Nobody asked, but, if I were to write the vent...

Today we had a comment about how it was OK for John McCain to joke about bombing Iran, but not OK for Harry Reid to state that we have lost the war in Iraq. Writer, get a clue; the Bush War was lost long ago. And, it is not OK to joke about killing civilians. Do you think bombs and mortars only kill the bad guys? Get a life...

There was a note about the DUI that spelled the end of a St. George cop's career expressing shock that the newspaper ran the story. That saddens me. We have no favorites here, we pull no punches and we don't protect anybody...

Continue reading " My Vent... " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 08:21 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

The honchos of the Republican Party have been dropping by our state with a lot more frequency as of late.

We had presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee; Dick Cheney will give a commencement address at Brigham Young University; and now we learn that First Lady Laura Bush plans to visit Zion National Park next week.

We're not sure if she'll be roughing it in a tent or staying in one of the beautiful tourist inns near the park, but, she's coming.

Continue reading " First Lady needs welcoming committee at Zion " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

When Bill O'Reilly calls somebody a "kook," immediately, the target of the Fox News Channel sitcom star's venom has an ally.

So, Yo, Rocky!

The Salt Lake City Mayor made an appearance on O'Reilly's show the other night, only to draw that description.

Continue reading " Yo, Rocky! " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

Where does a reporter's job end and their social responsibility begin?

That's what many in the local media are trying to decide in the case of Terry Wood, a newsman for KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City.

Seems Mr. Wood had the audacity to make an editorial comment on a recent broadcast.

Continue reading " In defense of Terry Wood " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

I believe in and encourage transparency in government.

And, right now, one of our local politicians is very, very transparent.

It's Dennis Stowell, who was elected last November to the Legislature to replace Tom Hatch.

Stowell, who has an axe to grind with the media, is pushing a bill in the Legislature that would strip government agencies from the requirement to post legal notices in the newspaper of record.

Continue reading " An example of transparency in government " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

I'm not now, nor have I ever been, a fan of Larry H. Miller.

I'm even less a fan today after mulling over the new name given to the sports palace where his Utah Jazz play professional basketball.

You know the name by now. If you don't, look elsewhere. Even if they offered me $20 million or however much they gave Miller, it won't be found under my byline. Not at any price, although I will mention the company deals with nuclear waste.

Continue reading " What's in a name " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 02:51 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

The witless drive to develop a next-generation nuclear weapon is in the embryonic stages as the shadow of Divine Strake draws nearer and nearer to the Nevada Test Site where the detonation of 700 tons of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil would replicate the strength of a low-yield nuke.

But, what would happen if a real next-generation mini-nuke was unleashed?

According to a report by Robert W. Nelson, Council on Foreign Relations and Princeton University, a bunker buster with a 0.34 kiloton yield — only 2 percent of the bomb burst over Hiroshima — dropped on an enemy target with a population of 15,000 people per square mile and driven 50 feet into the ground would send a base surge cloud with a diameter of 10,000 feet about 3,000 feet into the air.

Oh, yeah, 10,000 to 50,000 people would receive a fatal radiation dose within 24 hours.

Continue reading " In the wake of Divine Strake " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

Are we going to sit back and allow this to happen again or are we going to go after the big dogs who want to bring the Divine Strake test back to the Nevada Test Site?

Are we going to allow our children, our grandchildren and the rest of us to face poisoning from whatever gets shaken up off the floor of the NTS?

Are we going to allow the federal government to once again pry open Pandora's box and start testing new nuclear devices?

Continue reading " How far are you willing to go? " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

It was with great disappointment that I read a letter to the editor today in our newspaper that implied Democrats are evil and Republicans are good.

I realize this is blood-red Utah, where the little "R" next to a candidate's name makes him or her a virtual shoo-in for office.

But, I didn't realize that one little letter could determine the quality of the human life attached to it.

When I see such utter irrationality, I realize why so many people view this state as being unfriendly, hypocritical and "closed." It's also why, at times, I'm almost happy I work too many hours and don't have the opportunity to "socialize" with my neighbors. Notice I said, "almost."

Continue reading " Are Democrats evil? " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

(NOTE: THESE COMMENTS DO NOT, IN ANY WAY, REFLECT THOSE OF THE SPECTRUM & DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD, ITS MEMBERS OR THE NEWSPAPER.)

If you aren't totally outraged, then you're not paying attention.

If you aren't ticked off beyond belief, then you either are one of the hapless sheep or so disgusted you really don't care about the future of this country.

And that, my friends, is at the local, state and federal levels.

Continue reading " If you aren't totally outraged... " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

Could it be that the reddest of the red states is getting a little infusion of blue?

We can only hope.

But, there are some promising indicators.

Continue reading " Is Utah turning a little purple? " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

The best gig in the world could soon be covering the governor's office.

Not in Salt Lake City, in Austin, Texas, not too far from The World Armadillo Headquarters.

That is, if Kinky Friedman, running as an independent, somehow wins this November.

Continue reading " I'm a Kinky kinda guy " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

A proposed rules change makes it appear that the Utah Legislature wants the state to get the best government that money can buy.
And that’s not a good thing.

Continue reading " Public deserves same access as lobbyists " »

Posted by Managing Editor Todd Seifert at 07:57 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

It's time to energize.

In less than a month, the mid-term campaigns will kick into high gear.

It's now or never for those who have had it up to here with a Republican-dominated Congress. And, hopefully, those who understand that we are losing this effort in Iraq, that we are diving headfirst into a dangerous pool in Iran and that it is time to take back this country will get off their hindquarters and throw the bums who created all this mess out on their tin ears.

Continue reading " It's now or never " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

All you need to do is turn on your television or look in your mailbox to see that Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and his supporters aren’t leaving anything to chance.

Continue reading " 2nd District race heats up fast " »

Posted by Managing Editor Todd Seifert at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

First, there was a flash of an e-mail yesterday afternoon from anti-nuke activist J. Preston Truman in Idaho. Then came a call from Chicago, where Peggy Maze Johnson, of Las Vegas’ Citizen Alert organization, was doing her part to combat the insanity. It all came together with confirmation from Alyson Heyrend, the super-aide to Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.

Divine Strake, the dangerous U.S. bomb experiment, has been postponed again. This time because the nuclear-powers-that-be can’t prove that testing at the Nevada Test Site, which poisoned so many all those years ago, would be safe. Imagine that.

Continue reading " Good news travels fast; bomb test postponed, again " »

Posted by Ed Kociela at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )