Excellent editorial in today's Standard-Examiner about that GOP dominated Utah legislature's embarrassing GOP moron, Senator Chris Buttars. Why this dope remains a Utah State Senator remains a complete mystery to us. It doesn't speak well for the citizens of his Senate District, who are rapidly being perceived as a pack of rednecks; nor does it enhance the image of the Utah Republican Party either, in what may prove to be a tough election in November 2008.Unfortunately for those of us who continue to adhere to fundamental GOP principles elsewhere in Utah (your blogmeister admits to being an unreformed paleo-conservative), Senator Buttars has now become the GOP legislative poster boy for redneck dumbasses who wear the elephant lapel pin.
We've refrained from posting anything on this story so far, mainly because it's been covered ever so thoroughly elsewhere in the Utah blogosphere. From here on out, however, with the Std-Ex's blessing, (and digging into phraseology from our Irish heritage), we consider this story to be "Katy bar the door".
We'll just say that we completely agree with the Standard-Examiner on this topic-- something that doesn't happen all that often. Buttars deserves the GOP heave-ho. This neanderthal throwback ought to be dumped promptly - with chicken feathers, tar and a rail, if necessary.
And what say our gentle readers about this?
20 comments:
The odd thing is, this latest remark is neither the stupidest nor most offensive thing he's said.
Which is, of course, exactly the point.
Whatever it is that gets him gone, is all right by me. He has long outlived his usefulness as the village idiot and is now merely pathetic.
Rudi
Did you ever stop to think that maybe Senator Buttars' constituents are in fact a "pack of rednecks" and that he represents them very well?
As to him not enhancing the image of the Utah Republican Party - Well that is a real hoot! The Utah GOP has been an embarrassment for at least ten years now. They are nothing but a pack of immoral, self dealing, lying thieves. It would be impossible for Buttars to tarnish their image, he fits in their insider club perfectly!
I will give you a hundred to one odds that if the idiot runs again he will be re-elected with a large margin.
Regarding Buttars:
1. Typically, words like "dark", "black" etc. are used to describe something bad. Many here have used such words to describe the mayor without being called racists.
2. People may resist "Divine Design", but actually, if you want a fairy tale, try "Evolution", one of the most discredited theories in scientific history, for those who actually look at all sides.
3. Isn't Buttars the guy who stopped the menace of eminent domain almost single handedly? I know he also did a bill that made eminent domain possible again, but with much, much stricter guidelines than before.
4. So he doesn't cotton to gays. Lots of folks don't.
The real issue here is he made what some call a racist remark, but which in context does not appear racist. Somebody called the bill an "ugly baby". Buttars agreed, saying it is "black."
But he touched the "third rail" of politics, because some people look to take that kind of offense and once they do, many others like to jump on the person.
5. The thing about covering up for bad cops, I just don't get at all.
Maybe he is slipping. I've talked to him and he seemed pretty sharp to me, but we don't agree on everything. But I say leave the guy alone.
Also, I wanted to comment on the story about how Ogden's giveaway to Midtown has been sidetracked until some questions can be answered, about the Powder Mountain issue and petition, and so many other things. Without this forum (WCF), this would all be a done deal by now. Thank God for Rudi, literally, and God bless him, whether he believes in God or not. We'd be in the soup without him, even if we on occasion, disagree.
danny,
I suppose you also think I should teach the Flat Earth Theory to my astronomy students--in order to help them "look at all sides".
I love his happy, Utah valley smile.
I would be ashamed to call myself a Republican.
Get rid of the rat and lets get some checks and balances in the state legislature. They have become so corrupt and worthless they have forgotten that they are republicans.
Danny
You wrote:
".....if you want a fairy tale, try "Evolution", one of the most discredited theories in scientific history......"
That is a rather incredible statement in this day and age with the level of education we have. I have never heard of a credible scientist that would make such a statement, even a religious one.
Perhaps you could enlighten us as to just how the theory of evolution is, and has been, discredited and by who.
Duke
The driven snow is kinda yellow in South Jordan where the good senator resides. Actually he is whitesome and delightsome and his heart is big enough to accommodate all races, creeds and colors, except of course neegroes, mexicans and queers.
Without getting into the specifics of the various matters discussed above, let me just say that Rudi is right in arguing that doing something about embarrassments within the Utah Republican Party ... like the Hon. [?] Sen. Buttars... is primarily the job of Utah Republicans. Just as doing something about problematic Democrats is primarily the job of Democrats. If Buttars runs again as the nominee of the Utah Republican Party, then it's the party that has to take the blame... or responsibility if you prefer a less loaded word. [I'd say the same of a Democratic legislator if I could think of one of comparable embarrassing character, but I can't. This is at least in part, I'm willing to concede, a reflection of the very small numbers of Democrats in the Utah house and senate.]
It's primarily the parties' responsibility to clean up their acts through the nomination process. Happy to see Rudi agrees.
Mr. Curmudgeon
What about Mike (I never saw a bribe I didn't like) Dimitrick the dean of Utah Democrats. You know, the guy that said ethics is whatever some one wants it to be. He is every bit as embarrassing as Buttars. It is a Utah thing that transcends party lines.
Rudi......so true so true!
Oz:
Sorry, but --- without getting into the specifics of Mr. Dimitrick's comments/actions --- I don't think he comes close to Sen. Buttars as a public embarrassment to his party and his state. Mr. Buttars has achieved fame as an embarrassment to the state of Utah that now reaches from coast to coast. His antics appear regularly on some of the heavily trafficked national blogs for example and the wire services pick up Buttars items now too; and --- by way of a personal example --- friends and colleagues from across the country email me with Buttars news they've seen in their papers and on line and ask me, gleefully, about life in Zion. I don't get emails from Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, DC and Wisconsin about Dimitrick nor have I seen him pop up with regularly on national blogs. The two are, demonstrably, not comparable examples [which is all I claimed]. As for your crowning Mr. D. "Dean of Utah Democrats" --- last time I checked, the head of the party in Utah was Wayne Holland, not Mr. Dimitrick. Unless there's been a coup in the last 72 hours, Mr. Holland still is.
hey there you free speech phony, yeah right…YOU!!!and pull your pants up!!
you are a hypocrite liar who publicly preaches free speech (except when it is something with which you disagree)but who really hates open discourse.
let’s see how stupid you people really are: (rules of the truly stupid souless morons):
1. anyone who might say, “hey, you have a black mark on your {record}{shirt} {soul}” is a racist devil to be destroyed.
If i say “that black mark on your record is one ugly baby” I should have my gonads removed by a team of man hating lesbian trasgendered half elf midgets with a speech impediment.
Pay attention to which media outlets are pumping up this story. These are the enemies of free speech.
2. Only black people can use the word “lynched”, even if they live in Lynchberg, Tenn. or Lynchberg, Va. And they should be fired if they aren’t black. All whites who are named Lynch must be sent to a concentration camp run by …. you get the idea.
3. If i say “white lie” I am a racist who must be destroyed, unless I am a homo, woman, oriental, indio, or….anything besides a white male.
This reminds me of the lynching of Don Imus. And that was concocted to discipline the talk show host roster to not speak ill of Hillary.
Anon:
Sigh.... If you want to discuss free speech rights under the Constitution [First Amendment], fine with me, but perhaps you ought to do just a tad of research about those rights first.
The First Amendment guarantee of free speech prohibits government prohibitions on free speech. You will note that Sen. Buttars made his statements in the legislature. No one stopped him. No one could or should have.
The Free Speech guarantee prohibiting government action to prohibit that speech, however, does not in any way protect someone who speaks from all consequences of that speech. If other legislators are outraged, if voters and newspaper editors and bloggers are, they are free to say so. Loudly. As they have. They are free to demand Sen. Buttars' resignation or non-nomination or defeat at the polls. As they have. You seem to be arguing that criticizing someone for what he said is, somehow, a violation of the free speech guarantees of the First Amendment. You could not be more wrong.
If that were the case, you would be violating the free speech rights of all those who've criticized Sen. Buttars because you are criticizing what they have said.
You want to support Buttars and do some kind of arcane tap dance to pretend his comment was not racist, have at it. But before you claim those who think differently than you are, somehow, opponents of free speech for speaking out, do just a little research into what the First Amendment says and means. It will improve your ability to argue you points. Really it will.
Wonkette: Utah Legislator Hunted By Lynch Mob
Mr. Curmudgeon
I did not say nor imply that Dimitrick was the head of the Utah Democratic Party. That was your invention perhaps based on your narrow interpretation of my use of the word "dean" in describing Mr. Dimitrick.
Outside of the Ivory towers that you have inhabited these many years the word "dean" has other meanings beside those in use therein. One of the several definitions of the word "dean" is - "senior member of a group". This is one of the more common uses of the word outside of academia. (ie - Mr. Walter Cronkite dean of American TV Journalists)
Mr. Dimitrick, as far as I know, is the senior Democrat in the Utah Legislature and longest serving Democrat in Utah, and as such is often referred to as the dean of Utah's Democrats. I'm certainly not the first to anoint him with this title.
As to your other points about the growing national and international notoriety of Buttars, they are hard to argue against. I too have received emails and calls from friends and relatives around the country poking fun at my homeboy legislator. In fact, unlike you, I even got one from an old pal in Mississippi who told me this proves Utah hasn't got anything on his state in the racist department!
I still stand by my statement that Dimitrick is as embarrassing as Buttars. The only difference is how wide spread their respective shortcomings are known. I think Dimitrick more than earned the dishonor by his stand and statements on ethics and his position as head hog at the Utah public trough. Statements like "integrity is up to the individual" (or words to that effect) in defense of his number one rating in receiving graft is every bit as embarrassing as Buttars' statement about ugly black babies - in my opinion.
Like I said before, stupidity, arrogance, greed and embarrassing conduct knows no boundaries in the Utah Legislature.
Oz:
You wrote: stupidity, arrogance, greed and embarrassing conduct knows no boundaries in the Utah Legislature.
On that, we are in complete agreement.
As for "dean" -- ok, I read it as an academic grunt would. Granted. But of newsmen, the term seems of late to be bestowed on someone who is past his prime, and who, I suspect, those conferring the title are implying, every so gently, that it's time for "the dean" to hang 'em up. David Broder, now oft referred as the "dean of Washington columnists" comes to mind. He had a great run, but David hasn't much understood what's going around around him for the past five years or so, and many of his political columns since then have served only to embarrass his admirers and diminish his reputation. [By contrast, I don't recall anyone having the balls, so far, to call Helen Thomas "the dean of Washington correspondents" to her face. Nor would I have.]
As for Mr. Dimitrick's statement that "integrity is up to the individual" --- well, Oz, I'm afraid he's right on that. Integrity is up to the individual office holder. Either he has it or he doesn't. Either behaving ethically matters to him or it doesn't. We can [and should] pass ethics reforms such as banning lobbyists' gifts to legislators... I prefer the "not so much as a cup of coffee" standard... but I don't kid myself that doing so will make ethical legislators out of those who are not, anymore than passing McCain-Feingold eliminated the influence of corporate or PAC money in elections. [Recall the Republican mayor of Ogden, who's on record as believing that anything that is legal is also ethical.]
Those with their palms out now will have them out still no matter what ethics reform we pass, and they and their corporate masters will find ways to shunt the bucks to them in return for their votes. They'll just be forced to be a little more creative in their means, have to work harder to hide it, and perhaps delay the payoff for a while. But they will find ways. They always have. So, in the end, integrity really is up to the individual.
Danny, Buttars is 65 yrs. old. Your defense of his black baby comment is made quite innnocently on your part, but is hard to swallow if we concider that for the first 35 yrs. of his life he was raised believing that the black race was indeed less human and inferior due to an act of God many many years ago. Many older Utahns struggle in the area of race because of this. Some will never get it out of their minds. Being raised in Logan couldn't have helped him much either, at the time all there would have been would have been an occassional athelete in the whole Cache Valley that was black. I can't help but think that Utahns should be alot more cognisent in alot of areas regarding other people, the super majority is shrinking and much of what has been tollerated in the past won't fly today.
Most of the times Buttars has gotten into trouble expressing his opinion are views that locally may be widely accepted, most would never state them in public.
I am not so inclined to give him a pass on this one.
Mr. Curmudgeon
I do not think that Senator Dimitrick had the same thing in mind as you do when he made the statement about integrity. He certainly did not mean that he didn't have any. What I think he meant, given the situation, was that he didn't consider taking graft from favor seekers to be un-ethical and that his interpretation of ethics was as good as the next guys. In other words he put into words the situational ethics problem that is so pervasive in Utah politics.
Any way you cut it Buttars is a buffoon, and so is Dimitrick.
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