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Show Fight Over Hate Crimes Bill Could Spill Into Battle for Utah GOP LeadershipThe factional fights within the Utah Republican party spilled onto thefloor of the HouseofRepresentatives attheclose of the session last month over conflicting agendas jing the controversial “hate crimes bill.” Thatbattle, borne more from political positioning than ideological purity, could bubble over this summer when the party picks its next chairman and sets its philosophical direction of the party for the next few years. One rising star within the party rose to the surface of public scrutiny during the legislative session because of his staunch and persistent opposition to House Bill 50 and Senate Bill 37, nearly identical bills designed to impose additional penalties to a felony convictionif it could be shown to have been motivated by hatred to a particular class or group. What made this opponent stand out among the many whofought against the bill was that he is black and, therefore, trying to defeat a bill that purportedly would protect members of his race from bigotry. James Evans, a successful business executive in Salt Lake County, argued existing lawsare adequate and just need to be enforced. He attracted attention with his shoulder-to-shoulder lobbying against the bills with Gayle Ruzicka of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum, usually notan ally. with traditional civil rights groups on legislative matters. What made Evans’ high-profile opposition to the legislation even more striking was his sponsorship last summerof a “celebration”of the passage of Martin Luther King Day, making Utah the last state in the nation to honor theslain civil rights leader with his name attached to the national holiday. The celebration honored House Speaker Marty Stephens and then-Senate President Lane Beattie for their work on getting the bill passed. The irony is that the honorees were the latestleaders ofthe PAUL ROLLY Republican-dominated Legislature that © 2001, The Salt Lake Tribune for more than a decade balked at honoring Kingand which finally relented because of the image problem the omission might Senate and Lt. Gov. candidate Greg Hawkcause for Utah during the 2002 Winter ins and Utah County entrepreneur Duane Olympics. Nielson. "The “celebration,” whichfeatured Utah Evans’ work against the hate-crimes Jazz star Bryon Russell, actually was a legislation aligned him not only to the fund-raiser for Evans’ newpolitical PAC, conservative Eagle Forum elements of the the Equality Foundation. Contributors in- Republican Party, but also to certain faccluded GOP Chairman RobBishop,former tions of the Legislature’s leadership, chairman Frank Suitter, past Republican which stretched the limits of reason to executive director Spencer Stokes and prevent the Senate-passed SB37 from comprominent Republicans such as John ing to a vote on the House floor. Price and Mac Christensen. The PAC’s When the House Rules Committee fidistribution of the $8,400 it raised went nally voted to sendthebill to the floor five exclusively Republican candidates, mostly days before the end ofthe legislative seslegislative candidates backed by the Eagle sion, House Majority Leader Kevin Garn, Forum. R-Layton, made a motion to senda groupof Evans now is one of four Republicans bills, including SB37, back to the Rules whoactively have sought support for the Committee on a technicality. When standstate’s GOP chairmanship, along with ing committees commence their work the former Congressman Merrill Cook, U.S. last week of the session, the Rules THE ROLLY REPORT Committee may send bills directly to the acl wailed ty tas lores alas nell officials, call for white> schools, white residential neighborhoods, white recreation areas and white work- ~ places. Itasks “white Utahns ofgood moral character” to pay $15 to participate in the Alliance’s effort “to build a secure and. healthy future by having no non-whites in: our living space.” ‘The senators also were sent a CD that iN voted originally to send it outso it could have a fair hearing. But after Garn’s motion, it was clear to him the House members did not approve ofthebill. So he voted the secondtime to bury it. Seitz did not return mycall. But other members of the Rules Committee say he told them he changed his vote after receiving heavy pressure over the weekend. Evans and Ruzicka may also have unwittingly aligned themselves with a group to which they would rathernotbe associated. Besides their lobbying against the hate crimes bills, a blatantly racist group called the National Alliance, based in Hillsboro, W.Va., not only lobbied against the bills, but took credit for their defeat. The organization, whose Web site gives kudos to its Salt Lake City chapter for being the mostproductive chapter last year, promotes separatism ofthe races. Filers distributed in Salt Lake County edly was an ideological inepiration fr Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh * andis favorite reading among members of:* the Aryan Nations and other white separatists. After SB37 passed the Senate and wassentto the House,an entry on the National’ Alliance Web site said: “After intense lobbying of Utah’s senators, the Hate Crimes.” bill was voted down, 16-12. However, with. Jewish shylocks working behind. the’ scenes and sellout Republicans bending to’” alien subversion, the bill was reintroducedwith amendments and passed onto the house Tuesday. The National Alliance has” made a vowto expose these traitors.” * The“sellout Republicans,” according to the Alliance, include Gov. Mike Leavitt’ andAttorney General Mark Shurtleff, who-” supported SB37. Shurtleff and a represen-: tative of the governor’s office were both: madeto feel unwelcome on the House floor: whenthey attempted to lobby for the bill. -* Allred’s Claims Are More Attempts to Mask Horrors of Polygamy BY ROWENNA ERICKSON Apostolic United Brethren leader Owen Allred alludes to polygamyas a freedom ofreligion in his op-ed piece (Tribune, Feb. 25). This is not the first time a polygamist or supporter has drawn this erroneous and mistaken conclusion. While our country was founded on basic freedoms, including the freedomofreligion, weare not free to practice all religious beliefs. We are free to believe what we wish, howeverthere are somebeliefs we are bound by law notto practice. Since Reynold’s vs United States (1878), which was the test case the Mormonchurchused to challenge anti-polygamy laws, the U.S: Supreme Court has consistently ruled that a religious practice cannot trumpa valid law of the land. NoMr.Allred, you do not have the right to practice polygamy. No more than anothertype ofbeliever has therightto sacrifice an animal. or throw a virgin into the local volcano in order to appease the Allred. says his sect is not opposed to “good law.” What he means with the caveatof “good” as opposed to “bad” is what polygamists say about any law thatgets in their way, “We believe in God’s law,not man’slaw.” Where polygamists thumbtheir nose at one law, they do so with in his sect’s settlement on Utah’s Western Desert. The county would not give him a permit for the cem- etery butthatdidn’t stop Allred. He is above “man’s law” and constructed the cemetery anyway. Ina pluralistic society as ours, the Supreme Court said that without Reynolds, “Any society adopting sucha system would be courting anarchy.” Polygamy, and bigamy are a crime. Having married eight women, Allred is guilty of a crime, whichhe perpetuates to thousands of-his law-breaking followers. All- red asserts that, some laws of the land tend to encourage promiscuity rather than promote virtue.” others. Some ex-apostolic members, who have come to Tapestry What laws can Allred point to Against Polygamy,claim that All- conclusion? No one condones thesocial ills red wanted to construct a cemetery which would support such a ofsingle individuals with multiple sexual partners breeding numerous children for which the state must pick up the tab, nor for po- food stamps and residents have been awarded thousands of oli in federal housing grants. This called religious freedom is being lygamous men whoare not being responsible for upwards of 30 or allowed at the taxpayers cost. more children by their numerous wives. While these dead beat polygamous fathers often hide their earnings within a tax-exemptreligious organization, parents in mainstream society not paying child-support are held accountable or punished. This type of “freedom” to disobey the laws of the land withoutaccountability nardly seems fair to the restofsociety that live within the law in spite ofits imperfections. Also, keep in mindthatin Colorado City and Hildale more than 2,000 individuals rely on the government for food, 33 percent use Manyof the Owen’s own flock, as well as other polygamistgroups and independents, are using the state to subsidize their lifestyle. Many of these same people are reduced to “dumpster diving”behind grocery stores throughoutthe state because they have re-produced themselvesinto conditions beyond imagining.This is not the kind of society any of us would wishto envisionforour civilization. Allred claims that women make their own marital decisions within polygamy. What free agency is available to women who have no true conscious choice? How does one makealternative choices based onhaving beentold from the cradle’. that this is the wayof life is the‘ “only way” to God and without itthere is eternal damnation? This amounts to nothing less than slavery of the mind. Legislation introduced by Sen. Ron Allen to prevent plural mar- riage ofunderage girls is an important fist step in allowinggirls the chance to atleast mature. However, Allred’s words imply such legisla- < tion isanexercise in futility saying, . present attempts. are an effort to destroy the principle of celestial or plural marriage.It never happen.” Equality and respect for humankindwill never happenas long * as Utah continuesto allowits citi- zensto court anarchy. Rowenna Erickson is the coSounder of Tapestry Against Polygamy and makes her home in Taylorsville. Good moodlighting. Dimmers are another way to save energy. Andit’s importantthat weall find as many ways a5 wecan to reduce our energy use. By working together, we've been able to makea differ- ence and keep the power flowing. But the cold weather's not overyet. Westill need to be thoughtful about how and when weuse electricity. Installing dimmers in areas where they makesense, like the dining room and bedroom,will help lower energy use. The amount you dim equals your energy saved. For example, dimminglights by 15 percent cuts energy consumption by15 percent. Here are someothertips that can save you energy and money onlighting: Turn offextralights, especially @ Clean lightbulbs andfixtures. between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dustcan reducelight output by And getin the habitof switching off the light every as muchas 10 percent! time you leave the room for more than a few minutes. Put compact fluorescent bulbs in light fixtures that are used Install motion sensors or timers to automatically turn lights on andoff. Motion sensorlighting is great for outdoors and in your workshopor laundry more than three hours a day. Thesebulbs use one-quarter the energy andlast 10 times room. Timers are the right Use low-wattage bulbs when youcan. Bright lights are often not needed in hallways and closets. Whenworkingat a desk or workbench,use tasklighting. longer than regularlightbulbs, Let's all do our part. Wait 'til late to use electricity. Call us at 1-800-222-4335, and ask for a copy of our Bright Ideas booklet for more energy-saving tips. +mtn, AA3 Sunday, March 11, 2001 choiceif you'd like an indoor light switched on andoffat specific times. Otherlights in the room can then beturned off or dimmed. 4 UTAH POWER “emia tev te ¥ 0c The Salt Lake Tribune OPINION |
