Those attending the Legislature's Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee meeting last Wednesday couldn't hear the report from the Utah Association of Conservation Districts because the presenters were interrupted by two committee members loudly talking to each other.
Just as the testimony began, Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, a rancher, began yapping with Rep. Bill Wright, R-Holden, a dairy farmer, as though they were the only ones in the room.
The local conservation districts work with farmers, ranchers and other landowners to help them apply effective conservation practices. But many in the room couldn't hear the details of the conservation report because Noel and Wright drowned them out.
Next on the agenda was the Utah Department of Agriculture, there to discuss the department's budget. When ag department officials began speaking however, Noel, who said last week that global warming was a conspiracy to control population, walked out and didn't come back.
Maybe he was late for a tea party.
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Governor Who? » Lynn Johannsen was concerned about the news stories revealing that Gov. Gary Herbert took a $10,000 campaign contribution from a coal mining company at the same time the state's regulators were expediting that company's strip mining permits.
So she sent Herbert an e-mail expressing her concerns about the appearance of a conflict.
This is the reply she got:
"Thank you for submitting your comments to Governor Huntsman. This information is important to us and will be recorded."
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Sent into oblivion: Christine Hall says she had a similar experience with the governor.
She befriended Herbert on Facebook where she asked the governor why he refused to put a cap on corporate donations. She got no response, so about two weeks later, she posted the question again -- with no response.
Several weeks elapsed before she got a message applauding her on her inquiry. So she posted the question again, asking this time why he had not followed in former Gov. Huntsman's footsteps and limited the amount of corporate donations instead of accepting contributions topping $50,000.
That did it.
She says she was promptly deleted as a friend, as was her comment.
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Buttars' homework assignment » Sen. Chris Buttars already has been called a liar by the filmmaker who released inflammatory comments the West Jordan Republican made about gay people.
Now, his rhetoric is inviting the skepticism of his own Republican colleagues in the Senate .
In a Tribune story last week, Buttars complained about having Sen. Steve Urquhart's sex education bill transferred out of his Health and Human Services Committee so he couldn't kill it.
Buttars said in the story that the Legislature should not allow lessons "that teach these bizarre sexual things like anal sex and lesbian sex."
After the story was published, Uruqhart, R-St. George, was observed handing Buttars a copy of his bill and a yellow highlight marker. He asked Buttars to highlight in the bill the parts about anal and lesbian sex.
Urquhart will be waiting a long time. There is nothing in his bill about that .
