We'd like to spotlight this hard-hitting editorial in the Standard-Examiner this morning, lambasting elements of Utah GOP legislative leadership for their active support of state senator Chris Buttars, in his 2008 bid for re-nomination by the Salt Lake County GOP to his West Jordan district senate seat. We incorporate the lead paragraphs from this morning's most excellent editorial:
Our political leaders just keep giving us new reasons to be cynical and feel dispirited about government.For those who missed out on hearing Buttars's "ugly black baby" remark, we helpfully link an audio version here, courtesy of YouTube.
The latest is the letter sent to GOP delegates in Sen. Chris Buttars’ West Jordan district prior to tomorrow’s Salt Lake County convention. It supports Buttars’ re-election campaign and was signed by Senate leadership: President John Valentine, Majority Leader Curtis Bramble and two Top of Utah lawmakers: Majority Whip Dan Eastman, of Bountiful, and Assistant Majority Whip Sheldon Killpack, of Syracuse.
Buttars, you’ll remember, is the lawmaker, who on the floor of the state Senate, made this remark about a bill being debated: “This baby is black, I’ll tell you. It’s a dark, ugly thing.” It was arguably the worst, but only the latest, in a years long string of offensive remarks he’s made in his official capacity as lawmaker, bringing disrespect and condemnation on himself, his Senate colleagues, the Legislature and the entire state. He is a smudge on Utah’s reputation, and should be plucked out of the Senate.
Reprehensible as Senator Buttars's remark was in the above instance however, we believe even this misbehavior pales in significance, when compared with another instance of Buttars malconduct. We highlighted this on Weber County Forum a couple of months back, when the Salt Lake Tribune revealed that Buttars, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee had sent a threatening letter to a sitting Utah District Court judge. From our February 29, 2008 article:
Senator Valentine can't imagine what the problem is. All Buttars did, after all, was send a threatening letter to a sitting Utah District Court Judge who'd ruled unfavorably against one of Buttars' cronies... on official Utah Legislature stationary... while serving as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee... you know, the committee which screens judges who are appointed to the Utah bench. This was no big deal to Valentine of course, who takes the remarkable position (with a completely straight face) that Buttars can shield his egregious misconduct behind the protections of the First Amendment. Hoo-boy.Yes, Buttars's "ugly black baby" remark was "repellent," as today's Std-Ex editorial contends. At the very least it reflects intemperance in speech, and terrible political judgment on Buttars's part. At worst it can rightly be interpreted as revealing the immoral inner soul of a bitter, hateful man who has no business occupying a seat in the Utah legislature.
As for Senator Buttars's letter however, we believe it to have been even more egregious. Whereas Buttars's "black baby" remark arguably reveals a disturbing character defect, i.e., racial bias, Buttars's misconduct, in connection with the letter, clearly reveals a willful, conscious and active effort on his part to interfere with the operation of the Utah Judicial system. Compounding the problem of Buttars's attempt to intimidate a Utah District Court judge, of course, was Senate President Valentine's concealment of facts relative to Buttars's letter, and his abject failure to take steps to impose legislative sanctions.
Within today's editorial we find the following paragraph, taken from a letter sent to Salt Lake County Convention delegates by the above-named members of GOP legislative leadership, endorsing Buttars for re-nomination under the GOP party banner:
“Senator Buttars is an unwavering supporter of Republican principles. He has consistently and passionately espoused the principles that we hold dear.” [Emphasis added].Being the curious type, we pulled up a copy of the Utah GOP Party Platform, wherein we found this highly instructive language:
ETHICS AND STANDARDSWe're going to assume that the GOP platform expresses at least a few of the more important principles and standards that members of the Utah GOP “hold dear;” and we hope that at least a few Salt Lake County delegates will read today's WCF article, and take note of the contents herein.
We demand honesty, integrity, morality, and accountability of our public officials. We will work to expose and stop corruption.
And it probably wouldn't be a bad idea either, we think, if Utah legislators Valentine, Bramble, Eastman and Killpack did a quick review of their own party platform.
'Nuff said," we think.
And what say our gentle readers about all this?
