Wednesday Morning Emerald City News Roundup

Plenty of chewy of material for Weber County Forum discussion this morning

Unlike the normal situation during most pre-holiday run-ups, we find plenty of chewy of material for Weber County Forum discussion this morning, as we stand on the cusp of Tomorrow's Thanksgiving Day holiday. We'll thus reel a few of them out in no particular order of importance:

1) Our wing-nut legislature asked for it, and now we "got" it. This morning's Standard-Examiner reports that "The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging Utah's immigration enforcement law":

• Justice Department sues Utah over immigration law

Although this morning's story doesn't discuss the underlying legal issues in detail, you can be sure that Attorney General Eric Holder's Justice Department is relying heavily on the broad federal powers contained in the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy clause (Article VI, Clause 2). Under well established principles of U.S. Constitutional jurisprudence, it's been long recognized that the power to regulate immigration is exclusively a federal power under this Constitutional provision, and that any attempt by a state entity such as Utah to meddle in the field of immigration regulation will likely be ultimately ruled to be preempted and invalidated by Salt Lake City's U.S. District Court, which has jurisdiction in this matter.

Here's another fine (and expensive) mess our "wacked out" legislature's gotten us into, folks. (Something to remember when these "fiscally conservative" (so-called) legislative fruit-cakes again ask for our votes next November.)

2) There's another fine editorial on the hard-copy S-E editorial page this morning, approving, in no uncertain terms, the good Dr. Palumbo's action in stopping WSU's 11/13/11 concert "in order to have removed a disabled girl who was disturbing the concert with noises," and going on to add that "criticism of conductor Michael A. Palumbo is not fair":

• OUR VIEW: Right to stop music

Kudos to the SE Editorial Board for coming out publicly and saying what needed to be said.

3) Possible good news for political wonks like us, who stand absolutely appalled at the horrifying prospect of finding the names of the likes of Herman Cain, Rick Perry or Michelle Bachman (or even Incumbent President Barrack Obama) on our 2012 Presidential Election ballots. Check out this morning's tantalizing Los Angeles Times "national commentary," wherein Time columnist Dyle McManus sets forth a clever and high-tech "alternate" presidential nomination approach:

• Another presidential gene pool

Does something need to be done to "improve our presidential gene pool?" Yesiree, we do believe so.

4) Last but not least, we learn from another alert reader that Ogden City's conducting an online survey, to collect your input on a new "Recreation Master Plan" which Boss Godfrey's Gnomes seem to be cooking up in some City Hall back room. Godfrey asks for citizen input so infrequently that we'll label it a complete novelty. Who knows, however? after 47 months at the helm, has Godfrey turned over a new leaf?

• Recreation Master Plan Survey

Our WCF reader tipster informs us that she filled out the questionnaire and even offered this suggestion to the Little Lord, by the way:

I specifically asked that we purchase the west facing Weber Wasatch mountainside to preserve as a green space and - possibly - a city, county or state park

Now there's one helluva good idea, says us.

It isn't often that Godfrey wants to find out what the lumpencitizens think, so we'll be hoping you won't let the little guy down.

That's it for now, O Gentle Ones...