So, who is waiting in the wings for the next presidential election?

That’s the $64,000 question.

John Kerry is a washout. Dennis Kucinish has the platform, but not the charm. John Edwards has the charm, but not the platform. Evan Bayh carries a lot of weight, coming from Indiana, but may be too hawkish. Barack Obama carries Illinois, but can he carry the nation? Hillary Clinton carries too much excess baggage. Wesley Clark doesn’t have the juice.

The other side doesn’t come off very strong, either.

George Pataki? He’d get his clock cleaned by Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani? He cleaned up the streets of New York, but is a super-hawk. Newt Gingrich? You’ve got to be kidding me.

If ever there was a time and need for somebody to come out of left field, now’s the time.

The American system of party politics is in desperate need of overhaul. There are too many lawyers, too many captains of industry, too many professional politicians.

We need an outsider, who can plow through all the mumbo-jumbo, and provide leadership, fairness and compassion. An outsider who won’t buy into the business-as-usual attitude that got us into this mess. A manager of government who can seize control, work unilaterally with Congress and provide this country with fresh spirit and resolve. A candidate with credibility and morality as his or her guideposts.

Where’s Diogenes when we really need him?

Posted by Ed Kociela at 07:38 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

With the T-Birds' season opener just two weeks away, Saturday's scrimmage should offer an insight into some of fall camps more interesting questions.

1. Who's going to start at quarterback?

Wes Marshall looks better and better each practice but it'll be hard for the coaches not to roll the dice with New Mexico State transfer Royal Gill. The T-Birds have three scrimmages left before the Montana Tech game week, you'd think Meier and offensive coordinator Jared Martin would like to name a starter no later than then. Tomorrow, Wednesday and next Saturday (the days of the scrimmages) will be huge for both QB's.

2. Who's at linebacker?
Other than redshirt freshman Robert Takeno, who looks like he'll be SUU's middle linebacker, no one has claimed this position that was wide open heading into camp. La'Var Porter and T.J. Tabatabai, two guys the SUU coaching staff thought could really emerge, have been hurt for most of camp. It'll be fun to watch if these two bounce back from the injury bug or if someone else emerges in the two weeks before the Sept. 2 opener.

3. Who's playing corner other than Brian Kofoed?
Snow Junior College transfer Derrick Brown has looked great opposite Kofoed, an all-Great West second team selection last season, but after those two the T-Bird secondary is unbelievably young. Senior Dave Zelasko has been nursing an injured ankle since Day 1 leaving true freshmen D.J. Lucchesi amd Chris Bonica as well as Michigan State track transfer Dewayne Lewis as backups. Safety Jovan Jackson has taken reps at corner and receiver Larue Burley began learning the position in addition to his offensive duties last week. If there's one place SUU can't affort an injury it's here.

Look back here and at www.thespectrum.com tomorrow for details on Saturday's scrimmage. By the end of the day the T-Birds depth chart could begin to take shape. If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear them.
Drop me a comment here or at beastes@thespectrum.com

Beau

Posted by Beau Eastes at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

With NASCAR's Race to the Chase starting to get hotter than August weather in St. George, it's the perfect time to kick off my first official entry into the blogging universe.
There are only four races left until the Top 10 are locked in to take their shot at the title over the final 10 races, starting Sept. 17 at New Hampshire International Speedway.
But how excited are you?

Sure, the NFL preseason is in full swing and the regular season starts on Sept. 7, two days before the final pre-Chase race at Richmond, but where do your loyalties lie? Do you want to see a race, or does your mind start to salivate over the first blowup between Terrell Owens and Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells?

I admit that I love my football, but I think, as a racing journalist and fan, the Chase for the Nextel Cup is losing a little bit of its luster.

When NASCAR boss Brian France announced a few months back that his organization would be "tweaking" the Chase format starting in 2007, my ears perked up. However, nothing concrete was laid on the table.
Maybe there's a grand plan in the works that'll help keep the engine of fan interest roaring at full song, but the two-year history of the Chase is telling for how the flaws have been exposed.

The first Chase for the Nextel Cup in 2004 was nothing short of awesome. Five drivers were in the running for the title when the series hit Homestead-Miami Speedway for the final race of the year. I remember how Kurt Busch's championship dreams were nearly ruined when his right rear wheel fell off as he entered pit road. I remember how he rallied like a madman and finished third, good enough to claim the first Nextel Cup.

In 2005, it clearly was Tony Stewart's year. There wasn't any real drama to speak of after Smoke dominated from the race at Infineon in June. Five wins in seven weeks was certainly championship-worthy.

But one major key that weakened last year's Chase was the absence of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., two of NASCAR's biggest and most-recognizable stars.

Barring any miraculous surges, this year's Chase lineup will likely have four new additions - Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton (the pair who are part of the resurgent Richard Childress Racing team), Kyle Busch, and rookie Denny Hamlin. Gordon and Earnhardt are also likely to make the field, so long as there aren't any DNF's between Michigan and Richmond.

I'm wondering what can be done to make the Chase even better. If NASCAR is all about speed, I'm hoping that Brian France and the crew will work fast and turn the Chase into must-see-TV.

NASCAR may not surpass the NFL in the popularity department, but hey, it's racing. Even Terrell Owens can't catch these guys.
I'll be here sharing my thoughts - every Monday in the print edition, and as often as needed online. I'll also be watching on TV, with only an occasional glimpse at the NFL.

But I'd love to catch a glimpse of what you think, from making the Chase to watching the race. What revs your engine about motorsports?

Posted by Tom Zulewski at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

The JonBenet Ramsey news, if that's what it really is, got pushed aside just a bit ago by the announcement that a federal judge ruled that the government's warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor also ordered an immediate halt to the practie.

The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of journalists, scholars and lawyers.

Taylor said the National Security Agency program violates the rights of free speech and privacy as well as the separation of powers enshrined by the Constitution.

The DOJ immediately rebuffed the decision saying the program is "essential" to the war on terror.

The president immediately rebuffed the decision saying the program is "essential" to the war on terr-uh.

The vice president immediately rebuffed the decision saying the program is "essential" to ensuring the ongoing financial success of Haliburton.

Next step, you can be sure, is that the backward street boys on Pennsylvania Ave. will clunk their heads together and find some unwitting accomplice in the Senate to endorse an amendment to allow this invasion of our privacy.

How many times does this administration have to trip over its shirttails before it realizes that it just cannot -- no way, no how -- usurp the Constitution?

Remember, the people who want to take away your civil rights, want to erase or rewrite the Constitution or further alter the American way of life are the same people who will, in a heartbeat, turn around, poke a finger in your eye and call you un-American if you utter one word against their falsified war in Iraq.

They are dangerous.

Posted by Ed Kociela at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

My battle with the bulge has enemies that are making some headway – Coca-Cola and Hershey’s chocolate. Quitting these vices is throwing me into withdrawals. I never thought food could be so addictive, but it seriously is. When I’m stressed, all I want to do is eat and I’ve been wired lately with life’s trials that are so distracting that I can’t think straight - but I can certainly eat.

My battle with the bulge has enemies that are making some headway – Coca-Cola and Hershey’s chocolate. Quitting these vices is throwing me into withdrawals. I never thought food could be so addictive, but it seriously is. When I’m stressed, all I want to do is eat and I’ve been wired lately with life’s trials that are so distracting that I can’t think straight - but I can certainly eat.

I have been eating more healthy choices and I’m still working out at the gym at least four times a week, but I’m finding it difficult to exercise my will power over my cravings. Anybody got any suggestions?

I’ve decided to wean myself off of the soda pop and candy. By the time I blog next week, it is my goal to have switched from regular Coke to diet; by the following week I intend to stop slurping down carbonated drinks altogether.

The chocolate is another story. I’ve got to have something to reward myself with. Right? I figure I can get my chocolate fix by buying sugarless chocolate from the diabetic aisle at the grocery store. That is really what is motivating me to lose weight, my health.

I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes in April 2002. I thought since it was “pre,” it wasn’t a big deal. Then I got pregnant less than a year later and had to start taking insulin shots twice a day. That changed my entire perspective. After I gave birth to my son, who turned two yesterday, I vowed to drop the weight and it has taken me those two years to lose 30 pounds

I’d only gained nine pounds the entire pregnancy, believe it or not, so the loss is really only about 21 pounds. Because it has been such a slow process, I decided to step it up and make this next year my focus on dropping the remaining 60 pounds I need to lose. I want to avoid having to take injections as long as I possibly can.

Posted by Jennifer Weaver at 04:00 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

Our mortal search for who we are, what we are, what we believe in, what this life is all about is what makes our time here so interesting.

It's the journey, not the destination, after all, that's most important. But, as I heard in a song by someone still near to my heart, if you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there.

There are a couple of interesting tools at your disposal, however, that can be used either for your amusement or a reality check.

If you believe you are on a spritual path, but want to see how your beliefs match up to the road your on, check out http://www.beliefnet.com where you will go through a list of questions regarding your spiritual self.

If you want to see how your personal beliefs match up politically, check out http://www.politicalcompass.org for another list of questions.

Both sites give immediate assessments that can be quite interesting.

Now, I know that the easiest way to start a fight is to bring up religion or politics. And, I'm not about to get into rights, wrongs or the gray areas in between either. Live and let live.

And, I'm also not going to get into what the results of my tests revealed. First, I am what I am. Take it or leave it. Secondly, there are already enough impressions out there. Read, call me, make your own decisions. It's all a matter of perception anyway.

While it would be nice to be completely idealistic and say that tags and categories don't matter, the reality is that they do. We all want to be a part of something, whether it's something greater than ourselves or something very personal.

I will share, however, that I was mildly surprised by both results. I guess it was another lesson in understanding that we cannot, no matter how hard we try, be totally objective and see ourselves as others do.

Who am I? What am I? Well, I got a little more information to help me deal with that.

Now, tell me, who are you?

Posted by Ed Kociela at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

The Leavitts have a foundations and they also have rental property.
Their foundation is providng housing scholarships for SUU students. There is another foundation in the middle of this but the end result is that the Leavitt Foundation is providing the funds. The students that get these scholarships are staying at some of the Leavitt's rentals. So the money goes full circle. And here are my thoughts: So what?

1- Students are being helped.
2- The Leavitts are giving the money through their foundation.
3- The Leaviitts are making less money by renting it to students at a "below the market" price, while they could be renting them full price somewhere else!
4- The university has the option to rent somewhere else but chooses the Leavitt out of price and convinience (only one rental contract instead of 12).
5- They are not breaking any laws. They are giving more to the community that what they are getting back. Maybe this is not the case in other areas of their business but it is in this one.
I don't have an issue with this, those that do, please explain.
If the Leavitt Foundation is providing scholarships, and the Leavitt Rentals are providing below market price and convinience, it sounds to me that it is just a good decision from the University standpoint to rent from the Leavitts.

Posted by Gloria Bertram, HR Director at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )