The revolution is here! I am announcing that I am a candidate for the office of Utah Attorney General. I have run for this office before; but I have been encouraged by many supporters to try again, and to put more effort and resources into getting out our message of freedom. The Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Utah, and he (or she) can do a great deal to affect State policy on legal issues. The present Attorney General has been known for his crusade against polygmists in southern Utah, for his anti-free speech (he would call it anti pornography) crusade, and his support of oppressive means of enforcing the law. If I am elected, I will work to end the war on drugs (people are going to jail for simple possession of something the government says is harmful -- jail is harmful too). I will work to repeal laws which give the government the right to snoop on our private lives. I will support free speech -- even when I disagree with what is said. And I will work to make government less of something for our citizens to fear. If you agree, get involved.
Over the years I have represented several clients who have claims against the State, or who have been charged by the State with wrongdoing. I came to believe that the Utah Attorney General’s office has been on the side of increasing State power at the expense of the citizens, and has represented the interests of the State employees instead of the people of the State in general. My law practice has sometimes involved disputes with the State over police misconduct. In a situation where it has seemed obvious to me that State employees have overstepped their authority and injured innocent citizens, the Attorney General’s office has blindly represented the wishes of those employee’s. It seems to me that the job of the State’s primary lawyer is to see that employees obey the law, and to take them to task when they do not. So far, that message has reached a deaf ear with the current Attorney General.
In the movie “1776" one member of the Continental Congress defends the actions of the English king in invading homes without warrants and arresting people without probable cause by saying: “No one approves of such things, but these are dangerous times.” In the history of the United States there may be few times as “dangerous” as the present. Sacred constitutional rights have been eroded, first in the name of the “war on drugs” and now in the name of the “war on terrorism.” I believe this is one of those times when our leaders should be outspoken in the defense of our liberties, and not in support of their abridgment.
Our present Attorney General was one of three State Attorneys General to sign a recent “friend of the court” brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold state law outlawing sexual activity between consenting adults in the privacy of their homes. The Supreme Court struck down such laws in June 2003 as a violation of fundamental liberties, including the right to privacy. I would not have put the State of Utah in the position of opposing these important liberty interests.
Recently our Attorney General was sued by a group who support the implementation of Initiative B, the 2000 law passed by 67% of Utah voters which restrict civil forfeitures of property and forbids police from profiting from those seizures. Our present Attorney General has worked to repeal or severely restrict the law passed by the people, and in the 2004 legislature he succeeded in doing that. Because of a weak Democratic candidate, his reward for such things was a landslide re-election. Maybe next time we can get out the message of truth to more people and debate these issues more thoroughly.
Recently the Congress has passed the USA Patriot Act which allowing police agencies to “sneak and peek” into our homes and into personal records, without warrant and without notice to those being spied on. I would like to see our elected Attorney General vocally oppose this law, and similar efforts to violate our rights to be free of “unreasonable searches and seizures”. I have heard no such statements by our present Attorney General.
During the campaign I maintained an active blog. I intend to keep this up when I have news or something to say. To find the blog, first go to “news”, and then to the blog. This website will continue to collect and distribute articles from the press, and the information from other sources about the major issues affecting your personal freedom. The articles are also available by clicking “news”. Drop in from time to time to see those issues discussed, and concerns expressed. You can contact me by e-mail with any questions or comments, or suggestions on what we should do next to preserve our individual rights. I also encourage you to look at my links and see where else you may wish to get involved. I suggest you start with the ACLU link. Membership is only $20 per year and well worth it. Let’s work together to move our State and our Nation towards giving their people BOTH safety AND freedom.
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