That Speech

[Politics/Religion] He's calling his Thursday speech "Faith in America," which already has me turned off on any notion that Mitt Romney will seriously and finally address his Mormonism as it relates to his potentially running the country.

First of all, there is simply no need to address faith in general. It's his faith and ability to govern as a Mormon that huge blocs of Christian voters in the U.S. are questioning. So if Romney has a mind to blithely coast along, sing-songing about what faith and belief in God tend to do for people in general, the speech will be a no-sale. No one will buy it.

The basics of the Mitt-as-Mormon debate will not be provided Thursday night, and so the questions about his religion will continue. The vast majority of voters don't have a clue about what Mormons believe. Even so, they see the religion as a cult, and no amount of 'splaining and diagramming and professing one's testimony at College Station, Texas is going to change that perception.

I lived in Dallas for six years back in the '90s. I traveled all over the state with my job at the time, frequently landing right in the buckle of the Bible Belt. I couldn't count the number of times I was met by a complete stranger asking me "Did I know Jesus?" and "Have you been saved?" and "Is Jesus your personal savior?"

If I ever told any one of them I was Mormon (though of the infamous "Jack" variety, I still had all the fundamental background and trappings of the faith to be able to describe--and pretty respectfully and accurately--what Mormons believe), the first thing out of their mouths would be the "Mormons aren't Christian" statement. And what do you say to that? Oh, yes they are. And then what? I don't beat my wife, either? It's a no-win.

What people want to know about Romney, and by extension, Mormons, are the tidbits he would never in a million years discuss publicly. People who suspect Mormons as cultists and crazy-secretive want to know about all of the basics of the faith that set it apart as weird and other-worldly: temple rituals, baptism for the dead, personal revelation and prophecy, polygamy in the afterlife, and just what the heck is your view of Jesus, anyway?

And those are all matters Romney and other devout Mormons view as sacred and will only address superficially at best. So voters who want more will not get it. And after Thursday, Romney will say he's given all he's willing to give on the topic.

One final thought: If Romney is slipping to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the weeks leading up to the Iowa Caucuses, it's more about his flip-flopping on social issues and his hard-line approach to illegal immigration than anything else. Midwestern voters are some of the most socially and politically engaged in the country (I also lived in Minneapolis for five years, and got to know neighboring Iowa pretty well, too). They are known to be open-minded and to give most people a fair shake.

If Romney is having trouble in Iowa, he really ought to look at his compassion factor and his political mettle first. The issue is about his truth-telling ability and his humanity. Go there first, Mitt.

These stories on the "Faith in America" speech might be of interest. First, from a blogger-reporter who has no dog in the hunt (which is to say, he's a non-Mormon from outside Utah) and here and here.

And final, final thought: Mitt Romney is no JFK.

Anyone out there feel like weighing in? (Holly Mullen)

Beck the Halls

[Xmas] Time to face it: I'm not going to win tickets to the Glenn Beck Christmas show on Saturday night at the E Center, no matter how many times I entered via 570 KNRS. But at least now I'll have the unending joy of e-mail spam from "Family Values Talk Radio."

Good City Weekly liberals may or may not be aware of Glenn Beck, whose radio talk show airs weekdays 4-7 p.m. (and 9-10 a.m.) on KNRS, running right into his TV show on CNN Headline News at 7 p.m. He also has a new book (called An Inconvenient Book) and now a Christmas tour. He's a busy guy, as detailed in an exhaustive (and exhausting) story in Sunday's Deseret Morning News. Why the D-News? Beck's also a converted Mormon who only a few years ago gave up booze and drugs and became a conservative talk-radio guy.

Despite all this, Beck runs an entertaining, unpredictable radio show--unlike, say, Utah's "most-trusted newsman." Because, unlike most of the assclowns drafted into talk radio during the post-Rush Limbaugh boom of the '90s (consider yourself lucky if you never heard The Oliver North Show), Beck was a radio guy long before he cleaned up and turned to talk, and it shows. If NPR could come up with something even half as freewheeling and fun, they'd finally be onto something.

Don't know what his live Christmas show is like, but I doubt it's a typically maudlin yuletide snoozefest. Feel free to send me a review, you lucky-bastard winners. (Bill Frost)

The Amateur Ombudsman Answers Your Queries

Letters, we get letters. Many of them are from the angry, the incensed, the outraged. Some are from helpful people who wish to discuss the minutiae of comma placement and whether or not Sixth South should be spelled "600 South." And, sometimes, both cases hold true and there are letters from people who are outraged about comma placement.

But then there are letters from the curious. They want to know things. They want to know what we think; sometimes they think that we know something.

In an effort to be more helpful to readers of Salt Blog, I would like to present some answers to a few of the burning questions of our time. There are two real questions and one red herring. See if you can spot the fake:

Dear Amateur Ombudsman,

Are you aware of any German/American or World War II-era organizations in the Salt Lake Valley?

—Catharine

Dear Catharine,

It’s a bit difficult to imagine what you’re looking for here. As far as I know, many war heroes still hang out at the VFW; perhaps that might be a good place to look. I imagine they’d like somebody new to talk to or play dominoes with. And, don’t worry—some people from that generation may appear to be all grouchy and racist and horrible to be around, but I’ve watched enough TV to know that, once you get past that gruff exterior, each and every one of them has a valuable life lesson to teach you.

However, if you’re more into historical reenactments, why not put up a flyer at a local comic book store? Historical reenactments are pretty geeky, and so are comic-book stores. Probably, there’s some overlap there. You might try Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection (2043 E. 3300 South) or Black Cat Comics (2265 Highland Dr.). Be sure and ask management before posting flyers if you can't find a bulletin board or some other obvious location.

Finally, if you simply have a thing for Germans, you can get a tasty sandwich at Siegfried’s Delicatessen (20 W. 200 South). If you play your cards right, you could be sprechen Sie Deutsch with a hot Teutonic in no time!

Dear Amateur Ombudsman,

What if you were skydiving and your chute didn't open and you knew you were going to die? Would you die before you hit the ground? Can your body prepare you for this type of thing, or would you be awake right up until impact? Thanks, hope you can find an answer.

—Jen

No, thank you, Jen. I had practically stopped having those recurring plummeting nightmares until I started thinking about your letter.

There are two methodologies which occur to me whereby I might answer your question. The first would be for me to jump out of an airplane with one of those anvil-chute things holding a tape recorder, carrying on a running commentary about my impressions of my last moments and impending doom. If you were able to recover the tape and play it back, it might give you insight as to just when I lost consciousness—that is, if you were to trust me implicitly and not suspect that I might purposefully screw up the results by, say, clamming up out of a sense of pique. After all, you were the one who sent me falling to my death in order to satisfy your idle curiosity.

The second method, which I favor strongly in this case, is by thought experiment: I understand that, at high speeds, the circulation of blood in the human body is affected so that the subject loses consciousness. According to Wikipedia, the terminal velocity of a human body in free-fall is about 200 mph. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve gone faster than that in airplanes and the only thing that might have made me lose consciousness was an excess of screwdrivers.

However, maybe things are different when the air is rushing past your ears and you’re panicking as the ground rushes up toward you, and there’s no in-flight movie or SkyMall to distract you from your plight. In this case, you might pass out before you hit the ground in which case, good on you. I wouldn’t count on it, though.

Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s much your body could do to prepare you for the inevitable, Jen. In any case, whether you’re awake or not, the cause of death is likely to be impact with the Earth. Kind of makes you wish you hadn’t given up smoking, eh?

Dear Amateur Ombudsman,

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

—Kyle

Dear Kyle,

Just three—but why anyone would want to break through the delicious cherry-flavored Pop in order to expose the vile, waxy, brown Tootsie inside is beyond me.

(Brandon Burt)

Friday Letters Round-Up

• Wouldn't it be safer for the children if we put a nice church or a GOP headquarters there instead?

• What the world needs now is ... 25 delay feeds of Nick at Nite.

• ... Also, I have a plan to bring back law and order by subjecting jaywalkers to a good, sound waterboarding.
  

• I can't imagine why anybody would be interested in the fact that a candidate belongs to a church which opposes the ERA, gay rights and reproductive choice.

• We celebrate Christmas the old-fashioned way: We slit a goat's throat in honor of Lugh.

• Cougar fans, of course, are always perfect angels.

(Brandon Burt)

No Lands Man

[Update] This afternoon I ran into J.P. Garman looking as happy as I'd seen him in months.

Garman is the man without a country I wrote about this summer in No Lands Man who has spent his entire adult life trying to convince authorities he is a citizen of the United States.

A bungled California adoption meant that Garman wasn’t considered a U.S. citizen. No other country claimed him either. With no Social Security card he worked short-time jobs under the table, frequently moving.

When Garman landed in Utah, he decided to make another go at becoming legit. He went to the media and—until recently—it seemed like a bad idea. When an article about him appeared in the Deseret Morning News, Garman, now a celebrity, lost what work he’d been able to get to that point.

But today, he’s sporting a spanking new Social Security card.

Following years of working through California public agencies, Garman recently received a new birth certificate listing his birthplace as California, instead of “unknown.” That led to the Social Security card.

Garman—who is hoping to get a Utah ID tomorrow—is brimming with ideas for using his new Social Security number to start a business of his own. (Ted McDonough)

Rethinking Dope

[Drugs] A rag-tag band of University of Utah professors from every discipline from Philosophy, Political Science to Law and Pharmacotherapy are trying to shake things up with a new book on society's contradictory views and policies on drugs.

The question they ask is why doesn't society approach all controlled substances from some form of uniform policy?

The interdisciplinary tack these scholars take doesn't pull any punches, whether it's questioning what role political lobbying has in keeping alcohol legal and marijuana illegal, or positing whether or not there are stiffer penalties for possession of crack vs. cocaine because of racist implications of crack abuse by certain poor African American populations.

Certainly drug contradictions here in Zion abound where so many Utahns have witnessed the cultural norms about the harmlessness of prescription drugs. Such naive beliefs have pushed many casual pill poppers from a party drug to the hard realities of heroin, as was written this month in City Weekly. (Eric S. Peterson)

Get Dirty Sweet Twice

[Music] A hot music pick slipped by us this week because, well, nobody told us they were coming back: San Diego's Dirty Sweet, the 12th coming of the Black Crowes, Black Oak Arkansas and Black Sabbath (dig the stringy Ozzy hair and bellbottoms) played Salt Lake City months ago and earned rave local reviews from the few who witnessed it--again, alerting the press ain't a bad idea for promoting a show, for future reference.

This weekend, Dirty Sweet's playing twice at the Bar Deluxe at 666 S. State: Saturday, Dec. 1 as an opening act for the Slippery Kittens Burlesque (nice gig if you can get it), and Sunday, Dec. 2 headlining over SLC alt-country rockers the High Beams (Sunday in Salt Lake--rough gig).

You'll notice in the band's video below that, while they plead "Baby Come Home," they don't seem to actually have one--when they're not at the club, they have to play outside in a field! Do what you can to help these guys with rent and razor money, won't you?

(Bill Frost)

Stephanie Bernritter, 1968-2007

[Heroes] This beautiful soul is Stephanie Bernritter. She taught English and creative writing at Salt Lake City's West High School from 2002 until just a few days ago.



Ms. B, as we all knew her, died of complications from a long battle against leukemia on the night of Nov. 28. She was 39. Stephanie is survived by her husband Kevin, of Salt Lake City, relatives in Seattle (her hometown) and countless friends and proteges.

She is a warrior and a goddess. Fierce about good writing, loving toward all, this woman is the teacher you all hope your children will get. I know I did. Stephanie taught my daughter, now 19, and was her advisor when she co-edited WestWinds, the school's socko literary magazine. Beyond her passion for teaching, and her famous 15-minute "writing prompts," Stephanie helped with student clubs and athletics, including soccer coaching and advising the Gay Student Association. She headed up numerous poetry slams at coffee houses around Salt Lake City, where her students showcased their considerable talents.

My son was in her 11th-grade English class this year. She led him through The Grapes of Wrath with the usual reverence for John Steinbeck's literary talent, but she also got her students writing brief and beautiful essays about poverty, alienation and socialism.

I used to visit Stephanie's classes each year and talk about creative non-fiction. The students and I batted around ideas, discussed ways to narrate a story. I always told them how much they had to say and write, and how valuable their life stories are. This, in a world where too many adults in their lives dismiss them for their youth and inexperience. That, or they fear them, simply because they are teenagers.

None of this applies to Stephanie. She gave all of her students the power to live well and to write their truths. Dissing the state of public education is becoming a regular mantra these days. But it's fairly certain these critics never knew a teacher/a human being/a warrior like Stephanie Bernritter.

I just returned from a memorial service for Stephanie at West High. After a short video of her life and work shown in the library, the entire school gathered on the front lawn to send up balloons in her honor. We ended the service with a collective shout--what amounts to Ms. B's favorite expression: Right (or Write) On! (Holly Mullen)

Downward Dog ... to Hell!

[News of the Whacked] Speaking of yoga, did you know that it's a tool of Satan? Yup. According to the not-batshit-crazy-at-all Pat Robertson, the stretching is fine, but by repeating yoga mantras, you're praying to Hindu gods Vishnu and Krishna! MSNBC's Keith Olbermann elaborated on last night's Countdown:



Where does this leave Pilates then? Do I have to cancel today? (Bill Frost)

Yoga Rave

[Stretch It] Are you a yogi in a yoga rut? Do you feel like branching out and working with a different teacher, at least for one day? Are you a compassionate person who wants to do something positive for your community this holiday season?

I know that the above pitch sounds rather late-night infomercial, but if you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, you should seriously consider attending this Saturday’s Yogis Give Back benefit at the Rose Wagner Blackbox Theatre (138 W. 300 South).

A few years ago, impresario/dancer/choreographer/yoga teacher Stephen Brown asked several superstar yoga teachers from various studios in Utah to pool their yoga-osity and host a giant yoga class. The "yoga rave" (as one teacher dubbed it) was so well received, Brown made the Yogis Give Back fundraiser an annual event. All proceeds benefit the Hope Center for Children. Space is limited, so sign up ASAP if you’re interested. You can read more about the event here in a story City Weekly ran last fall. (Jenny Poplar)

Ogden Election Brouhaha

[Elections] Ogden's election brouhaha has caught the attention of a national voting rights researcher.

In his blog, Scott Novakowski, a researcher for the democracy promoting organization Demos, points to Ogden's confusing November mayor election as further evidence that the country’s voting system remains broken, particularly when it comes to use of provisional ballots.

The Ogden mayor’s race was thrown into confusion when supporters of Mayor Matthew Godfrey submitted long lists of names to Weber County election officials challenging the right of hundreds of would-be voters to vote. The ACLU of Utah is currently investigating complaints that Ogden voters may have been turned away from the polls without the opportunity to cast a ballot.

As Novakowski points out in his blog, under 2002’s Help America Vote Act, everyone whose right to vote is challenged at the polls is supposed to be offered a “provisional” ballot.

“Under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) states must offer "fail-safe" provisional ballots to all individuals who believe they are registered to vote but whose names do not appear on the rolls, who do not meet identification requirements, or whose eligibility is challenged at the polls. Such ballots are counted if election officials subsequently determine that the individual was a legitimate voter under state law.”

But, writes Novakowski, it isn’t unusual for election officials and poll workers to refuse provisional ballots--in large part because those running elections don't understand how the system is supposed to work.

In a report he completed this month for Demos, A Fallible 'Fail-Safe': An Analysis of Provisional Balloting Problems in the 2006 Election, Novakowski found problems with provisional ballots used nationwide during the 2006 election. Voter registration lists continued to be inaccurate during that election, meaning people that should have been on voter lists weren't. And a large percentage of complaints coming from that election were from voters denied a provisional ballot.

A bigger a problem may be “vague and inconsistent” standards adopted by states for when provisional ballots are counted, the Demos report says. While federal law sets a minimum standard for counting provisional ballots, many states established stricter rules that mean many provisional votes get tossed even after election officials determine the person casting the provisional vote should have been allowed to vote a regular ballot in the first place. Utah is listed among 13 states with rules, “that can create a significant, high, or very high risk of voting list error.”

Among Demos’ recommendations to fix the provisional ballot problem is for states to get rid of provisional ballots altogether—by passing election day registration laws. One such law will be proposed in January during the next session of the Utah Legislature. The sponsor is Democratic Rep. Neil Hansen, who—perhaps not coincidentally—represents Ogden. (Ted McDonough)

America's Next Top Regime Change

[Politics] For any you kids worried that the only way Republicans will beef up war spending is by starting another war, you ought to start doing your homework on a little place called Iran.

That's why it would be worth checking out a slide show being put on tonight from members of a peace delegation recently returning from Iran. One of the delegates, Phil Wilayto, peace activist and journalist, will be doing a presentation and slide show tonight Nov. 29 at Nobrow Coffee on 315 East Broadway from 7-9 pm tonight. Phil took this expedition on behalf of several organizations including the Campaign Against Sanction and Military Intervention in Iran

Phil also appeared on todays RadioActive program on KRCL talking about the trip and making the point that if you really want to actually do something to prevent war in Iran, try a vacation there. Apparently the only restrictions on travel there for Americans is that they contract their tour through a travel agency.

This peace tourism actually makes sense, not only do people travelling there benefit from learning the full complexities of a country, gaining vital perspective to counter the ever increasing war rhetoric emerging from the White House, but they also increase economic ties between our countries and make it more costly to engage in war.

For anyone actually scared of going to a country we might soon be at war with, keep in mind a rule for international travel I can personally swear by, some people probably hate America with a passion, but few people don't love Americans--especially when you are making the effort to learn about their culture. (Eric S. Peterson)

Fodder for the Utah-Vegas Water Wars

[Dry News] Yesterday, NPR's Fresh Air featured an interview with California water researcher Peter Gleick about the "Looming Water Crisis" facing much of the Western United States.

Glick, a MacArthur fellow and co-founder of the Pacific Institute, visited Utah recently, meeting with Legislators, Salt Lake County officials and City Weekly, to discuss a new Pacific Institute study of Las Vegas' water use. The findings—that Sin City could be saving a lot more water through conservation—should interest Utah politicians grappling with Nevada’s plan to pipe water from the Utah-Nevada border to Vegas.

To justify the planned pipeline, Las Vegas water authorities have repeatedly touted the city’s water conservation efforts—particularly a program that pays residents to tear grass out of front yards. The message has essentially been that Vegas is already conserving. (They particularly love to point out that water used in casino fountains is recycled.) So, the argument goes, the city has no choice but to pump water from ranching land. (A move Utah ranchers fear could destroy their crops.) Vegas water authorities have even chastised Utah for doing less on the water conservation front.

The Pacific Institute study calls out the Vegas rhetoric. Institute researcher Heather Cooley gives Vegas credit for the “innovative and effective” turf-removal program, but notes Vegas lags behind other desert regions in use of many other water conservation programs. Cities like Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Tucson are more aggressive and use significantly less water.

The Pacific Institute study identified 80,000 acre feet of water that Vegas could save through conservation. Gleick said if Vegas adopted the water conserving measures outlined in the institute report, the city could postpone building the proposed pipeline for years.

The report is good fodder in Utah’s water fight with Vegas. But Utahns shouldn’t act too superior. Pacific Institute’s researchers note Salt Lake City and St. George residents use less water per person than Vegas residents, but are still significant water wasters compared to standout conservers in New Mexico, Arizona or parts of Colorado. (Ted McDonough)

You & The Tube

[Politics] Tonight's CNN/YouTube Republican Debate gets underway in a few hours, and while the compilation video below does include some "great questions" for the candidates, I gotta ask: Is political savvy what it takes to win over Anderson "News Ferret" Cooper, or production values? Are these "concerned citizens" working toward a better country or 15 minutes of niche fame? Were there rousing CB Radio debates in the '70s? Guess I'd better make a video and submit it somewhere if I want any answers ...



(Bill Frost)

Dick Nourse: Retiring One Bad Ass Mofo

[Media] Maybe it's just our cover on Ultimate Fighting in Utah this week, but when I think now of KSL's Dick Nourse retiring tonight after after 43 years on air, I can't help but lament that Utah has lost one of its most ... physically intimidating broadcasters.

Don't get me wrong, Nourse is a great broadcaster and journalist, and if you want to hear more of his praises in that regard, read any other tribute to him. I just thought I'd highlight the fact that KSL may no longer be able to claim that their evening broadcaster could most likely demolish any other local news broadcaster in a cage fight.

I mean look at the guy! I certainly wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley somewhere. Having Nourse retire is like having Rhino from the Amazing Spider-Man series retire from crime. Who can fill those shoes? Who could go on ramming down steel bank vault doors with their head or knocking over armored cars like they were Matchbox toys?

Certainly no one in Utah broadcasting anymore thats for damn sure.

In fact I challenge anyone to come up with a Utah journalist that could go toe to toe with the "force of Nourse" for three rounds and even survive, let alone emerge victorious. (Eric S. Peterson)

Snow Angel

[Winter Wonderland] Picking up on the indomitable Bill Frost's thread below, what is the best winter survival tip you have for living in Utah?

I realize that ol' global warming has made living through these milder winters a breeze, but ...

Honestly, I lived here for three-quarters of my life before finally learning to ski. I took my first lesson at age 43. I'm an old dog but I did learn a new trick and now I ski like a bunny. Kind of. But you gotta squint to see it.

Anyway, I pretty much worship snow days now. I don't even curse ice on the car windshield in the mornings anymore. Unless I'm late for work.

So, got any survival tips? I'll even listen to sarcasm, if you want. Also, I wish that was me--the hot ski racer--in the photo above. It's U.S. Ski Team member Julie Mancuso and the photo is from the Tacoma News-Tribune. (Holly Mullen)

The Dangers of Snow

[Winter] Still waiting for the snow? For weeks now, TV weatherguys have told us that "Snow's coming Tuesday! Really!" Has yet to happen, but looks like today might finally be it. Now instead of bitching about the lack of white stuff, you can start bitching about the abundance of white stuff. It's your right as a Utahn.

To prepare you, please to enjoy this cautionary tale from the Happy Tree Friends:



(Bill Frost)

Wolfiness

[Wildlife] How much do we love wolves in this country?

We love them so, so much we've taken to spotting them roaming in the foothills of the Salt Lake 'burbs in Olympus Cove, even when wildlife experts are saying the specimen in question is more likely a wolf-dog hybrid.

The wolf, with its incredibly sophisticated social structure, lonely howl and just-close-enough-to-domestic-dog looks is the stuff of legend and of our wildest imaginations. We respect their instincts and power, envy their "lone-wolfness." (The photo here is from Smithsonian Magazine.)

But we don't love wolves enough, apparently, to keep them protected and on the federal endangered species list for much longer. The western gray wolf, which has flourished in the 33 years since it was reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park from Canada, is on the fast track to being delisted. Environmentalists are sounding the alarm about moving too quickly, but it looks like one more midnight-hour policy change we'll be able to thank George W. Bush for in his last year in office. The war, yes. The wolves, no. You know, let's just let everything go to hell.

On a related topic, if you've ever wondered how a Yellowstone gray wolf might fare in a rendezvous with a grizzly bear, go here and find out.

There's just something about Canis lupus. (Holly Mullen)

Dancing with the Mormons

[Politics-ish] For anyone who ever doubted why Mitt Romney would be a contender for a presidential candidate, all I have to say is this: Marie Osmond.

While you struggle to make the connection allow me to scoop you in on the latest Dancing with the Stars gossip. Our lovable Marie Osmond has cruised through the series despite getting some of the lowest marks by the judges for her abysmal dancing. Even last week she fainted while dancing because according to her "I forgot to breathe." Fair enough, honest mistake, that's one of those natural bodily functions that often slips my mind from time to time.

And yet the audience votes that keep coming in save Marie every time. One of her fellow dancers Maksim Chmerkovskiy has recently said it's all a sympathy vote because of her father's death and her sons going into rehab. Maksim also confessed that his celebrity partner Ugly Spice has personal problems of her own that she didn't flaunt in front of the nation that is that her kid has chicken pox.

I have another theory. Marie is swimming in votes because, sure there is a pity factor, but she also has an LDS social network supporting her that is vast, organized and efficient.

If one accepts Robert Putnam's theory of social capital you have to appreciate then how the LDS community has a very intricate network of support for members of its community that operates on formal and informal levels.

This is what not only keeps Marie going but also supports Mormon politicians nationwide. Sure the majority of Americans are scared of Mormons, but that doesn't completely counter the efficiency of the existing Mormon populations ability to elect voices of their community.

Look at national politics: 11 Mormon house reps, 5 in the senate including Majority leader Harry Reid. 5 senators may only be 5% of the senate but keep in mind there's only about 7 million LDS members in the US, 300 million thereabouts in the US at large.That's almost 200 percent representation.

Pretty damn impressive political machine there, and its the same machine that Romney will be counting on to not only drum up votes, but also organize outreach and fundraising to finance his extreme evangelical makeover necessary to win over the rest of America's value voters. (Eric S. Peterson)

Contest: Double Franchisee

[Three-peat] Next week marks the DVD release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, a film that -- whatever its other qualities -- placed Orlando Bloom in select company. Having appeared as Legolas in three Lord of the Rings films and Will Turner in three Pirates of the Caribbean films, Bloom becomes one of only a handful of performers to play the same character in at least three films in two different film series. Harrison Ford -- Han Solo and Indiana Jones -- is an easy one. But how many others could you come up with?

Readers are invited to send in the longest possible list of actors who have appeared as the same character in at least three theatrically-released films in two different film series, no later than Monday, Dec. 3. The winner receives a copy of the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End DVD. Voice roles count; direct-to-video doesn't. And a bonus point for anyone who includes a woman in his or her list. So far, the best I've been able to find are women with one trilogy and one two-fer.

Email to scottr@slweekly.com with subject line "Double Franchise Contest", and be sure to include your daytime phone number and mailing address. (Scott Renshaw)