Comments on: Why people think Utah is crazy

By: erisian

erisian — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 23:45:47 +0000

The most interesting thing to me is that i dont really have a problem with most of it.

if put to a vote, as a small community, they have the right to define their laws and resolutions as they want.
while i don’t agree with the statement or connotations behind it, it still doesnt make it wrong.

what they dont have the right to do is impose the “as mandated by god” statement.

i like the effort many of the shops are putting into the works, but also agree that it might be more seperatist and have a backlash. if it is that bad, they might want to consider an alternate “popular” vote and not one based on the council.

thanks for posting all of this, it was a good read and i dont get a lot of utah news since i moved away 5-6 years ago.

By: krisac01

krisac01 — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:54:32 +0000

I grew up as a non-Mormon in Bountiful. For the past three years, I’ve lived in NYC. I would like to find my way back to Utah, but it is incredibly difficult to get my New Jersey-raised boyfriend to understand why when stories like this one pop up. We argue about which is worse: the mafia or the fundamentalist Mormons that pass resolutions such as the one in Kanab. He says the Mafia won’t mess with you if you stay the eff out of their way. Fundamentalist Mormons, on the other hand, try to insert themselves into your life through the government. I think I still win — fundamentalists won’t kill you for not paying your monthly fee for “garbage removal.”

By: 72feetabovesealevel

72feetabovesealevel — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:39:27 +0000

Hmm… I was just in Kanab, there’s not really much there to boycott. I guess you could set up a picket line in front of Honey’s Jubilee Food Mart or something.

Maybe all those Chemical plants on I-15 outside SLC have poisoned peoples minds.

By: Melessa

Melessa — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 01:22:39 +0000

As a practicing Latter-Day Saint, this is something I don’t understand and never will. If we are here to be “free” to find our way back to God and if this freedom of choice is such a vital part of our religion, why is it that Latter-Day Saints with any political clout whatsoever ALWAYS take advantage of it to try and make everyone live by the same moral code that they do (or say they do anyway)? What happened to free-agency? Yeah, I was real popular with the State Rep/1st Councilor in the Bishopric of our old ward. (I’d also be a big hit at F&T meeting provided I was foolish enough to get up and say any of this from the pulpit.) Of course, his bills banning gay marriage (passed by 75%-made me sick, still does) and “intelligent design” (didn’t-thank goodness) have made him quite popular with the Baptists who pretty much dominate here. Just the kind of common ground I was hoping for between our two faiths; bigotry and hatred.

By: PaulE

PaulE — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:40:57 +0000

It is funny that Mr Mero titled his editorial, “Ignorance drives opposition to ‘family resolution’”, when his own ignorance drove him to come up with this family resolution in the first place.

By: blurb

blurb — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 19:57:00 +0000

I want to live here. Every place has it’s weirdos. I think the conservatives are just as nutty as the naked people in Berkeley. That’s all I’m saying. At least the Berkeley people seem to understand that they are nutty. The conservatives… not so much.

By: Carol

Carol — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 19:09:48 +0000

Utah - Not Your Everday Conservative Hell.

I live in Utah and while I’m not a native to this state, my husband is. I joke that I’m trapped in Conservative Hell but to be honest, it’s a good place to live and to raise kids if you can overlook the lack of diversity and the interesting state of politics. The non-separation of church and state here is enough to drive you batty.

I think many of the citizens of Utah keep waiting for the (fundamentalist) legislators to die in hopes that the next generation will be different.

I don’t think people hate Utah - I just think they don’t want to live here if they don’t have to.

By: m@

m@ — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:40:30 +0000

even worse, i’m a single 25 year-old Christian man with zero children to fill that quiver slung over my back. Bollocks.

what i always find a bit difficult, in all honesty, is attempting to reconcile the incredibly INCREDIBLY specific language that religious (and I use that word, admittedly, to mark a distinct difference between people who operate through religion and those who operate through faith) politicians use that really skew the whole perception off course. I mean, I sure do believe that marriage is an important, sacred thing and, yeah, there’s something to be said about the mom (or dad) staying home to raise a child. But I worry that the perception on all fronts is that legislating such principles is grounded in exclusivity, and from my understanding of my faith, my beliefs — that’s the exact opposite of how such principles should be applied.

Along those lines, while liiving in Europe I was blown away by the many families I knew, not only because of their love for one another, but also because their governments, through living wages and social healthcare and SUPER standard holidays, seem to show more attention to developing a healthy family structure through INCLUSIVE means.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:36:08 +0000

“That Mero has the audacity to state that ignorance is what fuels the backlash.”

That doesn’t surprise me. I went to school and lived in Utah for five years, working at a regional newspaper. People would call in rental ads and want to state in the ad that potential tenants must be LDS or have “LDS standards” (which is just a nice way of saying they must be a member), which violates the Fair Housing Act. One woman started screaming that I was discriminating against her and violating her rights. It blew my mind.

By: rivetergirl

rivetergirl — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:32:12 +0000

I live about 25 miles from Utah’s eastern border in Western Colorado ó very conservative. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area ó very liberal. I’ve seen governing legislation passed that bent to the majority, but what is happening in Kanab is truly out of whack with the fundamentals of this country.

Aren’t we told that this country was based on freedom?

Oh, and just for the record, what I love about your blog and Heather’s is that you seemingly present your viewpoints with much care and concern for those whose views may differ.

And your statement, “keep God in their hearts, not in the law books” is perfect example.

Thank you.