Some snivelling little weasel keeps anonymously posting "off-topic" referrals to Bernard Allen's website here. The latest referred to a a blog entry that relates, at least impiedly, to a Standard-Examiner article that tells how bad Ogden gets the shaft from the Governor's office on local judicial appointments. You can read "Bernie's blog article here.
I honestly don't know why Bernie decided to set up his own blog, rather than to just post on this one, which I've worked my a** off for almost four months to set up for discussion, and to build up respectable readership from all political viewpoints, with a notable degree of success.
Maybe he just likes to rant to himself.
He does have a point about this, though: Ogden City "takes it in the shorts" every time the Governor of Utah brings in a carpet-bagger judge up from Salt Lake City (to buy a home on the southern outskirts of Ogden) to administer justice in our town. District Court judges should be familiar with the communities in which they reside and administer "justice." Above all, judges should be accountable to the communities over which they preside. Recent appointees don't even come close to that. The same thing's been going on, of course, since the coming of the railroad to Ogden, when the local Ogden "Bishop's Courts" determined they had no actual legal "jurisdiction" over "gentiles*." (See, e.g., Ogden Anecdotes, (1985 Ed.) by I. Woodhouse, p. 26.)
The Governor's office acts like a remote Roman Emperor in the appointment of Ogden District Court judges. Bernie's entirely correct on at least this single point.
Does anyone here have any comments about the low-quality of judges that Utah Governors have historically appointed from SLC to the Ogden Branch of the Second Judicial District -- especially recently?
Comments, anyone?
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*Readers who reside in the real world should understand that the term "gentile" locally refers to anyone who isn't "Mormon." It's just another in a long line of local cultural "quirks."
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9 comments:
Commenting on judgeships is beyond me, but I will comment on this Bernie Allen guy and whoever it is that keeps advertising his blog on this blog. Rudi, you're right about the immense amount of time you've put into this blog. It is a finely run blogsite, and except for the occassional idiot like the president, well posted with good discourse, dialogue and ideas. It is very enjoyable.
I do have to take issue with the clowns who are using this blog as a stepping stone to their blog. Providing links and addresses shows a lack of schmaltz, and being as undignified as it is, I doubt many will link on over to bernie's from here, just out of principle.
Good work Rudi. If these clowns understood what it takes, maybe they'd be more successful in their own endeavors.
*sigh* I've been one of those "clowns" that have used this site as a stepping stone to my blog. But you know what though, from a competitive standpoint, you have to visit and comment on other blogs to spark any interest in your own.
But of course my blog isn't as nice as Rudi's is. Rudi, you really do have an amazing blog. Keep it up.
I haven't read Bernie's piece yet but the article I read about the Judges said that it wasn't that the judges were from SLC but that they were from our area but practiced in SLC.
I don't disagree that more should be being drawn from the pool that practices here but your characterization that they live in SLC seemed incorrect from what I have read.
No sweat, Centerville Citizen. I have no problem at all when a fellow blogger drops a link to his own site for something that's even remotely off-topic. As a matter of fact, I look at it as a positive thing.
Blogs have a uniquely symbiotic relationship here in the blogosphere; and I think it's very healthy when bloggers ahare their ideas back and forth. This kind of interchange benefits everyone, I believe.
Where I draw the line is with anonymous posters like the one last night, whose post was entirely off-topic, and plainly intended merely to draw traffic to another sight.
You'll notice, by the way, that I framed that poster's "issue," i.e., the existing and historical tension between the Utah governor's office, and the Ogden City mayor, and even provided a proper link to "anonymous's" recommended article.
I'm all for cross-pollination between blogs. I merely object to some anonymous schmuck dropping by my place and sticking somebody else's lawn sign in my front yard;-)
And thanks for the kind compliment. I put a lot more effort into this place than most people realize. Being a blogger yourself, I think you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Centerville, you have done so with decorum, which is very acceptable to me, if my individual opinion matters. There's a proper way; there's an improper way, and you have chosen the former, so congrats and I wish your blog some success. You seem to be a guy who has arisen above the fray, who'se serious, and somebody who has etiquette. My post was not aimed at you in any way, shape or form.
My comments were directed to the underhanded people who are, in effect, pirating the blogosphere and others efforts instead of relying on their own accomplishmnets, which are few, I'm sure. Otherwise, they would let the cards fall where they may on their own volition, not on someone else's.
Regarding the issue of perceived hostility on the part of the Utah State Government toward our beleaguered city, the aforementioned blog entry stated this:
"In another stirring example of “what’s good for Ogden isn’t good for Salt Lake and what’s not good for Salt Lake isn’t good for the state,” Mayor Godfrey was recently visited by the state economic development agency who demanded that he give them the names of the contacts, phone numbers and addresses of the major ski companies he and Descente and others have been working with to bring to the Hub. He was told that Salt Lake City should decide who should have these companies, and this kind of success for Ogden just isn’t in their plans. In a strong act of courage and strength for such a diminutive man, he threw their asses out of his office."
Not really knowing how the relationship between city and state economic development is supposed to work, this gives rise to a few questions.
Are we as a city supposed to obtain permission from the state to attract businesses here? Are we by law overseen by them, answerable to them, and under their control insofar as what we do and do not get?
This scenario as recounted on the referenced blog really takes one aback. It gives rise to B-Grade movie imaginings:
In the early morning hours, guys in dark nondescript suits speed north in a Utah State Fleet Vehicle along I-15 toward Ogden. Arriving at the Municipal Building, they silently make their way to the Ninth Floor.
"All right--you know why we're here. Give us the goods!"
"Not on your life!"
"Come on, you know that the Utah State Economic Agenda is that Salt Lake gets it all and Ogden gets nothing. We want those names and numbers, and we want them now."
"You guys don't scare me!" Get out of my office!!"
A short scuffle ensues.....
Hope that's really not how it happened, but I really would like to know more about that one. In the way of who, what, when, where, and how.
I mean, here we were debating the issue of a possibly excessive show of force by the police in the Riverdale shoplifting episode.
I think you're W-A-Y offbase if you don't think Ogden-based attorneys get the short end of the stick re local judicial appointments, ARCritic.
Talk to any local practitioner, and you'll hear the same story.
Most recently, one well-respected local lawyer, whose emphasisis is in Juvenile Law, and who has exceptional "juvenile law" credentials, got mysteriously bumped off the governor's list during the last 2d Circuit juvenile court judicial appointment, where some Salt Lake City Schmuck, with minimal experience in small claims court and civil jurisprudence -- and none in juvenile law -- wound up as the new gubernatorial juvenile court appointee.
If you don't know about this, it's because you probably haven't been paying much attention.
If you don't believe me, ask "Bernie" about it. I'm quite sure he's up to speed on the issue.
We seem to have a problem with communication here, Rudi.
That SLC smuck actually lives in Bountiful and while that might not be Top of Utah enough for you it is not SLC. But his experience and practice has been in SLC, there we agree.
The article I read and I would guess you saw also indicated that it wasn't that the Judical appointees weren't from the Top of Utah, it was that they did not practice here. That they might live in Weber or Davis counties but that they worked in SLC.
I agree with you that the lawyers that practice here should be at the top of the list for the judicial appointments here. And you are correct that it seems that is not happening.
"But his experience and practice has been in SLC, there we agree."
That's the whole point, don't you think, ARCritic?
Glad to hear we're both on the same page as to the substance of the debate.
Local practitioners plainly get the short end of the stick re local judicial appointments, don't they.
I think you picked the right "handle" with "AR"Critic, BTW;)
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