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Take Our
"Who is the Bigger Dummy?" Challenge!
(News for
9/12/04)
 Update
for 12/22/04:
Did common law marriages even exist in Utah prior to Amendment
3? Sen. Chris Buttars, the sponsor of Amendment 3, took a
stab at this question on public radio. Let's put it this way:
If Buttars thinks Shurtleff has no understanding of the law,
we are really in trouble. See
Buttar's Flounders Quote.
Note: Common law marriages were included in
state statute in 1987. See
Utah State Statute 30-1-4.5. "Validity of marriage not
solemnized".
Original News Story
Below
Summary: Contestant A
is General Mark Shurtleff, lobbyist for SB 175, the
confiscation bill that destroyed Citizens Initiative B and
your property rights. Contestant B is Senator Chris
Buttars, sponsor of SB 175, who has just publicly acknowledged
that General Shurtleff has no clue regarding the U.S.
Constitution. See if you can identify the bigger dummy.
Topics:
1. Sen. Buttars
Denounces General Shurtleff
2. But Wait…
Buttars Ran Shurtleff's Confiscation Bill!
3. Recent Case
of Federal Confiscation Abuse in Salt Lake
4. Take the
Dummy Challenge!
1. Sen. Buttars Denounces General Shurtleff
Sen. Chris Buttars recently
denounced Gen. Mark Shurtleff's abilities to comprehend the
U.S. Constitution. In an interview with Ozwald Balfour on KTKK
AM 630, Sen. Buttars stated:
"I think that anything this
prominent [the upcoming marriage amendment] will be
challenged legally and it will be my suggestion that we have
independent outside counsel who is really into
constitutional law. Mark Shurtleff isn't."
There are many years of evidence
that General Shurtleff is an enemy of the Constitution and
Bill of Rights. Shurtleff has recently gotten Buttars dander
up by vaguely opposing parts (apparently not all) of
Constitutional Amendment 3.
Note: For more
information on General Shurtleff's horrible track record, see
just about every issue on our
Issues &
Alerts page, or look his name up on our
Search page.
Back to Topics
2. But Wait… Buttars Ran Shurtleff’s Confiscation Bill!
Hold the show, however. Last
session, Sen. Buttars was the water boy for General
Shurtleff’s confiscation bill,
SB 175, that gutted Citizen’s Initiative B and destroyed
private property rights. See a
detailed analysis
of this horrific, unconstitutional attack on your rights and
also see how your legislators voted in our
2004 Legislative Performance Report.
Buttars was clearly the water
boy for Shurtleff, and
admitted to
Accountability Utah volunteers that he was running the
bill for Lyle Hillyard, who abandoned the bill after citizens
politically thrashed him. Lyle Hillyard ran the bill for Sen.
John Valentine, who
likewise abandoned the bill after citizens pressured him
in a town meeting held in his district. Throughout this
shameful display of musical sponsors, Shurtleff was there
guiding the bill and the entire process, finding one sucker
after another to run his bill.
Back to Topics
3. Recent Case of Federal Confiscation Abuse in Salt Lake
To all those who doubt the
insidious nature of federal forfeiture statutes, strike up a
conversation with Salt Lake business owner Matthew Ryan Smith.
Smith, a glassblower and artist, was on his way to an antique
show in Seattle to attend art festivals and obtain gems,
minerals, glass supplies, and art. He was carrying $26,000 for
that purpose.
Smith's money was confiscated by
federal thugs at the Salt Lake airport, his car was searched
without his permission, and he was detained and harassed for
several hours. According to court documents, a DEA agent told
an incensed Smith over the phone:
''If you're going to play hard
with me, I'm going to come and seize your money… It'll take
your lawyer at least a year to get it back.''
Smith got his money back, but
apparently after spending $20,000 in legal fees. (Bonus
question: How many other folks do you know who could
afford the time, anguish, and money to risk a court fight like
this?)
Smith was never charged with a
crime, never had a jury trial, and had to fight the very
abuses outlined in our aforementioned analysis of SB 175 and
federal forfeiture statutes.
Source: "Traveler
sues over seizure of cash in airport search," Associated
Press, Salt Lake Tribune, Sep. 7, 2004.
Back to Topics
4. Take the Dummy Challenge!
So, who is the bigger dummy? The
drafter and lobbyist of an unconstitutional attack on your
property rights, General Shurtleff, or the sponsor of that
attack, Sen. Chris Buttars, who only now seems to realize that
General Shurtleff is constitutionally challenged? Give us your
answer at
info@accountabilityutah.org.
Back to
Topics
Accountability Utah
recipe: Take our information and opinion, research their
information and opinion (if it is available), and then examine
the law and draw your own conclusions. If you have
comments or suggestions, please email us at
info@accountabilityutah.org.
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