The Ugly Side of Faith in America

by Senator Scott McCoy
District Two

Recently Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney took the stage to discuss Faith in America. It was a risky move for him unfortunately precipitated by the ironclad grip that the conservative evangelical rightwing has on the Republican Party. The fallout from the speech and the heightened attention to Governor Romney’s Mormon faith has begun. I was shocked and deeply saddened to listen to the anti-Mormon tirade that spewed forth from political pundit Lawrence O’Donnell on this past Sunday’s episode of The McLaughlin Group. The panel was discussing Governor Romney’s Faith in America speech and the ongoing controversy surrounding his Mormon faith. O’Donnell accused the Mormon faith of being “racist” and “ridiculous” and said the faith is “based on the work of a lying, fradulent, criminal named Joseph Smith.” I was gravely disappointed by this episode and the constant attention to faith and religion in the presidential race.

An individual’s faith (or lack thereof) is a personal affair, not a public issue open to debate in a political campaign. When faith is made a public issue, it becomes open to the very public debate (and prejudice) that we saw on The McLaughlin Group and that we see in the Republican presidential primary. Making faith a public political issue pits different faith groups against each other and drags belief into the oftentimes dirty and low arena of politics. It potentially demeans and degrades religious belief and subjects it to majoritarian rule. Making faith a public and political issue de facto creates religious tests. This was exactly what the Founding Fathers attempted to avoid in outlawing explicit religious tests and seeking to maintain a wall of separation between public affairs and religious institutions. It is as much for the protection of religion as it is for the protection of the people and government. In politics, there are winners and losers. In faith, there should be no winners or losers.

In America, we need religious pluralism and a separation of Church and State and religion and politics. The troubles that Governor Romney now faces based on his religious beliefs stem from the fact that Republican primary voters (mostly evangelicals) demand that Republican presidential candidates publicly and loudly confess their religious beliefs so that those beliefs can be measured against the approved brand of Christian doctrine. A candidate’s failure to wear his religious beliefs on his sleeve risks political isolation and rejection. Unfortunately, the Republican “big tent” has become a revival tent. Governor Romney decided to play this game by making his Faith in America speech. By doing so, he has handed the evangelical extremists and his fellow presidential candidates a can of worms and a can opener. Governor Romney can hardly make faith and religion a public issue and then play the victim and refuse to answer the questions that are begged and engage in the very public debate that he started. If (or when) Governor Romney is rejected by Republican primary voters because of his Mormon faith, then religious pluralism will be truly and openly dead in the Republican Party, and anyone from an unacceptable faith should beware.

If Mitt Romney were running as a Democrat, I don’t think his Mormon faith would be an issue. Democratic voters believe in religious pluralism and impose no religious tests on their candidates. Our track record proves as much. The highest elected Democrat in the country at the moment is a Mormon named Harry Reid. We had a Jewish vice-presidential candidate in Joe Lieberman (He didn’t have to make a “Faith in America” speech). We have the first-ever Muslim member of Congress. In the Utah House, we have a Buddhist. Democrats likely want their candidates to have faith, but past that, which faith is not important. For Democrats, in the world of politics, good positions on issues and public policy trump piety.

So, to my Mormon friends, neighbors and countrymen, I say “You have seen the ugly side of faith in America yet again and you deserve better. In the Democratic Party, you would receive better.”

Election Day Today

November 6, 2007 - Election Day

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!

Congratulations, Karen!

Our former caucus member, State Senator Karen Hale, has been chosen by the Utah State Democratic Party as this year’s recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Award. Karen will be recognized October 26, 2007, for exemplifying the high standards and compassionate philosophy of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

In the Utah Legislature, Karen led the way on many education and social issues and was well-liked on both sides of the aisle. Karen continues to demonstrate her dedication to public service and the Democratic Party.

Congratulations, Karen! You are certainly deserving of this prestigious award.

The Utah Legislature Takes a Stand Against Animal Suffering

by Senator Scott McCoy
Senate District Two

The other day I was combing through the Utah Code (yes, I am a crazy lawyer legislator who actually reads the Code) and found a provision that struck me as a bit ironic, especially in light of the vigorous debate over Henry’s Law, the bill to make animal cruelty a third degree felony. Here is what I found:

76-6-413. Release of fur-bearing animals — Penalty — Finding.

(1) In any case not amounting to a felony of the second degree, any person who intentionally and without permission of the owner releases any fur-bearing animal raised for commercial purposes is guilty of a felony of the third degree.
(2) The Legislature finds that the release of fur-bearing animals raised for commercial purposes subjects the animals to unnecessary suffering through deprivation of food and shelter and compromises their genetic integrity, thereby permanently depriving the owner of substantial value.

What struck me as particularly interesting was the second sentence wherein the Utah Legislature expresses its worry about subjecting animals, i.e., the kind that produce nice fur coats to keep them warm during the cold days of the legislative session, from “unnecessary suffering through deprivation of food and shelter”by being released from captivity.

Interesting that the Legislature will jump to the defense of commercially valuable fur-bearing animals and make it a third degree felony if some callous person releases them from posh captivity (where I am sure they experience no suffering at all) into the cold, cruel world where they may experience “unnecessary suffering through deprivation of food and shelter,” but won’t make it a third degree felony when some idiot puts Henry in the oven, causing him “unnecessary suffering” through other means.

Well at least this provision is an admission that animals, in fact, can suffer and that we should punish people who cause such suffering at the level of a felony.

Governor, a Special Session, please.

Mystery Solved

Two weeks ago, a Mystery Photo was posted on this blog. When, Where, How?

On August 10, 2005, a trailer truck owned by R&R Trucking, Inc., hauling 35,500 pounds of explosives rolled and exploded between the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon and the intersection of Highway 89, creating a large crater 70 feet wide and 30 feet deep. The incident sent 20 people to the hospital.

The driver was on his way from Ensign-Bickford Company in Spanish Fork to Oklahoma when the truck tipped on its right side and was torn open. Three minutes after the wreck, the explosives blew. The driver was going too fast. The road reopened two days later–way to go UDOT. (info obtained from The Tribune)

Utah tops the list!

Slated to “kick off” the third week of every September and run throughout the school year, the America’s Legislators Back to School Program gives elected officials in all 50 states the opportunity to meet personally with their young constituents and to answer questions, share ideas, listen to concerns and impart a greater understanding of the legislative processes necessary for developing effective public policy and engaged citizens.

UTAH TOPS THE LIST WITH 81% OF LEGISLATORS VISITING SCHOOLS IN THEIR DISTRICTS DURING 2005-2006. Click here to view the top ten states.

Congratulations to our 104 legislators and to Shelley Day in the Office of Legislative Research & General Counsel who coordinates the program for the Utah Legislature.

Sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, the program is designed to teach young people–the nation’s future voters and leaders–what it’s like to be a state legislator: the processes, the pressures, and the debate, negotiation and compromise that are the very fabric of representative democracy. The program is emphasized as a bipartisan event. Legislators of both political parties are urged to participate in this national event and help bring civics to life for young people.

Mystery Photo…

What happened? Can you identify when, where and how???

New photos in the Gallery….

New photos posted today in the Photo Gallery. Roll your mouse over the picture for an explanation; click the pic for an enlarged view.

Kudos for Paula…

Former Democrat Senator Paula Julander has been chosen as the honorary chairwoman for the 2007 Race for the Cure event scheduled for May 12. Sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the event features a 5K run/5K walk and a one-mile fun run/walk, followed by a tribute to breast cancer survivors and awards for the 5K run.

Paula served two terms in the Utah House of Representatives and two terms in the Utah Senate. She championed women’s health care issues by sponsoring legislation every session to benefit women and families. Paula served as the president/executive director of the Utah Nurses Association. She is a board member of Intermountain Health Care Hospitals.

Paula has been a nurse for over 40 years. She was born and raised in North Carolina (her Southern drawl still lingers), where she earned her Nursing Diploma in 1960 at the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing. In 1984 she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Utah. In 1990, Paula received her Master of Science in Nursing Administration from Brigham Young University, where she was valedictorian of the graduating class.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international organization with a network of more than 75,000 active volunteers working through local Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.

Congratulations Paula!