So Governor Herbert has traveled the State of Utah and was quoted Saturday January 14th 2012 at the Utah Eagle Forum Annual Conference saying the biggest issue for Utah constituents is the burden of government regulation.  Well ironically we have an epic problem in Utah that has been ignored. And public officials never even told local Provo residents the truth when they had a chance during a town hall Thursday January 12th. The public officials decided to only speak up for the media. Seriously the Government is making a point to make humans the sucker over this ridiculous situation. 

Let me explain the facts:

The Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission (Mitigation Commission), the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Central Utah Project Completion Act Office (CUPCA), and the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD), on behalf of the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program (JSRIP), have jointly prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for public review on a proposed stream channel and delta restoration project for the lower Provo River and its interface with Utah Lake.  The JSRIP is a multi-agency cooperative effort that has been intended to coordinate and facilitate the recovery of the endangered June sucker (Chasmistes liorus).  The EIS will be prepared under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S. C. 4321 et seq.) and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508).

In 1986 the June sucker was listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  The June Sucker Recovery Plan (Recovery Plan), a requirement of the Endangered Species Act, was finalized in 1999.  June sucker are native to and occur naturally only in the Utah Lake system.  The lower Provo River, representing the only known spawning location for the species in its native habitat, was designated as critical habitat at the time of listing.  Habitat alteration, presence of nonnative fishes, and water development were identified as the major threats to the June sucker.  By 1998 the wild June sucker population was estimated at only approximately 300 individuals.

Here is the Scoping Summary Report: http://www.mitigationcommission.gov/native/pdf/low_pro_scoping_2010.pdf

The purpose of the Provo River Delta Restoration Project ­­­­is to restore, create, and enhance the ecological character of the historic Provo River delta and Utah Lake interface to support survival of June sucker(Chasmistes lioru), a federally listed endangered fish native to Utah Lake. This would be accomplished by developing a new river channel that would provide suitable instream habitat and sufficient slope to transport young fish to a developed bay, or delta, at Utah Lake with depths and vegetation cover suitable for June sucker rearing and recruitment. The project is intended to help recover the endangered June sucker by re-establishing essential habitat through restoration of the lower Provo River ecosystem to a more natural condition, as has been identified in the June Sucker Recovery Plan (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999).

Well here the problem with this project. Utah County residents never wanted this project in the first place and felt it was a waste of tax payer dollars. Now the Local, State, and Federal Officials proceeded with the project anyway in the best interest of Government. Now all of Utah County residents are feeling the impact of the Federal Government regulation now. Local, State, and Federal Officials were met with a barrage of complaints and confusion last Thursday, January 12, 2012, when they surprised everyone by presenting five options for closing the last mile and a half of the Provo River. Those who were able to get a seat in the meeting, which was immediately closed because of overflow crowds, were given conflicting information.

On Friday, the biggest question looming over the project was: Is the "do nothing" option that State and local officials were offering on Thursday. Is this really an option? What are the consequences, and why weren't they presented to the public?

When pressed at length on Friday by the Daily Herald, federal and state officials admitted they have until now withheld information from the public about the real-world cost of refusing to close the last mile and a half of the Provo River.

If the lower Provo is not closed off forever, the water supply in both Salt Lake and Utah counties would be entangled in a mammoth legal snarl leading to a "train wreck situation" that water officials are desperate to avoid, said Mark Holden of the Utah Reclamation, Mitigation and Conservation Commission. State and local agencies would be in violation of at least two multibillion-dollar contracts for water development made with the federal government. Those contracts legally require that the lower Provo be closed so the water can be diverted to create a delta to save the June sucker, one of the world's most endangered fish.

If those contracts are breached, disputes could lead federal courts to take over legal authority for at least some existing and future drinking and irrigation water in both Utah and Salt Lake counties. In addition, two huge pipeline construction projects to provide water out of Spanish Fork Canyon to both Salt Lake County and south Utah County would immediately be in legal jeopardy.

These are some of the public comments I have found from my friends online:

“Transparency at it's finest. It makes it harder to trust government when you find they've left out the details that help you understand the whole issue.”

“So who is the brilliant manager that signed those federal contracts without making these consequences known years ago?”

PLEASE do not cut the water from the lower Provo River! Our family and friends have so 
many shared memories and experiences of canoeing on the lower river. We still continue to 
do so today. It is a beautiful part of our city, and it would be a shame to lose it. Please 
review ALL options before making any changes!!!! Ashley Whimpe

“The biggest problem in Utah Lake is carp. They eat all the water plants that would otherwise hold the lake bottom mud in place, so it becomes murky. This ruins the June sucker habitat and makes the lake undesirable for people to want to be in or around it. Problem is how to get rid of the carp?”

It seems that most Americans already have a problem with trusting public officials. This is a hot button topic in the United States 2012 Presidential race against Barack Obama.  The former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman has a section on his website mentioning his Restoring Trust plan. It says at the top of his page that:  “Governor Huntsman believes there is a trust deficit between Americans and our important public and private institutions, which in this time of economic hardship, only exacerbates the challenges we face. People have lost trust in economic institutions, government agencies, and political leaders." This rings so true for Utah residents right now dealing with the Provo River debacle.  Are these Fishes more important than humans? When are government agencies and political leaders going indulge the American voter and start solving problems and not creating them?  This obviously looks like another big government problem that is really upsetting so many residents. Because from the very beginning tax payers were the sucker for having to pay the costs to protect an endangered species that no one cares about. Now government officials signed contracts prior to public comment was fully considered, making Provo residents officially bigger suckers in this process. How ironic, the government considers Americans suckers over a June Sucker fish? Was someone trying to prove a point in America and pushed this all the way to this disaster? The message has been received loud and clear and everyone is very upset! 

I await the upcoming months as these government agencies work together in lock step to “attempt” to control the situation. This is going to be candidate vetting question for any future elections in Utah. And that is why Governor Herbert should get involved and solve this problem before it costs him his re-election, because we all know that David Kirkham, Morgan Philpot, and Ken Sumsion are fighting hard to take his job.

I would like to thank the following articles for information:
-http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/billions-of-dollars-at-stake-in-closing-lower-provo-river/article_26c8476a-d4ce-5d42-943c-3afdb2cf6ae0.html - http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705397106/Provo-River-restoration-workshop-set-for-Thursday.html 
- http://www.mitigationcommission.gov/native/pdf/low_pro_scoping_2010.pdf 
-  http://jon2012.com/trust/plan 


Regards,

Keith Kuder
Keith@KeithKuder.com
www.KeithKuder.com/facebook.html 
www.KeithKuder.com/googleplus.html
www.KeithKuder.com/twitter.html  
www.KeithKuder.com  

Hello my friends, 

This past Monday, a legislative audit revealed  that 12 fish hatcheries owned by the State of Utah and run by the Division of Wildlife are “producing too many eggs and fish at too high a cost,” perhaps necessitating the closing of at least one, if not two of the hatcheries. To be specific: about $600,000 in wasted fish eggs, and $530,000 in wasted fish.

This latest bungling is just another nail in the coffin of one of the more potent facades in Utah politics: that the Governorship of Gary Herbert is one of competency and reliability, worthy of the title, “Best Managed State.”

Imagine, if you will, a local burger chain with twelve restaurants spread across a state. Now imagine that, due to clerical incompetence that could be avoided with simple economic know-how, boxes with $1,130,000 worth of burgers rot in storage, unable to be sold.

Now imagine that this clerical error was so egregious that it necessitated the closing 10-20% of the chain’s restaurants. Would you expect the CEO of this company to last very long? Doubt it.

And this is not an isolated incident. Let’s not forget that similar legislative audits this year also revealed mismanagement and incompetence at the Governor’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC).

It’s clear that any new legislative audit is fast becoming Gov. Herbert’s biggest fear. With each passing examination of how his administration truly runs the state of Utah, another block in his undeserved reputation is chipped away.

Please, I beg all of you to please support Morgan Philpot for Governor. Please, everything we all believe in, and everything we all have done, and all the talents we all share collectively  can do so much for Utah and our Nation if we all come together and become united by standing up to the Feds!

Sources:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/outdoors/53013453-117/fish-hatcheries-audit-utah.html.csp  http://utahdemocrats.org/2011/12/gov-herbert-manages-to-mismanage-1m-of-fish-parts/
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=18317095&nid=148

~ The top 14.4 million reasons why Orrin Hatch keeps spending money we don't have ~

​ - Produced Sept 21st,  2011 -

~ The Top 1.8 million Reasons why Orrin Hatch voted for Bank Bailouts ~
-- Produced Oct. 24th, 2011 -  

If you want other Utahn's to see this information, please donate to help cover the costs of hosting Pre-Caucus Voter Education Meetings that we are scheduling and holding throughout Utah.

Guest writer Michael Jolley
www.Twitter.com/UTJolley 
http://www.michaeljolley.net/

Orrin Hatch has been a huge supporter of Utah based company Raser Technologies for years. These were his words at a press conference following the groundbreaking ceremony of Raser's geothermal plant in Beaver, Utah:

Solving [the energy] problem was my motivation in introducing legislation in 2005 that would make the renewable tax incentives last longer, giving geothermal a chance to play in the game. My provision became law as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. And just last week, I cosponsored a measure in the Senate with Senators John Ensign of Nevada and Maria Cantwell of Washington that further extends tax incentives for renewable energy production.

When I first introduced my geothermal incentives bill, I didn’t realize that a Utah company would be first out of the gate with the latest technology, but I’m proud that one of our own is leading the charge.


Raser Technologies not only benefited from Senator Hatch's geothermal tax incentives, but they also received a $33 million treasury grant in 2009. Apparently the government help wasn't enough because earlier this year Raser filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  Raser is just one of several geothermal companies whose technologies haven't panned out.

The problem with the government picking winners and losers is the loser is usually the American taxpayer. Tell Orrin Hatch to stop wasting taxpayer money on risky investments.

And just for fun, here is the Washington Post's report of Senator Hatch's terrifying test-drive of Raser Technologies' hybrid Hummer: 

"How do you start this baby?" Hatch asked of the executives who built the 100-mile-per-gallon SUV.

"It's started," an official told Hatch.

"It's already on?" Hatch asked, surprised. "Heh, heh."

"Put your foot on the brake, then put it in drive," the official said. Nothing happened. "Is your foot on the brake? You have to have your foot on the brake."

"I think I've got it on," the senator replied.

"Nope," the executive said, pointing out the brake pedal. "There we go."

"No wonder," Hatch said. "I had it on the gas."

The first ever GAO(Government Accountability Office) audit of the Federal Reserve was carried out in the past few months due to the Ron Paul, Alan Grayson Amendment to the Dodd-Frank bill, which passed last year. Jim DeMint, a Republican Senator, and Bernie Sanders, an independent Senator, led the charge for a Federal Reserve audit in the Senate, but watered down the original language of the house bill(HR1207), so that a complete audit would not be carried out. Ben Bernanke(pictured above), Alan Greenspan, and various other bankers vehemently opposed the audit and lied to Congress about the effects an audit would have on markets. Nevertheless, the results of the first audit in the Federal Reserve’s nearly 100 year history were posted on Senator Sander’s webpage on July 21, 2011:  http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=9e2a4ea8-6e73-4be2-a753-62060dcbb3c3

What was revealed in the audit was startling: $16,000,000,000,000.00 had been secretly given out to US banks and corporations and foreign banks everywhere from France to Scotland. From the period between December 2007 and June 2010, the Federal Reserve had secretly bailed out many of the world’s banks, corporations, and governments. The Federal Reserve likes to refer to these secret bailouts as an all-inclusive loan program, but virtually none of the money has been returned and it was loaned out at 0% interest. Why the Federal Reserve had never been public about this or even informed the United States Congress about the $16 trillion dollar bailout is obvious — the American public would have been outraged to find out that the Federal Reserve bailed out foreign banks while Americans were struggling to find jobs.

To place $16 trillion into perspective, remember that GDP of the United States is only $14.12 trillion. The entire national debt of the United States government spanning its 200+ year history is “only” $14.5 trillion. The budget that is being debated so heavily in Congress and the Senate is “only” $3.5 trillion. Take all of the outrage and debate over the $1.5 trillion deficit into consideration, and swallow this Red pill: There was no debate about whether $16,000,000,000,000 would be given to failing banks and failing corporations around the world.

In late 2008, the TARP Bailout bill was passed and loans of $800 billion were given to failing banks and companies. That was a blatant lie considering the fact that Goldman Sachs alone received 814 billion dollars. As is turns out, the Federal Reserve donated $2.5 trillion to Citigroup, while Morgan Stanley received $2.04 trillion. The Royal Bank of Scotland and Deutsche Bank, a German bank, split about a trillion and numerous other banks received hefty chunks of the $16 trillion.

“This is a clear case of socialism for the rich and rugged, you’re-on-your-own individualism for everyone else.” – Bernie Sanders(I-VT)

When you have conservative Republican stalwarts like Jim DeMint(R-SC) and Ron Paul(R-TX) as well as self identified Democratic socialists like Bernie Sanders all fighting against the Federal Reserve, you know that it is no longer an issue of Right versus Left. When you have every single member of the Republican Party in Congress and progressive Congressmen like Dennis Kucinich sponsoring a bill to audit the Federal Reserve, you realize that the Federal Reserve is an entity onto itself, which has no oversight and no accountability.

Americans should be swelled with anger and outrage at the abysmal state of affairs when an unelected group of bankers can create money out of thin air and give it out to megabanks and supercorporations like Halloween candy. If the Federal Reserve and the bankers who control it believe that they can continue to devalue the savings of Americans and continue to destroy the US economy, they will have to face the realization that their trillion dollar printing presses will eventually plunder the world economy.

The list of institutions that received the most money from the Federal Reserve can be found on page 131 of the GAO Audit and are as follows..

Citigroup: $2.5 trillion ($2,500,000,000,000)
Morgan Stanley: $2.04 trillion ($2,040,000,000,000)
Merrill Lynch: $1.949 trillion ($1,949,000,000,000)
Bank of America: $1.344 trillion ($1,344,000,000,000)
Barclays PLC (United Kingdom): $868 billion ($868,000,000,000)
Bear Sterns: $853 billion ($853,000,000,000)
Goldman Sachs: $814 billion ($814,000,000,000)
Royal Bank of Scotland (UK): $541 billion ($541,000,000,000)
JP Morgan Chase: $391 billion ($391,000,000,000)
Deutsche Bank (Germany): $354 billion ($354,000,000,000)
UBS (Switzerland): $287 billion ($287,000,000,000)
Credit Suisse (Switzerland): $262 billion ($262,000,000,000)
Lehman Brothers: $183 billion ($183,000,000,000)
Bank of Scotland (United Kingdom): $181 billion ($181,000,000,000)
BNP Paribas (France): $175 billion ($175,000,000,000)
and many many more including banks in Belgium of all places

View the 266-page GAO audit of the Federal Reserve(July 21st, 2011):http://www.scribd.com/doc/60553686/GAO-Fed-Investigation

Source: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-696
FULL PDF on GAO server: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11696.pdf
Senator Sander’s Article: http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=9e2a4ea8-6e73-4be2-a753-62060dcbb3c3

Sincerely,

The Utah County Attorney's Office filed criminal charges Wednesday July 27th, 2011,  against city Councilman Steve Turley, leading city leaders to call for his resignation. Turley faces seven counts of communications fraud, two counts of exploitation of a vulnerable adult and one count of pattern of unlawful activity — all second-degree felonies.

Call, 801-356-2708, or email him, steventurley001@msn.com, and tell him he is FIRED! You demand his resignation!

FACTS taken from  Jared Page, Deseret News

According to charges filed Wednesday in 4th District Court, Steve Turley "engaged in a course of conduct to defraud others or obtain money, property or other items" valued at more than $5,000 on at least 10 occasions between July 2006 and December 2009.

Those alleged actions compromise the integrity of the Provo city government.

In a letter sent to Turley on Tuesday, Provo Mayor John Curtis and council members Midge Johnson, Sherrie Hall-Everett, Richard Healey and Cynthia Dayton say they believe Turley's "ability to serve effectively … has been so compromised by these allegations that it would be in the best interest of you, your family and the city that you immediately resign your position as a member of the council."

The county attorney's office had been investigating Turley for several months in response to complaints from residents about the councilman's business dealings.

Turley has served on the Provo City Council for the past 7½ years.

Provo residents have been after Turley to step down for several months, alleging that the councilman has used his public position for personal economic gain.

"This has been a long time coming," said Diane Christensen, one of 23 Provo residents who filed a conflict-of-interest complaint against Turley with the Utah County Attorney's Office and Mayor Curtis in November. "The appropriate thing for Mr. Turley to do now would be to resign."

Among the alleged crimes for which Turley has been charged include passing out fliers in September and October 2009 about a planned "reclamation project" in Slate Canyon.

At the time, Turley indicated the area would not be used as a gravel pit and that he did not stand to make any profit from the project, according to the charges.

"At the same time, (Turley) was negotiating with a construction company and representing he was going to be conducting a significant mining project in Slate Canyon," the charges state.

Based on those claims, a construction company obtained more than $1 million in equipment, according to the charges. The company later found out that the project was about one-third the size as represented by Turley.

Later, Turley admitted he could profit from developing the land, the charges state.

The charges also detail a December 2006 deal in which Turley had alleged victims sign a new purchasing agreement raising the offer price of the home he was building to $265,000 but promised them the final price would remain $172,000.

Turley then took the new purchase agreement, without the part indicating he planned to honor a lower price, and obtained an extension on the loan based on the full $265,000, according to the charges.

"The bank official would have called the loan without the additional documentation," the charges state.

On another occasion, Turley allegedly persuaded a property owner over 65 years old to sign a quit-claim deed based on the councilman's representation that he would deed another property to the victim. Turley never completed the transfer, however, and later took out a loan on the victim's property, which since has gone into foreclosure, charges state.

Another case involved Turley persuading a physically and mentally impaired elderly woman sign over to him a lease on her home without any compensation — and without the woman understanding what she signed, according to the charges.

None of the victims are named in the charges.

"We're just so relieved (charges have been filed), especially for those people who have been directly affected by his actions," Christensen said.

Provo residents repeated their call for Turley to step down during a Provo City Council meeting earlier this month.

"We have painstakingly gathered volumes of evidence that we believe clearly and convincingly shows that Steve Turley grossly and purposely misused his public office for personal benefit and … dealt with (residents) of Provo in a way that betrays the public trust," Christensen said, reading a statement from the group of residents during the July 12 meeting.

The group also renewed its complaint with the mayor's office that Turley violated the Municipal Officers' and Employees' Ethics Act by using his elected position for personal gain and failing to disclose conflicts of interest.

Curtis said his office intends to investigate those claims and submit a recommendation to the City Council for possible sanctions. That investigation is expected to take four to six weeks.

The group of Provo residents issued a statement Wednesday, thanking Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman for taking the "first step to bring justice to a chaotic and distressing situation."

In the November complaint, the Provo residents listed several properties for which they alleged Turley used his office for personal benefit or to negotiate for land swaps. They also listed several properties, corporations and land negotiations in which Turley allegedly failed to disclose his involvement or failed to do so in a timely manner.

Call, 801-356-2708, or email him, steventurley001@msn.com, and tell him he is FIRED! You demand his resignation!

The start of Frontier Airlines' new scheduled service at the Provo Municipal Airport is just a few weeks away. The first outbound flight is June 21. To celebrate this achievement, thank those involved, explore the opportunities it creates, and SPREAD THE WORD, we're filling the first flight with elected officials, business leaders, travel industry people, and possibly you. We're going to spend the day in Denver and fly back that night. Here are some of the things we'll do together.

You'll eat at:

You'll tour:

The flight and activities are paid for by a grant and sponsor donations. I'm giving away a set of four (or maybe two sets of two) tickets for this historic flight. To win, you have to help us SPREAD THE WORD that daily flights from Provo to Denver* are now available at the Provo Municipal Airport. In a comment below, tell me how you used Facebook, Twitter, blogging, texting, skywriting, gossiping, or anything to tell other people. Tell everyone you know "Fly Provo to Denver/airport.provo.org."John Curtis will decide, in his sole discretion, who did the most to SPREAD THE WORD and will announce the winner(s) on Monday. Be sure to watch for the result because we need full names and dates of birth of all who are going by the next day.*Frontier's hub in Denver has connecting flights to destinations all over the country. So you can fly from Provo to almost anywhere. For more information, or to buy tickets before theintroductory rates end on June 20, visit FrontierAirlines.com or airport.provo.org.

RESEARCH: 

The Initiatives and Referendum Process in Utah

by W. David Patton, PhD

http://www.cppa.utah.edu/publications/governance/The%20Initiative%20and%20Referendum%20Process%20in%20Utah.pdf

FACTS:

This move comes in the wake of three term Senator Bob Bennett being defeated by conservative and Tea Party delegates at the G.O.P. State Convention.

"The delegates do make the decisions on most of the candidates. We're talking about governor, we're talking about senator, we're talking about the U.S. House of Representatives."

GOP State Chairman Thomas Wright. "The caucus-convention system isn’t perfect, but it’s a lot better than a direct primary."

Legislative leaders could mandate a primary, but only with commitments from two thirds of each body to prevent a referendum. This is impossible because many lawmakers view the delegate system as an efficient means of avoiding a primary. You will hear Utah Legislators say this is not possible, but that is just political rhetoric. 

A initiative of Popular referendum process is possible, but it is expensive and unlikely to be funded without polls to back this up. Polls are already under way. A poll conducted for The Salt Lake Tribune in January found that 61 percent of Utahns support a direct primary system. I repeat if polls continue to show favoritism for such a referendum than it would be accomplished and brought before the ballot by heavy donors. Who would fund this? Senator Bob Bennett and Senator Hatch Friends. Senator Hatch will appear against this since he would not commit suicide with Utah State GOP State Delegates before a State Party Convention, but we all know he is alarmed with what occurred with Senator Bennett. Governor Herbert friends would push for this since he is being attacked for providing Amnesty for Undocumented Immigrants with signing HB 116 into law and well his veto overrides haven't been helpful either. The current polling opninion is that he isn't doing very well with Utah State GOP delegates to be re-nominated at their GOP Governor Candidate. And if you hear any politician using these words by President Ronald Reagan saying "if you vote with me 80 percent of the time, then you are my friend." Then they are very afraid of Hard-core party activists and far-right tea party types who have the influence to make such a difference.

Here is a thought to consider:

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

"Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them."

545 PEOPLE

By Charlie Reese

Full Note: http://www.facebook.com/notes/michael-seegmiller/545-versus-300000000/221145324577969

MY OPINION: 

This Utah Caucus attack is nothing by a ploy to push it into the media spot light and attempt to poll Utah Voters on the measure. Than if they feel they have the momentum needed then the money of private donors will flow in an initiative of popular referendum will be on the voting ballot. 

So is Senator Hatch and Governor Herbert discretely adding fuel to this debate and than looking like saviors on mount zion for embracing and loving the Utah GOP State Caucus System? Signs prove to yes!

MY SOLUTION:

I personally love the Utah Republican Caucus and would be a voice of support for open discussion on improving it. How? What? Why?  A suggestion would be listen to this important dilemma:

In decades past, Utah was among the nation's leaders in voter turnout. Now, in some categories, we are dead last. In the 2010 elections, among people ages 18-30, Utah had the lowest turnout in the nation. This is because they feel obligated to pay down the Nation Debt and to pay for Social Security that they will never see a dime of. They openly feel that the older generation of political insiders have really not been looking after their best interest. If younger voters are opting out now, what does that forecast for representative government going forward?

I would suggest growing the Delegate number from 3500 by amending the State GOP constitution and allowing Groups representing a math formula population of a community in Utah whether is be Ethnic, Gender, Young, or College and give them State Delegate voter rights outside and in addition to the current precincts delegates. This would grow the involvement from 18-30 voters by far with energy and momentum the party needs to be shielded from such attacks to abolish the caucus system. This would bring everyone to the table to discuss with influence and a vote within the caucus, the unity we need to take back our Country!


Sincerely,

Keith Kuder
Keith@KeithKuder.com
www.Twitter.com/Utah_Guru
www.Facebook.com/KeithAllanKuder
www.KeithKuder.com

It was very sad day for Jon McNaughton to have to write this.  Jon McNaughton a graduate of BYU and has many friends that work at the University.  After recent events he has had to let the public know why he have chosen to pull all his art from the BYU Bookstore.


 Jon McNaughton sent this letter to the BYU Daily Universe:

I have a simple question for BYU…what in the heck is going on over there?!  I am an artist who has sold his work at the BYU Bookstore for many years.  But in light of recent events, I cannot in good conscious show my art there any longer.

A couple of years ago I decided to paint a picture that takes a stand for something that matters to me and to many Americans.  The title of the picture is “One Nation Under God.” It depicts Christ standing among many patriots of the past while holding the US Constitution.

Just as our country is divided now on the issues, so goes this painting.  It has been extremely popular at the BYU Bookstore, but despite its success, it was pulled from the store recently because the Vice President over the Bookstore was “uncomfortable” with the painting.  It was actually pulled down last November, but was put back up immediately after Channel Two News showed up suddenly to do a story on possible censorship at BYU.  Why is this painting, which is supported by church doctrine, (D&C 101:80) such a taboo image to display at BYU?  Why censor a painting like this?  Is it pornographic? Does it incite civil unrest? No.  Go look around the bookstore, you’ll find far more provocative political books than my paintings.  The problem in our country today is that many Americans won’t stand up for something if it makes them “uncomfortable.”

Events leading to the censorship of One Nation Under God at the BYU Bookstore
1.    BYU Art Department Manager, Val Ugolini, suddenly resigns over issues regarding “One Nation Under God.”
2.    Bookstore pulled down Jon McNaughton paintings in November of 2010.  One faculty member objected to the painting, felt that it should not hang unless an alternative liberal painting also hung.
3.    CBS Utah Channel Two News does a story on this incident and BYU receives hundreds of phone calls and e-mails.  Dave Hunt stops Daily Universe from running a story on the incident. http://connect2utah.com/search-fulltext?nxd_id=114716
4.    Private meetings held.  Jon McNaughton is asked to not talk with the press, they claim all this was a misunderstanding, apologies given and good faith agreement offered. All was good again.  (BYU Bookstore Director Roger Reynolds, BYU Assistant VP Dave Hunt)
5.    Bryan Evans BYU Administrative Vice President cancels Jon McNaughton invitation to speak at BYU OPAC Conference because he was “uncomfortable” with him presenting about One Nation Under God.
6.    Suddenly told April 18, 2011 by the BYU Bookstore managers that the “Presidential Committee” had decided back in December, weeks before the agreement with Bookstore director, to take down the One Nation Under God but had not taken action. But now the picture will no longer be hung.
7.    After it is announced that art would not be hung, BYU Bookstore Director denies existence of Presidential committee and says it is a bookstore decision.  Jon McNaughton feels that the January agreement with Bookstore Director was deceptive.
8.    April 21,2011, Jon McNaughton decides to pull out the rest of his artwork due to lack of trust with BYU Bookstore and the BYU Administration.

Click here to view the painting:
http://www.mcnaughtonart.com/artwork/view_zoom/?artpiece_id=353

 Jon McNaughton sent President Samuelson the following letter after his invitation to speak at the BYU OPAC Conference last March was cancelled:“

Has Liberalism so infected this university that speakers can be invited to speak about the truths of Darwinism, but a simple artist who wishes to speak about the Constitution and its importance in America is too controversial?   I am very troubled and would appreciate an explanation.”

His response included, “Consequently, they have concluded that their conference is not the proper forum for such a presentation and they have the support of the BYU administration. While we believe your accusations about “Liberalism” at BYU are unfounded and unsupported in fact, (emphasis added)

Although BYU is undoubtedly a conservative school to deny any Liberalism exists is astonishing.  Go to the following links:

Darwinism Conference at BYU: http://sciencebysteve.net/?p=654

BYU CollegeDemocrats http://byudemocrats.org/

BYU professor Bill Bradshaw on the Biological Origins of homosexuality http://mormonstories.org/?p=1158

A BYU Student blogs about her experience in a lecture on Evolution in a BYU class: http://godlessatbyu.blogspot.com/2010/10/evolution-debate-at-byu.html

Jon McNaughton thinks that a University like BYU should discuss all ideas as long as they don’t go against anything contrary to the honor code.  But to deny that Liberalism exists at BYU is not true.  

Jon McNaughton believe's that the source of the censoring of his painting ONUG is that BYU does not want to offend the liberals on campus.  Why is it that the complaints of a few angry liberals determine what the rest are allowed to look at?  Is this Washington D.C. or BYU?  

Please share this news with your friends. God Bless you all!

Please Like the Jon McNaughton Facebook Page!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jon-McNaughton/157211518652

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http://twitter.com/#!/mcnaughtonart

The movie that liberals in Hollywood and Washington, D.C. don't want you to see...

Join the Utah Young Republicans and a bunch of older Republicans for a special showing of Atlas Shrugged, the movie version of Ayn Rand's iconic novel. We have limited seating for the first 225 individuals. Tickets will be $11, $1 of which will be a donation to the UYRs. The first 225 to sign up and pay for a ticket will receive a ticket for a reserved seat.

TO RESERVE A TICKET, EMAIL US TODAY.

The movie will be at Mega-Plex Jordan Commons in Sandy , Theater #8, at 7:30 PM on Saturday, April 16.  We'll start seating at 7:10.   MAP

Come early, hang out with the YRs and other Republicans and conservatives. We hope to see you there!
 
SL County Republicans:  During the morning on this day is the SL County Convention which will be held next door at the SouthTown Expo Center.  The convention will conclude in the mid-afternoon which leaves attendees ample time to get something to eat and arrive at the theater in time to mingle before the performance.

If you RSVP, I'll send you a Paypal request for the number of tickets you request. Please send me by email at utahyoungrepublicans@gmail.com or Facebook message your request and email address, and I'll send you the request. I'll reserve the number of tickets you request.
________________________________________________________________

About the Atlas Shrugged novel: Atlas Shrugged is a novel that has generated inspiration and controversy since its publication in 1957.

Its theme is the role of individual achievement in society and its goal is to demonstrate what can happen when individual achievement is undervalued, suppressed and demonized. Complex characters embody heroism and evil, in a plot that combines drama, mystery, romance, and science fiction - the result is ultimately inspirational, not apocalyptic.

Dagny Taggart is one of the finest female heroines in modern literature: intelligent, courageous, and as beautiful as she is strong. She is a rare screen example of life lived on one's own terms, for one's own values. Steel magnate Henry Rearden says, "My goal is to make money" with pride. He is an industrialist who improves the quality of life for all - and values his reward. Atlas Shrugged's villains are evil, but as familiar as our local neighbor - as they undercut and subvert talent and achievement.


 
Atlas Shrugged Trailer
Why You should See Atlas Shrugged (article)
Atlas Shrugged: Timeless Morals (article)

Keith Kuder
Young Republican Delegate
Keith@KeithKuder.com
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