Fanjul 1, Lolita 0: Judge Ann Boyden Finds West High Teacher Jose Fanjul Not Guilty On All Ten Sex-Related Charges In Salt Lake City

Justice finally prevails! Jose Bernardo Fanjul's nine-month legal ordeal finally came to an end on June 5th, 2009 when Third District Judge Ann Boyden found him not guilty on all ten sex exploitation charges against him after a four-day trial. Judge Boyden said the evidence presented was "not sufficient" to prove the defendant committed the 10 felonies with which he was charged. Full stories published in the Deseret News, the Salt Lake Tribune, KSL Channel 5, and KSTU Channel 13. KSL video embedded below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The 46-year-old Fanjul, a teacher at Salt Lake City's West High School who has been on administrative leave without pay since his September 2008 arrest, had been charged with five counts of forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony, and five counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, for alleged sexual acts that prosecutors say took place between March 1st and July 31st in 2008. But the case against Fanjul began to weaken once it was disclosed that the complainant was also the "victim" in an earlier case against former West High counselor Marco Herrera, who admitted to having a sexual relationship with her and ended up going to prison. In addition, the "victim" claimed that she had "dozens" of sexual encounters with Fanjul in his classroom, the school elevator, at his home and in his car. Thus the complainant began to look like a Lolita from the very beginning.

Nonetheless, the legal jousting continued. In November, Fanjul pleaded not guilty to all charges, and a trial was tentatively scheduled for February. In early January, the February trial was delayed indefintely despite defense objections. The trial was then rescheduled, but again abruptly cancelled in early May. At that time, defense attorneys filed a dismissal motion, which was rejected by the judge. All parties finally agreed to a bench trial before Judge Ann Boyden alone, to begin on June 2nd. You can review all previous posts, beginning with the most current, for more details on all this legal wrangling.

During the first day of the trial, the "victim" testified. She said she met Fanjul her sophomore year at West High School when he was her history teacher. She said he asked for suggestions on how to improve his teaching. She emailed him, sparking a friendship that she says eventually turned sexual. She described numerous intimate encounters with Fanjul at West High, claiming that they kissed and fondled each other in his classroom and in the school's elevator. She also claimed she met him at his house twice during the summer. She further testified that she felt flattered and wore clothes Fanjul liked, like tight spandex and high heels.

During the next two days, prosecutors attempted to support her story by presenting graphic testimony and evidence of phone calls and personal online conversations between Fanjul and the girl. Prosecutor Cristine Ortega said the frequency of phone calls, emails and Internet chats between the two indicated there was "something more than a teacher/student relationship". Ortega said the phone records show Fanjul and the girl two spoke from three to 12 times per day during some periods. But defense attorneys countered by marching in students, teachers, custodians and a secretary from West High School in support of Fanjul. None of them could attest to ever seeing inappropriate behavior between the teacher and the girl.

Following the trial, the so-called "victim", sitting with her father, step-mother and step-sister, appeared stunned, then began crying quietly. In contrast, Fanjul reacted joyously, hugged his attorneys and his family and many of his supporters broke into tears. "I was afraid this was going to become a high-tech lynching," Fanjul said. "But thanks to [my attorney] and a judge who is outstanding and honorable, they stopped the lynching." When asked what he was going to do next with his life, Fanjul quipped: "Go on a world tour with the Spice Girls."

However, this cannot be the end of it. One man is already in prison, and another has spent tens of thousands of dollars, lost his income, and had his life placed on hold for nine months because of this so-called "victim". This "victim" had a reputation for coming on to adult males in school. She poses a risk to any man who finds himself alone with her. It must be determined why she made the complaint in the first place, and if psychiatric treatment is warranted, it must be ordered. Certainly, she hasn't the resources to repay Fanjul, and her parents cannot be penalized for believing her and standing by her, but there's got to be some reassurance that she won't do this again. That reassurance does NOT yet exist. It is necessary in order to achieve final closure.

Update June 8th: According to a new article published in the Salt Lake Tribune, Fanjul is not exactly a cinch to get his job back. An investigation is under way to determine whether the award-winning, and admittedly unconventional, teacher should retain his license. And Salt Lake City School District officials must decide whether to fire him for professional misconduct or welcome him back next fall. All this will happen behind closed doors; education officials won't discuss specifics.

But the bar for sanction and dismissal is lower than for a criminal conviction. Codes of professional conduct are open to interpretation and only a preponderance of evidence is needed, said Carol Lear, an attorney who advises a professional licensing and conduct commission at the state Office of Education. "Just because a teacher is not guilty of a crime, doesn't mean he or she is entitled to be licensed," Lear said. "A lot of things came out in trial, even from [Fanjul's] own witnesses, that merit review from a professional standpoint." Lear expects a decision this summer.

Frankly, I think he deserves his job back, but there should be one condition - that he is not allowed to communicate with students via text-messaging or e-mailing outside of normal school hours. Salt Lake Crawlmeister Glen Warchol even points out that Fanjul used that means too excessively.

Christopher Allen Assaults Two Homosexuals In Ogden, Yells Anti-Gay Slurs, May Also Be Charged With A Hate Crime

An Ogden man who faces assault and criminal trespass charges for beating up two people may also face hate crime charges because he allegedly yelled anti-gay slurs.

The Ogden Standard-Examiner reports that 30-year-old Christopher Vonnegut Allen was arrested and booked into Weber County Jail on two counts of assault, both class B misdemeanors, and one count of criminal trespassing. He has since been released on bail.

Allen's first victim was 24-year-old Wil Phillips, subsequently identified as gay by his mother, who stated that he was inside an unidentified friend's apartment while his friend was outside smoking. He then he heard his friend and Allen, who also lives in the complex, talking. When Phillips opened the door, the two men fell into the apartment in what at first appeared to be a playful scuffle. But when Phillip's friend went into the bathroom, Allen immediately attacked Phillips, sitting on top of him, slapping, kicking and stomping him while saying "I'm not fucking gay". While Phillips was a bit roughed up with a few bruises and a bloody face, he required no professional medical attention. This accounts for the first assault charge as well as the trespassing charge.

Allen's second victim was 20-year-old Whitney Goich, who disclosed that she is a lesbian. Goich claims that she was walking into an apartment complex at 3455 Harrison Blvd around 2:30 A.M. on June 2nd when she was accosted by a man who punched her in the face. He shouted a few slurs, grabbed her face again, and thrust his knee into her nose. Subsequently, it was found she needed professional medical attention; she was admitted to McKay-Dee Hospital Center with a broken nose and went into surgery to repair her nose and a tear duct in her left eye. This accounts for the second assault charge.

Police determined that Christopher Allen was intoxicated at the time of the assaults.

After arresting and charging Allen, police then sent information about their investigation and the victims' allegations to prosecutors who could, under a Utah hate crimes law, enhance charges against Allen.

The idea of hate crimes and protected classes is ridiculous. It simply stirs up resentment by those who are not protected and polarizes society. The severity of a charge ought to revolve primarily around the ability of a victim to resist, meaning that crimes against the very young, the very old, and the disabled generally should, as a rule of thumb, earn the most severe charges. Just because a person is a certain race or other diversity variable should not warrant special attention. Rev. Ted Pike discusses the dangers of "hate" laws HERE.

Since the female victim required professional medical attention, that assault charge should be upgraded to a felony. Otherwise the other misdemeanor assault charge and the criminal trespassing charge should remain in force. Allen should get hammered because he sent the woman to the hospital, not because she's a lesbian.

Since when is it the state's role to play God and decide what is in a person's heart?

Fourteen Minutes Of Hell: An Unofficial Chronology Of The Air France Flight 447 Crash, But Anonymous Pilot Thinks Airliner Was Bombed By Terrorists

According to an unofficial chronology of the end of Air France Flight 447, it was fourteen minutes of hell at the end. Report published in the Deseret News. List of passengers now available HERE.

The more complete chronology was first published on Wednesday June 3rd, 2009 by Brazil's O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper, citing an unidentified Air France source. The Associated Press confirmed the information with an industry official who had knowledge of the investigation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the probe. According to the official, here's what's believed to have happened:

The last manual message from the pilot of Air France Flight 447 indicated the plane was headed into a storm. At 11:00 P.M., the pilot manually signaled that he was entering an area of "CBs" — black, electrically charged cumulonimbus clouds that come with violent winds and lightning. Satellite data examined after the fact showed towering thunderheads sending 100 mph updraft winds into the jet's flight path.

Ten minutes later (11:10 P.M.) a flurry of automated messages began: The autopilot had disengaged, a key computer system had switched to alternative power. Controls needed to keep the plane stable had been damaged. An alarm sounded indicating which flight systems had deteriorated.

Three minutes after that (11:13 P.M.), systems needed to monitor air speed, altitude and direction failed, and then the main flight computer and wing spoilers failed as well.

The last message, at 11:14 P.M. reported loss of cabin pressure and complete electrical failure — catastrophic events in a plane that was likely already plunging toward the ocean.

"This clearly looks like the story of the airplane coming apart," the official said. "We just don't know why it did, but that is what the investigation will show." At this time, they cannot be sure if the plane broke apart upon ocean impact, or if it began breaking apart in mid-air.

To determine why the mishap occurred, the black box must be located. The lead French investigator, Paul-Louis Arslanian, is not optimistic; he said the black boxes might never be found due to fierce tropical weather and undersea mountains and valleys that drop as much as three miles down. The black boxes, which are designed to survive crushing ocean depths, only emit a signal for 30 days. A French research ship with remotely controlled submersibles that can explore as deeply as 19,600 feet (6,000 meters) is scheduled to arrive in the area next week. But ocean depths in the area reach nearly 23,000 feet.

The presence of a 12-mile-long oil slick in the crash area is stifling official speculation about terrorism, since oil stains on the water might exclude the possibility of an explosion, meaning little chance of a fire. However, an anonymous Air France pilot thinks differently. According to this story in NewstrackIndia and also in Metro.co.uk and the Daily Star, the pilot says that it is "highly likely" that flight AF447 may have been blown up by a terrorist bomb. The pilot dismissed the theory the doomed jet suffered catastrophic electrical failure. He also ruled out suggestions that the pilot of the Rio de Janeiro to Paris flight had tried to land on the sea.

He backed up his contention by saying that Air France received a telephone threat against a flight from Argentina to Paris just four days before AF447 vanished without sending a May Day message. He also stated that "If there was an explosion on board, the wreckage would have been spread over a very wide area, as it was. So in my opinion there is no other option than the highly likely theory that a bomb went off on the plane - perhaps even a large bomb that destroyed it in mid-air leaving no chance to send a message."

However, the terrorist theory raises two puzzling questions. First, why has no one taken responsibility? Terrorists are attention whores - they're always looking for headlines. Second, why target Brazil, or for that matter, even France. Yes, France has had domestic problems with their Muslims torching the suburbs, but I don't see why a terrorist organization would target France at this time.

Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker Withdraws Library Square Cop Shop Proposal; Nine More Locations, Eight Of Them Downtown, Still Under Consideration

On June 3rd, 2009, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker announced that he is withdrawing a proposal to erect a $125 million "cop shop" on the east side of Library Square in downtown Salt Lake. Three reasons cited in the Salt Lake Tribune include the fact that it would ruin views of the Main Library, shrink an urban park and muddle the square's free-speech, cultural focus. Becker also stated that he had received 400 public comments, most in opposition to the proposal. That widespread opposition was also documented in my previous post. Additional stories published by the Deseret News, KSTU Channel 13 (with video), and KSL Channel 5 (with video).

Not cited in the story was the recent revelation that the proposed Library Square site would be subject to liquefaction in the event of a significant earthquake. Experts consider the Wasatch Front to be long overdue for a serious quake. KSL news video embedded below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The construction proposal and targeted costs remain the same. It is to be a five-story police headquarters and three-story emergency-operations center, and Becker proposes to spend $125 million on it. He wants to float a bond in November 2009 to fund the public-safety complex. As currently written, the measure would tack an extra $71.82 onto the annual property-tax bill of a $250,000 home. This is still considerably less than a $192 million proposal for five separate facilities rejected by a 263-vote count in 2007 after former mayor Rocky Anderson sabotaged the proposal by coming out against it at the last minute. But the need for such a facility remains firmly established, since the current facility on 200 South has been described as "dilapidated." Water leaks through the ceiling of the evidence room, sewage has spilled into the basement and officers often get stuck inside the building's elevators. So all that remains in dispute is the location.

There are nine other prospective locations for the proposed facility, eight of them downtown. The Salt Lake Tribune has posted a map HERE; they are also listed below, in no particular preferred order:

-- 7/11 northeast corner of 300 South and 400 East (this has been considered the primary alternative)
-- Barnes Bank southeast corner of 300 South and 400 East (this has also been considered a primary alternative)
-- Burger King northeast corner of 300 South and 200 East
-- State Office of Education 500 South midway between 200 East and 300 East
-- Garff dealership 500 South midway between State St and 200 East
-- Chamber of Commerce parking lot southwest corner of 400 South and State St
-- Health Department property 600 South halfway between State St and 200 East
-- Youth City southeast corner of 2100 South and 700 East (near Sugar House)
-- Holding parking lot Main Street halfway between 400 South and 500 South

The latter proposal is the simplest and most desirable proposal because it involves only one landowner and only nominal site preparation costs. But the owner does not want to sell. Conspicuous by their absence are any proposals to erect the facility on the west side, meaning that Ralph Becker's campaign promise to steer more development towards the west side remains little more than empty rhetoric. Already the city has spent $75,000 in consulting fees to determine the future site of the cop shop.

Becker is taking some heat for being supposedly slow about ditching the plan, but he says that he merely wanted to assure a thorough debate, and to provide as much opportunity for as many people as possible to weigh in. Salt Lake Crawlmeister Glen Warchol thinks Becker may have burned up too much political capital. The next goal is to have a new site formally recommended in time for a city council meeting on June 16th, so that they will be ready in July to vote on putting the pared-down bond on the November ballot.

A Possible Hypothesis Of The Cause Of The Crash Of Air France Flight 447 Off The Coast Of Brazil

Update June 4th: Anonymous Air France pilot thinks terrorists bombed the flight. Updated post HERE.

After reading several new articles about the crash of Air France 447 off the northeast coast of Brazil, I have formed a possible hypothesis about the cause of the crash. Note that this is strictly derived through amateur deductive reasoning; I have never flown an aircraft. I will present the hypothesis, then the principle components of the hypothesis, including source articles and links.

Hypothesis: Flight 447 suddenly encountered the line of thunderstorms in its flight path; Reuters hints the jet may have flown through three of them. While attempting to fly through them, the aircraft took a couple of catastrophic lightning strikes. One strike completely blew off the radar, leaving the aircraft flying blind. Another strike may have been serious enough to fry the electronics, explaining the automated reports of "loss of electrical power" and "loss of cabin pressure". Uncertain about the weather due to loss of radar, the pilot then may have attempted to make a right turn to return to the nearest airfield at Fernando de Noronha, but the loss of power, coupled with a flight computer that may not have permitted manual override, may have made the aircraft uncontrollable, so it plunged into the sea. Severe or extreme turbulence associated with the storms would have exacerbated this situation.

Components of the Hypothesis:

(1). Lightning Strike Hypothesis: Published in this June 2nd Reuters story and a June 2nd Austrian Times story. While experts say that jets are designed to withstand lightning, they add that a direct hit might have disrupted the plane's radar and radio, which could explain the communications blackout. LePoint.fr news website also said that some external sensors on the plane appeared to have frozen, which might have compromised cockpit readings, but there's no confirmation of this.

(2). Flight Computer Hypothesis: Published in this June 2nd WA Today story. A similar situation involving a Qantas Airbus in October 2007, which had a happier ending, provides valuable input. Hans Weber, head of the aviation consulting firm Tecop in San Diego, said the new Airbus 330 was a "fly-by-wire" plane, in which signals to move the flaps are sent through electric wires to small motors in the wings rather than through cables or hydraulic tubing.

Fly-by-wire systems can automatically conduct manoeuvres to prevent an impending crash, but some Airbus jets will not allow a pilot to override the self-protection mechanism. On both Qantas flights, the planes' inertia sensors sent faulty information to the flight computers, making them take emergency measures to correct problems that did not exist. If the inertia sensor told a computer that a plane was stalling, forcing it to drop the nose and dive to pick up speed, and there was a simultaneous severe downdraft in storm turbulence, "that would be hard to recover from", Mr Weber said.

On October 7th last year [2008], a Qantas flight, with 303 passengers and 10 crew on board, was at 37,000 feet and about 80 nautical miles from Learmonth in north-western Australia when the pilots received electronic centralised aircraft monitoring messages relating to an irregularity with the elevator control system. The aircraft climbed approximately 300 feet, then abruptly pitched nose-down.

(3). Right Turn Hypothesis: Published in this June 3rd Daily Express story. According to the story, the heroic pilot of the doomed Air France airliner may have tried to make a desperate bid to save everyone on board. It is believed the 58-year-old captain made a last-ditch bid for safety as the stricken jet flew into the jaws of a ­ferocious tropical storm in a sector dubbed the “Black Cauldron”.

Wreckage of missing Flight 447 was discovered yesterday floating in the ocean some 400 miles north-east of Brazil. Debris, which included seats from the plane and a lifejacket, was found in two separate areas about 35 miles apart. But the objects were found to the right of the plane’s original course – suggesting that the pilot may have tried to turn away from the menacing thunderstorm and head back towards a nearby cluster of islands. Brazilian Air Force spokesman Jorge Amaral said, “The locations where the objects were found are towards the right of the point where the last signal of the plane was emitted. That suggests it might have tried to make a turn, maybe to return to Fernando de Noronha, but that is just hypothesis.”

Here's an ITN report (United Kingdom):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ZTxSCSjpA



Brazil has officially confirmed that Flight 447 crashed after finding an airplane seat, a fuel slick and pieces of white debris scattered over three miles of open ocean. Brazilian military pilots spotted the wreckage in the ocean 400 miles (640 kilometers) northeast of these islands off Brazil's coast. No bodies have been found, and there was no sign of life.

Locating the all-important black box recorders, which emit signals for only 30 days, is expected to be exceedingly challenging, since they could be resting in water at depths of up to 23,000 feet. The boxes are constructed to withstand the pressures of deep water. The cause of the crash will not be known until the black boxes are recovered — which could take days or weeks. But weather and aviation experts are focusing on the possibility of a collision with a brutal storm that sent winds of 100 mph straight into the airliner's path. "The airplane was flying at 500 mph northeast and the air is coming at them at 100 mph," said AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist Henry Margusity. "That probably started the process that ended up in some catastrophic failure of the airplane."

Remotely controlled submersible crafts will have to be used to recover wreckage settling so far beneath the ocean's surface. France dispatched a research ship equipped with unmanned submarines that can explore as deeply as 19,600 feet. A U.S. Navy P-3C Orion surveillance plane — which can fly low over the ocean for 12 hours at a time and has radar and sonar designed to track submarines underwater — and a French AWACS radar plane are joining the operation. France also has three military patrol aircraft flying over the central Atlantic, two commercial ships reached the floating debris, and Brazilian navy ships were en route.

Terrorism has not been ruled out, but is considered unlikely, because someone would have claimed responsibility by now.

Democrat Sam Granato Enters The Utah U.S. Senate Race Against Republican Incumbent Bob Bennett: Contender Or Cannon Fodder?

Most Utah Democratic candidates outside the immediate Salt Lake area prove to be little more than cannon fodder for Republicans. Classic case in point: Bennion Spencer proved to be little more than a speed bump on Jason Chaffetz' historic road to victory. A Republican generally must pull a Greg Curtis to get beat by a Democrat outside of Salt Lake.

So the question is, will the newest Democratic candidate for office prove to be more cannon fodder, or will he be an actual contender? The latest Democratic offering is San Granato, the 59-year-old owner of three Salt Lake Valley restaurants. Granato formally announced his campaign on Monday June 1st, 2009, although the announcement was overshadowed by Republican Cherilyn Eagar's entry into the campaign as well. Primary story in the Salt Lake Tribune; additional stories by the Deseret News and on KSL Channel 5. The Utah State Democratic Party official blog weighs in HERE.

"I realize that I am not your typical politician," Granato told a small but avid crowd of supporters. "And frankly, that will be a good thing." KSL video embedded below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Touting his 40 years as a small business owner, along with his service on several health care and finance boards, to include his chairmanship of the state's liquor commission, Granato said he is well-prepared to represent Utahns in Washington, D.C. "As a party to the restructuring of Utah's liquor laws, I have proved that I am capable of listening to different opinions and forming a consensus," Granato said.

Although Granato's message is currently short on policy, he promises detailed positions on the major issues in the months to come. But that doesn't deter former Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden from supporting him. Layden lauded Granato's citizen-business persona and common sense. And radio host Tom Barbieri, a former Salt Lake Tribune columnist, called Granato's candidacy refreshing. "His father, Frank Granato Sr., started this whole business by pushing a handcart and reaching out to everybody. Sam built it into what it is today," Barberi said. "He doesn't have an agenda other than to do good and to make sure the people of Utah are represented."

Update August 28th: Sam Granato is building an official campaign website HERE. Here's a YouTube video in which Granato discusses his candidacy at greater length:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpURHtYUw3Y



Granato decries the trash-talking that has permeated the nation's politics, and pledged to listen to constituents as he campaigns over the next several months. Utah Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Holland considers Granato a viable candidate and said Utah is widely seen as part of a bigger trend. He said, "Opportunities for victory in the west are there and we've got some viable candidates, not just the one now that declared today, but other candidates for statewide office that we think have great opportunities." But Granato estimates he's going to need $2 million to run against Senator Bennett, and that could be a major challenge.

Granato is an active member of the LDS Church, thus proving that Ezra Taft Benson was wrong when he allegedly said one could not be both a good Mormon and a Democrat, and has served in several leadership and service positions including the Boy Scouts of America. He has been married to Ann for thirty four years and has four children and seven grandchildren.

If he secures the Democratic nomination, Granato will go on to face the victor in a crowded Republican field. Democratic Congressman Jim Matheson has not ruled out a run at Bennett. Three-term incumbent Bennett is challenged by Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, business owner Tim Bridgewater, conservative activist Cherilyn Eagar, and James Williams.

Two lefty bloggers already enthused about Granato's campaign include Bob Aagard and Utah Amicus. Another interesting tidbit: If you read two of Aagard's posts, HERE and HERE, together the two posts convey the impression that Salt Lake County Democratic Mayor Pete Corroon is weighing a run for Governor in 2010, but only if Jim Matheson doesn't jump into the race. Both Matheson and Corroon are highly credible Democrats, and Matheson could potentially defeat Gary Herbert if Herbert picks a mirror-image lieutenant governor.

While Sam Granato has established at this point that he is more than just "cannon fodder", it remains to be seen whether or not he is a contender. He could find a battle against either Bob Bennett or Mark Shurtleff particularly tough.

Conservative Republican Activist Cherilyn Eagar Forms Exploratory Committee For Campaign Against Utah Senator Bob Bennett

The field of Republican challengers for U.S. Senator Bob Bennett's seat, already fleshed out with Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Tim Bridgewater, is about to get more crowded. Longtime conservative activist Cherilyn Eagar announced on June 1st, 2009 that she's forming an exploratory committee as a first step towards a possible campaign against Bennett. She told KSL Channel 5 that she'll be focusing on identifying the fundraisers and potential supporters she'll need for a campaign. Also reported by RollCall.

Update: On June 11th, Eagar took the next step and filed the formal paperwork making her an official candidate. New official campaign website as follows:

http://www.eagarforsenate.com/

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Eagar said, "Gulliver has been tied down by socialist gnomes for many years, but he's starting to wake up. We have a great opportunity here to represent not only conservatives but those who, across the board, have been disenfranchised."

On her older ViewsAndValues website, Eagar acknowledges that Bob Bennett has worked hard, has had good intentions and deserves gratitude for his service. But his three-term record shows that he helped grow the Federal government by trillions of dollars, most of which is now debt. Many are unaware that Senator Bennett not only supported the bailout, but also helped broker it. Eagar claims that FEC reports show that Senator Bennett is ranked the #1 Republican in the Senate in campaign funds received from Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, the organizations primarily responsible for the demise of the free market. Those contributions also rank him #6 behind the top 5 liberal Democrats including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It should also be noted that Bob Bennett voted to confirm La Raza activist judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Court of Appeals Second District in 1998.

Eagar places concern for civil liberties high atop her list of priorities. On April 18th, she condemned the now-infamous DHS report which implied that tax protestors, anti-abortion activists, and small government advocates were potential subversives. And in a January 16th post, she decries the dissemination of "green" propaganda in our schools. She also posted a critical assessment of the International Baccalaureate Program on the Senate Site blog. In her perspective, the IB program promotes a left-wing agenda, replete with socialism, disarmament, radical environmentalism, and moral relativism, while attempting to undermine Christian religious values and national sovereignty. The world view taught by IB includes the promotion of the Earth Charter and suggests that America’s foundational principles of national sovereignty, natural law and inalienable rights are at odds with the IB curriculum and should not be taught.

Good gravy! That probably describes curricula at around two-thirds of our secular universities in the United States!

Eagar is the Vice President of Marketing for WebsTarget by Computer Camp, an Internet marketing company that services the real estate industry. She has been a fundraiser for various charitable causes from Special Olympics Utah to the Children’s Miracle Network and has had lifelong leadership activity in the Republican Party serving on Republican Womens’ boards, as a campaign manager, and as county and state delegate. She is featured in Sean Hannity’s book Let Freedom Ring. She supported Mitt Romney in 2008, and lauds the Utah State Legislature for its leadership and fiscal discipline. She is married to Randy Eagar, and together they have seven children and also have eight grandchildren. She is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. See her Facebook site HERE.

Cherilyn Eagar was also one of the leaders of the Provo Tea Party tax protests on April 15th, 2009, where Congressman Jason Chaffetz also showed up. Seems like she's got a few things in common with Chaffetz politically, although Salt Lake Crawlmeister Glen Warchol sees her as being more "Palinesque".

Cherilyn Eagar is clearly number four on the depth charts right now, behind Bennett, Shurtleff, and Bridgewater. But Jason Chaffetz started out in arrears, too, and we all know what he did. Could Cherilyn Eagar be Jason Chaffetz with a skirt?

Scott P. Roeder May Be A Murderer, But Slain Wichita Abortionist Dr. George Tiller Is Neither A Hero Nor A Martyr

On Sunday May 31st, 2009, a man walked into the Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th St. in Wichita, Kansas and fatally shot abortion doctor Dr. George Tiller, while he was in the midst of ushering. Fifty-one-year-old anti-abortion activist Scott P. Roeder of Merriam was arrested three hours later along I-35 in Johnson County and has been accused of the crime, being held on suspicion of first-degree murder and aggravated assault. More about Roeder's background HERE.

The Wichita Eagle provides the most comprehensive coverage. As of post time, 29 different stories are posted on their George Tiller Page. KAKE Channel 10 coverage HERE.

Dr. Tiller is the fourth abortionist killed in the United States since 1993. His full obituary can be read HERE. The other three include Dr. David Gunn of Pensacola, FL in March 1993, Dr. John Britton also of Pensacola, FL in July 1994, and Dr. Barnett Slepian in October 1998. The National Abortion Federation claims there were four others from 1977-1993. The number of pre-natal lives these doctors took has not been documented. Dr. Tiller and his clinic have been the target of numerous protests and threats since 1986, all summarized HERE.

In the wake of the slaying, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered increased security for some abortion clinics and doctors. But the U.S. Marshals Service would not specifically describe who was being protected, or what security measures were being taken.

Inexplicably, much of the pro-life lobby is playing defense in response to this crime. Kansans for Life, the state's largest and most influential anti-abortion group, immediately sought to distance itself from the shooting suspect. In addition, Operation Rescue and Kansas Coalition for Life also rushed to condemn the shooting. " If this person's connected in any way to the pro-life movement, it'll set us back 20 years because the people of America do not approve of this behavior," said Mark Gietzen of Wichita, who heads the Kansas Coalition for Life and has organized 1,846 consecutive days of protest outside Tiller's clinic. But the pro-life movement needs to remember that they are NOT the ones who have slaughtered an estimated 50 million unborn babies since 1973, with 93 percent of those abortions performed for elective or "social" reasons rather than therapeutic, or medically-necessary reasons. The pro-life movement has NOTHING to apologize for.

Already there are moves afoot to turn Dr. Tiller into an official "martyr". Kim Gandy of the National Organization for Women wanted Monday to be a "national day of mourning" for him. An estimated 400 people showed up Sunday night for a candlelight vigil replete with the typical ritualistic tearjerker anthems like "Kumbaya" and "We Shall Overcome". The clinic itself will shut down for a week of mourning. One of the reasons why Dr. Tiller is being canonized by the pro-choice movement is because he was one of only a handful of doctors in the country to perform high-risk and late-term abortions.

But is Dr. Tiller really worthy to be considered a "hero" or a "martyr"? Fox News' Bill O'Reilly doesn't seem to think so. In November 2006, in his Talking Points Memo, O'Reilly said, "In the state of Kansas, there is a doctor, George Tiller, who will execute babies for $5,000 if the mother is depressed. And there are rapists impregnating 10-year-olds who are being protected by abortion clinics. It doesn't get worse than that. This is the absolute shame of America." The Factor then learned that Tiller was aborting babies of girls aged 10-15, including victims of forcible rape, "and those abortions were not reported to authorities as required by law," Bill said, "so the criminals who impregnated the girls have so far gotten away with it."

And Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline explained the situation on the November 3rd edition of the Factor. "[In] every single instance, there was not a late-term abortion performed on a viable child to save the life of the mother," Kline asserted, "and in every single instance, there was not an abortion performed for a physical reason." So according to the records, Tiller was using "depression" as an excuse to terminate these pregnancies.

"When you have a 10- or 11-year-old child who is pregnant, and gets an abortion, and no one calls the police, it's likely a family member that is abusing that child," said Kline. In Kansas, sexual intercourse with a child under 14 is defined as "rape" because the child is below the age of consent, which means any pregnant girl under 14 getting an abortion at Tiller's clinic is the victim of a crime and Tiller is required to inform authorities. AG Kline indicated Tiller is not reporting the rapes, a felony under Kansas law.

But on his June 1st program, Bill O'Reilly vigorously condemned the murder of Dr. Tiller, on the basis that it promotes anarchy and vigilantiism (the transcript will be posted at the link sometime on June 2nd).

Hero? Martyr? Not by any stretch of the imagination does Dr. Tiller qualify. The shooting of Dr. Tiller unquestionably meets the criteria of first degree murder, and if convicted, Scott Roeder deserves the death penalty. The increased protection of abortion clinics is also necessary. After all, in the Bible, it is written, "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, and I will repay". Elective abortion is legal, like it or not, and thanks to Scott Roeder's impetuosity, is likely to remain legal much longer now. But a doctor who willfully performs elective late term abortions, a barbaric practice not unlike female genital mutilation in the Middle East, is not deserving of any honor, for he is without any himself.

Russian Newspaper Pravda Decries America's Slide Downward Into Socialism, And Who Knows More About Bolshevik Slavery Than Russia?

Few nations know more about socialist slavery than Russia. The Russians groaned under the heel of Bolshevik slavery for 75 years, from 1917-1992. The human cost of Bolshevism has never been accurately calculated; some sources believe Russia's Bolshevik butchers may have killed as many as 66 million. And this does not include the 20 million Russian lives lost as a result of the German invasion of the country from 1941-44.

So Russia, despite their occasional disagreements with us, looks on with incredulity as they witness the United States of America making the same mistakes that Russia made in the years leading up to 1917. And despite those occasional disagreements, they cannot remain silent while we continue our own headlong rush into socialist slavery. They also are astounded that we would grant statutory protection to the despicable, nauseating practice of homosexuality.

And Russia has issued a voice of warning to us - through one of their national newspapers, Pravda. Pravda is the Russian word for "truth". During the Soviet occupation of Russia, Pravda dispensed propaganda. But since 1999, Pravda has lived up to its name - it is now dispensing powerful, if uncomfortable truth about American society. They are so concerned that they generously allow us to cross-post their April 27th article entitled "American capitalism gone with a whimper" in full without requesting advance permission. All they ask is that you link back to them.

And so I have. Here's the full article:

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American descent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?

These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more then a whimper to their masters.

Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motor) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions.

So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "freeman" whimper.

So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Franks, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.

Stanislav Mishin

Mishin intelligently links cultural issues with economic issues. The destruction of a nation's culture has always preceded the destruction of its economy. How many times did the Lord tell the Nephites, "If you keep the commandments, I will prosper you in the land, but if you keep not the commandments, I will cut you off"? Every major nation and empire now on the ash heap of history experienced cultural destruction before economic destruction. Even within the ranks of the LDS Church, we have some "New Order Mormons" who think gay marriage is O.K. If this type of contamination exists within the so-called "very elect", imagine how prolific it is amongst mainstream society.

Will we listen to the Russians?

Josh Romney Being Billed As Utah's Next Lieutenant Governor Once Gary Herbert Moves Up To The Top Slot

On June 1st, 2009, the Deseret News reports that while Josh Romney (pictured at left, courtesy KTUU Channel 2 in Anchorage), the only one of Mitt Romney's five sons to become a resident of Utah, does not intend to run for governor in 2010, he would not rule out accepting an offer by soon-to-be Governor Gary Herbert to accept the number two position if asked.

"It's definitely not something I'm actively campaigning for. If it were offered to me, I would give it serious consideration.", said Romney. The 33-year-old Romney also explained that he and Herbert have already talked several times since Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announced he would step down once the U.S. Senate confirms his appointment as ambassador to China, but added that the subject of becoming lieutenant governor was not broached during the discussions.

Gary Herbert is in Washington, D.C. this week, attending a U.S. Election Assistance Commission board meeting. He expects to begin interviewing candidates over the next few weeks and announce his choice after Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. leaves office. Huntsman's departure won't be immediate, since the U.S. Senate has yet to schedule his confirmation hearing as ambassador to China. This is not the first time that Romney's name has come up; he was included on a Deseret News short list published May 24th. Now KSL Channel 5 has picked up the story.

But other names publicly floated for the number two post include Utah House Speaker David Clark, Utah Senate President Michael Waddoups, State Senator Greg Bell, and Salt Lake County Councilman Michael Jensen. Clark and Waddoups officially profess no interest in the job. Salt Lake Chamber CEO/President Lane Beattie is often mentioned because he is considered to be Herbert's most formidable prospective opponent for governor in 2010. Eleven additional names are mentioned on the Deseret News short list, but anyone from Utah County is likely to be excluded, since Herbert is also from Utah County.

While Josh Romney has never served in elective office, he does have campaign experience, having traveled as far as Alaska to push his father's Presidential campaign in 2008, after deciding not to challenge Rep. Jim Matheson for his U.S. House seat. Romney believes his experience campaigning for his father helps qualify him for Utah's number two spot, although Salt Lake Crawlmeister Glen Warchol prefers to emphasize the fact that Romney comes from a bloodline of two failed Presidential candidates.

The selection of Josh Romney would be intriguing, since he carries no political baggage of his own, and would provide Gary Herbert with access to Romney money for his 2010 election campaign. Look for him to be on Herbert's own short list, along with at least one current state legislator, since Herbert is also probably interested in someone who knows the legislature first hand and who has some contacts there. The person selected would have to be a bit more moderate than Herbert.