tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53093049803389343662024-02-19T23:46:17.464-08:00Gayle Force WindMax Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-37612108344048509502015-06-26T11:23:00.001-07:002015-06-26T11:23:27.200-07:00SCOTUS Ruling<p align="justify">I’m really upset because of the Supreme Court ruling on Gay Marriage.</p> <p align="justify">No, no, no – I do agree with the ruling.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.srossi.net/2013/06/Gayle3.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="http://www.srossi.net/2013/06/Gayle3.jpg" width="400" height="455"></a></p> <p align="justify">I just fully expected that Gayle Ruzicka’s head would explode from the news, and I just saw her on Ch 13 News, head still intact.</p> <p align="justify">Damn.</p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-79962161883348868502013-12-21T16:53:00.001-08:002013-12-21T16:53:53.109-08:00And from the peanut gallery…<p>From <a href="http://www.4utah.com/story/traditional-marriage-supporters-fight-back-against/d/story/D5v8n6ovxUSLvhePu7-EEA" target="_blank">this 4Utah.com</a> article:</p> <p align="justify">Gayle Ruzicka:</p> <blockquote> <p align="justify">“<font color="#ff0000">Marriage is sacred. It's between a man and a woman and anything other than that violates God’s law and it’s immoral,</font>”<br>”<font color="#0000ff">‘activist judge.’</font>”<br>“<font color="#ff0000">Marriage is a state issue. This is not a federal issue. So a federal judge does not have the right to tell Utah what we are going to do with our marriage laws,</font>”<br>Blaming the guy who took over for Utah Attorney John Swallow when he resigned a couple weeks ago: “<font color="#0000ff">They should've been prepared with their stay, with their appeal ready to go so it could've been stopped immediately instead of waiting now over the weekend while they continue to perform these same sex marriages,</font>”<br>“<font color="#ff0000">I think it'll be quite a battle this will continue and go all the way to the Supreme Court,</font>”</p></blockquote> <p align="justify">And even my favorite local teabagger, Mia Love, weighed in:</p> <blockquote> <p align="justify">“<font color="#0000ff">unacceptable</font>”<br>“<font color="#ff0000">As a President Obama appointee, Judge Shelby used his position on the federal bench to override the will of Utah's voters...</font>"</p></blockquote> <p align="justify">Yeah, you’re right. It’s not the Federal Courts’ job to decide if states are violating the U.S. Constitution. Their job is to, uh, hmmm, I guess I just don’t know what their job is.</p> <p align="justify">And even if it was, don’t state laws outrank the U.S. Constitution? After all, 66% of the people of Utah voted for Amendment 3, shouldn’t that negate any Federal constitutional rights? Didn’t the Civil War make the definitive decision regarding States’ Rights?</p> <p align="justify">I do agree with Gayle’s last comment. The Great State of Utah is always willing to squander tax money on windmill fights.</p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-58012975645772960012013-07-05T16:11:00.001-07:002013-07-05T16:11:19.251-07:00Clueless Governors<p align="justify">Over 2 decades ago, then Governor of Utah Norm Bangerter, in response to teacher’s complaints about low pay, huge classes and rock-bottom lowest per-pupil spending, responded with something like “<font color="#0000ff"><strong>They</strong></font> [<font color="#ff0000">teachers</font>]<font color="#0000ff"><strong> just need to take a couple aspirins and go back to work</strong></font>.”</p> <p align="justify">Our current Governor, Gary Herbert, now joins Normie in the <strong><em>Utah League of Dumbass Comments Regarding Education</em></strong>.</p> <p align="justify">“<font color="#0000ff"><strong>A teacher could have gone to sleep 100 years ago, come back 100 years later and felt very comfortable in the classroom – because nothing has changed</strong>.</font>” (<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56531786-90/health-care-education-governors.html.csp" target="_blank">Salt Lake Tribune, June 2013</a>)</p> <p align="justify">Nothing has changed? This comment proves without a doubt that our current Governor either a) is completely ignorant about what is going on in Utah schools, b) is intentionally lying in order to display education in a bad light, or c) both.</p> <p align="justify">I think about education when I started teaching 20 years ago and know that if I had slept the last 15 years I would be flabbergasted being dumped in a classroom in 2013.</p> <p align="justify">Would a teacher from 100 years ago:</p> <ol> <li> <div align="justify">Be ESL (English as a Second Language) endorsed in order to be better prepared to teach our diverse population?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Be able to teach using differentiated instruction in order to address different learning styles?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Be able to update their grades at least weekly and have them available to student’s and parents at home?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Know how to put worksheets, assignments and even lesson notes somewhere that students who are sick or on vacation could access them and be able to keep up with classwork?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Have almost immediate communication with parents on a daily basis?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Know how to make a power-point lesson and present it to the class? </div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Be able to set up an online Disclosure for parents and students? Or even know what a Disclosure Statement is?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Know how to show a video from <a href="http://www.teachertube.com/" target="_blank">TeacherTube</a> to the class and integrate it into a lesson?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Be able to supervise their students taking the online benchmark tests, access the data from those tests, import it into an Excel spreadsheet so they could use it to guide their future lessons?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Even understand the importance of the end of the year tests?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Be comfortable using a whiteboard, or even know how to use a SmartBoard, Interwrite Tablet or iPad connected to their PC, instead of a chalkboard?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Be able to supervise a class of students using the computer lab for research, writing or any of the other online learning programs?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Understand how to help a student using a graphing calculator to do their math homework?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Set up and give a clicker quiz?</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Even understand what ESL, 405, SEP, PLC, URL, logon, SID, AP, SpEd, LMITS, MyAccess, Canvas, Digits, Portal or WebStore mean?</div></li></ol> <p align="justify">And I’m sure teachers out there could think of at least 100 more examples of things that we have had to adapt to over even just the last couple of decades in order to do our best to keep up with a changing society.</p> <p align="justify">No, Mr. Herbert, a teacher from 100 years could not do my job and if you’d get your ass off your high horse up there on the hill and come down and visit a few schools, you would be amazed at how different the job is from even when you were in the public school system.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-35290601457034473322013-06-29T10:07:00.001-07:002013-06-29T10:56:32.392-07:00Amendment 3 Unconstitutional?<p align="justify">One group and several legal analysts have predicted that within the next 5 years we will see same-sex marriage in all 50 states. I don’t know about that prediction, but I have one of my own.</p> <p align="justify">If and when the U.S. Supreme Court forces Utah to recognize same-sex marriages, and that’s what it will take here, I predict we’ll see this:</p> <p align="justify"><img style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="http://www.srossi.net/2013/06/Gayle1.jpg" width="500" height="569"></p> <p align="justify"><img style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="http://www.srossi.net/2013/06/Gayle2.jpg" width="500" height="569"></p> <p align="justify"><img style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="http://www.srossi.net/2013/06/Gayle3.jpg" width="500" height="569"></p> <p align="justify">And <strong><em>that </em></strong>will be a good thing.</p> <p><img style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-89057937221356774632013-06-26T22:07:00.001-07:002013-06-26T22:07:24.707-07:00“And there was much rejoicing”<p><img style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="http://www.srossi.net/2013/06/doma.jpg" width="400" height="470"></p> <p><img style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-26853345090272620422013-06-17T09:52:00.001-07:002013-06-17T09:52:11.893-07:00Legislative Follies<p align="justify">Last legislative session a bill that would have made cockfighting a felony was struck down. One of the opposing legislators said he voted against it because he couldn’t see making cockfighting a felony as long as abortion is legal.</p> <p align="justify">Sen. Gene Davis, (D-Salt Lake City), just pre-filed SB52, word-for-word the same as that bill that he introduced last year. The opposition has already come out with an asinine response.</p> <p align="justify">“Roosters fighting each other, that comes naturally. Yes, it’s enhanced by people. I just don’t believe it deserves a felony.” was Sen. Allen Christensen’s, (R-North Ogden) excuse for opposing it this time.</p> <p align="justify">At least he admitted the comparison with abortion was not the best idea. “I will still oppose it. I will be a little wiser in the comparison in the penalties for that and certain other things.”</p> <p align="justify">But by far, the best argument came from some guy in Oklahoma that called Sen. Davis and told him “George Washington fought cocks, it’s part of our culture.” Yeah, so <strong><em>was</em></strong> slavery, treating women like property, only allowing male property owners to vote and dozens of other things we have (thankfully) realized needed to end.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-49621726053889693412013-06-16T11:33:00.001-07:002013-06-16T11:35:21.510-07:00Longing for “Watergate”.<p align="justify">I was only 12 when the Watergate break-in happened, 14 when President Richard Nixon resigned. I was disgusted, embarrassed and convinced he would go down in history as the worst American politician, ever.</p> <p align="justify">40 years and our last president later, Nixon seems more pathetic than criminal. He was a victim of his own paranoia. He pretty much had the election locked up, with or without knowledge of the Democrat’s battle plan. And at least he had the common courtesy to resign so that a country torn apart by his misdeeds could start to heal.</p> <p align="justify">Not so much with Utah Attorney General John Swallow. He is swimming in allegations of ethical violations, power brokering, bribery and strong-arming. There are several ongoing investigations into Swallow’s misdeeds, Federal and State. Whether true or not, these accusations are compromising the ability of his office to do it’s job.</p> <p align="justify">Personally, I don’t trust the guy any further than I could throw him, and I’m convinced that, at best, he’s guilty of unethical political dealings. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was guilty of some criminal endeavors also, and I definitely believe he should resign. Even though I don’t know all the details and am in no way a political “insider”, I do know enough about Utah politics to see the writing on the wall.</p> <p align="justify">WRITINGS ON THE WALL:</p> <ol> <li> <div align="justify">In a political “old-boys” network that recently gave a standing ovation to a legislator that came clean and resigned after it was alleged he had gone hot-tubbing with a teenage girl, several members of the Utah House have sent out emails discussing starting impeachment proceedings against Swallow, who belongs to the same party.</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Our conservative Republican Governor has publically stated that if it were in his power, he would have already fired conservative Republican Attorney General John Swallow.</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">Paul Mero, President of the Sutherland Institute, a conservative “think” tank here in Salt Lake City, has publically advised Swallow to resign.</div></li></ol> <p align="justify">John Swallow’s response to all this?</p> <blockquote> <p align="justify">"Why would you step down from a duly elected office when two-thirds of the people in Utah elected you because of your vision and your platform just because of allegations from questionable sources?”</p> <p align="justify">"I’ve looked at the ethics statutes … and don’t see anything I’ve done that gets close to the line."</p> <p align="justify">"I don’t like sweaters,"</p> <p align="justify">Swallow said he asked for a federal investigation into the allegations against him, even though it’s "like putting a fire hose up your nose and turning it on full blast" because he is certain he will be cleared.</p> <p align="justify">"It takes a lot of courage to stand strong in the face of fire, knowing your convictions and knowing what you did or didn’t do,"</p></blockquote> <p align="justify"><img style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline" align="left" src="http://images.politico.com/global/2013/01/08/130108_richard_nixon_ap_328.jpg" width="100" height="54"></p> <p align="left">I am not a crook.</p> <p align="left">Worked for Nixon, right?</p> <p align="left"><img style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-78462413638068082022013-03-17T11:21:00.001-07:002013-03-17T11:21:24.499-07:00Gotta love this man.<p align="justify"><img style="display: inline; float: right" align="right" src="http://www.srossi.net/2013/03/urquhart.jpg" width="150" height="200">Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, as Paul Rolly of the Salt Lake Tribune puts it, is a “<font color="#0000ff">low tax, small government, pro-business fiscal conservative.</font>” But he’s the kind of Republican that pisses off <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/55993751-90/adoption-bill-abortions-birth.html.csp" target="_blank">Gayle Ruzicka</a> and the <a href="http://www.utaheagleforum.org/" target="_blank">Utah Eagle Forum</a>. Which, in my opinion, makes him a good Republican.</p> <p align="justify">How does he piss off the Ruzickastanians? Let me count the ways:</p> <ol> <li> <div align="justify">He showed his opposition to a bill that would ban the teaching of evolution in Utah schools by wearing a monkey tail during the session the Senate voted on the bill.</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">He sponsored a bill that would make it easier for teachers to discuss contraception in sex education classes.</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">He helped prevent legislation against the <a href="http://www.ibo.org/" target="_blank">IB</a> program by people who think it’s a United Nations socialist plot against the American way of life.</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">When the <a href="http://sutherlandinstitute.org/" target="_blank">Sutherland Institute</a> got all bent out of shape over the Sundance Film festival, he compared them to the <a href="http://www.godhatesfags.com/" target="_blank">Westboro Baptist Church</a>.</div></li> <li> <div align="justify">And just this legislative session, he sponsored, and helped push through the Senate Committee with a favorable recommendation, a bill that would have banned housing and employment discrimination against the <a href="http://lgbt.utah.edu/" target="_blank">LGBT</a> community. (It still failed in full session vote).</div></li></ol> <p align="justify">Hmmmmm, Gov. Herbert showing rational thought, Sen. Aaron Osmond listening to actual Educators when thinking about education legislation, and now Sen. Urquhart refusing to be a jellyfish and showing backbone by standing up to the Eagle Forum.</p> <p>Is the Utah Republican Party learning that extremism is what cost them in the last election, or is this just a temporary shift?</p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-35363616547958911952013-03-11T19:48:00.001-07:002013-03-11T19:48:43.842-07:00Utah Legislators bought and paid for? Pshaw…<p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/adams/vouchers.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: inline; float: right" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/adams/vouchers.jpg" width="200" height="134"></a>Why bother understanding one of your own bills you expect to become law when you can have a representative of the special interest group that is pushing it explain it for you.</p> <p align="justify">At least that’s what a couple Utah Senators from Layton seem to think. And not too many people up there seem too<a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/adams/adams.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: inline; float: left" align="left" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/adams/adams.jpg" width="128" height="200"></a> worried that the group that has sworn to punish the uppity citizens of Utah for a Citizen Initiative that defeated their beloved private-school vouchers knew more about proposed education laws than the people who supposedly wrote them.</p> <p align="justify">But that’s what happened. When a group asked Sen. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, to explain a bill that would change the way public schools in Utah were graded, all but guaranteeing every one would fail, he sent Judi Clark out to give the details.<a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/adams/stevenson.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: inline; float: right; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/adams/stevenson.jpg" width="200" height="147"></a></p> <p align="justify">Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, got the same Judi Clark to explain his bill, establishing a student achievement record for everyone to see, to the Senate Education Committee.</p> <p align="justify">So, “Who is this Judi Clark?” you ask. Is she the Layton Senator’s personal assistant? Or maybe a Senate aide they both share? A paralegal? Could be she just typed it up for them, so they figured she knew it the best.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/adams/judiclark.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: inline; float: left" align="left" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/adams/judiclark.jpg" width="200" height="242"></a>Um, no. She’s the executive director of Parents for Choice in Education, a group hell-bent on decimating public schools so they can foster the use of public funds for private schools.</p> <p align="justify">I know it’s silly, but it all makes me wonder why someone running a group that is working against public schools has so much influence regarding laws that have to do with public education.</p> <p align="justify">Maybe it has to do with all the money they donate to political campaigns.</p> <p align="justify"><font size="4">Nah.</font></p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-27970823021641593662012-11-23T06:13:00.000-08:002012-11-23T06:13:00.347-08:00Black Friday<p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/11/21/walmart-s-black-friday-crashers-workers-protesting-striking/_jcr_content/body/inlineimage.img.503.jpg/1353491110052.cached.jpg"></p> <p align="justify">If it’s the “Job Creators” that power our economy, and not the consumers, then why the hell is Black Friday such a big deal?</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-43878775407131205192012-11-21T09:04:00.001-08:002012-11-21T09:05:42.837-08:00Republicans take note:<p align="justify">Front page of the Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 21, 2012:</p> <p align="justify"><font size="5" face="Times New Roman">“<strong><font color="#0000ff">Obama’s aide: Hunstman was biggest threat</font></strong>”</font></p> <p align="justify">Even before Jon Huntsman Jr. announced his candidacy for the presidency, the Democrats knew, or at least suspected, that extremism would be the downfall of the Republican bid for president.</p> <p align="justify">All the numbers show that the middle (political philosophy) won the election for Obama. He had the extreme liberals locked, just as Romney had the extreme conservatives. Romney lost because Obama appealed to 56% of the moderates, compared to Romney’s 41%.</p> <p align="justify">There is no doubt in my mind that Huntsman would have captured a lot of those moderate votes. I know for a fact that he very likely would have taken 2 of the more liberal votes, mine and my friend Adele’s. There’s no doubt in my mind that Obama is the better choice of the two we were given, by a longshot, but had he run against Huntsman I would have had some real thinking to do.</p> <p align="justify">I voted for him in his bid for reelection as Governor of Utah, I was impressed with his ability to look at all sides of an issue and do what he thought was in the best interest of the state. At times I disagreed with his decisions, other times I thought he was spot on, but either way it seemed he took into account all opinions, not allowing himself to get locked into a single view of the world. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/jettison.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/jettison.jpg" width="500" height="335"></a></p> <p align="justify">I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: You guys have to jettison that psycho Tea Party, adopt a more inclusive and moderate platform and run candidates that can at least appear to sympathize with moderate Americans. Because, I’d bet, most of us fall in that category.</p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-37038586017579557782012-11-18T10:13:00.001-08:002012-11-18T10:13:08.481-08:00A little cheese with that whine, Orrin?<p align="justify">Early in the presidential campaign, the [dis]Honorable Orrin Hatch, Senator from Utah, accused the president of <em>future</em> slams against the LDS Church as an attack against Mitt Romney.</p> <p align="justify">Even though the article in the Salt Lake Tribune (Nov 17, 2012, page 1 of the Utah section) says “<font color="#0000ff">Proof of anit-LDS campaigning appears scant</font>,” Hatch said “<font color="#ff0000">There was a lot more than you think, If you didn’t see it, there’s something wrong</font>.”</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/orrin.jpg" width="500" height="217"></p> <p align="justify">Yeah, Orrin, there is something wrong. Your shirt and tie are so tight that you’re getting hallucinations from the lack of blood to your brain. Even the people at BYU, the LDS Church’s own University, disagree with you. The Tribune wrote “<font color="#0000ff">Quin Monson, head of Brigham Young University’s Center for the Study of Politics and Democracy, says Romney’s Mormon faith wasn’t a big issue in the general election</font>.”</p> <p align="justify">Hell, Senator Mike Lee, Tea Party darling of the Utah Republican Party, even said that his faith got “<font color="#ff0000">trashed</font>” more by his own party in the primary elections. “<font color="#ff0000">I did expect it to occur; I didn’t expect it to come from the Obama campaign or the Democrats. I thought that one or more super PACs or surrogates, whatever, would attack the church. It didn’t really happen</font>”, Lee said.</p> <p align="justify">So Orrin, just shut the hell up. The election is over, <em>you were wrong</em>. All this bellyaching you’re doing does nothing but prove to people how desperate you are to be relevant.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-34814851215595871282012-11-09T15:31:00.001-08:002012-11-09T15:31:04.806-08:00Is the Tea Party dead?<p align="justify">Dear Republican Party,</p> <p align="justify">I honestly believe you could have won this year’s presidential election if you had not been so willing to pander to the ultra right wing Teabagger fringe.</p> <p align="justify">Why? Well, I get the feeling that the Tea Party is dead. The moderates and even conservative moderates seem to be sick and tired of the blathering of this tunnel vision group.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://publiusonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/IZIU_Utah_Congressional_District_Map_Final.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://publiusonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/IZIU_Utah_Congressional_District_Map_Final.jpg" width="500" height="621"></a></p> <p align="justify">I live in Utah, the reddest state in the union. 72.8% of our voters cast their ballots for Mitt Romney, more than any other state. Yet no more than a lone Tea Party candidate made it through the Utah Republican primaries, and in the end Mia Love couldn’t even beat Democrat Jim Matheson in a gerrymandered 4<sup>th</sup> District custom made for a Republican win. Half of Utah County (home of Gayle herself), part of Juab and Sanpete counties and the more conservative south west part of Salt Lake County preferred a Democrat over a Tea Partier. To me that says a lot about the popularity of extreme ultra-conservatism.</p> <p align="justify">Now, I’m not saying that conservatism in general isn’t still strong, and I’m not even saying they are always wrong. But I am saying that the semi-literate, foaming-at-the mouth Gayle Ruzicka lovin’ fringe of the Republican Party is scaring a big part of the more rational majority into the arms of the Democrats.</p> <p align="justify">I truly believe that if the Republicans jettison the Teabaggers and put forth a more rational, compromising and moderate front *(ala Jon Huntsman Jr.), they well could well retake the Whitehouse in 2016.</p> <p align="justify">Hell, even I was considering voting for Huntsman had it been him against Obama this year. I voted for him twice as Governor of Utah.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-63243521996560686082012-10-16T17:38:00.001-07:002012-10-16T17:38:34.364-07:00Got this in an email.<div style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; width: 382px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:8dced4e8-3dcc-406a-b512-8b7d38731083" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="1c08495a-4286-4e8e-9375-0150cae1f89a" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVAhr4hZDJE&feature=youtube_gdata_player" target="_new"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RAYJi8igNhPLWLQW0G9ceI1B6kLJRxKHP2o6-dQcMkX4TMmlPxuCcHa15t5zU72Yao0_BehJW5SVt3be_YvXvyl6yjThbp-vgsXBqhc4r7DjgshRFsbgLgOuV4ew0-tQtYCzriRI624/?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('1c08495a-4286-4e8e-9375-0150cae1f89a'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"382\" height=\"286\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/JVAhr4hZDJE?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/JVAhr4hZDJE?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"382\" height=\"286\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p align="justify">The email read: (red from the person sending it to me, the blue from before.) <blockquote> <p align="justify"><font color="#ff0000">We should send this to everyone in our address book and hope that the one's that voted for OBAMA will change there VOTE this year before he ruins our COUNTRY!!! He's doing a great job of it now!! </font> <p align="center"><font color="#ff0000">GOD BLESS AMERICA </font> <p align="center"><font color="#00ff00"><font color="#ff0000">LETS MAKE IT STRONG AGAIN</font> </font> <p> <hr> <p align="center"><b><font color="#0000ff">FOR THE REPUBLIC </font></b> <p><b><font color="#0000ff">OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY MADE THIS AND IT JUST CAME OUT 4 DAYS AGO AND HAS HAD 6 MILLION HITS.</font> </b></p></blockquote> <p align="justify">So, unlike the person who sent this to me, I decided to do a little research on it. I found it on YouTube, and this was in reference to the video: <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/email.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/email.jpg"></a> <strong><font color="#ff0000">FALSE:</font></strong> <strong><font color="#0000ff">OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY MADE THIS</font>.</strong> Not according to the person who uploaded it to YouTube.</p> <p align="justify"><strong><font color="#ff0000">FALSE:</font></strong> <strong><font color="#0000ff"> JUST CAME OUT 4 DAYS AGO AND HAS HAD 6 MILLION HITS</font></strong>. Says right there that it was uploaded on February 10, 2010, Over a year and a half ago. Yeah, it does have over 10 million hits now, but even if interest dropped off drastically after 4 days, that’s still not very impressive.</p> <p align="justify">Regardless of whether or not one believes the message it sends, it still shows how little the person who sent it knows about me to even send it to me.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-74906824024655864642012-09-29T08:47:00.001-07:002012-09-30T09:29:24.167-07:002012 Presidential Polls<p>This will automatically update as more Huffington Post polls come in.</p> <p><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/polls/Book1_files/Book1_28550_image001.png" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/polls/Book1_files/Book1_28550_image001.png" width="500" height="229"></a></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/polls/legend.gif"></p> <p><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/polls/all.gif" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/polls/all.gif" width="500" height="317"></a></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-84748994120309856462012-09-20T18:16:00.001-07:002012-09-20T18:16:19.075-07:00Romney doesn’t give a shit about 47% of us.<p align="justify"><font size="4">“<font color="#ff0000">who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that's an entitlement.</font>”</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="3">If he said “<font color="#0000ff">BMW, Adidas and Lobster on the nights you don’t have a T-Bone steak</font>”, I might have been with him. But what kind of human being would argue that every other human being does not deserve a place to live, food (at least the basics) to eat and the means to be healthy? Seriously. I have issues with people using the money my taxes give them for beer and cigarettes, iPods and cell phones, but <em>food, shelter and health</em>? <strong><em>Food</em></strong> – you die without it. <strong><em>Shelter</em></strong> – you can die without it. <strong><em>Health</em></strong> – you die without it. <em><strong>Seriously</strong></em>? He might as well have just said “<font color="#0000ff">I don’t care if these lazy leeches just shrivel up and die, at least they would be off the government dole then.</font>” <em>And he wants to be President of The United States of America</em>.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="3">“<font color="#ff0000" size="4">There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them…Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax… And so my job is not to worry about those people—I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.</font>”</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="3">Yup, everybody who supports the president is unemployed, living off welfare and not paying taxes. Or at least everybody but me. Because I support Obama and I’m fully employed, been so for most of the last 35 years. I pay my bills myself, including my taxes. Oh, wait. There’s my brother too. And my friend Ed. At least 6 people I work with, maybe more. So, in reality it’s only 46.94356718753675434578453%. Unless you consider that I don’t personally know more than 1/1000 of a % of the population, so I really shouldn’t be talking for them.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="3">Mr. Romney, where do you get the cajones to say that if I am an Obama supporter, I must be a leech on society?</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="3">Oh, I’m sorry. You didn’t realize the general public would hear your comments. You thought everything you said was between you and your millionaire cronies. My bad.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="3">Mr. Romney – go back to running a state or the Olympics, you are<strong><em> not</em></strong> Presidential material.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="3"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></font></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-34037076102540452872012-09-02T16:42:00.001-07:002012-09-02T16:43:48.051-07:00Jordan District: 1 - Eagle Forum: Pissed off.<p align="justify">Bingham High vs. Gayle Ruzicka. I won’t rehash the details, but you can go backwards over my posts if you need catching up.</p> <p align="justify">The game is over and although the Jordan School District didn’t just tell the Eagle Forum to go where they belong, the changes they did make are quite on the good side of reasonable.</p> <p align="justify">They did:</p> <blockquote> <p align="justify">Up the number of parents on both drama productions committees. I don’t know what the original numbers were, but there will now be 4 parents at the school level and 5 parents on the district committee. </p></blockquote> <p align="justify">What they didn’t do:</p> <blockquote> <p align="justify">Issue a formal statement apologizing for putting on the play “Dead Man Walking”.</p> <p align="justify">Require an open public forum for every proposed play.</p></blockquote> <p align="justify">From the KSL.com article on August 30, 2012</p> <blockquote> <p align="justify"><font color="#ff00ff">Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka said she'd still like to see a statement from the district apologizing for the "Dead Man Walking," as well as future policy changes that would prohibit productions that contain offensive language and content.</font></p></blockquote> <p align="justify">Gayle, that’s what the parents on the committees are for, to make sure the standards of <em><strong>their</strong></em> community are respected. Not what <em><strong>your </strong></em>personal standards are.</p> <p align="justify">And when you consider that there was only 1 negative comment of 700 made to the district about the play before you stuck your big fat self-righteous nose into the whole thing, methinks “Dead Man Walking” just happens to be within the standards of the Bingham High community.</p> <p align="justify">Quit helping people that really don’t want your kind of help. Thanks anyhow.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-158053035377961372012-08-18T21:16:00.001-07:002012-08-18T21:20:49.900-07:00Really that stupid, or Photoshop just that good?<p align="justify">There’s a gazillion pictures of people from the Teabagger Party carrying signs with slogans that look like they were written by 3 year olds. Blind 3 year olds. Blind 3 year olds whose primary language is not English.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/teabaggers/224780_457573134265392_1590590101_n.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/teabaggers/224780_457573134265392_1590590101_n.jpg"></a></p> <p align="justify">I would love to be able to believe each and every picture is authentic and that these people are really that stupid. Well, ok, I should say “that illiterate”.</p> <p><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/teabaggers/311762_457572670932105_723566119_n.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/teabaggers/311762_457572670932105_723566119_n.jpg"></a></p> <p align="justify">But Photoshopping is so rampant that every one of the pictures here is questionable. Which kind of ticks me off, because it would be even funnier if I could be positive they were all real.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/teabaggers/423483_457574540931918_2074394524_n.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/teabaggers/423483_457574540931918_2074394524_n.jpg"></a></p> <p align="justify">But that’s ok, because even if the spelling is doctored, I have heard all these sentiments said out loud, I have read all these sentiments in legitimate news sources.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/teabaggers/386773_457573297598709_1053072523_n.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/teabaggers/386773_457573297598709_1053072523_n.jpg"></a></p> <p align="justify">So there is no doubt in my mind that the Teabagger Party truly believes that Barack Obama is a treasonous, communist-socialist-fascist liar that wasn’t even born in this country.</p> <p>And that’s funny, even when spelled correctly.</p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-20972637170306518962012-08-09T15:00:00.001-07:002012-08-09T15:00:19.473-07:00And it’s not even the misspelling that makes me laugh.<p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/smart.jpg" width="550" height="491"></p> <p>Keep Government out of Medicare? <strong><em>What?</em></strong></p> <p align="justify">Note to dumbasses: Medicare and Medicaid are<strong><em> government</em></strong> services. We <strong><em>pay taxes</em></strong> to <strong><em>the government</em></strong> so that you can have <em><strong>Medicare </strong></em>and/or<strong><em> Medicaid. </em></strong>If the government got out of Medicare and Medicaid, <strong><em>it would cease to exist</em></strong>.</p> <p align="justify">If you are going to protest something, it’s best to know something about what you are protesting. Otherwise your stupidity will be spread across the internet.</p> <p align="justify">Oh, and learn how to spell.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-26587434033074277572012-07-16T22:10:00.001-07:002012-08-09T14:41:48.411-07:00Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?<p align="justify">They seem to be in South Jordan.</p> <p align="justify">Senator Aaron Osmond gave a letter to the school board imploring them to apologize for putting on the play “Dead Man Walking”. (More info <a href="http://agayleforcewind.blogspot.com/2012/07/eagle-forum-trumps-parents-and-common.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://agayleforcewind.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-dont-suppose-you-actually-saw-it.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Larry Short, councilman for the city, asked them to apologize too.</p> <p align="justify">The school board is in a frenzy trying to figure out how to prevent offending “<em>anyone</em>” again.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdzmWoLSRT_jruNbIf3h2S__Hj2TfPjMx2NonZ9qgPXVnI5vSCB5gN8pJwbwOOkj0fj_Z95QlpEwrE-JBS3cjOu1xmmGilA8uxWqx8R0Lz7vSjEs3JUBGVNzV5pXnwHxf80KEB1sdWEQ/s1600-h/bigbadwolf%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="bigbadwolf" border="0" alt="bigbadwolf" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9A1IX6Y-oSPbCutKaFOdqNhBlDpyFcRY5FKR0c6B6Dsw52T2DyXxPLYjMZoIJVP2RT-C2zObaUzunWLVtZUt3FSYaOcukLJGIepwunW3ZhjnsQ4Uva1XVoQWefVnAXQc11WzVCNmPmY/?imgmax=800" width="200" height="192"></a>That “<em>anyone</em>” being Gayle Ruzicka. Period.</p> <p align="justify">Because, only one (1, uno, amháin, eine, een, biri, jeden) comment out of the 700 the school district got was a complaint. <strong><em>Until</em></strong> over two month after the play ended and Gayle Ruzicka held a press conference.</p> <p align="justify">Said some BS about it being because of violent undertones, unacceptable language and smoking cigarettes.</p> <p align="justify">But the first thing the Jordan School District did when the controversy broke out was to “clarify it’s stance on the death penalty”, and 54” of newspaper space starting on the front page of the <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54484426-78/district-bingham-jordan-drama.html.csp" target="_blank">Salt Lake Tribune today</a> was devoted to an article with the headline “<font face="Times New Roman"><strong><font size="3">Critical thinking was goal of controversial play at Bingham High</font></strong> Project requires schools to present well-rounded look at death penalty.” </font></p> <p align="justify">So in my humble opinion, this is all because some group of teachers, parents and administrators wanted to get their students and patrons to really think about their beliefs about the death penalty. And that’s a double-header boo-boo. Getting people to think and questioning the death penalty.</p> <p align="justify">So the Jordan School District apologized, every school play from here on in will have to be scrutinized through The <a href="http://www.utaheagleforum.org/" target="_blank">Utah Eagle Forum</a>’s eyes and never again shall the minions be forced to think on their own.</p> <p align="justify">All is right in the land of Zion.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-31851096316741430892012-07-12T10:49:00.001-07:002012-08-09T14:41:21.834-07:00Eagle Forum trumps parents and common sense.<p align="justify">Salt Lake Tribune, Wednesday, July 11, 2012. Utah section, page B3.</p> <p align="center"><font size="4"><strong>“Jordan school board to<br>apologize for school play”</strong></font></p> <p align="justify">I posted on this before, <a href="http://agayleforcewind.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-dont-suppose-you-actually-saw-it.html" target="_blank">here</a>, about Gayle and her cronies <a href="http://www.thefancarpet.com/uploaded_assets/images/gallery/941/Dead_Man_Walking_11175_Medium.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 0px 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.thefancarpet.com/uploaded_assets/images/gallery/941/Dead_Man_Walking_11175_Medium.jpg" width="250" height="173"></a>(allegedly) making up 5 parents (they never produced the letters or even names) that complained to them about the content in the high school production of “Dead Man Walking”.</p> <p align="justify">Even though only one of the 700 comments to the school district by parents and patrons was a complaint, even though the school district received 100 calls complimenting the production, the Jordan School Board is thinking up ways to placate the bitchy few.</p> <p align="justify">First, they are actually apologizing for putting on the play. A very thought-provoking (oops, thought. Bad word!) play that had already been watered-down for public school production. If every school board across the country took the time and energy to publicly apologize to every group that <a href="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/067/Dead-Man-Walking-Prejean-Helen-9780679751311.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px 10px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="left" src="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/067/Dead-Man-Walking-Prejean-Helen-9780679751311.jpg" width="200" height="306"></a>chose to be offended by a school production, we’d have to pay for a second board to take care of the real business. (NOTE: plays are re-written, with permission of the author, for “school productions”, with the specific intent to balance age appropriate content without diluting the story to the point of being meaningless).</p> <p align="justify">Now the board wants to take it a step further: change the process of how schools choose plays that they will produce.</p> <p align="justify">Right now plays are picked by a school committee made up of parents and teachers, and then they have to clear it through a district committee. But board member Carmen Freeman wants to hold open forums where the general public can comment on the choice of plays.</p> <p align="justify">Now, generally I’m all for openness and public input, but parents already have input in the decision making. Want to have a say in what plays get produced? Get on the school committee that picks them. Of course, you’ll have to be connected with that school somehow, someone from, say, 30 miles away in a completely different school district would have no say in what play your school puts on.</p> <p align="justify">But shouldn’t the community the school serves have that power, not some wacko from Highland, Utah (unless it’s the high school <strong><em>in</em></strong> Highland)?</p> <p align="justify">Two board members warned that they thought the public forum would make the process of producing plays too cumbersome, which would make it hard to recruit, and keep, good drama teachers. I agree with them.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-52897036608104789282012-07-04T10:33:00.001-07:002012-08-09T14:40:54.005-07:00Singled out?<p align="justify">As I write this we have 8 large wildfires burning in the state of Utah, totaling just under 200,000 acres.</p> <p align="justify">Open campfires are banned statewide. Fireworks are banned in all unincorporated areas of the state.</p> <p align="justify">Yet the headline in the Salt Lake Tribune today reads “<strong><font color="#0000ff">Utah shooters fear they will be singled out</font></strong>.”</p> <p align="justify">First off, “singled out” implies that you will be the only one, or group, that is asked to sacrifice. This is not so. Campers are being asked to sacrifice, so are people who like to set off their own fireworks. At the very least, target shooters are being “tripled out”.</p> <p align="justify">I watched the press conference where our governor announced that there may be a ban on target shooting outside of organized target ranges. It was more of an apology than an announcement. I was surprised as he hemmed and hawed around the Second Amendment, apologized for even thinking of it and seemed to be begging forgiveness from the gun lobby. I really shouldn’t have been surprised, I know the influence these people have in our state. Hell, we have an <strong><em>official state handgun</em></strong>. But I thought this was a no-brainer.</p> <p align="justify">We’re burning up, our resources are spread thin already. 90% of the state’s wildfires are human caused, a good portion of that because of situations by people who should have known better. We need to do everything we can to keep it from getting even worse.</p> <p align="justify"><strong><em>Everyone</em></strong> needs to do what they can to prevent any more fires, and if that means we have to give up one of our favorite<strong><em> recreational</em></strong> activities for the next few months, instead of bitching and moaning, we should willingly do so.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-18279103021036700892012-06-30T12:11:00.001-07:002012-08-09T14:40:24.741-07:00Head still firmly planted where sun don’t shine.<p align="justify">Is she really that clueless, or is it she just has an uncontrollable need to get here name in the news?</p> <p align="justify">Yesterday Utah, and 4 other states, received a NCLB (No Child Left Behind) waiver from the Federal Government. That means we now get to come up with our own process for school accountability and no longer have to meet the unreasonable (and impossible) AYP requirement that 100% of our students graduate at grade level by 2014.</p> <p align="justify">Gayle Nazicka was quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune saying “This waiver is one of the most disastrous things that has happened to education in Utah since the history of federal involvement in education.”</p> <p align="justify">Why does she believe that? Because, according to her, this waiver binds Utah to the new Common Core. That federally mandated, socialist conglomeration of propaganda that is going to force our Utah students to do math word problems filled with the homosexual agenda. At least that’s the way the Feeble Forum sees it.</p> <p align="justify">First, that’s all a load of horse manure. Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education, said “That is just simply an absolute myth.” In fact, one of the states that just received the waiver, Virginia, has not signed onto the Common Core.</p> <p align="justify">You would think that as someone who so hates the involvement of the federal government in our education system, that she would be happy about this waiver. After all, this means <strong><em>less</em></strong> federal involvement.</p> <p align="justify">But reality doesn’t concern her. She doesn’t care that the Common Core came about by states working together, completely absent of federal influence. It’s irrelevant that the State of Utah <strong><em>voluntarily</em></strong> adopted the Common Core, and therefore can un-adopt them if they prove to not fit our needs.</p> <p align="justify">Nope, Gayle and her Forum just like to bitch about things and, putting all that is irrational aside, do what it takes to keep their names in the news.</p> <p align="justify">Good job. Seems to be working.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-55227289691492507642012-06-28T16:25:00.001-07:002012-08-09T15:16:21.271-07:00Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.<p align="justify">Now, I’m not saying that the Teabagger Party has an unusual number of idiots subscribing to their platform, but if the Foo shits…</p> <p><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/douchebag.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/douchebag.jpg" width="550" height="374"></a></p> <p align="justify">Now, I’m not a constitutional scholar, but I did pay enough attention in my secondary school classes to know that the whole purpose of the U.S. Supreme Court <strong><em>is</em></strong> to define what is and what isn’t constitutional. Everyone is welcome to argue their interpretation, but legally, if the court says it’s constitutional,<strong><em> it is</em></strong>.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/scholar.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/scholar.jpg"></a></p> <p align="justify">But that’s not going to stop all these morons from coming out and saying stupid things like that Senator did.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/leaving.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/leaving.jpg"></a></p> <p align="justify">So, now the question begs to be asked – Since the court recently gave corporations some of the same constitutional rights as human beings, does that mean they are going to have to have health insurance too?</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/theymad.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/theymad.jpg"></a></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5309304980338934366.post-59415008344405864812012-06-21T19:35:00.001-07:002012-08-09T15:13:46.420-07:00Prophecy, in retrospect.<p align="justify"><a href="http://emlab.berkeley.edu/users/saez/">Emmanuel Saez</a> is a Professor of Economics at the University of California in Berkeley. In 2003 he published an article on the income inequality in the US, and updated it in 2007. This chart comes from the data in his study:</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/chart.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/chart.jpg" width="550" height="451"></a></p> <p align="justify">Interesting correlation between income inequality and economic meltdowns in an industrial economy, and another piece of information that reinforces my belief that Obama inherited an economy as bad as the Great Depression.</p> <p align="justify"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.themotelwest.com/images/schiavina.gif"></p> Max Sartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07271198231897203659noreply@blogger.com0