I wrote in Friday's column about the Legislature's Administrative Rules Review Committee discussing the possible removal of the term "liberally construed" frequently used on official records to describe how administrative rules and state statutes should be applied.
Now I'm wondering if the idea was channeled to the committee's conservative co-chairs, Sen. Howard Stephenson and Rep. Curt Oda, through Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzika.
The idea of potentially purging the word "liberal" from state rules and laws seems eerily similar to Conservapedia's "Bible Project," which urges volunteers to peruse the Bible for language promoting a liberal agenda.
I'm not making this up.
And what is the connection to Conservapedia's project and the Utah Legislature's attempts to purify state rules and laws?
Conservapedia is described as a Web encyclopedia project written from an Americentric, Christian conservative and creationist point of view.
It was started in 2006 by lawyer and social studies teacher Andy Schlafly, son of conservative activist and Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly, who basically is considered the Holy See by followers like Ruzika and her many minions in the Legislature.
Conservapedia's Web site urges followers to find terms promoting a liberal bias in the Bible so a new, "more accurate" Bible can be distributed promoting conservative rather than liberal values.
For example, it urges volunteers to identify unisex, "gender inclusive" language and "other feminist distortions."
It suggests utilizing "powerful new conservative terms to capture the original intent," noting that "defective translations" use the liberal word "comrade" three times as often as the conservative word "volunteer."
What would Jesus do? » I wonder if the purging will include the passage in James 1:5, which inspired Joseph Smith to seek the truth by going to a grove and praying .
That passage states: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
Speaking of purity » The homophobic group America Forever is at it again.
The Sandy-based group sent out 80,000 faxes last week, mostly to individuals and groups who didn't ask for them, and, basically, took it upon itself to speak for the LDS Church.
The fax alleges the church supported the Salt Lake City ordinance to protect gays from housing and employment discrimination to protect itself by getting a church exemption to the ordinance.
The group seems to have inside information that the church really doesn't support it, despite the fact that actual representatives of the church say they do.
America Forever, you might recall, took out full-page newspaper ads to blast proposed legislation to protect gays from discrimination and warned of the "homosexual agenda" that will destroy America.
And conservative values » Former Utah Education Association government relations director Vic Arnold now is working for Utahns for Ethical Government and gathering signatures to get an ethics-reform initiative on the ballot.
He was at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium collecting signatures Friday when he noticed Rep. Brad Last, R-St. George, who was there supporting Hurricane High School in the prep football playoffs.
"Hey, Brad!" Arnold shouted out, "do you want to sign the petition for ethics reform?" thinking Last would laugh and come back with a tongue-in-cheek response.
Instead, Last walked up to Arnold and growled, "I ought to knock you down and beat the crap out of you."
It seems these legislators are taking ethics reform a little personally.
