Two men injured outside a Utah gun show after their weapon exercised its 2nd Amendment rights.

Courtesy of KUTV: 

Two men are recovering from gunshot wounds after an accidental discharge in the parking lot of the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy where the International Sportsmen's Expo was being held. 

According to Jason Nielsen from the Sandy Police Department, the two adult men were sitting in their car at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday when one tried to hand a firearm off to the other. 

The gun discharged hitting one man in the hand, ricocheting and hitting the other man in the leg. 

Both were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The report does not say that the men just purchased the gun at the Sportsmen's Expo but that is likely the case. 

Which would mean that almost immediately after purchasing a weapon for protection they were injured by gun fire which could have potentially ended their lives.

There has got to be a lesson here somewhere.

That Utah cop who arrested the nurse for doing her job has been fired from the police force.

Courtesy of WKRG: 

Authorities say a Utah police officer who was caught on video roughly handcuffing a nurse because she refused to allow a blood draw has been fired. 

A Salt Lake City Police spokesman said Chief Mike Brown made the decision Tuesday following an investigation into Detective Jeff Payne, who made the arrest that became a flashpoint in the ongoing national conversation about police use of force. 

Body-camera video showed nurse Alex Wubbels explaining hospital policy required a warrant or formal consent to draw blood from the patient injured in a July 26 car crash. Payne had neither but insisted. The dispute ended with him dragging her outside as she screamed she had done nothing wrong. Watch the video and read more on the story here. 

Police later apologized and changed their policies.

For any of those who missed this story back at the beginning of last month, this is what went down that day.

Some people become police officers to protect the public, but some become cops because they want to exert power of others.

And I still think that if this nurse had been black this cop would have remained on the force. 

Cop who illegally arrested Utah nurse loses at least one of his jobs.

(Just a video reminder for those who may have forgotten this incident.)

Courtesy of KSL: 

A Salt Lake police detective whose arrest of a University Hospital nurse sparked a worldwide outcry was fired Tuesday from his part-time position at Gold Cross Ambulance. 

Gold Cross officials said Jeff Payne's termination was effective immediately. 

"Although Jeff was not working for Gold Cross Ambulance at the time of the incident, we take his inappropriate remarks regarding patient transports seriously," the company said in a statement. "We acknowledge those concerned individuals who have contacted us regarding this incident and affirm our commitment to serving all members of the community with kindness and respect. We will continue to maintain our values of outstanding patient focused care, safety and the complete trust of the communities we serve." 

Payne also remained on paid administrative leave from the Salt Lake Police Department on Tuesday for his role in the arrest of nurse Alex Wubbels on July 26. 

That's right this guy was actually a paramedic, and he STILL mistreated a nurse like that.

I also hope he loses his job as a cop, because the guy is clearly a menace to society.

But just in case he doesn't the hospitals are taking steps to protect their medical staff.

Courtesy of Wapo:

The University of Utah Hospital, where a nurse was manhandled and arrested by police as she protected the legal rights of a patient, has imposed new restrictions on law enforcement, including barring officers from patient-care areas and from direct contact with nurses. 

Gordon Crabtree, interim chief executive of the hospital, said at a Monday news conference that he was “deeply troubled” by the arrest and manhandling of burn unit nurse Alex Wubbels on July 26. In accord with hospital policy and the law, she had refused to allow a Salt Lake City police officer to take a blood sample from an unconscious patient. Wubbels obtained a copy of the body cam video of the confrontation and, after consulting her lawyer, the hospital and police officials, released it last week. 

“This will not happen again,” Crabtree said, praising Wubbels for “putting her own safety at risk” to “protect the rights of patients.”

If you still think that the police are not out of control in this country, just remind yourself that this hospital, in freaking Utah, just had to create a policy to protect their doctors and nurses from the local police. 

Utah nurse arrested for following protocol and not allowing a police officer to take blood from an unconscious patient. Update!

(That is a very troubling video to watch.)

Courtesy of the Salt Lake Tribune: 

A nurse says she was assaulted and illegally arrested by a Salt Lake City police detective for following a hospital policy that does not allow blood draws from unconscious patients. 

Footage from University Hospital and officer body cameras shows Detective Jeff Payne and nurse Alex Wubbels in a standoff over whether the policeman should be allowed to get a blood sample from a patient who had been injured in a July 26 collision in northern Utah that left another driver dead. 

Wubbels says blood cannot be taken from an unconscious patient unless the patient is under arrest, unless there is a warrant allowing the draw or unless the patient consents. The detective acknowledges in the footage that none of those requirements is in place, but he insists that he has the authority to obtain the draw, according to the footage. 

At one point, Payne threatens to take Wubbels to jail if he doesn’t get the sample, and he accuses her of interfering with a criminal case. 

“I either go away with blood in vials or body in tow,” Payne says. 

After Wubbels consults with several hospital officials and repeats the policy, Payne tells her she is under arrest and grabs her, pulling her arms behind her back and handcuffing her. The footage shows the detective dragging Wubbels out of the hospital and putting her inside a patrol car as she screams, “Help! Help! Somebody help me! Stop! Stop! I did nothing wrong!”

This nurse is extremely professional in how she interacts with the police, and even has her supervisor backing her up on the phone, and still this asshole manhandles her and treats like a common criminal.

That is a man who became a cop, not to help people, but to use the uniform and the authority it represents to bully people into submission.

It should be noted that the nurse never said no to the officer and instead was simply relating to him the hospital restrictions on what she could do to comply with his request when he arrested her.

Heavy.com relates that the officer, Jeff Payne, has NOT been fired and remains on active duty, though there is an internal investigation.

There are also reports of other officers in the area harassing medical staff in hospitals and this seems like a fairly widespread problem in Utah.

No lawsuits pending as of yet, but I think the hospital and this nurse have a very strong case for one.

Personally I hope that the hospital gives this woman a commendation for doing her job in the face of such a terrifying situation, and perhaps a nice raise would not be out of the question as well.

Update: The two officers have been placed on leave.

Now Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz is suggesting that he might not even finish out his term. But remember, there is nothing suspicious here.

Courtesy of Fox 13: 

The day after making a jaw-dropping announcement that he won't seek re-election, Congressman Jason Chaffetz told FOX 13 he may not even finish his term in office. 

“When I contemplate another 200 nights away from home, it is just too much,” Chaffetz told FOX 13 news anchor Bob Evans. 

Hours later, Chaffetz released a statement, adding: "My future plans are not yet finalized but I haven't ruled out the possibility of leaving early. In the meantime, I still have a job to do and have no plans to take my foot off the gas." 

The announcement led to more speculation and some suspicion about the 3rd District congressman's reasons for leaving. The powerful chairman of the House Oversight Committee has repeatedly cited turning 50, growing weary of sleeping on his office cot, and his family being back in Utah.

The first thing that everybody needs to keep in mind is that when a politician says they are quitting to spend more time with their family, that it is ALWAYS bullshit.

And as Mother Jones points out Chaffetz has been almost brutally aggressive with his ambitions:

Jason Chaffetz is so ambitious that his last name is a verb. 

In the political world, to Chaffetz means to throw a former mentor under the bus in order to get ahead, and various prominent Republicans, from former Utah governor and presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. to House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, have experienced what it's like to get Chaffetzed. 

MJ goes on however to suggest that this might be some carefully laid out plan by Chaffetz to make distance between himself and Donald Trump while he plots his return to politics.

However I am still of a mind that there is something seriously scandalous that Chaffetz is attempting to head off or stay well clear of, and that the only thing he is doing is covering his own ass.

Keep in mind the lesson of Sarah Palin.

Once you quit partway through your term the road back is virtually nonexistent.

Utah declares pornography a "public health hazard."

Courtesy of the BBC: 

The US state of Utah has become the first to declare pornography a public health risk in a move its governor says is to "protect our families and our young people". 

The bill does not ban pornography in the mainly Mormon state. 

However, it calls for greater "efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction". 

Pornography, the bill says, "perpetuates a sexually toxic environment" and "is contributing to the hypersexualisation of teens, and even prepubescent children, in our society". 

Further steps must be taken to change "education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community and societal level" against what it calls an epidemic, but it does not suggest how changes should be implemented. 

The bill was signed by Republican Governor Gary Herbert, who said the volume of pornography in society was "staggering".

Yeah especially in Utah where researchers found in a 2009 that it was the number one consumer of online pornography.

So you can only imagine how this new law will be received by the oh so Mormon residents.

When will these people learn that suppressing sexual expression is never the answer?

In Utah you can get your fish and chips with a side of shock that your server is wearing a gun on their hip.

Courtesy of the Guardian:  

The first things you notice are the smell of freshly fried cod and the fact that the men serving it up are wearing kilts. 

It’s only afterward that you notice the waiters are carrying not just trays of food – but pistols, too. 

You’re tempted to ask: “Is that a gun in your sporran or are you just pleased to see me?” Actually, these guys wear their firearms neatly tucked into their waistbands, or in side holsters amid the tartan folds. 

Tony Siebers was carrying his loaded 9mm Sky semiautomatic – made in America, he pointed out – in the top of his Black Watch tartan kilt, as he buzzed around the restaurant he owns in Ogden, Utah, getting ready for the Good Friday dinner rush. 

“It doesn’t come out unless there is an emergency,” he said, patting the black handle of the pistol.

The "emergency" the owner is talking about is a robbery, which if one were to occur in the restaurant he can now insure will be met with a hail of bullets though the majority of robberies do not involve actual gun play.

And while perhaps the probability of a robbery has been reduced by some small percent, the possibility of an accidental shooting within the restaurant seems to have gone up quite dramatically.

Not that I have any plans to visit Utah anytime in the near future, but if I did  you can bet this is one eatery that I would take great pains to avoid.

It's primary day kids! Yes again. Update!

For the Republicans there are primaries in Arizona and Utah.

According to Real Clear Politics Trump leads in Arizona by 13 points while Cruz leads in Utah by 20.

As for the Democrats there are three states. Arizona where Clinton leads Sanders by 26 points, Utah where Sanders is leading by a slim margin, and Idaho where Sanders leads by an even slimmer margin.

For the Republicans Arizona offers 58 delegates, for Democrats 75.

Utah has 40 up for grabs among the Republicans, and only 33 for the Dems.

And of course Idaho has 23 which will probably be split up almost evenly between Hillary and Bernie tonight.

As usual I will try to update the blog just as soon as the numbers start rolling in, but we may not get the final tally until fairly late since these are western states.

Update: Dirty tricks already reported in Arizona.

Update 2: Trump wins Arizona.

Update 3: Now Hillary is projected to win in Arizona as well.

Update 4: Sanders wins Utah. Apparently the turnout was massive.

Update 5: Sanders has also emerged victorious in Idaho.  Good night for Sanders.

Thanks to Donald Trump Utah might vote for Democratic presidential nominee for the first time in 50 years.

Courtesy of KSL: 

If Donald Trump becomes the Republican Party's nominee, Utahns would vote for a Democrat for president in November for the first time in more than 50 years, according to a new Deseret News/KSL poll. 

"I believe Donald Trump could lose Utah. If you lose Utah as a Republican, there is no hope," said former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, a top campaign adviser to the GOP's 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney. 

The poll found that may well be true. Utah voters said they would reject Trump, the GOP frontrunner, whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the Democratic candidate on the general election ballot. 

While Clinton was only slightly ahead of Trump — 38 percent to 36 percent — Sanders, a self-declared Democratic socialist, holds a substantial lead — 48 percent to 37 percent over the billionaire businessman and reality TV star among likely Utah voters.

I know that 48% will get all you Bernie supporters super excited but don't bother, those numbers only reflect the fact that he has not been scrutinized nearly as thoroughly as Hillary Clinton. 

I think that once the Republican party is finished sabotaging Trump, and possibly running a third party candidate against him, that Hillary's percentages will improve exponentially.

I also think that this same scenario may play out in all kinds of states that up until now have been considered reliable conservative strongholds.

Violent clashes between protesters and police outside of Trump rally in Utah. And this is just be the beginning.

Source

Courtesy of ABC News:  

Protesters clashed with supporters of Donald Trump after he gave a speech in Utah on Friday, ending a day full of presidential candidate appearances that also saw Mitt Romney intensifying his criticism of the GOP front-runner. 

Hundreds of people chanted "Dump Trump" and "Mr. Hate Out of Our State" as police in riot gear blocked the entrance to the Salt Lake City building, after protesters tried to rush the door and got into dozens of screaming matches with Trump supporters who didn't make into the venue. 

Trump said he loves Mormons in his first public appearance of the campaign in Utah. He had critical words, though, for former presidential candidate and Utah resident Mitt Romney, who said he was supporting Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the state's upcoming caucuses.

 "Are you sure he's a Mormon? Are we sure?" he jokingly asked his crowd at the Infinity Event Center.

For those who thought that perhaps the anger and violence would cool down, and that Trump had learned his lesson after Chicago, uh nope.

In fact there are signs that it is only going to ratchet up even more.

Courtesy of Politico:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County is relishing the opportunity to host Donald Trump at a rally on his own turf Saturday — and serve as the muscle at the same time. 

“Here I’m gonna be kinda wearing two hats — in charge of the security there in the town and also participating, I would imagine, with Trump in the rally, so it makes it interesting,” Arpaio said in an interview with POLITICO, adding that it “is going to be a lot of fun taking care of business there.” 

Arpaio, who officially endorsed Trump back in January, said that he’s expecting protests at Saturday’s event. But the 83-year-old sheriff who has repeatedly been accused of racial profiling Hispanic residents says Trump’s clashes pale in comparison to his own. 

“I’ve had demonstrations against me constantly,” he said. “He hasn’t had that many demonstrators compared to me.”

Earlier today protesters blocked a road leading to the Trump rally in Arizona. And true to his word Arpaio had some of them arrested.

I seriously doubt this will discourage protesters in the future however. In fact I would imagine that their numbers will only increase.

During that speech in Arizona today Donald Trump had this to say:  

“We’re going to win with our Second Amendment,” he said as the crowd cheered. “We’re gonna win big league with our Second Amendment!”

Yes, that should do tons to tamp down the violence.

Personally I think we can predict with some certainty that there will be a fatality at a Trump rally. The only question is where will it happen, and will it be inside or outside the venue?

Currently half the country sees "fascist undertones" in Donald Trump's campaign.

And my response to that is, "Really, only half?"

Utah man shoots and kills girlfriend in fight after Superbowl.

Jenna Spinya

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

A Utah man shot and killed his girlfriend during an argument Sunday night after the Super Bowl. 

The 41-year-old man called police shortly before 11 p.m. to report that he had shot his 30-year-old girlfriend after she pulled a knife on him, reported KSL-TV. 

Police found the woman dead from multiple gunshot wounds when they arrived at the couple’s Riverdale apartment. 

The woman has been identified in news reports as Jenna Manuel or Jenna Spinya, the mother of an 8-year-old daughter and longtime employee at an Ogden bar. 

Investigators said the couple began arguing shortly after one of them returned from watching the Super Bowl with friends.

Okay first off "multiple gunshot wounds" does NOT sound like self defense to me. 

Second this is yet another illustration as to why guns are the very LAST thing that should be purchased for self defense purposes.

There is such a thing as an "appropriate use of force." We teach this in self defense classes to educate students as to when they should use physical force and how much force should be applied to any given situation.

But with guns there is only one setting on the weapon, and that is death.

Contrary to what you might have learned from television Westerns guns are designed to kill, and if somebody gets wounded in the arm or the leg that usually means the shooter missed their initial target which is the torso. You know, where all of the vital organs are located.

 Not only that but the death which rushes from the barrel of a gun is indiscriminate in that it can kill, not only its intended target, but anybody within a certain radius depending on its caliber and the environment in which it is fired.

That means that a person, even a child, minding their own business in another part of a house, or in the neighborhood, or even driving by on the street could be the victim of a billet fired in anger or out of fear.

Now I'm not saying that this man was not in imminent danger of being injured or even killed, but grabbing a gun to fend off a knife attack by somebody you are supposed to care about is a complete overreaction in my opinion.

And before you jump on me for not understanding the danger you should know that I have actually faced off against knife wielding combatants more than a few times, and in fact have a small scar right below my bellybutton and another on my hand.

In none of my situations, as scary as they might have been, did I pull out a gun to defend myself, and every one of the people who threatened or attacked me are still walking the earth to this day.

They did not have to die, they only had to be stopped, and I was able to manage that without taking a life, or really even doing a great deal of injury to my assailants. 

That is what is meant by an appropriate use of force.

Gee a dating website for White Supremacists, how adorable.

“I just feel we should be past that whole mindset of staying within our own race and segregation pretty much."Several...

Posted by Fox 13 News on Thursday, December 31, 2015

Courtesy of Fox 13: 

The giant ad for WhereWhitePeopleMeet.com, between 5600 W. and 7200 S., is turning heads and leaving residents with many unanswered questions. 

A FOX 13 viewer who wanted to remain anonymous voiced concerns about the dating service that, according to its website, has a main office in North Salt Lake. 

Several Utahns spoke with FOX 13 News about their take on the billboard. 

“I just don’t think it’s the way to teach our kids to love all when you see billboards like that," Kim Gilbert said. 

Michelle Dessau said she thinks the billboard represents exclusionary views. 

“I just feel we should be past that whole mindset of staying within our own race and segregation pretty much," Dessau said.

Well it IS Utah after all.

This is what it says on the "about us" page for WhereWhitePeopleMeet: 

I am sure some of you are wondering about the concept and need for a dating website titled “Where White People Meet.Com”. Our answer to that would be why not? There are various dating websites that promote and cater to just about every origin, race, religion and lifestyle out there. So again, why not “Where White People Meet.Com”? 

The question naturally arises, can anyone join? That answer is yes, as long as you are at least 18 years of age and you agree to abide by the rules and regulations set forth for all members to follow. We want our dating forum to be simple and inexpensive with the ability to connect like minded people in a non discriminatory fashion. 

Here at “Where White People Meet.Com” we believe in the concept that all people have the right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. We also believe that finding your perfect partner, your soul mate is one of the best ways, as humans, to obtain happiness. Furthermore we believe that all men are created equal (the word men stands for a species, not gender). 

We sincerely hope that you decide to join today. There are hundreds of dating websites to choose from, so please join ours if it fits your preferences and helps bring your ideal soul mate that much closer. Here at www.wherewhitepeoplemeet.com we believe that all people, regardless of race, creed, color or religion deserve to be happy and that no one should go through life alone.

Yes everybody can join, but if you think you brown skin folks are getting a hookup you have another think coming.

And I am sure that they think that "all people" deserve to be happy so long as they do not have to mix the races to achieve that happiness. After all dagnabbit that ain't right.

Another win for Planned Parenthood in Utah.

Courtesy of The Salt Lake Tribune:  

A judge on Tuesday blocked an order issued by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert to cut off federal money going to Planned Parenthood in the state after the release of secretly recorded videos by a California anti-abortion group. 

U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups issued the temporary restraining order during a hearing, allowing the money to keep flowing while the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah seeks a longer-term injunction. 

Planned Parenthood sought the emergency order a day after suing Herbert. It said some programs would have expired Wednesday if the money was blocked. 

Herbert acted on his personal and political agenda when he cut off funding to the organization following the release of the videos, said Peggy Tomsic, a lawyer for the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah.

State by state, lawsuit by lawsuit, Republicans are getting their asses handed to them over their overreaction to those doctored videos.

It is just sad that Planned Parenthood has to waste time and money defending themselves against what is clearly a partisan attack inspired by phony videos that were proven false almost the moment they first appeared.

Anti-abortion non-profit does not want to disclose how much they are paying Sarah Palin to lie about her last pregnancy. But it's a lot.

"Ya wanna here that story about Trig's birth a gain?"

Courtesy of KSL:  

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is coming to Utah next month to headline the Pregnancy Resource Center's annual "Banquet for Life" fundraiser. 

But just how much the Christian faith-based, nonprofit organization is paying the former Alaska governor for the appearance is not being made public. 

"We are very, very limited in what we can say," said Kevin Andrews, the center's board chairman, citing the terms of the contract signed with Palin. "I can't get into it. I can say it was very reasonable given our expectations." 

Andrews said the organization is also obligated to pick up "very nominal" expenses for Palin. He said the seven-member board has already covered both her fees and expenses, through donations as well as from their own pockets.

Tickets to see Palin mangle the English language, or in her words "speak American," are going for $100 a pop, $1,500 for a table of ten, or $5000 if they also want to see her play with the food on her plate.

It would only be a guess as to how much these idiots are paying Palin, but I would not at all be surprised that based on her dwindling popularity they found themselves losing more money than they bring in. 

Which considering the fact that this is yet another one of those organizations that lie about birth control causing cancer, and prophylactics failing 50% of the time, is probably not a bad thing.

As I said in an earlier post these appearances are Palin's last refuge. And even though WE may know that the Trig birth story is full of holes, and that she is an absent parental figure in his life, these people will not be swayed by facts.

This is how the hoard chairman describes the event: 

"We are stepping up in faith with this event because we believe there is an extreme need in this valley and this state for the services we provide," Andrews said, describing his organization as a "life-affirming" ministry for pregnant women and their families.

Yeah when somebody says they are "stepping up in faith," you can be sure that the critical thinking skills were left at home.

Sarah Palin to speak at fundraiser for The Pregnancy Resource Center. Seriously?

Courtesy of the Salt Lake City Weekly: 

In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, the only stops hopeful Commanders-in-Chief are likely to make seem to be piggy-bank fundraisers at assorted mansions in Park City. 

But have no fear: Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and 2008 vice-presidential nominee, is swinging by Salt Lake City Oct. 2 for the Pregnancy Resource Center’s Banquet for Life fundraiser at the Grand American Hotel. (Well yeah, but what else does she have to do?)

“We are delighted to have Governor Palin as our guest speaker this year,” said Jim Kerr, the resource center’s executive director, in a news release. “We know that her message will be both touching and motivating for all who attend.” 

 Pregnancy center? Isn't that usually Bristol's  gig?

I wonder why she's not the one giving the speech?

Oh yeah, that's right.

Oh wait, is this one of those uber religious anti-abortion groups masquerading as a pregnancy resource center?
 
The Pregnancy Resource Center, according to its website, is affiliated with the Life Care Center of Utah. Its mission statement says it is a "Christ-centered ministry that works to meet the comprehensive needs to those unprepared for pregnancy, heal lives traumatized by abortion and challenge people to embrace a Biblical view of sexuality and the sanctity of human life.”

Yup, it sure is.

Apparently tickets for the dinner are going for a hundred dollars a pop. That is unless you want to share a table with Palin and then it's $5,000.

I'm sure it's well worth five thousand dollars to watch Palin pick at her food for an hour before she rushes off to the bathroom to shove her fingers down her throat.  Don't you think?

But to be fair Palin might be the perfect person to talk about pregnancy with this group.

After all, her last one was pretty damn amazing.

"Copyright Shmopyright" says Sarah Palin.

Courtesy of The Salt lake Tribune:

Now, Palin is using a North Salt Lake photographer's copyright picture of a grizzly chasing a wolf in Yellowstone National Park on her Facebook page without crediting him. 

Rob Daugherty, a wildlife photographer and tour guide, took the stunning photo Aug. 5, 2010. The image has been posted extensively on the Internet. Daugherty says when his credit line is missing and he informs the the Web venues that it's a copyright photo, they either take it down or add his credit line. 

But earlier this week, when he pointed out that Palin's Facebook page had failed to credit him, Palin ignored him. 

Instead, several of Palin's Facebook friends derided Daugherty for being petty and praised the former Alaska governor for loving America so much.

Of course as we all know this is not the first time that Palin has been called out for using a copyright protected image and not giving credit, or financial reimbursement, to the folks who own it.

Remember it was just this last April that she finally paid $15,000 to settle a lawsuit over her use of an iconic 9-11 photograph.

By the way I checked and now that photo of the bear chasing the wolf has been removed. However as usual it is too little, too late.

In other news is looks as if there are still a few slow learners willing to pay Sarah Palin to show up and say ignorant things during a fundraiser.

Well hell, she needs to do SOMETHING to raise money to fight copyright infringement lawsuits.

Almost 100 Mormons hand in letters of resignation to the LDS headquarters in Salt Lake City.

From the musical "Book of Mormon." The only thing about the religion that I like.

Courtesy of Fox 13:  

Close to 100 people marched through the streets of Salt Lake City Saturday to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where they officially resigned from the Mormon Church. 

Participants in the mass-resignation event said women’s inequality and LGBT discrimination were just a few of the reasons behind why they officially resigned from the church. 

“I’m very nervous, but I`m also happy just to begin that next phase of my life,” said Brendon Carpenter, who was one of about 90 to resign. “As I have been studying the Book of Mormon and the bible while on my mission I discovered for myself that I didn`t trust the leadership anymore.” 

Stephanie Orgill said there are a number of issues of discrimination within the church that led her to resign. 

“The treatment of women and children and also the gay community to me the most disgusting and the cultural of obedience rather than free thinking,” Orgill said.

Okay does this mean that the Mormon church is about to become a more reasonable religion, that is less oppressive toward gays and women?

Nah, that can't happen. Right?

Though in 1978 the church did suddenly decided that black people were not longer the sinful supporters of Lucifer. So, you know, maybe.

Senator Orrin Hatch, "My gosh, they're just straight old dumbass liberals anyway." Hey!

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) came out swinging against Democrats Friday, telling a room of conservative lawyers that Republicans were ready to give the other party "a taste of their own medicine." 

"Frankly, I intend to win with our candidate for the presidency in 2016, and we will give them a taste of their own medicine," said Hatch. "And we're going to win. We're going to win. These next two years are extremely important. Maybe the most important two years in our history." 

Hatch also drew laughs from the crowd when he made fun of the left for using the term "progressive." 

"I get a big kick out of them using the word 'progressive,'" he said. "My gosh, they're just straight old dumbass liberals anyway."

Well he seems nice.

By the way Orrin Hatch is the guy who once said, "Capital punishment is our society's recognition of the sanctity of human life."

A quote which I must be too much of a dumbass to understand.

I am not sure which "taste of our own medicine" Hatch is planning to give Democrats, but if it means Republicans are going to lay down and allow the Democrats to roll over them, like our people have done for the last six years, well then that seems fair.

As for being progressives, I think I'll take it. After all it sure beats being a warmongering, anti-science, anti-women's rights, old dried up fossil any fucking day of the week.

But what do I know? After all I'm just a liberal, and all we have are logic and facts on our side.

Utah teacher injured terribly when her totally legal firearm goes off while she is on the toilet. Anybody feel safer?

Courtesy of the BBC:  

A teacher in the US state of Utah who was legally carrying a gun in her primary school was seriously injured when it accidentally discharged, police have said. 

The incident happened in a staff toilet before classes started and no children were in the building, officials said. 

The unidentified woman was in a good condition in hospital by the afternoon. 

Utah is among a number of states that allow people with permits to carry concealed weapons into primary schools.

Look I am going to bang this drum until everybody else picks up an instrument and starts playing along with me. 

More guns mean more danger.

And this bullshit idea that shootings happen on school grounds because they are designated "gun free" zones is pure unadulterated bullshit!

Shooters go there because that is where they will make the biggest impact.

And unless we want to assign armed guards to every one of our elementary schools, high schools, and universities it will undoubtedly happen again.

And if not there than a military base, packed theater, or shopping mall.

The problem is not a lack of guns, the problem is that society teaches people to associate guns with power and dominance, and then provides them the means for attaining that power much, much too easily.

Right Wing extremist in Utah arrested over plot to bomb bridges and start a revolution against the government.

Courtesy of WFAA:  

Authorities arrested a 47-year-old Utah man Thursday that they say had been plotting to kill police officers and blow up a police station with the hope the attacks would cause an uprising against the government. 

FBI agents and police in Tremonton arrested John Huggins on Thursday on a charge of possessing an unregistered destructive device, U.S. Attorney's Office of Utah spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch said in a statement Friday evening. 

Huggins built an improvised explosive device and possessed explosive materials and instructions for making bombs, FBI Special Agent Steven Cadiz said in court documents. 

In February, a "concerned citizen" contacted Tremonton police to report Huggins threatened to blow up a Bible study group and had buried bombs around the city of Ogden, Cadiz said. 

Police later determined that information was incorrect, but Huggins had threatened to blow up the Tremonton Police Department and wanted to assassinate two officers before the bombing, according to court records. He also planned to blow up bridges and other infrastructure to prevent emergency responders from being able to help, the court records state. 

Huggins stated he believed the attacks would cause the community to rise up against the government, investigators said.

Sounds an awful lot like those two sovereign citizen types who killed the police officers in Nevada.

And much like the rhetoric that was heard during the Bundy Ranch standoff.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that this country has much less to fear from Islamic terrorists from abroad, than it does from the homegrown Right Wing domestic terrorists being urged on by the likes of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin.

Sure we can track down and arrest AL-Qaeda members in Afghanistan for promoting terrorism, yet this far more dangerous threat is allowed to walk around free fomenting dangerous anti-government tactics and spreading harmful conspiracy theories wherever they go.