Just so long as they don't become Commies.

RyLee Stowell says she and her fellow A.P. students, as a class project, created banners promoting "Buy Nothing Day," an environmental alternative to "Black Friday," which falls on the day after Thanksgiving and is touted by merchants as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

"Buy Nothing Day" encourages conservation rather than consumerism on that day.

But Stowell says when the students wanted to hang the banner on a balcony overlooking the commons area - where dances, programs and other student activities are advertised - they were told that the anti-consumer message would offend sponsors that promote their goods and services throughout the school.

Principal Scott Tennis, however, says the students were never censored. They were allowed to put their message on bulletin boards throughout the school and displayed their banner in the lunchroom.

But he was concerned that the students were unclear about what the message was trying to convey - if it was anti-capitalism, pro-socialism, or what?

Cause and effect: The state Department of Agriculture is headed by Commissioner Leonard Blackham - who was a state senator from Sanpete County.

In fact, he beat back a challenge from fellow Republican Darin Peterson to win re-election in 2004.

But then he resigned from the Senate to become agriculture commissioner when Cary Peterson suddenly retired.

Guess who was chosen to replace him in the Senate? Darin Peterson, the guy he previously had beaten for the Senate who happens to be the son of the retired commissioner he replaced, Cary Peterson.

Follow all that?

The Petersons are ranchers. Blackham runs a large turkey operation and belongs to the Moroni Feed co-op that raises, processes and sells turkeys under the Norbest brand.

So it was interesting to see the main photo inside the cover of the Agriculture Department's 2007 annual report.

Instead of the usual generic grain-field or scenic rural Utah shots, this one featured a stately turkey - just in time for Thanksgiving.

Shelving the surplus? Observers at last week's Legislative Interim Education Committee were annoyed, but could live with the fact that Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, allowed voucher advocate Leah Barker to give an ''update on private scholarships,'' even though she wasn't on the agenda and Dayton said there was no time for public comment on proposed legislation.

They even could live with the committee allowing Barker to take some time during her testimony to cry about the voucher defeat at the polls.

But it was almost too much to take when they noticed that in some symbolic gesture of fait accompli, Oreos were placed at each committee member's seat at the table.

prolly@sltrib.com