I Just Dont Get It

A recent bout of so called ‘gay rights’ protests have occurred near Temple Square in Salt Lake City lately.  These protests have been called by another name, ‘kiss-ins’.  The ‘kiss-ins’  have stemmed from an incident wherein two gay, drunk individuals were walking through main street plaza and began kissing each other.  Church security approached these two and asked them to leave, they declined and became belligerent.  Church security then attempted to remove them from the property which caused the two men to fight them and resulted in security taking them to the ground and putting plastic cuffs on them.  The police were then called and the men were cited for trespassing.  For my out of state readers, main street plaza is a section of street in downtown Salt Lake City that years ago was sold to the Mormon church and was then turned into  open space.  While the Mormon church allows the public to pass through this plaza, it is clearly marked that it belongs to them.  To be clear, church security told the men that they were on private property and that their actions were not welcome.  Although the church did not have any posted policy banning homosexual kissing, the men were told of church position and given the option of leaving peacefully.

I have opted to not participate in these protests, which if you know me may surprise you as I typically attend all protests on the principle that we must exercise our right to assemble or we will use it.   When the Mormon church supported California’s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, I was at the forefront of several protests around Temple Square.  I have supported events and efforts of both the Utah Pride Center and Equality Utah.  I bring this up to make it known that I am a fierce supporter of gay rights.  But I cannot bring myself to support these recent ‘kiss-ins’.   My reasons are listed below in a copied version of a conversation which took place on Facebook with several of my friends who are also gay rights supporters.   I strongly solicit comment from everyone on this issue, especially from those of you who are Mormon.

Eric Ethington is wondering if there is another Plaza protest scheduled. Heard there was, but no details

Eric Kiltz Do you not have any regard for private property?

Clarity Sanderson

Did he steal your first name?!?

Eric Kiltz

Um, no. I was referring to the fact that the mormon church has the right to remove anyone from its property. A fact that some rabble rousers seem not to regard.

Clarity Sanderson

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. My bad!

Joni Weiss

That little fact seems to be continually missing from the discussion. I think we all could imagine what would happen if the tables were turned and someone came on to either your personal property or the utah pride center property or your place of business and started preaching or protesting the things we do in the community.

Eric Kiltz

Thank you Joni. Im glad that someone sees it my way. I fear that our cause is being undermined by the recent protests.

Joni Weiss

I agree Eric. I have counter-commented in other threads the suggestion that some of these ex-Mormon and Mormon LGBT folks organize their own niche movement and take this up with THEIR church… rather than risk derailing the whole Common Ground initiative by further alienating moderate and conservative Utahans. I am FAR more concerned about working towards obtaining Civil rights for all of us (especially employment, housing, family issues, adoption, etc) than the issue of PDA on the Plaza

Clarity Sanderson

well put, Joni.

Eric Kiltz

I agree with you 100% Joni. I think that we must not get swept up in our emotions and address the gay rights issues objectively.

Gail Turpin

Joni and I commented on this issue at length on another post a few days ago. I agree with you, Eric, on the private property issue, and I still don’t know what really happened! I get the frustration of Eric Ethington and the others who are actively protesting this, but I would rather take a stand on the Common Ground Initiatives and civil rights … Read Morefor the LGBT communnity where we can make a difference. I do think our credibility is undermined with this. But I also respect Eric E., as well as respecting you and Joni!

Clarity Sanderson

Well put Gail!

Joni Weiss

Well put Gail. Agreed.

Eric Kiltz

Gail, respect must be given to the mormon church as well. They own that property. We have no right to trump on that.

Gail Turpin

Did you miss something? I agree with you!

Eric Kiltz

I heard you. Im simply granting respect where respect is due to the morg in regards to their property.

Joni Weiss

Yes Eric but Gail’s post brings up (to me abyway) an important point: Those who wish to protest the Churches actions have very few options in which to do so publicly. I don’t agree with stepping onto LDS Church property, but protesting on the sidewalk is their right. I feel that establishing and working under an organization focused on the niche … Read Moreissues for LGBT folks who are Mormon or ex-Mormon would give them more of a vehicle for making their case more visible and would also identify them as separate from the LGBT movement itself. Regardless of what happens next (or of what has heppened so far), it is very important to respect the private property of the LDS Church AND to respect the values and beliefs of the LDS church whether or not we believe in them. Hold their religion with the same sanctity with which you would regard your own… and demonstrate with that respect and regard. If not – there will never be any reciprocal respect and/or regard.

Eric Kiltz

I agree that we have every right to protest on the sidewalk. I simply dont agree with the actions that led up to the protest ie. the initial kissing incident. Plus, I heard on the news that the second protest occurred within the plaza itself. Is that right?

Joni Weiss

That video looks like it was all taken on the sidewalk outside the plaza. Is that correct Eric E.?

Eric Ethington

That is correct. And just to throw in my own thoughts on this, I don’t necessarily agree with the protests, I’m just there to document

Eric Kiltz

Eric, if I misunderstood you post and owe you an apology, im sorry. I still stand by my belief that our cause has been hurt by these two assholes.

Eric Ethington

You know, I actually don’t think it has. While this is not the most important story these days, it still has some relevance. Were these two trespassing by refusing to leave when asked? Yes. Did the church have the right to do what it did? Yes. Should it have happened? No. The part that mostly offended me was the church’s statement that no public … Read Moredisplays of affection are appropriate on the plaza. They did not specify gay or straight, they just said period. Now as someone who has watched temple couples make out constantly on that plaza (myself included when I was once married in that temple), I can’t help but see some validity in protesting the overall policy that started this whole thing. We are not talking about walking into a ward building, a temple or even temple square. We’re talking about an area, that although is not private property is still used as a public easement. If there is going to be no public displays of affection in this area, then it needs to go across the board.

Eric Ethington

But it is inappropriate to make this kind of policy in an area that has no religious and only public pertinence.

Eric Kiltz

I agree with your sentiment but the fact remains that these two refused to leave when given the chance. Remember that church security did not call police until the two’s refusal. That plus the protests make us look like a bunch of whiny little ingrates.

Eric Ethington

I’m going to have to disagree actually. The point of the protests is not to cry foul about this specific incident I think. But the overall tenor of the church’s attitude and policy. Why should there be such a policy towards a specific and targeted group in an area that is meant for public use. Again, completely different if this had happened in a church or in the temple square grounds. But in a used-as-a-public-easement area, I can find no excuse for the policy to exist.

Eric Kiltz

Ok, I partially agree with you. However, the legal ramifications of a public easement still allow the church to remove anyone they dont want so long as they give them the option of leaving peacefully. These two did not. Im all for protesting the church. I cannot stand the morg church and their hypocrisy and bigotry. I just think having a kiss-in is inappropriate at this time. Why not wait a couple of months and do it again so it doesnt look like an outright protest?

Eric Ethington

You know as well as I do that you have to use the public excitement while you’ve got it. This is a good policy to protest (again not the legality of it, but the church’s inner-policy) and this incident was enough to spark up both current feelings, as well as old emotions over the church being given that land in the first place.

Eric Kiltz

Granted but I still think a kiss-in was a little inappropriate. A good old fashioned protest in front of temple square is always a good idea in my opinion. So long as we show them the bare minimum of respect they are legally entitled to.

Eric Ethington

Perhaps. But at least these protests did throw some light on the very inappropriate manner in which church security handled the issue. Whether or not they SHOULD have detained them is another story, but having 6 guards throw them to the ground and cuff them enough to create those bruises is extremely over the line for a private security detail.

Eric Kiltz

I disagree. Again, to me it is a simple matter of private property. They were given the option of leaving, they declined. If someone were to disrespect my private property in that manner, I would shoot them. I think church security’s reaction was very appropriate and justified.

Eric Ethington

Well that leads into a different discussion then, of what is appropriate human behavior and what is not.

Eric Kiltz

I dont think it is appropriate to deprive someone of their right to be secure in their property. The constitution, the UN and the Unites States Supreme Court agree with me.

Eric Ethington

Again, no one is arguing the legality. But the manner in which it was done was excessive to say the least.

Eric Kiltz

Well then what would you have done? I again reiterate that they were offered the chance to leave on their own. I think having 6 people take down 2 drunk guys is a very appropriate response. Church security needs to have enough manpower to ensure their safety as they attempt to detain them. I also think the cuffs were very appropriate as church security has no way of knowing if these guys are going to fight with them and need to keep the situation stabilized until the police can arrive. These guys are lucky they didnt get maced or tazered. I for one an amazed at the restraint the morg security showed.

Joni Weiss

Small point here: You have referred to the plaza as “used as a public easement” which has absolutely not legal basis. There in fact is no public easement. If there was, the 1st amendment rights would be protected. There is not. Very simple: Private property (no matter if we like that it was sold to them”) and there is no easement. First amendment … Read Morerights are NOT protected. As a religious institution, freedom of religion rights ARE protected for them (the LDS Church). To me it is an open and shut case. They trespassed, were given the opportunity to leave on their own and refused. Church security then cuffed them and called the police.I agree with you Eric E on your point that the Church does not enforce this policy (no PDA on Plaza) equalliy to straight and gay visitors nor is it posted anywhere in sight.

Eric Ethington

Joni; As stated, there is no dispute that this is private property and the Church legally has the right to make whatever policy they wish to. However because the church decided to use this private land to create a plaza that is used AS a public easement (even if it isn’t one), then it is absolutely the public’s right and responsibility to protest un-fair or un-equal policies in said area.

Eric Kiltz

Well there are signs posted stating that the property is owned by the morg. And its not like they just automatically jumped on them with the flexicuffs. They told them their policies and gave them the chance to leave. State law states that if any rules and regulations are not posted on private property that is open to the public, the property owners have to give people one chance to conform or leave. The morg security did just that.

Eric Ethington

It seems this conversation keeps coming around to defend the legality of the situation. Once again, no one is arguing the legalities. Only the morality of the policy itself.

Eric Kiltz

I understand, but holding kiss-in protests makes it look like disrespecting their property. Eric, I more than understand your position, im just trying to tell you how this has been perceived.

Eric Ethington

Ah, well I’m glad you can speak for the rest of Utah

Im Eriq Kiltz and I approved this message.

Happy Holidays! Ok, I Couldn’t Think Of A Witty Title For This Post So I Decided To Use An Easy One…

Ok, here I go with a few thoughts. I’m going to put them all on one post rather than have several in the interests of time.

To start with, kudos to the House for passing the Auto Industry Loan package last night. Although I could have done without the crappy commentary on C-SPAN, I love watching contested bills being argued and voted on. However, that doesn’t mean that I %100 agree with the government handing over money to companies that have not proved they know how to effectively run a business. Those douche bags have been in business for over 100 years so it is no-one’s fault but theirs that they are struggling. They should fire their CEO’s and their entire board and get rid of Union Labor. I’m all about workers rights but the UAW seems to think their workers are some sort of gods who require treatment as such. That being said, we cannot afford to let one of the ‘Big 3’ to go under. Too many people would lose their jobs and that simply won’t do. However, I think a merger would be in their best interest.

Senator Buttars can just fuck right off. That stupid son of a bitch seems to think that he is the self appointed moral guardian for the rest of the state. He is so goddamn stupid that he doesn’t even realize that he represents EVERY GODDAMN UTAHN IN HIS DISTRICT!!! Not just the conservative Mormons who elected him. His non-binding resolution to ask businesses to use ‘Merry Christmas’ is just the wrong thing at the way wrong time. He doesn’t realize that not every Utahan is a Mormon who believes in Christ. He doesn’t seem to care that the state is facing a 1 billion dollar budget shortfall right now and we need to focus our attention on finding appropriate places to cut spending and raise more money. He doesn’t seem to realize that our prisons are overcrowded and we need more space for our prisoners. He doesn’t seem to realize that UDOT had to cut millions of dollars in projects because there is no money which put thousands out of work. To those of you who just reelected this asshole, fuck you. He has been an asshole for years now so WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING???!!!

Governor Huntsman has the right idea regarding the Budget deficit. Out of the four states that I have lived in, I have always been amazed how many services Utah offers to its citizens. I agree with Governor Huntsman’s decision to cut non-essential programs while increasing funding to Medicaid. This is the right time to cut programs such as the Asthma School Program while providing a way for children to have basic medical care.

Im Eriq Kiltz and I approved this message because I am a fan of Governor Huntsman and I hate Senator Buttars.

OK CNN, Seriously, I Mean Seriously…

I know times are tough and advertising revenue is drying up.  But for petes sake CNN, does it really make sense to let FOX NEWS ADVERTISE ON YOUR NETWORK???????????

Here Is What Would Happen If Gays Were Allowed To Marry:

The Following Utah Persons And Businesses Financially Supported Proposition 8:

A. Bruce Knudsen	Bountiful	N/A	Retired	$100
Aaron Larson	Provo	A&Amp;E Family Publisher	Marriage Educator	$100
Aaron Meyers	Provo	Microsoft	Software Design Engineer	$35
Aaron Meyers	Provo	Microsoft	Software Design Engineer	$100
Alan Archibald	St George	Self-Alan Archibald	N/A	$1,000
Alan Colledge	Lindon	Central Utah Clinic	M.D.	$1,000
Allen Webb	Layton	Cdi Media, Inc.	Management	$35
Allen Webb	Layton	Cdi Media, Inc.	Management	$50
Allison Peterson	Salt Lake City	St Marks Hosp	Nurse	$100
Amber Lasley	Provo	Provo School District	Teacher	$500
Andrea Fillmore	Provo	N/A	Homemaker	$250
Ann Sharp	Orem	Provo School District	Instructional Researcher	$100
Annabel Lambert	Kamas	South Summit School District	Teacher’s Aide	$100
Arthur Morley	Kaysville	N/A	Retired	$500
Barbara Lee	Midway	Homemaker	Homemaker	$10,000
Barton Rhidehouse	Salt Lake City	Alta Air	Regional Manager Of Hvac Co.	$500
Benjamin Beeson	Orem	Neighborhood Homes	Management	$250
Beverly Garrison	Salem	N/A	Retired	$1,000
Beverly Moffitt	Salt Lake City	N/A	Retired	$500
Bill Culbertson	Provo	Intel	Engineer	$100
Boyd Fugal	Pleasant Grove	Fugal Farms	Farms	$500
Boyer Family Investments Ltd.	Coalville	N/A	N/A	$1,000
Brain Stapleton	Pleasant Grove	Bidmail, Inc.	Software Engineer	$2,500
Brandon Stoker	Provo	Law School	Student	$35
Brandon Stoker	Provo	Law School	Student	$100
Brian Nelson	Provo	Blue Mountain Insurance	Insurance	$100
Brody Holbrook	Hyde Park	Jj Cole Collections	Vice President	$750
Brody Holbrook	Hyde Park	Jj Cole Collections	Vice President	$100
Brooks Bahr	Salt Lake City	Lac/Usc Med Center	Med Resident Physician	$250
Bryan Piteck	Salt Lake City	Subway Sandwiches	Owner	$500
Burgandy Keel	Eagle Mountain	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Caleb Miskin	Provo	Weka Inc.	Estimating Assistant	$1,000
Carla Call	Provo	N/A	Retired	$200
Carla Call	Provo	N/A	Retired	$200
Carly Torgerson	Cedar City	Iron County School Dist	Teacher	$200
Carol Arave	North Salt Lake	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Celeste Adams	Saint George	Intermountain Health Care	Rn	$200
Chad Hays	Provo	Provo City School District	Special Education Teacher	$100
Chanelle Parkinson	Pleasant Grove	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Charlaine Thompson	Orem	N/A	Retired	$100
Charles Hardy	Sandy	L-3 Communications	Engineer	$125
Cheri Jackson	Salt Lake City	N/A	Homemaker	$2,000
Christie Kinghorn	Woods Cross	N/A	Attorney	$50
Christie Kinghorn	Woods Cross	N/A	Attorney	$100
Clint Olson	South Jordan	Co Maintaince Inc	Landscaper	$750
Clyde Williams	Sandy	Byu	Professor	$100
Constancy Trust	Salt Lake City	N/A	N/A	$9,950
Coral Desert Rhabilitation	St George	N/A	Health Facility Administrater	$1,000
Coral Twiggs	Pleasant Grove	Coral Construction, Inc.	Vp	$100
Cortney Nelson	Draper	Wells Fargo	Financial Analist	$400
Curtis Hoffman	Woodland Hills	Curtis B Hoffman, Attorney At Lw	Attorney	$100
D. Ogden	Provo	Byu	Professor	$100
Dan Garrison	Salem	N/A	Retired	$250
Daniel Lee	Logan	Us Coast Guard	Military	$200
Daniel Lee	Logan	Us Coast Guard	Military	$100
Daniel Patten	Salt Lake City	C.R. England	Data Analyst	$100
David Clark	Draper	United Tws	Tws	$99
David Clark	Draper	United Tws	Tws	$2,450
David Edgecomb	Pleasant Grove	Computer Confidence Llc	It Technician	$100
David Johnston	Orem	N/A	Marketing	$100
David Paxman	Provo	Byu	Teacher	$1,000
David Whiting	Grantsville	Tooele County School District	Educator	$100
Deborah Bohman	North Logan	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Delmer Harris	St. Geo.	N/A	Retired	$100
Dennis Gleason	Pleasant Grove	Wolf Electronix, Inc.	Sales Executive	$500
Derek Mock	Provo	Provo Property Management	Hr	$200
Desaray Bevans	Roy	State Farm	Staff Agent	$100
Diana Lewis	Holladay	Sorenson Communications	Vice President	$250
Diane Petty	Springville	Self-Western States Mechanical	Owner Of Plumbing Business	$500
Donald Keyes	Ogden	Self	Insurance	$500
Douglas Chabries	Orem	N/A	Retired	$100
Douglas Pearce	Saint George	N/A	Retired	$100
Douglas Youngberg Investments Inc	Washington	N/A	N/A	$5,000
Edmund Evans	Salt Lake City	Goldman Sachs	Chief Development Officer	$2,000
Edson Barton	Lehi	Barton Llc	Education Consultant	$250
Edward Quinn	North Salt Lake	N/A	Retired	$100
Elese Parent	Logan	N/A	Retired	$200
Elizabeth Bell	Orem	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Energy Efficiency Mgmt Llc	Draper	N/A	N/A	$2,450
First Global Marketing Llc	Provo	N/A	N/A	$10,000
Floyd Woodfield	Saint George	Weber State University	Retired Professor	$100
Franklin Dimick	Monroe	Dimick Water Resources Engineeri	Civil Engineer	$100
Fundet Foundation Inc.	Draper	N/A	N/A	$2,450
Fundet Foundation Inc.	Draper	N/A	N/A	$7,500
Gary Schnell	Highland	The Argent Group	Development Manager	$100
George Brunt	Provo	Corporate Legal Consultants	Attorney	$100
Geralee Mcarthur	South Jordan	N/A	Homemaker	$1,000
Glen Davis	Holladay	Interstate Specialties Llc	Sales	$250
Glen Rusche	Orem	Synergy Companies	Manager	$200
Gloria Ottesen	Eagle Mountain	Lds Church	Clothing Supervisor	$100
Gloria Ottesen	Eagle Mountain	Lds Church	Clothing Supervisor	$50
Golden Murray	Mapleton	Raytheon Oakley Systems	Software Engineer	$100
Grant Norman	Paradise	Self-Western States Rebar	Manager	$100
Greg Born	Provo	Interwest	Software Architect	$100
Gregory Anderson	Springville	Carlsbad Unified School Dist.	Teacher	$1,000
Gregory Hess	Kaysville	Parr, Waddoups Brown Gee	Attorney	$500
Helen Manwaring	Salem	Essential Science Publishing	Hr Bookkeeper	$100
Herbert Gillespie	Roosevelt	Gillespie Law Office	Attorney	$1,000
Hyde Merrill	Midvale	Merrill Energy, Llc	Engineer	$500
Intense International	Provo	N/A	N/A	$2,000
J.C. Bisel	Vernal	N/A	Retired	$500
Jacquelyn Vanorman	Salt Lake City	N/A	Homemaker	$200
Jake Schnakenburg	Orem	Ohana Software	Programmer	$700
James Ogilvie	Brighton	Axial Biotech	Researcher	$250
James Pinegar	Orem	N/A	Retired	$100
Jan Brown	Bountiful	Petrous	Manager	$100
Janet Blackwelder	Highland	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Janet Hintze	Kaysville	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Janette Penfield	Provo	Brigham Young University	Higher Education Administrator	$750
Janie Leroy	Salt Lake City	N/A	Retired	$100
Jason Bertoch	Cedar City	Halliburton	Field Professional	$100
Jean Davis	Lehi	Intermoutain Healthcare	Registered Nurse	$250
Jean Mcknight	Orem	N/A	Retired	$100
Jeff Armstrong	Saratoga Springs	Armstrong Consulting	Programmer	$100
Jeff Armstrong	Saratoga Springs	Armstrong Consulting	Programmer	$50
Jeff Ford	Washington	Cross Creek	Marriage &Amp; Family Therapist	$100
Jeff Heaton	Salt Lake City	Ub Real Estate Llc	Real Estate	$100
Jeffrey Bennion	Salt Lake City	Kawa Design Studios	Finance	$1,000
Jeffrey Blair	American Fork	Cemaphore Systems	Software Developer	$1,000
Jeffrey Holt	Huntsville	Goldman Saches &Amp; Co	Investment Banker	$9,990
Jeffrey Rosenbaugh	Provo	Exxonmobil	It Specialist	$200
Jeffrey Williams	American Fork	Im Flash Technologies, Llc	Software Engineer	$250
Jennifer Johnson	Holladay	Coraticum Asset Management	Manager	$2,500
Jennifer Mckay	Kaysville	N/A	Homemaker	$8,000
Jered Anderson	Woods Cross	N/A	Retired	$250
Jerry Sandberg	Bountiful	Cfs	Teacher	$100
Jim Huefner	Bountiful	N/A	Retired	$200
Job Jones	Cedar City	Southern Utah Univ	Admin Assistant	$1,000
John Gadd	Pleasant Grove	Workman Nydegger	Patent Attorney	$100
John Hendrix	Provo	Standard Fiber	Financial Executive	$200
Jon Holbrook	Bountiful	N/A	Retired	$25
Jon Holbrook	Bountiful	N/A	Retired	$35
Jon Holbrook	Bountiful	N/A	Retired	$35
Jon Holbrook	Bountiful	N/A	Retired	$35
Jon Robison Md	North Logan	Interwest Anesthesia	Physician	$250
Jonathan Bullen	Salt Lake City	Eagle Gate College Group	Ceo-President	$5,000
Jonathan Collins	Provo	Western National Group	Project Manager	$1,000
Jonathan Lund	Provo	Belcan	Engineer	$100
Joshua Roberts	Provo	Neo Mps, Inc.	Chemist	$150
Joyce Broadhead	Provo	N/A	Retired	$100
Joyce Erickson	Centerville	N/A	Homemaker	$250
Julia Warren	Provo	Seastore	Graphic Designer	$100
Julia Wooden	Sandy	Franklin Covey Protect	V.P. Sales	$1,000
Julie Johnson	Bountiful	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Julina Magnusson	Provo	Byu	Esl Teacher/Administrator	$100
Karen Aubrey	South Jordan	N/A	Retired	$100
Karl Greenwood	Provo	At&Amp;T	Engineer	$100
Katherine Brown	Payson	N/A	Homemaker	$200
Kathleen Mcconkie	St. George	None		$1,000
Kathleen Tervort	Elk Ridge	N/A	Homemaker	$600
Kathryn Carter	Salt Lake City	N/A	Homemaker	$9,500
Kathryn Knight	Salt Lake City	Kathryn Knight	Attorney	$250
Kathryn Zarbock	Sandy	N/A	Retired	$100
Kathryn Zarbock	Sandy	N/A	Retired	$150
Kenneth Woolley	Salt Lake City	Extra Space Inc.	Ceo	$5,000
Kent Bowman	North Salt Lake	Tanner Lc	Cpa	$200
Kent Bringhurst	Orem	N/A	Retired	$1,000
Kent Meyers	Pleasant Grove	N/A	Retired	$100
Kerry Strauss	Provo	Fibertek	Engineer	$100
Kirk Pearson	Provo	Student	Student	$150
Kirsten Bradshaw	Santa Clara	Periodental Specialist Inc.	Administrative Specialist	$200
Krista Yates	Midvale	N/A	Retired	$150
Kyle Christensen	Spanish Fork	Western Botanicals, Inc.	Owner	$500
Lakeside Storage, Llc	Provo	N/A	N/A	$1,000
Laura Korth	Sandy	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Laura Middleton	Provo	Hrcp, L.C.	President	$200
Lauralee Lemon	Santaquin	N/A	Homemaker	$250
Laurel Frost	Hurricane	N/A	Homemaker	$200
Laurie Janssen	West Jordan	Intermountain Healthcare	Accountant	$1,000
Leanne Barlow	Provo	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Leland Hair	Orem	N/A	Retired	$150
Leonor Alvarez	Highland	Alvarez Translations	Translator	$100
Linda Gubler	Santa Clara	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Linda Hall	Hurricane	N/A	Retired	$100
Linda Henrie	Park City	N/A	Homemaker	$500
Lisa Holdaway	North Ogden	Wsd	Teacher	$100
Lisa Jackson	Spanish Fork	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Logan Barrowes	Spanish Fork	Svn Equities	Financial Analyst	$250
Lowell Erbe	Lehi	Bungee Labs	Sofware Engineer	$100
Lyndon Ricks	Centerville	Kruse, Landa Maycock &Amp; Ricks	Attorney	$100
Madelyn Thomas	South Jordan	N/A	Homemaker	$200
Marc Jewell	Salt Lake City	Hp	Business	$100
Marcia Warner	Salem	N/A	Homemaker	$500
Margery Mallory	Bountiful	Lds Church	Executive Secretary	$100
Mark Barlow	American Fork	Atk	Electrical Engineer	$250
Mark Sorrells	American Fork	Self Employed	Sales	$100
Mark Wangsgaard	Provo	Johnsons Medical	Sales	$100
Mary Gebs	Smithfield	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Matt Zollinger	Tremonton	Box Elder School District	School Counselor	$100
Matthew Wonnacott Md	Bountiful	Us Air Force	Physician	$100
Maurine Mclean	South Jordan	N/A	Homemaker	$250
Mel Olsen	Lindon	N/A	Retired	$100
Melanie Ballard	Slc	N/A	Homemaker	$200
Melissa Merrill	Salt Lake City	N/A	Publishing	$150
Merlene Bodily	Grigham City	N/A	Homemaker	$200
Michael Hilliard	Midway	N/A	Retired	$1,000
Michael Lee	Elk Ridge	Nims	Researcher	$250
Michael Lee	Elk Ridge	Nims	Researcher	$500
Michael Vincent	Salt Lake City	N/A	Retired	$100
Michael Vincent	Salt Lake City	N/A	Retired	$100
Michelle Murdock	Salem	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Michelle Wickham	Orem	Klas	Attorney	$100
Nancy Perl	Orem	N/A	Homemaker	$250
Nanilea Bendixen	Provo	Longs Drugs	Cashier	$250
Nathaniel Stringham	Sandy	Mac Management, Inc	President/Ceo	$500
Nicholas Jepsen	Provo	Student	Student	$150
Nicholas Jepsen	Provo	Student	Student	$200
Norm Nemrow	Provo	Byu	University Professor	$500
O. Don Ostler	Salt Lake City	N/A	Retired	$1,000
Pamela Allen	Salt Lake City	Retired	Retired	$200
Paul David	Salt Lake City	Wilson And Davis Co	Stock Broker	$1,000
Paul Johnson	Pleasant Grove	Bennett Tueller Johnson &Amp; Deere	Attorny	$100
Paula Webb	Provo	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Penny Linford	Alpine	Prosteel Security Products	President	$100
Rachel Thurston Photography, Inc.	Sandy	Self	Photographer	$100
Ralph Benson	Bountiful	Corp Of The Presiding Bishop	Tax Manager	$100
Randy Giboney	Spanish Fork	Western Botanicals, Inc.	Owner	$500
Randy Wilson	Riverton	Familysearch.Org	Computer Scientist	$100
Rebecca Buckwalter	Orem	N/A	Homemaker	$2,500
Rebecca Rainer	Highland	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Richard Holdaway	North Ogden	N/A	Retired	$250
Ripley Architects	Salt Lake City	N/A	N/A	$200
Robert Cheatham	Provo	Dci	Engineer	$1,000
Robert Hale	Midvale	Usps	Postal Supervisor	$100
Robert Hale	Midvale	Usps	Postal Supervisor	$35
Robert Lee	Alpine	Nextpage	Exec	$250
Robert Lewis	Provo	Lovell’s International Law Firm	Lawyer	$100
Robert Valentine	Highland	Part Time Instructor	Teacher	$100
Russel Bailey	Hyde Park	Jacobsen Construction	Construction Supervisor	$100
Samuel Mckay	Kaysville	Student	Student	$8,000
Sandefur Schmidt	Provo	Sandefur Schmidt	Writer, Researcher	$1,000
Sandra Howard	Stansbury Park	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Sarah Warr	Provo	N/A	Homemaker	$300
Saul Speirs	Provo	Byu Law	Student	$250
Scott Wright	Orem	Nss	Computer Security	$100
Shane Loveland	Provo	Xactwar	Research	$100
Sharolynn Pyeatt	Spanish Fork	Byu	Librarian	$100
Shelby Deher	Lindon	Envision Lending	Loan Officer	$100
Shelly Price	Draper	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Sheryl Wardrop	Provo	N/A	Homemaker	$100
Stacy Johanna	Provo	Shrines Hospital For Kids	Social Worker	$100
Stan Russell	Sandy	Ams	Accountant	$250
Stephanie Bywater	Holladay	Mediconnect Global	Ceo/President	$100
Stephen Peterson	Summit	N/A	Retired	$100
Steven Bentley	Orem	Young Living	Cpa	$1,000
Steven Bowers	South Jordan	The Layton Companies, Inc	Exec Vp	$250
Steven Gottfredson	Salt Lake City	Pfizer	Sales Manager	$100
Stuart Orgill	Orem	Qualtrics	Executive	$250
Sumerlyn Tanner	Santaquin	Teachers Unlimited	Substitute Teacher	$100
Susan Gleason	Bountiful	Huntsman Hospital	Rn	$250
Susan Roylance	South Jordan	N/A	Retired	$100
Susan Thompson	Cedar City	Planview Inc	Project Manager	$500
Suzanne Strong	Holladay	N/A	Retired	$250
Synergy Entrepreneurs Llc	Draper			$100
Synergy Entrepreneurs Llc	Draper	N/A	N/A	$2,450
Tamara Hill	Orem	N/A	Homemaker	$250
Tamara Snow	North Salt Lake	N/A	Homemaker	$500
Terry Gale	Sandy	Discover Fiancial Services	Account Manager	$200
Teryl Arnold	Riverton	Future Vision Technologies	Software Engineer	$250
Theodore Schmidt	Salt Lake City	N/A	Retired	$250
Thomas Butler	America Fork	Fortress Investments	Real Estate	$1,000
Timothy Nicolaysen	Draper	Es-O-En Corp	Owner	$100
Timothy Smith	Provo	Byu	Professor	$100
Todd Lillywhite	Murray	American Research Bureau	Researcher	$100
Toni Moncrief	Bountiful	N/A	Retired	$100
Travis Jensen	Provo	Sleadden Arps	Attorney	$300
Trent Linton	Sandy	Usmc	Military	$250
Utah Process Inc	Provo	Utah Process	Constadile	$300
Vicky Morris	Salt Lake City	N/A	Homemaker	$500
Whitne Strain	Bountiful	N/A	Self Employed	$100
William Williams	Provo	N/A	Retired	$100
Wolfgang Muelleck	Highland	Peoples Utah Bancorp	Cfo	$100
Zion Foundation	Draper	N/A	N/A	$2,450
Zion Foundation	Draper	N/A	N/A	$7,500

Ok, I Freaking Love To Watch CNN, But Somebody Over There Needs To Get Fired.

Alright, so im sitting here watching Anderson Cooper 360 and the following commercials came on.  First one was for Expedia trying to get people to use their business travel services.  Second commercial was for Go To Meeting which tries to get people to use the internet for business meetings and avoid traveling.  Seriously CNN, timing is everything.

Im Eriq Kiltz and I approved this message because I mourn the loss of good journalism.

We Shall Overcome

The gay rights issue will not die.  Just as coloured people in the 60’s did not give up, neither will I and people who feel the same as I do.  Last weeks march and the march yesterday are just the beginning of a new era of civil rights demonstrations.  Those who know me know that once I get passionate about something, I dont shut up about it.  I will be present at civil rights marches and I will not stop bugging my elected representatives to extend more rights to GLBT’s.  I am glad to live in a country where I can stand on the steps of City Hall and scream ‘Equality Now!’  This country is great but we still have some issues to work out.  With people like the crowd of 3000 that were there yesterday backing up this issue, how can we fail?  I encourage everyone reading this to write your senator and demand the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.  I would also recommend demanding that gender orientation and sexual orientation be recognized as protected classes under the Equal Employment Oportunity Act and for purposes of prosecuting hate crimes.  To close, I am attaching two pictures of myself holding a sign which shamelessly promotes this blog at the march yesterday.  Unfortunatly, I could not find anyone who took a picture of the other side of my sign which read, ‘I support the right to be Fabulous!’

Im Eriq Kiltz and I approved this message.

Seperate But Equal Is Anything But

To the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  You have the audacity to make the statement that voting is a sacrosanct and individual right.  You are goddammed right voting is sacrosanct!  I do NOT need you to tell me how to vote!  You have seriously got some nerve trying to tell people to vote in favour of Proposition 8 after your tainted history regarding marriage.  As I have been a Mormon, I know that you tell your members to vote their conscience.  That is in contradiction to your statement read in Sacrament meeting affirming your support for Proposition 8.  By asking your members to vote in favour of this measure and to donate monies to support its passage, you have demonstrated tenancies similar to that of a PAC.  As such, you should lose your tax-exempt status and I will be asking the appropriate government leaders to pursue action to that effect.  In addition, I was proud to have been a part of the protests led outside your temple in Salt Lake City.

Now on to the issue of gay marriage itself.  I get so mad when idiots like Thomas S. Monson of the Mormon church try to tell me that gay marriage will destroy the sanctity of marriage.  It seems to me that with a divorce rate approaching 80%, heterosexuals have done a fine job of destroying the sanctity of marriage.  Gay marriage will not alter the fundamentals of the universe or make the world end.  Gas prices will still suck if gays are allowed to marry and your neighbors dog will still be annoying.  Nothing that drastic will change.  There has been no definitive evidence indicating that children raised by a gay couple turn out any different than those raised by a straight couple.  I dont agree with those who would say that they have no problem with civil unions as long as they dont call it marriage.  That is discrimination.  It is not fair to tell a group of people that they cant use an identifier to define their relationship simply because of their sexual orientation.  If you are going to go that route, you may as well give them their own drinking fountain and restrooms.  Oh, wait, thats illegal.

Im Eriq Kiltz and I approved this message.

Rest In Peace Officer Skinner

It is always sad when a Police Officer loses their life in the line of duty.  Charles Skinner was injured on Nov 4 2008 after losing control of his patrol car whilst chasing a suspect.  Officer Skinner died days later from his injuries.  He is survived by his wife and month-old twins.  May Officer Skinner rest in peace.  And may the full might of the justice system come down on the little prick he was chasing.

Oh My Freaking GOD The First Lady Is Hot!

Im Eriq Kiltz and I approved this message because I am infatuated with the first lady-elect.