans tortured?" (Readers' Forum, Dec. 13) makes two points: Reasons for not torturing prisoners far outweigh any for doing so, and our own people will be tortured whenever any of ours torture others.

While we could debate the definition of torture vs. aggressive interrogation, does the writer really think that people who slowly cut off the heads of innocent civilians care what we do to our prisoners? There are many reasons to aggressively interrogate captured terrorists. If we could extract information to prevent the explosion of a nuclear or dirty bomb in an American city, I think that would be a darn good reason.

Richard LaFontaine
Kaysville

Nothing gained from torture - Dec 23, 2005

Richard LaFontaine (Readers' Forum, Dec. 21) criticizes Norval Turner's position on torture, in essence promoting the childish cry of "They did it first!" Torture rarely results in reliable information. Most torture victims will say anything to make it stop. But most importantly, if we do not take the high road and prohibit the use of torture, we risk becoming like those we are fighting.

Boyd Petrie

Extracting information critical - Dec 21, 2005
Norval Turner in his letter "Do we want Americans tortured?" (Readers' Forum, Dec. 13) makes two points: Reasons for not torturing prisoners far outweigh any for doing so, and our own people will be tortured whenever any of ours torture others.

While we could debate the definition of torture vs. aggressive interrogation, does the writer really think that people who slowly cut off the heads of innocent civilians care what we do to our prisoners? There are many reasons to aggressively interrogate captured terrorists. If we could extract information to prevent the explosion of a nuclear or dirty bomb in an American city, I think that would be a darn good reason.

Richard LaFontaine
Kaysville

Liberal radio is unpopular
Bob Neale put in his Readers' Forum two-cents worth suggesting that to fix the problem of the radio waves being too conservative, he should join the jihad against the West (Feb. 28). But before Bob dons a turban and shoulders an AK47, he should understand that a radio broadcasting company isn't going to air a radio show that nobody listens to. That's why the liberal radio shows are far less popular. Conservatism does have control of public radio, but it doesn't amount to much when you consider that liberalism controls the media and public universities.

Matt Warren
West Jordan

Welcome to the Terrorism Awareness website, the nerve center of a national Terrorism Awareness Project to wake up Americans – and particularly American college students – to the threat we face.

Majority, democratic rule leads toward tyranny
By Walter Williams