Reader comments
Pignanelli & Webb: Legislature facing tough public relations issues

If Huntsman could stay moderate, I think he could actually be a good president. Problem is that he has to appease the bible thumping far-right reactionary wackos that were in love with Palin. At the same time, for some reason those same far-right people will never vote for a mormon - including Romney - even if that canidate would bring home the presidency for the repubs.

The GOP is in serious trouble right now. I think Romney would be their best bet, but the far-right are against mormons for (petty) theological reasons, and the left are afraid of them for the anit-gay, zion-curtin, theocratic legislation they throw out in Utah. If the economy recovers y 2012, which I think it will, Obama is reelected.

Webb writes that "the LDS Church was subjected to hateful, bigoted and even simulated terroristic attacks by gay rights radicals" after the passage of Prop. 8. Certainly the Church received criticism for opposing marriage equality. But what "simulated terroristic attacks" is Webb taking about? Is this paranoia or reporting? If true, this sounds like the stuff of news to me. What are the facts beneath Webb's reporting? What "simulated attacks" occurred? What terrorists? Where? I trust that the D-News wouldn't just let one of its columnists make things up. What are the facts behind this incendiary attack?

It's disappointing that LaVarr Webb promotes grabbing as much of the"Stimulus" bill as Utah can get. What about the concept that if you can't be part of the solution at least don't be part of the problem?

It certainly isn't a valid jsutification to say, "Everyone else is doing it."

Utah politicians need to show leadership, a trait that unfortunately is in short supply in government at all levels.

Guess you missed the part about churches being vandalized and white powder being sent to various church addresses, including Temple Square.

Webb is pointing to the fact that multiple letters with a "white powdery" substance was sent to a couple of LDS Temples. It was all over the local and national news. It was a "simulated" attack because the powder sent was benign, although the initial response was an anthrax scare. Are you still confused about this?

What a spectacle! Utah Republicans screeching about the stimulus package and then eagerly grabbing as much of it as they can get. How do they live with themselves, the poor things?

My goodness, Webb! Many people may assume that the gay rights groups did the benign powdery substances, but nobody knows for sure. It could even be some wackos from some right wing religion that dislikes Mormonism. A wacko is a wacko and nobody in their right mind approves them (whether gay or straight, religous or not). This comment should not even have been printed!

Prop 8 Attacks? White powder, book burning, painting and breaking churches windows, etc. It wasn't just the protests or mean spirited speech. I really don't know if it was GLBT groups, or just bigots using the GLBT groups as cover.

I don't know anyone with any heart that defended the abuse tossed at the LDS church after Prop 8.

Recently, Butters was out of line in his comments, and in a real out of traditional comment, the LDS church said we should be nice and that butters didn't speak for the church. If he didn't think he was out of line before, there shouldn't be any question now.

Perhaps next time someone like Butters runs, the democrats will pick someone to run against him that is better than Butters. If a republican candidate did what the democrat candidate reportedly did, sponsoring a Saturdays voyer night roasting butters previous to the election, they would never hold office again.

That said, the Eagle forum and the Sutherland Institute did a dis-service to Utah by opposing HB 160. The other "common ground" bills, I would have voted against as written. HB 160 was not a threat to anyone, and was not written for the GLTB groups, it actually was for everyone, and didn't use the term "same-sex" or anything.

We, our children, our grandchildren, etc, are paying for the simulus whether we take or not,

And it comes from taxes levied against us and our businesses and confisticated from us and our businesses by threat fine or jail,

(and we are allowed get it back, or atleast some it back, with strings attached),

Suddenly the decisions to accept it or not is just not so simple.

Equality Utah issued a statement decrying the acts of "violence, vandalism, and intimidation" against the LDS Church immediately after the election. It's interesting that Webb ignores this statement and then complains that none was issued.

Let's talk about consistency, Webb. An effort to appear balanced in your critiques shouldn't ignore the facts. Fact is, we decried gay attacks on LDS people in a way that The Senate never decried Buttars' attacks on us.

Wondering where the next suit and tie is coming from, having less income from individual bribes nowadays, wondering how to raise taxes on those of us not paid out of the public trough.

Trying to please everyone when there are those unreasonably asking them to take a stand for somethng like freedom of speech and the right to oppose gay activists without recourse to mealy-mouthings.

Trying to find ways to make the Legislature full time by invoking numerous "special sessions", making sure that there are hundreds of mostly unnecessary bills passed every session. Worrying that the central air or heating might develop a problem.

Having those nasty constitutionalists call for less taxes, abolition of all gifts from lobbyists, worrying that their lungs and vocal cords might give out from overuse. The threat of laryngitis, and heart problems from sitting around all day.

There are fingernails to clean, strengthen and paint, shiny pants from being sat on too much, fashions to keep up with, free lunches to earn by flattery, graft and ambiguous promises, sore hands and backs from all the hand-shaking and back-slapping, bad hair days. We ungrateful citizens do not know the half of it!