Monthly Archives: January 2011

Is Huntsman really planning a run for prez?

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Doug Gibson

When articles emerged from Newsweek and The Atlantic that ex-Utah guv Jon Huntsman might run for president in 2012, I figured it was ante-prez year hype or reporters trying to create news. Now, I’m not so sure; Accd to a … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged 2012 presidential race, China, China ambassadorship, Gov. Jon Huntsman, John Weaver, No Labels, Politico, President Obama, Scott Anderson | 12 Comments

Rep. Curt Oda gets The Colbert star treatment

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Doug Gibson

Davis County state Rep. Curt Oda gets The Colbert treatment in this hilarious take on the feral animal debate the Clearfield legislator recently started. Watch below at link. Click

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Feral animals, Rep. Curt Oda, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report | 1 Comment

Temple adoptions were part of LDS evolution toward genealogy work

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Doug Gibson

The majority of faithful Latter-day Saints who engage in temple work for the dead probably have never heard of the Law of Adoption. Yet, for roughly a half century, until 116 years ago, it was the forerunner of today’s large-scale … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Adam, Brigham Young, BYU Studies, Genealogy, Gordon Irving, Joseph Smith, Law of Adoption, LDS Church, Priesthood authority, Temple adoptions, Temple sealings, Wilford Woodruff | 5 Comments

GOP says Hatch is on his own against Tea Party assault

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Doug Gibson

Mother Jones magazine’s blog has an interesting post. According to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who directs the National Republican Senate Committee, Sen. Orrin Hatch will get no help from his group if he gets a major Tea Party-inspired challenge in 2012. Cornyn … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged 2012 elections, National Republican Senate Committee, Re-election, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Sen. John Cornyn, Sen. Olympia Snowe, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Tea Party movement, Utah politics | 9 Comments

Skins is a vile, depraved show, put it on HBO

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Doug Gibson

MTV has a new hit on its stained hands. It’s called “Skins.” It’s a vile, depraved show that casts actors ages 15 to 19 as sex-, alcohol- and drug-obsessed teens. In “Skins,” parents have less screen time than “Gazoo” did … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged 'Skins', drug abuse, HBO, MTV, sex, Teens | 26 Comments

More than 100 years ago, Mormons, Smoot Senate hearings titillated the public

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Doug Gibson

To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here Utah Sen. Reed Smoot, R-Utah, was an apostle and U.S. senator. Too bad that too few of us recall the fierce, almost-four year U.S. Senate battle that resulted … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Glenn Beck, Heber J. Grant, Joseph F. Smith, Media sensation, Political cartooning, President Theodore Roosevelt, Salt Lake Tribune, Sen. Reed Smoot, Smoot Hearings | 7 Comments

Yeah, but how many state GOP delegates would Huntsman get?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Doug Gibson

I’m very skeptical of a Utah Policy/Exero Group poll that claims former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman receives double the support of incumbent Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Jason Chaffetz combined in a 2012 race for Hatch’s Senate seat. The poll … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Gov. Jon Huntsman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Sen. Bob Bennett, Sen. Orrin Hatch, U.S. Senate seat, Utah Policy and Exero Group, Utah Republican state delegates | 6 Comments

Sweatshop journalism and multi-level marketing

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Doug Gibson

The Salt Lake City Weekly ran an interesting story on Deseret Connect, the replacement for a considerable portion of the journalism that used to be practiced at the Deseret News. Read According to Matthew Sanders, head of DC, contributors span … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Deseret Connect, Deseret News, Mark Willes, Multi-level marketing, Patch.com, Salt Lake Weekly, Sweatshop journalism | 15 Comments

Shoveling snow on a Sunday morning more solitary than Scripture reading

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Doug Gibson

To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with post, click here NOTE: To whom it may concern, I am guilty of an occasional shirking of a priesthood duty, including the secular responsibilities. Although it’s colder than hell’s irony, early morning … Read More

Posted in The Political Surf | Tagged Early morning, LDS Church, Priesthood, Scripture reading, Scriptures, Shoveling snow, Snow, Sunday | 16 Comments

Serious ethics reform still needed for Utah Legislature

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Doug Gibson

As the Legislature gets ready to spend several weeks well, legislating, it’s important to remember that there remains a severe ethics deficit on Capitol Hill. Legislators have trumpeted some small, cosmetic reforms, but lawmakers are still able to mooch expensive … Read More