Interesting Day Ahead
Mexico President Vicente Fox addresses the Utah Legislature at 11 a.m., and at 2 p.m. lawmakers convene in a special session called by the governor. All indications are that the session will be a tough one (See Blog Watch below and Morning News and Tribune stories). Go to the legislative Web site for live audio and video of all the action.
Global Warming is Going to Get Hot
Global warming is going to turn into a massive political issue over the next several months as Al Gore’s movie, “An Inconvenient Truth” will be viewed on movie screens across the country (beginning today in a few locations) The film is scheduled in Salt Lake City on June 16 at the Broadway theaters.
The film will get the same kind of hype as Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Says Gore’s movie Web site:
“Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced.”
I don’t doubt that global warming is occurring. I’m just not sure that, first, humans are causing it, second, that there’s anything we can do about it and, third, whether getting a little warmer is necessarily all bad.
We’ve seen plenty of hysterical hand-wringing by environmentalists in the past (remember “Silent Spring”?) Scaremongers have tried to frighten everyone about the population time bomb and depletion of natural resources, issues that have turned out to be just plain silly.
The earth has obviously gone through hotter and cooler periods in the past, and mankind has had nothing to do with it. At one time Utah was mostly a big lake with a tropical climate. Various animal and plant species have been predominant and then become extinct, again with no humans to blame it on.
What’s more, there may be some upsides to global warming. Some things might get warmer. Like my wife’s cold feet.
Blog Watch
At the Senate Site blog, Sens. Sheldon Killpack and Lyle Hillyard express dismay that Gov. Huntsman is "circumventing the process" by placing partial restoration of Medicaid dental benefits at the top of the agenda for today's special legislative session: "This would have been a bit more palatable had the Governor’s office given us any indication that this was important to them during the legislative session. This move must be incredibly frustrating to those who play by the rules" (see also comments by Rep. Jeff Alexander, Rep. Steve Urquhart (see update), the Utah Amicus, and Utah Democrats)... COL Takashi fisks a Sierra Club report that claims a Bush Administration policy limiting Clean Water Act enforcement on "isolated waters" is endangering Utah drinking water... Senate candidate Pete Ashdown says: "There are changes we can make today, without waiting, to reduce our need for foreign-oil drastically. America needs leaders who are willing to do so" (see also here)... Woods Cross Citizen says of anonymous bloggers: "When I was an elected official, I did not take anonymous comments into account in any decision I made. I also didn't take comments from people who were not my constituents as seriously as those who were. It is a fact of life. If you want elected officials and even constituents to take your comments seriously, write with your true identity"... LocalCommentary discusses the future of American Fork's municipal broadband system... The Tom Barberi Show says: "The whole reason for Mexican President Vicente Fox's visit to Utah is to deal with trade ... Tom was wondering, what do we trade with Mexico? Drugs, tequila and Chiclets? Or is there much more that would require a very special visit from El Presidente?"... Utah Conservative opposes a 4th congressional seat for Utah... At Out of Context, Heather May reports: "Rocky Anderson meant it when he said in a Salt Lake Tribune article Tuesday he would be deciding within the next few weeks if he will run for a third term next year. In fact, he could know as soon as next week"... Charley Foster disputes The Scoop's assertion that Sen. Orrin Hatch "is on record as condoning polygamy."
-- Compiled by Golden Webb.
Washington Watch
The Hatch Report
Sen. Orrin Hatch says of legislation he's co-sponsoring that would create a national Internet database to track convicted sex offenders: "Public outcry for this bill has been unbelievable. I'm confident the bill will be on the president's desk before the year's end" (USA Today); Senate supporters of legislation that would expand federal funding for stem cell research, including Hatch, "continue to exert public pressure on Majority Leader Bill Frist to put the measure to a vote" (The Hill); Hatch says of potential patent reform legislation being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee: "What we're going to do is sift through this and see what we can do to try and be fair and yet honest and decent and hopefully come up with something that will be suitable for most people" (CNET News); Hatch will accompany other senators on "a field trip to see oil shale operations in the West that they hope will one day provide a rich domestic source of oil" (Associated Press); Hatch is accused of a "polygamy political coverup" (Scoop).
Bennett Backs Guantanamo
Sen. Bob Bennett returns from a five-hour tour of the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying media reports of poor conditions there are exaggerated (Associated Press).
Matheson: Tighten Security at Veteran's Affairs
Rep. Jim Matheson criticizes the Department of Veteran's Affairs for waiting three weeks to notify veterans that a stolen data file puts them at risk of identify theft (see press release).
Local Watch
Jim Bradley Web site
Salt Lake County Council member Jim Bradley has created a new Web site supporting his re-election campaign. So far it’s pretty bare bones, but a lot of information and features will be added in the near future, promised Bradley campaign leader Kerri Nakamura. In a letter to voters, Bradley says, “I have thoroughly enjoyed serving on the County Council and supporting Peter (Corroon) as he implements forward thinking policies on the environment, diversity, and fiscal responsibility.”
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