On the Virtue of Knowledge and Trust

When I need my vehicle repaired, I am in the habit of taking it to Performance Place, an automotive mechanical repair company located in South Jordan, UT. Having mechanics that are ASE certified, with a shop that has been in the business of mechanical repairs to vehicles for 35+ years, is very important to me. I have a great deal of TRUST in their knowledge of automobile mechanical repair. 

Our family physician for 28 years, whom we TRUST with our health care, is well skilled in the arts and science of medicine. He has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Utah, and Doctorate from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

And I could go on. The point, however, is this: When I want a service, or a decision, or advice, I go to people whom I TRUST in their field of expertise. I certainly wouldn't go to Performance Place for my broken leg, nor would I ask our family physician to replace the injectors on my diesel. The automotive mechanic, and the physician, builds his/her clientele based on education, experience, and recommendations from satisfied customers. 

When Utah legislators write bills like HB374, the "Sensitive Materials In Schools" act, they adopt materials from ALEC and several conservative groups within Utah, such as Utah Parents United. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) consists of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives that draft and share model legislation for distribution to state governments, including Utah. Utah Parents United is a conservative group that works to drive legislation based on it's self-defined religious, sexual, and political "values." 

Neither of these group even pretends to have members who are certified, college-educated, degreed education specialists. None of the members of the Utah Administrative Rules Committee hold degrees in education. State Representatives Brammer and Strong accompanied by State Senators Anderegg and Bramble deemed it their right, privilege and duty to publicly abuse the Davis School District and its superintendent, Dan Linford for supposedly  'embarrassing the State on national and international levels' for removing the Holy Bible, King James version, from elementary and junior high schools following a parent challenge based on HB374. Here are some of the comments made in the 90 minute abuse of the district and its superintendent. 

You should be ashamed- from Rep Brammer.

This is offensive-Sen. Bramble.

Accepting the religion of atheism and hedonism-Rep Mark Strong.

Challenging the Bible's place in the district libraries is reprehensible-Sen Jake Anderegg.

In actuality (the world most of us live in), the "shame" and "offense" belong to the legislators for even proposing and passing the bill, and on Governor Cox for signing the bill. Putting the Bible to the same test as all other materials that are proposed to be banned is not accepting the religion of atheism, and I am unaware of any religion of hedonism. Perhaps Rep Strong could assist us with that religion? If you are going to ban or restrict access to  books because of sex, violence, genocide and racism, then the challenge to the Bible is well founded. 

Utah is being embarrassed on the national and international levels again, not because of the banning itself, but because a small ignorant, intolerant but vocal group wants their version of  morality, virtue, and religion imposed upon all who live in the State, and our state legislature is all to willing to comply.  

I leave you with this thought from the late 1700s. 

"Nothing is more dangerous than ignorance and intolerance armed with power" -Voltaire 

Thanks for reading, please share this with your friends and leave your comments below! 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Four Cretins from Utah

Four bigoted, small-minded, self-righteous, fearful, hate-filled so-called people who sadly have been elected to "legislate" in the State of Utah have used power they think they have to violate the 1st amendment to the U.S. Constitution while demonstrating their adherence to a supposed religious doctrine that is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ, that we "love one another."

Here's the background on this shameful behavior. Utah Transit Authority-UTA to those of us who know and love it-sells advertising on the buses and on TRAX. This being 2023 and all, the ads generally consist of vehicle "wraps" that decorate the entire vehicle, front, both sides, and rear. I'm sure you have seen them if you notice the transit vehicles at all. R & R Advertising and Lamar Advertising donated space on one vehicle, a bus, to display PRIDE advertising, consisting of PRIDE colors and three picture/word sections: Work with PRIDE, Ride with PRIDE, and Move with PRIDE. The bus so wrapped has been in service for over a year in the Salt Lake Valley; UTA tweeted that it would be showcased in the Utah PRIDE Parade on Sunday, June 4th.

The four Utah cretins: Utah House Majority Leader Mike Schultz (R-Hooper), Utah House Representatives Candice Pierucci (R-Herriman), Rep. Kay J. Christofferson (R-Lehi), and Rep.Colin Jack (R-St. George) sent emails, using their Utah State emails, to UTA politely demanding the bus be pulled from service and more importantly, pulled from the PRIDE parade.

"Honestly, this is the last thing I want to deal with right now" Schultz said in the text. "IT seriously would be better if you made the change on your own. Let me know what you guys come up with."

It seriously would be better if the House Majority Speaker reviewed the 1st amendment to the U.S. Constitution before he made such a fool of himself. That amendment says, and I seriously quote here, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So, using their governmental office title and email address while demanding a bus be pulled because they didn't like the advertising to me sounds like a violation of the 1st amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (For anyone who doesn't know where to find the 1st amendment, it is the one that precedes the 2nd amendment, you know, the gun rights etc.)

I am sure these 4 mouth-breathing lowlife bottom feeders are more than happy they interfered with the PRIDE parade and showed the Utah LGBTQ+ community who is really in charge in Utah. 

One can only hope the citizens of Hooper, Herriman, Lehi, and St. George will replace these 4 in the next election cycle.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you will grace this page with your comments and opinions. 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Utah Makes International Headlines-Again!

 Well, Utah, our holier than God himself arrogance has done it again. I mean, it is very important to show the nation, and in this case the world, just how righteous and right-wing pandering a state can be when it really, really tries hard! This effort was so massive that even "average, right thinking" citizens got involved! How much more grass roots and hypocrisy-laden can it be! We are so much better at it than anybody else. No other state comes close to us in right-wingerery, I think we even outdid Florida, and that is saying a lot.

I am referring, of course, to the Davis county school board book banning controversy. A "lot of good, God-fearing, Bible loving" people are up in arms because someone wants the Holy Bible King James Version banned from schools due to the amount of racial discrimination, violence, child abuse, sex, adultery, homosexuality, etc, it contains. One could say the Bible is the worlds greatest porn book ever written, if one believes it is the greatest book ever written.

The crux of this issue is historical, and the old adage "those who fail to learn from history are bound to repeat it" is on open display. I say it is historical for this reason; every attempt to ban books that are offensive to the group or person currently in favor, ends up banning books that are favored by many, if equal application of the ban is applied.

In short, one persons great historical novel is sinful in another's eyes. While a vocal minority voices disapproval of books containing content they think might be harmful, their same litmus test also provides ample grounds for the banning of books they themselves approve of.

Would it not be better to allow individual parents or guardians to review or discuss the books their children read with the children, rather than sit as judge and jury on what books are available to all children? When an individual adult, or group of adults, sets themselves up as "The Committee For Public Safety" relative to the books available in school libraries, the virtual beheadings have begun. Libraries, free and open libraries, exist to allow dispersal of thought and ideas, yes, even the thoughts and ideas of those we disagree with. As a youth, I read Marx, Lenin, and Hitler; they assisted me in developing a firm belief in democracy and basic free market economies. Reading those books, which my parents would not approve of, allowed me to grasp, examine, and discard ideas I found to be unproductive. Reading stories of children who came from homes that were not 1950's "Leave it to Beaver" perfect encouraged me to think I could also do well, even if my upbringing was not whitewashed perfection.

In fine, the Utah right-wing person or people that want books banned because the ideas make them uncomfortable, the same ones that are now furious about the Holy Bible King James version being banned are reaping the seeds they have sown.

I can only hope there are some adults in the room.

Thanks for reading, please pass my article along and as always, your comments are welcome and encouraged.

R. M. "Bob" Hartman

Before you flame me: I do hold the Holy Bible in high degree. I also do not believe any books need to be banned.

An Unusual Post

 My wonderful readers,

I do not talk much about my personal life on these pages, namely because you might get bored! But there are times, and this is one, where I am going to make an exception and "open up," as they say. 

I have been married to Kathleen, my wonderful wife, for 46 years this December. To say she has the patience of Job would be an understatement, but she and I have worked hard through our marriage to always be there for one another, and to make marriage work; as you know, marriages do not just consist of wine and roses! We have, together, raised three children (one of which we lost to cancer when he was 16), and been there for our children's children-Meghan has two, and Mike has three; I can often be heard saying that grandchildren are the reward for having children. 

Five years ago, however, we were handed our greatest challenge yet: Kathleen was diagnosed with connective tissue disease related interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis in the context of lupus, and systemic sclerosis with anti-synthetase syndrome. In English, that means her lungs are failing, and the medications that are available will not stop the decline. Her only alternative at this point is a lung transplant, which is a very expensive operation, both in a personal sense (she will need 24/7 attention after she comes home for the hospital) and in a financial sense; the cost of the operation will exceed $1 million. Yes, we have insurance, and it is good insurance, but as you know, insurance does not cover all expenses. We have therefore created a fundraiser page for Kathleen's transplant, the link is https://helphopelive.org/campaign/22301. 

I would consider it a great personal favor if you would follow the link, contribute if you feel so motivated, and please share the page on your Facebook, Instagram, and other social media outlets. 

Thank you for reading, as always, your comments are welcome! 

R. M. "Bob" Hartman

Is It Worth It?

 Well, Utah, your state Legislature has done it again. Lead by Republican State Senator Dan McCay (a political leftover from Gary Herbert), we have again won at oneupmanship. Yep, we have something no one else in the United States of America has had since 2021, a brand spanking new State Flag! It's so great it is already part of a lawsuit. Not only do we have a new official state flag, we still are keeping our old "historical" flag, plus 2 other variants. The historical flag must be flown higher than the new flag, if both are displayed. Additionally, the historical flag must be displayed at all state agencies on official holidays, and every day above the Utah State Capitol.    

Now, I want you to know, in case you missed it on the news, that this new flag came with great deliberation and all pressing urgency. A study by KUTV 2 News found the legislature spent 3 hours debating the new flag in the 2023 legislative session. It has been a long time getting to the new flag, however; this process started in 2020.

Not on the news that night, but happening just the same, 289,000 residents of Utah didn't know where their next meal was coming from. 

The study mentioned above found the cost of the legislation creating the new state flag was $483,305.85 paid to local PR consulting firms. 

Think about that pile of Utah taxpayer money for a minute or two. Let the number settle in your head. Four Hundred eighty-three thousand, three hundred five dollars and eighty-five cents. Senator McCay, when asked about the attention payed to this issue when Utah has so many pressing issues, replied thusly: "It's always difficult when you look at a branding exercise, or anything else, and you're trying to figure out, is it worth it. In the long term, you have to know that it is. In the short term, there is going to be some pain to change." 

Think about 289,000 Utahans without food.  According to the Utah Food Bank, $483,305.85 would have purchased 2,174,876 meals for hungry Utah residents. 

I ask you, Senator McCay, is it worth it? 

Thank you for reading, please let me know your thoughts by commenting below. 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman 

The Covenant School Mass Shooting Event

 The Covenant School, in Nashville Tennessee, now takes it place in a long line of sorrow. The United States of America witnessed its 129th mass shooting on Monday, March 27, 2023, with three adults and three children gunned down, and then the shooter killed by Nashville police. (A mass shooting is defined by the FBI as an incident in which four or more individuals are murdered by firearms involving one or more shooters.)

Where is the public outrage?

Covenant School, a private K-6 institution, instructs about 200 students. Now three students are dead. The shooter, who apparently planned the attack with some degree of accuracy, was armed with an assault-style rifle, an assault-style pistol, and a handgun, according to police on the scene.

Why does this keep occurring?

A friend of the shooter has told police she received a text about 1 hour before the event, in which the shooter explained she was going to die by suicide today, and it would be in the news. The friend called Nashville police to report the incident. It has not been made public yet how the police responded to that information.

The President and other government officials have, as usual offered "thoughts and prayers."

Three 9-year old children and three middle-aged adults are dead. Shot by a person who may have had some mental instability, armed with assault-style weapons and "a massive amount" of ammunition.

Jim Jordan wants to investigate Hunter Biden's laptop.

There are no simple one and done solutions to the gun violence issue in the United States of America. It is inconceivable to me in a country with the ability to divide the atom, put a man on the moon, and lead the world's democratic nations, we cannot even begin to have a logical, solution-oriented discussion on this subject.

In stark contrast to the Uvalde shooting last May, the police were on the scene and killed the shooter within 14 minutes of the first active shooter phone call. Truly, a remarkably fast and effective response; they deserve congratulations for a job well done, in a very difficult situation.

What is so difficult to understand? The American public is tired of mass shooting events.

The typical, reliable, non-effective non-responses will be forthcoming. Thoughts and prayers will come from every politician's lips, and empty promises of action. Some will proclaim it is a mental health issue, others will proclaim it a gun control issue, and nothing-absolutely nothing-will be done. Congress, in a fashion we are well schooled in, will not upset its donors or vocal minorities.

It's of paramount importance to defend America against woke ideologies.

As I said earlier, there is no one and done on this issue. There are definite, concrete steps forward that will begin to reduce the mass shootings in this country; they sadly will require two items Congress currently doesn't have.

Leadership and testicles.

It "only" took 15 ballots and 4 days to elect Kevin McCarthy Speaker of the House. According to Speaker McCarthy, this shows that republicans know how to govern. WHAT?

You all know I have opinions, some of which you might not agree with, but I encourage and look forward to that polite dissent. So here is my laundry list of items for Congress to enact.

The Second Amendment states, and I quote; "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Nothing I propose here is designed to interfere with the Second Amendment, nor do I propose to interfere with that document.

All of these should be introduced as single line bills, that is, the only issue on the bill is (this one). In this manner, a Congressman's constituents will be able to judge where he or she sits on each issue.

Just prior to the voting on each bill, the Congressman or woman will state for the record the total amount of money he or his campaigns have accepted from any gun lobby, weapons manufacturer, sporting groups, or any pro-gun organization, for the entire time he/she has been in politics.

The first item on Congress' to-do list is to mandate health insurance companies to provide, at the same rate as physical health, mental health checkups and treatment.

The next item would be to enact national red flag laws; this would alleviate a person not eligible to own a gun in one state from purchasing one in another state.

Next, institute universal background checks, including gun shows and individual sales, to refuse the sale of firearms to those not qualified to possess them.

Congress shall mandate all weapons manufactured after the enactment of this bill shall have biometric trigger locks installed at the time of manufacture.

Trigger locks shall be required on all pre-owned firearms sold by any person or firm.

Repeal the "Firearm Owner's Protection Act" of 1986; then institute a mandated national registry of firearms sold by any source from this date forward.

Liability insurance shall be mandated for all firearms owned.

Renew the assault weapons ban, and place a ban on high-capacity magazines.

Well, there you have it, my partial solutions to the gun violence issue in this country. I am not supportive of confiscation of firearms (except under lawful mandate of the court); nor am I anti-gun-ownership. I enjoy target shooting, have enjoyed hunting, and see not reason for others not to enjoy the same. I am also realistic enough to understand the probability of any of the above happening is slim to none. But, what the heck, I thought I'd put it out there anyway.

Thanks for reading, I am looking forward to your responses. To leave a comment, just click the word "comment" in the space below.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Woke

 It does not require a Master's degree in American History, nor demand an extraordinary amount of time, to learn about slavery in the United States of America from 1619 until 1863; that is to say, there were slaveowners in America during those years, and the treatment of the slaves was certainly less than honorable. It is a period of time that does not shine brightly upon the American consciousness; the redeeming value of this painful episode of American history is our national repudiation of slavery, albeit at an horrific cost.

The imagined superiority of one race of human beings over another has proven time and again to be costly in lives, productivity and morality. Countless numbers of wars have been fought and lost, legislation born of ignorance has been enacted and eventually overturned, all to "prove" racial superiority; these efforts and countless others have failed because there is no superior race. In this bigotry and discrimination, America is not a virgin, and while she is trying to become better, she still has much work to do. Discrimination, subtle and overt, has been and still is a part and parcel of American life. Great strides have been made in reducing discrimination, but there is still much work to be done, both by individuals and governments. I say individuals as each person must come to grips with his/her own position on discrimination, and work to positively change themselves and society from the inside; I say government as we require just laws to correct unjust behavior and immoral circumstances.

Whitewashing history, as former President Donald Trump and Gov Ron DeSantis of Florida, both Republicans, (and other loud, obnoxious, ignorant politicians) seems want to do, does not erase history, nor does it change reality or facts. Declaring your love of freedom, democracy, the Constitution, and the American way of life while demonizing a subset of the population because you won't learn about them does not make you a better person, it shows you to be a bigot and a hypocrite. Calling someone "woke" simply means they are aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issue; and by lowering yourself to kindergarten name-calling behavior, you are admitting you are not as aware as you should be and have no desire to change.

When citizens of The United States of America support, defend, and embolden politicians of this ilk, they are denying the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag they memorized in school, and in my opinion should be ashamed of themselves.

Thank you for reading, your thoughts and opinions are always welcome; just click the word "Comments" in the white box below.

R. M. "Bob" Hartman