Monday, March 30, 2009

-- First, the background: Last week, Rep. Greg Hughes and Sen. Howard Stephenson blew the lid off the story of the year: John Daley posted three messages on a discussion group that criticized Republican Sarah Palin, praised Barack Obama and appeared to support a protest of a coal power plant at the U.S. Capitol. He is also married to an attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. This matters, they say, because he has reported about a controversial land swap in Draper that would open up land for UTA to build a train station. That's the history. Now to this week.

-- Hughes, is on fire because not a word of their Daley scandal showed up in the media, which he predicted "like Nostradamus." Specifically, they’re upset with me because I didn't blog anything about it (I ran out of time because John and I were running up bids at a BLM oil and gas auction. Also, I'm lazy). "The fix is in," says boxing promoter Hughes. (More on this later).

-- The UTA deal in Draper really makes perfect sense, argues Hughes (who is a member of the UTA board and represents Draper in the Legislature. To be fair -- and I'm always fair -- he has recused himself from the UTA vote on this issue, but remains an outspoken advocate for the land deal). Hughes believes the enviros should support the train station. "They all have their berets on and they're excited to see people give up their automobile," he says. (Sacre bleu! Because nothing says environmentalist like a jaunty chapeau. Also, all things French are to be scorned). He says if UTA can't get the station built on the open space on the south side of the Jordan River, he thinks they'll build it on private property on the other side and no one can stop it, so it's coming to Draper. (Take that, Frenchy).

-- Stephenson blasts blogger Glen Warchol for suggesting that he might support a proposal in Congress to allow newspapers to operate as non-profits because, Warchol says, Stephenson's Utah Taxpayer Association likes corporate tax breaks. Stephenson says that's not true (although he's voted for lots of corporate tax breaks) and he has opposed special tax perks. Besides, he says, newspapers already are non-profits (a pretty good line).

-- Caller Wendy calls to ask why nobody ever questions the pollution emitted by U.S. Magnesium, one of the nation's largest pollution emitters. Stephenson defends the company, saying they've cleaned up their plant, but they'll have them on to discuss it (and I'm sure they'll get the same hard-hitting questions that Stephenson battered EnergySolutions CEO Steve Creamer with when he was on: "So I could use this dirt in my tomato boxes?"). Hughes recounts how, when he was living in Pittsburgh, he got a job as a hot air balloon chaser (and today he hangs out with Stephenson -- some things never change). That entailed following the balloons and picking up the passengers when they landed, which could be anywhere because of the erratic Pittsburgh winds. So, in Pittsburgh the wind would blow the pollution out of the city (never to be spoken of again. This explains why Pittsburgh is the model of urban cleanliness).

-- Caller Michael from Salt Lake blasts the media which he says hasn't scrutinized President Barack Obama and his leftist ways. "Is it true that he's African American?" Michael asks. "They wanted a black candidate so bad they were willing to sacrifice their objectivity."

-- Back on the Daley-gate Coverup-gate, Chuck Gates from the Deseret News is on to discuss media objectivity and some of the complications that can arise. Stephenson suggests reporters should disclose their conflicts and that maybe newspapers should just take political positions. Fox News, he says, is conservative and "MSNBC is considered the left-wing socialist al Qaeda station." (Because clearly those al Qaeda folks are leftist hippies. Just look at their facial hair). But if papers aren't up front about it "there ends up being a clandestine bias." Gates fires back that there are clandestine biases in the Legislature, because it's impossible to tell which conflicts are influencing decisions. (Next week, Gates-gate). Hughes says lawmakers have to update their conflict of interest forms every year so it's all out in the open. (Ignore that the conflict of interest forms are so vague they’re worthless in most cases. If, for example, someone is an attorney but doesn't disclose clients, what good is the disclosure?).

-- New caller "Mike" (statistically, two-thirds of Red Meat Radio listeners are named Mike) is upset that the Legislature defeated a bill to limit appeals by death row inmates. Hughes agrees that "if we're going to have a death penalty, let's have it." (John Daley will be first against the wall).

-- I'm on the show again, put on the defensive to try to explain why I didn't write about their Daley allegations last week (seriously, I'm lazy). My argument is that Daley's blog posts and marriage to a SUWA attorney are a matter for KSL management, not necessarily something for The Tribune to be covering (an argument Stephenson and Hughes aren't buying). I also point out the rich history of antagonism between Daley and Hughes. Daley was a thorn in the side of Hughes' pal, Speaker Greg Curtis, for some time, then broke the story on the ethics complaint against Hughes and has aggressively reported on the UTA deal. That, of course, has nothing to do with it, says Hughes. They're following me, too.

-- Hughes trashes Trib columnist Rebecca Walsh for her criticism of the LDS church's involvement in the anti-gay movement. "If your message is falling on deaf ears, create a conspiracy and go after the messenger," says Hughes, "because that's something the public can get its hands around." (Especially if that messenger is named "Daley").