Someone asked me last night if I had seen an increase in hits on this website since the whole Prop 8 thing had put the church and gays in the spotlight. I shrugged and said that I hadn’t checked.
I did tonight and here are a few high-level stats:
The first month I enabled stats to be recorded:
(this site has been around since 2000)
The last four months:
I guess there is someone reading this. I’d better stay sharp (and thanks to you all!)
Besides the photos I shot at the Protest on Friday night, I shot a few scenes with my little Canon PowerShot A640. Here’s one (if you are bandwidth challenged, you may not want to click below):
Last night a few of we gay and non-gay, Mormon and non-Mormon friends gathered in downtown Salt Lake City to protest the insertion of the Mormon church into the “proposition 8″ discussion in California, which amended the state constitution to allow marriage only between “a man and a woman”.
Yesterday the church sent out yet another press release questioning why they should be singled out, since they were only part of a “coalition” and how shameful it is that people would protest at LDS properties for “being part of the democratic process”.
Huh? Since when are churches allowed to exercise democracy? I thought individuals did so. I don’t recall a “super delegate” with the LDS name on it.
The former bishop of the Utah Catholic diocese has also now chimed in — also via press release — questioning why the Mormons are being singled out. It sounds like he’s more afraid that the Knights of Columbus won’t get their “due” on the credit for pushing this through rather than that only the Mormons are being “punished”.
Here are a few photos I took of the crowd, which according to most press estimates was in “the thousands”:
I was watching the KSL News tonight at 5:00 and was somewhat surprised to see that the church-owned station had misprinted the church’s name on this graphic: 
Here’s a closeup:
I noticed when they did the same story at 6, they didn’t show the graphic. Nice job, guys. I’d like a venti.
I’ve held off commenting on last week’s revelation that the California State Supreme Court essentially mandated, in the spirit of equality, that marriage be made available to any couple of legal age that desires to share in the state-provided benefits that come from participating in that institution, until the dust settles (if indeed it does).
This made headlines on KSL and in the Deseret [Morning] News for days as they self-congratulated our state for having the foresight, in the spirit of exclusion and elitism, to amend the constitution to not only not allow “gay marriage” in Utah, but to prohibit anyone married in another state from being recognized as such in our bastion of righteousness.
In spite of this, there seemed to be a palpable, press-fueled fear that somehow this ruling would affect Utah’s sovereignty. It was actually humorous to watch as the talking heads used not-so-subtle scare tactics to foment fear and paranoia anew in this presidential election season.
I can’t wait for the fall-out to gradually infiltrate and eventually take over the discourse, superseding things the presidential candidates should be discussing, such as the war in Iraq, the price of fuel and food, global warming, the sub-prime mortgage “crisis” and the ongoing talk of whether we are or are not in a recession.
The ‘publicans will jump on this obfuscating wedge issue yet again, like a duck on a junebug. I don’t know if I can stand it again.
Oh Zion, dear Zion…
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
From today’s letters section of the Salt Lake Tribune:
Self-absorbed hypocrites
Public Forum Letter
Article Last Updated: 06/18/2007 09:03:22 PM MDTOnce more, Larry H. Miller, who is labeled by Gayle Ruzicka and the ultraconservative Eagle Forum the protector of family and moral values for pulling “Brokeback Mountain” from his theaters, is reaping the profits of another “Hostel” movie.
“Hostel Part II” is a sadistic, graphic, shocking, violent movie about human torture where the rich can pay tens of thousands of dollars to experience the thrill of killing someone.
How’s that for promoting family values? Yes, Larry H. Miller and Gayle Ruzicka continue to demonstrate double standards and aloofness from their self-appointed moral thrones of righteousness and elitism. When will society see them for the self-absorbed hypocrites that they really are.Alan Cunningham
American Fork
Some friends are getting married this December and asked me to design a label for a home-brewed beer the husband-to-be makes–and that will be presented to the guests.
The label was to feature their beagle, Charlotte:
It took three days, but I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince just now.
A good book that fits well into the series, it is somewhat darker and yet also filled with lots of teen angst and hormonal challenges as our heroes begin to turn seventeen.
I was not as upset at the “death of a major character” as apparently many readers seem to be–if you read the latest press.
The ending is fitting and plays into where we need to go in book seven–the final showdown between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.
That’s enough said.
By finishing reading this, I’m happy to be gradually extinguishing my reasons to avoid “spoiler alerts” in major media outlets.
I also watched The Aviator last night. A lengthy, but very interesting look at Howard Hughes and his aviation focus. It was a good film and I thought Leonardo DiCaprio acquitted himself well in the role.
He especially did a great job at showing Mr. Hughes’ OCD in its early stages and later on in life.
Overall, a poignant look at a fascinating man.
