Apparently the Utah legislature is no fan of The Constitution.  Last year the Utah legislature passed a bill that would allow prosecutors the power to get your contact information from your ISP or cell phone companies without the oversight of a judge when the prosecutors suspect a child sex crime. Don’t get me wrong I believe child sex offenders deserve harsh penalties however I believe also that they deserve the due process of law.

This year legislature passed House Bill 150 Administrative Subpoena Amendments that broadens the powers of prosecutors to bypass the Constitution once again but this time it includes more crimes which include suspected felonies, as well as cyber-stalking and cyber-harassment (misdemeanors).

This is a violation of the 4^th Amendment Right of illegal searches and seizures specified in the due process clause. Where the hell is the media on this? Where is the ACLU? Where is Glenn Beck?

The Fourth Amendment specifies that any warrant must be judicially sanctioned for a search or an arrest, in order for such a warrant to be considered reasonable. Warrants must be supported by probable cause and be limited in scope according to specific information supplied by a person (usually a law enforcement officer) who has sworn by it and is therefore accountable to the issuing court. Source: Wikipedia

The new law removes the judicial oversight of the process of obtaining evidence. Remember the three branches of government that provide checks and balances. If one of them is removed who is doing the checks and balances. In layman’s terms who’s watching the cops if the judge is taken out of the obtaining of evidence?

According to the Salt Lake Tribune: “Since the bill took effect, more than 200 such subpoenas have been issued, or slightly more than one a day.”  Courtesy of  Saintless

Saintless goes on to say:

And last year’s bill is proof that it’s not needed. We tend to hear about it when there’s a child porn case in Utah. And I certainly haven’t heard of anywhere near 1 new case per day in the last 6 months, which tells me that it’s either being over used (and abused), or isn’t effective. And with no accountability, all I can think is: “Who will watch the watchmen?”

Odd don’t you think? The most conservative state in America doesn’t support The Constitution.  This is the same state legislature that passed laws challenging the authority of the Federal Government with the Firearms Freedom Act.

So the 10th Amendment is more important than the 4th Amendment?  That is the message the Utah Legislature is peddling with their actions.

This whole rant was stirred by a post, I read today on Pete Ashdown’s blog: Go Pete Go!!!

Now the funny part about this. Brad Daw is a hypocrite of the finest order.

House Bill 150′s sponsor is Brad Daw R-Orem. I didn’t know anything about Brad Daw so I googled his name. I found out that he is up for re-election in 2010. I went to his campaign website. his website is full of Founding Fathers quotes and testimony about Daw’s devotion to upholding The Constitution. Here is the text of his site. (Hey Brad… if you are computer genius maybe you could use W3 compliant code because your site coding sucks worse than your design.)

Send Brad back to the Legislature in 2010I can say it no better than Thomas Jefferson did in the Declaration of Independence:
	“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
I believe, further, that the right to life begins before birth, that liberty is best preserved by limited government intrusion, and that happiness is best pursued in a loving and committed family.

He also has a link to a video in which he appears for The Patrick Henry Caucus.

Where the hell does he get off violating the 4th Amendment with his legislation and then preaching about his support of The Constitution?

Orrin Hatch is having a town meeting…  Now is your chance to tell him what an assclown he is, how much you hate a career politician  or how much his music sucks.

Its the freedom of America to go and tell you leaders to shape up or get unelected.

Do you civil duty and tell him what you think.

From: Correspondence_Reply@hatch.senate.gov [mailto:Correspondence_Reply@hatch.senate.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 3:02 PM
Subject: Correspondence from Senator Orrin Hatch

April 6, 2010

I want to bring to your attention two upcoming town hall meetings in your area of our state.

Utahns from every corner of our state are tremendously concerned with recent action taken in Washington, D. C. including a takeover of the nation’s health care system, out of control federal spending, and an ever-increasing federal deficit that threatens the security and well-being of generations to come. For this reason I am continuing my initiative to hold town hall meetings in various areas of our state to ensure that citizens throughout Utah are able to be part of an ongoing dialogue about the challenges we are facing and help to find solutions. I hope you can attend.

April 7, 2010 — 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Weber County Town Hall Meeting

Orion Junior High School

370 West 2000 North

Harrisville, UT 84414

April 8, 2010 — 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Salt Lake County Town Hall Meeting

Elk Ridge Middle School

3659 West 9800 south

South Jordan, UT 84095

Your Senator,

Orrin G. Hatch

United States Senator

I love the politics of Utah… It’s a train wreck that never ends and is endlessly entertaining. The jackasses that run this state are plentiful. The schemes mostly hare-brained and mostly we can blame the Mormons if you read the majority of commenter’s posts on Utah news sites.

Here are a few of my favorites this year. This year is a tight budget year which makes lawmakers a little bit crazier than normal.

School bus ads bill

In a surprising effort to rethink revenue a bill was created for advertising on the exterior of the bus an idea that has saved nearly 20 teaching jobs in Boston. Again the purse strings wanted to save the children from exposure to advertising… KSL.com

It was killed today in committee even though a Dan Jones poll has 65% of Utahan’s support it.  I support it. It’s funding schools without increasing my taxes. I think more government should try to find ways to monetize their operations.

FYI: that the Jordan School District is laying off staff but that wasn’t enough for the Utah legislature to try and create revenue and save 250 teaching positions in an already understaffed district.  Salt Lake Tribune

A Bill to cut Utah Officials Pay

It’s a tight budget year and everyone needs to contribute but then again maybe not everyone.

The Deseret News reports Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, wants the Legislature to slash the salaries of Gov. Gary Herbert, Lt. Governor Greg Bell, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, and Treasurer Richard Ellis

House Majority Leader Kevin Garn said lawmakers won’t go down that road and that Hansen’s bill has “zero chance of passing.”   KSL.com

Goose and gander her folks… Why is ok to screw non elected Utahans?

More Budget Cuts for The Ordinary

State retirements get to give a little for the budget. There is also a bill to cut retirements, reduce retirement payouts and add 1-5 years turning a 30 year state retirement into a 31-35 year retirement.  Utah Legislature: State retirement changes gain final approval This is one reason not to re-elect Sen. Dan Liljenquist, R-Bountiful.

Tobacco Tax Increase isn’t looking good especially with the threat of a Governor’s veto. Utah Legislature: Proposed smoking tax would benefit education, law enforcement

Repeat the above response: Goose and gander her folks… Why is ok to screw non elected Utahans?

A Bill to Eliminate the 12 Grade

While I think this is slightly silly Sen. Buttars at least had some out of the box thinking on this one.  A lot of students either waste their senior year or are too busy doing college courses. Why not send them to college early?  Why not make the senior year more stringent and make the youth more educated? Utah Legislature: Buttars pitches plan to save Jordan schools

A Bill to make MLK day also John M. Browning Day.

I am not making this up. I am extremely pro-gun but even I think this bill is asinine. My favorite part is it was created by my Senator, Mark Madsen.  Stupidity unfettered.  Luckily this bill has been killed and its redo to suggest another day has also been defeated.  This one is one of my favorite bills.

I love Utah Senator Orrin Hatch. Senator Hatch allows his stupidity to shine through, like water busting through a broken pipe.

John Forte had his sentence commuted by President Bush. Forte gained freedom because while in an expensive prep school he befriended the son of Carly Simon. Carly Simon and her like minded musician friends thought the sentence was too harsh and has been “fighting for John’s freedom”.

The conservative Senator Hatch from Utah was schmoozed by Carly Simon, a life long hardcore Democrat who had the brass tacks to record the country ballad “Are You Lonely Here With Me” written by non other than Senator Orrin Hatch. (CARLY: HOW I HATCHED PLOT TO FREE PAL by The New York Post) Senator Orrin Hatch joined the fight.

This is where Orrin Hatch’s stupidity comes out by quote as saying “He (Forte) was no risk to society because he was not a drug user.  And, frankly, he’s a genius” in the Salt Lake Tribune 12-3-2008.

Hey lets wait a cotton pick’n moment here. John Forte might be a genius or he might have just gotten lucky that is debatable. However saying that John Forte was no risk to society because he was not a drug user is pushing the envelope of stupidity. Interesting logic Hatch uses saying Forte might not be a drug user but evidence to the contrary. Forte was busted with 31 pounds of liquid cocaine with a street value of $1.4 million. If Forte isn’t a user, I suspect he was a dealer or a supplier which I think in most peoples minds is worse than being an addict. Addicts at least have a reason to use but a successful producer who has probably earned millions was dealing drugs to make more money. I believe this is sickening and especially when this isn’t Hatch’s first intervention in a drug case involving a music producer.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Dallas Austin

For those with short memories, this is the second rapper/producer with a drug sentence that Orrin Hatch has used his senator powers to free. In July of 2006 Senator Orrin Hatch helped free Atlanta R&B producer Dallas Austin from a 4 year Dubai prison term where Austin plead guilty to transporting cocaine into a Muslim country. Austin and Hatch shared the same attorney and is how Austin got the hook up. I asked it back then, I will ask it again now, is Hatch trying to boost his music career?

Senator Orrin Hatch has a music career. I know it sounds funny actually it sounds more awful than anything. In 2005 Hatch reported that he earned over 40k in royalties from his “music”.  I have seen him on TV peddling his CD’s as well as in different locals around Utah. I think this is a waste.  He is my elected national government official. Hatch works for me and should be in Washington taking care of national affairs for Utah. But for some reason he tries to rub elbows with everyone with fame. Don’t forget that Senator Orrin Hatch also blessed us with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a law that has done the American public a huge disservice in the advancement of technology. I think Hatch is bought and paid for by the music industry and in exchange he is purchasing favors from the music industry to fund his campaign and to promote himself. I think Orrin Hatch is a slimy bastard.

And so does Bob Lonsberry: HOW TO GET A PRESIDENTIAL PARDON

This ad made me laugh…

Courtesy of The World According to Bob Aagard from Holladay, Utah.