Let's Talk Sex
Voting 'Faithfully', STDs on the Rise, Not More Bureaucracy!
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Voting 'Faithfully'
Maybe the amazing thing in this presidential election cycle is that Utah was just a sheep of a different color. Normally blindly following the nation's Republicans, Utah this time let itself be led to the "Christian" waters of Ted Cruz. While the Deseret News played up the "role" Utah had in the so-called Stop Trump movement, The Salt Lake Tribune wondered what effect The Donald would have on Democrats here. But the real phenomenon is the religious muscle behind it all—you know, the Mormons. Glenn Beck, a self-professed "born again LDS Christian," told the Hill that no real Christian would vote for Trump. So, that's another discussion. NBC News' Chuck Todd "wonders" if faith and morality didn't play a role in Utah. Well, Mormon Moses Mitt Romney got spitting mad about Trump, after which the faithful fell in line.
STDs on the Rise
Let's talk sex. The Deseret News did when it raised the alarm about a huge rise in STDs in Utah. And buried in the news story was a cry against abstinence-only education. "It kind of denies both the reality and it rejects kids that are sexually active," a Salt Lake City School District official said. "Kind of"? An after-school program sponsored by Planned Parenthood of Utah is at risk with the governor's decision to cut funding. And a bill from Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, to allow parents to opt-in to comprehensive sex education was defeated. All this while chlamydia, syphilis, HIV and gonorrhea have been rising precipitously over the past five years. So by all means, let Mom and Dad handle the problem. They've been doing a great job.
Not More Bureaucracy!
Nothing but the truth, the whole truth ... that should be the mantra in the battle to wrest our public lands from the, ahem, public. The group Defending Utah brings up the real point in the management dilemma. If the state manages the lands, well then, some big government is still managing it. The group spoke out in a Salt Lake Tribune story noting that a public-lands bill would remove the local sheriffs from their role in protecting the people of a county. That miffed Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, the sponsor of the bill that would create a new Division of Land Management. You know—bureaucracy. But while Defending Utah cares, the Utah Sheriffs' Association doesn't. They're too shorthanded to do anything, anyway. The brouhaha just shows the folly in the effort to push out the feds.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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